As the mock race progressed, it was finally time for Group Two.
"First up, our most popular runner, Gold Ship!"
"Yo, hello!"
Wearing her signature ship-shaped hat, the silver-haired girl stepped onto the stage and greeted the crowd.
"How exactly is this popularity ranked?" Fujiwara Chiya muttered as he watched her strike strange poses on stage.
"It's from the Tracen website. There's a voting link for the mock race. You can vote for your favorite Uma Musume there." Nase Fumino opened her phone and showed him.
Under the "Group Two" section, Gold Ship's name was overwhelmingly ahead.
"Four thousand votes? That's way too high. Second place only has five hundred."
"Each student only gets one vote. Four thousand already exceeds the total number of students at Tracen. She probably boosted it."
"…Gold Ship. Isn't she afraid of getting caught?"
"If she were, she wouldn't make it this obvious. It's just a mock race, so it's not strictly enforced. She probably counted on that."
That's a bit too bold…
Still, since they had already announced Gold Ship's name, the school likely chose to overlook it.
Next up was Daitaku Helios, a girl with star stickers on her face, a side ponytail, and a flashy gyaru style.
"Let's get hyped!"
She shouted energetically.
Then came Mejiro Palmer. Just walking onto the stage, she carried a gentle, refined presence like a lively yet elegant young lady. She gave a soft wave to the audience.
These two were Gold Ship's biggest rivals in this race. If she could beat them, everything else would fall into place.
"All runners, please enter the gates!"
The voice of Hishi Amazon rang out as she hosted the event on behalf of the student council.
"I'm not asking for much… just don't mess up the start," Chiya muttered, pressing his hands together.
"…Your expectations are that low?" Nase glanced at him with her cool, sharp eyes.
"I'd like to aim higher, but I can't."
"You should have confidence in your runner."
"I do. I'm just used to being disappointed."
After some light warm-up movements, Gold Ship stepped into her gate.
"Yo! This feels totally awesome, all tingly and fired up! Time to go all out!"
She clenched her fist.
"Everyone's full of energy! I'm getting hyped too!"
"Oh? You getting hyped too, gyaru?"
"Wee~i! You bet! Let's burn!"
"Burning that much!? Wryyyyyy! I'm fired up too!"
Gold Ship let out a bizarre shout.
"…Everyone's so lively," Mejiro Palmer said with a gentle smile from the neighboring gate.
"All runners, ready!"
As the gate lights flashed, the air tensed. Then, with a loud clang, the gates burst open.
The race began.
The runners surged forward all at once. From Gate 4, Gold Ship was quickly overtaken and fell back to third from last.
"…The start wasn't bad. Just too far back," Chiya commented quietly.
Normally, a clean start meant securing a favorable inner position. Gold Ship's placement wasn't terrible, but if she had been within the front two, it would have given her much more margin for error during the final sprint.
Still, it was acceptable. At least it exceeded his expectations.
"Did you instruct her to run like that?" Nase asked, watching the silver-haired girl settle at the back of the pack.
"Yeah. Gold Ship has strong leg power, perfect for explosive bursts. Her stamina isn't bad either. Combining both, her best strategy is to conserve energy early, then accelerate all at once in the final stretch. A classic late charge."
This strategy carried both high risk and high reward. Staying at the back meant she didn't have to fight for position or deal with the pressure of the front runners. That reduced mental strain and allowed her to conserve stamina to the maximum.
However, the risk was obvious. If the gap grew too large, even with full stamina, she might not be able to catch up.
"Her top speed is higher than most Uma Musume. Now it depends on whether she can pick the right moment."
Listening to his analysis, Nase spoke calmly. "It seems you understand her strengths and weaknesses quite well."
"I can manage at least that much."
As they continued watching, the race began to shift.
"It's Daitaku Helios! Daitaku Helios has taken the lead!"
"Yabai~ I'm getting super pumped!"
Her expression turned wildly excited as her speed increased. She wasn't thinking about pacing at all, just charging forward blindly. The runners behind her were unconsciously pulled along, speeding up as well.
"…This fast already?" Chiya widened his eyes.
The race had reached the second turn. Out of the total 1800 meters, they were already nearing the final phase.
At this point, Daitaku Helios was in the lead, followed by Mejiro Palmer, with Gold Ship still at the very back.
The moment they entered the turn, Helios's pace faltered slightly.
That's it!
Mejiro Palmer's eyes sharpened. She seized the opening, pushing off the ground and surging forward.
With a drained voice, Helios could only watch as Palmer passed her.
She had already burned out.
"So this is a Mejiro runner… her timing is perfect," Chiya said in admiration.
The race had now reached the final corner, with only 300 meters remaining.
Gold Ship… if you don't move now, it's over!
Chiya couldn't help but feel anxious.
As if responding to his thoughts, Gold Ship finally moved.
"Wryyyyyy!" she shouted. "Outta the way, outta the way, OUTTA THE WAY! Move it!!"
She charged forward while yelling, and for the first time, Chiya truly saw her speed in action. He had no idea how fast she could really go.
Seeing his concern, Nase spoke from beside him. "Actually, Gold Ship is quite well-known among experienced trainers."
Aside from her personality, there was one more reason.
Her running form.
A veteran trainer once described her like this:
When she moves, she astonishes. Her charge is like an unsinkable ship.
If not for her unpredictable personality making her difficult to train, she would have long been considered a top prospect.
"It's Gold Ship! Gold Ship is accelerating! So fast! Incredible speed!"
Like a ship cutting through waves, her stride grew longer and faster.
"Seventh! Sixth! Fifth! She's still accelerating! Gold Ship is still accelerating!"
Only one body length remained between her and first place. Fifty meters left to the finish line.
"Can Gold Ship overtake her opponent!?"
"Yahoo!"
At the very last moment before the finish line, she surged past Mejiro Palmer and crossed first.
"Did you see that!? That's me, Gold Ship-sama! Gold Ship-chan~!"
Slowing down, she raised her arms and cheered toward the crowd.
"Trainer Chiya, it seems your team isn't as hopeless as you thought."
As applause filled the air, Chiya listened to Nase's words and nodded.
"…Yeah. Looks like it."