On the final straight, the finish line was clearly in sight.
From start to finish, Seiun Sky never looked back. In her eyes, the blurred reflection of Starlight flickered, as did the red line of the finish.
'Surpass her, surpass her, surpass her...'
Repeating this phrase incessantly in her heart, Seiun Sky's face was twisted and contorted with effort.
Her frame began to stagger, yet her speed didn't drop in the slightest. If anything, there was a faint trend of it rising even further.
A vortex of breaking wind formed in front of her. The power in her legs increased once more, each step carving a distinct footprint into the turf.
Behind her, the gap had originally closed to about three lengths, but a sudden explosion of spirit allowed Seiun Sky to pull away once again.
"No! I'm going to win this race—!"
King Halo gave it one last push, desperately trying to overtake her rival.
"Less than a hundred meters to the finish! Currently in first place is Seiun Sky— no, King Halo is closing in at a speed visible to the naked eye!"
"What! Seiun Sky has accelerated again! She actually still has strength left! Fifty meters, twenty meters... Seiun Sky crosses the line!"
Watching Seiun Sky cross the finish line with a two-length lead, Akasaka was practically standing on the commentary desk in excitement.
The stands erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, but Seiun Sky couldn't respond immediately.
The moment she crossed the line, her calves suddenly gave out.
Her entire body teetered before she collapsed directly onto the ground, rolling three or four times before finally coming to a halt.
Instantly, the applause and cheering stopped. Everyone looked at the fallen Seiun Sky with gazes full of concern.
However, in the next breath, this usually lazy little Uma Musume looked up with a gaze of pure joy, a wide smile spreading across her lips.
Staggering as she climbed to her feet, she faced the stands and raised a slightly scraped fist, proclaiming to the world who the winner of this race was.
A deluge of applause and cheers, even more violent than before, washed over Seiun Sky.
Though she was responding to the crowd, if one looked closely, her eyes were reflected with only one thing: That silver-haired figure.
In second place, King Halo rested her hands on her knees. Panting heavily, she stared at Seiun Sky's back and demanded an answer.
"Why? Why was your speed so high? We've been training almost exactly the same amount lately!"
Hearing this, Seiun Sky returned to her usual idle demeanor. she turned her head slowly and smiled at King Halo.
"Because for this race, I put my life on the line. That's all..."
With that, Seiun Sky waved her hand and walked toward the exit.
She left behind a stunned King Halo and a kneeling Special Week, who looked to be having an existential crisis.
Having failed to take the Satsuki Sho, Special Week was now out of the running for the Triple Crown.
Whether Seiun Sky could defend her position in the upcoming Derby remained an unknown.
But all of that was in the past, the most important thing now was the path ahead. And...
The next day at noon, Starlight walked out of the teaching building after class, heading for the cafeteria.
Suddenly, she saw Nishino Flower standing by the roadside clutching her school bag.
When their eyes met, Nishino Flower hurried over and said with a smile, "Starlight-senpai, you're finally out of class!"
"Flower? Is there something you need?"
"Sky-chan had her race yesterday, right?"
"Mhm, yeah. I was there watching. She performed wonderfully..."
"It's like this... she fell, didn't she? Right as she crossed the finish line."
"Ah! Right, right. She looked fine at the time, though. What's wrong? Is she injured!?"
"Well... sort of. I have to go to training this afternoon, and there's no one to look after Sky-chan. So, could I trouble you to do it?"
Hearing this, Starlight Divine nodded slowly.
After a moment of thought, she said, "Alright, leave it to me. But how did you know I was free this afternoon?"
Nishino Flower narrowed her eyes and smiled.
"The fact that Starlight-senpai's training is strictly controlled by the Student Council President is pretty common knowledge by now."
Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Starlight quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, alright. You haven't had lunch yet, right? How about we head to the cafeteria together?"
"Sure, let's go!"
In the cafeteria, Starlight carried her tray, following Nishino Flower as they scanned for an empty table.
For some reason, the cafeteria was packed early today. Even a warrior like Oguri Cap was standing up while eating.
Starlight caught sight of Oguri's cheeks, puffed out like a little hamster's, and couldn't help but shake her head with a smile as she continued her search.
"It's really crowded today. Should we just get it to go and eat back at the dorms?" Nishino Flower suggested.
"Hmm... no, it's fine. There's a spot right over there."
Starlight's eyes lit up as she spotted a table by the window.
"King-chan~ Can we sit here?"
King Halo, who had been lost in thought, suddenly heard Starlight's voice.
She looked up stiffly, glancing at Starlight and then at Nishino Flower beside her.
Forcing a smile, she nodded.
"Yes, please, have a seat."
Once Starlight and Nishino Flower sat down, King Halo lowered her head again, staring at the pathetic few shreds of shredded carrot and half a bowl of miso soup on her tray.
"What's wrong? Why are you eating so little?"
Starlight smiled and picked up a chicken leg from her own tray with her chopsticks, placing it on King Halo's plate.
"Here— eat more. It's rare to finish such a major race."
Staring at the chicken leg that had abruptly appeared on her plate, King Halo's eyes froze. She looked at Starlight with a frown.
"Um, Starlight-senpai... thank you, but I'm not—"
"Be good now, King-chan. Eat."
After a moment of hesitation, King Halo nodded.
She picked up her chopsticks somewhat stiffly, lifted the chicken leg, and began to take small, dainty bites.
"That's more like it. You finally awakened your Unique Skill, it's a big deal! Is it right for you to be moping around like this?"
King Halo snapped her head up, looking at Starlight's usual smiling face.
"But, yesterday I didn't even..."
"Oh, hush! King-chan, you're still stuck in yesterday. What meaning does yesterday have now?"
"Now that you've awakened your Unique Skill, if you combine that with hard training, you're bound to seize many victories in the future!"
Starlight didn't give her a chance to argue, continuing immediately:
"I don't want to hear King-chan talking about 'the past' or 'yesterday.' It's over, so what's there to talk about?"
"I believe in you, you know. Are you going to treat my trust like this? Because that would make me very sad..."
As she spoke, Starlight set down her chopsticks and started rubbing her eyes with her fingers, making a show as if she were about to burst into tears.
"No, that's not what I meant! Um, Senpai! I understand, please don't cry..."
Flustered, King Halo hurriedly reached out to grab Starlight's wrist, trying to comfort her.
She wasn't quite sure how it had happened. Starlight was supposed to be comforting her, but now she was the one comforting Starlight.
"Mhm, mhm~ That's better. Let's get back to eating."
Nishino Flower watched the scene, finding it a bit funny, yet she was impressed by Starlight's ability to handle people.
"Flower~ I don't like broccoli~ Save me~!"
"Eh? Starlight-senpai, you can't be a picky eater!"
"It's not about being picky, there's just too much of it! Flower, just help me out~"
With a helpless smile, Nishino Flower picked up the mountain of broccoli piled on Starlight's plate.
"Hehe, Flower is the best! Come here, let me give you a hug..."
Feeling Starlight's small head leaning against her shoulder and catching the faint, elegant scent wafting into her nose, Nishino Flower felt a sense of comfort.
"Alright, Starlight-senpai, act like a senior. I'll help you eat it this time, but don't order it next time if you don't like it."
"Well... it's just that I saw you ordered so much, so I thought it was something you liked. That's why I ordered some too..."
At those words, Nishino Flower froze.
She turned to look at the other girl's face, which held an expression completely full of consideration for her, and her heart felt a small, warm tug.