Chapter 10: The Mock Race and the First-Magnitude Star

Two weeks had passed since we arrived for summer training camp.
Every day was filled with different workouts, and each night I’d collapse into bed completely drained. Together with my trainer, I’d been blending the lessons I’d learned from the seniors into my own routine.

Whenever I told my trainer about their training menus, he’d tweak them perfectly to fit my abilities. As expected of a Central Academy trainer—unlike me, who could only copy things as-is.

It was during that routine that an interesting bit of news came my way.

"A mock race?"

"Yeah. Apparently, it’s an event where the Junior Class girls get together and compete. You want to join, Lux?"

"Hmm… but will there even be a short-distance category? I heard they sometimes have to cancel those because there aren’t enough participants."

That was the issue. Short-distance specialists were few and far between. Most also ran the mile, and some even stretched into middle-distance events. Which meant the short races might not even happen if they couldn’t gather enough runners.
Well, I could technically manage the mile, but still...

"Oh, about that—apparently this time it’s a team race format."

"Huh? A team race? Why would they do that?"

"I heard the goal is to build camaraderie. You know, since girls from different distance divisions rarely even talk to each other."

Ah, I see. With those rules, short-distance and dirt runners—since there are fewer of us—will definitely be in demand. This could be a great chance to make connections and gather information for the future.

"In that case, I’m in. The mock race sounds good. I want to get to know the others in my class better anyway."

"I figured you’d say that. Here, this is the entry form."

"Whoa, this looks pretty official."

"Apparently, they just repurposed an old team application form from something called the Aoharu Cup or whatever."

Distance preference, running style, and which classmates I’d like to team up with... hmm. Who should I write down? Normally, it’d be Mihono Bourbon without question—but unfortunately, she didn’t come to this camp. Supposedly, she’s training elsewhere under a special program.

Damn. My habit of thinking about no one but Bourbon is coming back to bite me.

"Ugh, what should I do... Comp isn’t in the Junior Class either..."

"In that case, why not think in terms of running style instead of distance? There aren’t many closers, so that should narrow it down a bit."

"Running style, huh…"

A closer... was there someone? Wait—yeah, there was. One of the so-called Haou Generation, the “first-magnitude star” of the Derby.

I wrote down Admire Vega’s name on the form, filling in the blank. If she hadn’t broken down, some even said she would’ve been the strongest of our generation. Watching her run would definitely be a learning experience.

"All right, now I’m really looking forward to this."

"That’s good to hear. Watching a variety of running styles up close is great training."

And so, the day of the mock race arrived.

"I’m Admire Vega. Pleased to meet you."

Seems my request got through—Admire Vega was assigned to my team.

Hmm, that curt, aloof attitude—it’s so her.

"Nice to meet you. I’ve heard you’re really strong, so I’ll be counting on you."

"Haa... fine. Do as you please."

Yeah, that’s exactly how I imagined Admire Vega—cold on the surface, but not unkind underneath.

The mock race began. Soon, it was Vega’s turn to run.

"Well then, I’m off."

"Good luck, Ayabe-san!"

Admire Vega’s run was breathtaking. The title of “first-magnitude star” wasn’t just for show. In the final stretch, she left everyone behind and crossed the finish line—completely solitary, perfectly embodying “a star apart.”

"Congratulations, Ayabe-san!"

"Thanks. You’d better do your best too."

"Of course! As a fellow closer, I’ll give it everything I’ve got."

"You’re short-distance, aren’t you...? Are you sure a closing style works for that?"

"I’ve been training for it."

Guess she didn’t know much about me. Can’t blame her, really—why would someone like her keep track of a short-distance girl who hasn’t even run a proper graded race yet?
Thinking about it that way, the seniors’ research skills are incredible... or maybe that’s just because King Halo likes to look after people.

"Yup... huph...!"

All right, I’m feeling good. The running style I learned from King Halo—“The Flash of Lightning”—still isn’t anywhere near complete. But a rough imitation? That I can pull off. No need to push too hard and risk injury, though. I’ll just use it as reference.

I carefully stretched my legs, loosening the muscles and warming up my body.

"Phew... It’s a flat course, but it’s not one I can’t win."

I took my position at the starting line, eyes fixed straight ahead. Mock or not, a race is still a race.
Click—something inside me switched on, and fire coursed through my whole body.
When had I started getting this fired up for racing?

"On your marks... ready—"

Snap! The flag dropped.

At that instant, the others exploded forward with powerful starts—but I didn’t panic. To read the race’s rhythm properly, I settled behind the pack, watching closely.

"Pace is slow... three frontrunners, five stalkers..."

Nine runners total. Pretty convenient, actually. For someone like me—who struggles to dive into the middle of a crowded pack—it’s perfect.

"Best place to make my move is on the final corner... or maybe..."

I calmly analyzed the race, searching for the right moment to strike. The pace was slow—everyone would still have plenty of stamina left.

"I’ll go for it halfway through the final turn!"

Thud! My foot slammed powerfully against the ground. Energy surged through my legs as I launched forward. The shock rippled through my body, but I absorbed it with balance and control. I still couldn’t harness that recoil perfectly—but for now, this was enough!

At the end of the final corner, I burst forward with all my might.

"Hah!"

Like a streaking meteor, I shot down the straightaway. I veered wide to avoid the pack that had spread too far across the track, taking the outermost lane. Honestly, this was all I could manage right now.

Passing the frontrunners aiming for the lead, I closed in on the escaping group ahead.

"Now—accelerate!"

I lowered my body, cutting through the air to reduce drag, and dashed straight toward the goal.

Outpacing both the frontrunners and the escape group, I crossed the finish line.

"Phew… I’m glad that worked out."

Sprint Turbo—about 30% complete, I’d say. Being able to use it only once per race… that’s the unbridgeable gap between me and the original. I mean, seriously, Bakushin O-senpai can pop that thing two or three times in one run like it’s nothing.

Yeah, Bakushin O-senpai’s not normal, is she?

"I can’t believe you actually won with a closing strategy."

"Ahaha, it’s all I can really do…"

"No, I’m impressed. Your run on the final stretch was really good."

Admire Vega. She’s curt, but not cold enough to push people away. Actually, I kind of feel like we’re close somehow. Maybe it’s because we share the same running style? Or maybe she thinks of me as a younger sister…?

Then again, maybe her blunt attitude has less to do with that and more with the fact that she’s surrounded by the chaos known as Opera O and her merry band of weirdos…

In the app, she seemed to get along surprisingly well with her roommate, Curren Chan, so that might be part of it too.

"Um, as fellow closers, maybe we could… exchange contact info?"

"…All right. I don’t mind that much."

"Yes!"

"Just don’t send me anything weird, okay? Please, no messages like, ‘I’m sharing my cool self with you!’ or anything like that…"

Yeah, no, that’s definitely because of Opera O’s antics. Then again, she’s ridiculously strong despite being like that… or maybe because she’s like that, which somehow makes it worse.

But there’s one more thing that’s been bugging me—her roommate, Curren Chan. I couldn’t find anyone by that name in our generation. But on Umastagram, there’s an influencer called “Curren” who’s pretty active. What’s that about…?

"Um, Ayabe-san, your roommate is…"

"Me? Her name’s Imperial Talis. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious who you were rooming with."

So, it’s not Curren Chan after all. What’s going on here? Does Curren Chan not attend Tracen yet? Or is it just not her time…?

No point overthinking it. I decided to move on for now.

"Our team did pretty well this time, huh?"

"Yeah. Winning the short-distance race made a big difference. Other teams don’t even have short-distance runners, so their mile runners are being forced to fill the gap."

"Ahaha… guess there really aren’t enough sprinters around, huh…"

That much is just fate. No point fighting it.

"There’s no need to feel down. Think of it this way—it’s easier to enter races alongside the stronger ones."

"Well, yeah, that’s true… but still, the top level’s just too strong."

"…Thinking about that is a losing game."

No matter how many times I think about it, the peak is just too far above. If I can reach this level with a mere imitation of their techniques, it only proves how absurdly strong the real deal is.

"Well then, I’ll be going. That was fun."

"Ehehe, thank you very much."

Ah, that was such a worthwhile mock race.

Admire Vega’s running style is similar to mine, yet completely different. She bases her runs on charging from the outside lane, but she doesn’t hesitate to aim for the front even when surrounded by the pack. That’s something I could never do. More than that, she’s a closer who can also run like a mid-run charger. The range of what she can do is just on another level.

A closer who can aim for the lead as early as the mid-phase… that’s impossible for me. I don’t have the stamina for it.

"In the middle phase, she clearly couldn’t hold herself back and went for the front…"

In real life, Admire Vega was said to have a bit of a temper. Maybe that explains it—her impatience makes her start her spurt too early. That might seem fatal, but if she has enough stamina, it’s not a problem. In fact, with stamina to back it up, it becomes a perfectly valid strategy.

"Hmm… can I really use that as a reference? Nah, that’s impossible."

It’s impossible for me! It’d be easy to just say that and give up… Wait. If a full spurt drains my stamina too fast, what if I only prepare for it?

"Setting up the acceleration mid-race… that could work. Didn’t Golshi and Cafe have something like that for their special skills?"

Start picking up speed little by little from the mid-phase, then unleash full power in the final stretch. If I manage my stamina right, it’s not impossible.

But thinking about it only reminds me of one thing.

"I’ve got way too many issues to fix!"

There’s just not enough time! Even though I’m training hard every day during camp, it feels like I never have enough.

I want to train more, study races more, and talk with different girls to gather information.

I need, like, forty-eight hours in a day… No, wait, if that happened, everyone else would get stronger too.

"I seriously need infinite time…"

Before the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, there’s the Keio Hai Junior Stakes in early November. I need to have my running style mostly complete by then. It feels like I have plenty of time, but it’s actually short.

I slapped my cheeks with both hands to refocus.

"All right, I guess I’ll start by improving Sprint Turbo’s performance."

Right now, I can only use it for short-distance races, like in the app. Anything longer, and the strain on my legs is just too much.

I have to fix that and make it usable for mile races.

As for the once-per-race limit—there’s no helping that, and I don’t intend to change it. My style revolves around an all-or-nothing sprint in the final straight, so being able to use it once is enough for now.

"The strain is insane… even when I only use it at the end! I really need to work on my balance more. My whole body’s trembling."

There’s a lot to work on. But that doesn’t mean I’m not making progress.

That’s exactly why I have to keep building up, one step at a time.

And then—

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!"

"Yeah, that’s pretty bad… I think that move should be off-limits for now."

"I’m never using it in a mock race again… that was actually dangerous…"

The next day, I was struck with hellish muscle pain and ended up relying on my trainer’s massage.

Aaaah… the trainer’s massage feels so good…