Quite the commotion followed after the [Sapporo Kinen].
Dicta Striker had won the race by absolutely shattering the race's previous record. And not only that, she'd done so while also setting the record for the highest acceleration ever recorded in Japanese history. In that final moment, Dicta Striker had sped up so much that only the announcer's dedicated high-speed cameras were able to catch sight of the insane speed at which Dicta had moved with.
Alas, Dicta Striker remained elusive after her victory, probably because she'd strained herself a little too much. I didn't know too much, but from what I heard from Sakura Chiyono O, Dicta was apparently being caged in the Mejiro Household to make sure she didn't strain herself.
And since the Dicta was unavailable, all that attention then shifted to the next shocking upset that'd occurred during that race.
The [Sapporo Kinen] ended up being Inari One's true 'debut' to Central. The truth was, Inari's career after her successful Debut had been rather quiet, and so nearly everyone was blindsided when Inari One suddenly came in and showed that she had the strength to face off against the Generation of Miracles. And in fact, had Dicta not broken through her Limits, Inari would've likely won the [Sapporo Kinen].
In just a couple days, I found Inari practically hunkering down in Team Kitahara's clubroom, having fled from all the reporters that were trying to get an interview from her. Her trainer was also apparently taking some shelter to hide from all the heat, though he also made use of the chance to get some aid from Director Akikawa to bolster his knowledge.
And since Inari couldn't do much in Tracen Central at the moment,
"Hah…hah…!" Inari One was gasping as she finally ran past the finish line. And the moment she did, she immediately fell face-first onto the track, sending up a small cloud of dust as she unceremoniously smacked onto the earth.
I smirked slightly as I leaned onto the railing, having waited in front of the finish line for nearly a full minute. Oguri was standing just to my left, idly snacking on a bag of chips we bought from the nearby convenience store. Her ears flicked as she glanced at Inari, before she turned her focus back to her snack.
"Not bad." I said as I pushed myself away from the railing. "But you really need to be patient. You can't just use your Domain the moment you feel threatened." I grinned wryly. "Domains don't last forever, y'know? You gotta save them for when you 'em most."
Inari groaned weakly as she rolled herself over, gasping loudly as she took large mouthfuls of air. "I-I'know…" She winced as she weakly grinned. "I jus'got…a lil' excited, tha's all."
I rolled my eyes.
A few days had gone by since the [Sapporo Kinen], and we were currently in the abandoned track I bought in Gunma. After all, I'd promised Inari One a trial race, and since Inari was trying to hide herself from all the media attention she was getting, I might as well use the chance to finally bring Inari here.
As expected, Inari lost. She'd wanted me to run with all my might, and while some Skills of mine were unavailable due to the lack of competition, I still gave it my all. And as a result, by the time I crossed the finish line, Inari was still so far back that I didn't even bother trying to gauge an accurate distance.
Still, her loss wasn't really that important.
Right now, Inari's main problem was the fact that she was too excitable. The moment she saw me charging ahead, she immediately popped her Domain and began chasing after me, not even bothering to think of how much stamina she was consuming to keep her Domain active. And so by the time she even approached the final straight, she was gasping and heaving every breath she took.
"Getting excited is fine and all." I bent down and flickered her forehead. "But what're you gonna do when we're actually racing together, huh? And what happens if you're up against, say, Belno?" I smirked. "You don't want to get played like a fiddle, right?"
"Of course not!" She returned a smirk of her own. "Just watch me, Star-aneue! I'll beat you one day!"
I chuckled as I ruffled her hair. "Yeah. Keep it up, Inari."
…But really, the rate at which Inari improved really was scary.
I mean, she'd only arrived in Central early this year, and in just half a year, she'd improved enough to the point that she was able to compete against Mejiro Ardan and Dicta Striker. And sure, I helped out a bit during the summer camp, but even without my help, I was sure Inari could've gotten here on her own merit.
The amount of talent she carried was staggering.
Honestly, it was almost like I was watching an Oguri-lite growing before my eyes.
"Alright," I grinned as I held out a hand towards her. "Ready for another round?" My eyes shined. "Just like last time, I won't hold back."
Inari blinked, and then she smiled wide as she took my hand. "Of course!" Faint wisps of flames burnt around her as she stood up. "Just watch me, Star-aneue!" She jabbed a thumb towards her chest. "I'm catchin' up this time!"
I chuckled. "Sure, sure~"
.
.
.
Oguri Cap smiled faintly as she saw Blossom Star speed right past her, with Inari One following not long after. She could see the faint sparks left behind with every step Inari took, but the fox-like umamusume was clearly trying her hardest not to immediately call upon her Domain.
Oguri hummed softly as she reached into her bag of chips, and then her ears drooped when she realized that she'd already emptied it.
But before she could despair, she felt a familiar eerie chill creep up her spine. She blinked before she reached her hand behind her, and by instinct, she grabbed something. A strange, slimy sensation overwhelmed her senses for a moment, but when she pulled her hand back she found that she was now holding onto another bag of chips—the exact same brand as the one she'd just finished.
She stared at the clearly supernatural bag of chips she now held, before she shrugged and ripped it open.
She didn't question it. She didn't need to. She knew exactly the cause.
"Thank you." She whispered.
And just moments later, her world darkened as a shadow hung over her, curving over her head as if to hide her from the sunlight. A bright red slit opened across the black mass, stretched out into a bloody smile.
"hUngER, aBAteD." The phantom said. And though its voice was garbled and grating to listen to, Oguri somehow understood that the phantom seemed almost amused as they watched her consume her next bag of chips.
She hummed, and then blinked when she felt a sudden heat wash across her. She turned to the other side of the track, and as she expected, Inari had finally given into her excitement and activated her Domain, filling the air with a storm of foxfire.
She narrowed her eyes. "{Foxfire Blaze}..." She whispered, somehow knowing its name.
Her friend abruptly morphed as it bent to the side, their body suddenly morphing into a being formed of a billion arms. "tHE kItsuNE. yOUng, uNreLEntiNg." Red smiles opened across each of the billion hands, each bleeding crimson. "pOWerfUl, imMatTurE."
Oguri tilted her head for a moment, before she glanced at the phantom. "She won't run in the [Japan Cup]?" She surmised. The phantom gave no response, which in itself was a confirmation. Oguri then hummed as she glanced down for a moment, comparing it to that awful dream that she occasionally had whenever she fell asleep.
The phantom remained quiet for some time, before their body morphed again. This time, its body shrunk, and their form almost mimicked that of an umamusume. A pair of beady red eyes opened on their face, staring at the amused grin Star had as she outsped Inari One with ease.
A bloody smile tore itself open across the phantom's face, too wide and uneven to ever be normal.
"StaRs, eArtH." They spoke, voice echoing. "ThE suN, thE mOOn."
And then, suddenly, the phantom was gone. The eerie chill that hung in the air vanished.
Oguri stared at where her friend had stood just moments ago, before she returned to her snack as if nothing had happened.