"Suzuka-chan!? Huh??" Standing at the front of the spectator seats, Special Week's eyes widened.
What was going on? Why was Silence Suzuka in the race?
Just before school ended, she'd run into Silence Suzuka and casually asked if she wanted to come watch the race together.
At the time, Suzuka hadn't answered—she'd just run off, almost like she wasn't feeling well.
Who would've thought the next time she saw her, she'd be appearing as a contestant.
"That's weird. Isn't this the race to prove yourself to Cafe-senpai and ask her out? Why is Suzuka-senpai running?" Vodka, standing beside Special Week and equally curious about how things had turned out, voiced her doubt.
"Could it be that Suzuka-senpai also has feelings for Cafe-senpai—"
"No way!"
Special Week suddenly shouted, making Vodka jump.
"Spe-chan?"
"Ah… sorry." Realizing she'd been too loud, Special Week scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"Suzuka-chan has never mentioned Cafe-senpai before. So I think it's not right to just decide she likes Cafe the same way Narita Brian and the others do just because she entered a race."
"Spe-chan, if there really was no connection, she wouldn't join a race like this either…"
"That's definitely because! Because… ah, right! It must be because Suzuka-chan has her own reasons. Yeah, absolutely. Suzuka-chan loves running so much, so deciding to enter a race on a whim isn't strange at all."
"Ah~ See, when you think of running, you think of Silence Suzuka. When you think of Silence Suzuka, you think of running."
As if finally convincing herself, Special Week broke into a relieved smile.
"What do we do? I'm kinda worried about Spe-chan now. What do you think, Scarlet?" Vodka turned to look at Daiwa Scarlet, who was beside her.
But the other girl had, without anyone noticing, already wandered off to a spot far from Vodka and the others, closer to the commentator's booth.
"Hey! Scarlet, where are you going?"
Watching the brown-haired girl walk further away, Vodka couldn't help but chase after her.
Only when she grabbed Daiwa Scarlet's arm did the other turn around.
"Vodka?"
"Geez, I was calling you and you didn't hear."
"Sorry, it's too noisy around here." Daiwa Scarlet rubbed her ear.
Whether it was excitement for the race or just plain hype, the students were already screaming frequently even though the runners hadn't even entered the starting gates yet.
"Spe-chan's over there. Why'd you come this way?"
"Tachyon-senpai…" Daiwa Scarlet said slowly.
"Normally, Tachyon-senpai wouldn't get involved in something like this. So why is she acting so out of character today?"
Agnes Tachyon's reputation at Tracen Academy wasn't exactly stellar—skipping class and training were common for her—but no one could deny she was one of the strongest Uma Musume at Tracen.
Called "The Particle Faster Than Light," with a final burst of speed like a flash, she had defeated numerous champions in various races. Even Symboli Rudolf had praised her skill.
So even with her notorious reputation, many still respected her strength.
And Daiwa Scarlet, standing here now, was one of them.
She practically worshipped Agnes Tachyon like an idol.
Not only incredibly strong, but also a scientific genius—a powerhouse of both mind and body. In her eyes, Agnes Tachyon was perfect.
"She's just doing some commentary, right? What's the big deal?"
"That's because you don't understand Tachyon-senpai," Daiwa Scarlet immediately protested.
"Whenever Tachyon-senpai does something, there's always a purpose behind it."
Here we go again.
Vodka couldn't help but hold her head. As roommates, Daiwa Scarlet was great in every way, except it seemed like she couldn't get through the day without praising Tachyon several times.
Every time she saw her, she had to explain her virtues to Vodka in meticulous detail.
It was really too much.
Spe-chan had become like that, and Daiwa Scarlet wasn't much better. Were there any normal people around her at all?
Leaning on the guardrail, Vodka sighed inwardly.
--+--
"Suzuka. How rare to see you entering a race."
Seeing Silence Suzuka approach at a steady pace, Narita Brian went to meet her.
The orange-haired girl nodded, lifting a hand to brush back the long hair the wind had blown across her face.
"Were you drawn here by that person too?" Narita Brian asked.
Though she was a bit surprised that Admire Vega had also come to run this race, it didn't matter.
Narita Brian didn't mind more challengers. One or two, as long as she defeated them all, that was fine. She'd show everyone that an honest, straightforward running style was the best.
But Silence Suzuka's participation was something Narita Brian hadn't anticipated at all.
'The Fugitive from Another Dimension.' An Uma Musume who had mastered the art of the runaway front-runner, Silence Suzuka stood out even within all of Tracen.
Her personality, her running style, her way of doing things—all possessed a unique beauty. And that 'beauty,' Narita Brian called it 'strength.'
Yes, Silence Suzuka possessed an ability that even Narita Brian found astonishing. And this ability had been evident as early as three years ago, when Suzuka first entered the academy.
It was a 2000-meter practice race. From the start, Silence Suzuka took a commanding lead. Back then, the still-green Narita Brian, along with Maruzensky and others, watched from the sidelines as Suzuka raced ahead at the front.
Reckless, rash, no strategy whatsoever. Not a thought for race pace or stamina management, just charging forward headlong.
Whether it was Maruzensky or the other students, everyone thought Silence Suzuka's running was pure madness. With that carefree posture, her stamina would be completely drained before the finish line.
But the final result took everyone by surprise.
Silence Suzuka, who had led from the very beginning, kept pulling further and further away from the students behind her. Faster and faster, maintaining a dominant lead until the freshmen behind couldn't even see her anymore.
In the end, Silence Suzuka broke the finish line.
With her own body, she had shown them what overwhelming strength looked like, what overwhelming beauty was.
That was the first time Narita Brian realized that 'beauty' and 'strength' could coexist in one person.
The Great Escape style—abandoning schemes, abandoning strategy—Silence Suzuka carried this method through to the end. Holding nothing back, she displayed a speed that defied belief.
'Another Dimension' was the highest praise Tracen could give her.
If it weren't for her personality, Narita Brian would have long since wanted to have a proper talk with her.
In response to Narita Brian's question, Silence Suzuka merely brushed her hair lightly aside.
"Drawn here... not really. I simply love to run."
Silence Suzuka answered plainly.
A single offhand remark, yet it made Narita Brian's eyes widen.
Even though the other girl stood right before her, in Narita Brian's perception, it was as if Silence Suzuka had vanished.
Her presence was completely undetectable, as if she had merged with her surroundings.
A single drop of cold sweat, born of awed trepidation, trailed down Narita Brian's cheek.
--+--
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.