"Morning, Kagura-san. Did you sleep well last night?"
Early the next day, Kagura arrived at the Mejiro grass track as usual, seeing Mejiro Ramonu already there waiting.
"It was okay. You're here really early, Ramonu-san—have you been waiting long?"
"No, I only just arrived myself... Come to think of it, Ardan is usually up very early. Yesterday she mentioned wanting to come watch us train, but I haven't seen her yet today."
"She was probably too tired from yesterday and decided to rest."
Recalling Ardan's insomnia from last night and how quickly she'd fallen asleep afterward, Kagura guessed Ardan was exhausted from supervising the younger Uma Musume all day. Sleeping in was understandable.
"That's good. That girl… despite being so frail, she insists on pushing herself every day. It's about time she properly rested."
"Hmm… Ramonu-san, you don't seem like someone particularly difficult to approach, but somehow Ardan-ojousama always seems a bit afraid of you?"
"I wonder about that too. Actually, all my younger sisters are somewhat afraid of me. It probably has something to do with my expression or my aura. It's not the first time someone's been wary of me. Even you… whenever you see me, you're always a little timid, aren't you?"
Ramonu's face showed faint resignation. Even now, Kagura felt a subtle but unmistakable pressure radiating from her. It certainly wasn't Ramonu's facial expression alone; Kagura genuinely couldn't pinpoint where this sensation came from.
"Well… That's probably true. Whenever I'm near you, Ramonu-san, I always feel this invisible pressure. It's hard to imagine what it would feel like running against you."
"I see. Maybe I'm just used to it myself, but I don't know how to control or change it. Anyway, if you start feeling unwell at any point, let me know immediately."
With that, Ramonu turned back towards the track to warm up.
——This girl has quite the presence. Just standing in the starting gate could make anyone around her hesitate at the start.
Presence? Eclipse-san, what are you talking about now?
Seeing Eclipse-san's words appear, Kagura tilted her head in confusion.
——It's difficult to describe clearly. Think of it as the aura McQueen emits when she charges at a cake—like anything blocking her way will be flattened instantly.
Er… that analogy is almost too abstract…
——Words alone won't clarify something like this; you need personal experience. You'll understand after a few encounters, no need for me to explain further. Don't rush—building a strong, healthy body is what matters. Fancy tricks won't beat pure strength.
Unable to get a useful explanation from Eclipse-san, Kagura decided to set it aside for now and followed Ramonu to the grass track to warm up.
"Kagura-san—! Mind if I record a video?"
The Mejiro family's trainer called from the side of the track.
To be precise, he was currently Ramonu's personal trainer, as the Mejiro family had no other active racers at the moment. Ardan, who was nearing debut age, remained sidelined by her frailty.
"Feel free, Trainer-san! I don't mind."
"All right! Thanks in advance, Kagura-san!"
Once the trainer finished preparations, Kagura and Ramonu completed their warm-ups and stood ready at the starting line.
What incredible pressure…
Standing beside Ramonu, Kagura immediately felt that unsettling "presence" Eclipse-san mentioned. The pressure made it extremely difficult to concentrate. Eclipse-san's assessment was spot-on; if she couldn't focus properly, a late start was inevitable.
"Track conditions good, weather clear. 2400 meters, counterclockwise—"
As the trainer announced track conditions, Kagura tried hard to concentrate, pushing aside the uneasy feeling.
Maybe I should try a front-runner strategy this time?
Just as Kagura decided her running style—during that brief moment she considered it—she snapped back to attention to find Ramonu already sprinting forward!
"A late start…!? When did the signal even happen…?"
Kagura was completely confused; she hadn't even noticed she was distracted. She'd only thought briefly about her running strategy.
Quickly rushing to catch up with Ramonu, Kagura immediately felt something was wrong. This run felt unexpectedly difficult—as though she were dragging herself through mud.
What's going on…? Did I not rest enough last night?
Kagura felt like she'd pulled an all-nighter before the morning run. Her legs felt heavy as lead. Although 2400 meters wasn't close to her limit, Kagura immediately gave up fighting for the lead, strategically falling back instead.
"Kagura-san's speed is noticeably slower compared to her run against McQueen before. Could this be Ramonu-san's 'presence' at work…?"
Noticing Kagura's strange decrease in speed, the trainer became even more certain of the existence of Ramonu's special presence, as opponents who raced Ramonu before had also experienced similarly unnatural slowdowns.
I don't feel good at all… better stay behind and look for another chance later.
Ramonu was running fast, but truthfully Kagura felt that if she'd been in peak condition, catching Ramonu wouldn't have been impossible. Estimating Ramonu's current speed, Kagura knew she could've kept up if she'd been at her best.
Since becoming an Uma Musume, Kagura had never struggled this much before. Her heavy footsteps made her cautious about randomly accelerating. Even though her stamina limit wasn't an issue, she worried she'd falter if she carelessly pushed forward now.
"The distance has widened… Even a genius like Kagura-san struggles to catch up to a professional-level runner like Ramonu-san after all…"
Seeing nearly five lengths separating them, even the trainer couldn't help sighing. Although Kagura had optimized her running tactics perfectly for the track, Ramonu, as an experienced frontline professional racer, wouldn't be caught that easily.
Four lengths… five lengths…
As Kagura gradually slowed down, assessing the gap, she suddenly realized something strange. Once the distance increased, the heavy pressure vanished completely, and her footsteps felt instantly lighter. Yet, as soon as she tried accelerating again, that oppressive sensation returned immediately.
"Is Ramonu-san affecting me somehow…?"
In the second-to-last corner, Kagura attempted a brief surge from the outer lane. By straight-line measurement, the distance was now barely three lengths—but the strange sensation didn't reoccur.
Which means… either it's not from Ramonu-san herself, or it simply doesn't affect me at this distance?
Chasing Ramonu out of the corner, Kagura once again felt the heavy pressure when Ramonu directly blocked her view, slightly slowing her down again. Having confirmed Ramonu's area of effect, Kagura quickly adjusted, swinging wide into the outermost lane, diagonally opposite Ramonu.
I've got one more chance… in the final corner.
Although it was just training, it was a rare chance to race against a professional other than Rudolf Ojou-sama, so Kagura had no intention of holding back. Maintaining a careful five-length distance, she prepared herself for the final curve—
"Now!"
Kagura, now fully positioned in the far outer lane, lowered her posture and surged forward. Ramonu, hearing the sudden movement behind, widened her eyes slightly in surprise.
"Kagura-san can still accelerate even after running so far in the outer lane?! This stamina… it's bottomless…"
Kagura's burst of speed was incredibly rapid. Within mere seconds, Ramonu clearly heard footsteps rapidly closing behind—even though she herself was already in her final sprint!
"So fast! Kagura-san still has stamina left for a final dash!? Hasn't she still not even matured yet!? And after running so long in the outer lane!?"
Witnessing Kagura's explosive acceleration out of the corner, the trainer shouted in disbelief.
Ramonu had already reached her maximum speed, yet Kagura continued gaining from the outside—Ramonu could already see the black-haired girl from the corner of her eye!
"What kind of power… Truly terrifying…"
Only now did Ramonu finally, fully understand why Iris-sama was so intent on pulling Kagura towards the Mejiro family.
Just before crossing the finish line, Kagura nearly closed the gap entirely. Unfortunately, the Mejiro family grass track lacked photo-finish equipment, and the trainer standing at the finish couldn't visually determine the exact gap between the two runners.
"…Just missed."
Kagura herself felt it clearly—Ramonu crossed just about half a head ahead of her. If Kagura had been slightly taller, she would've won. This only deepened her resentment toward her pitiful height.
"You're incredibly strong, Kagura-san… I barely managed to win."
After stopping, Ramonu came forward and warmly shook Kagura's hand.
For the first time in her professional career, Ramonu felt a genuine threat—not from an official race, but right here, on her family's own track.
"Hehe… Ramonu-san is really strong too."
Although Kagura believed she might have won if not for her poor initial state, losing was losing. No explanations needed, and she graciously accepted the result.
"You're amazing too. Thank you for running with me today—I learned a lot."
As she spoke, Ramonu's gaze drifted toward Kagura's left ear.
A truly frightening genius… Kagura-san…