Chapter 189: Two Arrows, Drawn In

Rice Shower.

That was the name given to me as a racing Uma Musume.

Its meaning was a shower of blessings.

A wonderful name—one meant to deliver happiness to someone.

But when it came to whether the real Rice was such a wonderful Uma Musume… someone who could bring happiness to others…

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

If anything, it was the exact opposite.

I was the kind of girl who brought misfortune to the people around me, stealing away their happiness.

The blue rose of the garden.

A flower different from everyone else—a flower that invited misfortune.

That was the Rice I was before entering Tracen Academy…

No, that’s not quite right.

That was the Rice I was before meeting Onee-sama.

But Onee-sama… Hoshino Wilm-senpai… once told me something.

She said that if I wanted to change myself, I should do it with my own power.

That blue rose that only delivered misfortune—if that was my fate, then I should break it with my own strength.

I’m sure Onee-sama herself doesn’t even remember saying those words.

To her, it was probably nothing more than one of the many casual things she says to her juniors.

Of course, the reason she’s admired by so many underclassmen is partly because of her cute looks and her racing record… but it’s also because she listens to their worries and encourages them like that.

…But still.

Even if they were ordinary words that Onee-sama could easily forget…

For Rice, they became unforgettable words that changed my life.

Instead of waiting for someone to change me…

I would leave the garden with my own power, search for people willing to lend me a hand, and bloom proudly.

And then I would become a wonderful Uma Musume who could bring happiness to someone who saw me.

The words that showed me that vision of the future…

To me, they were the greatest help, the greatest salvation, the greatest guidance I could have ever received.

…That’s why.

"First, I think you should aim for Bourbon-chan’s back."

So Rice followed Onee-sama’s words and kept chasing after Bourbon with everything she had.

She was in the same class as Rice… and she was sure to become the storm center of this generation of racing Uma Musume.

Born from humble bloodlines—not particularly prestigious—but gifted with extraordinary talent.

A front-running Uma Musume who could almost be called the next Hoshino Wilm…

A true protagonist hero.

Horino Trainer, the one who had trained Onee-sama, chose Bourbon instead of Rice.

He took her on as his new trainee and began training her toward achieving the Triple Crown.

As if to say that the one worthy of becoming Hoshino Wilm’s successor… the one with that potential…

Was not Rice Shower, but Mihono Bourbon.

…If I said I wasn’t jealous, that would be a lie.

Rice wanted to stand proudly as Onee-sama’s junior too.

To chase after her back as a fellow disciple… wearing a look as though winning the Triple Crown was only natural.

And then naturally achieving that dream, being celebrated by so many people while continuing to pursue my senior’s back.

If I said I had never dreamed of such a world… that would be a lie.

But at the same time, I didn’t want to part ways with my own Trainer who had brought me this far.

He had supported me the whole way—desperately and wholeheartedly—never hesitating to train me the way I asked, even if others outside might criticize him for it.

The ones who guided Rice were Onee-sama… and my Trainer.

Neither of them could be missing.

So when I dreamed of a world where my Trainer had scouted Hoshino Wilm-senpai, and Rice was chosen as her junior…

A world far too convenient to ever exist…

Perhaps dreaming of it made Rice a bad girl after all.

But…

Reality didn’t turn out that way.

My Trainer only had one trainee—Nature-senpai.

And just as expected, Hoshino Wilm’s successor was Bourbon.

…Yes.

In this race… in the Kikuka Sho…

The one expected to win was Mihono Bourbon.

Which meant that Rice, trying to defeat her…

Was probably not the hero.

Instead, I was the one interfering with the miracle protagonist hero—Hoshino Wilm’s successor—who aimed to achieve the undefeated Triple Crown for the second year in a row.

Maybe it wouldn’t be strange if people called me the villain.

The heel.

…Even so.

Even so, I wanted to win.

If I could beat Mihono Bourbon…

If I could become stronger and faster than her…

Then I could get closer to Onee-sama. Closer to her back.

It would be the first step toward becoming an Uma Musume who could bring happiness to someone.

And I could entertain all the people who had supported me so much.

That’s why… I had to win.

With that thought in my heart, Rice challenged the Satsuki Sho.

And the Japanese Derby…

…Only to be repelled by Mihono Bourbon’s overwhelming strength.

Mihono Bourbon—junior of Hoshino Wilm.

She was strong.

Too strong.

At 2000 meters.

At 2400 meters.

Even at distances that should have been difficult for her considering her pedigree…

Rice couldn’t beat Mihono Bourbon.

I marked her completely.

Prepared myself so I could keep up with her pace.

Waited for the moment to overtake her at the end.

…And even then, I couldn’t catch her.

With an unexpected pace.

An unexpected run.

Unexpected ability.

She overcame the enormous gap called “distance suitability” and crossed the finish line faster than anyone else.

Rice… probably couldn’t even compare to Bourbon in terms of natural talent.

Unlike Bourbon, I couldn’t surpass the limits of my bloodline.

No matter how hard I tried, there was a clear and absolute wall in front of me.

And I couldn’t overcome it.

A distance I wasn’t good at would never become my specialty.

…Which meant…

That the only chance I had was this very moment.

The Kikuka Sho.

A grueling 3000-meter long-distance race with steep elevation changes—an extremely unfavorable distance for Mihono Bourbon.

And conversely, according to Horino Trainer, Rice Shower was a “pure stayer,” making it the most favorable distance for me.

The difference between us would only grow larger with time…

But it hadn’t yet reached a fatal level.

And now, Rice had completely learned Bourbon’s running style.

This moment…

Might be the only time Rice Shower could ever defeat Mihono Bourbon.

I would race together with Onee-sama someday, making her happy and excited…

Win proudly as Hoshino Wilm’s junior…

And someday become an Uma Musume like her—someone who could bring happiness to everyone.

For that future…

Rice had to win this race.

So I did everything I could.

I cut away everything unnecessary, as if carving pieces from my own body.

My entertainment activities as an Uma Musume.

My personal hobbies and preferences.

My Trainer’s concerns.

Nature-senpai’s worries.

Even the physical pain… and the risk of injury.

I threw away—or swallowed—everything and bet it all on this single race.

All to win the Kikuka Sho.

To surpass Mihono Bourbon’s back and move forward.

---

"And now all eighteen runners are in the gate. They’re set."

Inside the gate.

"…………"

Right now, I had no emotions.

No impatience.

No sentiment.

I simply sharpened my senses, focused my mind, and waited for the moment of the start.

"...Start!!"

In that instant, I burst forward.

The concentration method Onee-sama taught me—“Concentration.”

It still lived inside Rice, allowing me to launch from the gate almost as fast as possible.

…But Rice wasn’t the only one who got a perfect start.

Right beside me, Mihono Bourbon also broke from the gate with nearly flawless timing.

"…………"

But that was exactly as expected.

Onee-sama was cheering for Rice…

But even so, her number one junior was still Bourbon from the same stable.

The starting technique that was the greatest weapon for a front-runner…

Of course Bourbon had learned it too.

After all, the one who taught that technique to Onee-sama in the first place was Horino Trainer—Bourbon’s Trainer.

…It’s fine.

There’s no problem.

What matters now is keeping up with Mihono Bourbon’s pace.

As long as I didn’t start behind her, but alongside her…

It would be okay.

Unlike Nature-senpai, Rice couldn’t run cleverly.

Thinking about the race flow, the positions of other runners, how to break through the pack…

Carefully shaping the race and paving the road to victory.

That was what Nature-senpai excelled at—race making.

No matter how hard I tried, Rice couldn’t do something like that.

My head would fill up too quickly, and my running would become distorted.

I’d get distracted by other things and fail to run the way I should.

Rice wasn’t clever.

If I started paying attention to too many other runners, I would fall apart.

So what Rice needed to do was exactly what Onee-sama said—

Single-minded focus.

Concentrate completely on one thing.

One person.

Rice Shower’s running style was senko—running near the front.

Following the front-runner and other forward runners, then overtaking them in the final stretch to reach the goal.

And for Rice, the target was Mihono Bourbon.

And Onee-sama.

So everything else didn’t matter.

All the other runners besides Mihono Bourbon and Rice…

They were all—no, everything else was merely a condition of the race.

Like the condition of the turf.

Like the weather.

Like my starting gate position.

Just uncertain factors that could influence the race.

At its core, this race was simply a contest between Rice and Mihono Bourbon.

Would Mihono Bourbon escape and hold the lead?

Or would Rice Shower overtake her?

That alone would decide the outcome.

Nothing else mattered.

And thinking about anything else would only hurt Rice.

Because I wasn’t skilled enough to consider all of that and still win.

Yet in the end…

Even without trying to control it, the race began unfolding in Rice’s favor.

"And as expected, Mihono Bourbon bursts through the pack! The ornament on her right ear gleams at the front!

What will the other front-runner, Souri Cross, do…? There she goes! She goes, she goes! Souri Cross charges from the far outside and takes the lead!

And the one who wins the battle for the lead… is Souri Cross! Souri Cross opens up a four-length lead in an instant! Incredible acceleration—but this is the 3000-meter Kikuka Sho! Can she hold that lead to the end!?"

I felt someone opening a Domain.

A scene somewhat similar to the one Nature-senpai used.

In the darkness, a single streak of light spread across the turf of Kyoto Racecourse.

But Rice ignored it and kept watching Mihono Bourbon.

There was no need to worry about the arrow released ahead.

Arrows fly forward.

They only target and pierce those ahead of them.

So since I was behind the one who activated it…

It had no effect on me.

Without worrying about it, I simply continued my run.

Which meant continuing to watch Mihono Bourbon alone.

…But meanwhile.

It seemed Mihono Bourbon could not continue her own run the same way.

"Mihono Bourbon is seeing another runner in front of her for the first time since her debut race!

Three lengths behind the leader Souri Cross—now two lengths—Mihono Bourbon is closing the gap! Behind them by four to five lengths is Shabalanque!

Approaching the fourth corner of the first lap—number 10 Machikane Tannhauser in fourth place! Right behind her, running in a strong position, is Rice Shower!

The race has only just begun, but the field has already stretched out dramatically! Who will make their move from here!?"

…Unexpectedly.

The race had tilted in Rice’s favor.

Mihono Bourbon was pulling hard.

Rice knew her running better than anyone. She had memorized it.

That was exactly why she could say it with certainty.

Right now, Mihono Bourbon had disrupted her own rhythm to push forward.

At Kyoto Racecourse’s third corner, there was a steep downhill slope where runners descended all at once after climbing the Yodo Hill.

Mihono Bourbon accelerated sharply to match that descent…

Forcing her body to resist the centrifugal force that threatened to fling her outward, she pressed forward toward the runner in the lead.

"…I’ll keep up."

Following her, Rice moved slightly forward as well.

It was fine.

Ever since the Japanese Derby, Rice had pushed herself to the limit in training.

Her stamina now should be comparable even to senior-class stayers.

So she could absolutely keep up with this pace.

For Rice, Mihono Bourbon getting carried away was nothing short of a stroke of luck.

Her trainer believed that Mihono Bourbon had overcome her temperamental tendencies during the Japanese Derby.

From Rice’s perspective, having raced alongside her, maybe she hadn’t completely overcome them—but she seemed capable of holding them back to a certain extent.

That was exactly why Rice hadn’t expected Mihono Bourbon to get carried away so easily in the Kikuka Sho.

Even when they heard that another runner had declared she would go for the lead—even when it was a name they recognized—it shouldn’t have mattered.

Bourbon ran side by side with the strongest Uma Musume in history. There was no way she would lose her composure now against Classic-class runners.

That was the judgment Rice’s trainer had made.

And so he had built their race plan on the assumption that Mihono Bourbon would not get carried away.

Under that plan, the odds of winning were never particularly high…

…But if Mihono Bourbon did get carried away, then the entire situation would change instantly.

Mihono Bourbon’s one—and greatest—weakness was stamina.

Blocked by the wall of distance suitability, she simply didn’t possess the stamina needed for long-distance races.

Even according to Trainer’s analysis, Mihono Bourbon’s body was perfectly conditioned—but her stamina was only barely enough to complete the Kikuka Sho.

Which meant she should have needed to plan her run carefully, just like in the Japanese Derby.

She would have to execute that plan perfectly and cross the finish line having used every last bit of her strength with perfect efficiency.

But…

One runner’s move had shattered that assumption.

Once she lost her composure, that plan collapsed.

By accelerating far beyond her optimal pace, she wasted her stamina…

And as a result, Mihono Bourbon’s finish would inevitably come much slower.

…She could win.

Against a Mihono Bourbon forced into such an unstable run…

There was no way Rice would lose.

"And the crowd roars as the Uma Musume thunder down the track!

The front five have broken away from the field! Souri Cross, Mihono Bourbon, Shabalanque, and Rice Shower, each separated by about two lengths, with Machikane Tannhauser following one length behind!

The 1000-meter split is just over 59 seconds—an extremely fast pace, clearly dragged along by Souri Cross’s breakaway!

This is closer to a runaway lead than a normal front run! Souri Cross surges ahead—but Mihono Bourbon clings right behind her! The race is still far from decided as they enter the first corner!"

"It looks like both Souri Cross and Mihono Bourbon may be running a little too aggressively. It would be good if they could settle down."

Two runners stood between Rice and Mihono Bourbon’s back.

No problem.

They were obstacles, but not ones too large or too fast to pass.

When the time came, she would close the gap and overtake them.

If Rice weren’t in this race, the one who would unquestionably take first place would be Mihono Bourbon—not those other runners.

Even if the distance didn’t suit her.

Even if the conditions were against her.

Even if someone forced her out of rhythm—

Mihono Bourbon was strong enough to win anyway.

That was how strong she was.

Which meant the real question was whether Rice could surpass Mihono Bourbon.

If she passed the back of the runner destined for first place, then Rice would become first.

If she couldn’t pass that back, then Rice could never be first.

That single point was all that mattered in this race.

"The race approaches the halfway point along the backstretch! Souri Cross still leads, though her run may be starting to fade slightly—the gap between her and second-place Mihono Bourbon is slowly shrinking!

Still about a length behind them in third, Shabalanque and Rice Shower run side by side, with Shabalanque perhaps slightly ahead! One length behind them is Machikane Tannhauser, and then three to four lengths back the rest of the field is bunched together!

All eyes remain on the battle for the lead! Can Mihono Bourbon grasp the dream of the Triple Crown?! With 1200 meters remaining, the Yodo Hill looms ahead!"

Mihono Bourbon ran while tracking the front-runner ahead of her.

The distance between them neither grew nor shrank—it held steady at a constant pace.

She had gotten carried away when she accelerated sharply at the start.

But afterward, Mihono Bourbon had settled into a pace slightly below her usual standard.

More precisely, it would be more accurate to say that the runner in front—trying to escape from Mihono Bourbon—had matched her pace.

…But the fact that she had already wasted stamina couldn’t be undone.

If she had been in perfect condition, she might have been able to power over this uphill climb without losing speed…

But for Mihono Bourbon now, the hill was too steep.

"And now they climb the long uphill—then descend toward the third corner! Perhaps the slope proved too steep after all, as the gap between the two leaders and the chasing group steadily closes! The gap to the front pack is now just half a length!

With 600 meters remaining, they approach the final corner—will Mihono Bourbon make her move here?! The gap between her and Souri Cross disappears!

And Shabalanque surges forward from the outside in pursuit!"

"Has Souri Cross’s time at the front ended here?! As if declaring that the games are over, the chestnut bullet train leaps into the lead!!

They exit the final corner and enter the homestretch! Mihono Bourbon leads by just over one length! It’s as if she’s daring anyone—anyone at all—to come challenge her!!"

The gap had closed.

The Yodo Hill at Kyoto Racecourse.

With its massive four-meter elevation change—one of the steepest in Japan—the front-running Uma Musume had begun to tire.

Taking advantage of that opening, Rice and the others surged forward all at once.

Even if the downhill allowed them to accelerate again, it was already too late.

Accelerating at the third corner of the Kikuka Sho was taboo.

Unless you possessed exceptional cornering ability like Nature-senpai…

Or unless you were an utterly unconventional Uma Musume…

It was impossible to fully accelerate there.

…More than anything, Mihono Bourbon no longer had the stamina left to maintain her top speed.

Charging ahead in a runaway lead and then unleashing a razor-sharp finishing kick…

Only Onee-sama could do something like that.

Bourbon’s running style was different—she maintained a steady pace from the start through the opening phase.

Now that rhythm had been broken. There was nothing about her final spurt that Rice needed to fear.

After clearing the corner, they entered the homestretch.

Far ahead, when the finish line board came into view through the hazy distance…

The gap between Rice and Mihono Bourbon was less than two lengths.

A distance Rice could close.

A position from which Rice could win.

…Everything was ready.

Following her ended here.

"…I’ll surpass you."

Moving slightly to the outside, Rice poured every ounce of strength into her legs the moment she entered the straight.

She imagined the creaking sound of something straining.

The illusion of something about to shatter into pieces.

And… the instinctive certainty of victory.

Just as she held those feelings in her chest—

The world Rice had been seeing cracked…

And shattered.

---

"I swear."

Rice’s Domain opened.

And what spread out within it was a chapel at night.

As if embodying the very meaning of her blessed name—Rice Shower—I walked down the aisle.

Clutched in my hands was a bouquet of blue roses.

The symbol of misfortune. A flower blooming in the garden that could never bring happiness to anyone.

…But.

Rice would change it.

With her own strength, she would change what that flower meant.

"Together with the people I love… into a blue rose of happiness."

Onee-sama, who showed Rice the path.

Trainer, who believed in Rice and supported her.

Nature-senpai, who gave Rice so much advice.

All the fans who cheered for Rice.

There were so many people who looked at me, blooming by the window.

It was only that Rice herself who had never properly seen them.

So… for the sake of those people.

Rice would run.

And Rice would win.

Reaching the altar, she closed her eyes for a moment as if in prayer…

Then turned around.

The bouquet left her hands, its petals scattering throughout the chapel…

And within that storm of blue, Rice placed her hand on the dagger fastened at her waist.

A single dagger.

A weapon meant to strike just once—against a single opponent.

Its edge was sharper than anything anyone else possessed.

Rice herself had honed it that way… stripping away everything from herself.

Her entertainment work as an Uma Musume.

Rice’s personal hobbies and preferences.

Trainer’s concerns. Nature-senpai’s worries.

Even the cries of physical pain… and the risk of injury.

She had cut away every one of them, leaving behind only a single function—

Turning herself into nothing more than a weapon meant to run.

A blade so thin and fragile it might snap after a single swing.

Yet that one strike would cut through everything.

An absolute blade.

So long as this dagger could reach its target…

Rice would never lose.

"────Rice will bloom now!!"

---

With every ounce of strength she had, she kicked against the ground.

Her foot struck the turf, sending grass scattering as she surged forward.

"Only 400 meters remain! It’s Rice Shower—Rice Shower is attacking!!

Local Stream and Machikane Tannhauser surge forward as well! The outcome is still completely uncertain!!"

Within the image of her Domain, Rice still gripped the dagger.

If she could swing it and catch Mihono Bourbon…

Then Rice would win.

It was fine.

Even if another Domain had opened, it didn’t matter.

Whether in endless space or at some distant star, this blade would reach its target.

Just one length remained.

She could pass her.

She would overtake her.

She would win.

After all, Rice had used everything she had for this moment.

At this point, the other runners didn’t even enter her vision.

Her sight warped and faded to white.

The fatigue and pain coursing through her body no longer registered in her mind.

All Rice could see…

Was victory.

The back of the Uma Musume named Mihono Bourbon—and beyond it, the victory of this race.

She would press the dagger into that back from behind and bring her down.

Rice thought of nothing else.

Nothing at all.

So—

"Not… yet."

So those words—

"Not yet!"

Those words never reached Rice’s ears.

"Not yet… I’m still… I can still…!!"

Nothing reached Rice’s ears…

"I… can still!!!"

And with those words—

An arrow.

A single arrow that had been released flew toward my world.

…To put it bluntly.

It was a tiny arrow.

There was no way it could ever reach me.

It wouldn’t reach Mihono Bourbon either.

Reckless, meaningless, worthless—an act of resistance that would probably make almost no one happy…

A futile struggle that even felt strangely familiar.

It felt similar to the sensation from when the race had first begun.

But there was one decisive difference.

Now, Rice was also within the reach of that arrow… standing in front of her.

My reason told me to ignore it.

Something like this should be ignored.

It wouldn’t affect the outcome of the race anyway—there was no point even letting it enter my thoughts.

…But.

The moment I had already started thinking about it, already started watching it…

I was already caught within her trap.

Just one step.

Just one meter.

The arrow moved closer to me within my Domain.

A trivial arrow that would soon fall, soon sink to the ground.

And yet…

I felt as though I could see a will within it.

A will no different from my own as a racing Uma Musume.

Use whatever means necessary.

From the tips of her hair to the nails of her toes, she would use up everything she had.

Even so—she wanted to win.

Because…

I, too, am a junior of Hoshino Wilm.

I recognized the feelings contained within that arrow.

The same feelings Rice Shower had carried in her heart all this time—the feelings she had kept running to prove.

The stubborn pride of an ordinary runner yearning for the stars.

The weapon in Rice’s hands was a dagger, but there was another Uma Musume holding a weapon of the same kind.

Along with that sense of sympathy came an instinctive unease without any clear reason.

Someone I had dismissed as not even worth noticing—someone I should never have taken my eyes off—came fully into view.

Souri Cross.

She was one of the runners in the Kikuka Sho, and a junior of Hoshino Wilm.

And now—

Sweat scattered from her body, her teeth clenched, her eyes bloodshot—

She was trying to bring down Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower… the wall of powerful rivals before her.

Even knowing she could never win, she refused to give up until the final moment, continuing to run.

A second arrow that would never reach its target came flying closer.

That determination.

That pride.

That run.

That weapon.

Those feelings.

"…Ah."

Rice alone could not ignore it.

Because Rice knew the strength behind it.

And the danger.

So—

Rice used the weapon in her hands to strike down the threat before her.

To refuse defeat.

And to win this race.