The Japanese Derby. It is a race that commands the attention of the entire nation—a hallowed ground where participation is a once-in-a-lifetime privilege, and where many talented girls never even set foot. It is the stage of dreams, the pinnacle of a generation. And today, the center of that stage was occupied by the "BNW" trio.
"They're heading into the third corner! All eyes are on the BNW—what kind of magic will they show us today?! Biwa Hayahide is holding steady in third, Winning Ticket is stalking from eighth, and Narita Taishin is biding her time in fourteenth! Each one is perfectly positioned to play to their strengths!"
It was a three-way clash of titans: Biwa Hayahide of Team Rigil, Winning Ticket of Team Canopus, and Narita Taishin of Team Spica. These three powerhouses, forged by the most prestigious teams in the Tracen Academy, left the crowd breathless with anticipation. Would Biwa Hayahide uphold the pride of Rigil, the reigning champions of the year? Would Winning Ticket continue her meteoric rise for Canopus? Or would Narita Taishin ride the momentum of her Satsuki-sho victory to claim the second jewel of the crown?
(This is it… the Derby. The same stage where Nature-senpai and Teio-senpai became legends…!)
As Ticket tore across the turf, her mind drifted to the dreams she had carried since childhood. She had watched the Derby every year, but being out here, feeling the wind and the thunder of hooves, was something else entirely. A shudder of pure fulfillment ran through her. If she could, she wanted this moment to last forever. She wanted to keep running this race, side-by-side with Hayahide and Taishin, for all eternity—
—Don't you dare be satisfied. Stay hungry. Stay noble. Stay ravenous.
The memory of those words shattered her complacency like a physical blow. Her body tensed instantly. What was I thinking? What am I doing, getting drunk on the atmosphere?!
—Becoming a Derby Girl is fine and well. But is that where you end? Is that all your racing is worth?
"I'm not… I'm not letting it end here…!!"
Rampage's words echoed in her chest, incinerating her self-indulgence and pride. The satisfaction was gone, replaced by a raw, white-hot desire—a pure, primal hunger for victory. She wanted the glory of the Derby, yes, but she wanted what lay beyond it even more. People might call her greedy, but let them. She had made her choice.
"If you aren't hungry, you can't win! I'm going to be noble… and I'm going to be ravenous!!"
"As they hit the final stretch, Winning Ticket makes her move! She's accelerating—she's surging through the pack! She blows past Biwa Hayahide to take the lead—no! Biwa Hayahide is responding! They're neck-and-neck! And here comes Narita Taishin! It's the BNW! The three-way battle for the ages! Who will it be?! Who will claim the glory of the Derby?!"
"HAAAAAAAH!"
"I won't lose! Not today!"
In that split second coming off the curve, in the heartbeat before the final sprint, Ticket bet everything. She had spent weeks being pushed to her absolute limit by Sunday Silence; that grueling training had forged a steel-trap confidence within her. She didn't hesitate. She didn't doubt. She simply executed. And as if they had been waiting for her, her two rivals ignited their own spirits in response.
(They're amazing… they really are. But so am I! I am too!!)
Until this moment, she hadn't fully understood everything Rampage had told her. She understood "hunger" as desire, but "noble"? That part had eluded her. But now, in the heat of the sprint, the true meaning of a "Noble Hunger" became clear.
It meant wanting to win with every single cell of your being—and having the pride to never settle for less!
"I'm winning this… BECAUSE I WANT IT MORE THAN ANYTHING!!"
Her legs exploded with power, like a detonating charge. As the clods of turf flew into the air, Ticket's body surged forward, leaving Hayahide and Taishin in her wake.
"W-Winning Ticket has found another gear!! Look at that closing speed! Biwa Hayahide and Narita Taishin are flying, they're widening the gap between themselves and the rest of the field, but they can't close in on Winning Ticket! Ticket is still in the lead! Winning Ticket… is at the wire! WINNING TICKET HAS WON THE JAPANESE DERBY!"
The dream was hers. She had reached the summit. She knew she shouldn't be satisfied yet, but she couldn't help the scream that tore from her lungs.
"YES!! I DID ITTTTTTTTT!!"
Her voice, raw and triumphant, cut through the roaring cheers of the Tokyo Racecourse and soared into the sky. As she waved frantically to the stands, her eyes caught a figure leaning against a tunnel wall near the spectator entrance—a girl in a suit and sunglasses, watching quietly.
(Senior! I did it! I really did it!)
You said you wouldn't come! You said you were too busy with Nemesis and would just cheer from the sidelines! And yet, here you are!
Seeing Ticket's beaming smile and her wild, exaggerated waving, Rampage simply shrugged. She offered a subtle V-sign, then turned and vanished into the shadows of the tunnel.
"I give up… I really thought I had you today."
"That's my line. What the hell was that final sprint of yours?"
Her rivals, though defeated, offered their congratulations. Ticket felt so light she could have floated away… and she realized that this feeling of fulfillment wasn't just because she had won the Derby. It was the joy of having fought her rivals with everything she had.
"Hayahide! Taishin! The Kikuka-sho is next! And I'm going to win that one, too!"
The two girls stared at her, blinking in shock. Their faces seemed to say, "You just won the Derby! THE Japanese Derby! Can't you just enjoy it for a second?"
But it didn't matter. Her next dream was already set in stone. Sensing her resolve, the two rivals broke into fierce, competitive grins.
"Bring it on," Hayahide said. "I'll be the one winning next time. Consider it my revenge for the Satsuki-sho as well."
"Fine by me," Taishin added, her eyes narrowing. "You can have the Derby, but I'm taking the Kikuka-sho. I'm claiming that second crown."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!"
Amidst the deafening chants of "Chi-ke-zo! Chi-ke-zo!" echoing through the stadium, a new vow was made. There was no complacency here—only a renewed, burning thirst for victory.
They were all noble. And they were all very, very hungry.
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