As the mock race progressed, it was finally time for the second group.
"First up is our number one in popularity, Gold Ship!"
"Yo-ho-ho!"
The girl in the boat-shaped hat walked onto the stage, greeting the crowd.
"What is this popularity ranking based on?" Chiya asked, looking at the silver-haired girl striking a strange pose on stage.
"The Tracen official website. There's a voting link for the mock race. You can click on it to vote for your favorite Horse Girl," Nase Fumino said, opening her phone to show him.
In the section labeled 'Group Two,' Gold Ship's name was far ahead of the others.
"Four thousand votes?! That's so high! The second place only has five hundred."
"Each student only gets one vote. Four thousand votes is more than the total number of students at Tracen. Someone must have botted the votes."
"Gold Ship... isn't she afraid of getting caught?"
"If she were afraid, she wouldn't have botted such a ridiculous number of votes. It's just a mock race, so it's not that strict. She probably counted on that."
That's showing a complete disregard for the school authorities...
But since they had announced her name, Tracen had probably tacitly approved of her actions.
Next up was the second-place contestant, Daitaku Helios, a girl with a star sticker on her cheek, a side ponytail, and a gyaru-style appearance.
"Let's get hyped—!" she shouted with an excess of energy.
Third was Mejiro Palmer. Just walking onto the stage, she exuded the aura of a cheerful and gentle young lady. She waved lightly, greeting everyone.
These two were Gold Ship's biggest rivals in this race. As long as she could beat them, everything would be fine.
"Will all contestants please enter the starting gate!"
Hishi Amazon's voice came over the speakers. She had been invited by the student council to host the race.
"I'm not asking for much. I just hope she doesn't mess up the start..." Chiya clasped his hands together.
"Are your standards really that low now?" Nase Fumino's cool eyes looked at him.
"I'd like them to be higher, but I can't raise them."
"You need to have faith in your Horse Girl."
"I have faith. It's just been betrayed too many times."
After a brief warm-up, Gold Ship entered the gate.
"Yosh! I'm feelin' all tingly and rarin' to go! Let's do this—!" she clenched her fists.
"Looks like everyone's full of energy! I'm gonna get hyped too—!"
"Oh, Gyaru-ko, you're getting hyped too?"
"We—i! That's right, I'm gonna burn it up!"
"So fiery?! Wryyyyyy—!! I'm gonna burn it up too!" Gold Ship let out a strange cry.
"Everyone is so energetic," Mejiro Palmer said with a smile from the next gate.
"All contestants, get ready!"
As the gate lights flashed, everyone held their breath. With a clang, the gates opened, and the race began. The Horse Girls streamed out. Gold Ship, in lane four, was quickly overtaken and fell to third from last.
"The start was decent, but her position is too far back," Chiya commented silently.
Normally, with a good start, you should grab a good position near the inner rail. While Gold Ship's position wasn't bad, if she were a couple of spots further ahead, it would give her a much larger margin for error during the final sprint, minimizing the impact of any mistakes.
But it was fine. At least it exceeded his expectations.
"Did you tell her to maintain her own running style?" Nase Fumino asked, looking at the silver-haired girl at the back of the pack.
"That's right. Gold Ship has very strong legs, suitable for a quick burst of speed. Plus, her stamina isn't bad. Combining the two, the best running style for her is to conserve energy in the early stages and then accelerate all at once in the final stretch. The so-called 'Oikomi' (Late Burst)."
This style was high-risk, high-reward. Being at the back of the pack meant she didn't have to fight for a position and didn't have to feel the pressure from the front, which would reduce her mental burden and allow for a more stable performance. This way, she could conserve the maximum amount of stamina.
But at the same time, the high risk of this style was that if the gap between the front and back of the pack became too large, she might not be able to catch up even with ample stamina.
"Her top speed is much faster than an average Horse Girl's. The only thing to see now is if she can seize the right moment."
Listening to his analysis, Nase Fumino spoke. "It seems you know her strengths and weaknesses very well, Trainer Fujiwara."
"I can at least do that much."
As the two of them watched the track and talked, the race situation had already changed.
"It's Daitaku Helios! Daitaku Helios has taken the lead—!"
"Yabai~ I'm so excited!" Helios's expression became unusually animated, her emotions running high as her speed increased. She wasn't thinking about when to accelerate or decelerate; she was just charging forward blindly. The Horse Girls behind her were involuntarily pulled along.
Is the pace this fast? Chiya's eyes widened.
The race had now reached the second turn. The 1800-meter course was nearing its end.
Currently, Daitaku Helios was in the lead, followed by Mejiro Palmer. Gold Ship was at the back of the pack.
The moment they entered the turn, Helios's pace suddenly faltered.
This is it!
Her eyes lighting up, Mejiro Palmer seized the opportunity of Helios's fatigue, pushed off the ground, and surged forward.
With a weak sound, Helios watched helplessly as the other girl ran past her.
She was spent.
"Is this a Mejiro Horse Girl?! Her timing is perfect," Chiya marveled.
The race had now reached the final turn, with 300 meters left to the finish line.
Gold Ship, if you don't accelerate now, you won't have a chance!
Chiya couldn't help but feel anxious.
As if hearing her trainer's urging, Gold Ship finally made her move.
"Wryyyyyy—!!!" she screamed. "Out of my way, out of my way, out of my way! Get out of my way—!!"
Shouting, she charged forward. This was the first time Chiya had seen her in a mock race, and he had no idea what her top speed was.
Seeing Chiya's worried expression, Nase Fumino spoke from the side. "Actually, Gold Ship is quite famous among us senior trainers."
Besides her personality, there was another reason: her running form.
A senior trainer had once described her as:
When she is silent, she is silent. When she makes her move, she shocks the world. Her running form is like that of an unsinkable ship.
If not for her erratic personality making her impossible for trainers to handle, she would have long been a top prospect.
"It's Gold Ship, it's Gold Ship! So fast! Such incredible speed!!"
Like a ship breaking through the waves, Gold Ship's strides grew faster and longer!
"Seventh place! Sixth, fifth! Still accelerating, Gold Ship is still accelerating—!"
One horse-length to first place! Fifty meters to the finish line!
"Can Gold Ship overtake her opponent?!"
"Yahoo—!"
Finally, with a triumphant cry, in the last second before the finish line, she surpassed Mejiro Palmer and crossed the finish line.
"Did you see that?! This is the great Gold Ship-sama, Gold-chan~"
Slowing to a stop, she waved her arms and cheered in front of the audience.
"Trainer Chiya, it seems your team is not as hopeless as you thought."
Applauding for Gold Ship, Chiya heard Nase Fumino's words and nodded. "Indeed."
-------
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