Offside Trap maintained her lead at the front, tearing through the track. By refining her form to mirror Mihono Bourbon's legendary run—a feat that earned explicit praise from Trainer Kuronuma—she had perfected an energy-efficient style. It preserved her stamina far better than standard front-runners, allowing her to save her legs for the final stretch. Even so, she had yet to defeat Brian, though she was running every bit like a true G1 Horse Girl... and yet, Trap found herself burning with frustration at her own exhaustion.
(Dammit! My form... it's starting to waver...!!)
"Offside Trap's form is slipping just a fraction," the commentator noted.
"Wait, slipping?"
"It's a microscopic breakdown, but against opponents of this caliber, that's all it takes."
As a former Nemesis member, Trap thought she was used to running against superior racers. She still joined their practice sessions on occasion and frequently asked Sunday, their leader, for mock races. She had felt confident she could hold her own against the Senior class...
(I was naive... I took this too lightly, and I hate myself for it!)
Practicing with Sunday Silence yielded priceless experience, but practice was still just practice. It could never replicate the suffocating atmosphere of a real, high-stakes race.
"Sakura Laurel takes the lead! Offside Trap refuses to yield and stretches out her stride, but the trailing pack is surging forward! Can she hold them off?!"
(So this is the atmosphere of the Senior ranks... This is what it means to face girls who've taken on the world...!!)
Trap lost the front. There was a vast, unbridgeable chasm between her and Laurel, her peer. She knew that, which was why she had worked herself to the bone... but still—
"Biwa Hayahide is making her move! Nice Nature is closing in too! The battle-hardened veterans of the Senior class are baring their fangs at the rising Classic stars! Is Offside Trap spent?! Can she dig deep?!"
"Nuuooohhhhh!!"
"Like hell I'm losing hereeee!!!"
"D-Dragoon Lance unleashed a ferocious spurt! Oguri Roman goes with her! The top two of the Tiara line show zero deference to their seniors, launching a ruthless attack!"
Her friends charged ahead with unwavering eyes. It almost looked as though winning wasn't even their primary goal. That's right... me too—
"Winning Ticket is moving up! Fueled by Derby pride, she gives chase to the Derby pioneer! But Machikane Tannhauser brings her Japan Cup pace, closing the gap! A-and Narita, Narita, Narita!! Here she comes! The undefeated Triple Crown champion, the sovereign wearing the pure white shadow roll, is storming up the field!"
"Me too... I'm not giving up!!" Trap cried internally.
Even if she couldn't reach them, even if she was outmatched, she wanted to stake her claim. She wanted to prove her pride as Narita Brian's rival! Even if she got passed—she would...!!
"I want to beat youuuuu!!"
"Trap, never forget that feeling. You can become like Bourbon," the trainer's voice echoed in her memory.
"Rice Shower makes a sudden breakthrough! The miraculous Blue Rose who conquered the Melbourne Cup reclaims her domain on the long-distance turf! Biwa Hayahide locks horns with her in a fierce duel! Nice Nature's long spurt is about to reach them—no, someone else got there first! Charging from the rear, hugging the inside rail, it's Narita Taisin! And from the far outside, Narita Brian and Hishi Amazon strike like lightning, sparks flying between them!"
It was impossible to track the chaos. Laurel commanding the front; Rice and Hayahide surging to catch her; Nature and Tannhauser steadily bringing the leaders into range; and Taisin, Amazon, and Brian blitzing from the back.
As if answering Trap's desperate resolve, the white shadow roll dipped low. Brian's body dropped into a deep, beast-like posture, low to the turf.
"Sakura—no, Biwa Hayahide passes Rice Shower and runs shoulder-to-shoulder! Rice pushes with everything she has, but Hayahide proves why she's the strongest of the BNW! Sakura Laurel refuses to give an inch, showing the grit that took on the world stage!"
Yes, that's it. That's the arena I wanted to enter... Trap thought.
She decided to unleash her trump card. Not bowing down in defeat, but lowering her head to conquer, aligning her entire body into a single stream of momentum... and detonated every ounce of stored heat within her.
"What?!"
Hishi Amazon gasped as a gust of pressure blasted past her. The contrast of pure white shadow roll and pitch-black hair blending together was breathtakingly beautiful. Watching Brian surge ahead like a demon, Amazon broke into a grin.
"Yeah... now that's what I'm talking about! A one-on-one... a real duel... let's gooooo!!!"
Amazon's heart ignited, throwing the last of her reserves into the furnace to transform her run into pure fire. She was passing runner after runner, yet the distance between her and Brian didn't seem to shrink at all. Even so, Amazon couldn't stop laughing.
"That's right! I'm gonna beat you no matter what! So don't you dare lose to anyone else!" she yelled.
As if pushed by those words, Brian accelerated even further.
"What is this speed?! She's even sharper than before! That's... no, that isn't just Rampage's style anymore, it's her own! She evolved her running mid-race!"
"Narita Brian closes in on Biwa Hayahide and Sakura Laurel in an instant! Nakayama's steep hill means nothing to her—is this child's play compared to Longchamp, Laurel?! Is this slope a non-factor for the Kikuka Sho victor, Hayahide?! And Narita Brian runs like the absolute monarch of the Undefeated Triple Crown! Has this race come down to these three?!"
"Laurel can still accelerate—she's pulling off that same final stretch drive! She's definitely stronger than before, and Hayahide matching her is incredible, but what is this drive from Brian?!"
Even Flora was left lost for words at the sheer intensity of the dead heat. On the final Nakayama straight, meters from the finish line, everyone watched in awe to see what lay at the end of this clash of absolute limits. Younger Horse Girls who had yet to set foot on the turf were completely spellbound.
"S-So cool...!!"
"Ah... my body's trembling... I can feel the battle fever...!! Ah, I want to run so bad...!!"
"It doesn't even matter who wins anymore... Running for a moment like this—that's what being a Horse Girl is all about...!!"
Watching the trio charge ahead, Pocket, Tachyon, and Cafe projected their own futures onto that track, dreaming of the day they would stand there themselves. Watching them, Rampage chuckled softly.
"Races really are the best, aren't they..."
"Less than 100 meters to go, and they're still neck and neck! Who will take it—Sakura, Biwa, or Narita?! Will the flower that captivated the world claim the ultimate title, or will the undefeated legend grow?! Here it comes—Brian, Brian, Brian pulls ahead by a fraction! Hayahide and Laurel fight back, but—it's BRIAN! Brian breaks through and crosses the line!"
"Taking the wildly chaotic Arima Kinen is the Undefeated Triple Crown winner, Narita Brian! Second place goes to Biwa Hayahide, third to Sakura Laurel! Fourth to Nice Nature, and fifth to Rice Shower!"
"Uwoaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!"
As she crossed the post, Brian unleashed a roar straight from her soul into the sky. For a split second, the entirety of Nakayama Racecourse fell completely silent.
Then, following that roar of victory and brief stillness, a thunderous cheer erupted—a roar ten times louder, piercing the heavens. The face of the victor was radiant, filled with absolute, unadulterated satisfaction.
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