Extra — We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle.

With a clatter—ka-thunk—we burst forward.

The Kikuka Sho. Three thousand meters. A long-haul race that lasts over three minutes, so I need to keep my head and stay calm.

…Because this is a race I can’t afford to lose.

"This time they’re off all together! Charging up the incline, and taking the early lead as expected is the first-magnitude star, Hoshino Wilm! She’s flying comfortably and already opening up a gap. Chasing her are the front-running Uma Musume—Against Gale, By Production, Holiday Hike. Can they keep up with this almost reckless breakaway?"

"The much-watched third-magnitude star Nice Nature is positioned toward the front today. Ahead of her is Rionatar, who finished third in the Japanese Derby and is currently running sixth. The third favorite, Heart Blow Up, is doing what she always does—looming from the rear!"

Good. My positioning isn’t bad… and someone’s gone on ahead. I tuck in behind Rionatar at the back of the lead pack, keeping my eyes on the front.

Leading the way—of course—is Hoshino Wilm. Her starts are on another level entirely, the kind you almost never see. No matter how much you scheme, stopping that doesn’t seem realistic.

…Which is why I had someone chase her.

Because I planted the idea earlier, one of the front-runners—Against Gale—has moved up to close the gap on Wilm. It’s an obviously excessive pace, one that ignores both the distance and the nature of this race. But for her, it’s a rational choice.

“…If you don’t take down Hoshino Wilm, front-runners don’t stand a chance.”

That’s the logic. First, clash with her. Grind down her stamina.

Of course, I’m sure Against Gale wants to win this race too. But… every Uma Musume of our generation knows it. Before “run your own fastest race,” there’s one absolute rule.

If you don’t get in front of Hoshino Wilm, you can’t take first.

That anxiety made her believe what I fed her:

“Battle Wilm for the lead early, wear her down, then fall back quickly to save stamina and win it late.”

As if a normal front-runner could pull off something that delicate.

…Apparently, this kind of tactic is called a “rabbit,” or so I heard from my Trainer. You disregard that Uma Musume’s own chances of winning and use her to set the pace or force a duel with the leader. Overseas, where team tactics are more common, they compare it to the rabbit used to make dogs chase.

A pretty tasteless term, honestly—but setting that aside.

I do feel bad about it. Even if it was to win the race, I used her like a disposable piece. I should apologize next time I see her.

…Though if I start counting, there are way too many Uma Musume I owe apologies to.

Now then—how does Wilm react to Against Gale…?

…She’s completely unfazed. Even with someone closing in right behind her, she ignores it as if she can’t even see her.

Well. I guess that makes sense.

There’s no dragon that gets distracted by a rabbit.

Wilm has almost certainly noticed Against Gale. Her awareness is probably auditory—unless you pull something as tricky as what Seiun Sky-senpai did in the Takarazuka Kinen, it’s impossible not to be noticed by Wilm.

Which means she’s aware of Against Gale and has decided she’s “not worth worrying about.”

No matter how the gap closes, how positions shift, or even if she’s overtaken, it has nothing to do with her own running or the final result.

It’s an extremely calm, ruthless judgment. She doesn’t waste consideration on anything unnecessary—doesn’t even allow it into her field of view.

And what that means is…

…I can’t force Wilm into overextending herself with pressure from behind anymore.

“…First move: failed.”

It was expected, in a way—but still, no effect at all. If she’d taken the bait here, things would’ve gotten much easier. Unfortunately, that won’t work on her anymore.

But don’t panic. I still have other plans, and I’ve brought myself here in peak condition.

This is the Kikuka Sho—three thousand meters, with Yodo’s slopes standing in the way. No matter how absurd Wilm’s endurance is, this isn’t a race you can win without managing your stamina.

…Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

"Entering the first corner and heading downhill! Leader Hoshino Wilm takes it beautifully—no loss of speed at all! She’s maintaining a very high pace and rapidly widening the gap to the rest!"

"In the Takarazuka Kinen, Hoshino Wilm abandoned the big breakaway, but today she’s back to her traditional style—stretching the field far, far apart. Normally you’d worry about whether she can sustain this, but at this point no one can doubt her unconventional approach!"

She doesn’t slow down. She charges down the steep descent, tilting her body to kill the centrifugal force.

…What are you thinking, Wilm?

The Kikuka Sho is longer than anything before it. You’re coming back after a break with no warm-up race, and you’re planning to go the whole way at this pace?

There’s no way Wilm is just getting carried away. But if she keeps this up and then kicks into a final sprint… even Wilm won’t last. In the final hundred meters or so, deceleration should be unavoidable.

So what is this…?

No—wait. I get it now.

Looking back through history, there have only been four cases where a front-running Uma Musume won the Kikuka Sho. Three of those are ancient records, so set them aside.

Three years ago—the Kikuka Sho wire-to-wire victory.

She might be using that same strategy again.

The front-runner who claimed a Kikuka Sho victory for the first time in decades.

Seiun Sky-senpai.

The plan was simple: blast away early, then gradually slow down in the middle—storing strength while the others don’t even realize the pace has dropped—and preserve stamina all the way to the finish for a clean escape.

That near-legendary win is what earned Seiun Sky-senpai the nickname “Trickster.”

The golden method for a front-runner in the Kikuka Sho. A perfectly executed strategic victory.

Given that, it almost feels natural—inevitable—that Wilm would try to use it.

…And yet, that’s exactly why I can’t shake this sense of unease.

Seiun Sky-senpai’s win was ideal—and because of that, there’s no way the field wouldn’t be wary of it. Everyone should have studied it inside and out.

A trick is only a trick because it has misdirection. Once you know how it works, it turns into a cheap parlor trick…

…a pointless plan that just wastes stamina and leads straight to defeat.

Would Wilm really use such an obvious, easily countered strategy?

What are Wilm—what is her camp—thinking…?

…No. Calm down. Don’t waver. Either way, this isn’t a bad development for me.

Perhaps because Wilm’s intentions are becoming visible, the other Uma Musume begin to raise the pace slightly. They can’t let her recover in the middle of the race—if they do, there truly will be no way to win.

So they try to keep the overall tempo high and deny her any rest.

But this still isn’t enough.

I focus.

Without being noticed—yet enough that she has to notice—I slam my feet into the ground, making my impact louder than usual. I raise my pace just a hair above the pack.

And I scatter what little imitation pressure I’ve learned, talentless though I may be.

Then, almost naturally, the pace of the pack begins to rise.

…The pace control I’ve practiced endlessly.

Thank goodness—it works even in a G1 race.

If Wilm is going to slow the pace without being noticed, then I’ll raise it without being noticed.

That way, I deny her any chance to rest… and more than anything, I close the distance between us.

"This puts the leader through the first 1,000 meters—time is… 59.8 seconds! That’s extremely fast, close to Seiun Sky’s 59.6! Are we seeing a mid-race breather strategy?"

"But the front-runners are clinging on, and the leading pack is still following the pace closely. Is there really any room to ease off?"

Hoshino Wilm isn’t a normal front-runner.

Her style is close to Silence Suzuka-senpai’s—but even more outrageous—something like blasting off alone and still finishing with a kick.

And so far, she’s never cracked using that approach. If anything, she might explode with acceleration in the latter half.

…To pass someone like that, no matter how brutal it feels, I have to stay glued to this murderous pace.

While steadily increasing the pack’s tempo, I stay tucked in behind Rionatar, cutting the wind and preserving stamina.

Anyone running honestly will probably fade in the second half at this speed.

I’m sorry—but for me to win, everyone else has to become collateral damage.

You don’t get to hold hands and win together when Hoshino Wilm is involved.

…I have to use everything I can, everything available to me, to surpass that star.

No matter what it takes, this race—absolutely—!

“……”

Calm down, Nice Nature.

Don’t burn too hot.

The Kikuka Sho is a long race. If I lose my composure, I’ll waste stamina for nothing.

Use the slipstream. Stay steady. Take the inside rail whenever possible.

If I fail to follow those three rules, the thin thread leading to victory will snap cleanly.

"Down the straight and into the second corner—this is where we enter the middle phase of the race. The field has stretched dramatically, about twenty lengths from front to back. Pulled along by Hoshino Wilm, the overall pace remains very fast."

"We’re finally approaching the 1,500-meter mark—halfway through the race. Do the runners have enough stamina left, and can those at the back still catch up?"

…Even though it’s only halfway, I can already feel the wear.

My legs are growing heavier. My breathing is slowly losing its rhythm.

Three thousand meters. Yodo’s slopes. The tension of a G1. And this relentless pace.

Everything is different from a normal official race.

A hellish situation where everyone is being shaved down.

…But I’ve trained for an entire year for this race.

Compared to the others, I should still be running relatively comfortably.

The sole exception among “the others” is Wilm.

She pays no attention to us behind her, maintaining her massive lead as if nothing has changed.

Ten… how many lengths is that? Twelve, maybe?

Don’t rush. It’s not time yet.

For now, I quietly raise the pack’s pace and keep my focus locked on Wilm.

The corner ends.

About 1,400 meters remaining.

…This is where the real fight begins.

Suddenly, Rionatar surges forward.

I cling tightly to her back and match the increase in leg turnover.

"Down the backstretch—Rionatar, followed closely by Nice Nature, pushes through the pack and rapidly closes the gap to the front! An early move—can they sustain it!?"

"Are they trying to shorten the distance before Yodo’s slope? But the leader is still far ahead! Sweet Cabin and Panpagrande are also increasing the pace!"

…I told Rionatar that if she didn’t make her move now, she’d have no chance at all.

Of course, there are still 1,400 meters left. Anyone can see that sprinting from here would burn through stamina far too quickly.

But… if you don’t run on this straight, then when do you run?

Yodo’s slope begins partway through it. A normal Uma Musume can’t launch a full sprint while climbing. And the slope ends just before the final corner—about 600 meters remaining.

That’s far too short a distance to close such a massive gap.

Do you really think Hoshino Wilm will slow down just because it’s a hill? That she won’t widen the lead even more? That you can pass her in 600 meters?

That she’ll fade?

Really? Hoshino Wilm?

…Are you sure it’s fine not to accelerate after the second corner?

Rionatar made her decision.

The resolve to surpass Hoshino Wilm—even if it means being used by me.

Don’t get me wrong—I didn’t lie to her. This truly is the best timing for Rionatar to move. Close the gap into striking range here, then maintain the distance until the final corner…

That’s her optimal solution.

…The problem is that some walls can’t be cleared, even with the optimal answer.

Sorry, Rionatar. This time too, you’ll be my wind-shielding shield.

In the Kikuka Sho, the textbook move is to strike from the final corner.

…but I don’t believe I can catch Wilm—my star—with something that slow and conventional.

So how do I catch her?

Against someone on a completely different level like Wilm, just running harder isn’t enough. To reach her… I have to use strengths she doesn’t possess.

…But most of my schemes won’t work on her.

She’s a runaway front-runner, impossible to trap in the pack. She stays calm throughout the race and never loses control. Trying to make her panic or hesitate might work—or might not.

Overall, any plan that directly interferes with her is unlikely to be decisive.

So what do I do instead…?

I use everything else.

Raise the pack’s pace so she never gets a moment’s rest. Use Rionatar on the inside as a shield to minimize my own stamina loss. Close the distance to a manageable range before the climb begins…

…and then use a strategy she would never choose.

It can’t be helped. It’s risky—and I really didn’t want to do it—but…

This is the only way I can win.

"Rionatar is flying! She’s closed the gap to just five lengths behind Hoshino Wilm as they start up the slope! Nice Nature follows right behind—are they planning to strike on the final straight!?"

"There are still more than 800 meters remaining in the race! Has she gone too hard? Even so, there’s nowhere left to ease off—will their stamina hold from here!?"

…Yes. From the outside, this looks exactly like overcooking it.

If you burn too much strength before climbing the hill, you’ll be forced to drop the pace all at once. That’s why, even if you push up your position, you’re not supposed to launch a full sprint just to close the gap.

But… if this is the only way to win—

Then I’ll take any hand I have to.

“Ghk…!”

This slope really is brutal.

Every step, every kick into the ground, I can feel my stamina being torn away. It’s fine… for a sprint, I should barely have enough left.

But it really is barely.

That’s why I can’t raise the pace any further on this climb. Right now, instead of reeling Wilm in… I just have to focus on holding this distance.

The gap between us is about five lengths.

Not something you can close easily.

And that’s against Hoshino Wilm.

It’d be nice if she slowed down—but she’s not kind enough for that.

…Which is why I have to do something reckless.

And the reason I’ve trained this hard… is to force that recklessness through.

At last, the end of Yodo’s slope comes into view.

"Leader Hoshino Wilm has finished the climb and enters the downhill—this is where the real battle begins—no!!"

This is it.

The instant the climb ends—this is the only moment.

Our relative positions, and the premonition of defeat, shake my soul.

Overlaying my vision of the turf, I see it.

A hopeless darkness. A world with no way out.

My… sealed-off limit lies there.

And then, a single ray of light splits it apart.

When I look up, there it is—a gray first-magnitude star.

A line of light stretches forward from beneath my feet.

…That’s right. That star.

That star will guide me.

The moment I pass it, I’ll finally obtain what I truly want.

So today.

Right here!

I’ll surpass that star!!

"Nice Nature makes her move! Nice Nature breaks the Kikuka Sho taboo and closes the gap to the leader!! But she doesn’t drift—she’s carving the inside line perfectly with superb cornering!!"

"She’s leaning at an angle where one slip could mean a fall! Is she aiming to catch the first-magnitude star on the downhill!?"

In an instant, I clear Rionatar’s back.

I run the shortest path, at the highest speed.

I can see the line—clear as day.

Close in all at once on the descent, pass her at the final corner, and then… hold on with whatever stamina I have left.

That’s the only path to victory left to me.

I can’t beat Hoshino Wilm on raw specs.

She’s someone who’s fought tooth and nail her whole life—there’s no way someone as half-baked as me could outdo her there.

So… I don’t win on specs. I win with a single, sharpened edge.

I’ve practiced this endlessly.

For this moment—downhill cornering.

On flat turf, I can’t beat Hoshino Wilm. Even if I match her temporarily, it’s not enough to erase a five-length gap.

That’s why I made Kyoto Racecourse’s terrain my ally.

That’s why I kept practicing this third corner—again and again—just to pass her!

Her back is getting closer.

That gray brilliance is almost within reach.

I can do this.

My legs still have something left.

Pass her here, then pour everything into the final straight and—run it out.

Win.

I’m going to win!

…At that moment, I was completely consumed by the heat surging up from within me.

And for just an instant, I forgot something.

That Hoshino Wilm…

Isn’t the kind of Uma Musume who stays in the same place.

“…I believed you would come, Nature.”

The words rain down from just ahead of me.

There’s no discomfort in her having noticed my presence. With my specs, there’s no way I could mask my footsteps at this speed anyway.

What does feel wrong… is that phrase—I believed you would come.

It means my actions, my plan—everything—was already within her expectations.

Which means…

I lost the battle of strategy.

To her camp.

An instant.

My world was carved away.

---

It was a familiar world.

Pitch-black. Hopeless.

A sealed void with no handholds, no footholds—bitingly cold, utterly empty.

But now, the heavens ignite with stars.

Beginning with a first-magnitude star shining in the distance, the empty world is repainted into a sea of starlight.

…And she reaches out toward the stars.

"I won’t hesitate anymore."

The icy shackles—the hesitation like creeping frost—everything melts away…

And amid the countless stars, she bursts forward as if flying.

Her stride now… can no longer be stopped by anyone.

"I’ll carry every dream with me… and win!!"

---

"So this is…!"

A Domain.
Hoshino Wilm’s world.

She has… already mastered it too!

With a sudden surge, Wilm pulls away from me.
Anyone who opens a Domain pushes beyond their normal limits.
And her running—already far outside common sense—is reborn once again.

This is bad.
At this rate… I can’t win!

"I won’t… I won’t lose either!!"

I pour every last ounce of strength into my kick against the ground.

I can’t beat Hoshino Wilm on raw specs.
I know that.

I don’t have the leeway to push the pace any higher.
I know that too!

If I lose in strategy and she uses her Domain, then I… can’t win.
That much is—

No. I don’t know, and I won’t accept it!!

"Hoshino Wilm and Nice Nature accelerate even further! Third-place Rionatar tries to cling on, but can she reach them!? As expected of a first-magnitude star and a third-magnitude star—are these two simply on another level!?"

"About 500 meters remaining, we’re approaching the final straight! The other Uma Musume are moving up, but can they keep up with this pace!? Has the murderous early tempo finally taken its toll!?"

Run!

Run, run, run!!

This is it!
If I’m going to surpass her—if I’m going to surpass that star—this is my only chance!!

I can’t lose. I won’t lose. Absolutely not—absolutely!!

Because surpassing that star is my…!

---

"No, Nature."

A voice calls out to me.

…Is this… Wilm’s voice?
But there’s no way I could hear her this clearly in the middle of a race—especially during a sprint.
More than that, there isn’t even a trace of fatigue in her voice.

…Then what is this voice?

"That won’t work, Nature."

The voice comes again.
Somehow distant—not reaching my ears, but resonating directly inside my head.

…Not my ears?
Does that mean… this isn’t reality?

That’s right—this isn’t happening on the turf of the real world.
It’s overlapping, coming from a Domain…
From Wilm’s Domain, clashing against my own, that voice is reaching me.

What… is this?

"Well, let’s set that aside for now. I’m surprised we connected like this too.
In any case—that won’t do, Nature."

Won’t do?
What won’t?

I want to beat you. Right here, in this Kikuka Sho—I want to win no matter what.
Is there something wrong with that?

"There’s nothing wrong with it. But it still won’t do.
I know this much—just wanting not to lose isn’t enough."

But I…
I want to beat you.
I don’t just want to look up at the stars—I want to grasp one.

"Ah—no, that’s not it. I’m not denying that.
…You can’t keep looking at me alone.
Please notice everyone who’s watching you."

Everyone… watching me?

"The one you should really be aiming for isn’t me.
Not a dull, gray star like this.
Remember… why you started running in the first place."

What are you… saying?
Wilm… do you know something about me?

"No, I don’t really know you yet, Nature.
But… I am an Uma Musume too.
And I know a little about Uma Musume."

About Uma Musume?
What does that—

"Why did you decide to run, Nature?
Why did you come to the central circuit—to the Twinkle Series?"

Why did I run?
That’s…

…Because I wanted to live up to everyone back home who believed in me.

Even someone like me had people who believed.
People who pushed me forward, saying, “Nature, you can make it in the central leagues too! Do your best!”

I wanted to live up to everyone’s expectations.

I wanted to show them—the me they believed in—winning.

…Yeah. I remember now, even this late.
That was the very first reason Nice Nature ever held.

I just wanted to become number one…
I wanted to make everyone’s dreams come true.

"We are probably all like that.
Creatures who are entrusted with someone else’s dream, and run while carrying it.
Creatures who are pushed forward by those dreams, who turn them into strength.
We may lose our way sometimes, but at our core, we’re the same.
You, me, every Uma Musume running in this race… all of us are running with dreams on our backs.
So—listen closely.
Listen to the voices of the people who entrusted their dreams to you."

Voices…?

But in this race, aren’t most people expecting Wilm to—

"That can’t be true.
Come on… listen carefully."

Told that, I focus… and listen.

I pick up the voices of people who are here.

"Go, Nature!! Go, Wilm too!! Run for it!!"

That was the voice of my blue-haired friend—the one I’d grown close to ever since that practice race we ran together.
Honest to a fault, secretly talented, and the Uma Musume who always looked like she was having the most fun running.
It felt less like she was cheering for me specifically… and more like she was cheering for every Uma Musume she knew.
…Still, that pure feeling pushed me forward just a little.

"Nature-senpaai!! Do your best—win!!"

That was the voice of a junior-class underclassman I’d met about half a year ago.
Cheerful and bright, yet more stoic than anyone—the kind of Uma Musume who energizes you just by being around her.
She didn’t use complicated words—she just wished for my victory.
…Her strong, straightforward feelings pushed me forward just a little.

"Nature, don’t give up!! You can do this!!"

That was the voice of a senior-class upperclassman I’d met through chance.
Usually expressionless and serious, yet surprisingly easygoing and kind.
She’s someone who values data and management above all else—yet right now, she was simply believing in me.
…That absolute trust pushed me forward just a little.

"Go—oooo!! Run—nnnn!!"

That was the voice of the sparkling, protagonist-like Uma Musume I’d always admired.
A little childish, a genius, and yet—just like me—an Uma Musume.
Unable to run right now, she entrusted her feelings not to anyone in particular, but to every Uma Musume on the track.
…That overheated cheer pushed me forward just a little.

They were there.

Uma Musume who believed in me were definitely there.

"And not just them.
You know it, don’t you, Nature?
The person who pushes you forward more than anyone else."

That would be…

"Neeeeeatureeeee!!"

…That voice.
It was the voice of the person who had always—always—believed in me.
The voice of the person who believed in someone like me, said it was love at first sight, and chose me as their charge.

"Go—ooooooo!!"

That voice… pushed me forward harder than anything else.

Everyone who believes in me is here.
And somewhere out there, even more people must be believing in me too.

So that’s why I…

…I see it now. I finally understand.
This is what Wilm wanted to tell me.

The thing I should be aiming for isn’t that gray back.

I wasn’t trying to surpass Wilm.

I wanted to become Nice Nature—the Uma Musume with the wonderful potential to live up to everyone’s expectations!

Flash.

A distant star takes on a golden glow.

I finally found it.

That’s where I’m truly meant to aim.
So dazzling I have to squint—my very own first-magnitude star.

"…So this is… Nature’s… true…"

Wilm.

Are you sure about this? Teaching me something like that.
…I’m really going to win now, you know?

"…Heh. That’s fine.
I learned this too—from others. This heat, this brilliance of the star.
Kindness received from others should be passed on to someone else."

No, that’s not it. That’s not some noble reason, is it?
We’re Uma Musume, aren’t we?
Racing girls who smash other people’s dreams for our own goals.
There’s no way this is ‘for someone else.’

"Oh dear—you caught me. …Yes, I do have a reason for wanting you to grow stronger, Nature."

A reason?
Why would you want your rival to be stronger?

"It’s simple.
I want to have a hot, exciting race.
I want you to become stronger and really come at me.
…Beating someone like that is far more fun, don’t you think?"

Haha… wow. What a ridiculous reason.
That confidence is unreal.

"…? No, I’m trying to make sure I won’t be that relaxed anymore."

Ah—yeah. Right.
You really are that kind of girl.

Fine. I get it.

…I’ll blow you away so hard you won’t have time to enjoy it!!

---

"Now we’re down to the final 400 meters—the home straight! A match race between the first-magnitude star and the third-magnitude star, with about a five-length gap back to third-place Rionatar!!"

"The gap between Hoshino Wilm and Nice Nature is barely a length—if that! Which one will surge ahead and make the big bloom at the finish!?"

As that strange conversation ends, my awareness returns to the turf.

…It’s fine. I can see the star I should be aiming for.
All that’s left is to run toward it.

"I’m going to win!!"

I can’t lose—no, I don’t want to lose!
For all the people who entrusted their dreams to me!
For the person who supported me every step of the way!!

I want to win—right here!!!

"Nice Nature surges forward in one decisive burst! Hoshino Wilm leans in and fires back, refusing to give an inch!
Nice Nature is right there now—side by side with Hoshino Wilm, with that first-magnitude star!!
This is the generation of stars! This is what it means for the strongest to stand together!!"

"Will the first-magnitude star leave an afterimage etched into history!?
Or will the third-magnitude star prove her extraordinary talent and overturn the hierarchy!?
Which one will claim this year’s Kikuka Sho!?"

The one who’s going to win… is me…!

I’ll make those entrusted dreams come true—no matter what!!

My Domain and Wilm’s grind against each other.
They may look similar, but they’re not the same.
From the shock of that collision, fragments of Wilm’s world carry her feelings to me.

"This is incredible… Nice Nature!!
That’s exactly why you’re my greatest rival…!!
Even so—the one who wins will be me!!"

…Yeah.
That’s right—we’re both Uma Musume.
Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to cross the finish line first.

So we pour everything we have into the race, bare our egos without restraint, clash head-on, and fight for supremacy in the dirtiest, most honest way possible…

And then—

"Both of them cross the line—now!!
Accelerating at the very last moment and pulling ahead is Hoshino Wilm!! She wins the Kikuka Sho by a length!!
After red blooms, a massive gray flower follows! With this, the second undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume is born—and the first front-running Triple Crown winner etches her name into history!!"

"At this point, there’s no room for debate!!
She is the first-magnitude star of her generation!!
The one who proved herself the strongest on the chrysanthemum stage is Hoshino Wilm!!!"

…That day, the one who won was her.

"Kh—haah, cough… damn it!"

No way… accelerating even more right there…?!
According to my plan, Wilm—who’d been pushing the pace from early to mid-race—should’ve faded at the end.
And yet she sped up instead…!

Where did it go wrong? Where did my read fail?
Was it there? That moment when she opened her Domain, when her running style seemed to shift just a little?
I thought it was just my imagination—but maybe she really did change something…?!

We were evenly matched.
I thought both of us were already at the limit of our stamina.
…And yet, in that very last instant, she slipped past me.

This was the closest I’ve ever come.
One more step. I was just one step short!
If just one more tactic had landed… or if I’d won that final mind game back then—!

"It’s so frustrating… so frustrating, it hurts!
I was this close to winning…!!"

One length.
Just over two meters.

…That short yet impossibly long distance was the gap between who I am now and who I want to be.

I turn my gaze toward Hoshino Wilm, standing amid the roaring applause.

Bathed in gray light, sweat glistening, Wilm thrusts her right fist into the air, proudly claiming her victory.

Boom.

An overwhelming cheer fills Kyoto Racecourse.

…She really is dazzling.

The gray star I once admired.
The strongest friend I’ve gained.
The undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume who reminded me of what truly matters.

No matter how hard I struggle, I’ll never be her.
Our foundations are different. Our running styles are different. I’ll never win a Triple Crown.

…Even so.

"I’ll do it—my own way—someday…"

I’ve been aiming for this place, but this isn’t the end.
Thankfully, I’ll have more chances—more races to run.
So someday… without fail.

I’ll become Nice Nature—the Uma Musume who carries everyone’s dreams and wins.