Chapter 30: Derby and My Domain
After I dashed past the Derby finish pole, I was surprised to realize I wasn’t all that tired. More than that, I couldn’t stop wondering what had just happened. In that single instant, it felt like I had opened the door to an entirely new world. Was that what they call a “Domain,” or something like it?
The roar of the crowd pulled me out of my thoughts. The fully packed stands erupted into a wall of sound—cheers so loud and chaotic that they blended into one massive, indistinguishable noise.
Maybe it’s just because there are more people than usual, but wow, it’s loud. Well, whatever.
When I started heading back for now, I noticed Spe-chan. She seemed so exhausted she had dropped to both knees, struggling for breath. Then she lifted her face, her expression tinged with anxiety.
I reached out to help her up, worried about her—only for her to suddenly grab my hand with a surprisingly fierce grip. Her demeanor flipped completely from a moment earlier, and she threw herself into me with full, energetic force.
A clean, healthy scent of sweat and a soft, warm sensation wrapped around me.
After that, for some reason I shook hands with King-chan and Sei-chan before returning to the waiting room. El-chan did the same the other day, so maybe it’s customary for friends who race together to shake hands afterward?
The moment I returned to the waiting room, a trainer—face utterly drained of color—was waiting for me.
The very first words were, "Are your legs okay?" and before the trainer even finished the sentence, my legs were already stripped bare—not even my socks were spared.
In the end, they determined there didn’t seem to be any immediate problem. Even so, they dragged me straight off to the hospital, skipping the Winning Live entirely.
After my legs were thoroughly examined—practically licked clean—by machines built with the collective wisdom of humanity, the diagnosis was… possibly mild fatigue.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I guess it meant everything was fine. The trainer finally looked like the color was returning to their face.
Then I suddenly remembered the final stretch of the race. That ideal world—if there were a way to go there without running a race, that would be even better.
Doctors know a lot about dreams and things like that, so maybe they’d understand. I decided to ask.
But the trainer reacted first.
According to them, it was definitely a Domain. However, while they’d heard of Domains boosting speed, they had never heard of one visibly reducing speed like mine did.
Well, Domains are more than half occult to begin with, so apparently there aren’t any real rules. The doctor nodded too, so clearly no one actually understands it.
Which means it’s probably pointless for me to worry about it.
Still… it would’ve been great if I could go there even without a race.
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