As the races moved on to Group Four, Rice Shower clenched her fists and quietly cheered herself on. Whenever she felt nervous or discouraged, she used this method to steady herself.
"Rice, you can do this."
Shirayuki stood beside her.
"Mm… Rice will… do her best."
Even though Rice still felt a bit of envy and jealousy toward Shirayuki over onii-sama, she knew what mattered most right now. This was a race. She couldn't let personal feelings get in the way.
After accepting the encouragement, Rice stepped onto the track.
Shirayuki waved at her.
On the field, everyone was making their final preparations. Three figures immediately stood out. They were Rice's biggest rivals in this race.
Third: Twin Turbo, a girl with mismatched blue and purple eyes and sharp, jagged teeth. She waved energetically at her classmates.
"I'm taking first place!"
Her loud voice carried clearly across the field.
Second: Mihono Bourbon. Long chestnut hair, blue eyes, and an expression as flat as ever, almost like a machine.
And finally, the most popular of them all: Mejiro McQueen. As a member of the Mejiro family, she had already shown outstanding results in her first mock race and had been scouted by a veteran trainer. A Uma Musume with both strength and popularity.
Looking at the three of them, standing like they were at the center of the world, Rice shrank back toward the edge of the track.
Their presence was too dazzling. It hurt just to look at them.
Seeing this, Shirayuki stepped forward and took Rice's hand.
"Shirayuki… what are you doing?"
"Rice, you need to stand with them."
"What!? N-no, I can't, I really can't… Rice isn't like them…"
"Listen to me, Rice. These are your opponents. In this race, and in the Twinkle Series, it'll always be like this. If you think you're different from them and back away, then you've already lost before the race even starts."
"Rice…"
"You're no different from them." Shirayuki held her shoulders firmly. "If they can do it, so can you. You'll surpass them. You'll shine brighter than anyone."
"Rice… can't do that…"
"You can. I'll make sure you can. No… we will." Shirayuki corrected herself. "You're not alone anymore. Gold Ship, Doto, the trainer… all of us will support you. If you feel like you can't do it, then rely on us. We'll give you the courage you need."
Hearing those words, Rice was silent for a moment before finally speaking.
"Really…? Shirayuki really thinks that?"
"Of course."
Before she realized it, the unease she had toward Shirayuki had faded by more than half. Guided by her hand, Rice stepped forward and stood alongside the others.
"I'll definitely… do my best to beat them…"
Rice made up her mind.
"Go for it!"
From the stands, Fujiwara Chiya gripped the railing tightly.
"That black-haired girl is one of yours, right?"
"Yeah."
"You planning to have her run short distance?"
"No. I'm training her for long distance."
"Really…" Nase Fumino raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't look built for long distance. She's too small."
"Now that's where you're wrong." Chiya shook a finger. "Rice has a really strong heartbeat. Way stronger than most Uma Musume. She might look small, but her stamina and endurance are incredible."
"Her heartbeat…" Nase glanced at him. "And how exactly do you know that?"
There was something strange in her gaze.
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. I didn't go around touching her. I heard it."
Nase Fumino's mind immediately pictured a grown man pressing his ear against a little girl's chest.
"Hold on, I didn't say I put my ear on her chest! I heard it from a distance!"
"From a distance…"
Then her heart really must be strong.
"By the way, Trainer Nase," Chiya said, "I've been wondering… why are you so involved today?"
"Involved?"
"You're usually pretty quiet. You don't really care about this kind of race. So why are you paying so much attention today?"
This was the most they'd talked so far, and it felt a bit strange.
Nase Fumino thought for a moment, then said, "You could say I'm gathering information."
"Information?"
"The Uma Musume I'm training is in the same generation as yours. Sooner or later, they'll meet on the track. Before that happens, I want as much information as possible."
"I thought you came to chat with me. Turns out you're here to spy!"
What surprised Chiya even more was how openly she admitted it.
"If you're going to do that, then I'm asking too," Chiya said.
"Go ahead."
"Besides Tokai Teio, who else are you training?"
"All of them?"
"The ones in my year."
"El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, Tokai Teio, Narita Top Road."
"Alright then, I'm going to start collecting intel on all of them too," Chiya declared.
"They'll be racing later. If there's anything you don't understand, I can explain it."
"…You're not worried I'll use that information to beat you?"
"No." Nase brushed her hair behind her ear. "Whether they're analyzed or not, I'll still give everything I have to help them win."
"I see…"
With how serious she sounded, Chiya didn't know how to respond.
Whatever. If she wanted to analyze, then fine. They were about the same age, probably the youngest trainers at Tracen. He'd just treat her as a rival.
Of course, she was a veteran trainer, and he was still a rookie. That gap was pretty big.
Putting that aside, Chiya focused back on the race.
The introductions ended, and the runners began entering the gates one by one. Rice stepped up to Gate Six.
Not the outermost, but still near the middle. The start would definitely be intense.
Chiya had said before—Rice's heart was strong. Even against physically stronger runners, she wouldn't fall behind.
But her small frame was still a disadvantage. If she got bumped, she'd lose stamina much faster than the others. Too much contact would work against her.
As long as she stayed calm and didn't fight for position, she'd be fine.
Inside the gate, Rice took a deep breath.
If onii-sama were here, he'd tell her to relax. Not to panic. Not to get flustered if someone took her position. Early on, the most important thing was conserving strength for the final stretch.
Thinking that, Rice couldn't help but smile.
Rice understood onii-sama better than anyone.
So in this race,
Rice was going to win.