"Race start—!"
With the commentator's voice, the tightly closed gates opened.
Except for Seiun Sky, who was momentarily stunned when the gates opened, all the other Uma Musume dashed out the moment the gates opened.
"Except for Seiun Sky in lane eight, who had a slight delay, all other Uma Musume had a very smooth start!"
Watching the Uma Musume running on the track, the commentator, explaining the race to the audience, began to report the current rankings of each Uma Musume on the track one by one.
"Seventh place..."
Hearing Seiun Sky's current rank announced by the commentator, the man clenched his fists.
Only eight Uma Musume participated in this race.
Seventh place... and her gap with the last place wasn't large, appearing to be at risk of being overtaken at any moment.
Seiun Sky...
"Is she using the 'Chaser' running style for this race?"
Unlike the nervous Saito Asuka, Nakayama Megumi, sitting beside him, calmly watched the track: "...It seems she's very confident in her late kick."
"..."
Watching Seiun Sky running at the back of the pack, Saito Asuka clenched his sweaty palms.
Go, Seiun Sky.
"Oh, dear... I had a slight delay."
Seeing the words 'Delayed Start' appear on the right side of her vision, Seiun Sky showed an embarrassed smile.
'Delayed start, delayed start, delayed start!'
The Three Goddesses, exasperated, tapped her head: "How could you have a delayed start when the gate opened perfectly?"
"Oh, come on... Stop hitting me, stop hitting me."
Seiun Sky, whose head was being tapped, playfully stuck out her tongue: "If you keep hitting me, I'll really cry~?"
"And, Three Goddesses, how do you have time to come see me today? I thought it would be a while before you could visit me."
"Today is your debut race. No matter what, I have to come and see it, right?"
The voice, appearing directly in her mind, replied grumpily: "...After all, I'm the one who brought you to this world."
"From the moment you came to this world and became an Uma Musume, you became my child."
The voice in her mind paused, then its tone became a little strange.
"...But your speaking tone in your previous life wasn't like this, was it? Did something stimulate you?"
"Stimulation? Hmm... I guess so."
The Black-haired Horse Girl, while running, tilted her head: "I'm going to accelerate now, okay?"
"You... Sigh."
The Three Goddesses, hearing Seiun Sky say this, sighed helplessly: "...Be careful. Your body hasn't fully stabilized yet. Even if you want to cause trouble, do it within your limits."
"Mm-hmm, I know!"
Seiun Sky replied with a smile.
"Well then... I'm going to start now~?"
...
… … Was it still too difficult for her?
The silver-haired Uma Musume running in the lead turned her head, glancing at the other Uma Musume behind her.
She must have been too nervous and didn't regain her composure the moment the gate opened.
Seeing the occasional glimpse of black, the silver-haired girl shook her head and looked forward instead.
Although it was already the end of the middle stage, she had to continue to widen the gap between herself and the Uma Musume behind her before entering the final turn.
Thinking this, the silver-haired Uma Musume quickened her pace.
"There are no significant changes among the teams currently running on the track; Blue-Eyes White Dragon continues to lead, and the following Uma Musume are still maintaining their speed!"
"Wait… Seiun Sky, in seventh place, is starting to make her move!"
What…?
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, hearing the commentator say this, turned her head in surprise.
Then, she saw the Black-haired Horse Girl from Himeji Local Tresen Academy suddenly accelerate, passing one Uma Musume after another.
She was like a dancer, her steps light as she weaved out of the group of Uma Musume, steadily closing in on Blue-Eyes White Dragon, who was leading in first place.
Upon realizing that she was being watched, Seiun Sky even winked at her.
… … Starting to sprint now?! Is she not afraid of running out of stamina and losing speed in the final stage?!
"Seiun Sky… Seiun Sky from Himeji Tracen Academy is starting to make her move! She's surged from the back of the pack all the way to second place!"
The commentator's voice began to grow excited because of Seiun Sky's move: "… … She's about a hundred meters away from entering the final turn, is it really okay for Seiun Sky to choose to accelerate and sprint at this point?!"
"Won't this decision cause her to lose speed in the final stage?!"
Damn it… How can Aogami run so fast?!
With a glance from the corner of her eye, Blue-Eyes White Dragon saw Seiun Sky already behind her. She gritted her teeth, trying to speed up.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't change the fact that Seiun Sky was slowly overtaking her.
'… … I'll be waiting for you at the finish line~'
The moment she overtook her, their eyes met in a silent understanding, and she saw the Black-haired Horse Girl turn her head, playfully winking at her, and silently 'saying' these words to her.
"So fast, so fast! Seiun Sky has overtaken Blue-Eyes White Dragon and is now in first place!"
Seeing Seiun Sky overtake Blue-Eyes White Dragon, the commentator stood up, leaning on the desk with both hands: "… … But can she maintain her advantage until the finish line, having started accelerating now?!"
Hmph, isn't that a very simple thing to do?
Hearing the commentator say this, Seiun Sky's lips curved upwards.
A cute maiden's heart… can do anything!
"Seiun Sky! Seiun Sky is still accelerating!"
The commentator, seeing Seiun Sky still accelerating, began to focus on her.
"She's entered the final turn first, and the Uma Musume behind her are still being left further and further behind!"
"She hasn't shown any signs of exhaustion or loss of speed yet! Is her stamina limitless?!"
"Damn it—!"
Blue-Eyes White Dragon, unable to close the distance, looked at the shrinking figure ahead and let out an unwilling roar.
… … Even if she was forced to use the 'chaser' running style due to a late start, her execution was a bit too aggressive.
—How can a chaser start sprinting and accelerating when the middle stage isn't even over yet?!
"Seiun Sky! She's only two hundred meters from the finish line! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, in second place, is already six horse lengths behind her!"
"No Uma Musume can catch up to her now!"
"She's still accelerating! One hundred meters! Fifty meters! Finish line—!"
The moment Seiun Sky crossed the finish line, accompanied by the commentator's hoarse shouts, this maiden race drew to a close.
"Unparalleled power! Even with a late start, she found an opportunity to make her move in the middle of the race, overtaking all the Uma Musume in one fell swoop to claim first place and secure the victory!"
"She proved her strength in her own way! Let's cheer for the winner of this race!"
"Sei—un—Sky—!"