Chapter 214: Nuclear Star

My mind, as I ran across Nakayama Racecourse, was clearer than ever before—so clear it almost felt eerie.

Normally, our minds are filled with all sorts of thoughts—things we’re actively thinking about, memories surfacing, and fragments of unconscious noise drifting around. Those are what keep us grounded and oriented… but at the same time, they put a heavy strain on our mental resources and get in the way of deliberate thinking.

If I had to compare it, it’s like a cluttered desk where you can only use about 20% of the space. Or, in more modern terms, like having too many apps running in the background and your memory getting overloaded.

So—

Nice Nature—the third-rate star who can’t surpass first- or second-rate runners through raw ability alone—naturally tried to optimize that.

Thinking is my greatest weapon. I’m called a schemer, after all. So of course I’d try to remove the limits placed on it.

When we’re running, our thinking ability drops. That’s just how it is.

First, we have to move our bodies properly—balance our center of gravity, grip the ground with our legs, push off at the right angle with the right force… the act of running itself.

It feels automatic, but in reality, it’s an incredibly complex technique.

And because of that, it consumes a huge portion of our mental resources.

On top of that, there’s oxygen consumption and accumulating fatigue. Those grind down our thinking even further.

Thought is a function of the brain, and the brain needs oxygen to function.

But since running demands so much oxygen for the body, there’s a competition for that limited supply. The oxygen taken in through breathing gets divided, and less of it reaches the brain.

As a result, almost every Uma Musume—well, maybe except for certain sparkly idiots—loses the ability to think calmly while running.

That part can’t be helped. It’s a biological response, built on billions of years of instinct. My rational mind, with its mere decade-plus of life, can’t overcome that.

But…

The unconscious noise I mentioned earlier?

That’s purely mental. And that means it’s not impossible to eliminate.

…Or so I thought when I started mental training.

It was insanely difficult.

But of course it was. Clearing your mind and reaching extreme concentration—that’s basically Zen-level discipline.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I reached enlightenment, but even taking the first step toward it is hard enough.

Still… I managed it in the end.

During the time I laid low before the Tenno Sho (Autumn), I trained seriously at a temple. I practiced waterfall meditation. I even tried several forms of ascetic training.

I didn’t reach any grand truth or enlightenment…

But I did learn how to direct my thoughts while running—and cut away everything else.

…From the outside, it might look like I went too far.

But if I didn’t go this far…

I would never win.

Enlightenment, transcendence, collapse—whatever it takes.

Unless I use every possible means available to me, Nice Nature will never reach that star.

---

Inside my crystal-clear mind, all of that understanding lines up neatly.

But I don’t bother revisiting it.

Nice Nature chases Hoshino Wilm. I’ll do anything for that.

That’s one of the core principles that defines who I am—something as self-evident as “Uma Musume breathe” or “I’m alive right now.” There’s no need to reaffirm it.

So now, with the noise stripped away and my thoughts sharpened to a razor’s edge, everything I think about is devoted solely to this race.

The Arima Kinen.

For this year’s race, my trainer and I spent hundreds of hours researching.

Winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn) this year—honestly, that was just a prerequisite.

I feel a little bad for Mejiro McQueen-senpai, but that race was just a touchstone to measure my growth.

With the right strategy and the right strength, I can now beat a G1-level Uma Musume.

That race was simply to confirm I met the minimum requirement—and to build confidence.

At the end of the day, I only have two true rivals. Two backs I’m chasing.

Hoshino Wilm. Tokai Teio.

The shining stars I look up to.

That’s why… ever since last year’s Arima Kinen ended, when signs of injury appeared in my leg, my trainer and I focused everything on this year’s Arima Kinen.

It had already been suggested that Wilm would run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and given Horino Trainer’s policies, she’d likely run fewer races in the autumn.

And Teio… her legs aren’t as durable as Wilm’s.

…Well, compared to the strain of her genius-level running style.

The stage where I’d most likely face both of them—

The year-end grand event, the race every fan wants to see them in—

The Arima Kinen.

That’s why we spent this entire year researching.

We studied and analyzed everything related to racing.

When it comes to breaking down this race, I won’t lose—even to Horino Trainer.

He may not appear much in public, but he’s a monster on the same level as Wilm.

He’s probably built countless predictions from past data, footage, and on-site measurements.

But this time…

I’m forcing my plan through.

—

"The leader is Hoshino Wilm! As expected, Hoshino Wilm takes the front and sets the pace! Chasing from the outside is Mejiro Palmer, with Daitaku Helios and Souri Cross slightly behind!

Following the breakaway group are Mihono Bourbon and Unison Black! Tokai Teio is there as well, with Mejiro McQueen on the inside, Rice Shower, Shall We Run—the front pack is tightly clustered! And Nice Nature, the third-rate star, is calmly waiting in the rear group!

Who will make a move, and when?! A field carrying dreams races before our eyes—Nakayama Racecourse erupts in cheers! Entering the uphill before the first corner, and now we move into the middle phase!"

—

Within the pack, I run with a slightly longer stride.

Midfield—using the front runners as a shield, applying pressure to those around me when needed.

…So far, everything is going according to plan.

More precisely, we’re in Plan 26-6.

Souri Cross opened her “zone,” forcing the front runners to overextend.

We weren’t sure if that would work against extreme front runners. Plans 1 through 23 were based on it failing… but in the end, it worked.

As a result, Wilm exploded forward from what was already a near-perfect start.

…That breakaway reminds me of when Teio and I were still far behind.

Chasing her are Daitaku Helios and Mejiro Palmer.

The two so-called “explosive runners,” feeding off each other’s heat, sensed even greater intensity from Souri Cross and Wilm and pushed themselves further and further.

And Wilm, feeling that pressure, likely deepened that ruthless smile of hers—and accelerated without limit.

Souri Cross chases the three of them.

Her “zone” gave her a burst of speed—she briefly took the lead for a split second…

But Wilm caught up in a single step—and passed her in the next.

Within about a hundred meters, Helios and Palmer—already pushing into overpace—also overtook her.

There’s a clear gap in specs between Classic and Senior-level Uma Musume. Against runners accelerating without limit, this outcome was inevitable.

Still, Souri Cross doesn’t give up.

She drives her body forward with everything she has, chasing them.

That stubborn will—that’s what it means to be an Uma Musume.

…Heh. She gets it.

That’s the breakaway group.

Next is Happy Meek.

She chose a late-charge strategy this time. Her “zone” is probably something like… guiding others into movements that follow her plan, triggered under clear-sky conditions.

Last year’s Arima Kinen had a gap in her control because Special Week broke through… and I barely managed to execute my plan through that opening.

…This time, I’ll probably have to create that opening myself.

I’ll have to win purely through the perfection of my plan.

And then, the other key factor.

The biggest unpredictable variable in this race—

Tokai Teio.

She’s… honestly, moving in an unexpected way.

No—wrong.

It’s not unexpected.

If anything, it’s completely expected.

The ideal race progression and positioning for a front runner.

She’s following it perfectly.

Of course I accounted for that. It was one of the first plans we made.

Yeah… it’s ideal.

…So ideal that even an ordinary Uma Musume like me can see it.

A boring, optimal solution.

"...What?"

Tokai Teio.

The other star I chase, besides Wilm.

Her running is the hardest to read.

Wilm, ever since solidifying her strength, chooses the optimal approach for herself—a pure physical contest.

That makes her easier to read, in a way.

…It’s also the hardest strategy for me to deal with.

As expected—or rather, annoyingly—Horino Trainer is our natural enemy. Even knowing we’ll try to outthink him, he still forces us into unwinnable fights.

But on the flip side…

Because I know she’ll choose strategies that are difficult for me, Wilm is somewhat predictable.

…Though if it came down to a true battle of wits, I can’t say I’d beat Horino Trainer.

In that sense, her abandoning mind games is almost a blessing.

The real issue lies beyond that—at the strategic level of winning the race as a whole—but setting that aside.

Wilm’s movements are readable.

So then—among everyone in this race, who’s the hardest to read?

The answer is Tokai Teio.

She’s a monster of pure talent.

She comes up with outrageous ideas I could never imagine.

That’s why—because of that—we prepared countless possibilities.

No matter how absurd her strategy, we’d be ready.

…And yet.

What is this?

This “normal” running that doesn’t feel like Tokai Teio at all?

—

I think.

I think, think, think.

Right now, Teio is running behind Unison Black.

What is she thinking?

Why choose this kind of run?

…No. That’s wrong.

What is she doing right now?

My vision wavers.

No—it’s not wavering. Recognize it properly. Think harder.

My vision is perfectly fine.

The problem is my mind—more precisely, my perception.

It’s not blurring…

It’s overlapping.

Déjà vu. A sense of familiarity. An unconscious recollection.

Her running. Her presence. Her atmosphere.

It overlaps with something.

That “cold” way of running.

"...!"

The moment I realize it, a harsh alarm rings through my brain.

This is bad.

A gut instinct—or maybe experience.

I frantically flip through the shelves in my mind, searching for the source of this familiarity.

Information. I need information. Right now—anything I can get about that run.

I’ve seen it before.

Not long ago, either.

That running. That presence. That cold, optimal solution—

"...It’s cold."

What I remember is—

My best friend, long ago.

With those horribly clouded eyes.

"...Huh?"

No way.

No—there’s no “no way”!

Of course she’d pull something monstrous like this!

Throw away common sense. Accept reality. Look at the most probable truth.

"—!!"

That girl—

She copied Wilm’s split-personality-like mental switch!!

And the moment I realized it—

It was just barely in time.

But… on the flip side—

It was close.

Still, I read it.

Plan change. Switching to 26-73, sub-route.

Don’t underestimate me, Tokai Teio.

Your genius—your brilliance—

I know it better than anyone!!

—

"The downhill of the second corner—this marks the halfway point of the race! With 1200 meters remaining, the breakaway group is finally starting to settle, showing a slight drop in pace! However, one runner alone—the mythical dragon—shows no sign of slowing down!

Meanwhile, at the front of the leading pack, Tokai Teio is aggressively closing the gap! In response, Mihono Bourbon and Unison Black also increase their pace, and the distance to the breakaway group is gradually shrinking!"

"It's easy to focus on the breakaway group, but looking only at the pace of the leading pack, it's about the same as usual—or even slightly slower. Hoshino Wilm, who normally leads the field, may have fallen out of their awareness after breaking away so early."

—

Focus.

On my body—bones and muscles, organs and joints, even the capillaries running through every inch of me.

Control everything exactly as I intend.

Tap—tap.

I subtly shift the rhythm of my steps.

I shorten my stride just slightly and increase my cadence.

I exhale a little heavier, a little longer—slowing my pace.

A series of tiny adjustments…

And yet, they have a massive effect on the other Uma Musume around me.

Click.

Like flipping a switch, the atmosphere of the pack changes.

…Though I’m probably the only one who notices.

—

…That was really close.

But the plan change made it in time.

A revised route—one where Tokai Teio accelerates mid-race.

That “model student” running she showed until now… it was all a façade.

Or rather—probably a second persona she created.

From here on, she’s going to start releasing the power she’s been holding back.

And honestly… I should be honored.

This is probably aimed at me.

She tried to disrupt my control of the race by moving in ways I couldn’t predict.

To be singled out like this by a genius…

Heh. A few months ago, I might’ve been happy about it.

Now?

"Don’t underestimate me."

There’s no such thing as an “unexpected situation” for the current Nice Nature.

My trainer and I thought through everything—again and again—until we covered every possible outcome.

No matter what kind of absurd move you pull, Teio… even if Hoshino Wilm runs like a goddess—

It’s all within our predictions.

So the real problem isn’t external.

It’s internal.

Whether I can actually trace the path to victory while running.

The path exists. I built it.

Now it’s about tracking the flow of the race, the intentions and actions of every Uma Musume, the direction of their running, the timing of their “zones”…

Managing all of that—constantly—

And choosing the correct path from among nearly a thousand possibilities.

And then…

Executing it perfectly with my body.

—

"…"

Stay calm.

Cold.

Precise.

Gather information from my surroundings, understand the current state, and pave the road ahead.

I’m not overwhelmingly strong.

My physical ability has finally reached G1 level…

But compared to Wilm’s monstrous specs, or Teio’s genius-level race sense—

This is just the bare minimum.

Only now do I stand on the same stage as them.

Nice Nature has no room for error.

One wasted thought, one wasted move—

And victory slips right through my fingers.

That’s why I can’t afford a single mistake.

I have to follow the predicted path perfectly—carefully, flawlessly.

Otherwise…

I can’t beat first- and second-rate stars.

…Teio. You understood that—and tried to trap me.

What a nasty deception.

You disguised it as the optimal solution, only to shatter everything with a sudden, abnormal move.

If I’d been even a moment slower to switch—

I would’ve lost control of the pack.

My win rate would’ve dropped to zero.

—

Raising the pace from the 1200-meter midpoint… it’s a bit surprising for Teio, who doesn’t excel in stamina.

…but of course.

She noticed.

That I’d been slowing the entire pack.

"…Yeah. Figures."

There’s no way anyone can keep up with Wilm’s pace.

No one in the Twinkle Series could.

So…

In this race, where the breakaway group has pulled far ahead—

Where it’s hard to gauge the distance to them—

I deliberately slowed the pack behind them.

I’m a late-runner.

I conserve energy early and mid-race, then overtake everyone at the end.

That’s why a slower early pace is ideal.

Not necessarily as slow as possible—but as slow as we can go while still being able to catch Wilm.

So yeah… I quietly dragged the pace down.

But of course—

There’s no way I could hide that from Teio.

She shattered my expectations and started accelerating.

Teio’s a front-runner.

Naturally, she’d go faster than me.

So this acceleration was within my predictions…

…but it’s also the worst-case scenario.

I grit my teeth.

This is bad.

Very, very bad.

Tokai Teio.

I have to fight her… one-on-one.

Teio pulls the pack forward.

I try to hold it at the current pace.

Twelve runners.

A tug-of-war using the entire pack.

I already have to fight Wilm…

And now her too?

Seriously… it’s probably just instinct for her, but she really knows how to hit where it hurts.

Nice Nature loses to Tokai Teio in talent.

Especially in improvisation—I can’t beat her.

If this tug-of-war started suddenly, I’d lose. No question.

…But I’m the schemer.

This development, this flow, this situation—

I predicted it all.

And of course—

I prepared for it.

—

I focus on the blood coursing through my body, filling every part of me with strength…

And step forward with everything I have.

My confidence.

My pride in my running.

That faint spark within me—

I polish it. Make it shine.

"—!!"

For this single instant—

I release a pressure… a brilliance—

Enough to stand beside her.

"The field charges down the backstretch carrying their dreams, the pack gradually stretching out vertically!

Mihono Bourbon sits a distant fifth, followed by Unison Black—and pressing them from behind is Tokai Teio! Just one length back comes Mejiro McQueen, another length to Rice Shower, half a length more to Ikuno Dictus, and then a further two lengths to Shall We Run!

Will they chase the breakaway group, or hold their own pace? Every runner is being forced to make a choice!"

—

This thing my trainer called “Starlight Homage.”

Put simply, it’s a bluff—a feint meant to apply pressure on the other runners and dull their movements.

But… everything depends on how you use it.

In moments like this, it becomes an unbelievably effective technique.

Tokai Teio is a star.

Calling her a second-rate star isn’t wrong. She shines with a presence second only to Hoshino Wilm.

That’s exactly why—when that star suddenly surges forward, everyone gets caught in her light and instinctively chases after her.

But… mine, even if only for a single instant, can shine brightly enough to stand beside her.

That brilliance won’t lose to Tokai Teio.

The Uma Musume who were about to be drawn forward hesitate for just a moment, startled by the pressure I release…

And that hesitation loops back around—bringing them to their senses.

Wilm and Teio may shine the brightest, but everyone here is a G1-level runner—girls who made it to the Arima Kinen.

Once that moment of confusion passes, they return to their optimal movements—their own styles of running.

Some of the front runners still choose to chase Teio. Mejiro McQueen-senpai, with her famed stamina, is a perfect example.

But… most of them don’t deviate from the pace I’ve shaped.

Their own pace—the pace they believe is theirs… the pace I made them believe in—holds steady.

The threads don’t snap.

All seventeen strings connected to my hands remain taut.

—

"...Phew…"

In the middle of my ragged breathing, I let out a small sigh.

At that moment—

Teio, running ahead, turns her awareness toward me…

And I can tell—

She smiles.

A bitter smile… yet somehow amused.

Feeling that, I cheer inwardly.

…Got you.

I got you, Tokai Teio.

Finally…

Even if I haven’t won the race yet, I’ve landed a blow!!

"Heh…!"

I swallow the sense of achievement and exhilaration rising within me, and keep running—fueled by the heat still surging inside.

Not yet. It’s not over. It can’t end yet.

Teio. Wilm.

The dazzling stars burned into my eyes—my beloved rivals.

Until I surpass you…

Until I truly become the protagonist of my own story—

These legs won’t stop!

—

"Now past the backstretch and into the third corner! The fearsome Hoshino Wilm still holds the lead! Daitaku Helios, Mejiro Palmer, and Souri Cross are gradually being reeled in by the field—but still, still Hoshino Wilm charges on without breaking her pace!!

A complete solo run! Absolute isolation! Will the myth of the Star Dragon carve its legend even into the Arima Kinen!?

Nakayama’s straight is short! If the runners behind don’t close the gap now, it’ll be too late! The pace surges all at once—this is the decisive moment!!"

—

I see it.

I have it.

My sharpened mind fully grasps the situation.

Pre-race expectations. Public perception. My rivals’ abilities. Their conditions. The weather. The track. Everyone’s intentions.

All those thread-thin fragments of information—

I gather them, weave them together, and construct a single, solid path to victory.

…And finally—

I see it.

Plan 26-73 Sub-8-28.

This wins.

Everything I know tells me so.

Hoshino Wilm—

I can beat her.

By the slightest margin… less than a nose.

No—

I will win!!

—

Perfect form.

Perfect composure.

Perfect pressure.

Perfect strategy.

I declare it.

There isn’t a single flaw in my run.

Without a doubt—

The optimal answer.

Right here, right now—

Nice Nature’s running has reached completion.

—

…And yet.

If even this version of me is defeated—

Then it can only be—

"...Ah… ha… haha…"

A page from a myth I don’t know.

A future I couldn’t even begin to predict.

Something that can only be described as—

An absolute star’s brilliance.

—

Suddenly—

It changes.

No—it’s overwritten.

The world I was seeing becomes something else entirely.

The turf of Nakayama Racecourse, the lanes, the stands—

Everything loses its color, fading into gray.

"Wha—!?"

This isn’t a “zone.”

At least—not a normal one.

A “zone” overlays itself on reality.

Like a layer—you can still see the real world beneath it if you try.

That’s what a zone is.

…But then—

What is this?

This scenery that feels like it’s invading reality itself?

This world, far denser than any zone…

What is it?

—

Far ahead of us—

"...Hah, hahahaha… hahahahahahaha!!"

A brilliance greater than the sun blazing in the sky—

A gray, radiant star—

Laughs.

—

This isn’t in any data.

This future wasn’t predicted.

Our plans—

Are crushed by that gray light.

—

…And yet.

That doesn’t mean Nice Nature has lost.

I’m not done yet.

—

"Damn it…!"

Ah, seriously… you’ve done it again, Wilm.

You always leap far beyond the limits of prediction—

Like a dragon slipping through my grasp and soaring into the sky.

That’s exactly why I admired you.

From here on… it’s a pure power battle, huh?

I have to clash with this world using my own strength?

…Haha. Yeah.

Honestly—

The despair is overwhelming.

Three years ago, this would’ve broken me completely.

I might’ve quit racing altogether.

—

But I’ll do it.

I’ll fight it!

"I won’t… lose…!!!"

There’s no resignation left in Nice Nature’s heart anymore.

And I’ll make you regret blowing it all away!!