Admittedly, it sounded rather abstract.
But how exactly could you reach that spot?
And was securing an advantageous position equivalent to securing victory? Absolutely not. Such a simplistic notion was absurd—but that wasn't what Garden Gale meant at all.
She definitely wasn't implying something so naïve.
She pushed up imaginary glasses.
Releasing the collar she'd been nibbling, Garden Gale brightened up visibly.
"Space? The 'winning position'? What does any of that actually mean?" Akikawa Yayoi folded her paper fan shut, utterly bewildered. She hadn't understood a word of the explanation.
And it wasn't just her.
Kanzaki Sakura, Air Shakur, even Symboli Rudolf—all of them wore puzzled expressions.
None understood Garden Gale's new theory.
Forcing down the excitement bubbling in her mind, Garden cleared her throat and tried again. "When I say 'running toward the winning position,' I mean anticipating the ideal spot my future self will occupy three seconds ahead. It's about delivering a dimensionally superior strike to the other Umamusume by staying mentally three seconds in the future."
"I don't know if that makes sense to everyone else, but it really feels like my new skill," she continued, stumbling slightly over her words.
"To start, you must have exceptional court vision. That's fundamental."
"You constantly analyze where your rivals are, visualize your own path clearly, and run instant simulations in your mind—asking if taking this path genuinely secures victory. It's about continually maximizing your odds. Of course, it sounds absurd, I get that."
"But when your brain is operating at high speed, you can analyze countless scenarios in just a single second."
"In those crucial three seconds, you need to mentally replicate every threatening competitor's positioning—open your 'third eye,' broaden your perspective, and identify the critical space."
"Also, even though grabbing the ideal position doesn't guarantee victory, it's still essential. Combined with careful energy management, tactical acceleration, and precise path choices, you create a perfect storm. And after those three seconds—"
"—you explode forward."
As Garden explained enthusiastically—Akikawa Yayoi nearly fell asleep. The explanation was just too abstract, too hard to grasp. Meanwhile, Symboli Rudolf's frown deepened steadily, visibly engrossed in weighing the feasibility of Garden Gale's idea.
Originally, Rudolf had believed that if she herself couldn't answer such abstract questions, Garden Gale would certainly fail as well.
Yet now, reality had delivered her a stinging slap.
A slightly bitter smile tugged at her lips.
Kanzaki Sakura's mouth hung open in astonishment. As a trainer obsessed with data analysis, she understood exactly what Garden Gale was suggesting, and it was absolutely outrageous.
To sum it up simply:
Analyze the overall positions of everyone, secure the optimal spot, and stack every conceivable advantage ahead of time—conserving stamina wherever possible for use at the exact critical moment.
Was there a better, crazier answer out there?
Sakura didn't know, but if forced to pick, she'd unhesitatingly write Garden Gale's name as her answer.
This was too brilliant.
An irrepressible smile spread across Sakura's face.
Garden Gale glanced around cautiously. "Was… was my answer that weird?"
No way...
In the moment of inspiration, she'd felt her [Prodigy's Intuition] activate. Regardless of public acceptance, Garden Gale fully intended to try this racing style. Against powerful rivals she couldn't currently overcome, perhaps running ahead into the future would increase her winning odds dramatically.
This running style was fascinating—akin to Sae Itoshi's unstoppable direct shot, something even Seishiro Nagi couldn't intercept.
In the future—
No one could hope to surpass Garden Gale.
"No," Symboli Rudolf finally spoke, shaking her head with a wry smile. "It's incredible—so incredible we don't even know how to respond." They'd expected Garden to piece together a slight improvement in her winning odds. Instead, she'd shattered the boundaries completely, leaping directly into the future.
A player who existed outside the rules—would never be bound by them.
Kanzaki Sakura pocketed her phone, silently conceding that today had been a lesson in humility.
"That was genuinely amazing," she praised sincerely.
"Wait, wait." Yayoi waved her fan impatiently. "Can someone please explain exactly how amazing it is? I'm still your chairwoman, you know!"
"Incredibly amazing," Kanzaki summarized neatly, her eyes earnest. "Absolutely, unbelievably, ridiculously amazing. While everyone else calculates their incremental odds of victory, Garden Gale breaks the entire system and cheats her way out of the game."
"But—" Kanzaki's tone suddenly turned hopeful. "Garden, are you sure you won't consider joining Team LOCK? I'll do everything I can to help you seize the Classic Triple Crown—the ultimate dream of every Umamusume."
Garden Gale hesitated briefly.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"See? Didn't I say this was a waste of time?" Air Shakur immediately took joy in Kanzaki's defeat, twisting the knife gleefully. To glimpse the sun without being able to partner with it—what a cruel joke.
"Oh, shut up!" Kanzaki snapped back irritably.
Akikawa Yayoi kept waving her fan, still baffled.
Maybe tomorrow she'd ask around to better understand exactly how impressive this theory was. Could it really be as amazing as they claimed?
Little did she know spreading this casually would trigger yet another wave of astonishment, making it sound like some clichéd, decade-old power-fantasy novel. Yet there was no denying Garden Gale's strength was genuinely staggering.
…
In any case—
Today had finally drawn to a close.
An afternoon dragged by Tokai Teio to practice dancing, an evening dragged by T.M. Opera O into a signing event, and finally a night spent with Air Shakur running tests.
It had certainly been a fulfilling day.
Now, lying in bed beneath the gentle moonlight—Garden Gale stared quietly at the silver moon from her balcony, reaching out as though she could hold its soft glow, capturing countless peaceful nights in her hand.
Elsewhere—
As the tireless worker Symboli Rudolf continued sorting through paperwork, a thought suddenly struck her. With a warm smile, she quickly dialed an old friend.
"Long time no see."
The ringing ceased, replaced by silence. Rudolf laughed softly, breaking the pause. "I found myself missing you a bit."
The voice on the other end replied dryly, "Correction—we haven't seen each other yet. That'll be tomorrow. The moment my plane landed, you call. Do you miss me that much?"
"Something interesting happened recently," Rudolf answered lightly, reclining comfortably into her chair. She let her tired muscles relax against the soft leather, savoring a rare moment of rest.
There was genuine warmth—and a hint of mischief—in her voice.
---
T/N: WHAAAAAAAAT??? RUDOLF WHO ARE U TALKING TO ME i mean rudolf is talking to me
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