On the Final Turn!
"Finally—!"
Daiwa Scarlet had conquered the last curve—only the final stretch remained before her.
'With both Tokai Teio and Vodka watching from the stands, I have to win in style!'
A mare fueled by sheer determination, Scarlet's standard for herself was always victory—nothing less than first place. And she had the talent to back it up.
With rivals spectating and this being nothing more than a low-stakes debut race, she was dead-set on a decisive win—by at least two, no, three lengths!
She wanted to shine. She wanted to be a racehorse girl worthy of acknowledgment by that undefeated legend—Agnes Tachyon!
(T/N: Idk if Agnes Tachyon is really a legend since she's still racing, but I had no other names to put here.)
But what the fiery Scarlet didn't realize—
Behind her, the frontrunners were being blitzed by a silver blur charging from the outermost lane! As the leader, she hadn't noticed the shockwave rippling through the field as Platinum exploded forward!
'After this win, I'll go see Agnes Tachyon…'
"—Huh?! Wait—!!"
The next instant, Scarlet's eyes widened in disbelief.
At the edge of her vision was Platinum—the same mare who fumbled her start, who looked too soft, too delicate to even be a racehorse girl!
For a frontrunner like Scarlet, seeing another mare this close… meant the gap had vanished.
The situation had escalated beyond expectations—her heart leapt into her throat!
How?! A terrible start, stuck in the worst lane… yet here she was, neck-and-neck in the final stretch?!
Only monstrous acceleration and stamina could pull this off. The wild card had arrived!
The commentator's voice boomed across the venue:
"Daiwa Scarlet and Platinum have entered the latter half of the homestretch! The rest trail by three lengths or more!"
"This race has become a duel between the two of them!!"
Only one obstacle remained in Platinum's path—Daiwa Scarlet herself.
And for Platinum, that was perfect.
The final stretch was down to its last 200 meters. Scarlet, desperate to flee to the ends of the earth, was now right beside her.
An unbelievable sight unfolded—the frontrunner and the dead-last chaser, clashing side by side! A final one-on-one showdown!
No longer lazy, the Kuranta girl had reignited her role as an Assassin in her very first race.
When the entire crowd—even Symboli Rudolf, Japan's greatest Uma Musume—had crowned Scarlet the undisputed favorite…
When most competitors had already given up…
Platinum, the uninvited guest, stormed in and rewrote the script!
How could anyone—Scarlet included—not be stunned?
And that silver streak showed no signs of slowing. If anything… she was getting faster!
To Platinum, being a Uma Musume was far from boring.
Back in Terra? Sure, being some dull assassin would've made her want to slack off.
'I never enjoyed being an assassin…'—she might've said that there.
But here? Hunting down shocked opponents, overtaking them one by one? Way more fun!
Plus, a race was over in minutes. She got to compete, and a fat paycheck waited at the end.
Easy money, zero risk—who wouldn't love that?
After a brief glance at Scarlet's curvaceous figure beside her, Platinum's eyes locked onto the finish line.
'A smooth, satisfying mission… but kinda dull.'
'Let's wrap this up—!'
Her once-calm eyes now burned with fierce flames.
A flicker of interest in the race—but more than anything, she wanted to end it. To crush Scarlet fast.
Platinum was already thinking about her next opponent!
Her lazy, dismissive words reached Scarlet's ears despite the roaring wind.
"Huh?!"
This late-starting chaser… wasn't even taking her seriously?!
Scarlet—a mare talented enough to always place top two—would never accept losing to some no-name who barely looked trained!
Gritting her teeth, Scarlet pushed harder, her powerful legs pounding the track as she fought to keep pace.
But the unthinkable happened—despite being the frontrunner, her stamina was draining fast. Just matching Platinum was becoming a struggle!
'No… I can't lose…!'
Then—the moment that shook the crowd!
The two, once side by side, were suddenly not.
Scarlet could no longer see Platinum's face—only her back!
Like a true assassin, Platinum had surged ahead!
In the final meters, her speed never faltered.
One length… two… three…
And under the stunned gazes of Tokai Teio, Vodka, and countless spectators—she kept accelerating!
Four lengths!
Then—five!
The silver flash crossed the line first, leaving the crowd in awe.
"PLATINUM TAKES THE WIN!!"
The commentator roared.
"Remember this day—this debut will go down in history!"
"The silver assassin blazed through that duel and won by an overwhelming FIVE lengths!"
"Without a doubt, she's the next generational dominator—a potential Triple Crown heir like Agnes Tachyon! The future clashes between these two will be legendary!"
And behind Scarlet, the third-place finisher trailed by a staggering six lengths!
Even more shocking? Platinum's terrible start had cost her dearly.
Without Scarlet in the picture… this assassin might've won by an unheard-of absolute domination!
The crowd erupted!
"Platinum! Platinum! She's so adorable—I'm officially a fan!"
"How did she do that? With skills like hers, how'd she mess up the start?!"
"A prodigy! Is she aiming for the Triple Crown or the Fillies' Triple Crown next year?"
"That insane closing speed—she's the second coming of Agnes Tachyon!"
"A cute mare like her? Her Winner's Performance is gonna be amazing!"
"PLATINUM!! PLATINUM!!"
--+--
T/N: Specific Uma Musume terms may go over my head.