A statement had been posted on a notice board in Tracen Academy's main building.
It bore none of the festive colors used for celebrations.
Instead, it announced explosive news to every passing umamusume.
The message was concise:
"Official statement from Team Rigil: Due to irreconcilable differences between Special Week's personal development plans and the team's philosophy, both parties have reached an amicable agreement, and Special Week will formally withdraw from Team Rigil effective immediately. We thank Special Week for the energy and potential she brought to the team and wish her every success in the future."
The instant the news spread, it was as though a bomb had exploded across the academy—and throughout Japan's umamusume racing world.
"What?! Special Week left Rigil?!"
In the rest area beside the third training ground, an umamusume wearing headphones tore them off so abruptly that her phone nearly slipped from her hand. She stared wide-eyed at the breaking-news banner scrolling across its screen.
"You've got to be kidding! Wasn't she Rigil's chosen top rookie this year? Trainer Hana Tojo is famous for her eye for talent. How many days was Special Week even on the team before they split up?"
"Heh. I knew it."
A tall umamusume standing nearby folded her arms and sneered. Her name was Iron Will, and she was known for her strict self-discipline. She glanced contemptuously at the screen, speaking with the arrogance of someone whose suspicions had been vindicated.
"Some genius. I'd say she's a bubble the academy inflated to attract applicants. That entrance-exam result could fool an outsider, but what is Rigil's training philosophy? Perfect scientific management and zero tolerance for mistakes. If Ms. Hana Tojo let her leave, there can be only one explanation: Special Week has some fatal flaw that cannot be corrected."
"A flaw?" A short-haired umamusume leaned closer in curiosity. "Do you mean her physical data wasn't good enough?"
"What else could it be? Her mentality! Her personality!" Iron Will snorted as if she had found her rival's weakness. "I heard she argued with her Trainer as soon as she joined and submitted her withdrawal the next day. Even Student Council President Symboli Rudolf could not persuade her to stay. Rigil would never dare keep such a troublemaker, no matter how talented she was. Racing has never been a one-runner performance. A lone wolf who cannot obey the team or cooperate with its tactics will never go far in Central."
"But..." The short-haired girl hesitated. "I heard she defeated Vice President Air Groove in a duel."
The duel had not been publicly broadcast, but among Tracen's upper ranks and elite circles, it was no secret. Symboli Rudolf had not advertised it, but neither had she deliberately concealed it.
"Hmph. Who knows whether the Vice President let her win?" Iron Will's suspicion only deepened. "Or perhaps... Special Week used some improper method. For a rookie to emerge unharmed from a contest at that level is too incredible. So incredible that it makes you doubt whether it really happened."
Rumors spread across the internet like a plague.
Some questioned Special Week's talent and dismissed her as a "false genius" packaged by Tracen Academy for publicity, destined to reveal her true mediocrity the instant she left a controlled environment.
Others speculated that she had developed a serious physical problem. Rigil's training philosophy was renowned for its scientific rigor. Unless Special Week suffered from a hidden condition, Trainer Hana Tojo would never have abandoned such a promising runner so easily.
Still others maliciously claimed that Special Week was arrogant and incapable of fitting into a team—a "lone wolf" fated to fail in Central's racing world, where cooperation mattered.
Yet the brown-haired girl at the center of the storm seemed to exist beyond it.
Special Week appeared at no press conference, issued no statement, and never lingered on the training grounds to respond to the watching eyes.
At five in the morning, before the first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, heavy footsteps already echoed through a secluded corner of the academy—the abandoned old track near the mountain woods.
"Huff... huff..."
Sweat ran down Special Week's cheeks and struck the rough ground. Her training clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to the tense muscles of her body.
She used no assistance equipment and had no professional nutritionist planning her meals.
She simply ran.
She ran without stopping.
One step. Two steps.
Her gaze remained focused and determined. There was no confusion in her violet eyes—only an almost obsessive flame. The noise outside, her peers' doubts, Rigil's abandonment: she shut all of it beyond the doors of her heart.
She did not need to explain.
She only needed to prove herself.
----
The Japan Central Umamusume Racing Association (URA) soon issued a brief announcement:
"Special Week has officially entered the debut race at Tokyo Racecourse next Sunday!"
The announcement contained no unnecessary embellishment, yet it instantly set Japan's entire umamusume community ablaze.
"Special Week has entered her debut race!"
In the studio of a well-known sports network, a veteran racing commentator slapped the desk in excitement, rattling the teacup in front of him.
"And it's the classic 2,000-meter middle-distance course! This distance is the touchstone of an umamusume's complete ability! By choosing it for her debut, is Special Week declaring war on every future contender for the Classics?"
Another commentator frowned and adjusted his glasses, his tone grave.
"She has just left the elite Team Rigil. She has no permanent Trainer, she is preparing alone, and she still dares to challenge the middle-distance course that tests overall ability most severely? She's gambling with her entire career! You cannot win at 2,000 meters through explosive power alone. It requires precise stamina management and tactical execution. Can a rookie emerging from such a controversy genuinely maintain her composure?"
"No, I believe it demonstrates her confidence," a third commentator argued, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Special Week is proving through action that she needs no team to depend upon. She believes in her own strength! She intends to use the result of this race to destroy the public's prejudice against her. It's an enormous gamble, but if she wins, she'll rise to the top in a single step!"
Special Week's reputation had attracted some unpleasant voices after her withdrawal, but the umamusume community was ultimately a world in which strength did the talking.
For an undebuted runner, her popularity was absurdly high. Her name appeared among the leading trending topics almost every day, surpassing even some veteran umamusume who had already won trophies.
The Central Umamusume Racing Association soon published the detailed information and entry list for the debut race.
It would be run on turf over 2,000 meters—a middle-distance course at Tokyo Racecourse.
Seven runners, including Special Week, had entered.
The popularity poll left everyone even more astonished.
Special Week stood overwhelmingly at the top!
She had left Rigil. She remained trapped in a storm of controversy. Yet her name, her potential, and that solitary, determined figure attracted even more attention.
People wanted to know what kind of power this girl—who had dared to challenge the existing system and walk alone—could unleash.
Meanwhile, the other six entrants felt unprecedented pressure. None was an ordinary runner. Each was an elite prospect who had distinguished herself in a regional program or training institute.
[Crimson Gale]
An umamusume from a Hokkaido training institute, she was known as the "Tempest of the Grasslands." She had a fiery personality and boundless confidence. During her pre-race interview, she made no effort to conceal her ambition.
"I'll pass my debut race through my own strength! Special Week? That girl who quit her team? Hah?! Let me tell you, the track is where truth is decided! My finishing kick will leave every opponent staring at my dust! Victory will be mine!"
The desire for victory burned in her eyes, accompanied by intense hostility toward Special Week, the so-called "genius of Central." She wanted to trample Special Week and prove that regional umamusume were no weaker than flowers raised in Central's greenhouse.
[Tranquil Echo]
Unlike the flamboyant Crimson Gale, Tranquil Echo was calm and reserved. She came from a Kansai training center and was known for her "iron will" and "consistent performance." When questioned by reporters, she dipped her head slightly. Her voice was quiet but powerful.
"No matter who my opponents are, I will maintain my own running style. Middle distance tests endurance and rhythm. I will follow my pace and complete the course. The track and time will decide victory or defeat."
Her words contained no contempt for the other entrants and no exaggerated praise for herself—only an almost cold concentration. She believed that if she displayed her true ability, the result would naturally follow.
[Royal Melody]
Known as the "Noble Prince of Kanto," this umamusume was elegant and confident. She smiled at the camera, her eyes shining with anticipation for a powerful contest.
"Confidence? Of course. I'm sure every entrant believes firmly in her own victory. Do I feel pressured by my opponents? Special Week is a genius from Tracen Academy, and naturally I look forward to facing her. Her strength is beyond question, but I am no ordinary runner either. This will be a wonderful contest. And with my running, I will win this debut race!"
Her words were polite yet confident. She acknowledged her opponent's strength while demonstrating that she herself could not be underestimated. She regarded the race as a valuable chance to test herself against someone powerful.
Another entrant was introverted but possessed strength that could not be dismissed. She rarely accepted interviews, but in her few remarks she said, "I'll give it everything I have. Special Week is strong, but I will focus on my own race."
[Lucky Footfall]
A lively umamusume, she grinned at the reporters.
"Getting to compete with someone as famous as Special Week is wonderful! I'll enjoy the race and do my best to achieve a great result!"
[Azure Dawn]
The final entrant was known for her "cool head." She offered her analysis.
"A 2,000-meter middle-distance course tests both stamina and tactics. I will observe how my opponents run and look for an opportunity."
Seven umamusume.
They would race on the same track and run with all their strength toward the same objective—victory in their debut race.
And at the center of the storm, Special Week continued her final preparations within a world of her own.
She read no news, listened to no commentary, and did not even investigate her opponents. She simply followed the training plan she had created, running, exercising, and making adjustments day after day.
Her dormitory room was filled with books on exercise physiology, nutrition, and course analysis. Like a solitary scholar, she searched through an ocean of knowledge for the answers she needed.
Sometimes Silence Suzuka returned to the dormitory and found Special Week studying intently. Complex emotion flickered through her eyes.
She envied Special Week's decisiveness and worried about her solitude. But Special Week never confided any of her troubles. Their relationship hardly resembled that of close roommates. They were more like strangers traveling the same road—familiar rivals who did not truly know each other.
Time passed quietly through the tense but peaceful atmosphere.
Before long, the day of the debut race finally arrived.
Tokyo Racecourse thundered with voices.
Every seat in the stands was occupied. Countless spectators craned their necks in anticipation and shouted the names of their favorite umamusume. The enormous screen played introduction videos for all seven entrants in a continuous loop.
When Special Week's image appeared, a tremendous cheer erupted across the venue, drowning out the combined reception for the other six runners.
"Special Week! Special Week!"
"Who cares if you left the team? We support you!"
"Silence everyone who looks down on you!"
Controversy surrounded her, but at this moment her popularity reached its peak. The crowd longed to witness whether this solitary girl could astonish the world in her debut.
Special Week stood before the starting gate and listened to the noise around her.
She felt neither nervous nor excited, only a tranquility unlike anything she had known before. Her gaze passed beyond the clamoring crowd and settled upon the course she was about to run.
The turf was green beneath the gentle sunlight.
This was her stage.
This was her battlefield.
This was where she would begin writing her legend.
The gates slowly closed, sealing all seven umamusume inside.
The starting pistol was about to fire.
Special Week took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The outside arguments, her opponents' provocations, the pressure of her popularity... all of it dissolved into nothingness.
Only one thought remained in her mind—
Win.
Because this was the path she had chosen.
This was how she would prove herself.
This was her first step toward becoming the "strongest."
"Bang!"
The starting pistol fired!
The gates opened!
Seven figures shot onto the course like arrows released from their bowstrings!
Special Week's debut had officially begun!
...
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