Just take it easy and cruise through the whole race?
The gathered Uma Musume preparing for the start couldn't help but find the idea somewhat laughable—it sounded like a child's fib.
There were rumors that Barbatos, the "Wind God" of Team Canopus, would sometimes talk trash before a race to throw her opponents off, causing them to miss their start.
But now, her Canopus teammate Seiun Sky was trying to lull her rivals into lowering their guard with this kind of talk?
Did she really think they were naïve three-year-olds who'd fall for that?
They might not have the popularity of Special Week or King Halo, but they'd fought through countless G2 and G3 races, overcoming strong opponents to stand here today—they had confidence in themselves.
They also didn't believe that Seiun Sky, having made it to the Yayoi Sho, would hold anything back.
So, this whole "take it easy" bit was just something to nod along to.
No one would buy such a clumsy line, right?
Really? Really?
"Huh? Seriously?"
Right then, a somewhat guileless voice piped up from among them.
That plump Uma Musume, one of the race favorites—Spica's Special Week—exclaimed with a tone of genuine disbelief.
"???"
She actually believed it!
A cascade of question marks seemed to hang over the faces of the other competing Uma Musume.
They were all students of Tracen Academy, but how big was Tracen? How many Uma Musume were there?
Even within the same grade, they were split into several classes. They hardly knew every classmate in their own year, let alone everyone. The ones they truly understood were their own teammates and roommates.
Who could have guessed Special Week had this kind of personality, this innocent gullibility?
In that moment, they felt their understanding of the world shift slightly, a powerful urge to complain swelling up inside, almost impossible to suppress.
And in that exact moment—the starting gates flew open!
The Uma Musume still struggling to hold back their complaints were caught off guard. All they could do was watch helplessly as the prepared runners burst forward!
They saw the figures of Seiun Sky and King Halo, who had executed perfect starts.
Snapping back to reality, the others shot forward as well, desperate to close the gap caused by their delayed break.
And in that instant, a realization dawned.
This was a double act!!!
A well-rehearsed performance by Seiun Sky and Special Week!!!
That line about "taking it easy" was, of course, pure nonsense.
Seiun Sky shot out fast from the start, adopting a front-running strategy, instantly putting significant distance between herself and the delayed starters.
That line alone shouldn't have affected them, but it had to be a premeditated plan between Seiun Sky and Special Week. Working in tandem, they'd managed to break the others' focus for a crucial moment!
Was all of this part of your calculations?!
Damn you, Seiun Sky...!
The delayed starters gritted their teeth, ready to pour on the speed, to catch up to Seiun Sky and Special Week, to wipe away this humiliation and win this Yayoi Sho.
But wait…
Where was Special Week?
In their field of vision, the backs ahead belonged only to Seiun Sky and King Halo.
Where was that plump figure who'd performed in the double act with Seiun Sky???
With a slight turn of their heads to search for that fuller silhouette—perhaps because of her distinctive build—they found her almost immediately.
Oh. Special Week had started late too, just like them.
So, it really was just a coincidence after all.
Well, that's that then.
In that split second of distraction, they noticed the distance between the leading Seiun Sky and themselves had grown even larger.
"Except for Seiun Sky and King Halo, all the other runners experienced a delayed break!"
"What in the world happened?"
"Does Special Week still have a chance to make a comeback?"
"In Barbatos's past races, we often saw runners near her start late, but that was usually just one person. For all ten other runners to break late this time—what on earth is going on?!"
The race commentator passionately narrated the scene. In the stands, Barbatos, who had been feeling tense watching Seiun Sky's race, relaxed a little.
Seiun Sky was naturally skilled at front-running. With the others starting late, her lead only widened.
If they chose to chase her down now, they'd burn through far more stamina, likely causing them to fade in the final stretch and lose any chance at victory.
But if they chose to conserve their energy, waiting for Seiun Sky's stamina to deplete before making their move in the final straight, they'd already be too far behind.
It was almost a "vicious cycle."
The 2000-meter distance of the Yayoi Sho was well within Seiun Sky's ability to lead from start to finish.
The stamina required for such a pace was more than manageable for her and Barbatos after three months of rigorous training.
Moreover, Seiun Sky was inherently a long-distance specialist, blessed with exceptional stamina.
Of course, that didn't make Seiun Sky invincible.
There was no such thing as a true "vicious cycle" in racing. Raw power could break through any tactic.
If Symboli Rudolf were in this race, even with a late start, she'd pose a massive threat to Seiun Sky.
Then again, if Symboli Rudolf started late…
That was a scene that was genuinely hard to picture.
But now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Barbatos's attention was fully focused on the race unfolding before her.
As she followed the action, she also put herself in the shoes of the competitors.
If she were one of the delayed starters, facing a front-running Seiun Sky rapidly building a lead, what choice would she make?
If it were the version of herself from before the Winter Dream Cup, she'd likely activate some of her skills.
She'd fight to prevent the gap from widening further, keeping it within a catchable range. Then, in the final few hundred meters, she'd go all out, sprinting to close in and overtake the leader.
But now… things were different.
On the track, Special Week had made the same choice her past self would have.
She was controlling the gap between herself and Seiun Sky, keeping it within a range she believed she could overcome, conserving her energy for the final straight.
Meanwhile, some of the other Uma Musume who had chosen to chase Seiun Sky directly were already showing signs of fading.
"Seiun Sky is way out in front, already reaching the slope! After this slope comes the final 400-meter straight! Can King Halo catch up?"
"Seiun Sky has hit the slope!"
"Special Week, running in the middle of the pack, is also starting her move! It seems she plans to challenge Seiun Sky in the final straight! She's incredibly fast, swiftly passing several runners ahead! She's now moved up to third place!"
"Commentator, do you think Special Week and King Halo have a chance to catch Seiun Sky?"
"They do."
The commentator answered without hesitation.
"Front-runners often slow their pace mid-race to recover stamina. But Seiun Sky has maintained her initial speed the whole way. Running flat-out like this consumes a tremendous amount of energy and often leads to exhaustion and fading in the final stages."
"The question now is whether Special Week and King Halo can capitalize if Seiun Sky runs out of steam and overtake her."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.