"Onii-sama… Rice lost this race…"
Her tears soaked into Chiya's shirt as he looked down at the small girl clinging to him.
After a few seconds, he gently stroked her hair.
"Rice, do you remember what you once told me?"
"Rice… remembers…"
"That's right. You said you wanted to become a shining Uma Musume."
Just moments ago, when Rice used the last of her strength to sprint, Chiya had seen it clearly. The sweat flowing from her body sparkled like stars, shining brilliantly under the light.
He lifted her small face and wiped away her tears.
"God may have given you the seed of hope, but Rice, you're the one who made it grow."
This result had already gone far beyond what Chiya expected. Even while being pressured and blocked by stronger runners, she still fought her way to third place.
Rice always called herself an unlucky girl. She believed that anyone close to her would become unlucky too.
Chiya had never accepted that.
"Meeting you is the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me as a trainer."
Holding her gently, he said it without hesitation.
"Let's go back and train. Next time, we won't lose."
Wrapped in his warmth, Rice held back her tears.
After a long moment, she nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
She had already made up her mind. From now on, she would give everything she had to Onii-sama.
"Um… Onii-sama…"
After pulling away, her cheeks flushed slightly.
"Rice… can't stand up anymore."
"You pushed yourself too far. You'll recover by tomorrow."
Chiya crouched down in front of her.
"Climb on. I'll carry you."
"Yes!"
Rice smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She tried to lift her legs, but couldn't, so Chiya gently supported them for her.
"Hehe, Onii-sama, Onii-sama~"
She hummed happily against his back.
That was one of Rice's best qualities.
She might fall into despair quickly, but she could recover just as fast.
As she absentmindedly played with his hair, Chiya shifted his gaze toward his last runner.
Mejiro Dober.
Akikawa had already made it clear. If they failed to win even a single race at this exchange event, then coming here would have meant nothing.
Which meant…
Everything now depended on Mejiro Dober.
Watching the brown-haired girl standing nervously among the competitors, Chiya felt his own tension rising.
He believed in her ability. As a member of the Mejiro family, her talent was easily among the best of the newcomers. If not for her personality, she would have already made a name for herself.
Fortunately, after Shirayuki's guidance, her potential had begun to show. Against other rookies, she shouldn't fall behind.
That is… if everyone plays fair.
What they had just seen made that uncertain.
The races were becoming more aggressive, more physical. If others chose to drain Dober's stamina through contact and pressure, the outcome would be far less predictable.
Chiya glanced toward the Central officials in the stands.
It was obvious.
This wasn't an accident.
They already knew the races would turn out like this. They wanted to see how Tracen's students would respond when the conditions changed.
This was a test.
A test for the Uma Musume.
Soon, the third race began.
Standing among the runners, Mejiro Dober steadied her breathing.
Shirayuki and Rice Shower had both shown impressive performances.
So when it came to her…
She absolutely could not fall short.
For the pride of the Mejiro name, she had to win.
She had already analyzed what happened to Rice. If her opponents used their physical advantage to force others into their pace, then her answer was simple.
Avoid interference.
Avoid direct contact.
She would keep the race entirely within her own rhythm.
The starting lights flashed.
The gates opened.
All runners burst forward.
Mejiro Dober settled into third place.
Normally, she would run Senko, staying near the front. But this time, she switched to Sashi. This reduced early pressure and allowed her to conserve stamina.
Chiya watched the race without blinking.
At that moment, a pair of small hands reached toward his chest.
"R-Rice!?"
He flinched slightly at the sudden touch.
"Onii-sama, your clothes are all wet… Is Rice too heavy?"
"Not at all. Not even a little. I could carry you all day."
He answered quickly.
"I'm just a bit nervous. That's all."
"Then Rice will help Onii-sama relax."
She gently ran her fingers through his hair, just like she had seen on TV. Her hands were still damp with sweat, but she didn't mind at all.
Anything that belonged to him, even something as small as that, meant something to her.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki was approached by a trainer.
"Fujihara Shirayuki, right?"
She turned to the unfamiliar man.
"That's right."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Iwasaki Shin, from Central Management Division Three."
He handed her a business card.
"Nice to meet you."
"I watched your race earlier. It was unfortunate. If you had accelerated just two seconds earlier, you would have won."
"Maybe."
Seeing her indifferent reaction, he adjusted his glasses.
"If I'm not mistaken, your training at Tracen focuses heavily on balance."
"!"
Her eyes widened.
"It was subtle, but during your acceleration, your footing became slightly unstable. It doesn't look like carelessness. It feels more like a compromise after repeated training."
He spoke calmly.
"That weakness can be fixed. We've already developed methods to eliminate imbalance. With proper training, your flaw can be completely removed. Once that happens, your potential will open up even further."
So this is how they recruit…
They identified promising runners and offered them access to Central's training system.
It was less about training and more like experimentation. Preparation for international competition.
From a trainer's perspective, it was questionable. After all, they were pulling away athletes someone else had developed.
But from a runner's perspective…
This could genuinely make them stronger.
Even Shirayuki couldn't fully perfect her own running. Yet these people claimed they could.
No wonder they held positions at the top.
Seeing her hesitation, he continued.
"What do you think? With your potential, you could shine in the Twinkle Series. We can give you the best possible support."
It was tempting.
For someone without strong ties, it would be hard to refuse.
But not for her.
"Sorry," she said calmly. "I still have teammates I can't leave behind."
"Are you sure? The more they understand you, the harder it will be for you to win."
"That goes both ways."
"I see…"
He adjusted his glasses again.
"Then I respect your decision. I hope you win your next race."
With that, he left.
After he walked away, Happy Meek approached.
"Shirayuki… you turned him down?"
"Yeah."
Happy Meek's ears twitched slightly, and a faint smile appeared.
"Then we can keep training together… and racing together."
"Yeah. And next time, I'm taking that win back."
"I'll be waiting."
At that moment, Shirayuki felt like she understood something.
Why Uma Musume could compete against each other…
And still remain close.
Back on the track, the race entered the final turn.
Mejiro Dober locked her eyes on the leader.
She saw it.
The runner in first drifted slightly away from the rail, moving toward the outside.
Now.
Mejiro Dober lowered her body and surged forward.
She seized the lead.