"Dicta Striker crosses the finish line first!"
"She wins the [NHK Hai] with an overwhelming lead of 6 lengths!"
The crowd cheered, excited by the amazing showing Dicta Striker had given. She, who wasn't even the first favorite, had stolen the lead during the final straight with a terrifying final spurt. And her opponents weren't weak either, considering the [NHK Hai] was a prestigious G2 race!
But Dicta herself didn't share the excitement.
"Not enough." She bit out, narrowing her eyes at the time displayed on the scoreboard. "Not even close."
And it wasn't. There wasn't much time left before the [Japanese Derby]—the race where she'd face off against Oguri Cap once again. Her speed might be impressive, but this wouldn't be enough. The Beast of Kasamatsu wasn't someone she could beat by just being 'impressive'.
She needed to be at her absolute best if she wanted even the slightest of a chance to beat her. Oguri had proven her dominance during the [Satsuki Sho], and there was no doubt she'd become even more powerful since.
But she wouldn't give up. Even if victory was basically impossible, she wouldn't back out.
That just wasn't her style.
"Tch, what're you spacing out for?"
"Huh?" Dicta turned, and she grinned. "Oh, Blacky Yell! How you feeling?"
"Like crap." She said simply as she glanced at the scoreboard. It clearly showed that she'd taken 3rd place, and she scoffed. "To think I fell for that stupid trap you set up." Her eyes darkened as she growled. "Takin' on some new tricks, huh?"
Dicta's grin just grew. "Worked, didn't it?"
Blacky Yell rolled her eyes. "So what? Gonna try to be sneakier for the derby?"
Dicta just raised an eyebrow. "Maybe. Doubt it'd work though." She smiled wryly. "Oguri Cap's a little too strong for that."
"...can't argue with that." Blacky Yell eventually said, before she realized something. "Wait-, you sayin' I'm weak or something!?"
Dicta raised her hands in innocence. "Hey, I didn't say nothing."
"Why you…!" Blacky Yell grit her teeth as she physically held herself back from saying anything incriminating.
"Now, now." Dicta smiled sweetly. "Don't get too angry." Her eyes narrowed. "Still need you to help me out during my Winning Concert."
"...you're really making me want to bash your head in."
Dicta just shrugged as she began walking.
…
Mejiro Ardan smiled slightly as she watched Dicta Striker walk away, followed by a fuming Blacky Yell.
It was impossible to doubt Dicta's strength. That final spurt had been awe-inspiring, and had she been racing against her, she was sure she would've lost regardless of whatever plan she'd concocted.
But she'd seen the disappointed look Dicta had as she saw the scoreboard, and she Ardan understood. Dicta's eyes had always been set on Oguri Cap. Though she'd achieved victory, she still wasn't fast enough to catch up to the shadow Oguri Cap had left behind after her dominant victory in the [Satsuki Sho].
She smiled shamefully.
In truth, she could've registered for the [Japanese Derby] or the [Japanese Oaks]. Her recent victory in the [Aoba Sho] had was the guarantee the URA needed, and had she gone through, she was sure her family would've been able to sign her into the race.
But she didn't.
Because Team Kitahara was a generation of monsters. Oguri Cap's terrifying final spurt, allowing her to surge forward at speeds that rivalled some of her seniors. Blossom Star's unending Stamina, one she made full use of through her exciting Great Escapes.
The thought of facing those two in a race never failed to make her freeze. How could she ever dare to contest them? She who had started late—who was born with legs no better than glass?
Even her most recent victory against Belno Light was no more than luck. Had the [Aoba Sho] just been 100m-, no, 50m longer, she was sure the outcome would've been different. And she was sure that if she was to face Belno once more in the future, she would be faced with an even larger threat.
Compared to them all, she was-
"..."
No. She couldn't think that. Her family had done so much for her to even race. She could not let herself falter, lest she let down those that had placed their hopes upon her.
She would face them one day, and she would give all she could to defeat them. That was her oath.
She was a Mejiro, after all.
"Let us leave." She said as she stood up, intent on heading back to train.
"Ardan-sama?" The man acting as her bodyguard asked, clearly confused. After all, they still had Dicta's Winning Concert to watch.
But seeing Ardan silently shake her head, the bodyguard understood as he began following behind her.
…
Sakura Chiyono O breathed heavily as she slowed to a stop. She wiped her sweat with her sleeves as gently patted her chest. "How did I do, senpai?"
"Mm, you're getting better~" Maruzensky said as she offered a bottle of water. Chiyono O muttered a soft thank you as she drank the bottle whole. "Though I think you're still having trouble during corners, right?"
Chiyono O giggled shyly. "S-So you figured it out, senpai?" She sighed. "I just-, it's just so hard to control myself. I-I don't know how you're able to hug the railing like that, senpai."
Maruzensky winked. "Lots of practice, of course!" Though she soon gave a kind smile. "Don't worry about it too much, Sakura-chan. It's not like I immediately learnt how to do that in a day."
"...I know." She whispered.
She did. She knew learning took time. That was why she needed to train day after day.
But there wasn't much time left. The [Japanese Oaks] was approaching, and with it, her first time racing against Blossom Star.
And who wouldn't feel terrified by that? Blossom Star was incredible. An undefeated winning streak that stretched all the way back from Kasamatsu. She ran with a recurring Great Escape that constantly left everyone else in the dust, but she was also capable of speeding up during the final straight—something most umamusume would've been unable to do after using a Great Escape.
That was the mountain she must overcome.
Maruzensky smiled knowingly. "Thinking about little Star, Sakura-chan?"
Chiyono O yelped. "H-How did you know, senpai!?"
Maruzensky giggled. "Of course I'd know~" She then smiled gently. "Are you scared, Sakura-chan? I know that little Star's really strong." Chiyono O was quiet for a moment, before she nodded slowly. Maruzensky hummed as she gently ruffled Chiyono O's hair. "That's good. It's normal to be afraid."
"I-Is it?"
"Mhm~! That means you understand what you need to do, Sakura-chan!"
…Yes. Yes she did.
So Sakura Chiyono O took a deep breath before she gently slapped her cheeks. "I'll go on another lap!"
Maruzensky giggled. "I'll be waiting here, then~"
…
Yaeno Muteki sat silently in the middle of her master's dojo, eyes closed, her fists clenched tightly as she laid them atop her lap.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
In. Out.
She slowly opened her eyes, glancing at the late-afternoon sunlight that streamed through the tatami walls, coloring the room with the tinge of warm orange.
Despite her seeming tranquility, her heart was anything but. There was little time left before her second confrontation with Oguri Cap, and she could not help but feel like nothing would ever be enough. She simply wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough. She wasn't fit to compare herself against the Beast of Kasamatsu.
But whereas before such thoughts would've brought her despair, recently, it stirred within her a different emotion.
A deep, burning hunger.
She was unsure where it came from. But it'd gotten so intense that even her master noticed. It was why she was alone in this room in the first place—he had told her to reflect on her own thoughts.
…Ha. Who was she lying to? She knew full well where this anger came from.
Blossom Star. Her fellow trainee, and an umamusume who had risen together with Oguri Cap and Belno Light. Another legendary figure who'd risen from seemingly nowhere, her presence alone capable of turning the eyes of Japan.
She owed a lot to her. She was the one who'd encouraged her to keep going even after her first loss, and she wasn't shy in sharing tips whenever Muteki required aid. She was kind, playful, and gentle.
But when she first saw Star dressed in her G1 outfit, garbed in clothes befitting of a Hero, she found herself…entranced. During the entire [Oka Sho], her eyes had never left Star's dazzling figure. And when Star stretched her lead during the final straight, she wasn't ashamed to admit that her screams were far louder than the others.
Yet that shooting star remained elusive to her, having already been captured by the gravity of the black hole known as Oguri Cap.
She wanted to be there too. She wanted to bask in Star's radiance just like Oguri and Belno always did. She wanted to spend her days together with Star-, with them.
To do that, she needed to prove that she had what it takes to stand amongst them.
And she would. Whatever it takes.
.
.
.
"It is the time of destiny!"
"The [Japanese Derby] shall start shortly!"