The warm-up was complete, and the twelve Uma Musume filed into the starting gates one after another.
Sirius Symboli, who had drawn gate seven, was separated from Oguri Cap in gate eight by only a wire mesh, allowing them to see each other clearly.
"Heh, no wonder my trainer told me to keep an eye on you during the race. Fifteen wins and two second places out of seventeen races—that's a truly impressive record."
Even Sirius Symboli didn't have such a dazzling record.
And what made it even more remarkable was that the one who had achieved all this was a local Uma Musume.
It was like a fierce tiger bursting out from a herd of alpacas.
"But, what a pity... my opponent isn't you."
What did she mean by that?
Oguri Cap narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I see it," Sirius Symboli pointed at her. "Your body—it's trembling."
Trembling?
It was only after Sirius Symboli's remark that Oguri Cap finally noticed.
Her body—her hands, her legs, her waist, her ankles—had all begun to shake uncontrollably, though she hadn't realized when it started.
This incessant trembling tugged at her, making her hands clench involuntarily.
"It seems... it's not fear, is it?" Sirius Symboli wore her usual mocking smile.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
That sensation of being watched.
There was a beast, quietly watching the racetrack.
She couldn't stop it—every inch of her muscles seemed to pull at her nerves. Oguri Cap gritted her teeth.
An intense excitement burned in her brain. Under this vast blue sky, something was coming.
"I feel it too..."
Sirius Symboli's legs were restless beyond control. Since the warm-up, her body had been relentlessly sending the instinctual command: 'Run, run!'
It was as if, the moment she stopped, she would be swallowed by that dark shadow.
But compared to Sirius Symboli, Oguri Cap's reaction was even more intense.
She had to stomp her feet repeatedly on the ground to force herself to calm down.
"What's wrong with Oguri?"
In the stands, Kitahara Jo asked. He had been watching all the Uma Musume enter the gates. Almost every one of them showed signs of unease in the minutes before the race was about to start.
Especially Oguri Cap—the sound of her stomping could be heard even from a distance.
"It's 'warrior's tremors,'" Musaka Ginjirou replied, his experience showing.
There was only one reason for this phenomenon.
"A powerful enemy is approaching."
"Who? Sirius Symboli?"
"No." Musaka Ginjirou shook his head, the hand gripping his cane showing prominent veins.
He had known that one day Oguri Cap would meet her on the racetrack, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"Jo, watch this race carefully."
Musaka Ginjirou stared intently at the track. "That Uma Musume who shocked the Central racing circuit is about to appear."
"All the Uma Musume have now entered the gates. The moment everyone has been waiting for is finally here—the race is about to begin!"
The entire Tokyo Racecourse fell silent. The announcer's voice reached every spectator present, as well as those watching the broadcast on television.
Forcing her body's trembling under control, Oguri Cap and the other competitors assumed their ready positions.
Some were nervous, some were puzzled, but in the eyes of these Uma Musume who had all won major graded races, their fighting spirit had reached its peak at this very moment.
Thump—
A strange sound came from the outermost gate.
The metal plate bearing the racecourse's name, attached to the outside of the gate, began to sway gently without anyone touching it.
It was as if someone was crouching there, body taut, muscles stretched to their limit.
Who's there?!
Their hearts tightened violently.
The red light on the starting gate flickered out.
The crossbow, drawn to its fullest, was released.
Clang—!
With a sharp sound, time seemed to slow down.
The gates barring the competitors swung open slowly.
Under the disbelieving gaze of one Uma Musume, a black figure abruptly appeared on the shining metal plate.
A waterfall of black hair, golden pupils like amber.
And that unmistakable black coat adorned with golden stars.
Like the night sky, an omen of ill fortune, she had passed through the solid metal plate in a way that defied all reason.
Her eyes glanced slightly toward her, and her breath caught.
That Uma Musume clearly saw a sharp, gleaming golden blade slowly sweep past her face.
A piercing sensation stung her cheek.
She's here—
The source of all this restless agitation had arrived!!
At the same moment, all the competitors heard the roar of a beast.
In an instant, the light over the racetrack seemed to dim.
The Jet Black Uma Musume who had vanished without a trace for months had finally returned to the battlefield at this very moment.
After two seconds of silence, the entire stadium of tens of thousands of spectators erupted into deafening cheers.
"It's her! She's back—!!!"
The crowd was ecstatic!
"That Jet Black Uma Musume has returned to the racetrack!"
People exclaimed in excitement!
"Is she targeting Oguri Cap?"
"No, it's Sirius Symboli!"
People rose to their feet uncontrollably.
It was like throwing ice into boiling oil—the noise in Tokyo Racecourse roared like a fire-breathing dragon.
"Heh, haha, hahaha!!"
Standing at the edge of the gates, Reporter Fujii, cold sweat on his forehead, let out a fanatical laugh.
He had seen it clearly—how that Uma Musume had appeared.
From the start of the race, he had been fixed on the gates, not missing a single detail.
Only he knew the true nature of that Uma Musume.
It was the metal!
That Black Uma Musume had emerged from within the metal plate, which was no thicker than a sheet of paper!
This was truly... even more unbelievable than he had imagined—!
As a reporter, he felt his thirst for knowledge had reached its peak at this moment.
--+--
"Gah—!" Beside him, Kitahara Jo made a sound like a squashed duck, his mouth agape and eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Pointing at the black Uma Musume who had suddenly appeared, he turned to look at Musaka Ginjirou beside him.
"U-un-un-uncle! What's going on! How did she just pop out?!"
Having only heard rumors but never witnessed it live, Kitahara Jo wore the same expression as everyone who had seen that Uma Musume for the first time at the [Japanese Derby].
The surreal, almost magical feeling made him think he was dreaming. He kept pinching his own face until his rough skin turned red, only then stopping.
Seeing his nephew questioning reality, Musaka Ginjirou spoke in the tone of someone who had been through it all:
"Now you understand why the Central racing association is at a loss about how to handle her."
That utterly unreasonable way of appearing trampled all the rules established by Central underfoot without mercy.
Like a venomous snake, seeping through every crack, and like a wild beast, shaking the very heavens.
That was why the Uma Musume saw her as a nightmare.
Was that monster now setting her sights on the [Mainichi Okan], aiming to snatch away the victor's medal?
"Like hell we'll let you have your way—!!!"
The attention of all twelve Uma Musume was now entirely focused on the black shadow behind them.
She had become the common enemy of every Uma Musume on the track.
--+--
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.