It was already night, and the Tracen Academy track was empty, with only a soft moonlight spilling onto the grass.
Sakura Bakushin O came to the spot between 1200 meters and 1400 meters, placing all her belongings aside.
"Tracen Academy's turf track is a replica of Tokyo Racecourse, while the Takarazuka Kinen is held at Hanshin Racecourse."
She took out a stopwatch and positioned herself at the approximate 1600-meter starting point, ready to run.
*Beep*
The moment Sakura Bakushin O pressed the stopwatch, she pushed off the ground and sprinted away.
In less than fifteen seconds, Sakura Bakushin O was already standing at the top of the slope at the 1300-meter mark, and at the same time, she pressed the stopwatch button again.
She looked down at the time, her brows slightly furrowed.
[0:14.4]
"Ran too fast..."
Sakura Bakushin O muttered, it was impossible to sprint at this speed during a normal race.
"The Takarazuka Kinen is a clockwise track, while this uphill section at Tracen Academy is counter-clockwise. Although it doesn't affect the straight uphill climb..."
"However, this steep slope at Tracen Academy is only about 1.4 meters high, which is about 30% less than Hanshin Racecourse."
Sakura Bakushin O felt a headache coming on and didn't record the previous result in her notebook. Instead, she returned to the 1800-meter starting position.
"As long as the gradient is similar, I can conduct the experiment. If the height isn't enough, then McQueen and Teio will just have to adapt to the track themselves..."
Sakura Bakushin O said, and after pressing the timer button, she dashed out again. When she reached the steep slope at 1300 meters, she pressed the pause button again.
[0:30.52]
"This speed is about right. Let's use this speed and distance for the experiment."
Sakura Bakushin O calculated in her mind that this speed was approximately 59 kilometers per hour, which might be a bit faster than the actual race speed, but not too different, making it suitable for an experiment.
So, she recorded the time in her notebook.
"Both Hanshin Racecourse and this section of Tracen Academy are downhill, so I just need to use the same speed and see how I can minimize the uphill climbing time."
Sakura Bakushin O mumbled to herself, then pressed the stopwatch again and dashed off.
Meanwhile, in the Student Council President's office on the top floor of Tracen Academy, Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky were watching a replay of today's Tenno Sho (Spring) on the computer.
Today, Symboli Rudolf had finished her Student Council work late, and then Maruzensky suddenly visited, asking her to play the Tenno Sho replay.
Initially, Symboli Rudolf watched silently, without much expression.
However, when she saw Mihono Bourbon drop from first to fifth place, then suddenly burst forth and caught up to Mejiro McQueen's position, a hint of surprise finally appeared in her usually calm eyes.
"Welcome to this side, Mihono Bourbon." Symboli Rudolf said softly, then saw Mihono Bourbon and Mejiro McQueen cross the finish line simultaneously, and the video indicated that the winner would be determined by photo finish.
"Mihono Bourbon activated her realm, yet she only crossed the finish line simultaneously with McQueen?" A hint of surprise was visible in Symboli Rudolf's purple eyes.
"How about it? Surprised, Rudolph?" Maruzensky said with a smile, clearly pleased with Symboli Rudolf's expression at that moment.
"This Mihono Bourbon is an Horse Girl who won the Japanese Derby. Why..."
Symboli Rudolf didn't finish her sentence when she heard the Announcer declare the answer: Mejiro McQueen had won.
Many outstanding Horse Girl vie for this race, hailed as the pinnacle, the Japanese Derby, where a single champion rises from countless fallen. Mihono Bourbon, its victor, had actually lost to Mejiro McQueen, an Horse Girl who had yet to master a realm, even after activating her own.
"Mihono Bourbon, who won the Japanese Derby and the Satsuki Sho, the luckiest and fastest Horse Girl, and Rice Shower, who won the Kikka Sho, the strongest Horse Girl—both masters of the realm—have lost to Mejiro McQueen."
Maruzensky's tone was full of playfulness as she immediately articulated the reason for Symboli Rudolf's surprise at that moment.
"The 'realm' that Horse Girl who create an era are sure to enter—this rumor, spread among countless Uma Musume and Trainers, seems to have been broken for the fourth time, Rudolph."
"When this happens too many times, the term 'realm' loses its sacredness." Maruzensky teased.
Symboli Rudolf said nothing. She reopened the race video and fast-forwarded directly to the final straight, watching the segment where Mihono Bourbon began her burst.
"There's nothing wrong with Mihono Bourbon; the problem lies with Mejiro McQueen."
Symboli Rudolf intertwined her fingers in front of her, speaking slowly.
"A realm not only enhances the master's five senses and speed but also exerts a powerful pressure on other Horse Girl, preventing them from maintaining their original rhythm."
"Look at Mejiro McQueen's expression; she clearly felt the pressure from Mihono Bourbon behind her, but it had no effect on her speed whatsoever. And Mihono Bourbon's burst speed wasn't enough to close the gap between them, leading to her defeat."
Maruzensky clenched her fist and placed it to her mouth, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"To put it simply, the realm simply couldn't compensate for the gap in raw strength between Mihono Bourbon and Mejiro McQueen, and Mejiro McQueen's mental fortitude was so strong that her speed was almost unaffected by Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower."
"The most crucial thing is that she herself isn't even aware of this." Symboli Rudolf repeatedly watched Mejiro McQueen's expression from the moment Mihono Bourbon charged up until she crossed the finish line.
"How exactly was this trained? I'm so curious, Rudolph."
"Look at that gray 'monster'; she also underwent repeated immense pressure from strong individuals like Tamamo Cross and others before breaking through and experiencing a qualitative change in her strength. But Mejiro McQueen has barely encountered any obstacles along the way, and she's even had very few losses."
Upon hearing this, Symboli Rudolf also shook her head, as she was actually quite puzzled.
She closed the computer, stood up, and began to walk outside.
"Her and Teio's strength has far surpassed that of Horse Girl in the same generation. The reason for all of this should lie with their Trainer, Sakura Bakushin O."
"But that Trainer Sakura isn't a descendant of some famous Trainer, and there was no news of her even before this." Maruzensky also started walking out with Symboli Rudolf. "She truly lives up to her title as the youngest genius Trainer; she's even made me a little curious."
"What, are your hands itching? Do you want to go bully a junior?" Symboli Rudolf said with a laugh.
"How could I~" Maruzensky laughed and shook her head, then suddenly froze. "Rudolph, listen."
Symboli Rudolf stopped in her tracks when she heard Maruzensky's words.
Instantly, the entire world fell silent.
In the quiet, moonlit campus, Maruzensky and Symboli Rudolf heard clear footsteps coming from the track.