She won. In the end, she really won.
Watching Oguri Cap take the Japan Cup, Sakuraba Ryo felt like he was about to ascend.
The last of the tension hanging inside him finally died for good.
At this point, he had no choice but to admit it.
Oguri and Tamamo were the real deal now—genuine world-class Umamusume.
Gray Umamusume can't run fast? Total bullshit!
Goddammit.
Whyyyyyy?!
The more casually he'd invested in Oguri and Tamamo back then, the more it hurt now.
Waaah...
This can't be right.
Being number one in the country was one thing, but now you've even stomped the King of the Arc underfoot? Isn't that a little too much?
No one saw it coming. No one.
Tony Bianca, the one Sakuraba Ryo had pinned such high hopes on, had actually lost in the clash of Zones and could only finish a disappointing fifth.
Ah!
How did the King of the Arc go down?!
Michelle My Baby? Weren't you supposed to be so good at throwing elbows? Then how come you couldn't out-elbow Oguri Cap when it mattered? What, did you get that big for nothing?
That American-style elbowing specialty of yours doesn't look like much either!
Moonlight Lunacy! Ellerslie Pride! Answer me!
Were you two messing with me?!
Why'd you both go quiet halfway through the race?!
Sakuraba Ryo wanted to call the police.
This was a straight-up scam!
What surprised Sakuraba Ryo most, though, actually wasn't Oguri or Tamamo Cross.
Those two were experts at stabbing him in the back, so it wasn't as if he'd never imagined them taking the Japan Cup...
But Obey Your Master...
He truly hadn't expected Obey Your Master to be this strong.
The level she showed in the second half of the race was absolutely top-tier.
How had an Umamusume this good stayed completely unknown until the Japan Cup?
Sakuraba Ryo was nearly scared to tears. The world of Umamusume Zones ran way too deep. He was in over his head...
If Oguri and Tamamo Cross hadn't both stopped Obey Your Master at the same time, that American assassin might really have stolen the whole thing...
"Oguri Cap! Oguri Cap! Oguri Cap!"
All around Sakuraba Ryo, the excited crowd spontaneously started chanting Oguri Cap's name.
Of course they were excited.
The Japan Cup!
After all these years, one of Japan's own had finally won the Japan Cup!
And the winner was a gray Umamusume who had transferred from the regional circuit to Central!
There was no way a legend like this could be summed up in just a few simple lines.
"A legend..."
Sakuraba Ryo had never dreamed those words would one day be attached to an Umamusume right beside him.
And one he'd invested in, no less!
Sigh.
I submit.
Lord have mercy.
Sakuraba Ryo closed his eyes.
...
The deafening cheers rolled across the entire racecourse like a tidal wave.
Oguri Cap stood beneath the spotlight, a wreath symbolizing her Japan Cup victory draped across her chest, her pale gray hair trembling softly in the wind.
Her breathing still hadn't fully settled, and her name echoed at her ears again and again, surging in from every corner of the stands and wrapping around her with a strange gentleness.
She turned her head slightly and looked toward Tamamo Cross not far away, who was still catching her breath too, though there was a helpless smile on her face as she looked back at her.
The instant their eyes met, the corners of Oguri Cap's lips lifted in a curve so faint it was almost impossible to see.
She won.
Even if the margin was razor-thin, even if it was only this once.
At least at this moment, under Sakuraba Ryo's gaze, she had crossed the finish line first.
A hot, trembling thrill surged up from her chest, then slowly settled, becoming something weighty and solid—something like peace.
She lifted her head and looked toward the stands.
There were countless excited faces there, waving flags, air trembling with noise.
And she knew that among them, one gaze was surely fixed on her, carrying feelings too complicated to sort out.
Oguri Cap gently clenched her fist, and the petals on her wreath swayed with the motion.
She stood here, at the center of the world.
This time, she was the one who won.
The reporters surged past the barriers like a flood, and in an instant, microphones and cameras surrounded Oguri Cap just as she had finally stopped to catch her breath.
The flashbulbs merged into a blinding white, almost enough to dye her snow-pale.
"Oguri Cap! You've won the Japan Cup in your very first appearance—how do you feel right now?"
"You defeated a host of powerful rivals, including Tamamo Cross. What do you think was the key to your victory?"
"Now that you've done this, do you have any new thoughts on the title 'Gray Monster'?"
Questions came flying at her from every direction, noisy and urgent.
Oguri Cap narrowed her eyes slightly as she adjusted to the glare. She raised a hand and lightly straightened the wreath that had slipped a little across her chest. It was only a tiny gesture, but the clamor around her quieted on its own for a moment.
She looked toward the nearest microphone. Her voice wasn't loud, but in the sudden hush, it came through clearly.
"I won. I'm happy."
After a pause, her gaze seemed to pass over the layers of people and settle in the direction of someone specific.
On the face that usually looked calm, even a little blank, there appeared an expression of unusual seriousness—gentle, even.
"The person I most want to thank is my investor, Sakuraba Ryo."
From somewhere near the track came a tiny sound, like someone choking—or maybe letting out a dying wail.
Oguri Cap acted as if she hadn't heard a thing and continued in her steady, even voice.
"From the very beginning, he believed that gray Umamusume could run fast too. That they could win important races."
"And before this Japan Cup, he told me very firmly... that he trusts me."
There was no boastfulness in her tone, only plain statement, as if she were saying something perfectly natural.
"So I could... stand here with peace of mind and face every opponent."
At the end, she gave a small nod, as if confirming her own words.
"So... thank you."
"Thank you, Ryo, for believing in me~"
"I'm really glad I got to be the Umamusume you invested in."
Oguri Cap's words were like a bomb thrown beneath still water, instantly kicking up towering waves.
"Sakuraba...?"
"Who's Sakuraba Ryo?"
"The Umamusume who made such a stir this Derby season actually had someone that capable backing her?"
People looked at each other in shock, all of them talking at once about just what kind of person this mysterious investor was...
Oguri Cap said nothing more. Under the escort of the staff, she slowly made her way toward the winning concert.
The wind lifted her ashen-gray hair as she listened to the still-roaring crowd behind her shouting her name. The little curve at her lips, the one she couldn't quite suppress, seemed to deepen a little.
Hehe.
I wonder if Ryo will be moved when he hears what I said?
Now that I've won the Japan Cup, I should matter a little more in Ryo's heart, right~
The moment that thought crossed her mind, the little ears atop the girl's head started fluttering excitedly like a chick's wings.
---
T/N: .....
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