"I knew she'd show up!"
"Classic!!"
Lady and Dyna both grinned, as if they had anticipated it all along. Having faced Rampage more than anyone else present, Armed Lynx was the one competitor they had been guarding against most fiercely. After all, any horse girl who could snap at Rampage's heels during the BC Classic was undeniably their greatest threat.
"Still, isn't she moving way too early?!"
"We haven't even hit the halfway mark!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA! But I feel so amazing right now! My blood is boiling! I can't stop—I have to run!!!"
For Lynx, a die-hard Armored Core fanatic, the invitation handed to her by Rampage had acted as a supercharged booster. Known as the White Irregular, her running style usually relied on raw physical power alone; now, infused with this intense psychological surge, her strength had spiraled into something completely unstoppable.
"And we are approaching the midway point! Lady Saber maintains her lead with Amazing Dyna right behind, but Armed Lynx has surged into third position! The pace is picking up dramatically! Narita Eagle stays right on their heels, followed by A.P. Indy and Fifty Magna!"
Watching these six runners take command, everyone in the crowd felt the same certainty: the champion of the Champions Cup would inevitably be chosen from among them. Their stride was that refined, that extraordinary.
"This pace is insane... But I'm not done yet! Nowhere near!"
Because Eagle was the only one without overseas racing experience, people often said she didn't know the world stage. Yet the fierce determination radiating from her stride made it clear she hadn't been idling away her time either.
Watching her, Magna and Indy laughed from the very depths of their hearts.
"Yes... Yes, that's it! That's the look you're supposed to have!"
"Right?! Running alongside her gave us strength—it was useful, sure. But...!"
""It wasn't fun at all!!""
A.P. Indy and Fifty Magna had aimed for the Champions Cup title after gaining the ultimate training partner in Easy Goer. At first, neither of them could hide their thrill at having her assistance. But once they actually ran with her, they realized the truth: this horse girl possessed not a single drop of competitive fire.
Inside Easy Goer was nothing but a mechanical rationality focused on fulfilling her given role, alongside a detached appreciation for the act of racing itself.
'You both ran wonderfully,' Easy Goer had told them. 'Indy, you should correct your overly aggressive tendencies. Magna, your pacing is far too chaotic. If you fix those flaws, victory is guaranteed.'
Her advice had certainly been useful. They both understood that their running had reached a higher plane, giving them the confidence to face Lady and Dyna on equal footing. Yet... neither satisfaction nor fulfillment ever followed.
'I should be happy running alongside someone like Easy Goer... so why don't I feel happy at all?'
'I've never seen someone so devoid of passion... Why does she even run?'
They could tell she loved racing just as they did; the more they ran together, the clearer it became. But unlike Mejiro Ramonu's fiery devotion, Easy Goer merely admired racing from afar—like a cherished toy placed on a display, or a fine collectible resting on a shelf. She viewed racing as a luxury item.
In a sense, maintaining such calm composure without becoming consumed by passion was a valid approach. But Indy and Magna could no longer respect her for it. That wasn't what they were striving for. They didn't just want a victory handed to them on paper. What they craved was that sacred moment beyond human limits—a place you can only reach by burning through every last ember of your soul.
"My blade still has farther to strike!!"
"Not yet! Not yet! Nowhere near enough!!"
"This rush... it's absolutely wonderful!!"
"Don't you dare... don't you dare look down on Japan AAAAGH!!"
Yes. This heat. This is the heat we were starving for!
"The racing we love is a collision of pure souls!!"
"A duel where you pour out everything you have against your rival until nothing is left!"
""That is the racing we love!!""
"Look at those eyes! Every last one of them has it! That's right—racing is a clash of souls! A battle where you hurl your entire being against your opponent's! The victor inherits everything from the defeated to move forward, while the fallen rebuilds themselves to reach the next stage! Now show me—show me the run of your damn souls!!"
Sunday Silence's electrified commentary set the stadium ablaze with passion. Cheering erupted across the stands as fans roared, realizing this was the true spectacle they had come to see. The horse girls fought with every ounce of strength they possessed.
Watching the scene unfold, one horse girl alone held a troubled expression.
Easy Goer.
"...I don't understand," she muttered, watching them round the final turn. "Racing is meant to be enjoyable, not something you lose yourself in. That's what we were taught, wasn't it? What happens if you push yourself to the point of injury? What if you can never run again?"
To her, the spectacle before her eyes defied all logic. Her world was built entirely on what she had been taught—and those teachings were supposed to be absolute.
"It's because they want to win. More than anything in the world."
It was her trainer who offered the answer.
Her official trainer was originally hired merely to manage her schedule, while her technical coaching had been handled by elite trainers employed by her family. Yet, Easy Goer had always addressed her simply as "Trainer."
"When you want to win from the bottom of your heart—when you're desperate to fight and win no matter what—that's the only time you can run like that."
"But running in such a manner invites injury—"
"You've seen a horse girl who ran like that her entire life and still became a world champion, haven't you?"
"...Mejiro Rampage..."
Saying this will definitely cost me my job as her trainer, she thought to herself. I might never work as a trainer in America again. But even so... what kind of trainer would I be if I didn't say it?
"I'll be blunt with you," the trainer said quietly. "You are a second-rate horse girl."
"Me...? Second-rate?"
"So much so that even Sunday Silence turned his back on you. And do you know why? Because you've abandoned the one thing every horse girl must possess."
"The one thing...?"
"Watch this race. Find the answer for yourself."
Easy Goer turned her eyes back to the track, staring intently as the race reached its climax. At the same time, the raw passion of Sunday Silence's commentary mixed with Akasaka's play-by-play washed over her ears—a fervent intensity she had never once heard when they spoke to her.
"Under 200 meters to go! Lady Saber holds the lead! Amazing Dyna is pulling up beside her, but Narita Eagle refuses to yield! She's still in this! A.P. Indy and Fifty Magna are clinging on! Here comes Armed Lynx! Armed Lynx is driving up hard—she's side-by-side with Lady Saber!!"
"A battle between the White Irregular and the Sword Queen! Who will take it?! Wait, Amazing Dyna isn't backing down either!!"
"Who will claim the crown of the Champions Cup?! Just meters remaining—Armed Lynx is surging forward!!"
"AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!"
"Armed Lynx! Armed Lynx takes it by a nose! By a mere nose, she edges out Lady Saber for first place! Lady Saber takes second, A.P. Indy third, Amazing Dyna fourth, and Narita Eagle fifth! Fifty Magna finishes in sixth!"
Armed Lynx crossed the finish line with a wordless scream. Thrashing her arm into the air, she let out a roar of victory from the bottom of her lungs.
And as that shout echoed across the track, Easy Goer felt a sudden, unfamiliar heat blooming deep within her chest.
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