It's been a while. Sorry for the lack of updates the past week. School has just started, and my motivation to write had been fluctuating throughout the week. I finally managed to muster up the motivation to finish this chapter slightly tweaking how I wanted to write the chapter. I'll try not to take this long to upload a chapter, but no promises since I write for fun, it's not exactly my job. If I don't have fun writing, I just stop.
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A few weeks later…
The roars of the crowd in the massive stadium were deafening. Kurofune was taken aback by how many people had come to watch this race.
"There's so many people," Kurofune said in awe. "This many people came out just to watch this race?"
"That's a G1 Race for you," Tap Dance City replied. "They're the most popular and competitive races in Japan. Tens of thousands flood into the stadium and tune in from their TVs at home just to watch them."
"A bit too many if you ask me," Air Shakur comments as she covers her ears. "I think I'm about to go deaf. You should've just let me stay home."
"As if!" Tap Dance City slightly pinched Shakur's cheer. "This is Digi-chan's second G1 Race. As her friends and rivals, we have to be here to support her."
"Ow! I get it. I get it!" Air Shakur hissed in pain. "Just let me go already."
Tap Dance City let go of her.
"It looks like our final racer has just entered the gate!" A male announcer announced. "The sounds of the trumpets and the roars of the crowd echo through the arena as the anticipation for the start of this years Mile Championships reaches its peak!"
"There she is!" Tap Dance City pointed at the gates where the Umamusume stood. "Good luck, Digi-chan!"
—Thunk!
The gates open as all of the racers begin darting down the track.
"And they're off!" The announcer shouted.
Kurofune watched intently as the racers shot around the track, all dressed in their special G1 Outfits. The sheer speed and atmosphere left the newer racer completely in awe. The whole race was incredibly close, with nobody willing to let up to anybody else. It was like every racer there was sparkling as each of them put their all into their running.
But the one who shined the brightest this time was none other than Agnes Digital.
"Oh what's this!? Agnes Digital is quickly shooting up the ranks as the runners reach the final straight!" The announcer exclaimed. "The thirteenth favorite hidden from anybody's radar has suddenly taken the lead, running past the number one favorite, Daitaku Riva! And it doesn't look like she's letting it up for a second!"
"That's it!" Kurofune pumped his fist in anticipation.
"You're almost there, keep pushing!" Tap Dance City cheered.
Agnes Digital began running with all her might as the distance between her and the finish line drew closer. If she let up for even a second, her tiny lead would disappear in an instant.
"Not this time…" Agnes Digital muttered as she made one last frantic push for the finish. "I won't falter! This time, I'll win for real!"
Shortly after, the runners reach the finish line, finishing closely behind one another. But for everyone watching, the winner was obvious.
"AND THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S MILE CHAMPIONSHIPS IS….AGNES DIGITAL!" The announcer exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "WHAT AN UPSET! AFTER GOING COMPLETELY UNDER EVERYONE'S RADAR, AGNES DIGITAL MANAGES TO PULL THROUGH AND WIN HER VERY FIRST G1 RACE AMONGST INCREDIBLY STRONG COMPETITION!!!"
If you thought the last deafening roar was loud, this time Kurofune felt like he had actually gone deaf for a few moments. That was how loud the crowd cheered upon the announcement of the winner.
'The vibe of a G1 race truly is much different than any other.' Kurofune thought. 'It's so…exhilerating!'
Agnes Digital began happily waving at the massive crowd, looking tired, but proud. As she waved at the crowd, she noticed her friends near the front of the stands nearby, which caused her smile to brighten even more. Kurofune and Tap Dance City we're sure why, but they felt their hearts skip a beat from that. Air Shakur was a lot more nonchalant about the whole thing, though a small smile could be seen on her face.
Kurofune was already incredibly impressed by…pretty much everything about a G1 Race. But the thing that impressed him the most had to be the winning concert. He already thought the budget for regular races was insane, but the sheer scale of G1 concerts blew the regular concerts out of the water.
(A/N: Unfortunately, we're in written form so I won't be able to go into too much detail about concerts, so that's all you'll get from me.)
After the winning concert, Agnes Digital met up with the rest of them. The group then went out to eat at a restaurant of Agnes Digital's choice, congratulating her for her victory and just having fun chatting and being in each other's company. After that was all settled, the group parted ways with each other, all going their respective way.
Kurofune arrives back home, quickly washing up and tossing himself into bed. He then proceeded to just lay there, staring up at the ceiling above him.
"So that was a G1 Race…" Kurofune muttered. "It's kind of intimidating."
From the sheer grandeur of a G1 race, to the massive crowd. The massive weight brought from the expectations and the competitiveness. To even the Winner's Concert, where you perform in front of tens of thousands of people. It was a lot to take in.
'Male Uma can't survive in the harsh world of racing.'
Could this be what they meant? Most male Uma couldn't even hack it in the lower graded races. Compared to those, G1 races are on a whole other level. One that he felt like he wasn't at yet.
Kurofune outwardly sighed before closing his eyes.
"Well…it's not like I have to win this one. This is more for the experience anyway."
With that, Kurofune fell asleep.
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The couple days later…
"This sucks…" Kurofune sighed as he casually walked around the campus.
Today was a break day (suggested by Okino), meaning that he couldn't do any training. Obviously, when training was the only thing he ever did, this would leave Kurofune with nothing to do.
"What does one even do when they're not training?" Kurofune wondered. "Maybe I should consult Gold Ship on this, she always does anything but training."
Though that also leaves the problem of finding Gold Ship, a tumultuous task in itself.
"Is this the potion you were talking about, Tachyon-san?"
"That's right, Scarlett-san. Exactly as requested."
'Scarlett-san? What's she doing here?' Kurofune wondered. 'And who is she talking to?'
He wasn't sure why, but the Umamusume who Scarlett referred to as Tachyon, with short and messy brown hair and deep red eyes, gave off a strange vibe that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Though, judging by how Scarlett was acting around her, she probably wasn't a bad person.
Just weird.
'Their conversation sounds interesting. I wonder what it's about?'
Scarlett's eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at the potion.
"So, is it true that this potion will help me become a strong racer?"
Agnes Tachyon nodded.
"It's a supplement I recently developed to increase bone strength and vitality. If you drink this, you'll easily be able to blow your competition out of the water when you eventually debut."
That seemed to be exactly what Scarlett wanted to hear, as she began hugging the potion in her hand.
"Thank you so much, Tachyon-san! I promise to make good use of this!"
…
Did he just watch a drug deal out in the open?
'I mean, it's not my place to judge people for their hobbies.' Kurofune then outwardly sighed. 'But for an honor student to turn to drugs, it's just a tragedy.'
Agnes Tachyon's ears perked as she noticed Kurofune's presence a decent distance away.
"It looks like we attracted the attention of an interesting subject," Agnes Tachyon commented.
"Interesting subject…" Scarlett turned to where Tachyon was looking, freezing up when she noticed it was Kurofune. "Kurofune-san!?"
Scarlett quickly hid the potion behind her.
"No need to hide it, I already heard the whole thing," Kurofune shrugged. "I'm not one to judge someone's habits. I'll keep your drug addiction a secret."
Scarlett's face turned red.
"I am not a drug addict!"
"Says the one accepting potions from random people."
"I…"
Scarlett couldn't find the words to defend herself.
However, coming to her rescue, albeit not intentionally, was Agnes Tachyon. She quickly closed the distance between herself and Kurofune, coming up close to his face.
"Um, what are you—woah!" Kurofune's body tenses up as she suddenly grabs his arm.
"Interesting…" Agnes Tachyon muttered as she observed his arm.
This already weirded out Kurofune, a feeling that got exponentially worse when she crouched down and began feeling his legs muscles.
"Well defined muscles... Definitely not like the rumors would suggest," She commented.
Kurofune's face turned beet red, along with Scarlett, who was watching all of it. He quickly backs away from her, increasing the distance between them by a few meters.
"What's wrong? Why did you back away?" Agnes Tachyon tilted her head.
"Are you crazy!? You just began touching me all of a sudden! Why would I not back away!?"
"I was just trying to confirm something," Tachyon casually replied as she stood back up. "I had always heard that Umamusuko had weaker constitutions than Umamusume. So, I wanted to see for myself if it was true."
"..."
That sounded so unbelievable that it probably was true.
"So, what's the verdict?" Kurofune asked.
"I can see where they're coming from," Tachyon commented. "Though it looks like your body is a lot stronger than everyone makes it out to be."
Agnes Tachyon fell into thought.
"I'd definitely like to do a more in depth test. If you agree to become my guinea pig, I can pry your body apart so we can get a deeper look inside."
"Yeah, I pass," Kurofune's expression contorted into one of disgust. He then turned to Scarlett. "This is your drug dealer?"
"Again, I'm not a drug addict. Nor is she my drug dealer," Scarlett sighed. "Tachyon-san just gave me a supplement to help my body become healthier."
Agnes Tachyon looked a little disappointed that Kurofune refused her offer.
"That is a shame," She sighed. "Though if you ever change your mind, I definitely won't mind."
"Sure…I guess?" Kurofune replied.
Agnes Tachyon then took a few steps towards him again. Kurofune instinctually tensed up, but it seems like Tachyon decided to keep a respectful distance this time.
"I heard that you'll be participating in this year's Hopeful Stakes," Agnes Tachyon suddenly said.
"How do you know about that?" Kurofune was surprised.
"My roommate," Tachyon simply replied. "She happens to be someone you know, Agnes Digital. All I had to do was ask a few questions and she just told me all about it."
"Now I know who I have to keep the important secret from," Kurofune sighed again.
"I plan on debuting soon," she revealed. "After I do, I plan on participating in that race as well."
She then extended a hand towards Kurofune.
"You're welcome to come watch if you want."
As quickly as she extended the hand, she retracted it before Kurofune could even think of accepting it. She turned around, and began to slowly walk away. Kurofune wasn't sure if he was crazy, but he could've sworn that he saw an ominous aura emit from her body.
"I look forward to seeing what you can do, Kurofune-kun."
She then turned to Scarlett, the ominous feeling he felt from her dissipating as soon as she did.
"And be sure to tell me if anything happens to go wrong with the potion later, Scarlett-san."
With those last words, Agnes Tachyon walked away.
…
"She's...definitely a character," Kurofune commented.
"Yeah, but she's also pretty nice when you get to know her," Scarlett stated as she approached him.
"I can kind of tell, given how she seemed to treat you," Kurofune replied.
However, Kurofune also felt like there was something…off about her. It had nothing to do with her eccentric personality. But something else.
Something that terrified him.
'Agnes Tachyon…just who are you?' He wondered.