"Do... do we have to keep going? I don't think I can take much more, Starlight-senpai~"
Special Week sat on the ground, her face flushed red, while her legs were being held firmly down by Starlight's own legs.
Her arms were desperately reaching forward toward her toes.
Starlight's two delicate, white hands were applying steady pressure to Special Week's back.
"Of course. There's still half a minute left, so hang in there, Spe-chan~"
"The training later is going to be very heavy. You have to stretch thoroughly."
Beside them, Silence Suzuka held a stopwatch, watching the scene with a blank expression.
'Suzuka-chan, pull yourself together. This is Spe-chan's preparation period, not yours...'
'Starlight-chan should be focusing her care on Spe-chan...'
By repeating these two sentences over and over in her mind, Silence Suzuka managed to maintain her calm facade.
Special Week took a deep breath.
Seemingly unable to hold the stretch any longer, her body gradually began to straighten back up from its bent position.
Starlight's brow furrowed, and she increased the strength in her hands.
"Relax, Spe-chan. Stick with it, you can do it..."
"Ah~ Starlight-senpai!"
Suddenly, for some reason, Special Week's eyes widened.
She let out a loud cry and shot upward like a spring.
Naturally, Divine Starlight, who was right behind her, was sent tumbling to the ground by the sudden momentum.
"Ouch~"
Seeing this, Silence Suzuka quickly rushed over. She knelt down and supported Divine Starlight's body.
"Are you hurt, Starlight-chan~?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. What about Spe-chan? How are you?"
"Ah, I-I'm okay. I'm so sorry, Starlight-senpai! It's my fault you fell."
Standing back up, Starlight looked at Special Week, who was hanging her head and fidgeting with her fingers.
She reached out and pinched the girl's soft cheek.
"It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it, Spe-chan. Let's continue."
"Mhm! Okay, Starlight-senpai!"
After the warm-up ended, Divine Starlight and Special Week stood at the starting line.
Silence Suzuka stood in front of Special Week, wearing a resistance harness with an elastic cord attached. The other end was secured to Special Week.
"Suzuka will perform a Great Escape. Spe-chan, you keep up with her. If the pace is too much, the elastic cord will pull you along."
"If you really can't keep going, make sure to shout and tell us to stop."
Listening to Divine Starlight's instructions, Special Week looked at the cord at her waist and nodded.
"I understand."
"Good. Your main goal is to watch me. Since your running style is different from Suzuka's, observe my footwork closely as we go."
"Eh? Wh-Why is that?"
"Hehe, Spe-chan, do you want to learn my secret technique?"
"Is... Is that allowed?"
"Of course. Once we start running, observe me carefully, and pay attention to your feet so you don't trip."
"Understood, Starlight-senpai!"
Even though Starlight had already said a lot, she couldn't help but offer a few more words of caution. After all, this was a preparation period, safety had to come first.
Seeing this, Kiryuu Inami picked up her stopwatch to time them.
"Ready, go!"
Swish!
Silence Suzuka took the lead with a Great Escape.
As her speed surged, the elastic cord connecting the two of them snapped taut, and Spe-chan was pulled into a run along with her.
Then came Divine Starlight.
She lowered her center of gravity, and once Special Week had pulled three lengths ahead of her, she lunged forward with a whoosh.
Thump, thump, thump—!
The sound of clear, crisp footsteps echoed in the ears of the two Uma Musume.
The next moment, Divine Starlight drew level with Silence Suzuka and began to "escape" alongside her.
'This sound of footsteps is unique to Divine Starlight. It's so reassuring...'
A faint smile touched Silence Suzuka's lips, she knew Starlight was right beside her.
Special Week, being pulled along behind them, was incredibly serious.
While being towed, her purple eyes remained fixed on Starlight's feet.
Thump, thump, thump—
'So amazing... is this Starlight-senpai's unique rhythm?'
The sight of the three of them speeding across the training field was quickly noticed by Ryo Nishizaki.
"Trainer, what kind of training is Starlight-senpai having Spe-chan do?"
Vodka, who was doing squats nearby, stood up and asked while panting for breath.
"I don't know. I can't quite tell what they're doing yet."
At that moment, Symboli Rudolf stepped out of the clubroom.
Standing at the highest point of the spectator stands, she watched Starlight's figure below, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Is she acting as a training partner? But... what is the objective?"
She wasn't the only one, even Tojo Hana, a veteran trainer, didn't understand at first.
However, when the three Uma Musume reached the first turn of the track, Silence Suzuka detached the elastic cord.
Immediately after, Divine Starlight slowed down, and Special Week shifted her pace from following Suzuka to following Starlight.
The moment the two Uma Musume' speed dropped sharply, Tojo Hana's eyes widened.
"That's... a Front-Runner to Late-Surger shift?! Divine Starlight wants to teach that move to Special Week?!"
Ryo Nishizaki realized it at that exact moment, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
"She's really not holding anything back, is she? To actually teach her signature tactic to Special Week..."
"But how much of it can she actually learn...?"
This question lingered in the minds of all the trainers present.
Divine Starlight's Front-Runner to Late-Surger tactic was based on her unique footwork, but Spe-chan didn't know how to use that footwork.
After three sets, Special Week was panting heavily and had to lean over to catch her breath.
It was exhausting. She had to give her all to keep up with Suzuka's Great Escape, while simultaneously splitting her focus to watch Starlight's footsteps and try to figure it out for herself.
"Starlight-senpai, this is so hard..."
"Is it? Well, Spe-chan, my goal wasn't actually for you to truly master it."
"Eh? But you said earlier you were teaching me your Front-Runner to Late-Surger tactic, and now you say that's not the goal?"
Special Week was completely confused.
'Senpai, are you having a fight between your left and right brain?'
"Halfway through the second set, I realized my original idea was a bit too ambitious, so I changed my mind."
"Spe-chan, do you know what the purpose of my tactic is?"
As Special Week shook her head in confusion, Suzuka spoke up from the side to explain.
"To disrupt the rhythm and tactics of the other Uma Musume."
"Exactly. But my original goal was simply to deceive the opponents."
"So, Spe-chan, it's enough if you can reach that level."
Nodding thoughtfully, Special Week began to mutter to herself.
"Deceive the opponents... make them mistakenly believe I'm going to Lead..."
"I think I understand now, Starlight-senpai."
Patting her head, Divine Starlight said:
"Good girl! As expected of my number one disciple. Let's rest for a bit and then continue."
"Eh? Okay, Master!"
Special Week didn't react at first, only catching up to shout after Starlight and Suzuka had already started heading toward the breakroom.
Soon, training resumed, and Special Week continued her practice.
The essence of the tactic had shifted to "Fake Lead, Real Chase."
Once she grasped this concept, Special Week became increasingly proficient at its core.
While this move might not be very effective in medium-to-long distance races, it worked wonders in Mile races.
Time flew by, and two weeks passed.
Under the partnership of Starlight and Suzuka, Special Week had undergone a qualitative transformation.
The day before the race, inside the Spica clubroom.
Starlight looked at the Spe-chan in front of her and gave her final instructions.
"Listen closely, Spe-chan. If you use this tactic, be decisive. If you don't, then run normally, understood?"
"Understood, Master!"
Watching Starlight act every bit the master teaching a junior, Ryo Nishizaki smiled helplessly.
He looked at her and asked:
"Is that tactic really okay for Special Week?"
"Of course, I believe Spe-chan has mastered it."
It was clear that except for Suzuka and Special Week, everyone else mistakenly thought I was actually teaching her the Front-Runner to Late-Surger tactic.
'But unfortunately, I changed the plan on the fly~'
On the day of the Debut Race.
Watching Special Week walk nervously toward the inspection platform, Ryo Nishizaki, up in the stands, suddenly remembered something and shouted to the group:
"Oh no! I think I forgot to give Special Week her number plate!"