"The first showdown between Taiki Shuttle and Silence Suzuka! Taiki Shuttle has a much easier time due to her better position, and is now leading Suzuka by half a length!"
"But Silence Suzuka is biting down hard. The two explosive escape horse girls have already pulled a considerable distance from the pack behind them, but this gap is still widening! How big a gap can they create?"
On the racetrack, the duel between Suzuka and Taiki Shuttle undoubtedly excited the entire audience. This extremely direct, head-to-head showdown was undoubtedly what the spectators liked to see most.
But now, unlike the excited spectators, the horse girls and trainers with professional knowledge could all feel a small anomaly in this race. Special Week was the first to feel something was wrong, and she murmured to herself in disbelief:
"No way... Taiki Shuttle-san's speed is actually as fast as Suzuka-san's?"
"No, it's not that they're equally fast. Suzuka is unconsciously following Taiki Shuttle's pace." At this moment, C.B. immediately saw the problem Suzuka was facing. No, this was not strictly a problem, but a tactic and wisdom that a horse girl should possess. But for this to happen to Suzuka was a completely different matter.
"By following behind the horse girl in front, the wind pressure you encounter will be reduced, and you will run more easily, thus having more stamina for the final sprint. In the current situation, this might be an advantage for a horse girl with tactics, but for Suzuka... it's not necessarily so."
And at this time, Kitano also saw her problem and pointed out the crux of the matter, explaining softly:
"Suzuka has never encountered a horse girl famous for her explosive escape tactic before. This is the first time she has encountered a horse girl whose pace is ahead of hers in the early and middle stages of a race. She has no practical experience in this area, so she is almost instinctively following behind Taiki Shuttle."
"But by doing so, she might be dragged into Taiki Shuttle's rhythm. By the time she realizes she needs to sprint, it might be too late. She is not the type of horse girl who is good at the final kick, especially since behind them, those who are good at this trick are still accumulating stamina."
Although the biggest highlight of this race was the explosive escape duel between Suzuka and Taiki Shuttle, in fact, in the pack behind, Seeking the Pearl, Bamboo Memory, and Kiseki were all existences that could compete with Taiki Shuttle.
Suzuka was not good at the final kick and had no advantage in the final straight sprint. She had to rely on her explosive escape to create as much distance as possible from the subsequent horse girls. But now, if she was dragged along by Taiki Shuttle's pace, it was very likely that she would lose the chance to sprint at the end, either being led by Taiki Shuttle to the finish line or being overtaken by the subsequent horse girls with their final kick.
"But in a 1600-meter race, the race time will be over in about one minute and forty seconds." And C.B., who had originally been very optimistic about Suzuka, now did not expect that the one who would affect her performance would be the fellow explosive escape horse, Taiki Shuttle. She knew that an explosive escape horse would affect the rhythm of the entire race, but she had not expected that even Suzuka would fall for it.
"Can Suzuka-san react quickly enough? 1600 meters is not enough for her to lose speed, but I'm afraid she won't be able to exert her strength at the end."
C.B.'s worries were not without reason. For a moment, all the girls who had had high hopes for Suzuka's comeback were now in a low mood because of C.B.'s analysis. They realized that in this race, she might be able to get a place, but for the audience who wanted to see her "king's return," this would be a huge disappointment.
Sometimes, the higher people lift you, the harder you fall when your performance is not as expected. And the ones who step on you when you're down are often the same ones who lifted you up.
Suzuka had been pushed too high this time, to the point that no one thought she would lose. And if her comeback this time ended in defeat... I'm afraid that Suzuka, who had just had the courage to step up again, would immediately be shrouded in some not-so-good doubts and rumors.
"Kitano... what should we do?" And everyone belatedly realized the seriousness of the problem. Nakayama Festa even forgot about the bet. Faced with Suzuka, who had been pushed to the forefront, she subconsciously sought his help, hoping that this man, who was omnipotent except for his health, could come up with an idea at this time.
And in fact, the moment he agreed to let her compete in a G1 race, he had already anticipated this situation. He had also made the gains and losses clear to her.
"A bird that has never soared in the sky doesn't even have the qualification to fall, Trainer-san. I've already made my decision."
—At this point, he had no reason to persuade her anymore. And in the current situation, he had already thought of it. Faced with Festa's question, he answered with exceptional calmness:
"The media doesn't matter. I can take full responsibility."
"But perhaps, things are not that bad. I believe in Suzuka."
Yes, he believed. No matter which playthrough, no matter what predicament, the most common thing he said to each of his charges was always "I believe in you." He would not undermine their confidence, nor would he tell them to their face where they were lacking. When their will and his ideas conflicted, all he could do was believe in them.
And the fact was, his trust always seemed to be able to create some kind of miracle... Or rather, it was precisely because of his trust that his charges could fight and sprint without any scruples. C.B. had once won the undefeated Triple Crown under him with this trust. He believed that Suzuka must have her own way to turn defeat into victory.
On the racetrack, as if his thoughts had been transmitted to her mind at this moment, after running 500 meters, she suddenly realized that something was wrong. She realized that her speed had not reached its maximum. She should immediately shake off Taiki Shuttle, not hide behind her.
"The view from the front—I will absolutely not yield it to anyone!"
"I'm not afraid anymore. I can do it. I can be faster!"
Suzuka, who was constantly encouraging herself in her heart, gritted her teeth slightly and forced her legs to exert force again! And this time, she achieved results. When she found a way to break free from Taiki Shuttle's rhythm, the distance between them indeed began to close, bit by bit!
"Silence Suzuka! She's starting to exert force! Is she going to compete with Taiki Shuttle for the lead?! She's about to overtake her! She's about to overtake her!"
"No way?!"
Taiki Shuttle, who was running in front, was also startled by the announcer's voice. And her peripheral vision also noticed Suzuka's figure, which was gradually becoming level with her. The unfettered Suzuka's speed broke free from her influence and began to gradually overtake her.
But just as she was almost level with Taiki Shuttle and was about to overtake her in the next moment, Suzuka, who was running at full speed, suddenly swayed in the process of running—
Perhaps the turf underfoot was a bit unfavorable due to the gloomy and humid weather. The moment her left leg stepped out, the slightly slippery turf was kicked up by her foot, but it made her feel a slight stumble underfoot, and her body felt a sense of imbalance.
At this moment, her body began to lean forward uncontrollably, almost reaching a parallel line with the ground! At this moment, as if time had stopped, everyone's thoughts were frozen by her stumble.
Special Week's pupils contracted, and Festa and Gold Ship were almost about to shout out to remind her of her safety.
In the student council office, Rudolf and Palmer, upon seeing this scene, also felt as if their hearts had stopped for a moment, as if they knew what would happen next.
C.B. almost subconsciously wanted to close her eyes when she saw this omen, unable to bear to watch what would happen next.
But all of this... in Suzuka's eyes at this moment, was just a background. In a black and white world, her gaze was only on him, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
The horrified Kitano, almost reflexively, supported his body with his arms, as if in the next moment, he, who was plagued by illness, was about to jump down from the high stands and rush to her side, who was about to fall, to save her from this dangerous place.
And seeing this scene, Suzuka's pupils contracted slightly for a moment. Her throat could not make a sound at this moment, but the voice in her heart was deafeningly trying to convey—
No, don't come over!
I don't want you to save me again. I don't want to lose you again!
In a daze, she only felt her thoughts fall into a bottomless vortex. Her consciousness was swallowed, and it seemed to be recreated in another world... but everything before her eyes seemed to have not changed much...
A different racetrack, but the same roaring crowd. In a daze, she felt as if she had returned to that nightmarish Tennō Shō (Autumn). She once again felt the familiar pain coming from her left leg. Everything before her eyes was spinning, and her whole body, along with the fracture of her left leg, fell onto the grass... that was a scene she would never forget.
"Silence Suzuka, something seems to be wrong with Silence Suzuka! Is she going to give up the race at the fourth corner?"
"Wait—her trainer! He jumped down from the stands! He's rushing towards the track! But the horse girls behind are about to catch up!"
"Bang!"
The fractured Suzuka once again felt a wave of dizziness. She felt herself being pushed off the track by a force—and the moment she was pushed out, another figure fell in front of her dazed self.
After who knows how long, she finally opened her eyes with difficulty from the pain. She saw... the person she should not forget the most, just like that, with his last bit of strength, had pushed her off the death track where she would have been trampled.
And he himself... had exhausted his last bit of life and fell forever on this track... to save her. This was the second time he had saved her...
About their past, their encounter, at this time, finally, in the mind of the prostrate, tearful Silence Suzuka, echoed once again.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (111 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (220 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (220 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (90 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (100 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (260 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (98 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (100 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(57 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (140 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (100 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (70 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (40 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (70 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (80 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (50 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (40 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (40 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.