Air Groove's eyes were bloodshot from having pushed herself to the absolute limit. The horse girl hailed as the "Empress" could no longer force her utterly exhausted body onward, and in the end she dropped heavily to her knees.
It had been a long, long time since she had looked this miserable.
Even in the Takarazuka Kinen, when a younger rival had run away with the entire race, she had still managed one last desperate surge at the end, enough that Silence Suzuka's fans cried out that for a moment it had almost felt like the care and pressure of a senior from the previous year's Tenno Sho Autumn all over again.
But this time, in the Tenno Sho Autumn, she had not even made the board. She had watched helplessly as the two horses in front left her behind by nearly ten lengths at the line.
She sucked in breath in ragged gulps. Air Groove knew she could not afford to damage the Student Council's dignity, so she forced herself unsteadily back to her feet. Her chest felt clogged, and her throat was already burning enough that she thought she might vomit.
The girl she had dismissed before the race had now become the winner.
And Air Groove had a feeling.
Perhaps Central was about to have its own Oguri Cap.
She staggered toward Offside Trap. As vice president of the Student Council, no matter what arrangements had been made before the race, a horse girl who had won a G1 through sheer ability deserved congratulations.
Offside Trap was still immersed in the joy of victory, and Narita Brian, holding her up, was smiling just as brightly. Air Groove felt a moment of dazed confusion. How long had it been since she had seen such a rich, genuine smile on Narita Brian's face?
She gathered herself, fixed her expression, and stopped in front of Offside Trap. Under the latter's startled gaze, she extended her hand.
"Congratulations."
Her voice was hoarse. She could see the surprise in Offside Trap's eyes, and from that surprise she even drew a tiny, bitter flicker of satisfaction.
As a member of Central Tracen Academy, her congratulations ought to be something the other girl felt honored to receive.
"Thank you. But I think you should say that to my trainer instead."
Offside Trap's serious correction made Air Groove genuinely wonder for a moment if she had misheard. She stared at the girl before her. The victor did not take her hand. She only looked at her stubbornly.
"Heh."
The mood Air Groove had been suppressing finally exploded. A wave of humiliation surged through her.
She let out a mocking laugh and turned to leave. That man had challenged the authority of the Student Council, and this girl before her was now openly abetting him. To think she had believed Offside Trap might still be saved.
"Air Groove."
The voice behind her made Offside Trap's expression shift from joy into something hard and unwavering.
"You no longer have the right to look down on him. As long as we're in the same race, you won't beat him even once."
Offside Trap would never forget the way Air Groove had looked at Terazumi Shinji. Just remembering that gaze was enough to make her furious.
Air Groove's fist clenched instantly, but she had no answer.
Her ears twitched rapidly. She drew one deep breath after another, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Her clenched hand slowly relaxed.
"You should worry about yourself first."
She turned her head slightly and looked up at the giant screen above Fuchu Racecourse.
The camera that should have been focused on Offside Trap had instead cut to Silence Suzuka.
Only then did Offside Trap realize, belatedly, that she had not heard the grandstand erupt for the winner.
The "Offside Trap" call she had once imagined had never come.
Instead, the only name echoing everywhere was someone else's.
On the big screen, Silence Suzuka had failed to realize her dream. Her expedition plans would likely be scrapped as well. She had failed to fulfill her fans' hopes. The horse girl who had always seemed so steady and self-contained was finally revealing a fragile side of herself.
Though she had debuted after Offside Trap and gone through her own share of setbacks, Silence Suzuka now had tears spilling from her eyes.
It was the first time she had cried in public.
She was not sobbing uncontrollably, but even this quiet display was enough to make people ache for her.
In the stands, Terazumi Shinji remained outwardly unreadable, though inwardly he was somewhat surprised. He had not expected to see Suzuka cry, but this crying would only reinforce what he had already been thinking before the race.
The silence around him quickly gave way to noise. Everywhere people were shouting, "Silence Suzuka!" The name carried a strange kind of power. Even those who had not originally been her fans, after seeing her like this, joined in.
Offside Trap's face went pale. Her body swayed, and if Narita Brian had not caught her, she would have collapsed right there.
"See that now?"
Air Groove's question went unanswered, but Offside Trap's trembling body was answer enough.
Air Groove watched as she went to help Silence Suzuka toward the underground passage. Offside Trap stood there in a daze. Even when El Condor Pasa came to congratulate her, it took three calls before she finally came back to herself enough to respond.
She turned her eyes toward the crowd. The unfamiliar faces now looked like monsters, staring at her with naked malice. She could almost hear the whispers threading through them.
"If Silence Suzuka hadn't needed recovery because of that leg issue, her form would never have been this bad. She would never have been caught."
"A horse girl who curses another competitor will never deserve anyone's support."
Those remarks were like blades.
Even Akasaka Misato at the commentary booth found herself momentarily speechless. She had wanted to raise the atmosphere and lead the crowd in celebrating this horse girl who had finally achieved her long-cherished dream of winning a G1, but instead this was what the grandstand had given her.
The other runners had all already left the track. Only Offside Trap remained.
But she could no longer even manage the customary winner's celebratory lap.
Narita Brian could feel it clearly: the strength had gone out of her body completely. That fact filled Narita Brian with rage.
But what could she do?
If the one stepping in now to uphold fairness had been Rudolf Symboli, perhaps the spectators would have changed their attitude out of respect for the authority she had built over the years.
But Narita Brian was only Narita Brian. She was not good at handling matters like these, and to most people she was still simply the Triple Crown winner she had once been.
When she looked up toward the high platform, she thought she caught Rudolf Symboli's gaze. The Student Council president still seemed dazed, shaken by the trainer's ability. But only shaken.
Narita Brian watched as the woman hesitated for a moment, then turned away and disappeared from sight.
"Brian, I can walk by myself."
Hearing the voice in her arms, Narita Brian slowly loosened her hold and watched the girl steady herself on her feet.
The complexity in Offside Trap's gaze as she looked toward the crowd was something Narita Brian could not fully understand.
She only felt, at some vague moment, that the air had turned cold.
Offside Trap turned and started toward the underground passage. Narita Brian did not follow. That was the competitors' path; she would have to go around another way.
Her eyes swept back toward the stands, desperately searching for Terazumi Shinji.
At a time like this, she felt that only he could comfort Offside Trap.
How could the winner of a G1 leave the stage like this?
To her dismay, she could not find him anywhere. All she saw were the spectators, still shouting "Silence Suzuka" at Offside Trap's retreating back, still spitting rumors and slander.
Terazumi Shinji, where the hell did you go at a moment like this?!
She slammed a fist against her leg and ran toward the stands.
She had to find Sakura Laurel and the others.
There was still the winner's ceremony to come, and she was suddenly afraid there might not even be anyone there to hand flowers to Offside Trap or stand beside her with the placard.
Those girls from the same generation as her—they could not allow their friend, the girl who had grown up alongside them, to suffer any more indignity.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 80
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 74
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 48
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 50
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 47
Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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