As the competitors filed onto the track, the Uma Musumes entered the starting gates one after another.
Gate number two... Platinum scowled. She'd never run from an inside lane before.
From her debut race all the way to the Saudi Arabia Royal Cup, she'd always started from an outer lane, with nothing but open space ahead.
While both inside and outside lanes had their pros and cons, Platinum was clearly unsuited for fighting for position early on. It seemed just getting out of the gate would be a struggle for her.
And as luck would have it, Jade Lion had drawn the innermost gate, number one.
Urban Sea stood inside her gate, gently stroking the cold metal with a nostalgic look. 'Never thought I'd set foot on a track again...'
Sham consciously slowed her breathing. Unlike other retired Uma Musumes, Sham had dreamed of returning to the racetrack every single day. She was fully prepared. Today, the roar of thunder would once again resound across the course, heralding her comeback.
Even Agnes Digital held her breath, seeming like a completely different person. Standing once more on the Sha Tin turf, perhaps she was reliving her Hong Kong Cup victory.
Finally, Golden Sixty stepped into her stall. To her immediate right was her little sister, Leap of Faith. Golden Sixty glanced sideways at her sister, who was clutching her chest, but said nothing.
Nervousness and fear were perfectly legal stimulants, after all. Even Golden Sixty's own fingertips were ice-cold, her entire hand trembling slightly.
That recent defeat had not only broken her winning streak—it had also planted a tiny seed of doubt in Golden Sixty's heart.
'Can I still do this?'
'Am I still number one?'
This race was an experiment. Could Golden Sixty exit the stage gracefully and bid farewell to her career...?
In the stands, Uncle Francis folded his round sunglasses and hung them on his chest, clenching his fists, his palms slick with cold sweat.
"Mind if I join you?" A lazy voice cut through the crowd noise. Agnes Tachyon stood beside Uncle Francis, and the two leaned against the railing together.
"What's this, need some fresh air?" Agnes Tachyon asked with a laugh, noticing Uncle Francis's clenched hands. "Why are you more nervous than the athletes?"
"Of course I am," Uncle Francis murmured. "The weight of a race is different for spectators than it is for people like you and me."
"The audience eagerly awaits an exciting competition, a winner emerging from the final struggle... Just like Sixty once said, they don't really lack a single champion in Golden Sixty."
"Before Golden Sixty, there were other pillars; after her, there will be more. Among all the Hong Kong Champions, is Golden Sixty considered outstanding? I don't know."
"But for me... for someone who has a stake out there on that track..."
Agnes Tachyon playfully swirled a can of black tea in her hand, watching the course. "Yeah, it's really... a novel experience."
A few hundred meters to Agnes Tachyon's right, a group of Uma Musumes had gathered.
The leading one, a short-haired girl, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, shouting towards the track. Even though her voice was lost in the crowd noise within meters, never reaching the course.
The young girl probably wasn't a local either. Though she spoke Chinese, a thick dialect accent colored her words: "Sister Jade Lion—!"
"Left jab, right roundhouse kick, run with all you've got—!"
"Coach said— if you win, she's treating us all to a big meal—!"
Looking further out, there were many more just like them.
Even far across the ocean, others were waiting with the same anticipation.
--+--
If the timing was right, it should be starting just about now...
Symboli Rudolf set down the pen she'd been using to review documents and turned on the student council's television, which was rarely used.
"Hey, Gold Ship, you're too tall..." Mejiro McQueen's entire view was almost completely blocked by Gold Ship's broad back.
"Can't be helped, McQueen. You're just too short," Gold Ship replied, twisting her body with effort.
The result was that she cleared a small sliver of view for Mejiro McQueen, but blocked a part that was previously visible.
Everyone from Team Spica was crammed into the break room like sardines, staring intently at the screen of an old, battered television of unknown origin.
At this moment, not only the course itself, but also the stands, and those watching from abroad fell into a hushed silence, not daring to make a sound, their eyes glued to the screen.
--+--
Inside the gate, Platinum couldn't hear anything either. All the competitors were loaded in. Like bullets chambered, waiting only for the sharp report to send them flying.
Her heart hammered violently in her chest. Half from nerves, half from fear. She desperately tried to suppress these emotions, but it felt like a high-pressure water gun was hidden deep within her, utterly unstoppable.
'Times like this, I should think about something random... Like reciting pi, or trying to chat up the girl next to me... like Leap of Faith is doing.' Platinum widened her eyes, frantically trying to divert her thoughts.
'Speaking of which, which gate did Leap of Faith get? I can't see her from here...'
"—AND THEY'RE OFF!"
The gates flew open with a crash, the path ahead instantly clear.
The dazzling, firework-like race—brief yet stunning—had officially taken its first step.
A unified, simultaneous first step. All nine Uma Musumes on the field planted their hooves almost in perfect sync, the crisp, rhythmic clatter of horseshoes against turf echoing throughout the course.
The gun had fired.
Fierce contention began immediately. The Uma Musume surged forward like a rapid advance, jostling for advantageous positions.
As the smoke from the starting gun gradually dissipated, the Uma Musumes fanned out like the scattered trajectories of buckshot.
Golden Sixty seized the lead; close behind were Agnes Digital, Sham, and Urban Sea, trailing Golden Sixty by only the slimmest of margins, clinging to her heels like sharks that had scented blood.
Behind these peak-level Uma Musumes ran the rookie from Australia, Fresh Memory. Her chest heaved violently, her eyes fixed only on the champions ahead.
About a length behind Fresh Memory flew Leap of Faith and the other young Uma Musumes. They ran slightly further out, avoiding the clashes between the elite runners, yet remained tightly bunched together, each striving to gain even the slightest advantage over the others.
Where was Platinum? She was at the very back of the pack.
The moment the gates sprang open, she had still been lost in her scattered thoughts, failing to react immediately.
In other words, she'd missed the break.
--+--
T/N: Classroom of the Elite Fanfic Up!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.