Chapter 10: The Race is Over
I... lost?
Even with the system, even after combining the techniques and experience given by the system to create a new running style, even possessing an innate skill of that level.
But... still lost?
Stardust Mirage stands softly on the turf. The roaring cheers of the surrounding spectators seem to have nothing to do with her.
No, I didn't lose.
I only got 2nd place. I can still get the prize money I wanted. Wasn't the goal from the start just to get 2nd place? How can that be considered losing?
Right, I didn't lose. The prize money is secured...
Thoughts burst forth uncontrollably in Stardust Mirage's mind.
Her current condition is quite rough. Her legs feel like they're filled with lead, impossible to lift. Her lungs feel like they've been stuffed with two balls of fire, burning and tearing with pain. Her whole body no longer feels like it's under her control.
Her consciousness wavers uncontrollably. One moment it feels like everything is over, the next it feels like she's still on the track, gritting her teeth, chasing Tokai Teio's back.
Lost.
No matter how much she tries to deceive herself, no matter how many times she repeats ["I just wanted second place"], all the thoughts in Stardust Mirage's mind eventually condense into those two words.
Yes, she lost in her head-to-head race against Tokai Teio.
Stardust Mirage shakes her head vigorously, trying to dispel these complicated thoughts. She wipes the sweat from her face with her hand and staggers unsteadily towards the competitor's exit.
Behind her, the stadium audience chants the champion's name in unison:
"To·kai·Tei·o!"
"To·kai·Tei·o!"
The miraculous racehorse, the undefeated genius, and then... the indomitable Teio. You only truly understand these titles when you actually race against her. She really is incredibly strong!
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"Only by actually racing against her can you understand. As expected, Teio was just a bit stronger."
Air Grove walks beside Symboli Rudolf, saying with a smile.
"You think Teio won?" Symboli Rudolf walks half a step ahead of Air Grove, making it impossible to see her expression.
"She did win, right? She got first place. Rudolf, you're not thinking of scolding Teio now, are you?"
Hearing her tone, Air Grove feels somewhat puzzled. What's with this low pitched voice? Could it be that she's still not satisfied with how Teio ran?!
"No, Teio has done well enough."
Rudolf shakes her head.
Of course, she couldn't possibly find fault with her most beloved pupil now. On the contrary, that final sprint even impressed her. This was an unprecedented performance from Teio, one could say it was beyond perfect.
But, she is not satisfied.
Symboli Rudolf, the horse girl revered as the "Emperor," holder of the legendary undefeated Triple Crown + seven major race titles, is dissatisfied with the final sprint.
Teio's sprint was impeccable. But what about the other one?
Stardust Mirage. From the very beginning, Rudolf noticed that she seemed lacking in determination to win.
At that time, Rudolf simply thought it was because this horse girl hadn't experienced a real race yet.
But during the final competition, she hesitated.
In a race of that intensity, no extraneous thoughts should exist. Both Teio and Stardust Mirage were wholly focused on the race. But... why did she hesitate?
"Stardust Mirage... She still has some confusion about why she runs." Rudolf voices her thoughts.
"Has some confusion?" Air Grove repeats in surprise. "She ran to that extent, even used Oguri Cap's running style. Is that really something a confused horse girl can do?!"
"I can't be mistaken. I hope this defeat can truly awaken her. A horse girl of that caliber really shouldn't have ended up with that kind of performance."
Rudolf sighs. Only when Air Grove is around does she speak without maintaining her usual formal demeanor.
However, saying this doesn't mean Rudolf will abandon her plan to recruit Stardust Mirage to the Central Academy. It's not strange for an unpolished horse girl to have any number of problems. What's important is how she is educated from now on.
She just... feels regret about that race.
"One horse leads, ten thousand horses fall silent... Stardust Mirage, if you understand this principle, just how far can you go?"
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"Ouch... I can't move a single step...!" Stardust Mirage, having her muscles massaged by a staff member, inhales sharply from the pain and complains.
Stardust Mirage is currently lying on a massage bed in the competitor's rest room. A masseuse arranged by the racecourse is helping her relax her muscles and alleviate the fatigue from the race.
"But at least I got second place, so I can still claim the prize money."
She lay on the bed, silently reflecting.
Her showdown with the legendary horse girl, Tokai Teio, had ended in her own defeat.
Stella Mirage found it hard to accept at first, but fortunately, she was gradually coming to terms with it.
Everything would go back to how it was before. She'd just pick some graded stakes races without overwhelmingly strong opponents and earn enough prize money.
There was no need to go all out like she did today, fighting like a madwoman for that first place.
Oh, right. After the race, it seemed like a system notification popped into her head. Might as well check it now.
[Detected host finished debut race in 2nd place. Reward: 57 PT.]
[Training Template officially unlocked. Career Missions officially unlocked!]
[Training Template: All aspects of the host's running training can be templated. Attributes will increase by certain values based on training content and effectiveness.]
[Career Missions: Tasks requiring the host to participate in races and achieve specific placements. Completing Career Missions grants corresponding rewards.]
[Next Stage Career Mission: Year 2, January 27th, G3 Race, Kyoto Himba Stakes, Required Placement: Top 2]
[Mission Reward: Random attribute increased by 10-50 points, Panacea x1.]
[Detected host-created skill. Effect: When maintaining pace with an opponent during the mid-race phase, temporarily increases speed for a short duration.]
[Name and register this skill into the system?]
"Ah, that thing?" Stardust Mirage recalled the two times she used a step technique that seemed to shrink the ground, forcefully overtaking Teio, and suddenly understood.
It was a combination of Oguri Cap's technique, her own experience, and the high stability provided by the system's panel that allowed her to use that move to seize the advantage. She never thought the system would recognize that kind of technique?
"Let's call it Shukuchi (Ground Shrinking)."
[Skill: Shukuchi has been registered into the system. Host has acquired skill: Shukuchi.]
Tokai Teio...
Once again recalling the scene from the race, Stardust Mirage's mind involuntarily replayed Teio's determined expression during the final sprint.
It's over. It's already over.
In less than two short minutes, the race felt like a dream.
[Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio! To·kai·Tei·o da—! Runner number 2, Tokai Teio, First Place!!!]
The commentator's voice seemed to shout in Stardust Mirage's ears once more.
Right now, Tokai Teio was probably still receiving the cheers of all the spectators.
If I could have been just a little faster, accelerated one more time, how would the outcome of the race have been different?
Would I be the one standing in the center of the grounds now...?
The masseuse quietly stopped her movements.
Before her, this horse girl who had gallantly taken second place was staring blankly at the wall facing the racecourse. Unbeknownst to herself, tears had begun streaming down her face at some point.
But, the race was truly over.
Author's Note:
Writing up to this point, I wonder if readers can accept the protagonist losing her debut race?
Actually, there were hints about this from the very beginning.
Including the volume title, "A Crooked Debut," and the previous plot repeatedly mentioning the protagonist's lack of a will to win.
I'm still quite worried if you readers might find this a bit too harsh on the protagonist.
But personally, I think for a sports-themed, passionate work, a protagonist who looks down on the sport from the start must inevitably face a defeat to truly awaken. This is a kind of classic narrative.
Many works follow this pattern: starting with ["I hate mahjong, swimming, running, American football," etc.], then actually trying it once, realizing their advantage isn't that great, and only after being beaten by someone do they truly develop a desire to win.
I think Stardust Mirage should also go through such a psychological journey. So, Chapter 10 heavily depicted her losing the race, trying to deceive and comfort herself, but ultimately still crying tears of frustration.
From here, Stardust Mirage truly becomes a runner, gains the resolve to win, and qualifies to compete on the same stage as those other horse girls who run with all their might.
After all, how can it be that others are all ["Emperor," "True Man," "Runaway from Another Dimension," "Great General"], while the protagonist only has a "System" Relying purely on the system to beat others' hard work just isn't passionate at all.
So, the system's main role here is to raise the protagonist's upper limit—specifically, ["training effects won't disappear," "won't be tormented by injuries," "stable skill learning effects"]—ensuring she won't hit a plateau where no matter how much she trains, she can't improve anymore. Overall, she still has to rely on her own training and breakthroughs. That's roughly the idea.
The system won't directly add points to make the protagonist invincible. I hope everyone can accept this style.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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