The 'Number One in Kochi' Uma Musume departed.
Barbatos didn't dwell much on the other girl's decision to head for Central Tracen Academy.
Everyone has their own choices; people strive for higher ground, water flows to lower ground. Naturally, Uma Musume from every region aim for the center.
Just like her and Urara in the beginning.
Shifting her focus back to the track, she looked towards the center, where the somewhat dilapidated large screen clearly showed the mental state of each participating Uma Musume.
Each one of them was tense, appearing exceptionally serious.
Only Urara seemed relatively relaxed and confident, without a hint of the nervousness one would expect from a first-time racer.
"So, does that mean Urara's opponents in this race aren't at the novice race level at all?" Ikuno Dictus propped her chin on her hand.
It was true that high-level Uma Musume from the central circuit occasionally appeared in novice races, but those cases were extremely rare.
More often, it was when an Uma Musume was returning from injury and needed a comeback race.
For so many Uma Musume to participate in Urara's debut race, and for none of them to be at the normal novice race standard—all being well-known names from the Kochi region—if Urara was being marked by all of them, her debut could be very dangerous indeed.
To deal with Urara, these girls must have trained and prepared thoroughly.
Otherwise, their trainers wouldn't have entered them in this race, nor would they harbor ideas like defeating Urara to earn a special recruitment into Tracen Academy.
Nice Nature's eyes lowered slightly. 'If that's the case, Urara's debut is in trouble.'
If it were her, being marked by all these higher-level opponents, how would she break through?
Wait...
Nice Nature glanced at the figure of Minamizaka beside her, not particularly tall.
He had given Urara strategies before. If it were Trainer Minamizaka, wouldn't he have anticipated this? Wouldn't he have provided a suitable strategy?
Although in Barbatos's view, Minamizaka's presence seemed somewhat superfluous—that kind of absolute contest of strength didn't need strategic support, relying more on in-the-moment performance.
But she had also gone through her debut race. Before that race, Minamizaka had offered plenty of useful advice.
"Huh? What do you mean, not novice race level?"
"I don't get it at all???"
Twin Turbo rubbed her head, utterly confused by what her teammates were saying. The race was about to start; why weren't they just watching properly instead of talking about this?
Seiun Sky offered the simplest explanation from the side. "It means, Urara's opponents in this debut race are all at G3 level or even higher."
"Holy crap!"
Twin Turbo jumped up angrily. "That's so underhanded of them!!!"
For a moment, she even seemed like she wanted to jump onto the track herself to teach those racers a lesson.
"If Urara loses..."
"Eh-heh, it's actually not that exaggerated."
Barbatos chuckled lightly. "We have to believe in Urara. Even if, by some chance... I believe she'd still run the whole course with a smile, enjoying this, her very first race."
"And victory will definitely belong to Team Canopus!"
Having known Urara even before joining Canopus, she understood Urara's personality better than the others.
The tree hole on campus where Uma Musume poured out their troubles—while it was possible for anyone to appear there, even the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf, might show up there if defeated someday—Urara was the one person who would absolutely never appear before that tree hole to complain.
She was just that perpetually optimistic.
That was probably why Tracen Academy made a special exception to accept Urara in the first place.
Back when she had first crossed into this world, she had thought Urara's level was the baseline standard for entering Tracen—that as long as you weren't weaker than Urara, you could get in.
But after experiencing so many races and broadening her horizons, she had long since realized that her and Urara's talents placed them at the very bottom of Tracen's barrel, likely the kind who might never win a single central novice race in their entire careers.
It was just that Urara's optimistic nature had moved the interviewing teacher back then.
Now, after so much training, Urara naturally couldn't be compared to the girl who first entered the academy.
Besides, while Seiun Sky's explanation was simple, it had somewhat scared Twin Turbo.
If they truly had G3 level ability, they would have already passed the exams and entered Tracen Academy long ago.
Minamizaka, who had been silent, finally spoke up in agreement. "That's right."
"Victory will definitely belong to Canopus!"
--+--
Above the starting gates, the flag in the official's hand swung. The red light flashed, and the gates flew open.
"The race!"
"Begins!"
Uma Musume burst from the gates one after another. Urara went all out from the start, holding nothing back, adopting a 'front-runner' strategy and immediately taking a position in the leading group.
The other racers behind kept a tight watch on Urara's pace, marking her closely.
The focus of this race, both on and off the track, was singular from start to finish: Urara!
Although they were all Uma Musume from Kochi, this race felt more like a showdown between the local region and the center.
The front-runner, along with those in the leading and following positions, subtly formed an encirclement around Urara, seemingly intent on denying her any chance of victory!
And far behind this encircling group...
Two Uma Musume were struggling to catch up. Having focused too much on Urara at the start, they'd been slow out of the gate.
Now, because the leading group was marking Urara, the pace had been driven to an all-out sprint from the beginning, leaving them struggling to close the gap.
The course for this debut race wasn't long—a short 1200-meter sprint. But not many Uma Musume could maintain such high-intensity running for the full 1200 meters.
Already, these two who started late could feel their stamina draining rapidly.
"Uma Musume number 9 has withdrawn due to injury! This race will now be contested by the remaining 12 competitors!"
The race continued, but the announcer suddenly broke in with an update. One racer, overly tense, had hit her head on the gate at the start. The intense pain had temporarily robbed her of the ability to run.
In the stands...
Barbatos took in the whole situation. The race had just begun, and already three of Urara's opponents were out of contention.
Compared to central circuit races, the local events and Uma Musume were still a notch below.
At least in central races, apart from those she'd rattled with trash talk, it was rare to see such poor starts. They maintained excellent competitive composure.
Not like this, where three racers were essentially out of the race before it even really began.
Of course, no one knew the outcome until the very end. Apart from the one who withdrew, the others still had a chance, however slim it might now be.
"Urara is completely marked by the other competitors, given not a moment's respite!"
"As a central circuit Uma Musume, a member of Team Canopus, can she break through this predicament—"
"The two initially lagging competitors have caught up from behind! The race is half over! What will Urara do now?!"
The announcer's words stirred the hearts of all watching the race.
Even Barbatos in the spectator seats gripped the railing tightly, her eyes fixed on the track. Even with faith in Urara, seeing her friend targeted in her very first race couldn't help but create tension.
She herself had faced being marked by everyone in a race before, but back then she already possessed strength surpassing that level of competition, capable of holding her own in stable G1-level events.
But Urara was already running at full speed. Even with ample stamina, Urara in this state would have no energy left for a final burst, making it hard to find an opportunity to break free.
This situation demanded exquisite timing, something a newly debuted Uma Musume simply couldn't be expected to have.
A faint tremor passed through the floor of the stands.
The chaotic thunder of hooves grew from a distance. Urara and the other racers passed the viewing stands, charging straight for the finish line!
"Go, Urara!"
It wasn't just Barbatos and the Canopus crew; spectators in the stands roared their support.
No matter what they'd been thinking or discussing with friends before, seeing their friend, the Uma Musume they supported, running right before their eyes—in that electric atmosphere, anyone present could only think of cheering her on!
That was the magic of racing. The magic that could move the emotions of everyone present. The magic of witnessing miracles unfold!
But as the cheers faded and the figures raced into the distance...
Barbatos watched Urara's running form.
Faced with this situation, she wondered what choice Urara would make. How would she face it? How would she break through?
--+--
On the track.
Running at full speed, surrounded and marked by everyone, Urara seemed utterly unaware. Her eyes shone, enjoying her first race, enjoying this debut, enjoying the cheers of the crowd.
Why run? Why race? Because running was joyful! Racing alongside others was even more joyful!
As for anything else, she didn't give it a second thought. There was only this moment, here and now!
But unlike Urara, the other competitors weren't thinking this way. Most wore expressions of intense seriousness.
The sight of Urara, running with a smile as if without a care in the world, placed immense psychological pressure on them.
She was a debutante!
Even if she was from the center, how could she still be smiling while being collectively marked by the cream of Kochi's crop?
There were less than 300 meters to go, and she showed no sign of looking for a breakout opportunity.
Just how confident was she? Did she simply not consider them opponents?
Yet Urara clearly had the ability.
They, the standout Uma Musume of Kochi, some with experience in mile and middle-distance races, could feel their stamina fading fast in this short sprint, their steps growing heavy!
Not every Uma Musume was suited to a front-running strategy. Even front-runners rarely maintained a full sprint for an entire race, even a short one.
In their effort to mark Urara, to deny her any opening, they had forcibly accelerated to maintain the blockade. Now they could feel their stamina bottoming out, wishing they could just stop and gasp for air.
True, Urara's innate talent might be at the bottom within Tracen, but that was by Central Tracen Academy standards.
Maybe her talent really was poor.
There were plenty of Uma Musume in Kochi stronger than her. But after training relentlessly with King Halo, pushing herself to the limit, she had stretched her speed to its absolute peak.
That speed was enough to force the local Uma Musume to pour everything into the chase!
Coupled with Urara's smiling confidence, it eroded their initial conviction.
This... this was what it meant to be an Uma Musume from Central!
"Can't... do it!"
Crushed by physical and mental pressure, with 200 meters still to go, the first Uma Musume dropped out of the fight for the win.
Then a second cry, a third.
One by one, the Uma Musume who had been marking Urara fell behind.
Even those who persisted found that their determination couldn't compensate for depleted stamina. They could no longer keep up with Urara's pace, let alone maintain their mark.
The pink-haired Uma Musume was the first to cross the finish line. Slowing her pace, she waved to the sparse crowd, basking in the joy that belonged solely to the victor.
"As expected of a central Uma Musume! As expected of a member of Team Canopus! Urara rightfully takes the championship in this race!"
"Congratulations to Urara on her debut victory!"
The announcer's voice echoed. Only then did Urara gradually come to a stop.
Her first victory. An indescribable joy filled her heart, making her leap high into the air like a child with a new toy.
The Kochi Uma Musume crossed the finish line one after another. Though exhausted, they hadn't been left too far behind by Urara. Second place was only two lengths back.
Losing to a Central Uma Musume didn't discourage them. Instead, it deepened their yearning for the center.
Urara was also from Kochi. If she could become so strong in Central, then couldn't they?
And at the very end, Urara hadn't even pushed to widen the gap. This showed her strength far surpassed theirs.
The current Urara showed no signs of fatigue, appearing completely at ease, clearly holding something in reserve. She must have been hiding a terrifying final sprint, never unleashed!
Urara was truly a force to be reckoned with!
The Uma Musume who took second place, after catching her breath, stepped forward and politely offered her hand to Urara.
"Urara, you're a formidable opponent. I hope to push you to your limits in our next race!"
"Huh?"
Urara, still beaming, tilted her head, not quite understanding.
"But I was already going all out just now."
"...What?"
--+--
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.