One week after the "Prix Foy" ended, the "Prix Niel" began.
This time, Gold Ship took the stage.
"Yohallo! Ladies an' gentle-sisters! It's Gold Ship, da yo~!"
Gold Ship winked onstage, bouncing around like a malfunctioning festival mascot.
Fujiwara Chiya covered his face and collapsed onto the table.
Beside him, Orfevre patted his shoulder.
"I thought you would be used to this by now."
"She promised me!"
"You believed Gold Ship?"
"I'm so stupid. Really…"
"It's okay, Shirayuki. Even when she acts like that, she is still your friend."
On the other side, Treve gently patted Shirayuki's shoulder, her voice soft and comforting.
"From this day on, if I ever believe a single word Gold Ship says again, I'm a dog!"
"No, Shirayuki. You are my cat."
As she said that, Treve pulled Shirayuki into her arms and stroked her ears.
Bliss…
The pre-race parade ended. Gold Ship turned her back to the gate, moonwalked straight into it, and drew a wave of applause from the crowd.
"Excellent. Condition: perfect. As expected of my normal mode."
Gold Ship's voice drifted on the wind, reaching Shirayuki not far away.
That's your normal mode?!
Then please, never be normal again!
Shirayuki was so mad she grabbed Treve and rubbed her all over to vent. Treve squealed under the assault.
"Shirayuki! Shirayuki, slow down! Be gentle! I'm going to break! My ears… waaah…"
Soon, the race began.
Gold Ship charged into the middle of the pack.
Up in the observation stand, Fujiwara Chiya frowned.
"…Huh?"
"What is it, Trainer?" Orfevre asked.
"Why is she using a Pace Chaser strategy?"
"Wasn't that what you told her to do?"
"I said she should use Pace Chaser if she drew gate five or inside. Gold Ship drew seven. She should be running as an End Closer."
"Is there that much of a difference?"
"There is." Fujiwara Chiya shook his head. "Gold Ship hasn't done collision-resistance training, so she's relatively weak against physical contact. If she starts from gate five or inside, she can take the front more easily, reduce the risk of getting bumped around, and establish an advantage faster."
"But outside gate five, the risk of collisions shoots up. At that point, fighting for the front early isn't worth it. Gold Ship herself is also highly suited to chasing from behind, so it would be better to give up the early position battle, conserve stamina, and overtake all at once on the final straight."
"Though European tracks are harder to chase on than domestic ones. The field often stretches out over the course of the race, and if there's a Front Runner, then it gets even…"
He stopped.
His eyes locked onto the track.
"Holy crap, there's a Front Runner!"
Fujiwara Chiya saw a red-haired uma musume burst out of the pack and sprint forward at incredible speed.
She wasn't in my data!
So investigating individual uma musume really isn't enough to grasp the full picture.
He had considered the possibility of a Front Runner and had told Gold Ship a few countermeasures, but only briefly. He hadn't thought anyone would run as a Front Runner in a 2,400-meter race unless she had overwhelming ability.
But every truly powerful uma musume had been thoroughly investigated by Fujiwara Chiya. As for the rest, none of them had enough stamina to maintain a Front Runner pace to the finish. Even with a generous estimate, 2,200 meters was their limit.
What about the last 200 meters?
Were they planning to walk?
"There really is someone running wild without caring about winning or losing? This is a GII race." Fujiwara Chiya bit his nail. If he had known, he would have warned Gold Ship more carefully. But would that even have worked? Gold Ship probably wouldn't have listened anyway. The fact that she trained seriously at all was already a miracle worthy of gratitude.
If Shirayuki were the one racing, this would be different.
If it were Shirayuki, Fujiwara Chiya would know exactly how to win.
"Calm yourself, Trainer."
Orfevre stroked his head.
"I have not spoken with Gold Ship much, but I know that one is no ordinary player."
"Hm?"
"I can see it in her eyes. On the surface, Gold Ship looks like a walking disaster, but her gaze reveals wisdom."
"…Do you mean that as praise or an insult?"
"Praise."
Orfevre looked toward the track.
"My eye for people has never been wrong. Whether it was you, Shirayuki, or Gold Ship, I have always judged accurately."
"Really? Then what did you think of me back then?"
"This man is worthy of me entrusting my life to him… How is that? Accurate, no?"
"Yeah. Pretty accurate."
Orfevre suddenly realized what she had said and hurriedly explained.
"By 'life,' I meant a racing uma musume's life! From the start of a race to the finish! It was not the same meaning as 'life' now! Do not think I fell for you at first sight! It was your later deeds that gradually drew me in! Do not misunderstand!"
"I know, I know."
No idea what Orfevre was competing against now.
While humoring Orfevre, Shirayuki kept her eyes on Gold Ship. She noticed that, from the start of the race, Gold Ship had precisely avoided the pressure and collisions between the uma musume, weaving through the pack with flexible footwork.
Gold Ship's old all-at-once straight-line running style gave the impression of something heavy and power-packed.
But in truth, Gold Ship's steps were unbelievably nimble.
Forward, back, left, right.
She knew exactly where her feet needed to land.
Turning her shoulder sideways, Gold Ship slipped past two uma musume and successfully entered the inner lane.
"She's incredible…" Treve murmured.
"You can tell?" Shirayuki asked.
"Mm. I should call it sensing, or maybe Zone. She seems to understand everyone else's movements perfectly. If it's a constant Zone, then that would explain it."
"Constant Zone?"
"That's right. A Zone you can enter without any special prerequisite. In simpler terms, you could call it extrasensory perception."
"Are you messing with me? How can something that ridiculous exist? I've never heard of it in my life."
"Because it's rare. Only a very small number of uma musume have it. Of course, it can also be achieved through long-term training, but almost no one specifically trains for it. It doesn't improve speed much, so it usually isn't very useful. But for an already powerful uma musume, it's like giving wings to a tiger. The effect is very similar to Zone. It lets you sense things outside your field of vision."
"For example?"
"For example…" Treve's eyes rolled thoughtfully. "There are three coins in your pocket. I sensed them clinking together."
Shirayuki gulped.
"I'm reporting you. You're cheating."
"I've heard of truly amazing uma musume who can clearly sense their surroundings even with their eyes closed. They can pick up the slightest movement of grass in the wind. Compared to them, I'm nothing special."
"Why are all of you born with weird, busted talents while I'm the only honest, hardworking type? Did the Three Goddesses mess up my settings when they created me? Did they forget to add a zero somewhere?"
"You're strong too, Shirayuki. Last time, I almost lost to you."
Shirayuki puffed out her cheeks.
"This time, I'll make you lose completely. Even your cheats won't save you."
"Hehe. I'll be looking forward to it."
Treve hugged Shirayuki and rubbed her cheek against hers.
In retaliation, Shirayuki kneaded Treve's ears, making her tremble like a flower in the wind and let out breathy little whimpers.
All the while, Shirayuki kept her gaze fixed on the track.
Gold Ship had clearly realized there was a Front Runner in the race, so she had chosen to run as a Pace Chaser.
She avoided collisions between the uma musume, slipped smoothly into the inner lane, and passed the early phase in a stable position.
Then, when the uma musume ahead finally ran out of strength, Gold Ship seized her chance.
In the end, she won by one length.
Just like always, Gold Ship had slacked off again.
And yet, in Shirayuki's heart, Gold Ship's presence had never felt heavier.