With the opening of the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, Hyogo saw a surge of visitors.
For this race, Inari Kagura's cheering squad of family and friends had essentially all shown up. Tracen's spectator group was the largest it had ever been, including not only friends Inari Kagura knew well, but also a whole crowd from the Support Department and plenty of classmates she had helped for exams.
Rudolf and the others had caught the first train over, but once they reached the outskirts of Hanshin Racecourse, they found themselves trapped by the terrifying crowd, unable to move an inch. The scale of attendance for this race had far exceeded everyone's expectations. Even Rudolf's debut race had drawn only about this many people.
"This really is frightening. Even Rudolf's debut wasn't this absurd… That Japan Cup victory truly breathed new life into racing in Japan."
Walking near the front, Speed looked at the sea of people before her and could not help sighing in satisfaction.
Being unable to get inside was certainly a headache, but hearing so many people all discussing the same name—Inari Kagura—and then thinking about how the sheer number of people here was undoubtedly connected to how brilliantly her own granddaughter had shone in the Japan Cup, her mood improved considerably. She even felt that being stuck outside like this had its own kind of pleasure. The smug look on her face left Mejiro Iris beside her thoroughly envious.
Tracen's spectator group was extremely conspicuous in the crowd. After all, the whole party consisted of Umamusume and trainers. Before long, the restless crowd noticed the Tracen group—or rather, noticed Rudolf, who was walking at the very front and helping open a path.
"It's the Emperor!! The Emperor came to watch too!!"
"What!? Where, where!?"
"Where's the Emperor!? Let me see!!"
That loud cry was like fish food tossed into a park pond. In an instant, the entire crowd outside boiled over. People surged toward Rudolf one after another, and even the reporters came flooding over with them. As one of the current centers of attention, Rudolf's influence was beyond question.
Being surrounded made it even harder for Rudolf's side to move, but because everyone's attention had gathered on her, Rudolf judged that the people nearby should be able to hear her. She raised her voice slightly and called out to the crowd around her.
"Excuse me. I understand everyone's enthusiasm, but could I ask you to make some room first instead of blocking this whole area? At least let the students who came to watch the race go inside."
Because the crowd's attention was all on Rudolf, her request took effect very quickly. Soon, the people around them opened a path.
After thanking those enthusiastic fans, Rudolf gestured for the others to go ahead. The students, finally finding a way out, quickly passed through the crowd along that path and entered the racecourse.
"Oho~ Rudolf-kouhai, you really do have that 'commanding all under heaven' air about you~"
Walking at the very back, Mr. C.B. poked Rudolf twice with a wicked grin. Although she had suffered a crushing defeat to Rudolf in the Japan Cup, she did not feel upset about it. She had already had a hunch it would turn out that way. Her only regret was not wandering out sooner and meeting Inari Kagura earlier.
"I'm the Student Council President. That much is necessary, C.B.-senpai. Hurry in. I can see more and more reporters gathering. The path will probably be blocked again soon."
Rudolf knew without having to think about it that, as the center of attention, her appearance outside Hanshin Racecourse would definitely make the reporters curious about why she was here. But she had no intention of answering their questions right now. After letting Mr. C.B. through, she also quickly left the edge of the crowd before the reporters could rush in.
...
"So many people…"
In the backstage preparation room, Inari Kagura changed into her Race Outfit and put her earmuffs over her ears.
She really felt she had made the right choice buying these earmuffs. The sound reaching the preparation room might not seem loud, but this room was supposed to be soundproofed. If the noise was still this clear through the walls, Inari Kagura did not even dare imagine how badly her ears would be shaken once she went out there without earmuffs.
She had just received messages from her friends. It seemed there were simply too many people, and none of them could squeeze their way to the backstage passage, so they could only contact her through DMs. Even their messages were intermittent, though. There were just too many people in the venue, and the network signal was close to being forcibly cut off by the sheer amount of traffic.
[Palmer]:Kagura-oneesan!! Good luck! Just like always! Use a Runaway on your opponents!
[Twin Turbo]:Go! I couldn't squeeze in today, but I already saw the race broadcast on TV! Kagura-senpai! Good luck!
[Ardan]:Good luck, Kagura! Once you finish, let's go eat fruit cake together!
[Rudolf]:There's no need to be nervous, Kagura. G1 opponents are not as frightening as you imagine. Follow your own ideas, leave no regrets, and enjoy the race.
[Nice Nature]:[Voice message]
[Mr. C.B.]: [Mr. C.B._Thumbs Up]
...
Her DMs were packed full of encouragement and blessings from her friends, and as Inari Kagura waited backstage, she could not help the corners of her mouth lifting.
Originally, she had been a little nervous, but now that she thought about it, just as Rudolf had said, she had already been through so many storms. She had faced Triple Crown winners so many times already. What was there left to be afraid of?
——You're in a pretty good state of mind. That's exactly how it should be. Confident, but without losing caution!
"Eclipse-san, was this how it felt for you during your first race back then too?"
——That's right. Excitement. Thrill. It felt like my desire to run had reached an unprecedented high!
Even with Inari Kagura's calm and easygoing personality, feeling the hopes her friends had poured into her and the enthusiasm filling the racecourse, her heart could not help surging now.
"NOW—WILL THE COMPETITORS PLEASE ENTER IN ORDER!"
The announcer's voice calling for the competitors to enter came through the broadcast in the waiting room. Inari Kagura knew the time had come. She rose, left the waiting room, and stepped into the entrance passage.
She already knew her order of appearance. As usual, she was still in Gate 8. The announcers usually read out the entrance order according to the gates, so she was not in a hurry. She merely stood at the boundary between the entrance passage and the racecourse, quietly waiting for the announcer to call her name as she looked up at the sky.
Strange… Is it just my imagination? Why does it feel like… the sun is dimmer than usual this morning?
Inari Kagura suddenly noticed something unusual. If she had not known it was still morning, judging by the sky, she would have thought it was around four-thirty in the afternoon. The lighting did not look right. It felt as if clouds were blocking the sun, with a faint shadow hanging over the racecourse.
"…ENTERING NEXT IS THE SECOND FAVORITE—SCRUM DYNA!"
As the announcer's voice fell, a wave of cheers rose from all around the racecourse. As expected of the second favorite, her supporters were visibly numerous.
Inari Kagura saw the familiar Umamusume walk up. A few months ago, during the School Selection Race, she had still thought Scrum Dyna was a tall Umamusume. Now that Inari Kagura herself had grown taller, she realized the other girl was not actually that much taller than she was. Umamusume in Japan seemed to be on the shorter side in general. She just did not know why she, who theoretically should not count as a Japanese Umamusume, was also so short.
Scrum Dyna had also changed into her Race Outfit today. Smiling as she waved to the audience, she stepped down from the runway and headed for the gates on the field. The color scheme of her outfit, which called the French flag to mind, made Inari Kagura involuntarily connect her name to a certain giant of light who wore his underwear on the outside.
"SCRUM DYNA LOOKS TO BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION TODAY! I HOPE SHE CAN GO ALL OUT, JUST LIKE SHE DID WHEN CLAIMING SO MANY VICTORIES BEFORE!"
"EXACTLY. OF COURSE, WE ALSO HOPE EVERY COMPETITOR CAN GIVE IT THEIR ALL AND LEAVE NO REGRETS!"
The commentators' voices carried over from the commentary booth. Inari Kagura, who had still been looking at the sky, withdrew her gaze. She remembered that Scrum Dyna's gate was right beside hers. Since Scrum Dyna had already entered, it should be almost her turn.
"ALL RIGHT! THEN, ENTERING NEXT IS THE FIRST FAVORITE OF THIS RACE!! KNOWN AS 'THE SECOND COMING OF MEJIRO RAMONU'—INARI KAGURA!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOh—!!!!"
The excited cheers, several times louder than before, surged in from every direction like a flood, almost instantly drowning out the entire racecourse. Inari Kagura stopped waiting, took a step forward, and left the entrance passage for the racecourse.
The instant her figure appeared on the field, another even louder and more heated roar erupted from the wave of cheering that had not yet subsided. Even the announcer could not help making a surprised sound.
"INARI KAGURA—SHE'S… COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM HER LAST RACE! COULD IT BE… IN THIS PERIOD OF TIME, DID INARI KAGURA UNDERGO HONKAKU?!"
"THERE'S NO MISTAKE!! IT'S ABSOLUTELY HONKAKU!! DOES THIS MEAN THE OPPONENTS IN THIS RACE WILL HAVE TO FACE INARI KAGURA IN HER COMPLETE STATE?!"
Amid the excited voices of the announcer and commentators, Inari Kagura slowly climbed the steps and walked onto the runway. The wind blowing across the racecourse lifted her smooth long hair and swept up her cape.
"Thank you all for your support! I won't let your expectations down!"
Standing before the microphone, Inari Kagura, who had originally prepared a thousand things to say, ended up saying only that short line. Then she waved to the audience in greeting.
Words were not necessary.
She would answer everyone who had placed their hopes in her with her performance.
...
"Honkaku!!?"
Waiting inside the gate, Scrum Dyna was completely dumbfounded. Although she had gathered so much information beforehand and had even thought up quite a few countermeasures, after all her calculations, she had never accounted for Inari Kagura undergoing honkaku at this exact moment!!
The growth honkaku brought an Umamusume was absolutely not something that could be explained clearly in a sentence or two. It could be said that before and after honkaku was a qualitative change. But Inari Kagura had already been so terrifying before honkaku, and the Inari Kagura she was about to face in this race was one who had already undergone it…
Huh? I'm racing a grown Inari Kagura? Seriously??
That thought emerged in Scrum Dyna's mind before she could stop it.
There was not much time for Scrum Dyna to hesitate. Very quickly, she heard the sound of the gate beside her, Gate 8, opening. Along with a series of especially clear footsteps, she saw a black-haired girl, now about the same height as her, walk into the gate.
Inari Kagura's Race Outfit gave her gentle bearing a bit more heroic sharpness. Though they were enemies, Scrum Dyna had to admit that this was indeed an excellent Race Outfit.
"I didn't expect our gates would end up beside each other, Scrum Dyna."
"…Ha… Inari Kagura, you… actually went and underwent honkaku without a word. That really is quite the surprise."
"Haha~ I was pretty surprised too. But these things arrive just that unexpectedly, don't they?"
Through some of the gaps between the gates, Scrum Dyna saw Inari Kagura turn her head and smile at her. For a moment, it left her slightly stunned.
But they were on the racecourse now. Everyone knew this was no time to be distracted, so Scrum Dyna quickly adjusted herself and looked toward the gate again.
"…ALL COMPETITORS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED THE GATES. THE WEATHER TODAY IS QUITE GOOD, PERFECT FOR A RACE."
"ALL COMPETITORS ARE READY. THE RACE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN."
Inari Kagura held her breath and focused completely on the gate before her, just as she did when aiming at the target in the kyudo club. Only this time, the arrow to be loosed was herself.
CLACK!!
Along with the crisp sound of the gates opening, Inari Kagura rushed out first, seizing the lead position at incredible speed—
"THE GATES ARE OPEN!! INARI KAGURA—A PERFECT START!! SHE'S SO FAST! KAGURA IS STILL ACCELERATING!"
"IT'S A RUNAWAY! IN FOOTAGE FROM INARI KAGURA'S PREVIOUS RACES, SHE HAS USED THIS TACTIC BEFORE, AND IN EXTREMELY POOR TRACK CONDITIONS, SHE SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED THE RACE AND CROSSED THE LINE WITH A MASSIVE GAP."
In sharp contrast to the excited announcer, the commentator's calm voice stood out clearly. It seemed this commentator had indeed paid attention to Inari Kagura's previous race footage.
"Ha…"
Inari Kagura, already charging at the very front, did not look back. She had no intention of paying attention to anyone behind her. For this 1600-meter race, she already had her own plan in mind.
Anyone who wants to keep up with me… go ahead and try! I'm not going to slow down, anyway. If you have the courage to fight me in acceleration all the way, then come!
The strategy Inari Kagura adopted for this race was a genuine Runaway. Not long after exiting the gate, she had already accelerated at full power, with no intention whatsoever of saving anything for her final spurt. This was also her first true attempt at practicing the Front Runner tactic. Since Front Runner was meant to control the pace, and since she had an advantage in stamina that allowed her to accelerate at full strength without regard for the cost, then as for how fast the pace would ultimately be pushed, Inari Kagura, who had never tried leading others' pace before, did not know and did not care. All she knew was that she just had to charge forward at full power.
…
"…That time is so short it's hard to believe. Did Inari Kagura move her final spurt speed up to the front?"
In the stands, Tojo, who was holding a stopwatch and timing Inari Kagura, could not help frowning in disbelief.
If her watch was not broken, then this terrifying speed could only mean one thing—this time, Inari Kagura was truly going all out with a Runaway. In this distance of less than 600 meters, Inari Kagura had already opened up a visible gap from the Pace Chaser group behind her, and that gap was still widening at an extremely obvious rate!
"Woohoo!! Go, Kagura-oneesan!!"
Mejiro Palmer was so excited that she had grabbed Mejiro McQueen beside her and started bouncing. Although Mejiro McQueen was excited too, with Palmer locking her around the neck and bouncing like that, she only felt like she was about to suffocate. Both hands tried to pull Palmer's arms down.
"All right, all right, Palmer. Don't get so excited. McQueen can barely breathe with you choking her like that."
As the eldest sister, Mejiro Ardan still managed to stop the overly excited little ones in time. Seeing Inari Kagura's performance, she herself was also extremely excited and thrilled. She understood that this should be the first time she had truly seen Inari Kagura adopt a Runaway tactic. What Inari Kagura had used before could at most be called a Pace Chaser tactic.
"THE GAP IS STILL GROWING—INARI KAGURA! SHE'S ALONE IN FRONT!! CAMERAMAN!! PREPARE ANOTHER CAMERA FOR INARI KAGURA! SHE'S ABOUT TO RUN OUT OF FRAME!"
"What is she doing!? Is this Front Running!? Even for a Front Runner, that speed is way too much, isn't it!? Even Mejiro Ramonu was never this unreasonable!!"
The Pace Chaser Umamusume running after Inari Kagura looked at the gap, which had already opened to a strangely large size, and could not help letting out despairing voices. They also understood that this was no longer the time to talk about stamina management. If they allowed Inari Kagura to keep widening the gap, it would definitely become so large that even if Inari Kagura hit reverse thrust, they would not be able to catch up.
"She's… too terrifying…"
Scrum Dyna was one of those Umamusume. She had thought of many countermeasures—where and how she could obstruct Inari Kagura from breaking through and accelerating with conventional tactics. But only after stepping onto the racecourse, only now, did she understand one thing. No matter what countermeasure or scheme it was, it required the strength gap between the implementer and the target not to be too large. And right now, that gap was clearly too great. Inari Kagura's speed was so fast she seemed to be flying just above the track. They had only just entered the turn, and Kagura had already rushed out of it!
"AMAZING! EVERYONE'S SPEED IN THIS RACE IS VERY HIGH! INARI KAGURA HAS DRAGGED THE PACE OF THIS RACE TO A TERRIFYING LEVEL! THE GAP BETWEEN HER AND THE PACE CHASER GROUP BEHIND HER IS STILL WIDENING! BUT THE COMPETITORS BEHIND HER ARE ALSO BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE ONE AFTER ANOTHER! CAN THEY CATCH UP?"
"A 1600-METER RACE PASSES IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. NOW THAT THEY ARE ALREADY PAST THE HALFWAY POINT, IF THEY DON'T ACCELERATE NOW, THERE WILL BE NO MORE CHANCES LATER."
"INDEED… EH? WHY IS THE SKY GETTING DARK?"
The announcer, who had just been about to follow up, suddenly noticed that something seemed wrong with the sky.
If the sunlight before had looked like it was around four or five in the afternoon, the current sunlight looked as if evening had already fallen. The entire racecourse was now shrouded beneath a dim shadow.
"THERE WAS A FORECAST A FEW DAYS AGO, WASN'T THERE? AN ECLIPSE DURING THESE FEW DAYS… COULD IT BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!? CAN WE SEE IT FROM HERE!?"
The announcer's shocked voice spread through the entire venue. This rarely seen spectacle also excited the audience, and the already noisy stands immediately became even livelier.
...
"Shocking! Although I had paid attention to the forecast a few days ago, I never expected an eclipse to happen during the race!"
Director Akikawa was encountering this kind of situation during a race for the first time. An eclipse would definitely affect the competitors on the field to some degree, and now she had already heard the announcer calling for staff to prepare the lights.
Kagura… Eclipse… This really is… too much of a coincidence?
Even now, Director Akikawa had not forgotten how similar Inari Kagura was to that legendary Umamusume. An eclipse had occurred when that legendary Umamusume was born, while Inari Kagura encountered one during a race. In a certain sense, did this also count as a kind of coincidence?
The racecourse lights had not yet turned on. A dark shadow was already slowly sweeping over from one side of the racecourse. At this moment, the competitors on the field had also reached the final straight, and the shadow cast by the eclipse rapidly advanced behind them, enveloping the Umamusume one after another—
"THE SHADOW CAST BY THE ECLIPSE IS SLOWLY ENVELOPING THE COMPETITORS ON THE FIELD!! MY GOD!! WHAT KIND OF SPECTACLE IS THIS!? CAMERAMAN!! CAMERAMAN!!"
"INARI KAGURA—ONLY INARI KAGURA IS STILL RUNNING BENEATH THE LIGHT!! SO FAST, SO FAST!! THE SHADOW IS CHASING BEHIND HER!! CAMERAMAN, KEEP UP WITH INARI KAGURA!!"
By now, the commentator and announcer could no longer maintain their composure from the beginning. The racecourse's emergency lights had all activated, but in those few brief seconds before they came on, everyone in the venue saw a spectacle they would never forget for the rest of their lives—Inari Kagura, alone in front, draped in the last of the light as she ran straight toward the finish line. Behind her, all her opponents had already vanished into pitch-black shadow!
"Eclipse first... the rest nowhere…"
Watching from the stands, Speed softly recited the school motto that everyone at Tracen knew.
That phrase was no longer an abstract symbol of spirit or theory. On the racecourse a few seconds before the lights came on, it had been the most literal depiction of those words. Only Inari Kagura, running in the lead, still sprinted beneath the remaining light. Behind her was already nothing but darkness.
...
"On the track, there is only Eclipse…"
Galileo, watching from the stands on the other side, murmured softly.
To a certain extent, Tracen's school motto could also be translated with that meaning, but that was likely not something an Umamusume from Japan would think of. This piece of history was still something European Umamusume were most familiar with.
Having witnessed such a wondrous sight today, she truly felt she had broadened her horizons. She felt that the ticket for this trip to Japan had been worth it beyond all reason. Being able to see a scene like this had already more than paid back the price.
"INARI KAGURA IS STILL CHARGING AHEAD AT FULL SPEED!! SO FAST, SO FAST! NO ONE BEHIND HER CAN CLOSE THE DISTANCE ANYMORE!!"
"THE FINISH LINE IS CLOSE AT HAND!! THERE'S NO SUSPENSE LEFT IN THIS RACE!!"
"SHE CROSSES THE LINE!! INARI KAGURA, WHO CHASED THE LIGHT—TAKES THIS RACE WITH ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE!!"
...
——Wow. This sight… really takes me back.
——Was this the scenery people saw on the day I was born?
——This really is…