Kyoto Racecourse's stands were almost completely full, the thunder of voices seeming ready to peel the clouds from the sky.
Today, Kuroha did not go to the open-view, comfortable VIP seats.
He wanted to find a good spot near the finish line and, from the closest distance, witness with his own eyes the instant Fujimasa March broke the tape.
Luck was good—right in that sea of people, there were still a few empty seats.
He walked over and was just about to sit down when he noticed three bottles of water placed across the three seats in front.
"Ah, sorry!"
The moment Kuroha noticed the bottles, a small white hand hurriedly snatched them away.
A clear voice, tinged with apology, sounded: "I'm sorry! I—I got too excited and accidentally put them over the line!"
Kuroha looked closely—she was a petite Uma Musume.
She seemed even smaller than Tokai Teio; judging by her appearance, she was probably only a student in the Elementary Division.
"Mm, it's fine."
Kuroha smiled gently and sat down in the empty seat beside her.
The little Uma Musume at his side seemed completely immersed in the atmosphere of the race, eyes fixed straight on the course.
Her tiny fists were clenched tight as she whispered cheers for the runners on the track; it wasn't clear who she was supporting.
But… such a familiar Uma Musume…
Kuroha's gaze grew a little distant.
This was a cute little loli with a green ear bonnet, triple ponytails, and twin locks shaped like wind chimes.
Looking at her, Kuroha was sure he had seen her somewhere.
But perhaps because a 2D image had been turned into 3D reality—
Much like when he first saw Fujimasa March and Inari One—the recognition didn't come immediately.
"March-senpai, Kuroha-san!"
The little Uma Musume didn't shout like others, but those blue eyes seemed to glint with light.
From start to finish, they never shifted from that silver-white figure on the course.
Hearing that she seemed to be a fan of Fujimasa March, Kuroha grew interested and asked first: "Do you support March?"
The little one blinked, seemingly not expecting the onii-san beside her to talk to her.
She turned, and seeing Kuroha's gentle smile, she beamed too: "Yes! I really love March-senpai's running!"
"When I grow up, I'll definitely become a cool Uma Musume like March-senpai!"
"You like March's running?"
Kuroha softly repeated, a gratified smile on his face.
He hadn't expected March to already have such a cute little fan.
"Are you a student at Central Tracen?"
"Yes! I'm currently a student in Central Tracen Academy's Elementary Division!"
The little loli nodded hard, then seemed a bit shy; her voice dropped a lot as she murmured to herself:
"My name is… Silence Suzuka. Um… that's all."
Silence Suzuka?
The smile on Kuroha's face paused.
That all-too-familiar name instantly tugged open a far-off, dust-covered memory in his mind.
The silent shooting star, the runner from another dimension.
One of the few future Uma Musume famed for the grand front-running (Ōnige) tactic.
In history, after being forced to use a runstyle she disliked and losing race after race, she resolutely chose grand front-running as her standard tactic.
From then on, in every race of that span—
Six starts, six wins; five straight graded stakes; even the G1 Takarazuka Kinen lay among them. Almost no one could blunt her edge.
But like a meteor scoring the night sky, her career—brilliant—was very brief.
On the stage of the Autumn Tenno Sho, her final grand escape.
She fractured a leg—and her professional career ended.
When Fujimasa March first executed a grand front-run, Kuroha had already laid out the pros and cons of that tactic.
And he had said that, under normal circumstances, grand front-running could only be a rare trick, not a standard tactic.
In the previous life, many believed that if Silence Suzuka's leg hadn't gone wrong, her life would have been even more glorious.
But that was a false proposition.
Just like the so-called "Healthy Brain" and "All-Intel" mindsets.
A healthy brain can't be healthy forever, and no one can hold all information forever.
Correspondingly, for Silence Suzuka, who used a body-punishing grand front-running as her routine tactic—
Her legs could not possibly remain problem-free.
The tragedy of the Autumn Tenno Sho was, in essence, foreseeable.
Perhaps that tragedy might be delayed—or it might come early—but so long as Silence Suzuka kept running, it would eventually arrive.
"A mid-to-upper-tier-talent Uma Musume."
That was Kuroha's final evaluation of Silence Suzuka, among the "triple-crown-class" of runners.
If Oguri Cap and Tokai Teio were placed in the top-tier realm of talent—
Then Silence Suzuka's talent was about the same as Yaeno Muteki's and others.
Indeed beyond 99% of Central runners, but still short of the absolute pinnacle.
"Kyoto Racecourse, G1 Mile Championship—1600m!"
Just then, the commentator's voice cut off Kuroha's thoughts.
Coming back to himself, Kuroha smiled at the diminutive "other-dimensional escaper" before him.
"Suzuka-san, the race is starting—let's watch first."
"Mm…"
Suzuka gave Kuroha a thoughtful look; she too felt a strange sense that she had seen this onii-san somewhere before.
But soon, the little loli's mind returned to the course, eyes bright on the gates.
"Grand front-run, huh…"
At the side, Kuroha murmured inwardly, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
...
… (requesting flowers)
In Gate 1.
Oguri Cap was already set, staring ahead with absolute focus.
"According to all current data, Fujimasa March is an Uma Musume who makes strong use of the Front Runner and Pace Chaser styles."
Ginjirou Musaka's voice seemed to echo in her heart. This was from their pre-race strategy meeting on today's powerful rival.
"But the Pace Chaser style is what she uses when facing headwinds."
"Since Kuroha took over, whether at Kasamatsu, Oi, or in Central, Fujimasa March has only used the Front Runner style."
In Gate 4.
Aotake Memory slowly exhaled. Nase Eito's cold, steady words were carved into her mind.
"Therefore, in this race, Fujimasa March is highly likely to continue with her best, strongest, and hardest-to-counter style: Front Runner."
"Unlike runners like Super Creek, those data-driven Uma Musume excel at studying others' habits to influence the bigger picture—but those fall under 'schemes' that are easier to spot and handle."
... ...… 0
"But Front Runner is different. Uma Musume who excel at seizing the lead are far harder to disrupt in their control of race tempo—this is manipulation of the grand flow, an 'overt strategy.'"
"Just like last year's Autumn Tenno Sho—Tamamo Cross, even after seeing through Noble Sovereign's stratagem, still spent huge stamina [and nearly got run down by Oguri Cap at the line]."
In Aotake's memory, Nase Eito's expression had never been more serious.
"So, Aotake—this race, you must ensure you aren't dragged into her rhythm."
"Run your race. That is your only path to victory."
As he said this, Nase paused, as if turning over some attribute matter.
On the other side, in Oguri Cap's heart, Ginjirou added in a troubled tone one more line.
"Although Fujimasa March has used only orthodox Front Runner tactics, in the past—at Oi—she once used a very unorthodox tactic…"
What was it?
"Ka-chunk—!"
In that instant, the light changed—and the gates snapped open!
"The race is on!!!"
At the split-second when a dozen Uma Musume bodies subconsciously readied to explode out, a boundless silver storm, soaring to the sky and plunging to the earth, suddenly formed!
Bwooom—!
Endless streams of silvery sunlight seemed to turn solid, surging and coiling through the whole racecourse with the most overbearing presence!
An invisible, suffocating pressure blanketed every Uma Musume in an instant!
Oguri Cap's and Aotake Memory's pupils slammed down to pinpoints, and, in memory, the final hesitant words their trainers had left them pre-race surfaced now at last.
Grand front-run!
Domain — Silver Radiance!!!
"BOOOOOM—!!"
A silver-white streak detonated—like a comet tearing heaven and earth. In the instant before anyone could react, she had already surpassed all and was running alone—clear in front!
(End of Chapter)
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