Chapter 25. Satsuki Sho; The Cursed Gate 18
Sitting alone on the sofa inside the Uma Musume-exclusive lounge, Tokai Teio lightly swung her legs while staring at the television mounted on the wall. The screen was currently broadcasting today's Twinkle Series races, but her attention clearly wasn't fully on the program itself.
"This is only my second time challenging a G1…" Tokai Teio murmured softly.
Then, after a brief pause, she lowered her gaze toward her own hands.
"And Dober-senpai just won her ninth yesterday. If I win today… there'll still be a gap of seven."
The words sounded casual, almost playful, but the faint tightening of her fingers betrayed the emotions hidden beneath them.
Because Tokai Teio understood very clearly—
If she couldn't even catch up to Mejiro Dober's current achievements, then talking about surpassing Silence Suzuka or chasing after the figure she admired most deeply—her Kaichou—would be nothing more than empty fantasy.
Not to mention the universally acknowledged G.O.A.T within Team Sadalsuud itself.
That gray-haired senior whose existence already stood at a level beyond ordinary comparison.
"I want to become the strongest Uma Musume."
Tokai Teio slowly clenched both fists.
"So even the outermost gate won't stop me."
Ever since the gate draw results had been announced, pessimism had spread everywhere around her like an infectious fog.
Newspapers.
Magazines.
Television analysts.
Internet discussions.
Even the casual conversations between Uma Musume inside the academy corridors—
Almost no one remained optimistic about gate eighteen.
"Gate 18 has never produced a Satsuki Sho winner."
"A pace chaser Uma Musume drawing the outermost lane? Getting position at the start will be impossible."
"The URA Association clearly doesn't want Tokai Teio becoming the next Undefeated Triple Crown."
"Isn't the gate draw computerized?"
"Then her luck is just terrible."
—
Those voices had surrounded her continuously for days.
But Tokai Teio never allowed herself to become infected by them.
"That's right," she thought while staring fixedly at the television screen. "Gate eighteen has always been bad at Nakayama Racecourse."
"But just because I'm restricted…doesn't mean any of you suddenly have a chance."
At that moment, a sharp pressure quietly spread outward from Tokai Teio's body.
It was not hostility.
Nor simple competitiveness.
Rather, it resembled the suffocating aura emitted by someone whose pride absolutely refused compromise.
Yet Tokai Teio herself remained completely unaware of it.
At 3:10 PM, after receiving the staff's reminder, Tokai Teio finally stood up from the sofa and left the lounge, preparing to check in before heading toward the presentation stage.
After completing registration, she didn't remain with the other contestants chatting idly. Instead, she walked alone toward the underground passage exit and silently watched the tenth race of the day unfold on the track outside.
"The Listed Sunshine Stakes, 2500 meters on turf…" Tokai Teio quietly analyzed while observing the screen displaying the race order. "Tosho Balkan started from gate nine, the outermost lane, yet still won wire-to-wire."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Trainer was right. I absolutely have to commit to the senko strategy today."
"Today's Nakayama track condition isn't favorable for sitting back and relying on one explosive burst in the straight either."
"If I become passive simply because I drew the outermost gate…my chances of winning will actually decrease."
Tokai Teio slowly lifted her head.
There was no hesitation remaining in her eyes anymore.
"That's right."
"I'm Tokai Teio."
"And I will never retreat because of a disadvantageous gate."
—
Nearby, several participating Uma Musume quietly glanced toward Tokai Teio's back.
But none of them found this strange.
Because everyone competing in today's Satsuki Sho understood perfectly well—
The greatest enemy standing before them was not the race itself.
It was the girl currently standing alone at the underground passage exit.
The Uma Musume who had dominated last year's Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes by five lengths.
The girl whose talent had already attracted attention from American media years ago.
To be honest, if Tokai Teio had not drawn gate eighteen, some contestants present might genuinely have withdrawn from the race altogether.
Precisely because the URA Association's computerized draw had handed Tokai Teio the worst possible gate—everyone else finally saw hope.
Perhaps even Tokai Teio could not overcome the curse of gate eighteen.
Meanwhile, another contestant quietly tightened her fists.
"In this race—I'm going to create a fast pace. Just like Silence Suzuka-senpai."
Recalling her Trainer's instructions, the girl slowly exhaled.
"It's true I don't possess extraordinary talent. But today… there's something only I can do."
Her gaze swept toward the other contestants nearby.
"I'm going to make the pace incredibly fast."
"And after that…you'll all have to survive on your own."
When Tokai Teio finally stepped onto the presentation stage as the final entrant, an overwhelming roar instantly erupted throughout Nakayama Racecourse.
"Go, Teio!!"
"Tokai Teio is the strongest!!"
"Gate eighteen won't matter at all!!"
The cheers crashed down like waves.
The sheer volume became so intense that Tokai Teio instinctively flattened her ears against her head to avoid being overwhelmed by the noise.
Amid the deafening support from the crowd, the live commentator still maintained professional composure as he continued introducing the field.
"Number eighteen, Tokai Teio—undoubtedly today's overwhelming favorite!"
"Even though no Uma Musume has ever won the Satsuki Sho from gate eighteen, Tokai Teio's popularity has not diminished in the slightest!"
"Her five-length domination in last year's Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes fully demonstrated her astonishing strength. Furthermore, after that victory, Team Sadalsuud's Trainer publicly declared that Tokai Teio's goal is to become the next Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume after Symboli Rudolf!"
"Today Tokai Teio appears majestic and in outstanding condition!"
Beside him, today's guest commentator, Tojo Hana, calmly added:
"It's true that gate eighteen has never produced a Satsuki Sho winner. But Tokai Teio's talent may very well be enough to overturn that history."
"If Tokai Teio wins today…"
"And wins overwhelmingly…"
"I honestly wouldn't find it surprising at all."
The commentator blinked in surprise.
"I didn't expect Trainer Tojo to have such confidence in Tokai Teio. After the gate draw, many opinions became quite pessimistic."
Tojo Hana's expression subtly changed.
"To be honest, I was uneasy too at first."
"But afterward, I specifically asked Tokai Teio's Trainer—Shuta-kun—for his opinion."
"And what did he say?" the commentator immediately followed up.
Tojo Hana paused briefly before answering.
"He told me Tokai Teio would absolutely be fine. If there was a problem—then it would be his problem, not Tokai Teio's."
After finishing, she sighed softly.
"And he specifically instructed me to make that statement public afterward."
—
"Ahaha… that really does sound like Ann-san."
Inside an owner's Box, Nishizaki Ryu laughed loudly before clinking glasses with Kitahara and Minamisaka.
"What do you two think?"
"Can Tokai Teio win?"
"Of course, she can," Kitahara answered almost immediately.
His pupils subtly tightened as memories surfaced.
"I've personally watched Tokai Teio's training."
"She's frighteningly strong."
"To be honest… I feel like even Silence Suzuka and the others weren't this dominant during training."
Nishizaki Ryu's eyes widened instantly.
"That's Silence Suzuka we're talking about!"
"It isn't just talent," Minamisaka quietly interjected.
"The Uma Musume on my team all say the same thing. Whenever there's training—Tokai Teio is always the first one to arrive at the track."
Nishizaki Ryu slowly took a sip of sake before exhaling deeply.
"Talent and hard work both—She only lacks a little luck."
"It doesn't matter," Kitahara replied calmly while swirling the drink in her hand.
"With Ann-san there…any luck she's missing will be made up for."
—
Because Tokai Teio had drawn gate 18, she was the final Uma Musume to enter the starting gate.
During warm-up, she glanced toward the nearby LED screen, which displayed today's Nakayama Racecourse turf condition as "Good."
However, after lightly stomping the turf beneath her feet and watching grass clippings scatter, Tokai Teio immediately frowned.
"So it's not the kind of good track I imagined." She muttered softly to herself. "The moisture content in the turf is still very high. It feels sticky underfoot."
Tokai Teio lowered her gaze toward the inner rail section and noticed that the turf near the rail had already become visibly muddy. That observation only strengthened her judgment.
"In that case, I absolutely can't run close to the rail."
Recalling Trainer's reminder before the race, Tokai Teio narrowed her eyes slightly.
"After Me plans to run a large lead… but on this kind of track, will she really commit to an all-out escape strategy from gate 4? Wouldn't a standard pace be more stable instead?"
Her gaze shifted toward Legacy of Zelda, who had already entered gate 8.
"She can lead too. I should pay more attention to her since she's closer to my position. If she and After Me start fighting for the lead together, then this race will definitely turn into a fast pace."
Tokai Teio's eyes sharpened slightly.
"If that happens, I'll stay on the left-rear side of the leading group and wait for my opportunity."
—
At the same time, just as Tokai Teio was preparing to enter the starting gate, another NHK television crew arrived at the owner's box together with the director.
Inside the box, Shuta An held a bottle of water in one hand, his brows tightly furrowed.
His thoughts were in complete disorder.
"If I remember correctly, the Satsuki Sho in the Dream World should've been run on a slightly heavy track. So why is it being announced as a good track now?"
The moment the thought surfaced, the young man could no longer sit still.
He immediately strode out of the owner's box and headed toward the edge of the grandstand, intending to personally confirm the condition of Nakayama Racecourse's turf.
"If the moisture level is still close to slightly heavy, then there shouldn't be any problem."
As he walked, Shuta An gradually calmed himself down.
"Thinking back carefully, the turf near the rail already looked muddy. Today's so-called 'good track' is probably deceptive."
When he finally reached the railside area near the stands, the young man crouched slightly and stepped directly onto the grass.
The cameraman behind him captured the entire scene without missing a moment.
Then, through the lens, he noticed Shuta An visibly relax.
"It's exactly as I thought."
Shuta An quietly let out a breath.
"In that case, the tactics don't need to change. I didn't make the wrong decision for Teio."
—
After entering gate 18, Tokai Teio lowered herself into her starting posture.
"Even though I'm using a senko tactic this race, I absolutely can't make a mistake at the start."
Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead.
"From the outermost gate, I need to secure position as quickly as possible."
A sharp metallic "click" suddenly echoed through the starting gate.
Tokai Teio's muscles instantly tightened.
Then, like an arrow released from a bowstring, she exploded forward.
"Tokai Teio gets an excellent start from gate 18! But Big Fight from gate 17 and Kane Habomai are also accelerating quickly! It seems Tokai Teio won't be able to directly charge to the front!"
the live commentator shouted as his attention immediately focused on the race favorite.
The commentator quickly began reporting the conditions of the remaining Uma Musume one by one.
Meanwhile, Tokai Teio immediately noticed that Big Fight and KaneHabomai's acceleration was not inferior to hers.
Without hesitation, she restrained her own pace slightly.
"There's no reason to fight for position with those two this early."
The moment she reached that conclusion, Tokai Teio smoothly angled inward, tucking herself behind Big Fight, who had accelerated slightly slower, before watching Big Fight naturally settle behind Kane Habomai.
"This way…"
At this point, roughly one hundred meters had passed since the start.
Tokai Teio's gaze pierced through the pack and landed directly on After Me and Legacy of Zelda, who were fiercely battling for the lead ahead.
The two Uma Musume were practically impossible to miss.
"Wow… they're really going all-out?" Tokai Teio muttered in disbelief. "Then this race is definitely going to become a fast pace."
Generally speaking, a fast pace favored closers.
However, Nakayama Racecourse's final straight was simply too short.
Shuta An absolutely did not want Tokai Teio taking unnecessary risks, which was why he had specifically chosen a senko strategy for this race.
And Tokai Teio herself had no intention of acting independently this time.
She obediently maintained her rhythm along the opening straight, slowly widening the gap between herself and Big Fight and Kane Habomai while calmly allowing more opponents to slip ahead of her.
As she crossed the finish line for the first time, Tokai Teio resisted the urge to turn her head toward the stands.
She still remembered Shuta An's promise—to return all the way from Australia and personally cheer for her at Nakayama Racecourse.
But Tokai Teio forcibly suppressed the impulse.
"I'll have all the time I need to look toward the stands once I cross the finish line in first place."
—
After completing the opening straight, the eighteen Uma Musume entered Nakayama Racecourse's first corner.
This bend was far from gentle.
Every Uma Musume understood that clearly, so nearly all of them desperately fought to move inward and save ground.
Tokai Teio naturally attempted the same.
However, there were still four Uma Musume positioned between her and the rail.
Strictly speaking, the amount of extra energy she was consuming with her current positioning was already quite significant.
But Tokai Teio did not care.
Because she could clearly feel it herself—the turf at Nakayama Racecourse today was genuinely muddy, completely different from an ordinary "good track."
"Just as I thought. The turf on the outside is much drier."
After personally comparing the feeling beneath her feet with the turf near the inner rail at the start, the difference became even more obvious.
"It doesn't matter if I waste a little more stamina."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're suffering even more than I am running on the inside."
With that thought in mind, Tokai Teio maintained her rhythm while exiting the bend and entering the straight opposite the stands.
Because she had no intention of accelerating forward yet, the Uma Musume hugging the rail gradually pulled ahead, causing Tokai Teio to drift backward by roughly a horse length.
"Tokai Teio is gradually losing position! From fifth place down to ninth! As expected, the outside lanes are not easy to handle!" the live commentator immediately announced after noticing her ranking drop.
"The race hasn't even reached halfway yet."
Inside the owner's box, Shuta An immediately retorted.
"What's there to panic about just because she deliberately gave up some position to avoid that terrible turf near the rail?"
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