Springtime Hanshin Racecourse always carried the damp warmth of sea wind blowing in from the Pacific. In the stands, the air held the fresh green scent of turf—especially after the first ten races had ended and the grass had been given a quick round of maintenance.
From the very first race that morning, more and more spectators had poured into the stands, all of them waiting for the day's headliner.
By the time the 10th race was over, every seat was filled. They had all come for this special event: the Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster Relief Race — Spring Stakes.
Support signs rose and fell across the crowd like waves. Every now and then, banners bearing the name Light Dyna could be seen lifted high overhead. Her support rate for this race had climbed past sixty percent.
Just before entering the paddock, Light Dyna stood before the mirror in the waiting room, fingertips brushing lightly over the number 18 printed on her racing outfit.
The fabric stretched taut over her figure; the elasticity, at least for now, made it oddly comfortable. Dyna let out a quiet breath, trying to press down the uneasy tension coiled deep inside her.
The girl in the mirror wore her chestnut hair in a high ponytail, a few loose strands sticking to the side of her neck. In her reddish-brown eyes was only her own reflection. After the ordeals of the disaster zone and Opera O's harsh crash-course training, her body finally seemed to bear some mark of struggle.
"Boss Lady, it's time to go in," Oguri Cap called from the doorway. Her expression remained calm as ever, but in her hand was Dyna's race entry pass. "Mr. Wada said the outer turf at Hanshin is a little soft today. He told you to pay extra attention."
Dyna nodded and followed her out.
The hallway echoed with the voices of other horse girls talking among themselves. Most of it was the usual pre-race trash talk.
Dyna paid it no mind—until they passed Orfevre's waiting room.
At that exact moment, the door opened, and the two of them met face to face.
The orange-haired girl stood there, looking directly at Dyna. After one brief instant, she turned her face aside, her violet eyes sweeping over Dyna as she raised her chin slightly without saying a word.
That proud expression was almost identical to the one she had worn in Dyna's debut race, but it carried less hostility now and more tightly wound seriousness.
"She seems to care a lot about this race too," Oguri Cap said softly. She did not have much to say about Orfevre beyond that.
Dyna only murmured, "Mm."
Her gaze slipped past Orfevre quickly. The other girl had undoubtedly put in a great deal of effort for this final stepping stone before the Satsuki Sho.
At the final inspection area by the track, Wada was already waiting as part of her support staff.
In his hand was a course map of Hanshin he had just finished marking up. Pointing along the lines of the track, he explained, "The outer course is one full lap of two thousand meters. The third and fourth corners are gentle, but the stretch before the straight is especially long—more than four hundred seventy meters from the split to the final straight. And right before the finish, there's a steep incline. It demands very precise stamina distribution."
He paused and looked at Dyna.
"Your style is a closer. If you stick with that here, then there's no need to fight for position early. Use your wide outside draw to your advantage. Break cleanly, settle toward the back half of the field, and use the open sightlines of the outer course to read the race. Once you enter the downhill section in the final six hundred meters, then you accelerate."
"Don't worry too much about Orfevre. She's drawn further inside. If anything like your debut race happens again, she'll only get boxed in there. Don't stress about it."
"Thank you for the advice, Trainer. I'll remember it," Dyna replied softly.
She remembered what Cody's Wish had once told her: If you hate someone, the best way to humiliate them is to beat them in the field they care about most, with absolute strength.
Dyna could not quite say she hated Orfevre, but she definitely did not like her.
This race might not only be for disaster relief—it might also be the chance to make Orfevre fully understand the gap between them on the track, to shatter her pride with the most unquestionable display of strength.
On the other side, Orfevre was listening to Iketoe explain strategy.
Her stall was number six—a very awkward draw for a late runner. It was neither forward enough to be convenient nor far enough back to drop cleanly into the rear without losing speed or risking getting trapped in a box.
If Light Dyna were not in this race, Iketoe could have thumped his chest and guaranteed that his Orfevre could have won this race with her eyes closed. Lately, her condition had been excellent, and all her data showed clear improvement.
But this race contained one element that could interfere with Orfevre.
"My suggestion is this," Iketoe said. "Stay in mid-pack. Don't risk slowing down and dropping too far back just to avoid getting boxed. If you don't see Light Dyna, that's the best possible situation for you. Understand? What you need to do is keep your line of sight free of Light Dyna."
So long as Dyna was not in front of Orfevre, that meant Orfevre had left her behind.
And if Dyna had no chance to contest the race, then Orfevre would be unbeatable.
Orfevre nodded, but her gaze drifted toward Dyna in the distance, emotions churning within her. The foul in Dyna's debut race still rankled in her heart. Later, when she saw the news of Dyna rushing around in the disaster zone, she had been forced to admit the girl was not just someone who "won by luck."
She wanted to win this race.
More than that, she wanted to win it fairly and cleanly, to wash away the stain that had clung to her ever since her debut.
When the broadcast announced the horses should enter the gates, all the runners moved toward their assigned stalls. Since Dyna was the farthest outside and had always been difficult at the gate, she was, naturally, the last one pushed in.
From the outermost side, she could see Orfevre's back as she entered stall six.
Unexpectedly, Orfevre went into the gate of her own accord.
Hearing the gate slam shut behind her, Dyna swished her tail in discomfort.
This time she wore contact lenses rather than glasses. Her fingers clenched so tightly the knuckles had gone pale. Other than the rustle of tails in the neighboring gates, she could vaguely hear the distant roar of the crowd washing over the track.
Tilting her head, she caught fragments of people shouting her name. Others were cheering for Orfevre. The two currents of noise tangled together—and somehow, instead of stirring her up, they calmed her completely.
She lowered her center of gravity and bent forward slightly, fixing her eyes on the track beyond the gate.
Under the sunlight, the outer-course turf glimmered a pale green. The shape of the third corner was clearly visible, and in the distance a red marker post stood near the split—but for this race, they would be taking the other side, the outer track.
Then—
Clang!
The gates sprang open.
All eighteen horse girls exploded forward at once, horseshoes biting viciously into the turf and kicking up sprays of grass and mud.
The break lasted only an instant.
After that came the true struggle—a contest that would burn everything in one minute and fifty seconds.
Dyna did not rush.
As Wada had instructed, she chose the most naturally efficient line and eased toward the inner side, letting the movement of the pack carry her forward. Because she had drawn furthest out, she began on the very edge of the field, which gave her a perfect view of the entire race unfolding.
Orfevre's orange figure was just ahead and to Dyna's right.
With hair that bright, Dyna did not need to waste any effort checking numbers.
Orfevre's start was excellent—practically a gold-standard break. She seized third among the front-runners immediately. But that early positional advantage slowly faded. Hemmed in near the rail, she slipped backward little by little until she stabilized in tenth.
"Admire Sensitive takes the early lead! Her front-running style is in full effect, and her inside advantage has already gained her half a length! Several others are trying to come around from the outside to match her pace!"
"Light Dyna remains patient in the rear! Her position appears carefully chosen—out along the edge where she can avoid wasting effort in the scramble for place while keeping the whole race in view!"
Dyna's eyes darted across the runners ahead.
Libertas ran with remarkable agility, glued to Orfevre's side. Several times she tried to accelerate past, only for Orfevre to shut her out with small but entirely legal shifts in line. Soaring Wings ran steadily, shadowing them by half a length. Further back, in the middle-to-rear of the field, 007 and Dais Boss were fighting over position. 007 tried to punch through inside, while Dais Boss deliberately pressed outward, causing North Grit and Eishin Osman behind them to get clogged up. For a moment, the pack descended into messier jostling.
This isn't the time to force anything in traffic, Dyna thought. The rhythm in mid-pack is already breaking apart…
As they continued through the inner third turn and pushed forward, the field began to fan out under the centrifugal pull of the outer-course bend. The tight-packed formation gradually loosened.
Dyna seized the opening.
She drifted slightly left, slipping clear of the messy cluster in the middle-rear and beginning to build speed smoothly.
Among girls of her year, Dyna's burst was absolutely top tier.
Once she started accelerating, her body seemed to shake off every restraint. In no time at all, she moved from seventeenth up to thirteenth.
Then, just ahead, Soaring Wings abruptly quickened, trying to pass Libertas.
A bend was always the best place to overtake—but only if one possessed the raw strength and technique for it.
With another runner accelerating, the entire structure of the race shifted again. The loose "walls" of horse girls in front began to crack open.
Read the Flow: When shifting left or right, she can better grasp the situation, and her field of vision expands slightly.
Pressure Resistance: In high-pressure situations, she becomes more capable of finding an escape route. (Closer style.)
In that congested pack, the instincts carved into Dyna by experience immediately traced several possible routes through the maze. The simplest, most brainless option—but also the most stamina-draining—was to swing completely wide and launch one grand outside charge. But doing that on the outer course would have been like taking the long way downstairs when the staircase was right there.
So she had to find a seam.
"Light Dyna is starting to move! She cuts inward to seek a path, passes 007 and Dais Boss, and now rises to eighth! She avoids getting drawn into the confusion of the pack!"
She had found that line only because, from the rear, she could still see the gaps ahead along the inside.
"Orfevre, running in mid-pack, is also beginning to advance! The bend is halfway done, positions are changing one after another, and the downhill curve of Hanshin's outer course is raising the whole field's speed! At this stage, everyone must be even more careful!"
Orfevre also sensed movement from behind.
A glance with the corner of her eye caught that chestnut figure rapidly closing from the left rear, and something in her tightened. The bizarre events of Dyna's debut race reminded her that even mentally, she could not allow Dyna to get in front.
Orfevre knew very well how monstrous Dyna's finishing charge could be. A long straight would only amplify a closer's advantage. So she increased her speed, trying to open the gap before they exited the bend.
They passed the 600-meter marker. That meant the outer-course corner was nearly over, and the decisive four-hundred-plus-meter straight loomed ahead.
By then Dyna had already climbed to seventh.
Having benefited from the downhill, the outer-course bend at Hanshin was gentle enough that there was still no need to ease up.
She had to preserve enough strength for the long straight and the steep incline. Because Immovable Heart had activated within the pack, Dyna had gained a precious window to recover her breathing.
As they straightened out, she now held an absolutely open lane.
"And into the final straight! Admire Sensitive still leads, Libertas follows, Soaring Wings in third, Orfevre in fourth—but Light Dyna is moving! The final straight is nearly five hundred meters long, the longest at Hanshin's outer course, and it is the ideal place for a late runner to strike!"
"Light Dyna is still accelerating! She's drawing closer and closer—she's already come level with Orfevre!"
With Libertas ahead breaking the wind, Dyna could feel the resistance lessen.
She pressed the advantage and in the next moment loomed directly behind Libertas like a ghost, making the girl feel a chill crawl up her spine.
Libertas sensed danger at once.
But she could not see Dyna with the corner of her eye at all.
How had Dyna pinpointed her blind spot so perfectly?
The same tactic she had used against Opera O worked here just as well. In the instant Libertas faltered, Dyna and Orfevre both swept past her.
"Light Dyna and Orfevre are now in direct competition! The two of them are neck and neck, impossible to separate! They enter the final two hundred meters and the uphill section! The winner will be decided here!"
The very first step Dyna took onto the incline sent a cry of protest through the muscles of her legs. Her breathing grew sharp, and her throat burned like fire.
But she did not lose speed under the burden.
Instead of clenching harder, her fists slowly opened, fingers pressing together. For the first time in the entire race, she turned her gaze directly toward Orfevre.
In those violet eyes, she saw not only the desire to fight, but also a fierce restraint.
The tyrant of the track had endured almost the whole race—and now, at last, it was time for her to let that fury loose.
This was their duel.
This uphill two hundred meters belonged to them.
Their eyes met for only an instant.
The harsher Orfevre's look became, the more Triumphal Ballet · Heart of a Protagonist converted it into Dyna's hunger to fight back. The usually gentle Dyna now held nothing in her chest but the flames of conquest, her reddish-brown eyes seeming almost to flash with light.
In the final straight, Orfevre, like Dyna, had reached the end of her reserves.
Because she had never gotten a clean launch for her final burst while trapped in the pack, her finishing leg had been compromised. Worse still, after locking eyes with Dyna, she was somehow forced back by that look.
The Light Dyna who, in her debut race, had only reacted after being treated that way…
Now she could pressure another horse girl with nothing but her eyes?
Orfevre's chest felt tight. She tried to draw out the last of her speed, but her heavy legs felt strangely bound, as though that glance itself had shackled her.
Dyna did not look at her again.
She fixed her eyes only on the finish line ahead.
True Fighting Spirit Injection: When caught in a battle at the very end, speed increases.
Spring wind rose and fell over the course. The roar of the grandstand sounded almost close enough to touch. Dyna could feel the power surging through her body finally being released in full—
This was strength for the disaster zone.
Strength for her own convictions.
At last, the chestnut figure crossed the finish first.
The clock showed 1:46.3.
Orfevre came in just behind her.
Libertas finished third.
After passing the line, Dyna did not stop immediately. She ran on for a while longer until the momentum of her charge finally burned away. Only then did she slow to a halt, bending forward with her hands on her knees as she struggled to breathe.
Sweat dripped from the ends of her hair and pattered onto the turf. The ringing in her ears and the burning in her chest had not yet faded.
From the grandstand, colored paper shot into the air and scattered over the course, drifting down over every runner.
Dyna saw banners in the crowd reading Chiba supports you and Stay strong, disaster zone, and only pressed her lips together. Then she drew in a deep breath, held it, and exhaled with force.
As the discomfort left by exhausting herself against Orfevre began to recede, Dyna finally turned toward the packed stands of Hanshin Racecourse and raised her fist high.
For the first time, she stood before the cameras as a racehorse girl in full.
There was none of the panic of her debut.
None of the avoidance from the Marcel Boussac.
None of the confusion from the Shortwave Cup.
Wrapped in the Spring Stakes victory sash, she jogged another full circuit of the racecourse, then entered the interaction lane at the front of the stands, slapping palms with fans along the way.
As for the defeated side—Orfevre and the others had already left the track once the race ended, heading off to prepare as background dancers for the winner's stage.
Although Orfevre's second-place finish in the Spring Stakes had secured her a place in the Satsuki Sho, her chest still burned with a frustration she could not vent. All she could do was sit in the rest room and pour drink after drink down her throat.
And at the same time…
This was also the very first time Light Dyna stood upon the winner's stage.
Spring Stakes Summary
[Special Event: Disaster Relief Race — Spring Stakes Complete]
[Competitive Grit: C+ → B-]
[Power: C+ → B-]
[Card ??? Star]
[Learned: Hanshin Racecourse]
Join here to read ahead.
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