Chapter 118: Strategy Meeting Against the Genius Stayer (Impossible Game)

"Ah, Apollo-chan!? What happened to your cheek!?"

"I fell—hard."

"Y-You fell...? How does a fall cause that kind of swelling!?"

"I really fell hard. Word is, there are monsters in the Chantilly forest."

"I-I see..."

I was humming a tune, feeling pretty cheerful as I ate breakfast with El-chan. I’d noticed it on the way back from our walk—my cheek, where Chief had smacked me, had swollen up quite noticeably. Just like El-chan pointed out, most people in the dining hall had gone wide-eyed when they saw my face.

Looking at it in the internal camera, it was just short of bruising. Like I told Chief, I had zero intention of tattling to the student council or the teachers, but people who see me are bound to wonder what happened. …At the very least, I should probably explain it to Tomio. As long as I tell him the real reason, he shouldn’t overreact. Probably.

"You should go to the nurse's office..."

"I'm fine, really!"

"Even your eye's swollen."

"That's... well... I kinda cried a little."

"It hurt that much!? Come on, we have to get you to the nurse!"

"Okay, okay! I’ll go after I finish eating!"

"Good! Please do!"

So after parting ways with El-chan, I headed straight for the trainer’s office. If the school nurse saw the bruise on my cheek, it’d be obvious I’d been hit with Uma Musume strength. That would be a disaster. No choice but to rely on Tomio.

After all, it was a pretty solid hit. It wasn’t a full-force punch—more like a reflex slap—but it still left a mark.

Since today was technically my day off, I hadn’t planned on visiting the trainer’s office. Then again, I usually end up hanging out there whenever I’ve got free time. I sent a quick message first to let him know I was coming, then knocked on the door.

Tomio had already replied, "You can come in anytime," so I didn't bother waiting for a response. I opened the door without hesitation. He was sipping coffee in front of his PC and greeted me with a smile and a "Good morning," but his expression shifted the moment he saw my face.

He stood up and crouched slightly in front of me, gently touching my cheek.

With the softest voice, he asked, “What happened?”

"Chief gave me a dose of fighting spirit. With her fist."

"...Huh?"

I explained the whole thing—how Chief’s words had moved me, how I ended up saying something disrespectful about the other competing Uma Musume in the heat of the moment, and how that led to Chief slapping me. I made sure to emphasize it wasn’t her fault. Maybe that helped, because Tomio reluctantly backed off. Or maybe it was because, despite how it looked, the injury wasn’t actually that bad.

"I'm just glad the bruise—and your whole mood after the mock race—didn't turn into anything worse."

"……"

"Based on how you looked yesterday, I was worried you’d keep spiraling until the real thing. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how to help you bounce back... Good thing it was a false alarm. Anyway, hold still—I’m putting on a cold patch."

"That's cold!"

"Don’t move."

"But it’s—"

"No complaints. I’ve been really worried about you... I'm just relieved, honestly."

After he stuck the patch on my cheek, Tomio gently patted my head like he was truly relieved from the bottom of his heart. It struck me as pretty out of character for him.

"You really care about me that much?"

"Yeah."

I had asked half-jokingly, half-curiously—but his reply came instantly and with force. His tone was so firm it caught me off guard, and I found myself at a loss for words. It reminded me again: my body isn’t just mine anymore.

"Oh, right. Something arrived for you from Japan this morning."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Well... six cardboard boxes showed up. Any idea what's in them?"

"Six boxes...!? Ah!"

A shipment from Japan. A whole lot of cardboard boxes. It could only mean one thing: the carrot delivery and support banner the gals promised had finally arrived.

I looked around for the boxes and found them stacked next to the desk. I grabbed a box cutter and sliced open the tape right away.

Just like they’d promised, it was packed with carrots. In one of the lighter boxes, wrapped with care, was the support banner.

"Whoa, they really went all in… Is this the banner?"

"Yep! Looks like City-senpai led the charge on making it!"

The fabric was huge, so I had Tomio help me unfold it slowly. The red sun of Japan stood boldly in the middle, along with the massive characters for “Victory.” Beneath that, the message: To the mightiest stayer—Victory to Apollo Rainbow! And the remaining space was jam-packed with handwritten messages of support.

From the gals: Helios-san, Palmer-san, Jordan-san, and City-san. From Maruzensky-san, who's always looked out for me since junior class. From the Symboli duo—Chairman Rudolf and Sirius-san. From Team Spica: Teio-san, Gold ship-chan, Vodka-chan, and Scarlet-chan. From McQueen-san and Trainer Amami. And Bakushin O, who taught me that fiery sprinting spirit and technique. Even Takion-san, who rarely sends these kinds of things, had left a note. Each one in their own handwriting, filled with their own heartfelt thoughts.

In an era where everything’s gone digital, that handwritten warmth really hit me deep.

"Wow...! This is amazing, I’m seriously so happy!"

"That’s some all-star support lineup right there..."

Grabbing Tomio’s hands, I jumped for joy. I almost opened the group chat to start a call, but remembered it was around 3 or 4 a.m. in Japan and hesitated. Still, I wanted to say thanks, so I sent everyone a short message. I’ll thank them properly when I go back to Japan, but the quickest way to repay them might be to win the Gold Cup.

"...Apollo."

"Mm? What’s up?"

"No, I was just thinking how yesterday’s gloom feels like a lie now."

"Losing was definitely a shock! But I’ve decided not to mope over it anymore!"

"…I see. I’m sorry your trainer couldn’t do anything for you."

"No, Tomio, you support me in other ways!"

"Well, I’m glad then…"

Tomio, after a relieved sigh, suggested we hang the support banner on the wall. It would brighten up the room and massively boost my motivation. I was all for it—displaying the banner somewhere visible was a great idea. I put it up on the shelf above the Yorkshire Cup trophy and took a quick photo to post on Umasta.

Despite it being super early in the morning, the fans’ response was great—lots of cheering comments. My excitement shot through the roof. With just two weeks left until the Gold Cup, I could feel the passion steadily building up inside me.

"The Yorkshire Cup trophy and the support banner—if we decorated the trainer’s room with them back there, it would be a stunning view."

"Haha. But Apollo, when we head back, we’ll need to take home the Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup trophies too."

"……! Yeah!"

Tomio believes in me too. Wagging my tail energetically as I responded, I hugged his neck. He let out an involuntary "Ugh" sound and looked down, clearly flustered.

"Tomio, what’s wrong?"

"I-I have to get some work done, so… could you let go?"

"But it’s your day off, right? I won’t get in your way, so isn’t it fine like this?"

"N-No, it’s not fine… for various reasons…!"

"Eeh~"

When Tomio tried to peel me off, I just tightened my grip with a mischievous grin. “I’ve gotten a lot stronger since junior class, don’t you think?” I whispered in his ear, enjoying his panicked reaction. Maybe this is what it means to recharge—just being close to him fills me with energy.

I really am hopelessly in love with this man, huh? Am I overly possessive? I became sure of it during the Yorkshire Cup… and maybe I’m the clingy type? No, I’m definitely super clingy… Like, I get in a bad mood just seeing Tomio talk to other girls, but talking with him lifts my spirits instantly…

…When should I tell him how I feel? After the Gold Cup? Or the Goodwood Cup? …Maybe after this year’s Arima Kinen? Honestly, I want to tell him right this second, but I just don’t have the courage. That’s why I keep throwing out this "please notice me" aura like this.

Maybe if I manage to completely conquer the Stayers Million, I’ll gain the confidence I need. Like, once things start going well for me as an athlete, maybe my personal life will start flourishing too. Either way, I’m still that one step short right now.

I pressed my body against Tomio for a while. Eventually, he stopped resisting—and instead, pulled me into a firm hug. Startled, I loosened my grip. I hadn’t expected to go from attacking to being the one caught off guard.

When he hugged me tightly, my whole body felt warm and tingly. It was a weird realization, how different it felt to be the one held rather than the one doing the holding. The closeness of our bodies suddenly made me feel incredibly embarrassed. When he gently stroked the back of my now-burning neck, it was the final blow. I let out a flipped-out "Hyahn!" and jumped back toward the sofa.

"…If pushing doesn’t work, try pulling, huh?"

"Y-You idiot…! Touching my nape like that—are you serious? That’s pervy!"

"You’re the one who jumped on me! That’s kind of harsh, isn’t it?"

…God, I’m such a pushover when it comes to Tomio. Balancing racing and personal life still seems impossible. At the very least, I’ll give my all to racing for the rest of this year. Love can wait. With that resolve, I tried to hide my burning red cheeks as best I could.

After washing my face in the sink to cool down, Tomio and I decided to move our strategy meeting about Kayf Tara-san up by a day.

Apparently, Tomio had originally set aside this whole day as mental cooldown time for me. It wasn’t really meant as rest. Since I bounced back in less than half a day, he basically gained an extra day to work with.

He pulled up the monitor and played footage of the recent mock race. On screen was Kayf Tara-san running with that overly confident, unreadable expression—and me, looking panicked and going all-out in a desperate escape.

…If I were watching this race as a spectator, I probably could’ve guessed the winner from the start. One girl had the mindset to win. The other was tangled in distractions and miles away from victory. It showed on our faces. And then, when I lost, I made that broken expression… No wonder my trainer felt the need to give me a full day off.

I’d led the race with my huge head start for most of it, but around the 1600–1200 meter mark, things flipped. That was when Kayf Tara-san’s 『Unknown Territory Zone』 activated—and mine, in contrast, failed to go off.

From a distance, it was a spectacular sight. A reversal of over 20 horse lengths on a turf of less than 2000 meters left the crowd gasping in awe. Even though I lost, it was such a thrilling turnaround that it felt almost refreshing. No wonder Kayf Tara-san’s race style is popular.

After watching the whole race once, Tomio started rewinding the 4000-meter journey. Four minutes had passed in what felt like seconds. He seemed determined to dig up Kayf Tara-san’s weaknesses, but my personal conclusion—after actually facing her—was more like: “She doesn’t have any.” A brutal truth, but a truth nonetheless. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. That’s all there is to it.

So, sorry Tomio, but I’m not expecting some miraculous plan like “We can’t win unless we use Tomio’s master strategy against Kayf Tara!!” Just like no one has a solid counter to my full-speed runaway, there’s no definite solution to her extreme comeback style either. It’s like asking for a simple strategy to beat President Rudolf. If it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t exist—we just have to accept it and fight.

As a result, I see the Gold Cup turning into a mental war of attrition. Probably best to take Tomio’s advice with a grain of salt this time. Even if he’s great at analyzing things… this one’s different.

"…What do you think?"

"About Kayf Tara-san?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm… I think she’s just… unstoppable. The tough European tracks, the grass, the atmosphere… All of that tilts in her favor. I don’t think there’s a surefire way to win."

"…If you’re saying that after facing her twice, then I guess it must be true."

"Wait, weren’t you working on a strategy against her?"

"…I tried. I asked a bunch of people, thought it over a lot… but there’s just no answer. Nothing convenient like that exists."

Whoa, seriously? Knowing Tomio, I thought for sure he’d come up with something. If even he thinks Kayf Tara-san’s running is near-perfection… that really says it all.

"They don’t call her a genius stayer for nothing. Her style has no blind spots. Still, I believe there is a set of 『specific conditions』 that might bring us closer to victory."

"Specific conditions…?"

"Yeah. Just a hypothesis, though."

With that, Tomio grabbed a whiteboard and marker, dragging them next to the monitor. He wrote 『Specific Conditions』 in bold near the top left, and 『Kayf Tara』 near the top right.

I had no clue what he was getting at, so all I could do was watch him write. Words like 『Good』, 『Slightly Heavy』, 『Heavy』, 『Bad』, 『4000m』, 『High Pace』, 『Slow Pace』, 『Stamina Capacity』… all scribbled around the board. I tilted my head in confusion.

What is this even supposed to be…?

"First of all, what do you think is the most favorable track condition to beat Kayf Tara?"

"Eh? Well... I think our best chance is if the track’s firm. Being on the Japanese side, that’s the condition I run best in."

"...I think the opposite. Precisely because it's the world’s longest 4000-meter race, I believe we have the best shot in a stamina-draining heavy track... or better yet, in 『muddy ground』."

"...Seriously?"

"Dead serious. Let me explain."

Tomio erased the 『Firm』 and 『Slightly Soft』 labels from the whiteboard, then pointed the pen to the middle point between 『Slow Pace』 and 『High Pace』.

"Kayf Tara actually performs better on softer ground than firm. But watching her training, even she struggles to run in truly terrible 『muddy ground』. I mean, I wouldn’t even want to think about what the European version of muddy looks like—it's a nightmare. Anyway, to add to that, Kayf Tara isn't good with a high pace. She just manages by maintaining a steady pace and unleashing that otherworldly finishing speed."

"...So you're saying?"

"If someone blasts through the sludgy 『muddy ground』 at the kind of pace you'd see on a Japanese firm track, Kayf Tara won’t be able to keep up—she’ll be done in by lack of speed and sta-mi-na loss."

"No way anyone could pull that off!! ...Wait, stamina loss?"

Tomio grinned like he had been waiting for that and cleared his throat in a showy way. He then pointed to a section marked 『Specific Conditions』.

"The three conditions are 『Muddy Ground』, 『4000m』, and 『High Pace』. Only when all three are met does Kayf Tara’s chance of losing increase significantly."

"Eh!? Why!?"

"Among you, Apollo Rainbow, Angely, and Kayf Tara... you’re the one with by far the most stamina. If you grind down everyone behind you on that soaked, sludge-covered track without mercy, you’ll be the only one left standing at the end."

"E-Ehh...? I mean, I might manage that against someone like Angely-chan, who might follow a breakaway... but we’re talking about Kayf Tara-san here! She never breaks her rhythm. Can I really wear her down that easily? The fact that Kayf Tara-san doesn't chase me might actually be her way of countering that exact strategy..."

"...In the mock race the other day, Kayf Tara used you as a pace maker. Your 1000-meter split was 1 minute 5.1 seconds—Kayf Tara’s was 1 minute 6.1. Then your 2000-meter time was 2:09.6, and hers was 2:11.6. She was pacing herself to keep about a second gap per 1000 meters, using your big breakaway to regulate her stamina."

"…………"

At my 3000-meter mark—3:13.5—Kayf Tara-san began her sprint and clocked 3:15.7. The final time was 4:16.3. Even if it was on a firm track, Kayf Tara-san shattered the course record on a brutal circuit with a 40-meter elevation difference.

"And that is Kayf Tara’s weak spot. It's a relatively weak point that only someone like you, Apollo, with absurd stamina, might be able to exploit... It’s not even a clear weak point, more like a tiny seam. It’s not a chance born from weakness-versus-weakness, but a faint glimmer born from strength-versus-strength. It's not a guaranteed win—just a thin thread of hope. But if those specific conditions arise... I think it’s definitely worth reaching for that thread."

"............But you're telling me to maintain Japanese-firm-track-level pace while doing a 4000-meter breakaway on Europe’s muddy track... That’d kill me?"

"............Don’t say it."

"Yeah, thought so~..."

Japanese races are some of the fastest in the world. They tend to have minimal elevation changes and fairly uniform course layouts.

Europe, on the other hand, thinks nothing of 10-meter elevation differences, and the course layouts are all over the place. It’s a grueling mess. Anyone trying to run as if it's the same as Japan is bound to fail.

"Aah... I thought about all this last night in a late-night half-delirious state, but... yeah, it’s just too much for Apollo alone. And like I said—it’s not a guaranteed win, just a higher win rate... Plus, Kayf Tara probably knows she gets weaker under those conditions. Neither Angely nor Kayf Tara is the type to come in unprepared in a race like that..."

"Yeah, true..."

In the end, it all circles back to the same conclusion: 『We・just・have・to・try・our・best』. Still, coming up with a high-probability strategy—even if it’s condition-specific—is a huge step forward. ...Whether it’s realistic or not is another matter.

Kayf Tara-san is currently on a three-win streak in graded races. Enzely-chan is on a seven-win streak (four of them graded). I’ve won four G1 races in a row.

Only two weeks remain until the Gold Cup, where the 『Three Titans of European Long Distance』 will finally clash. Anticipation from fans around the world is reaching its peak.