"Ladies and gentlemen—"
A passionate female voice rang out over the entire venue!
"Welcome to Nakayama Racecourse!"
Boom—!
In an instant, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from the stands!
"Ooooooohhhhhh——!!!"
Tens of thousands of spectators shouted in unison, the sound surging through the racecourse like a tidal wave!
The announcer's voice was blazing with excitement and infectious energy:
"Today, we welcome the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, held once a year—the Satsuki Sho!"
"This is the stage for the new-century horse girls!"
"This is the battlefield where they prove themselves!"
"Here, new legends will be born!"
"Here, new history will be written!"
In the grandstands, countless fans held up support boards and shouted the names of the horse girls they supported at the top of their lungs.
"McQueen—!"
"Ines Fujin! Go for it!"
"Ryan! Ryan! Ryan!"
"Light-Chaser is the strongest!!!"
Banners, flags, support colors—the entire Nakayama Racecourse had turned into a sea of jubilation!
"There are a total of 18 outstanding horse girls participating in this year's Satsuki Sho!"
"Today, they will launch into a true summit showdown right here!"
The announcer shouted with fiery enthusiasm: "I'm sure everyone can't wait any longer, right?"
"In that case, let us welcome... the first horse girl to appear—"
...
In the runners' tunnel.
Watching as one horse girl after another walked out accompanied by the announcer's voice, at the back, White Shining Rock listened to the roar from outside, arms folded, and said mockingly:
"Heh... almost all of them are cheering for Mejiro McQueen."
At this moment, she had already changed into her resplendent race outfit.
A modified long coat with blue as the base and patterned trim, lined with yellow edges and a red sash at the waist, made her look like a classical beauty straight out of an old painting.
Yet the fishnet stockings vanishing into her mid-calf boots added a streak of modern youthful flair.
"Aah, don't say it like that~"
Beside her, a brown-haired, green-eyed horse girl pressed down the brim of her pink sun hat and smiled cheerfully at White Shining Rock:
"McQueen earned those results the hard way. It's totally normal for her to be a little more popular, you know?~"
Looking at the sunny, big-sister-like girl at her side, White Shining Rock did not respond.
Instead, she turned her body to face the tunnel exit.
But the eyes that were usually narrowed into slits had quietly opened into a thin, icy line.
Ines Fujin... huh?
She began to recall this horse girl, known as one of the "Big Three" of the Classic year.
Her running style was the absolute pure Front Runner strategy... on a technical level, there was a strong shadow of Fujimasa March.
Well, that figured.
As the strongest front runner still active, it was only natural that later front-running horse girls would study and emulate her style one after another.
And then...
Her gaze shifted again, landing on the short-haired horse girl chattering excitedly with Ines Fujin, and on the gray horse girl leaning against the wall with her arms folded.
From the Mejiro family, Mejiro Ryan...
And... White Grand.
The only gray horse among the "Big Three," White Grand, at this moment, was exuding a freezing aura that rejected anyone from coming close.
The very instant she saw White Grand, White Shining Rock frowned slightly.
Ines Fujin and Mejiro Ryan were still fine.
She had studied their past race footage before.
She could feel that the gap between herself and them was not that big.
But for some reason... when she looked at White Grand, who was also one of the "Big Three," she always felt a kind of heart-tightening dread... as if she were looking at...
"Tak—!"
Suddenly, a crisp yet sledgehammer-heavy footstep exploded in the slightly quiet tunnel behind them!
Immediately after, a terrifying pressure like a collapsing mountain came crashing in like a breached floodgate!
This aura was so pure, so overwhelming that the originally excited and chattering Ines Fujin and Mejiro Ryan both fell silent in an instant!
White Shining Rock snapped her head around—!
She remembered!
The feeling White Grand gave her was that of a small-sized version of... that person!
In the dim tunnel, accompanying those unhurried footsteps, a tall, slender figure stepped out slowly.
She did not look at anyone.
She simply walked straight forward.
Very soon, she was standing right in front of them.
Under the crushing weight of that invisible pressure, Ines Fujin, Mejiro Ryan, White Shining Rock, and White Grand all unconsciously shifted to the sides.
They left the very center position to this purple-haired horse girl.
"Mejiro... McQueen..."
White Shining Rock swallowed hard.
Even though she had long since steeled herself to face this horse girl, hailed as the strongest of the new generation...
Now that she was actually standing in front of her, this fully unleashed, unreserved battle aura still made her feel the urge to back away...
Realizing she was having such thoughts, White Shining Rock bit down hard on her silver teeth.
This girl... is not a normal racehorse girl at all!
"...McQueen."
Leaning against the wall, White Grand, who had been icy and silent all this time, had now let her arms fall from her chest.
Her fists were tightly clenched.
Those ice-blue eyes stared unwaveringly, directly at Mejiro McQueen.
"Yo, McQueen!"
Next to them, Mejiro Ryan blinked for a moment, then happily waved and called out to Mejiro McQueen: "How are you feeling?"
Hearing that, Mejiro McQueen paused.
The pressure around her quietly dissolved.
Then she chuckled softly: "If I'm in great shape, wouldn't that be bad news for you, Ryan?"
As fellow Mejiro horse girls, the relationship between the two was not bad at all.
At the very least, it was not like White Shining Rock and the others, who couldn't even get a word in.
Ryan thought for a moment, then waved her hand casually: "Mmm... I'm a little nervous, but once the race starts, none of that matters anymore!"
The Mejiro girl raised a fist in a pumping gesture and laughed heartily:
"Muscles! Fighting spirit!"
"Effort never betrays you! I've gotten this far step by step through daily training!"
"McQueen, you'd better not underestimate me, or I might overtake you out of nowhere."
"Is that so..."
Mejiro McQueen smiled in an easygoing way.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it."
"Yeah! Just you watch!"
Just then, from outside the tunnel, the announcer's voice rang out again.
"Next to appear, the horse girl ranked fifth in popularity—White Shining Rock..."
Hearing her own name, White Shining Rock took one more look at the four rivals beside her, then strode out.
Her appearance felt like nothing more than a beginning.
Very soon, White Grand, Mejiro Ryan, and Ines Fujin all followed, stepping out onto the track one after another.
In the runners' tunnel, only Mejiro McQueen remained.
"Ha..."
Feeling the silence around her, the girl exhaled softly.
"All right then. Let's make this quick."
Outside in the venue, the announcer's tone grew even more impassioned:
"Last to appear, the most anticipated horse girl of all, undefeated since her debut!"
"Whether it was the Hopeful Stakes or the Yayoi Sho, she took the crown both times with an overwhelming lead!"
"Four wins in four starts, completely unstoppable! Now, she has come to Nakayama Racecourse to challenge for the first trophy of the Classic Triple Crown!"
"Top favorite—Mejiro McQueen!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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