To run is the very nature of the Uma Musume.
To continuously push their limits and pass on the bloodline of the Three Goddesses.
It is this heritage that subtly influences every Uma Musume.
Run, keep running, faster than anyone else.
This is the will left behind by the Three Goddesses before they departed this world.
"Are you sure about this?"
Holding her hexagram board, Copano Rickey asked the girl beside her, Narita Brian.
"It's dangerous. No, I should say it's extremely dangerous. Pushing yourself to the limit before your leg injury has fully healed will put a severe strain on both legs. And even if you hold back, with your ability, you should still win easily enough."
Copano Rickey pleaded.
"You've already been reckless once. You still have a chance to change your mind now. Don't tell me you plan to throw this chance away too?"
It was clear she was genuinely worried about Narita Brian, not just feigning concern for appearances.
The reason for her stern warning was Narita Brian's desire to challenge the Black Ghost to a duel before her foot was fully healed.
No strategy, no tactics. Just pure, raw strength and wild instinct to conquer the racetrack.
Forget whether the other party would even agree to such a duel; given Narita Brian's current physical condition, running all-out was far too risky.
The ominous whispers surrounding her hadn't faded in the slightest, meaning Narita Brian was constantly at risk of causing irreversible damage during a race.
Last time, she'd been protected by the Feng Shui stone and avoided major trouble, but you can't rely on something like that to defy fate every single time.
Besides, if Copano Rickey's parents found out she was trying to lend the stone out again, they'd skin her alive. Getting it out of the house again would be next to impossible.
So there was little more she could do to help Narita Brian.
Everything now rested on Narita Brian herself.
Going all-out in a race undoubtedly increased the risk of a breakdown, which was why Copano Rickey was trying so hard to stop her.
"Even if I don't issue the challenge, she will appear."
Narita Brian spoke, her arms crossed.
"The Japanese Derby, the New Zealand Cup, the Mainichi Okan, the Autumn Tenno Sho... every one of them is a high-profile graded race. She isn't afraid of attention. No... I should say her exaggerated performances are precisely meant to attract people's notice."
Knowing the other's personality made predicting her next move simple.
As the final leg of the Classic Triple Crown, the [Kikuka Shō], renowned as a race only the strongest Uma Musume can win, was one the black mare would surely not miss.
That was exactly why Narita Brian could confidently say that whether she sent a challenge or not, the black Uma Musume would appear on the track.
This was the race Narita Brian had long awaited, and she wanted to face it seriously.
After the [Tenno Sho], Narita Brian had tossed and turned, every night her mind replaying the scene from that race where the other had stealthily, imperceptibly, crept to the front.
Every time, she would sit up in bed, close her eyes, and brood for a long while.
Frustration…
Not with the race's outcome, but with the disappointment of not having run to her heart's content.
All her efforts had been ruthlessly cast aside by the other; the new realm she had barely managed to grasp, she hadn't even had a chance to unveil.
The other was strong, stronger than anyone else, Narita Brian admitted that.
However, that one had to employ such bewildering tactics in the race.
Cunning, schemes, stratagems—for Narita Brian, who sought only speed, these things felt distant, alien.
What she craved was a physical clash, a more direct confrontation.
Primitive, Pure, Sublime.
This was the perfect race Narita Brian had envisioned, the one she thought would allow her to lose herself completely in the joy of running.
Full of passion, she had arrived at the [Tenno Sho], only for the result to be so bitterly disappointing.
Narita Brian knew this was her own fault.
Wishful thinking, wishful yearning, brutally shattered by reality.
It was all her own wishful thinking.
Narita Brian lifted her head.
Even so, she still believed that deep in the other's bones, there was an arrogant individual who crushed opponents with overwhelming strength, without resorting to tricks, a wild spirit just like herself.
That very first race had given Narita Brian that feeling.
That desire seeming to come from the depths of her soul—to let her body go, surrender to instinct. To cry out, to bite, to boil, to burn—
She was one of the few who resonated with Narita Brian, one of the few who felt so similar.
How precious.
Narita Brian didn't want this rival to drift away from her.
She wanted to call forth the instinct hidden beneath the other's skin.
So, Narita Brian proposed a duel. A contest stripped of tactics and technique, a pure test of power.
The three-thousand-meter course of the [Kikuka Shō] was long enough for the two of them to run to their hearts' content.
And so, Narita Brian had sought out Copano Rickey.
She knew this Feng Shui master would have a method to find the 'ghost.'
"Are you really sure about this?" Copano Rickey asked one last time.
"Yes. I want to tell her formally, before the race. Whether she accepts or refuses, I want her to know how I feel."
Just as President Symboli Rudolf said, change starts with what you can do.
Narita Brian couldn't force the other to do anything, but she could tell that black Uma Musume that someone was eagerly hoping for an unveiled, pure contest with her.
"I see... In that case, I'll respect your decision."
Copano Rickey nodded, squinted her eyes, and began manipulating the characters on her board.
Watching the serious brown-haired girl, Narita Brian said softly, "Thank you."
Her ears twitched slightly, but Copano Rickey didn't reply, focusing intently on listening to the sounds around her.
Where a ghost resided, the Feng Shui would show anomalies.
Her fingers moved swiftly over the characters on the board, and soon she pinpointed the direction.
"Not far. Quite close to the training field."
"Let's go."
Without another word, they quickened their pace.
When the two arrived, they saw a girl dressed in white with a crown braid. Sitting beside her was someone both Narita Brian and Copano Rickey recognized.
Tracen's esteemed senior, Green Grass.
Noticing Narita Brian's approach, the girl in white started, her gaze sliding over to Copano Rickey beside her. She narrowed her eyes, as if realizing something.
"Hello, Green Grass-senpai."
"Brian! What are you doing here?"
Clearly, Green Grass hadn't expected to see Narita Brian in such a remote spot. Once the race started, everyone was supposed to be in the spectator stands.
While the view wasn't great, this was the only place Green Grass had found where she could see the track and remain undisturbed, the only place she could share with her 'juniors.'
How had Narita Brian found them?
As Green Grass puzzled over this, Narita Brian turned her gaze to the disguised girl.
She slowly opened her mouth and spoke in a tone of utmost seriousness.
"My rival. For a long time now, there's been something important I've wanted to tell you..."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.