"Mm, okay... well then, everyone! I'm heading in!"
Waving to everyone, Special Week turned and walked toward the inspection area.
Watching her retreating figure, Starlight felt a unique sense of emotion.
After all, this was a junior she had personally mentored for a long time.
Just as she was reflecting, a female voice suddenly rang out beside her.
"You're the senior Special Week asked to guide her, right?"
Starlight turned toward the voice and saw an Uma Musume with long chestnut hair and deep green hair ornaments on her ears.
She stood with one hand on her hip, a red training jacket draped over her shoulders.
"That's right. And you are?"
"Hmph. I am her classmate, King Halo, and the future champion of this race. You can watch at your leisure as I defeat her."
With that, King Halo raised her head proudly, looking as though victory were already hers.
Of course, such confidence was only natural.
King Halo possessed exceptional talent and an elite pedigree, combined with her own diligent and hard training.
It was difficult for someone like her not to be proud.
However, Starlight wasn't provoked by the other girl's words. She smiled and patted King Halo on the shoulder, saying in a gentle tone:
"Then do your best, Halo-chan. I look forward to seeing the sight of you taking the championship."
This reaction was completely unexpected for King Halo.
She looked at Divine Starlight's warm, gentle smile with a stunned expression.
Her face flushed, and she let out a cold huff before turning to leave.
'What is with her? I said something like that, yet she still used such an unfairly kind smile on me...' King Halo thought, clenching her pink fists.
"Wow, everyone is so passionate! It's so great!"
Beside Starlight, Tokai Teio, who had witnessed the scene, couldn't help but marvel.
"Alright, alright, let's hurry to the spectator stands. It's almost time for Spe-chan's appearance..."
"Tch~ what's the rush? Starlight-senpai, let's go."
After sticking her tongue out at Vodka nearby, Daiwa Scarlet turned and spoke to Starlight with a smile.
Nodding, Starlight followed her toward the stands.
At the inspection area, Spe-chan, who now had several experiences under her belt, was no longer the newbie who would trip over her own feet.
She coolly tossed her training jacket into the air and gave a bashful nod to the flashing cameras below before quickly running down.
In the stands, Ryo Nishizaki leaned against the railing, the usual lollipop in his mouth.
"Special Week is in good form today..."
"This is Spe-chan's first graded race. Trainer Nishizaki, I expect your salary is about to go up, isn't it?" Starlight joked with her arms crossed.
"Well, well... that's secondary. The real prize is Spe-chan's run for the Classic Triple Crown later on."
Gold Ship led the rest of Team Spica to the field-side area below.
"One, two!"
"Special Week! Do your best!"
Hearing the cheers while warming up, Spe-chan's face turned slightly red with emotion as she waved toward them.
"Alright! Welcome everyone to the Yayoi Sho, one of the opening races of the Twinkle Series!"
"As a precursor to the Satsuki Sho, I'm sure all our contestants have come well-prepared."
"I am Akasaka, your commentator for this race. Without further ado, let's have the runners enter the gates."
As the announcement ended, Special Week successfully entered her gate with the help of the staff.
She felt unusually nervous, constantly adjusting her breathing within the narrow, dim space.
Beside her, Seiun Sky was loitering stubbornly at the gate entrance, her tail drooping. She looked extremely reluctant to enter.
Even with the staff helping from behind, it was a struggle to get her in.
"Oh my, is Seiun Sky having trouble entering the gate again? We need another staff member to assist."
Noticing this, Akasaka quickly contacted the field staff.
With their combined efforts, our Sky-chan finally entered the gate successfully.
However, judging by the expression on her face, she looked to be in Awful condition.
The indicator lights at the starting line began to glow, and every Uma Musume inside the gates sharpened her focus.
The moment the light shifted from red to green—
Bang!
The gates swung open.
Special Week shot out like an arrow, taking the lead and leaving the original front-runner, Seiun Sky, behind her.
Yet, not a single Uma Musume moved to follow her pace.
After all, everyone had done their homework, they knew exactly who her mentor was and naturally had a counter-strategy prepared.
Thus, Spe-chan successfully occupied the first position during the first half of the race, pulling a five-length lead over the second-place Seiun Sky.
Watching Spe-chan pull further and further away, the corners of Seiun Sky's mouth curled up slightly.
'Heh heh, sorry Spe-chan, but this victory belongs to me! I'm the only Uma Musume on this field who has unlocked a Unique Skill!'
Not far behind, King Halo was worrying about the same thing.
She felt a twinge of doubt whenever she thought of the girl in front of her— a girl who could trigger a Unique Skill just by going fishing.
Even a first-rate Uma Musume like herself hadn't shown any signs of awakening a Unique Skill yet.
As for Special Week, she wasn't much of a concern right now.
But King Halo wasn't too worried about Seiun Sky. Her Unique Skill had extremely strict activation conditions, and she could be handled with just a bit of targeted positioning.
With these thoughts, King Halo also smirked.
Both Uma Musume believed that victory was within their grasp.
Mid-race, seeing Special Week's speed begin to drop, Seiun Sky's gaze sharpened.
Pushing off hard, her speed surged as she easily overtook her opponent.
Seeing her chance, King Halo accelerated to follow, trailing less than two lengths behind Seiun Sky.
"Special Week is losing speed, it looks like she's switching to a Pace Chaser tactic mid-race. Wait! Seiun Sky is making her move—!"
In the stands, seeing the formation change and Spe-chan falling behind the two, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Ryo Nishizaki's forehead.
'Go for it, Special Week!'
"Spe-chan! Keep going!"
"Charge, Special Week!"
Gold Ship and the others were shouting at the top of their lungs.
As if hearing their cries, Special Week's heart steeled.
'Don't worry, everyone. I won't lose.'
'After Starlight-senpai's special training, I still have plenty of strength left, even after running at full power until now.'
Seeing Seiun Sky reach the final corner, King Halo accelerated once more, preparing to overtake.
Unfortunately—
A salty, briny breeze seemed to drift past, and the sound of crashing waves echoed in her ears. King Halo's pupils shrank.
Seiun Sky's body began to glow with a verdant light. Her speed rose like the tide, each wave higher than the last.
'How is that possible?! Move, you stupid legs! Run!'
Brows furrowed and face contorted with effort, King Halo pushed herself until her stride was almost failing from exhaustion.
"Seiun Sky has cleared the corner and reached the final straight! King Halo is chasing desperately from behind, but the leader shows no sign of slowing down!"
Hearing Akasaka's excited commentary, King Halo felt a surge of bitterness, but she had no choice but to persevere.
Thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, a heavy thudding of footsteps rose from behind, drawing closer and closer.
When King Halo turned her head, her entire body shuddered.
With a loud cry, Special Week planted her foot, leaving a deep hoofprint in the turf instantly.
Her speed was like a hot knife through butter as she tore past the other Uma Musume and bore down on King Halo.
The gap between them narrowed visibly until they cleared the corner into the final straight, where King Halo was successfully overtaken.
'How is this possible? Why is her Last Spurt so strong?! She used most of her stamina to Escape in the early stage, so how...'
Seiun Sky and Special Week had overtaken her without the slightest effort.
The last bit of King Halo's hope, which she had been holding on to with all her strength, had shattered completely.