Shining Star powered past Almond Eye with effortless grace, her eyes flicking briefly toward the inside lane where a cluster of rivals had been left trailing far behind in the same way. There was no rush of joy in the moment. Instead, a quiet doubt settled deep in her chest.
These were all students on the brink of graduation. According to the doctor's assessment for full-scale training, they would need to start thinking about higher education in another year or two at most.
Their family backgrounds were nearly identical too. Every one of them came from households long renowned for producing top-tier Uma Musume, and their families had made the necessary arrangements years in advance.
Although Almond Eye was not in her class, Shining Star clearly remembered that the girl had never once entered a middle-distance event. The reason had always been the same: family requirements.
That was exactly why seeing her here today had come as such a surprise.
But Shining Star quickly pushed the thought aside.
She herself had always set her sights on middle- and long-distance races. From a very young age she had received specialized training for precisely this path. Her ultimate goal was to dominate the Classic Race Series.
Her results had always been outstanding. In similar races and tests throughout her school years, she had claimed first place again and again.
In a two-thousand-meter event, most of her classmates could not keep up with her… let alone Almond Eye, who had spent her entire career focused on short sprints.
So… was this girl only here to fool around?
What the heck? This is way too casual!
Whatever. No matter what she's thinking, the winner of this race is definitely going to be me!
Her spirits soared. Shining Star locked her focus entirely on the track stretching ahead.
More than half the race was already behind them. In just a few hundred meters they would reach the entrance to the final two turns.
After a few seconds of quick mental calculation, she gradually leaned forward, lowering her gaze.
Every race she had studied and every piece of advice her seniors had hammered into her pointed to one truth: that critical entrance was the key to victory.
This was where she would start building the momentum for her final push.
Having already launched a fierce pursuit earlier, Shining Star now sat firmly at the front of the pack.
The instant she began to accelerate, the younger Uma Musume trailing behind her were visibly startled. Many of them, refusing to be dropped, immediately tried to match her pace.
To the trainers and more experienced Uma Musume watching from the stands, accelerating alongside the leader at this stage was far from a smart move.
In fact, from the very beginning of the race anyone with a trained eye could see that the strategy and tactics on display were nowhere near as polished as those in the Twinkle Series.
But that was only natural.
These were still young girls, after all. Even though they had received enough training to qualify for Tracen Academy, their speed, technique, and overall level were still quite low.
For that reason, the trainers, the participating Uma Musume, the spectators, and the commentators all focused on one thing: the pure, burning competitive spirit these youngsters showed.
Under that lively atmosphere, the commentator's voice grew steadily more passionate and professional.
"The formation has shifted dramatically in the middle stages! Almond Eye, who led early on, has been overtaken repeatedly and now sits in the middle of the pack!"
"She shows no sign of agitation and continues to run with everything she has!"
"Currently in the lead is Shining Star! She unleashed a powerful burst after exiting the second turn, surging past a large group of competitors in one go!"
"Her pace is still blistering, and she's accelerating again, clearly determined to hold the lead all the way to the finish!"
"Can she maintain it? Let's watch and find out!"
The stands gradually erupted with excitement. Many spectators were thrilled by the raw intensity of the race and began applauding and cheering on their own for Shining Star, who was currently out front.
Hearing those unified cheers ring out clearly, Shining Star found it almost impossible to hide the wave of satisfaction rising inside her.
From childhood all the way to now, she had basked in this kind of attention countless times.
Races were no exception.
Although those earlier competitions could not compare to the scale of the Twinkle Series, they were still school and community events that drew plenty of eyes.
And that feeling of being watched… had always thrilled her to the core.
She had already decided that once she made her official debut, she would claim even greater, more passionate attention.
Filled with self-satisfaction and rising excitement, she charged into the third turn at high speed, still leaning forward.
This is it! I'm going to charge straight to the finish line from here!
She roared inwardly, pouring every last ounce of her remaining stamina into her legs with everything she had.
Third turn… fourth turn… out of the final turn! Good! Is this…?!
The moment she burst out of the final turn, the strong headwind slammed into her face. Shining Star's eyes suddenly widened.
Suddenly, her once-powerful legs began to feel strangely heavy and drained of strength.
No matter how fiercely she urged herself on, the scenery whipping past and the wind resistance ahead gradually lost their sharpness.
A surge of panic rose in her heart.
Oh no… Did I push too hard earlier? Am I already running out of stamina…?
At the same time, from the corner of her eye she clearly saw a figure on the inner lane surging past her.
It was Satono White Heron from the class next to Almond Eye's.
She had heard about her not long after enrolling at the academy. Satono White Heron was also highly anticipated, and Shining Star had secretly considered her one of her greatest rivals.
That was why she had felt so delighted when she overtook her earlier. She had thought the race was already hers. She never expected to be passed so soon.
In an instant she turned her head away.
Even if the other girl didn't know what she was thinking, her earlier smugness now felt unbearably embarrassing.
But the moment she turned her head, her eyes widened once again.
Almond Eye was overtaking her from the outside.
Her speed carried an overwhelming, unstoppable momentum. It was as if the girl hadn't just run over a thousand meters. Her stamina seemed completely boundless.
Yet in Almond Eye's own perception, her body felt like a balloon slowly deflating. Her already limited reserves were rapidly leaking away from some invisible hole.
Still, she showed no panic. Only an unprecedented sense of exhilaration burned through her.
She didn't know whether running this far would disappoint Kitasan Black, but she was certain of one thing: this was exactly the kind of race she had always wanted to run.
Position didn't matter. Whether she was in the lead didn't matter.
She had barely any experience in middle-distance races to begin with. So she would run however she wanted. Running her own race was more than enough.
Secure a solid position early, maintain a steady cruising speed in the middle stages to conserve energy, constantly observe her opponents, and now, in the final stage…
It was time for a headlong charge to the finish!
This was the race she truly desired, not the endless series of explosive sprints her family had always demanded!
As she poured everything into her final sprint, Almond Eye felt an illusion wash over her.
The thunderous cheers shaking the stands and the drum-like pounding of the other competitors' footsteps all seemed to fade away. In that moment there was only her and the finish line ahead.
Yet she could clearly feel every muscle in her thighs, arms, chest, abdomen, and lower back tensing and bulging with raw power. Her feet pounded forward relentlessly, swift as the wind.
Only one thought remained in her mind.
Sprint! Sprint! Keep sprinting!
Isn't this what you're best at, Almond Eye?!
Charge forward! Accelerate even more! You can go faster! Sprint again!
Keep leaning forward! Keep your head low! Keep accelerating without stopping!
The finish line…
It's right there!!
Wild thoughts spread through her mind like twisting vines, growing wildly until the finish line filled her entire vision. Then everything came to an abrupt halt.
Having lost her target, Almond Eye jolted back to reality. She subconsciously wanted to stop and see where she had finished.
Thanks to the powerful inertia, she continued running another one or two hundred meters before gradually slowing down.
A deep, bone-weary fatigue and a suffocating sensation rushed to her head all at once, leaving her momentarily disoriented.
Even so, through her daze she clearly heard the roaring cheers from the stands and the commentator's excited, high-pitched voice.
"Too amazing! Absolutely incredible! What an unbelievable final spurt!"
"Let's give a huge round of applause for Almond Eye, the winner of this race!"