"She's across!!! Stardust Mirage bursts again at the very end—she drops the onrushing Taiki Shuttle, turns into a gale and flies alone, and hits the tape in first!"
"She did it! Like Oguri Cap descended again on this track, Stardust Mirage beats every opponent and rips away the crown with irresistible force!!!"
"Whoaaaaaaa!!!"
A deafening bellow rolled out as the winner was decided. All around, no matter whom they had backed, the stands threw their hands up and howled for the runners who'd given everything. Qicao, who had called medical staff over and stood at the finish, was stunned to stone. She stared dully at Stardust Mirage, unable to believe what she'd seen: Stardust Mirage beat Taiki Shuttle—and everyone else—to take first.
"How can this be… That level of late kick, that…"
She muttered. Then she snapped back, quickly called staff to her, and sprinted for Stardust Mirage to keep her from collapsing and getting hurt.
Stardust Mirage had already lost all control over her body. Past the line, she staggered forward a stretch on momentum, then lurched sideways. Her legs wouldn't respond; sweat poured off her brow, running down her face. She tried to throw out a hand to break her fall but had no strength at all—she was about to slam straight into the turf—
An arm caught her.
"She's fine. It's just exhaustion."
Hu Shan Feihong had been waiting right there. She caught Stardust Mirage and told the medics. Miho Bourbon, who came in sixth, rushed up as well and also folded to the ground—Hu Shan Feihong caught her with the other arm.
As Qicao and the medics hurried up to lift and check them, Hu Shan Feihong—rarely for her—kept any untimely wisecracks to herself. In an even voice, she said:
"Hey, Stardust Mirage."
"In this week of training—out of your hundreds of 600 m sprints—I couldn't see a single one under 34 seconds."
"But this one, this last one…"
"You ran a 32.9 over the final three, and you left the mile queen Taiki Shuttle behind."
"This race—you won."
The trainer who was a demon during workouts turned her back so no one could read her expression, and offered a sober commendation.
"No, it wasn't me who won."
Stardust Mirage spat the blood left in her mouth into the grass beside her. She was so tired she could have fallen asleep—but hearing Hu Shan Feihong, she still forced herself to deny it.
"It should be 'we won,' right?" she said.
In this race, everything was crucial—the tactic Hu Shan Feihong devised, Miho Bourbon's wind-breaking up front that saved her stamina. If Stardust Mirage faced Taiki Shuttle again in full condition, she had no confidence she could do it. In the race, even though she unleashed what people call "fighting spirit" at the very end and shook off the almost-upon-her Taiki Shuttle, that was also because Taiki's rhythm had been wrecked by the Great Escape and her stamina was fading.
So she didn't think this was a victory she could have taken alone.
But…
Stardust Mirage looked up at the blue sky overhead, smiled, and sprawled her limbs out to soak it in. This feeling—she could never get enough. When she truly wins the Triple Crown, she wants to lie on the ground like this and drink in the roar again.
It won't be long… In three months, she'll step onto that stage!
"Howdy~!"
As Stardust Mirage savored the quiet, two round shadows blocked most of the sky above her. She focused—Taiki Shuttle, who had just battled her, was looking down and greeting her cheerfully, the two "obstructions" hanging from her chest framing the view.
"Stardust Mirage, I lost to you today," the big sister said breezily, admitting defeat without fuss. "To pop a finisher like that—left me nothing but shock."
Taiki Shuttle flashed a relieved smile and gave a thumbs-up. "It was just a lucky one-off," Stardust Mirage answered, a little embarrassed. Unlike her nearly life-or-death posture on the course, she wasn't so brash off it; sometimes she even cringed when she remembered how cocky she'd been. She also felt a bit apologetic for running her mouth at Taiki Shuttle mid-race, so she said:
"Let's race again. Next time, I'll challenge you at your absolute best."
"This race said everything. Even if we face off again, I'm the challenger," Taiki Shuttle shook her head with a smile, then looked around. "And I'm retiring soon. If we do it again, save it for the Dream Cup—then I'll challenge you with my prime."
"As for the exchange and matches with the French team—they're yours. Looks like we're still not nearly mature enough… See you next time!"
She waved and turned back toward her team's area, light as ever.
The medics quickly gathered to massage Stardust Mirage's and Miho Bourbon's muscles and clean the bite wound on Mirage's tongue. Hu Shan Feihong peeled bananas, handed them with electrolyte drinks to aid their recovery.
Chewing banana, Stardust Mirage remembered what Taiki had said and asked, after swallowing, "Hu Shan—are we really the team to go exchange with France? What if we embarrass ourselves?"
"Then we embarrass ourselves," Hu Shan Feihong shrugged, unbothered. "We've only got two rookies. Of course we're weaker than the French powerhouses. I don't care about losing face."
"What matters now is sparring with all kinds of opponents and learning from experience—especially you, Stardust Mirage. You were born for live fire. I'm going to get you as many races as possible—be ready!"
"Gahaha—Team Draco got the exchange slot! We're Japan's reps and we're about to trade blows with France~!"
Hearing that laugh, Qicao—who'd been checking everyone for hidden injuries—froze like a statue. If Stardust Mirage's win meant that one was taking a team to France… Qicao went black in the eyes.
It's over. Totally over. Everything is over! The honor of Japan's horsegirl world, the honor of Tracen Central… all to be wrecked by that woman!!!
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