Under the guidance of the central staff, the Uma Musume gradually gathered in front of the starting gates. High-ranking officials from Central sat in the stands, observing from a distance.
Their goal was simple. To evaluate the quality of this year's rookie trainers and the strength of the Uma Musume they had selected. If they spotted anyone particularly promising, they might invite them to train under Central directly. To compete with European races, Central had been studying Western training methods, and this batch of rookies was their testing ground.
While warming up, Shirayuki glanced toward the stands. Her eyes fell on the group of stern-looking officials.
Some were clearly privileged, their bloated figures and oily expressions giving them away. Others had climbed their way up through experience and ability. Those very people would be the judges. They also handled trainer evaluations.
For my end-of-year ranking…
Shirayuki clenched her fists.
I'm going all out.
"Runners, please prepare at the gates."
At the staff's announcement, the Uma Musume stepped into position. Shirayuki, Happy Meek, and two Central trainees lowered themselves into starting stance.
Using tactics would earn points with the officials, but Shirayuki was here to win. So she decided to run the same way she had when she defeated Opera O. Hold back early, then burst at a fixed point.
With her plan set, she focused on the gate.
The signal lights flashed.
Clank!
The gates opened.
Shirayuki pushed off the ground and surged forward, but just as she thought she had taken the lead, a white figure shot ahead of her.
It was Happy Meek.
She sprinted at full power right from the start.
Fast!
Shirayuki was startled. She had not expected Happy Meek's starting form to be that clean.
It's fine…
Shirayuki steadied herself. Her plan was not to take first immediately anyway. If Happy Meek wanted to lead, then let her.
The other two runners followed, and the formation stabilized.
Happy Meek took first. Behind her was a purple-haired Central runner. Then came Shirayuki.
With only four runners, there was no possibility of being boxed in.
That means… the advantage is mine.
Shirayuki felt confident. She kept an eye on the distance markers.
Gradually, something felt off.
After taking the lead, Happy Meek did not slow down. Instead, she kept accelerating. The gap between her and second place kept growing.
Shirayuki narrowed her eyes and carefully observed her movements. Her stride was lengthening. Her rhythm was increasing.
A bad thought surfaced.
Running away?
Happy Meek is actually going for an escape run?
That was not how she ran before. If Shirayuki remembered correctly, Happy Meek's test data showed a front-runner style.
Leading and escaping were completely different.
An escape strategy required building a massive lead early. Otherwise, you would get caught in the final stretch.
Shirayuki's own style was particularly weak against that. If the gap grew too large, even a full sprint would not be enough to close it.
Watching Happy Meek push forward recklessly, Chiya, standing at the edge of the track, twitched.
"…All-out escape?"
Aoi turned her head.
"That's right. Meek said she wanted to try it in a race. She's never done it before, so she wanted to see how it feels."
So it really is…
No tactics. No awareness of opponents.
Just empty your mind and run straight ahead.
Pure, reckless escape.
If it worked, it would shine brilliantly. If it failed, it would still be spectacular.
That was the style.
Silence Suzuka had made it famous. Leading from start to finish in a way no one could replicate.
But it required one thing.
Raw physical power.
Whether Happy Meek had that level of strength… that was the question.
On the track, Shirayuki watched as Happy Meek grew more distant.
She started to panic.
The gap had already reached nearly eight lengths. If it became a massive gap, there would be no catching up. Even with perfect stamina, speed still had a limit.
She stared at the marker board.
Finally, when she saw the number seven, she kicked off.
Seven hundred meters.
She could go full sprint now.
Charging forward, she began to close the distance.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
Not enough…
Looking at Happy Meek, whose speed had only slightly begun to drop, Shirayuki pushed harder.
Happy Meek's stamina was far greater than expected. She only started to tire near the final stretch. By then, she had already built a huge lead.
Shirayuki gritted her teeth.
I misjudged her…
She had waited too long. She should have accelerated at eight hundred meters. Now it was too late.
There were no second chances.
Lowering her posture, she used the flexibility of her legs to squeeze out every bit of speed. She chased. And chased.
But in the end, she lost by half a length.
At the finish line, Happy Meek stood there, breathing heavily. Sweat covered her eyes, making her already half-open gaze even narrower.
Shirayuki took out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
"Thanks."
Happy Meek wiped her eyes, then flipped the cloth to a clean side. She gently reached forward and wiped the sweat from Shirayuki's forehead instead.
"It seems I only won by luck."
"…No."
Shirayuki shook her head.
"I was simply not good enough."
Nearby, Chiya reflected quietly.
His timing had been off. He misjudged Happy Meek's stamina. Her expression revealed nothing. That blank face made it impossible to tell whether she was tired or not.
Even after watching closely, he could not read her at all.
The first race ended.
Winner: Happy Meek.
After a short break, Chiya began moving toward the next group.
Next up—
Rice Shower.