On a television talk show, the host was in conversation with a well-known trainer.
"The most popular racer right now has to be this one — Kitasan Black. She may be a newcomer who's only just debuted, but every race she runs showcases astonishing ability."
No surprises there. The star of this episode was Kitasan Black.
After the Mainichi Okan, no one questioned her strength anymore. She hadn't run a GI race yet, but she'd already defeated a GI-level uma musume. For a debut-level newcomer, that was a terrifying achievement.
"Absolutely. The Mainichi Okan was riveting. Kitasan Black's running style is genuinely remarkable — you could say she's completely overturned how people think about front-runners."
The trainer on the program looked genuinely excited.
"According to the latest official announcement, Kitasan Black has been granted priority entry for the upcoming Tenno Sho Autumn. Do you think she has a shot at winning?"
The host brought up the question every viewer was dying to hear answered.
The trainer didn't bother hiding his enthusiasm. "Personally? I'm hoping she does."
"Could you elaborate?"
"The lineup this time is stacked, no question. But I believe that as long as Kitasan Black maintains the form she showed last race — as long as she can break free from the Tyrant's encirclement at the start — she has a very real chance of winning. Because Kitasan Black's front-running is fundamentally different from anything we've seen before. In my professional opinion, she's achieved the perfect breakaway. The kind of lead no one can follow."
As he spoke, the trainer's expression practically glowed with envy. Kitasan Black was his ideal uma musume — and knowing that she'd been signed by some greenhorn trainer kept him up at night.
The host was starting to sweat. This isn't in the script. Are you sure it's okay to hype her up this much?
But the director didn't call for a cut. If anything, they encouraged her to keep going.
Question after question followed, and the trainer sang Kitasan Black's praises for every single one.
His position was straightforward: Kitasan Black was strong. Her odds of winning were high. She was currently his favorite uma musume, bar none.
The entire back half of the show devolved into a Kitasan Black appreciation segment.
Surprisingly, the ratings were excellent.
...
Kitasan Black glanced up at the large screen at the street intersection showing the broadcast. Watching someone gush about her so shamelessly made her cringe hard enough to combust. She tugged her hood lower and headed toward the food district, a bag of snacks dangling from one hand.
She'd just finished her morning training nearby and had treated herself to an extravagant breakfast. Only three races under her belt so far, but the prize money was already substantial. The Mainichi Okan alone had netted close to ¥100 million in combined winnings. Racing was insanely profitable.
And the next race — the Tenno Sho Autumn — carried a purse of ¥300 million. If she won by another outside placing and factored in the top-five bonus pool, that number would climb even higher. Just thinking about it made Kitasan Black want to break into song.
For uma musume, race winnings were really just the appetizer anyway. Merchandise royalties, endorsement deals — that was where the real money lived. And as long as she kept winning, all of it would come pouring in.
Perfect.
This was the future she wanted.
While every other competitor was training frantically for the upcoming race, Kitasan Black spent her days shopping and eating. If anyone found out, their jaws would hit the floor. She wasn't completely unprepared, of course — she was at least watching her weight. But actual training? Pointless.
Setting aside the fact that she couldn't improve through normal training until she cleared Story Mode, her stats were already so high that further gains would be nearly impossible anyway.
As for learning new skills? Even more pointless.
She hadn't learned her own signature Flash skill during Training Mode, but after inheriting the skill pools of her predecessors, her ability roster was more than sufficient.
That was the real reason she kept using her predecessors' techniques in races — Kitasan Black simply didn't possess a Flash skill of her own.
Back in Training Mode, she'd coasted through with the bare minimum of effort. The only reason her stats were this high was thanks to Training Mode's hidden growth mechanics.
So for all her ferocity on the track, off it... well, let's just say it was a good thing her predecessors weren't in this world. Their blood pressure would've been through the roof.
Race-day Kitasan Black and everyday Kitasan Black were two entirely different creatures.
Not that she didn't have her own defense: with the skill roster she'd inherited, her own skills were redundant. McQueen-senpai and the Demon King-senpai had been absolute workhorses when it came to building their arsenals.
She'd checked the System's data on her personal exclusive skills too. Honestly? They seemed pretty average. No great loss in skipping them.
Of course, she'd never dare say that to her predecessors' faces.
But it didn't matter. This was her Story Mode world. They couldn't get in.
...
She was a little curious about what her Completion Conditions might be. Unlike her predecessors, she hadn't received any clear indication.
Based on their experiences, it should involve fulfilling Kita-chan's regrets.
But what were Kita-chan's regrets, exactly?
The Classic Triple Crown?
The Autumn Triple Crown?
The unrealized dream of the Arc de Triomphe?
Strangely, she didn't feel a strong pull toward any one of them.
A troubling suspicion was forming in Kitasan Black's mind: what if that girl wanted all of them?
The only signal she could sense was that it lay somewhere among those goals, but nothing more specific. Which was exactly why she'd arrived at this awful hypothesis.
But she hadn't originally planned to run that many races!
This is even crazier than the Dream Cup! At least the Dream Cup didn't include the Arc de Triomphe!
Remembering how that Kita-chan had once asked her whether she'd achieved her dream, Kitasan Black desperately wanted to go back and ask the kid: Do you have any idea how absurd your ambitions are? If someone like me — basically a cheater — hadn't come along, no one could ever have pulled this off!
But it was fine. Even completion conditions this insane were within her reach.
Because with this power, nothing was impossible.
For now, though — restaurant hunting first. She'd spotted a tonkatsu place on social media yesterday that looked amazing. Lunch was sorted.
The race could wait. Work-life balance was king.
Today, as every day, Kitasan Black was magnificently at rest.
...
Her phone buzzed. A new message.
She fished it out and found it was from her trainer.
"My racing outfit?"
She blinked. Come to think of it, she kept forgetting she now qualified for one, having earned her GI entry rights.
"Mom and Dad helped with the design?"
Well then. The tonkatsu could wait. She was suddenly very curious about her racing outfit.
Would it be different from Kita-chan's? So far, only Rice Shower-senpai's outfit matched the original exactly. McQueen-senpai and the others all had variations. What would hers look like?
Curiosity got the better of her, and Kitasan Black abandoned her shopping excursion.
Meanwhile, every other competitor was deep in intensive training. Even with only days to spare, they wanted to squeeze out every possible improvement. To defeat that monster, they had to get stronger.
Even the Tyrant, who currently reigned atop Japan's racing world, had been putting in extra sessions lately.
Gentildonna, unfortunately, hadn't been able to convince her trainer. While the trainer respected her wishes, she'd decided the Tenno Sho Autumn wasn't the right moment. Gentildonna would wait for her opponents at the Japan Cup instead. The Tenno Sho would serve as a scouting opportunity. Her trainer was nothing if not cautious — it was that very caution that had kept Gentildonna injury-free throughout her career. She was already preparing to record data on every competitor.
And so, while everyone else prepared and Kitasan Black relaxed—
The Tenno Sho Autumn finally arrived.
...
The lineup was spectacular.
Many semi-retired racers had come out of the woodwork for this one. And the most popular entrant — no prizes for guessing — was the Tyrant.
As one of this era's strongest uma musume, Orfevre's popularity was in a league of its own. This time, even Kitasan Black's fanbase couldn't hold a candle to the Tyrant's.
The venue thundered with cheers for Orfevre — a roaring ocean of support. Mixed in were fans from overseas, drawn by the Tyrant's two runner-up finishes at the Arc de Triomphe. When the golden monarch emerged from the competitor tunnel, the noise reached a fever pitch.
Orfevre approached the starting gate with measured steps, her gaze sweeping coldly across the other competitors. That imperious expression declared that she was the only protagonist of today's race.
"What an arrogant one," Sweep Tosho muttered, a little annoyed. She'd signed up for this race on a whim — so why wasn't anyone cheering for her?
Oh well. She wasn't here for the applause anyway. She was here for the newcomer called Kitasan Black. That girl had resonated with her magic somehow, and she needed to investigate.
She glanced toward Kitasan Black's position — but Kitasan Black had already entered her gate. Having failed to crack the top three in popularity, she'd been among the first to load in.
She wore a racing outfit of black trimmed with red, similar in cut to the outfit Kita-chan had worn in her final race, though stripped of the decorative accessories. Over it hung a red-and-black coat, and the shorts had been swapped for long trousers. The overall effect was undeniably cool.
With the new outfit came a new hairstyle — a single ponytail — which ratcheted her intimidation factor up several notches.
Privately, though, Kitasan Black had wanted to complain. This looked like it was clashing hard with Duramente's aesthetic. And was this really her style? She was lazy, sure, but she was actually a pretty cheerful person! Even if she couldn't pull off the festival-girl look, she shouldn't be stuck with this domineering image.
But the outfit was already made. Complaining wouldn't unmake it. This was what she got for leaving the entire design process to her trainer and parents. If she'd been involved, she would never have approved this style — she'd be too embarrassed to show it to her senpais.
Doesn't this look ridiculous on me? This style suits McQueen-senpai and the Demon King-senpai way better...
"All competitors have entered the gates. Let's take a quick look at today's field before the race begins."
"Number 3 — Kitasan Black. She didn't make the popularity rankings this time, but her strength speaks for itself. For a debut-level racer, entering a GI as her first major race — and the Tenno Sho Autumn, no less — takes real courage. We're looking forward to what she can do today."
True to form, Kitasan Black's draw was terrible again. Another disadvantageous gate position.
"Number 5 — Sweep Tosho. A seasoned veteran returning to the track. We hope she'll show us the strength befitting her experience."
"I'm not that old!" Sweep Tosho protested.
"Number 9 — third in popularity — Nice Nature. Can this veteran bronze medal collector finally break through today? We're sincerely rooting for a better result."
Nice Nature's forehead vein twitched as she stepped into her gate. Damn it — it's not like I choose to finish third every time!
"Number 11 — second in popularity — Gold Ship! Our old friend!"
Gold Ship entered her gate with an unusually serious expression, none of her typical antics on display. She was here to challenge herself.
Up in the stands, Team Spica's members and their trainer watched her gate with heavy hearts. None of them had known Gold Ship was dealing with this problem.
A peak-period decline?
It was rare, but not unheard of. Typically it happened to racers recovering from serious illness. Gold Ship's health had always been excellent, so no one had considered the possibility.
But not long ago, Gold Ship had confessed to them: she could feel her abilities declining. She couldn't run the way she used to.
So while she still could, she wanted to race as much as possible.
"And finally — Number 13, our number-one in popularity, the undisputed star of today's race: the Tyrant — Orfevre! Can the racer hailed as Japan's current strongest defend her throne against this host of challengers? The crowd's support for the king is absolutely deafening!"
"The starting signal has sounded! Competitors are entering the gates!"
"The Tenno Sho Autumn — 2000 meters. Track conditions are slightly heavy from moisture, but with no rain today, conditions are better than usual."
"The gates are open! And the first one out is—?"
A golden figure burst from the gate.
A terrifying aura seemed to press down on every other runner.
"The first one out is the Tyrant! The king appears to be exceptionally serious today!"
...
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