Chapter 12

"Are you here to chat and shit, or to race?"

"

"If you understand, you're going crazy, so get out."

"W-wait! You're just giving me a hard time..."

[All Uma Musume, please pass through the door.]

Tamamo left quietly, as if Diana, trembling with rage, were nothing more than a speck of dust.

Diana's pale face instantly flushed. She glared at Tamamo's small back and then silently entered through the door. However, the rage deep in her heart burned brightly, fueled by enough fuel. [All the Uma Musume entered through the door. I wonder what kind of race they're holding today.]

The announcer's voice, announcing the start of the race, reached her ears like a gentle breeze. Dinah assumed her starting position in the dark, cramped space of a single room. She stared at the iron plate blocking her path. Her eyes, their clear whites, burned with blood.

In the eerie silence, a burning fury teetered precariously on the edge of composure. To others, the events of the past might have seemed insignificant, but Dinah bit into her glistening, glowing skin.

Perhaps because her opponent was her opponent? Excessive excitement threatened to cloud her mind. Even just minutes into the race, Dinah's thoughts screamed.

You dare ignore me? Me? Dinah Carpenter?

[Now, the doors open.] Each Uma Musume, starting side by side.]

"Tamamo Cross, but... how shameless you are!" "Now that we've reached this point, I must clearly demonstrate the class difference. I must crush them from their small heads to their bony legs, ensuring they never set foot in this world again, never allowing them to ascend."

With that steely determination, the exit from the Dining Hall, albeit by a small margin, was faster than anyone else's in the room.

[Leading the charge is Saber Jet No. 2, advancing without hesitation!

"I'll gladly relinquish leadership. After all, my calluses are a good deed."

The lingering anger still throbbed in her chest, but that didn't mean she'd lost her mind. On the contrary, as the heat reached its peak, her mind calmed. Dyna let her runaway horse move forward, gradually adjusting the pace.

It was only a qualifying race, but this was her last. Afterward, she would compete in qualifying events: G3, G2, and G1. She would compete in the best races, where the best gather, and demonstrate her impeccable handling.

So, even though it was a qualifier, she couldn't afford to show her ugly side now. Dyna stayed in the lead group, calmly analyzing the situation.

[Turn 2, Sabre Jet is still leading. But Dyna Carpenter is right behind!]

But her gaze kept straying back. Looking ahead was crucial in racing, but she kept turning her head. And every time she did, a glimpse of her light hair peeked out from the corner of her eye. "It's really bothering me...!" 

[At that moment, Dinah Carpenter, little by little, was closing the gap! A length, half a length, a third... Dinah Carpenter, now overtaking Saber Jet and taking the lead!]

The gap between them was abysmal. Unlike him, who was far ahead, Tamamo Cross was at the back.

It was obvious she had the advantage, but the feeling gnawing at her nerves was clearly anxiety. Why? Without realizing it, Dinah found herself slightly picking up the pace.

"It's a faster pace than I expected, but I have no stamina issues. I'll take this opportunity to open up the gap!"

The third turn was already right in front of him. Behind him, Uma Musume, who had escaped earlier, was panting and barely catching up. Tamamo was still right behind. Dinah made up her mind and tensed her calf muscles...

"At that moment, Tamamo Cross! From the outside, from behind, she begins to attack!" Will he be able to turn the situation around?

[Tamamo Cross! Tamamo Cross attacks! His speed is astonishingly fierce!]

[Ah! At that moment, Tamamo Cross launches his Saber Jet and joins the lead group. His acceleration is astonishingly powerful!]

Just as he rounded the third corner, relieved, a feeling of intimidation crept into the back of his neck, forcing Diner to whip around.

Suddenly, he saw a tuft of gray hair trailing behind him.

"Where the hell have you gone?!"

This is incredible. He'd come so far in a single corner? From a near-dead end to second place in an instant?

His face paled involuntarily. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Fear filled him, and he shook his head.

"Well, even so, I'm still in first place. I won't give up the inner loop, no matter what!"

He pressed his running body against the inner railing. It's common sense that the closer you are to the inside of the loop, the shorter the distance traveled. And even a mere meter of difference can accumulate over a two-kilometer race, creating a huge gap.

Having demonstrated such a remarkable performance in overtaking, his opponent's stamina was probably already exhausted. In that case, he had the advantage of taking the lead from the start. Because if he could just hold the inner loop, he wouldn't lose. Dyna calmed his anxiety, vigorously moving his arms and legs.

[Dyna Carpenter remains in the lead, followed by Tamamo Cross, who is about to enter the final stretch. Will the rankings change here?]

Next, the fourth turn. But for some reason, the intimidating force emanating from behind suddenly vanished. Uneasy, Dyna looked back, but Tamamo, who had been right behind her a few moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

She felt like she'd been going too fast. Had she lost stamina and fallen? If so, that would be hilarious. Dyna barely managed to contain her laughter.

"Haha, it's the result of my small body being so reckless and not knowing where to go."

She expected it, but it was as expected. Dyna snorted and turned her head forward again.

And only then did she realize that the breathtaking scenery before her had completely changed.

"Ugh!"

"Great!"

[The lead has changed! Tamamo Cross! Tamamo Cross! She's coming out with a powerful kick!]

[What a sprint! As soon as he saw an opening on the inside of the course, he lunged at it with a ferocious charge.

Absolutely overwhelming leg power! He's widening the gap!

With her signature long gray hair blowing in the wind, the ashen-skinned girl surged ahead of him.

Dinah's gaze, once as sharp as a hawk's stalking its prey, lost its venom for an instant. She blinked like a goldfish, but the reality befHis face paled involuntarily. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Fear filled him, and he shook his head.

"Well, even so, I'm still in first place. I won't give up the inner loop, no matter what!"

He pressed his running body against the inner railing. It's common sense that the closer you are to the inside of the loop, the shorter the distance traveled. And even a mere meter of difference can accumulate over a two-kilometer race, creating a huge gap.

Having demonstrated such a remarkable performance in overtaking, his opponent's stamina was probably already exhausted. In that case, he had the advantage of taking the lead from the start. Because if he could just hold the inner loop, he wouldn't lose. Dyna calmed his anxiety, vigorously moving his arms and legs.

[Dyna Carpenter remains in the lead, followed by Tamamo Cross, who is about to enter the final stretch. Will the rankings change here?]

Next, the fourth turn. But for some reason, the intimidating force emanating from behind suddenly vanished. Uneasy, Dyna looked back, but Tamamo, who had been right behind her a few moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

She felt like she'd been going too fast. Had she lost stamina and fallen? If so, that would be hilarious. Dyna barely managed to contain her laughter.

"Haha, it's the result of my small body being so reckless and not knowing where to go."

She expected it, but it was as expected. Dyna snorted and turned her head forward again.

And only then did she realize that the breathtaking scenery before her had completely changed.

"Ugh!"

"Great!"

[The lead has changed! Tamamo Cross! Tamamo Cross! She's coming out with a powerful kick!]

[What a sprint! As soon as he saw an opening on the inside of the course, he lunged at it with a ferocious charge.

Absolutely overwhelming leg power! He's widening the gap!

With her signature long gray hair blowing in the wind, the ashen-skinned girl surged ahead of him.

Dinah's gaze, once as sharp as a hawk's stalking its prey, lost its venom for an instant. She blinked like a goldfish, but the reality before her remained unchanged.ore her remained unchanged.

But how did this happen? Dyna's neurons began to race wildly in this incomprehensible situation.

Then, suddenly, a ridiculous hypothesis occurred to her.

"The moment she turned the corner, she braked hard with her left foot, and jumped and slid into the inside curve!"

No matter how hard Dyna defended the inside path, she would inevitably fall off the barrier as she turned. That's due to centrifugal force. All moving objects tend to move in a straight line, and the moment she goes against that inertia, her strength and stamina are drastically depleted.

What Tamamo did was forcefully change the direction of that straight-line motion. She planted her foot on the ground just as the inside curve opened slightly, converting the accumulated kinetic energy into propulsion. As a result, she was able to traverse the narrow space with astonishing speed, like a bullet exiting the muzzle of a gun. The commentators boasted that it had been a tremendous sprint, but it wasn't just a sprint. It was a real leap. It was like discovering the skill of a car drifting on a living body.

If it were revealed to others, this technique would be nothing more than a joke. That was the secret of Tamamo's ability to penetrate the narrow track at that instant. It was truly absurd, but he couldn't think of any other possibility at that moment.

The absurdity of the situation reignited his anger. His back, already drenched with sweat, began to burn. Trying to ignore them, Dyna glared at the small runner running just ahead.

There were 400 meters left. Despite the humiliating setback in the final stretch, there was still a chance to make a comeback.

[Can Tamamo Cross maintain the lead like this? Dyna Carpenter imitates him and charges forward at full speed!]

"The race isn't over yet...!" My body is drenched in sweat from the effortless 2,000-meter run, but my trained legs are still pushing forward strongly. My heart is pounding, but my breathing isn't as labored.

In other words, I still have enough energy for a final sprint.

But what about that width?

"I've never seen this style before, but it's definitely one that puts a lot of strain on my legs... If so, I can definitely win!"

I hate to admit it, but after competing with her for almost a year, I know the strength of Tamamo Cross, my horse girl.

Her legs are unusually strong and sturdy. She should be able to withstand even the most demanding sprints that would break the legs of a normal Uma Musume.

Well, if I can do it."

Ignoring the basic principles of running and forcing her into a sprint is absurd, no matter how you look at it.

It's not that humans can't reach 40 km/h in just 100 meters. Would an Uma Musume, whose top speed is 70 km/h, do something so foolish? Even Uma Musume, who demonstrates she can run normally, is constantly injured, so even if it's not visible, her legs must have already accumulated considerable damage.

Besides, her willpower isn't as strong as her legs. She would hesitate and lose speed by the time she reached the finish line. No one else, Dinah Carpenter, had ever done it like this.

That's why she's absolutely certain of victory. It's impossible for her, aiming for a moderate race, to lose in a race of this caliber.

She tries to calm her trembling heart, but at the same time, a nagging feeling comes over her.

What if it's not like that? What if her legs were strong enough to endure such an absurd race? What if his will had overcome the painful memories and risen?

If so, he would have lost. Against that resentful Tamamo Cross.

Against someone like Tamamo Cross?

"I'll never lose." "Never... against you!"

A half-founded assumption, a fervent hope. With that conviction, Dyna gritted his teeth.

And the moment he forcefully stepped forward with his left foot to run, the ground shook.

Boom!

[Tamamo Cross! Accelerate further from here! Faster! Incredibly fast! An overwhelming gap!]

A roar even louder than before halted all his thoughts.

A pure white flash spread before his eyes; literally, a bolt of lightning.

His gaze and consciousness were captivated by a dazzling vision that only that antiquated expression could evoke.

Okay, the record is... 2 minutes and 2 seconds! Incredible, Tamamo Cross! On the other hand, Dyna Carpenter... hasn't she reached the finish line yet?

What a sprint, Tamamo Cross! Dinah Carpenter, our best player before you arrived, is completely outclassed.

Haha, as expected, our ace is...

[Tamamo Cross! First place! Finally first, after seven consecutive losses! And a landslide victory by a whopping seven lengths!]

A moment ago, the distance between us was probably only a foot at most. How did she get so far away?

The little girl who had been running before my eyes was now, in the distance, waving her right arm with a beaming face.