"Number 12, Tokai Teio, is at the gate! As the final entry, what kind of spectacular race will she show us today!"
The enthusiastic female commentator was adept at stirring the crowd's emotions. Or perhaps, she herself was one of the infected. After all, with the legendary Emperor herself in attendance, how could a devoted horse racing fan like her not be thrilled?
After she spoke, her middle-aged male partner took over to bring things back on track. "Alright, number 13, Celestial Weave, is also at the gate. The race is about to begin."
"Ms. Akasaka, which horse girl are you most looking forward to?"
"Tokai Teio, of course! Does Mr. Sugimoto even have another choice?!"
"Well, not really—oh, the race has started. In the lead is number two, using an aggressive Great Escape strategy. Can she pull away?"
Unlike the rational Sugimoto, Ms. Akasaka immediately launched into her signature passionate commentary. "The Pacesetters, led by Tokai Teio, are right behind! It seems number two couldn't build up enough speed!"
On the track, the number two horse girl heard the commentary and cursed inwardly. "How am I supposed to pick up speed in this rain?!"
"Damn it! My Great Escape strategy that I've been preparing for so long is ruined by the weather! This rain has ruined my debut—"
"Damn you, Tokai Teio! You must be the one who made it rain!"
Under the pressure of the bad weather and Tokai Teio, the number two horse girl's resolve wavered dramatically. Just after the turn, her speed dropped, and she fell to the back of the pack.
At that moment, the Chaser horse girls were also reaching the turn. As she found herself among them, the number two horse girl, while fuming, suddenly sensed a presence behind her.
If leading in front of Tokai Teio felt like the pressure of facing a genius, then what was this ominous presence coming from behind her right now?!
She frantically looked around, hoping to confirm from the other racers' expressions that it was just her imagination.
But to her dismay, every horse girl she could see had the same look of unease in their eyes!
They, who were on the track, felt it first. Something was about to happen!
"Following number 7 are number 5 and—what?! Number 13 is accelerating! She's still in the turn! That's too—wha—!"
The usually calm and articulate commentator, Sugimoto, interrupted himself several times in a matter of seconds. He couldn't even control his expression, his mouth hanging open, unable to utter a single word.
At that moment, all the horse girls on the track felt a piercing chill and instinctively looked back.
The Chasers at the back of the pack saw it most clearly. A black figure was cutting through the narrow gaps between them in an unbelievable trajectory.
The immense speed created a hurricane, and the rain lashed against their bodies, forcing them to squint. All they could see was a blinding red streak of light that seemed to slice open the curtain of rain, leaving a deep gash on the gray world.
"How is that possible?! How can she generate that kind of speed in the rain, and on a turn?! Isn't she afraid of being thrown off?!"
Sugimoto had now become the one shouting the loudest. It was Ms. Akasaka who had to provide the detailed commentary. "Number five, number seven, number ten! So fast! She passed the entire group of Chasers in an instant!"
Nice Nature, who had just broken free from the Chaser pack, was stunned when she heard the commentary. She now knew the source of that bone-chilling cold.
Was it her? The image of the horse girl who had shown her kindness flashed through Nice Nature's mind.
Why? Why is she like a completely different person on the track?
Before she could process her confusion, the red streak of light, like the sharpest blade, cut through the rain and shot past her side.
Even though she was still running, Nice Nature subconsciously covered the side of her face where the red light had passed.
It was cold. It was the rain.
But why do I feel like I've been cut by a blade?
Nice Nature looked up, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"Unbelievable. How can there be a horse girl like this in a debut race?"
In the VIP room, Air Groove stared at Celestial Weave's high-speed dash, her expression one of utter disbelief. The "Empress," as she was known, found this even harder to believe than the commentators or the racers on the track.
The experience and knowledge she had accumulated from racing were all screaming that what she was seeing was impossible.
Yet, that red streak of light, which seemed to be tearing the very fabric of the rain, was undeniably real.
"Her form is so raw, her rhythm is completely untrained! There's not a hint of proper Stalker technique, yet she finds the perfect path to sprint through. How is that possible?!"
Air Groove's eyes were glued to the scene. It was like watching a member of an uncontacted tribe who knew nothing of the modern world stumble upon the formula for a nuclear weapon and actually build one.
"Air Groove, do you have her file?"
At Symboli Rudolf's question, Air Groove immediately turned, found Celestial Weave's file in a pile of materials on the sofa, and handed it to her without even glancing at it.
In a suffocating silence, the only sound in the VIP room was the rustling of paper as Rudolf flipped through the file.
A few seconds later, she snapped the file shut and walked briskly towards the door.
"President, where are you going?"
Rudolf didn't even turn her head to answer Air Groove's question.
"I need to see her. Immediately."
"What about the race? Aren't you going to watch?"
With the slam of the door, Rudolf's final words reached Air Groove's ears.
"There's no need."
Meanwhile, on the track, the race had reached the final straight.
Tokai Teio bit her lip, pushing herself to her absolute limit. She felt like she had surpassed her previous best.
But the terrifying presence behind her didn't feel any further away. In fact, it was closing in at a speed that made her tremble.
Every beat of her heart, every pulse of her blood was a primal warning from her instincts.
But it was useless. No matter how hard her body tried to escape, she couldn't shake the feeling of an apex predator closing in.
Soon, the razor-sharp presence shot past her, the force of its passage whipping her hair into a frenzy. For a dizzying moment, she felt like she was in the middle of a natural disaster.
The red streak of light pulled ahead. Under this extreme pressure, Tokai Teio stretched out her hand, as if desperately trying to catch it.
But she could only watch as it vanished from her grasp.
How... is this possible...
The crowd was in an uproar. Most of them might not understand the difference between racing tactics, the disadvantages of a wet track, or the nuances of a horse girl's gait and rhythm.
But the sheer impact of that dazzling red light, tearing through all the other racers with lightning speed—even the most ignorant person could feel the desperate, overwhelming gap in power.
"So cool! It's like a red comet!" a high school boy shouted, shaking his friend's shoulder and pointing at the track.
"More like lightning than a comet! To cut through the track like thunder in this rain!" his friend retorted, pushing up his glasses coolly, though his slightly trembling hand betrayed his own excitement.
"Hss, what terrifying sword qi! So sharp, even from the stands, I felt like I was being cut," a disheveled-looking man with a messy beard and hair standing behind the two boys muttered, sucking in a breath of cold air and constantly rubbing his waist as if searching for something.
"Fifty meters! Thirty meters! Ten meters! She's crossed! Celestial Weave has crossed the finish line! A huge lead! An absolute lead! It's at least ten horse lengths! So amazing! I can die happy now that I've seen this!"
Commentator Sugimoto shouted a long stream of words in one breath and then collapsed into his chair, a look of ultimate satisfaction on his face.
Ms. Akasaka, equally stunned, could only manage to grab the microphone and announce in a voice hoarse from shouting.
"Tokyo Racecourse! Horse Girl Debut Race!"
"The winner is—"
"Number thirteen! Celestial Weave!!!"
-------
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