Tamamo Cross's intentional provocation was just an excuse to tease Rei Zai; after all, she was a good kid, and like herself, a junior who couldn't grow taller due to early full-fledged development. Tamamo Cross actually liked Rei Zai a lot, it was just that Rei Zai often teased her, and then Oguri Cap would dismantle the situation, causing her blood pressure to skyrocket.
At the same time, the two were also allies in the "Oguri Cap Victim Association," so their relationship was actually quite good.
As for what kind of association this was... Oguri Cap was truly a very unique Uma Musume. If other Uma Musume occasionally had bursts of desire, for her, it was bursts of maternal instinct. When her maternal instinct burst forth, even Rudolph Symbol would retreat three paces from her.
When Oguri Cap's maternal instinct burst forth, she would treat all surrounding creatures as her own children to care for. However, if there were no other creatures, she would become very uneasy. So, every time, there would be a few "sacrifices" who were "voluntarily" sent to Oguri Cap at that time, and the most frequent ones to be bundled up (forced into children's clothes) and sent over were the petite Tamamo Cross and Rei Zai.
Although Oguri Cap's caregiving skills were truly amazing, Rei Zai would rather be petted by Maruzensky all day than be cared for like a baby by Oguri Cap. It was too embarrassing.
In short, for the above reasons, Tamamo Cross was still very concerned about her junior, especially when she needed something from her.
As for Oguri Cap, she could be bought over with a single buffet. If she could be in charge of meals, she could even be directly lured into her team as an assistant coach, and a Tamamo Cross attachment would come with her.
"So why do you always say I'm Oguri's attachment?!"
"Eh heh ~"
"What does 'eh heh' mean!?"
The three walked together towards the house Rei Zai had bought outside. Tamamo Cross, who was clearly already very rich but still had a poor person's mindset, turned gray upon learning that Rei Zai had not only bought her house in full, but also had a mountain.
"So, Z-chan, one last confirmation." Oguri Cap asked seriously.
It was probably to confirm if she really wanted them to open their domains, right? Thinking this, Rei Zai simply responded.
"Ah, it's fine, I'm already prepared."
"Good, then that's good. I'll be counting on you from now on." Oguri Cap smiled contentedly.
"?"
"?"
"What are you talking about, Oguri Cap-senpai?"
"Tamamo Cross and I are joining Spica as assistant coaches to help you and your teammates, and you'll be responsible for providing us with meals."
Seriously, why is it about this!?
After thinking about her reserves, Rei Zai still nodded.
"No problem, just leave the meals to me." Anyway, PT could be directly exchanged for finished food.
For example, the barbecue she made yesterday. Any dish she made herself would enter the system store, and she could exchange for it whenever she wanted to eat it again, and it would even come with some special effects.
For example, the effect of yesterday's barbecue was: greatly restores stamina, increases physical fitness, and improves the mood of non-vegetarian eaters.
Of course, the increase in physical fitness was limited, and it would only work once within a certain period, so becoming stronger by eating was simply impossible.
"Well then, let's get ready. The changing room is over there. If necessary, I can clear out a guest room for you as your room while you're here, okay?"
"Oh, then I'll leave it to you!" Tamamo Cross, in a carefree manner, walked in with her sportswear, dragging Oguri Cap, who was staring at the desserts in the freezer, along with her.
After everyone changed, the three naturally went to the track and found a starting gate to enter.
"Hey! Rei Zai! As your senior, I'm reminding you, if you feel uncomfortable, remember to stop immediately!" Tama-chan kindly reminded her.
"Ah, I understand, I won't push myself too hard."
"Good, then we can begin."
"Okay." She pressed the countdown.
As the countdown ended, the starting gate opened once again, and three figures burst out.
This time, it was a 3000m long distance. To better experience the domain, she would use the Lead Runner strategy, with Oguri Cap also running ahead of her as a Lead Runner, and Tamamo Cross running behind her as a Stalker.
When this arrangement was first made, the two were very worried about whether Rei Zai could hold on, but they eventually agreed due to Rei Zai's persistence.
The early and middle stages of the race were peaceful, of course, only relative to what they were about to face. Even in a simulated training, none of the three wanted to lose; from positioning to red skills, they threw everything they had without regard for their lives.
And as they were about to enter the final curve, Rei Zai also perked up.
It's coming.
The two had also explained that their domains would only activate near the final curve and last until the end of the race, because activating a domain also consumed stamina. If they activated and maintained it from the start, they could easily lose speed.
As she took her first step into the curve, Rei Zai suddenly felt her vision go black.
No, it didn't. She could clearly see the race track, and even Oguri Cap leading in front, but her brain kept sending the command, "It's night, you can't see anything."
Taking another step, a pressure came from behind her.
In her eyes, white electric light pulsed around Tamamo Cross, and even her eyes flashed with electric light. Some of the electric light hitting her even gave her a numb sensation.
The pressure on her body surged, and her speed inevitably slowed down.
Unlike those mental interference red skills, this directly affected her own senses.
It was as if it directly interfered with her brain, forcing her brain to issue incorrect commands.
Tamamo Cross had already surpassed her, and Oguri Cap also began to accelerate away from her.
Perhaps they were afraid she would be too deeply affected by the domain? After all, besides the discomfort she felt, there was an even more important thing.
Fear and uneasiness from within.
To be honest, even when she first arrived in this world, she had never felt this kind of uneasiness. Even when she lost her debut race, she only felt unlucky. When she participated in her debut race for the second time, she didn't feel any uneasiness or fear about whether the same thing would happen again.
Then there was only one answer.
She didn't want to lose.
While a domain suppresses others, it also amplifies the user. For example, the speed of the two in front was already significantly faster than normal. It must be said that domains are incredibly buggy things; even she fell for it. Although the goddess said Heavy Gun hadn't fully activated her domain, it absolutely shouldn't be underestimated.
But... giving up like this is impossible, right?
She had already finished the curve and entered the final straight, a considerable distance had opened up, but... for her, catching up this distance was not difficult. The key was that once she approached them again, she would definitely be interfered with by the domain again. So, how to resist this domain?
Her gaze landed on a value on her panel.
Does it even need to be said!?
Push through with sheer guts! Otherwise, she'd only lose now!
[Senri Shippu - Shinsoku: Triggered [A Gust of Wind] [Good at Changing Pace] [Powerful Legs] [Whole Heart and Soul]]
And... the move, or rather, the technique, she had trained by herself without any reference points.
[Fervent Charge: Stomp the ground with all your might, relying on a stronger recoil to further increase your acceleration.]
This was a technique only she could use, or rather, it couldn't even be called a technique, but only she had the capital to use it.
The recoil from stomping the ground with such force not only affected her speed, but more of it was absorbed by her body. If an ordinary Uma Musume used this technique, they would probably retire due to leg injuries or fractures after only a few runs.
But her physique had been constantly training to be able to fully activate Senri Shippu - Shinsoku one day. From the most basic abilities to endurance and recovery, everything was slowly improving. This level of recoil would only consume extra stamina.
But did she lack stamina? No. If she did? She still had her guts to push through!
Relying on a massive amount of acceleration and powerful bursts, she once again rushed behind the two, startling them.
However, it was clear that with all three running at full power, there was no leisure to speak. All were now sprinting with all their might.
As she approached the two, the pressure from before descended once again, even more concentrated.
This time, it wasn't just a matter of not being able to see clearly, but truly feeling as if she was in darkness. Oguri Cap seemed to merge into the darkness, and when she ran alongside her, Rei Zai could only see her eyes.
There was even less need to mention Tamamo Cross. Although she retired due to physical reasons at the time, she had been recovering and receiving treatment for so long that she was already well. She just didn't want to debut again. As the first generation of "Gray Coat's Glory," her strength was only higher, not lower, than Oguri Cap's.
The domains of lightning and darkness simultaneously acted upon her body. Both her spirit and her flesh endured their ravages, and sweat poured from her body as if it were free.
Seeing Rei Zai's state, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross exchanged glances and, by tacit agreement, chose to accelerate, attempting to end the race as quickly as possible. However, something unexpected happened.
Crack.
A sound like glass cracking made both of them pause their accelerating steps, their eyes filled with shock.
The crackling sound became more and more obvious. Both of them clearly felt as if their domains were being squeezed by something.
But nothing happened. After the two crossed the finish line, they both looked back at the same time.
Even though she was simultaneously assailed by two domains, Rei Zai was still not pulled too far behind them, only about one horse length. If the two had not burned more of their Guts to accelerate in that final moment, the three of them would probably have crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.
However, Rei Zai's current condition could not be described as too good. Her breathing was abnormally rapid, and she was leaning on her knees with her hands, but she was still slowly taking steps, not just stopping in place.
It was their first time that someone could catch up to this extent after they had used their domains. One must know that in their last race together, they had almost created a huge gap with the main group behind them.
Are Uma Musume nowadays all monsters? They exchanged glances, and almost the same thought surfaced in their minds.
"Ha… ha… You worked hard… seniors…" She was still panting heavily, but it was much better than the situation where she almost couldn't breathe just now. At least her breathing frequency had decreased significantly.
The blood in her heart was still boiling, and the soreness in her legs had not subsided, but she couldn't concern herself with that right now.
For a moment, she seemed to have felt something.