After several races, the entire industry had thoroughly analyzed Super Creek's "Swinging Maestro" strategy — and along with it, Kitahara's nickname as a "Master of Unorthodox Tactics."
It was a strategy full of deception, especially potent when used by someone with Super Creek's extraordinary endurance.
On the racetrack, every horse girl ran with nerves stretched taut. Any shift in wind or sound could trigger a reflexive response — especially an opponent's sudden acceleration.
Without special training, such a move could make others misjudge the course, thinking the finish line or a key turning point was near, causing them to accelerate prematurely.
And once that happened, even for a moment, the stamina lost would never return — and the final result would inevitably suffer.
Yet, the horse girl employing this tactic suffered no such penalty. Or rather, her endurance was so immense that it made the drawbacks irrelevant.
What's worse — she could do it more than once.
Each surge and lull built upon the last, dividing the strong and the weak.
Every active racer in the central circuit knew the power of this strategy. Whether or not they had trained to counter it, all of them were wary.
So, at the very instant the announcer began to speak — no, even before he spoke — every horse girl's attention was focused squarely on Super Creek. Their ears stood upright like alarmed cats, fur bristling with tension.
Even her own teammates who knew her best — Dicta Striker and Dicta Earth — were the same.
The wind roared around them. Up front, Dicta Striker's ears twitched as she clearly heard the sound of someone's steps closing in behind her.
Is she faking it? Or… is she really going to accelerate from here?!
More than half the race had passed. Most of her stamina was spent. Dicta Striker wasn't one to waste energy analyzing in the late stages — she'd been told again and again that thinking also consumes energy.
Her trainer, Konai Tadashi, had emphasized that she possessed talent on par with Oguri Cap. Often, rather than overthinking, she should rely on her instincts — let training and reflexes take over.
But this time, she had to think. The approaching footsteps behind her — what were they for?
If it were just another fake, it made no sense; she, Chiyono O, and Yaeno Muteki all knew the trick already.
Was it to confuse others? No. Super Creek wasn't that foolish. Every runner here was G1 class — none would fall for such a simple bluff.
Even those unfamiliar with the "Swinging Maestro" strategy had prepared countermeasures. So who could she possibly be trying to deceive now—
Wait…!
Her eyes widened. Dicta Striker turned her head slightly, jaw falling open.
She's not faking… she's actually going to accelerate all the way from here?!
But 600 meters of continuous acceleration?! Even for her endurance—
Her pupils contracted sharply.
From the corner of her eye, she caught the sight of chestnut hair and a sky-blue dress. Super Creek — smiling calmly.
She's really doing it.
Six hundred meters of sustained acceleration…
And she's still smiling? Why does she still look so composed?!
"Hello there, Dicta…"
Super Creek sensed Dicta Striker's piercing gaze. Her heart tensed, but her lips curved in a faint smile as she whispered the greeting — not caring if the other could hear.
Then, her face hardened, her eyes sharp.
It's fine. Six hundred meters of acceleration… that's nothing.
This is what it means to be an Swinging Maestro— to control stamina with perfect freedom, to create the best possible chance to win.
My speed may not match Dicta or Oguri's. My burst is even worse. So… I'll make up for that by accelerating early.
If I can just last until the end, if they react even a moment too slow — this Satsuki Sho… could be mine.
The others might still be hesitating — Dicta, Chiyono O, Yaeno… but Oguri Cap and Mejiro Ardan—
They must have noticed already.
After all, this was Kitahara's plan… how troublesome.
Still, he hadn't told her exactly how to use her stamina — he'd left that choice to her.
Which meant even Oguri and Ardan might not know her intentions right now.
I still have a chance.
Keep accelerating. I still have plenty left!
Her footsteps struck the turf with a weight that didn't match her gentle, refined image — and her speed visibly increased again.
If one could plot her course on a map, they would see how she slipped forward with precision, overtaking Dicta Earth from the inside, then swiftly passing Dicta Striker — taking the lead.
But among the sixteen racers on the field, one didn't need data to trace that path perfectly.
Mejiro Ardan.
Thanks to her natural talent, even after a thousand meters of fierce racing, her mind worked like a finely tuned computer, filtering out useless data, isolating only what mattered.
Where others saw chaos — flying dirt, blurring hooves — she saw order.
And the path that Super Creek carved through the field glowed before her like a bright white line in a video game — clean, irresistible, and perfect.
As expected of Super Creek she thought, lips curling slightly. Kitahara was right — she and I are opposites. She can't think clearly when tired, but…
She has the instinct to seize opportunity.
Even in a G1 this fierce, she can still find the perfect line and timing.
This path you opened, Creek… I'll borrow it for a moment.
The crowd erupted. Super Creek and Mejiro Ardan's acceleration ignited the race, forcing everyone's hand.
The commentator's voice rose to a fever pitch:
"The race has completely changed! Super Creek is still accelerating!There's over 500 meters left — if she keeps this up, she might secure a massive lead!
She's passed Dicta Earth — now Dicta Striker — she's half a length ahead, and widening the gap!"
"Mejiro Ardan is accelerating too! Smart move — she's following Super Creek's line!"
"She's overtaken Dicta Earth as well — now in third place!"
"Dicta Earth is slowing down — she burned too much stamina early!"
"Chiyono O, My Breeze, and Yaeno Muteki are all trying to respond!"
"But after their earlier exertions, Chiyono and My Breeze can't seem to gain speed — they're being overtaken!"
"Oguri Cap, however, remains in the outer lane — steady, unhurried. She's holding fourth… fifth… not accelerating yet."
"Is she saving everything for the final stretch— wait! What's happening?!"
"Midfield collision — there's a swerve! My Breeze's line faltered while overtaking Dicta Earth — she's obstructed Yaeno Muteki!"
"That could be ruled a foul — dangerous move!"
"Now they've reached the final straight — the 2-meter elevation known as the 'Heartbreaker' slope!"
"This 310-meter home stretch — the shortest in any track — leaves no room for strategy. It's all raw strength now!"
"How will they respond?!"
The slope… no problem, thought Super Creek. We trained enough for this. I've never raced at Nakayama, but…
Then suddenly, everything froze.
The world went still — sound, air, warmth, gone. A chilling numbness seized her body, like being locked in ice. For a fleeting second, she wanted to stop — her heart clenched with primal fear.
This… this feeling…
A domain?!
In an instant, she understood.
After the Hanshin Daishoten, the Eisei team had discussed the phenomenon — how Tamamo Cross and Inari One described what it felt like to touch a domain.
They'd said it was like time itself stopped — the world emptied, leaving only themselves running. All others froze, or crawled like turtles.
And for those on the outside, just sensing a domain's presence filled them with terror.
Yes — terror. Both had used that word.
They'd said it felt as if their blood were being drained, their strength sapped, their body ready to collapse.
They'd thought they might be exaggerating — until Kitahara and Kyoko explained otherwise.
It wasn't illusion. The paralysis was real — the instinct of every living being.
In ancient times, when faced with predators, the first instinct was to freeze — to "play dead." Predators' vision relied on movement, so staying still could save your life. That primal reaction had survived millions of years — what scientists now called the "freeze response."
When that failed, came the "flight response."
And when escape was impossible — "fight."
Tamamo Cross and Inari One had realized that after freezing, they'd felt an overwhelming urge to run — and then, fight.
Super Creek had never experienced a domain before. She'd run this entire race smoothly, even taken the lead — yet now, that terror flooded through her.
Freeze.Run.Fight.
She knew what it was — someone behind her had touched a domain.
Her brief paralysis was the freeze response.
Her immediate surge forward — the flight response.
And next—
Come on then. Let me see— who's touched the domain this time?!
She found herself trembling — not from fear, but from excitement.
The kind, gentle mask she usually wore — perhaps it was all an act. Beneath it, her true nature was burning — battle-hungry.
Even while afraid, even while fleeing, she wanted to fight.
Her blood boiled, heart pounding like her ancestors millions of years ago — fighting predators for survival.
So who is it?!
Then she saw.
A chestnut shadow blasted past her like a bullet — just as she had done moments before.
"Hello, Creek…"
It was Dicta Striker— eyes wide, pupils constricted, face twisted into a feral grin.
She flew past, the whites of her eyes streaked with red, lips twitching, voice cracking with manic laughter.
"That's it… that's it!!" she roared, charging into the final slope.
That feeling—!
Last time it was Oguri Cap, now it's you, Creek…!
Damn you Eisei girls — every one of you… makes me burn!!
But… HAHAHA!! Thanks to you— I can feel it again! This intoxicating rush!
Only I'm moving— no, only I'm alive— everyone else frozen still!
This feeling… I can't get enough!
Oguri Cap! Super Creek!
I should thank you both!
[Nah she is speaking like a villain]
Just like this… just like this till the end! This Satsuki Sho— victory—!
But before she could finish the thought, her vision warped — like an old film burning through.
Her mind shuddered as if struck by something colossal.
It's here… the monster.
I knew it. If it's her, she'd touch the domain too. The one destined to become…
No—!
This isn't Oguri's aura!
Another one?! Someone else besides her— also touched the domain?!
Both of them— chasing me together?!
Her breath caught — a crazed smile stretched across her face.
No mistake. One's a full domain. The other… faint, but there. That step— that monstrous rhythm—
Oguri Cap.
Hahahahaha— this is insane! Absolutely insane!
"Senpai CB, it's not that I want to laugh—it's just too funny! Hahaha!"
"To think they say only the top racehorse girl of a generation can reach the 'Domain'... if that's true—"
"Then me! And the two chasing behind me! That makes three! Three horse girls touching the Domain!"
"Just in the Satsuki Sho alone, there are three who reached the Domain. Add Tamamo Cross and Inari One, who clearly touched it in the Hanshin Daishoten—that's five in one generation!"
"Hahaha! This is just—"
"Too awesome!"
"Too thrilling!"
"To be alive in a generation like this, I—"
"I'm really the luckiest ever!!!"
While everything seemed frozen still, Dicta Striker surged forward. She could feel the pressure rising behind her, but fearing she might lose that delicate rhythm, she didn't dare to look back.
The spectators and commentators, however, had long seen everything unfold.
"They're at the uphill! They've reached the slope!"
"Accelerating before the incline—Dicta Striker bursts forward, overtaking Super Creek and climbing the hill in one breath!"
"She's finally begun her sprint—retaking the lead!"
"The slope seems to have no effect on her at all—her uphill speed matches her flat speed! Is this the true power of the Chestnut Bullet?!"
"Super Creek's slowing down—did she stall? No, wait, she hasn't!"
"She's still keeping distance from most runners—her early acceleration strategy worked beautifully, but…"
"Yaeno Muteki and Oguri Cap are coming in hot!"
"They're too fast!"
"After being thrown off by My Breeze, Yaeno Muteki had fallen behind—but she didn't lose her fighting spirit!"
"On the slope, she's accelerating ferociously—charging up into second!"
"Oguri Cap's coming in from the outermost lane! Using her famed second burst to overtake several rivals at once, right behind Yaeno Muteki!"
"Even though she's in third, the gap's minimal!"
"Their uphill speed isn't one bit slower than Dicta Striker's—under this insane pace, Super Creek looks like she's stalling!"
"It's becoming clear now—Dicta Striker, Yaeno Muteki, and Oguri Cap are the ones fighting for the win!"
"After the hill, there's less than 100 meters of downhill—this will decide the champion!"
"Who will win the Satsuki Sho—and earn the title of 'Fastest Horse Girl of Her Generation'?!"
"Dicta Striker?! Yaeno Muteki?! Or Oguri Cap?!"
The Final 100 Meters
Yaeno Muteki didn't understand what was happening to her body.
She only knew that aside from Dicta Striker ahead and Oguri Cap behind, everyone else seemed to have stalled. Everything else—her regret at missing the inner lane at the start, the frustration of being boxed in, the anger from the skew—was gone.
All she could think of was one thought:
"I will never give up the championship!"
But just as she charged down the slope—when the finish line was almost within reach—her momentum stopped.
Everything she had just ignored came flooding back into her consciousness like a film playing in reverse.
"…Was that… the Domain?"
Powerful, yes—but…
"Why was it so short?"
Her mind turned to mush. Her vision blurred. Her legs felt like lead, too heavy to lift.
A strange awareness flickered through her fading focus.
Damn… it's the skew earlier…My stamina…I can't hold out anymore…
Just a little more…!The finish line's right there!
Only a few more steps!
In her fading sight, she reached out—and froze.
Her hand brushed against something like wet fabric, warm beneath it—someone's body.
At that same moment, she heard a faint, frustrated whisper from ahead:
"…Did I accelerate too early, damn it…"
Then a flash of silver-gray.
And the next instant—
The commentator's cry tore through the stadium:
"Photo finish!"
"It was close—so close—but…!"
"She's done it! She's broken the Satsuki Sho record!"
"With an undefeated 14–0 streak, she takes her 15th victory—the Satsuki Sho crown!"
"Congratulations, Oguri Cap—the first jewel of the Classic Triple Crown is yours!"
Yaeno Muteki didn't even know how she crossed the line. When she came to, she was half leaning against Dicta Striker.
Both were panting heavily. Sweat blinded one of Yaeno's eyes; the other barely saw. Dicta Striker's ragged, gasping breath told her that her condition was no better.
Ahead of them stood a silver-gray figure—Oguri Cap—bent over, hands on knees, gasping hard. Even she looked utterly drained.
And beyond her—tens of thousands of fans rose to their feet, waving and roaring a single name:
Oguri Cap.
"…I don't even know what place I got," Yaeno Muteki murmured, staring at the blurry figure ahead.
"…But I lost."
A soft voice answered beside her.
"Yeah… we lost—to that monster."
Dicta Striker sighed deeply, her tone thick with frustration and regret. She lifted her chin, slapped her forehead, and clicked her tongue.
"Damn it, we were so close…"
Yaeno Muteki winced, bitterness stinging her throat.
"Yeah… just a bit."
After a pause, she asked quietly, "You… stalled at the end?"
"Yeah, just misjudged it by this much." Dicta held up her fingers a hair's width apart.
"Super Creek's long acceleration—I didn't pay enough attention. By the time I realized she was serious about going 600 meters full throttle, it was too late. Instinct told me I had to accelerate too, or I'd never catch up.
"It lined up with the Chief's talk about the Domain and the pressure to compete… I felt it—and just ran."
She clicked her tongue again.
"But I went too early. Just a little. Just—this much too early…"
Her voice dropped.
Then she looked up. "And you? You stalled too, didn't you?"
"…The skew. Used up my stamina early." Yaeno pressed her lips together. "I touched the Domain too, ran by instinct… but…"
She trailed off, eyes fixed on Oguri Cap.
Who suddenly straightened up, scratched her head nervously, and jogged toward them.
"Um… should we, uh, run away like last time?"
Dicta blinked. "…Run away?"
Oguri Cap scratched her head again, looking uneasy.
"Everyone looks scarier than last time. Maybe we should, um… run for it? You can come too, Yaeno…"
Yaeno stared at her blankly.
"…I swear, you idiot…" Dicta groaned, smacking her forehead. "How did you end up winning the Satsuki Sho?"
"Didn't you notice the increased security? That's because everyone knew if you won undefeated, there might be a riot! There's no reason to run!"
Oguri Cap tilted her head, puzzled.
"Oh… I see. Then I won't run."
"…Don't mind her," Yaeno sighed, trying to ease the tension. Then curiosity crept into her voice.
"Oguri Cap, I was there the whole race, but… how did you win? I mean, at the end, your speed was about the same as ours—maybe even slower."
She gestured. "We both stalled at the very end, sure, but even then, it was just a second or two from the finish."
"And more importantly, we were both in Domain state. You…"
She fixed her gaze on Oguri Cap. "How did you pass us?"
Oguri Cap blinked. "Eh? How? Um…"
She thought for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.
"I just followed what Kitahara and Rudolf told me to do."
"Kitahara and Rudolf?" the other two repeated together.
Realizing that "Rudolf" meant Symboli Rudolf, they both leaned in instantly.
Dicta grabbed Oguri Cap's shoulders and shook her. "What did they tell you?!"
"Ah—wait—don't shake me!" Yaeno pulled Dicta back. "Let her talk."
Oguri Cap thought carefully.
"Kitahara said to just run normally. He said I'm strong enough already—whether I reach the Domain or not, just follow my style."
"Rudolf said almost the same. She told me not to worry about expectations or pressure—just remember why I'm here: to run. That's enough."
"Oh, and she told me two sentences. The last one I understood—'Enjoy the race.' The first one was…"
She frowned, thinking, then brightened.
"Ah, right! 'Tweet it at one mouth!' That's what it sounded like!"
The two stared at her blankly.
"…Did you understand what she said?" Dicta muttered. "Was that some kind of spell?"
"Maybe she taught her some incantation—say it mid-race, and you run faster?"
Yaeno sighed. "No, Dicta… I think she just misheard English again. She probably meant 'Take it easy.'"
Oguri's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! That's it—'Tweet it at one mouth!'"
"…It's Take it easy, Oguri…" they said together.
Oguri nodded cheerfully. "Yeah! And at the end, she said my name too!"
They both fell silent for a long moment.
Finally, Yaeno rubbed her temple. "…I still don't understand how she won. It's like…"
"Like we lost to something we can't explain," Dicta finished.
But now, they both understood what had happened.
They'd both touched the Domain—but their stamina failed right before the finish. Against anyone else, they might've still won.
But their opponent was this gray-haired monster—Oguri Cap.
Even her Domain was incomplete—yet with that incomplete Domain and her signature triple burst, she'd still beaten them both.
So the Chief was right, they both thought. Even the Domain doesn't decide everything. In the end, it's about true, head-on strength.
If they'd remembered that and not let instinct take over—perhaps the outcome would've been different.
Their eyes met briefly, then quickly turned away, as if each feared the other might read her thoughts.
"Still… as frustrating as it is…" Dicta drew in a long breath, then raised her arm and extended a hand toward Oguri Cap.
"A loss is a loss. You won fair and square. Next time, we'll settle it again."
"Congratulations, Oguri Cap. After winning the Satsuki Sho, the title of 'Fastest of the Generation' is yours."
"Undefeated first crown achieved—next stop, the Japan Derby."
"Let's fight again then."
Oguri blinked, then smiled brightly and clasped her hand with confidence.
"Yeah! Japan Derby—let's battle again!"
"And of course, I'll be there too."
Yaeno Muteki placed her hand on top of theirs, eyes blazing with determination.
"Japan Derby—let's battle again!"
(End of Chapter)