"Track condition: good. Weather: sunny. Distance: 2000 meters. Counterclockwise direction."
On the racetrack, Kagura and Nature had already taken their positions. Standing beside a horse-girl-shaped signboard next to the track, Tojo Hana announced the conditions of the course.
Rudolf and Maruzensky had halted their training to join the spectators, watching this so-called "friendly" practice race with evident interest.
"Nice Nature-san, Kagura-san, prepare for the start signal!"
Tojo Hana gave a pointed reminder, primarily aimed at Kagura, whose focus tended to slip easily. Nature was intensely focused already—clearly she was in good form.
Both girls crouched slightly, adopting their starting postures. Kagura spared a glance toward Nature, who was now completely serious, eyes fixed straight ahead, not even noticing Kagura looking at her.
If we're going to race…I can't embarrass myself in front of Kagura-chan!
Nature stared forward, determined. Kagura had always looked after her, even though Nature wished the two-years-younger Kagura would rely on her like an older sister. But clearly, in every aspect, Kagura was the mature one, making Nature feel more like the little sister instead.
Why is it that whenever any of you step onto the track, you immediately act as if it's a serious competition? Aren't we just training?!
Feeling the sudden pressure, Kagura inwardly complained, her face turning stiff.
She remembered previously running alongside Rudolf and the others—they had clearly agreed on a casual training run, yet midway through, Kagura found herself surrounded by horse girls who became increasingly competitive with every step.
"Rudolf, who do you think will win between these two kids?"
Maruzensky watched with keen interest as the two young Uma prepared at the start. Unlike Nature, who wore proper, cool sports gear, Kagura's maid uniform was clearly unsuited for physical activity. But Kagura likely had no sportswear available at the moment, hence her attire.
"I don't know Nature-san's actual strength, but beating Kagura requires significant ability. Personally, I favor Kagura."
Though Rudolf wasn't familiar with Nature's capability yet, she was certain only a handful among Kagura's peers could defeat her. It remained to be seen whether Nature was among these geniuses.
A brief silence settled over the track. Moments later, Tojo Hana's starting whistle shattered the stillness. Nature, fully prepared, dashed forward immediately, while Kagura—just like always—stood frozen for half a second before taking off.
"Ara… Kagura-chan's concentration really isn't great… especially for an Uma who uses a runaway style."
Maruzensky sounded somewhat concerned. Kagura's consistently delayed starts weren't exactly promising for her future as a frontrunner.
Alright… perfect start… Did Kagura start late? Or is she a chaser-type?
Nature quickly took the lead, breathing a small sigh of relief at her successful start. Kagura's footsteps echoed from behind. Unless Kagura was slower or adopting a chasing strategy, it meant she'd simply been slow off the mark.
Tojo Hana also noted Kagura's persistent flaw, mentally noting how she might help correct it. Improving concentration wasn't a quick fix—it required long-term training. Thankfully, Kagura was still young, with plenty of time to address this issue.
"Interesting… Kagura-chan didn't immediately fight for the lead this time?"
Initially, Tojo Hana had expected Kagura to explosively reclaim the lead as she had done before. Yet this time Kagura didn't accelerate aggressively; instead, she calmly settled behind Nature, maintaining a pace far slower than her previous runaway style.
Not immediately fighting for the front meant Kagura was adopting a stalking or front-runner strategy this time.
Should I push now?
Kagura's hesitance stemmed mainly from unfamiliarity with the 2000-meter distance. Previously, she'd confidently sprinted the full 1600 meters because she knew her stamina could handle it effortlessly.
Now with an extra 400 meters, Kagura wasn't entirely sure how much she'd need to reserve. She decided to first observe Nature before deciding her next move.
"Nature-san… as the current leader, she's completely unable to widen the gap from Kagura, who's still comfortably stalking her."
Rudolf shook her head slightly. Being unable to open a distance from the runners behind wasn't a good sign for the leader.
The pair quickly covered several hundred meters, their strengths gradually becoming clear. Kagura remained glued comfortably behind Nature, who was visibly pushing her limits to accelerate yet failed to increase her lead.
"Rudolf, in your debut race, the frontrunner ahead of you looked exactly like Nature-san does right now."
"…Maru-san, are you saying Kagura is as strong as me?"
"Who knows? Maybe she'll even surpass you when she grows up."
"I certainly hope so."
Rudolf smiled faintly, genuinely eager to meet such an opponent. Her debut race opponents hadn't provided sufficient pressure; she hadn't felt the thrill of pursuit. But when she chased Kagura the other day, she experienced that rare mix of threat and excitement—
Catch up to her! Surpass her!
Facing Kagura's explosive runaway style, Rudolf felt such urgency for the first time. Previously, only Maruzensky could make her feel this way.
Why…? Why is Kagura's footstep still so close?! Has our distance really stayed the same the entire time?! How… how is this possible…?
Currently, no one felt more pressure than Nature, who'd just passed the second turn. She could clearly hear Kagura's footsteps shadowing her from behind, the sound unchanged, indicating the distance between them had remained fixed!
For Nature, this was terrible news. Without opening a gap, she faced an extremely high risk of being overtaken on the final straight.
If I accelerate more now… I'll lose all speed at the finish. But if I don't…
Nature anxiously evaluated how to run her final stretch, hesitating about whether to push immediately and shake off Kagura.
But while she hesitated, both of them had already entered the third turn, leaving only one final bend and the straight ahead!
"Nature—sorry about this!"
Kagura, having confirmed both distance and stamina felt just right, lowered her stance and accelerated fiercely.
The steady footsteps behind Nature suddenly surged closer. From the sidelines, Tojo Hana, Rudolf, and the others widened their eyes in shock. Kagura swung outward around Nature, dropped into a lower stance, and began accelerating drastically!!
"So fast!! No way, that's impossible!!?"
In an instant, Kagura's figure blurred past like a shadow, appearing two lengths ahead to Nature's right, still accelerating at a terrifying pace, rapidly widening the distance between them!
Nature instantly forgot about pacing herself for the final straight, desperately trying to accelerate after Kagura. She knew if she didn't chase now, even her finishing kick wouldn't recover the growing gap.
"I…can't close the distance…how…?"
Yet despair struck Nature even harder: her own acceleration simply couldn't match Kagura's. Despite pushing herself to the absolute limit, the distance between them continued widening mercilessly.
Now four lengths ahead, Kagura cleared the fourth bend, reaching the final straight. Amidst the roaring wind, Nature heard Kagura's clear, spirited cry as she unleashed yet another surge of speed!
"This speed is totally unfair! I can't…!!"
With a desperate, oyster-like (embarrassed) wail, Nature watched helplessly as Kagura, already far beyond reach, crossed the finish line first. Completely drained of stamina, Nature crossed the line more than four seconds later.
Breathing somewhat heavily from the fierce sprint, Kagura quickly adjusted her breathing. Meanwhile, Nature stood nearby, utterly exhausted, hands braced on her knees, gasping for breath.
"That was at least a fifteen-length difference…a brutal, crushing victory…"
Rudolf imagined clearly how much pressure Nature must've felt on the track. Nature had clearly tried her absolute hardest, yet Kagura's speed was simply overwhelming. Once overtaken after the second turn, the race had effectively ended.
"Just like you, Rudolf. In your debut race, the Uma behind you suffered exactly like this."
"…I know. Hopefully, Nature-san won't be too disheartened. She actually ran quite well. It's just that Kagura-chan is too…sigh."
Having been ruthlessly dominated by her good friend, Nature must be feeling crushed. Rudolf sincerely hoped this defeat wouldn't deeply discourage the young Nature.