"Centaurea-chan's fallen pretty far behind, hasn't she? Is she running out of steam?"
Watching Platinum lagging leisurely at the back of the main pack, Ardan grew anxious.
"The gap's just too big at this point. Could it be that Centaurea-chan's already given up because she thinks winning is hopeless?"
"Now, now, don't panic. You have to look at the whole picture, Ardan."
Unlike Ardan, the grandmother beside her had a different take on the situation.
"That girl still has energy left. Her stride is perfectly steady, not a hint of disorder, and her breathing isn't labored either. That's not the state of someone who's thrown in the towel."
"It seems we might have underestimated her. She could be the type who relies on a final burst of speed."
"But this is a 3000-meter long-distance race! After holding on this long, does Centaurea really have the stamina left for a final kick?"
Hearing her grandmother's words, Ardan felt slightly reassured, but she was still worried about Platinum's endurance.
"That's the real question. It all depends on whether she's truly adapted to long distances."
On this point, even the head of the Mejiro family couldn't say for sure. After all, she'd never seen Centaurea's training sessions, and making baseless claims wasn't in her nature.
But Ardan's behavior had piqued her interest.
"Ardan, aren't you paying a bit too much attention to young Centaurea? This whole race, you haven't mentioned Palmer or Dober once. It's all Centaurea this, Centaurea that. Have you two gotten that close, that fast?"
Hearing this, Ardan flustered.
"Huh? Am I really that focused on Centaurea-chan? I think it's just normal concern, like an older sister looking out for a younger one."
"Is that so?"
The Mejiro matriarch's tone was playful. Though her smile was hidden by the veil on her hat, the teasing implication in her voice was unmistakable.
"Of course, Grandmother!"
Ardan retorted, her cheeks flushed red.
"This is just how an older sister cares for a younger one! Worrying about her clothes, her posture, whether she's living healthily, whether she can run happily... isn't that all perfectly normal?"
"But even though all those girls are racing alongside Centaurea, you're only concerned about her. Be careful, or Dober and the others might get their feelings hurt."
"Well, that... they'll understand! It's because Centaurea-chan is new, so she naturally needs a bit more attention."
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with Centaurea's sister?"
The Mejiro head subtly played her trump card.
"..."
Ardan was K.O.'d.
"Ah, well, maybe... maybe it has a little something to do with it... After all, we're friends. Even if I'm the one who decided that unilaterally."
Ardan spoke, a hint of bashfulness in her voice.
In that moment, she cursed her own thin skin for being unable to handle such questions without making things seem more than they were. For the first time, she thought, 'If only I could tell a lie.'
"Heh heh."
Grandmother chuckled merrily beside her, none of the usual authority of the Mejiro family head in sight.
"Don't worry, there's no need to be shy about it. The things you want to do are entirely up to you. Out of all these children, you're the one I trust most, Ardan, to follow through on the choices you make with determination."
"Grandmother..."
"Alright, alright, some things are better left a little vague. Letting them stay hazy is a form of wisdom in itself."
Gently reaching out to stroke Ardan's long hair a few times and giving her ear a little rub, the Mejiro matriarch turned her focus back to the race.
"Now then, the race is past halfway. This calm scene is about to be broken. The time for them to show their true abilities is almost here."
Just as she said, the situation on the track suddenly shifted.
'I can't do it, I'm running out of stamina!'
With nearly a thousand meters still to go, Mejiro Palmer, who had been leading the pack until now, felt her speed gradually declining.
'Was it because fighting so hard for the lead early on used more energy than I expected? Or was my pacing off while leading, wasting too much effort?'
Unable to maintain her speed, a reluctant Palmer could only slow her pace, letting herself fall back.
It wasn't that she didn't want to hold her position—she simply couldn't.
'If I push myself like this now, I won't have anything left for the final stretch! I have to slow down and recover some stamina.'
Pursing her lips tightly, Palmer's face was a mask of frustration, but in the end, she accepted reality.
"Haha, now's my chance! I'll take the lead for now!"
Seeing Palmer's speed dropping, Mejiro Ryan, who had been sitting right behind her completely shielded from the wind, cleanly overtook her, temporarily taking first place.
"Don't get too cocky, Ryan! The final winner will be me!"
Palmer shouted unwillingly.
"Sorry, but neither of you will be the winner."
A cool, clear voice sounded from behind. In an instant, the figure surged past Palmer, heading straight for Ryan.
"You wasted so much energy fighting for the lead early on. There's no way you can catch me now!"
"Dober!" both Palmer and Ryan cried out in frustration, but reality wouldn't change for them. Mejiro Dober had taken the lead from them.
"My, oh my~ Dober's making her move. I can't fall behind either. I need to show her her big sister's strength."
Seeing her younger sister start her sprint seemed to galvanize Mejiro Bright, who was running second to last. Her normally soft, slightly dazed expression turned sharp and cool.
She gathered power in her right leg, her whole body coiling like a spring as she lowered her stance, then propelled herself forward with a sudden, explosive release of force.
"Here I go."
A fierce wind whipped against Bright's lovely, delicate face. Her ears were already pressed flat back against her head, and she could even hear the whoosh rushing past them.
Three meters, two meters, one meter.
Bright relentlessly closed the gap on the three runners ahead, soon overtaking both Palmer and Ryan.
"Whoa, Bright, you—!"
"Hehe, I guess that's the power of an older sister? Can't let Dober show me up, after all."
Ignoring the surpassed Palmer and Ryan, Bright chased after her biological younger sister ahead, the distance between them steadily shrinking.
"Sister, I knew you'd catch up."
Using her peripheral vision to track the approaching chestnut-haired figure, Dober allowed a genuine smile to grace her lips.
"Naturally. An older sister can't let her younger sister look down on her, can she?"
Bright responded with a smile of her own. For a moment, it was hard to tell if their exchange was one of deep sisterly affection or fierce rivalry.
"I'm going all out now! The winner will be me!"
"Don't underestimate your big sister. You can't just claim victory for yourself so easily."
"Don't look down on me!" / "I'm not giving first place to you!"
Whether it was the twin sisters at the front or Ryan and Palmer behind them, they all intended to unleash their final sprint on this last long straight, battling it out for victory.
No one noticed Centaurea, still dawdling at the very back, a good 35 meters behind them.
"Hmm, maybe it's about time to make a move?"
She even had the leisure to let out a yawn.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.