Chapter 25: I’ve Got No Plan or Anything

The Horino household is one of Japan’s most prestigious families when it comes to trainer bloodlines.

…At the same time, while undeniably distinguished, it cannot be called truly elite.

The reason is simple: the family has produced a great many failed training careers.

Relationships that fell apart. Trainees whose spirits shattered after losing their target races. Poor health management that led to accidents, forced retirements, and regret.

Well, that’s life. You never know what will happen, and failures are inevitable. In that sense, it can’t really be helped.

What matters isn’t grieving over past failures.

It’s learning from them—and applying those lessons tomorrow.

By understanding what kinds of failures can occur and eliminating their causes, at the very least, the same mistake shouldn’t happen again.

In that regard, Horino’s long history is extremely valuable.

The knowledge accumulated over generations surely wouldn’t go to waste.

…Oops. I got sidetracked.

Aside from the low training-failure rate I mentioned, there’s something else the Horino family lacks.

That is—

Victory in the Tokyo Yūshun. The Japanese Derby.

"First, let us celebrate the fact that your entry into the prestigious Tokyo Yūshun has been confirmed. Congratulations."

The voice coming from my smartphone was familiar.

Strict. Cold. Yet carrying the unmistakable warmth of family.

The man on the other end of the call—the very person who formed the foundation of my mask—

It was my father, the current head of the Horino family.

"Throughout our history, Horino has never produced a Derby-winning trainer. Therefore, you will change that history. Become Horino’s first Derby trainer and carve your name into the record."

Winning the Japanese Derby is extraordinarily difficult.

…No. Perhaps I should say it was extraordinarily difficult.

The Tokyo Yūshun—now bearing the subtitle “The Japanese Derby”—is exactly what its name implies: a battle to determine the finest Uma Musume on Japan’s central circuit.

Put simply, it is the ultimate stage.

Because of that, countless Uma Musume aim for it. In the past, there were even races with as many as thirty runners.

With that many participants, it goes without saying that some who could win simply wouldn’t.

Since all runners start evenly lined up, Uma Musume drawn to the outer gates would be pushed absurdly wide. Frankly, with thirty runners, drawing an outer gate was practically an automatic loss.

Even with today’s eighteen-runner format, predicting and controlling race development is difficult. With thirty, it crossed the line from “difficult” into “impossible.”

That’s why it was once called “the race won by the luckiest Uma Musume.”

More than raw ability, luck determined victory—drawing an inner gate and riding the flow of the race smoothly.

Of course, that’s all in the past.

The modern Japanese Derby, with its eighteen runners, demands balanced ability and adaptability to race conditions. It’s a race where true skill prevails.

Still, there really was a time when the Derby was closer to a game of chance.

And our unlucky family missed out every single time.

…Well, to be fair, the fact that we haven’t won a recent Derby just means we’ve been plain awful.

Still.

Dad really went with “you’ll change history,” huh.

Yeah… this feels like a trick question.

"I’ll do my best to support her.

…However, the reason we’ve come this far isn’t my ability, but purely Hoshino Wilm’s talent and aptitude. I’m not the one who will make her win—she’s the one who allows me to win."

I can’t afford to misunderstand this.

What I do amounts to research, instructions, strategy planning, and miscellaneous tasks. The one actually running—shedding sweat and tears—is Hoshino Wilm.

My contribution to victory doesn’t even reach ten percent.

I’m not going to win the Derby with Hoshino Wilm.

Hoshino Wilm will win—and grant me the title of Derby Trainer.

"…You haven’t changed. That is precisely the attitude a Horino trainer should have."

"Thank you."

I hadn’t expected such direct praise, and it left me a little embarrassed.

The way one ought to be…

I wonder if I’ve come even a little closer to the figure I once saw from behind, all those years ago.

"However, that is merely the ideal to strive for. Excessive humility can come across as sarcasm.

G1 races are not won by an Uma Musume’s ability alone. Without your efforts, she would not have refined herself this far.

Therefore, you should acknowledge yourself a bit more."

…Haha.

A wry smile slips out.

Even a trainer as accomplished as my father can misjudge things.

That’s not true.

It’s not that I have to be there.

Hoshino Wilm’s strength is genuinely exceptional.

…No. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say it was exceptional.

“App Reincarnation.”

Because I possess this ability, I can understand it.

She was overwhelmingly strong from the very beginning.

She became this strong through her own power alone.

That’s why—even without me—she would have risen to prominence soon enough and ended up with a far better trainer.

The fact that I’m her trainer is nothing more than coincidence.

That night, I happened to meet her again.

That coincidence alone became the thin thread connecting us—and it’s the only reason that connection still exists.

That’s all there is to it.

…Maybe this isn’t something I should say.

But fundamentally, a monster as strong as Hoshino Wilm doesn’t need a trainer.

If anything, a trainer is nothing more than a set of shackles holding her back.

She was strong—absurdly strong.

Even without any real strategy, she could win by a massive margin over second place without significant exhaustion.

She was the brightest star, shining high in the sky—one that should never have faded.

And yet…

Because of my inadequacy, that gap is closing.

From a massive lead to eight lengths.

From eight lengths to a length and a half.

Of course, the other Uma Musume are getting stronger—but we’re supposed to be growing even faster than they are.

…With my abilities, I’m not enough to guide her perfectly.

Because I fall short, Hoshino Wilm is being pushed into a corner.

If only I were a more capable trainer.

If only I gathered more data, conducted more thorough research, read race developments better, and gave the right instructions…

She should still be standing alone at the summit.

All I’ve really contributed is mental care, accident prevention, and strategy drafting.

…………In the end—

Being the trainer responsible for Hoshino Wilm was simply too much for me.

…Well, even if I said all this to Dad, he probably wouldn’t understand.

After all, I’m the only one who knows how strong Hoshino Wilm was from the very beginning.

She began winning on the central circuit starting with the selection races, immediately after I took her on.

From the outside, it probably looks like she transformed the moment I became her trainer.

Dad may be gruff, but he’s kind at heart. Even if I told him all this, he’d just insist it was my imagination.

So there’s no point in saying it.

I won’t tell anyone.

"No. I’m still nowhere near your level, Dad. I intend to keep working diligently so I can better support the Uma Musume."

"…Perhaps I made a mistake in how I raised you."

No—Dad’s education wasn’t wrong.

I just failed to fully absorb it.

Sorry for being such an incapable son.

I cast a brief glance at the desk drawer.

Inside it lie several documents.

Should I use them—or not?

I’ll find out at tomorrow’s Japanese Derby.

---

After ending the call, I once again look down at the large sheet of paper spread across my desk.

A bird’s-eye map of Tokyo Racecourse, filled with countless handwritten notes.

All right.

Let’s think this through again—the Japanese Derby tomorrow.

This is one of the few things I can still do for Hoshino Wilm.

The notable contenders this time are second favorite Tokai Teio, third favorite Rionatal, fourth favorite Sweet Cabin, and fifth favorite Cheer Rhythm.

Their strength aligns closely with the pre-race evaluations, and there doesn’t appear to be any real wildcard.

…However, for this race, I don’t need to consider the other Uma Musume.

I only need to watch one.

Tokai Teio.

That’s how far ahead she is.

She’s mastered her Domain. Her stats have risen. Her skills have sharpened.

And above all—

For the past week… unbelievably, Tokai Teio has maintained her awakened state.

Awakening.

A tentative name for a condition beyond peak form—one not even displayed in “App Reincarnation.”

Pushing oneself to the brink of collapse, then pouring everything into a single race…

A fleeting explosion, reached only by an Uma Musume whose body and mind have been honed to the extreme—sharpened to a needle’s point.

From my experience, and from Horino’s long history, it’s a state that should only last for one race.

…Or at least, it was supposed to.

And yet, Tokai Teio has maintained it for an entire week.

"…Are you calling it one last blaze of glory or something?"

It pisses me off—deep down.

As if fate itself is siding with her, saying, This is Tokai Teio at her peak.

That blazing brilliance, like a flame just before it goes out…

It feels like she’s burning her very life as an Uma Musume as fuel.

That’s what makes it so infuriating—and so hollow.

Don’t screw with me.

Teio isn’t going to break.

Even if her legs snap, her heart never will.

That girl will always stand back up.

So—

"…So calm down."

Damn it. My thoughts derail too easily.

Lately, my emotions just won’t settle.

Is it because I’m panicking over how cornered Hoshino Wilm is?

Or because Bourbon’s reverse scouting offer gave me an excuse I shouldn’t have had?

Or maybe—

…Haah. Damn it.

That’s why I told myself not to think about unnecessary things.

I’ve done what I can about Teio’s legs.

I warned her trainer about the risks, arranged for a stretcher and medical staff to be standing by, and told them to pay special attention to the most suspicious areas—the hock joint and the third tarsal bone.

But in the end, that’s nothing more than my own ego.

It’s not something her trainer should be worrying about right now.

"Switch gears. Right now, I’m Hoshino Wilm’s trainer."

What I should be thinking about isn’t Teio’s safety.

It’s how to ensure Hoshino Wilm wins.

So—how will she come at us?

Tomorrow, how will Tokai Teio race?

If we fight her head-on… our odds are probably ten, maybe twenty percent at best.

I learned just how terrifying the combination of Awakening and Domain is from Nature the other day.

Even though Hoshino Wilm is fundamentally stronger, with the right strategy, Teio could close that gap.

Which means we need a plan to neutralize Tokai Teio.

…But compared to Nice Nature—who always comes at you with the optimal solution—Teio’s tactics are much harder to read.

Maybe I should start by organizing our own conditions for victory.

As a baseline, Hoshino Wilm is a front-running Uma Musume built for long distances, with exceptional stamina.

Given that, there’s only one orthodox way to win the Derby.

The same running style as last year’s winner, Ines Fujin.

She pulls away from the pack early, conserves stamina while maintaining the lead through the middle stretch, then holds her speed to escape in the closing phase.

Easy to say—but executing it requires an extraordinarily high-difficulty race development.

Muscling through the early uphill with sheer grit. Saving her legs while maintaining a lead so far ahead that distance sense begins to blur. Then fending everyone off down that excessively long final straight—

It’s a feat only a true champion can pull off.

One with speed, stamina, power, guts, and intelligence, all perfectly balanced.

That’s precisely why Ines Fujin shattered the Derby record and earned such praise.

Hoshino Wilm has reached the level where she can pull off that kind of front-running escape.

Which is why—if we choose the orthodox path—we should follow that very running style.

…And that is exactly what Tokai Teio’s camp will assume Hoshino Wilm’s trainer is thinking.

Teio’s trainer is a veteran—formerly on the Emperor’s staff—and shrewd to the core.

There’s no way my shallow thinking won’t be read.

So then, how will they come at us?

How will they try to break this orthodox approach?

Tokai Teio doesn’t possess skills that directly interfere with others. She can’t box Hoshino Wilm in by using another Uma Musume.

Then will Teio herself apply pressure to Wilm?

…No. Her aptitude for front-running is D. If she presses Hoshino Wilm too closely, she’ll disrupt her own pace and burn through her stamina.

Tokai Teio’s forte—seizing the lead around the final corner as a pace-setter—is difficult to execute on this course, with its excessively long home straight.

So will she make her move within the final straight? Simply rely on her finishing kick and try to close the gap head-on?

No. That won’t work.

As Nature proved the other day, Hoshino Wilm isn’t someone you can beat without scheming.

Fundamentally, Hoshino Wilm is an Uma Musume who’s extremely hard to defeat.

If you try to match her pace, her overwhelming tempo drains your stamina, leaving you without legs for the final spurt.

But if you ignore her and run your own race, the gap grows so large that you can’t close it in time.

The greatest threat to Hoshino Wilm is a race-maker like Nice Nature—someone who preserves their own stamina while steadily shaving away at ours.

Looked at another way, that gives Wilm a relative advantage against a type like Tokai Teio, who relies primarily on raw specs.

"Then how do you run? How do you steal the win…?"

If we fight cleanly, our win rate is eighty—maybe ninety percent.

Not a guaranteed hundred.

Which means that if we fall into a trap, that win rate plummets.

I have to outread them.

That monstrous trainer who supported the Emperor and raised an Empress.

I need to see through their scheme—and then go one step beyond it.

Otherwise—

I’m not worthy of being Hoshino Wilm’s trainer.

"How does Tokai Teio beat Hoshino Wilm…?

From Teio’s perspective, what’s the greatest threat…?

What’s the biggest reason she can’t win…?

What would need to change for her to win…?

How can she drag Hoshino Wilm down…?"

…I don’t know.

What Teio’s camp is thinking.

How they plan to strike.

"What are you aiming for… Tokai Teio…?"

In the end—

Until the very moment the Derby began, I never found the answer.

---

"Now then—once again, this day has arrived: the Tokyo Yūshun, the Japanese Derby.

This race, where classic-class Uma Musume compete for supremacy, will be run at Tokyo Racecourse, left-handed turf, 2,400 meters."

"Out of the eighteen strongest contenders gathered from across the nation, only one will earn the honor of becoming the Derby Uma Musume.

In this race said to be won by the luckiest runner, who will the Three Goddesses smile upon?"

"Despite the rain, even more spectators than last year have flooded into Tokyo Racecourse, all eager to witness the birth of a new Derby Uma Musume.

The track condition has been announced as Heavy. Let us pray that every Uma Musume finishes safely, without incident."

Raindrops burst against umbrellas with a steady patter.

It’s not quite like someone dumped a bucket over the sky—but it’s coming down hard.

Today’s race may unfold differently from the usual.

"…Heavy track, huh."

So far, the worst condition Hoshino Wilm has ever raced on in official competition is Soft.

Modern turf drains well, so track conditions rarely deteriorate too severely.

In the past, rain could turn courses into a Sloppy mess, but these days, even heavy rainfall often stops at Soft.

Which means this will be her first official race under conditions this bad.

When the track deteriorates—in other words, when the turf becomes waterlogged and churned into mud—the ground is harder to push off from, and the grass becomes slick.

As a result, races demand higher-than-usual levels of power, to drive through the ground, and stamina, to keep running while expending that power.

Naturally, the overall pace drops.

More accurately—if you don’t slow down, you won’t even finish.

A pure speedster—well, someone like that wouldn’t qualify for the Derby in the first place, but if they did—their lack of power would blunt their speed, their stamina would drain away, and they could plummet down the standings all at once.

Bad ground requires more caution than usual and makes timing your move far more difficult.

"Now, let us introduce the third favorite.

Fulfilling her mother’s long-cherished dream, she strides proudly into the Japanese Derby—Gate 6, Number 11, Rionatal!"

"She has fought her way up as a front-runner since debut, but in the Aoba Sho, she showed a terrifying finishing kick despite a major stumble at the start.

Will she run near the front again today, or come from behind? All eyes are on this tricky contender."

There’s one more defining feature of today’s race.

With days of rain, compounded by earlier races, the turf at Tokyo Racecourse is in poor condition.

And under these circumstances, there’s only one lane that’s relatively easy to run.

The Green Belt.

It’s obvious—but when Uma Musume kick off the turf, they tear into the ground.

…Okay, “obvious” might be underselling it. It’s actually kind of terrifying.

Uma Musume really do have that much power.

When the same course is run over and over, the grass peels away, churns up, and eventually turns into bare dirt.

The grounds crew maintains it carefully—but on days like today, sometimes they simply can’t keep up.

If the turf were torn up so badly during the prestigious Derby that it effectively became dirt, it wouldn’t even be a laughing matter.

That’s why, at Tokyo Racecourse, some time before the Derby, they shift the inner rail—the fence marking the inside of the course—outward by about one meter.

They then return it to its original position right before the Derby, once the shifted section of turf has fully recovered.

As a result—

It’s hard to see in the rain right now, but a lane roughly one meter wide appears along the inside course, where the grass is in better condition than anywhere else.

That’s what’s known as the Green Belt.

Naturally, for Uma Musume without dirt aptitude, the Green Belt is vastly easier to run on than the chewed-up outer lanes.

Which means that in this race, how well you weave through the pack and claim the inside line will determine how much leg you have left in the final stretch.

And in that regard, Hoshino Wilm has the advantage.

After all, she’s the only runaway front-runner in this race.

She doesn’t have to fight anyone for position and can cruise along the Green Belt at her leisure.

Of course, I told her about this beforehand.

She’s sharp enough that she’ll surely choose the lane with the best footing.

"Second favorite—no surprises here.

Burning with revenge after the Satsuki Sho, the Emperor herself—Gate 8, Number 18, Tokai Teio!"

"She tasted defeat for the first time in the Satsuki Sho and appears to have grown from the experience.

With that supple body and long-stride running style, can she overtake the fastest serpent?"

Teio is—

Just as expected, she’s in an awakened state.

Her body is taut with barely contained tension, yet at the same time, she possesses a calm, unfathomable depth.

Right now, she’s probably in the most perfectly tuned condition she’s had throughout this entire week of awakening.

There’s no doubt—she’s going to make a move.

Still.

A heavy track.

The Green Belt in play.

And she draws the far outside at Gate 18.

Between this and the Satsuki Sho, the Three Goddesses really don’t seem inclined to smile on her.

…But Tokai Teio is the kind of Uma Musume who shrugs off bad luck like that.

I can’t afford to let my guard down.

"There’s only one possible first favorite!

The ‘fastest’ serpent, still unbeaten, the Satsuki Sho winner—Gate 5, Number 9, Hoshino Wilm!"

"Will her otherworldly runaway, said to shatter races themselves, make another appearance?

With two more steps toward an undefeated Triple Crown, will she become the next Derby front-runner following last year’s Ines Fujin?"

Hoshino Wilm is—

Yeah. Just like always.

She’s repeating her stretches with her usual expressionless face—however.

A low roar ripples through the stands.

No surprise there. Right before our eyes, we’re seeing the exact same scene we witnessed a month ago.

…Tokai Teio walks over to the isolated Hoshino Wilm.

Back then, she’d been brushed off coldly, leaving Teio stamping her feet in frustration.

But today, Hoshino Wilm stops stretching and faces her head-on.

What kind of exchange passed between them is something only the two of them know.

But from where we’re standing, there’s one thing we can say for certain.

Hoshino Wilm takes Tokai Teio’s outstretched hand—and clasps it in return.

At that moment, the ash-gray serpent acknowledges the Emperor as her enemy.

---

"All right, all eighteen Uma Musume are loaded into the gates. Preparations are complete."

The Uma Musume line up inside the gates.

Even among them, the two radiating the greatest pressure are, unsurprisingly, Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio.

The prevailing rumor is that this Derby will come down to a showdown between those two.

And because of that, anyone aiming to win has no choice but to be conscious of them.

That awareness alone is placing immense tension on the entire field.

Tokai Teio shines with a presence like the sun—brighter than ever before.

In contrast, Hoshino Wilm is utterly silent, yet focusing on her feels like being frozen solid by cold.

To think they have to outfight both of them…

Just how much stress does that impose?

"And they’re off!"

Concentration activates cleanly, and Hoshino Wilm launches into a superb start dash.

And then, just a beat later—

No, almost simultaneously—Tokai Teio surges forward as well!

In a pure, one-shot start without relying on skills—this timing!?

Learning a skill, in the end, means being able to use a technique without consciously thinking about it.

Once you’ve mastered Concentration, barring overexcitement, you can always secure a flawless start.

But a good start isn’t impossible even without learning it as a skill, so long as you focus properly.

Which means this: even without mastering a skill, you can temporarily reproduce a skill-like effect.

For example, if I tell Hoshino Wilm, “Take a breather on the back straight,” she might be able to pull off something akin to “Straight Recovery” during that race.

But a tactic you haven’t trained for won’t necessarily work in an actual race situation. And even if you pile on instructions, most of them will slip her mind. At best, she’d remember one or two.

Reaching the point where you can use something unconsciously—that’s what it truly means to master a skill.

So Tokai Teio getting a good start doesn’t surprise me.

She judged that this start was necessary and focused her will accordingly.

…That is, if it were just a good start.

Skills have tiers—upper and lower.

Just like how “Concentration,” which guarantees an exceptional start, sits above plain “Focus,” which merely provides a good one.

And when it comes to reproducing skills through instructions alone, you can only manage the lower-tier versions.

Upper-tier skills can’t be replicated—not even by Hoshino Wilm, who possesses Keen Insight ○.

That was my conclusion.

And yet—

Tokai Teio, running without a shred of composure on her face, bursts forward almost simultaneously with Hoshino Wilm, who had activated Concentration.

As if to declare that this, and nothing else, is her true power.

In a race as prestigious as the Derby, if the turf were to get so badly chewed up that it effectively turned into dirt, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter.

That’s why, at Tokyo Racecourse, some time before the Derby, the inner rail—the fence marking the inside boundary of the course—is shifted outward by about one meter.

Then, just before the Derby, once the grass in that shifted area has fully recovered, the rail is moved back to its original position.

As a result… even though it’s hard to see clearly in the rain right now, a lane roughly one meter wide appears along the inside, where the turf is in noticeably better condition than elsewhere.

This is what’s known as the “green belt.”

Naturally, for Uma Musume without dirt-track aptitude, the green belt is far easier to run on than the torn-up outer lanes.

Which means that in this race, how well you can weave through the pack and attack the inside will determine how much kick you have left for the final stretch.

And in that regard, Hoshino Wilm holds a clear advantage.

After all, she’s the only front-runner in this race who plans to break away completely.

She doesn’t have to fight anyone for position—she can cruise along the green belt at her leisure.

Of course, this was explained to her beforehand.

She’s quick on the uptake, so she should choose the best-conditioned lane without fail.

『The second favorite is, as expected, this girl. The Emperor burning for revenge after Satsuki—Tokai Teio, gate 18 in frame 8!』

『She tasted defeat for the first time in the Satsuki Sho and appears to have grown from the experience. With that supple body and her long-stride running style, can she cut past the fastest serpent?』

Teio is… just as expected, in an awakened state.

She carries razor-thin tension stretched to its absolute limit, yet at the same time there’s a calm, unfathomable depth to her.

Right now, she’s probably in the most “complete” condition she’s achieved throughout this entire week of awakening.

There’s no doubt—she’s going to make her move.

But on a heavy track, with the green belt in play, she’s drawn all the way out in gate 18.

Just like in the Satsuki Sho, the Three Goddesses don’t seem inclined to smile on her.

…And yet, Tokai Teio is exactly the kind of Uma Musume who blows away even that sort of bad luck.

I can’t afford to let my guard down.

『There can be no other choice for the favorite! The ash-covered “fastest” serpent, undefeated Satsuki Sho champion—Hoshino Wilm, gate 9 in frame 5!』

『That otherworldly, race-breaking long escape everyone talks about—will it appear again today? With two races left toward an undefeated Triple Crown, will we see another Derby front-runner following last year’s Agnes Fujin?』

Hoshino Wilm is… yeah, she’s the same as ever.

Wearing her usual blank expression, she calmly repeats her stretches—when—

“Ooooh!”

The stands erupt in a wave of excitement.

And it’s no surprise. Right before our eyes is the very same scene we witnessed a month ago.

…Tokai Teio walks over to speak to the isolated Hoshino Wilm.

Back then, she’d been brushed off without a second thought, leaving Teio stomping in frustration.

But today, Hoshino Wilm stops stretching and turns to face her head-on.

What kind of conversation passed between them is something only the two of them will ever know.

But from where we’re standing, there’s one thing we can say for certain.

Hoshino Wilm reaches out and takes the hand Tokai Teio offers.

In that moment, the gray serpent acknowledges the Emperor as a true rival.

---

『All right! All eighteen Uma Musume are loaded into the gates. We’re ready to start!』

The Uma Musume line up inside the gates.

Even among them, the two radiating overwhelming presence are, without question, Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio.

Word has it everywhere that this Derby will come down to a showdown between those two.

Which means that to win this race, everyone has no choice but to keep their eyes on them.

And that fact alone is placing tremendous pressure on the field.

Tokai Teio shines like the sun, her presence more commanding than anything we’ve seen before.

In contrast, Hoshino Wilm is utterly silent—yet if you focus on her, it feels like you might freeze solid from the cold she gives off.

To think they have to outduel both of them… just how much stress must that put on the others?

『And they’re off!』

Concentration activates cleanly, and Hoshino Wilm bursts out with a phenomenal start.

And then, just a fraction later—

No, at almost the exact same moment, Tokai Teio launches as well!

In a pure one-shot contest like this, without relying on learned skills or ingrained habits, she still gets that kind of start…!?

To learn a skill, in the end, means being able to use a technique without consciously thinking about it.

That’s why once you’ve mastered Concentration, you can reliably get a perfect start every time—so long as you don’t psych yourself out.

But a good start isn’t something you absolutely have to learn as a skill. If you focus properly, it’s not impossible even without one.

Which means that even without mastering a skill, you can use it in a sort of pseudo form.

For example, if I tell Hoshino Wilm, “Save your breath on the back straight,” she might be able to pull off something like Straight Recovery in that race.

But a tactic you haven’t practiced is difficult to execute perfectly in the flow of a race, and if you try to juggle too many, most will slip your mind. At best, you can manage one or two.

Bringing something to the point where you can use it unconsciously—that’s what it means to truly master a skill.

So even if Tokai Teio gets a great start, I wouldn’t normally be surprised.

It just means she judged that this start was necessary and focused hard enough to make it happen.

…If it were only a good start.

Skills come in lower and upper tiers.

Just as Concentration, which guarantees an exceptional start, sits above simple Focus, which merely gives a good one.

And the limit of what a trainer can reproduce through instructions lies in the lower-tier skills.

Upper-tier skills can’t be reproduced—not even by Hoshino Wilm, who possesses Keen Insight ○.

That was the conclusion I had reached.

And yet, right now, Tokai Teio—running without a shred of composure on her face—

Bursts out of the gates almost simultaneously with Hoshino Wilm, who had activated Concentration.

As if to declare that this was her true power.

『A brilliant start from Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio! The rest of the field now cuts toward the inside!』

『As usual, Hoshino Wilm takes the lead, with Aqua River declaring an escape a short distance back, and Holiday Hike moving up as well!』

“Damn it…”

If she can reproduce upper-tier skills, the range of options available to Tokai Teio expands dramatically.

She could pressure the field into surging forward—or even directly intimidate Hoshino Wilm.

So how will you come, Tokai Teio, bearer of the Emperor’s Scepter?

Facing the fastest of them all, what’s your move?

『The Uma Musume kick up rainwater as they enter the first corner!』

『Tokai Teio is running in fifth—one, two, three, four, fifth on the inside—as she takes the first turn. She’s clearly watching how the race unfolds!』

…What?

What is this? What’s going on?

Why isn’t she making a move, Tokai Teio?

Early on, before the gap to Hoshino Wilm opens, there shouldn’t be a better moment than this.

If you don’t check her here, she’ll dictate the pace.

And once that happens, whether you follow it or fight it, the race should become brutal for Tokai Teio.

Don’t tell me she hasn’t thought that far ahead…?

No, that can’t be it.

She’s a genius—the Emperor’s Scepter. This has to be a move planned several steps ahead.

Then why do nothing?

Is there another plan?

Is there another moment in this race to use her skills?

…No. No, there shouldn’t be.

The only chance to strike at Hoshino Wilm is right here, right now.

Before my eyes, a gray shimmer pulls away from the pack.

On a corner—at a speed you wouldn’t believe possible on a heavy track.

…Six lengths. At this point, it’s not something you can easily challenge anymore.

What is this…? Think. What’s the goal?

What are they aiming for? What does Tokai Teio want to do?

What does she… want to do?

…Wait.

Don’t tell me. That would be insane.

『Leading the field is Satsuki Sho champion Hoshino Wilm, followed by Aqua River about seven lengths back, with Holiday Hike in third. Charging wide is Against Gale. Two lengths behind them, Tokai Teio runs in fifth as they enter the back straight!』

She’s not making a move.

Tokai Teio isn’t making any move at all.

But with Race Planner in her arsenal, she won’t misjudge—

The plan for this race.

Or perhaps… her own way of running.

It’s not that she’s choosing not to make a move.

It’s that she doesn’t have the leeway to make one.

If she intends to pour every last resource into what she truly wants to do—

…Maybe I really am still an immature trainer.

Why didn’t I see through their plan?

When it’s so close to the ideal I hold.

For a trainer, making an Uma Musume win comes second.

What truly matters—what we should aim for—is…

To stand beside their hearts.

To give them the chance to fulfill what they truly desire.

What she truly wants is—

What Tokai Teio truly wants isn’t “just to win”!

“Are you really going to surpass her fair and square, Tokai Teio?!

Are you going to cut past a full-power Hoshino Wilm with nothing but your own strength?!”

To surpass Hoshino Wilm with her own running—

And reclaim the “fastest” title that was taken from her, by winning so perfectly that there’s no room for excuses.

That was the Emperor’s challenge.

A battle fought by a single Uma Musume, eyes fixed on what she truly needed to overcome.