"The final 400 meters. The winner should be decided soon."
As all the Uma Musume entered the final straight, the head of the Mejiro family spoke, believing the outcome was already clear.
"It seems Bright has the best chance of winning now. Palmer's condition is slightly off—was she startled by something?"
The grandmother was puzzled, noticing Mejiro Dober's hesitation while competing with Mejiro Bright.
"That child Dober has always been rather shy, especially around Uma Musume of different gender inclinations. Though Bright is her older sister, that only minimizes the effect somewhat. It doesn't seem to have completely disappeared."
Ardan, who always cared for her younger sisters, understood the reason for Dober's hesitation well. Still, there was little she could do about such a personality trait.
"I see... I understand. It seems we'll need to reconsider Dober's future race schedule."
After hearing Ardan's words, the grandmother immediately scrapped her previous plans for Dober. This issue was rather critical; without proper adjustments, Dober's path would be difficult.
"I'll have to properly scold Palmer and Ryan when they return. Making a basic mistake like mismanaging their stamina—how careless of them."
The Mejiro head watched with dissatisfaction as the two, now lacking strength, trailed behind Bright and Dober, her tone full of disappointment.
Yet, her gaze softened unexpectedly when it turned to Centaurea.
"But Centaurea's performance is quite decent. Even if she can't catch up to them, she's managing to run these 3000 meters without slowing down. It seems she isn't struggling with long distances. Good."
The elderly woman looked approvingly at Centaurea, who appeared to be running diligently, feeling quite pleased.
'This child may have scattered flaws, but she's a fine choice overall. I should try to let the younger ones spend more time with her.'
At that thought, she let out a heavy sigh.
'But none of this generation's children have truly top-tier talent. It'll be difficult to pass on the Mejiro family's glory. What to do...'
'Speaking of which, hasn't there been a young Uma Musume from a branch family recently showing remarkable promise? Should I go observe her myself? For the sake of the Mejiro family's honor, the distinction between branch and main family means nothing.'
Worriedly, the Mejiro head pondered the family's future, but Ardan, beside her, was wholly focused on the race. It was then that Ardan noticed something subtle.
"Centaurea-chan? Is it my imagination, or was she just in this position?"
Ardan rubbed her eyes, feeling confused.
"She was lagging so far behind just a moment ago, so why does the distance seem to have shrunk?"
But after rubbing her eyes, Ardan realized it wasn't an illusion.
"No, her position changed again! Centaurea-chan, she's accelerating!?"
This exclamation directly interrupted the grandmother's thoughts. When she refocused on the track, the shock made her forget to speak.
Platinum was "flying" across the slightly yellowed grass.
Yes, it was as if she were flying—no sound, no roar, no imposing aura. Those ahead didn't even realize she was closing in.
A silent and terrifying Platinum shadow was pursuing everything before her. The path behind her seemed to sink into darkness, blurred and indistinct.
As for the girl herself, she was like an inanimate object, her face frighteningly indifferent. Her white hair reflected a pale light under the sun, gradually devouring the warmth of the racetrack.
"So fast... It's as if the Uma Musume ahead have been paused. The only one running on this track right now seems to be Centaurea-chan."
Ardan murmured dazedly. In her eyes, Platinum was no longer that lazy, playful, somewhat indifferent but adorable younger sister.
She was like a white assassin, lurking within the fiery atmosphere of the Uma Musume, watching them with a cold, deadly gaze, waiting until the final moment to deliver her strike.
"Why?"
The Mejiro head muttered to herself, perplexed.
"How is this possible? I can't sense any explosive power in her final kick. It's as if she's gliding over the track. She's moving so fast, yet there aren't even proper hoofprints left on the grass."
Treading on snow without leaving a trace, skimming water without a ripple.
That was the impression Centaurea's final kick gave. She was like an unknown creature soaring above the racetrack.
"She caught up... Centaurea-chan caught up to Palmer... Was that two seconds? Or just 1.5? That was nearly 30 meters!"
Ardan could no longer maintain her elegance. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Beside her, the Mejiro head appeared unmoved, but her left hand gripping the armrest was clenched so tightly her veins bulged.
"A final kick after 2600 meters, yet she still has such overwhelming speed... Just how much stamina does she possess?"
Why couldn't an Uma Musume like this have been born into the Mejiro family?
Such a thought was now firmly etched in the Mejiro head's mind.
'Not bad, this grass feels really nice. Just a light step gives enough power. No need to push off hard at all.'
Centaurea, advancing as if "bouncing" along the track, thought to herself, the wind whistling past her clothes.
'This is definitely better. Why sprint with all my might? They're all slower than me anyway. Just speeding up at the end is enough.'
A dark aura swayed behind her like thick ink. At this moment, she was like an assassin taking aim at the path to victory for everyone ahead.
"Sorry about this. I recall this face of mine used to be that of an assassin, right? How fitting. Platinum is here to 'assassinate' you all."
"Whoosh—"
A sound of friction against the air rang out, and in an instant, Platinum was right beside Palmer, startling her.
"Platinum! When did you catch up?"
"I'm going ahead now."
With a casual glance at Palmer, Platinum uttered an indifferent remark, then dashed forward, leaving Palmer in stunned disbelief.
"No!"
Her eyes fixed on Platinum's stride, but no matter how she imagined it, she couldn't see any possibility of catching up.
"A monster... That kind of final kick... How could anyone catch up to that...?"
One, two, three.
Centaurea calmly overtook every figure ahead of her. At such an extreme speed, they couldn't even muster the thought of resisting.
In the end, they could only watch in bewilderment as that figure ahead gradually pulled away. No matter how much they pushed their bodies, they couldn't close the gap with that platinum shadow even a little.
Their determination to advance and their hope for victory were mercilessly crushed, leaving only fragments in their wake.
That ghostly final acceleration was undoubtedly existence on another level, shattering the walls of common sense.
Anyone who witnessed such speed would be left without a single doubt.
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T/N: New Uma Musume fic up!
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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.