With the coming autumn came a refreshed sort of excitement in the public. Not only because the dreaded heat of summer had finally passed, but also because the [Autumn Tenno Sho] was soon to come. A Medium-length on the Tokyo Racecourse, and while not as prestigious as the [Japan Cup] or the [Takarazuka Kinen], it was still a G1 race designed for Senior racers.
And while the line-up for the race had yet to be made public, most people already knew who'd be running in it. The Generation of Miracles, the White Lightning, and the Wild Joker were guaranteed to run in it. There was also Inari One, who showed that she had more than enough power to contend even with the Generation of Miracles.
Time was ticking. There were only so many days before the day of the race arrived.
Which was why–
"Dropping out from the [Autumn Tenno Sho], huh?"
I nodded, idly glancing at the stopwatch in my hand to ensure I hadn't accidentally stopped it. "Oguri and I have been thinking about it for a while now, and I think it's for the better that we don't run in it."
Kitahara stares at me for a moment, and the fact that he wasn't immediately freaking out showed just how much he'd grown since they first met. Eventually, he sighed as he pulled his cap down. "At least give me a reason why?" He asked, frowning thoughtfully as he waited for an explanation.
I gave him one. "It won't be fair to either of us. 2000 meters is just too short for me, and Oguri doesn't want to race without me." I said as I glanced at the track for a moment, just to see how the practice race was going. "Look, Oguri already has 6 G1 wins on her belt, and I have 5. Losing out on the [Autumn Tenno Sho] wouldn't be too bad, especially since we'll be racing in America next year." I turned to him. "We've raced a lot, Kitahara. I think we can afford to drop a few races."
That was the practical reason, at least.
But for me, it had more to do with the knowledge that this journey I was going on was being followed by millions of people in another world. And while Oguri and I were the 'main characters' of said story, that didn't mean this world belonged to us. Each person had their own story to tell, and if we ran in the [Autumn Tenno Sho], I had no doubt that we'd steal the limelight once again.
For once, I wanted everyone else to have a race without us, and not know who would come out on top. And though I didn't know who was penning this story of mine, but I had a feeling they'd give the [Autumn Tenno Sho] the respect it deserved, even without Oguri or I to prop it up.
Kitahara was silent for quite some time, before his gaze turned distant. "Yeah. I guess you're right." He sighed. "Fine."
I raised an eyebrow. "You agree?"
"Yeah. I do." He smiled faintly. "You're both Seniors now. If you think you don't wanna race, then I won't force you to." He huffed as he patted my head. "Besides, that means you'll have more time to prepare for the [Japan Cup], right?"
I blinked before I nodded, my tail swaying slightly. "That's true." I said, before I felt a mystical pressure wash over me. I smirked as I glanced up just in time to see Belno activate her Domain, throwing her spear at the poor juniors who'd foolishly requested to race the Divine General.
Kitahara wasn't wrong. After the [Autumn Tenno Sho] came the [Japan Cup], and that was arguably the most important race of this year for me, both for my career and for the mission I received from the Three Goddesses. If Oguri or I managed to steal victory away, then the chains of Destiny would truly shatter, and the Fate of every umamusume would no longer be bound to the predestined path of their horse counterpart.
And right now, the last thing I needed was another 'distraction'.
Of course, calling the [Autumn Tenno Sho] a distraction would probably get me lynched by a few people, but that was true. The most important thing I needed to do was to break past my Limits, and that meant unlocking my Domain.
The issue was that I wasn't a normal umamusume. Had I been normal, the intense competition from the [Autumn Tenno Sho] could've been the final crack I needed for my breakthrough.
But I wasn't normal. Though the System remained silent, my instinct told me that I'd grasp my Domain the moment I finally caught up to that phantom that appeared whenever I entered a state of flow. The moment my legs could match their's, then something monumental would occur.
"So you're sure about this?" Kitahara asked me one last time.
"I am." I answered, smiling confidently.
He grinned slightly as he tipped his cap down. "Well, guess that registration form's going to be Shreddy's next meal."
My lips twitched. "Stop treating the paper shredder like a pet." I said. "And don't shred the paper. At least keep it as a memento or something."
He just stuck out his tongue at me, and I smiled as I restrained the urge to dropkick him. But before I could succumb to my Golshi instincts, my ears perked up as I heard someone quickly running towards me, and my thumb hovered over the stopwatch I was holding as I glanced to the side.
Belno was charging down the final straight on her own, her expression stern and determined despite the fact that she was only running in a practice race. Meanwhile, the 5 other juniors who'd requested to run with Belno were still all the way back in the previous corner, their faces pale as they staggered forward like zombies.
I casually pressed down on the stopwatch as Belno passed the finish line, and the moment she did, her demeanour underwent a complete flip. Her smile returned, and the pressure she exuded was immediately extinguished as she turned towards us. "How did I do?"
I glanced at the stopwatch. "The usual." I said, and Belno nodded. She didn't need me to explain any further. "I mean, you were running against our juniors. Not quite the competition you need to push yourself beyond your Limits, right?"
Belno grimaced, knowing that she couldn't deny my words. And her grimace became even more pronounced as she looked back and finally saw the 5 juniors staggering towards the finish line, looking like the grim reaper had sucked their souls from their bodies.
It took nearly another minute until they managed to run past the finish line, and the moment they did, the juniors promptly collapsed onto the ground, uncaring of the dirt that caked their faces. Belno's eyes widened in panic as she quickly approached them. "A-Are you all okay!?"
One of the juniors managed a shaky thumbs up, before her arm fell back to the Turf.
"I-I-I'm so sorry…!"
Kitahara stifled a snort, though it was a futile effort. Belno's ears perked up as she heard him, and she leveled him a fierce glare. But Kitahara, long having grown into his title, merely returned the glare with a carefree smile. "Hey, they were the ones who wanted you to not go easy on them." He gave a playful shrug. "Ain't surprising that this is how things turned out."
"Kitahara Jo…!" Belno harshly whispered, almost as if she was casting a curse of some kind.
Kitahara's grin just grew as he tipped his hat down. "Need something, my cute little General-?" And he then laughed as he leaned back just in time to avoid Belno's kick. "Woah! Careful there!"
"At least get us some water!" Belno shouted.
Kitahara gave an exaggerated sigh as she spun on his heels. "Yes, yes~. A few water bottles coming up!" Was what he said before he began walking away, likely to purchase some drinks from the nearby vending machine.
Belno huffed, before she quickly turned her attention back to the juniors, trying to see if anyone needed any help. Alas, none of them had the energy to respond, much less try to stand back up. All of them had been directly hit by Belno's Divine Spear after all—and not even I could escape the stamina drain that damned spear causes.
And all the while, I just watched from the sidelines, happy to see that Belno was happily interacting with our juniors.
…
I silently sighed.
I hoped Belno wouldn't freak out too much when I finally told her about Oguri and my decision to back out from the [Autumn Tenno Sho].