—That short Chairwoman seems to know me.
As Kagura watched Rudolph Symbol prepare to enter the Starting Gate below, she had just taken out her phone to take a picture when she saw Eclipse's message suddenly appear on the screen.
'Eh? Is that so?'
—You look like me. The only 'old acquaintance' she could associate with you should be me, unless there have been other Uma Musume who looked similar to me in the past few hundred years.
'Didn't Eclipse-san say that not many people knew about you before?'
—Indeed, not many people know me, but if you look, there are still some. There will always be some well-informed people who know. The Chairwoman, after all, it's not strange for her to know more, right? And that day when we went to Tracen, didn't you see that phrase on the wall of their Student Council? Do you remember? It was 'Eclipse First, the Rest Nowhere'.
Kagura remembered that when Rudolph Symbol took her on a tour of Tracen that day, she had indeed heard her mention that phrase. She remembered Rudolph Symbol's explanation at the time: 'First among equals, all others fade.'
—That phrase was left from my era. Her explanation is not wrong; most places interpret it that way now. Unless someone has specifically delved into history, probably no one knows that this phrase actually has another interpretation.
'Is this phrase related to Eclipse-san?'
—Yes, think about it carefully. Eclipse is my name, isn't it? This phrase was how people at the time described me... 'When Eclipse appears, all other Uma Musume fade.' Sounds very imposing, doesn't it?
Unable to see Eclipse's face, Kagura couldn't guess what expression Eclipse might have now. She felt that Eclipse herself didn't seem to have a boastful emotion about this phrase; rather, she seemed to feel a lot of regret about it.
—After all, my blood flows in you. Now, with the passage of time, not many people know me, and even fewer should be able to recognize your resemblance to me. If people find out you're related to me, it might bring you some minor troubles.
'Troubles? Uh... Why? What kind of troubles?'
—They are troubles unique to adults, and they're not big, difficult matters. There's no need to understand them now; you'll naturally know when you grow up.
Eclipse didn't seem to intend to explain the specific reason, and Kagura couldn't immediately think of what kind of trouble there could be. Eclipse had warned her about this a few days ago, so she didn't ask further, just silently made a mental note not to tell anyone in the future that she was related to Eclipse.
After Eclipse stopped speaking, Kagura's attention returned to the Racecourse. Now, the announcer had finished introducing the Racecourse conditions and the contestants, and Rudolph Symbol had already entered the Starting Gate. From here, one could clearly see the condition of each Uma Musume. For some reason, Kagura felt that the expressions of the other Uma Musume seemed to show some fear and despair.
'It's really tense...'
The noisy audience stands also fell silent for a short while. The entire Racecourse was waiting for the sound that would signal the start of the race. Infected by the atmosphere on the Racecourse, Kagura felt herself becoming involuntarily nervous.
"Click!"
In the silence, accompanied by an exceptionally crisp sound of the Starting Gate opening, all the Uma Musume inside the Starting Gate shot out like arrows from a bow. Rudolph Symbol also ran steadily in the leading group, following closely beside the leading Uma Musume.
Rudolph Symbol's performance was very stable and steady. She steadily followed the leading Uma Musume with the pace she had trained for. Kagura could also see that Rudolph Symbol currently had a lot of room, but the other Uma Musume—the leading Uma Musume in front of Rudolph Symbol—seemed more like she was desperately running away out of fear. The other Uma Musume around her also seemed to be desperately trying to keep up with her pace, as if maintaining synchronization with Rudolph Symbol was exhausting all their strength.
"Rudolph Symbol's pace is very steady! She's holding onto the leading group tightly! The leading group can't open up a bigger gap!!"
Kagura heard the commentary from the other side of the Racecourse, and the cheers that once again erupted from below. Many spectators were shouting the same name.
And Rudolph Symbol on the Racecourse perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be "First among equals, all others fade." Compared to her opponents, who showed clear signs of decline, this race had already become her solo performance!
Undeniably, that phrase was very suitable for Rudolph Symbol. Her brilliance captured everyone's attention, making all the Uma Musume behind her pale in comparison.
'Only the first place can debut in a debut race, and only one first place is allowed. Unable to catch up... such a desperate gap. No wonder they were so disheartened.'
Recalling the disappointment, fear, and despair on the faces of the Uma Musume in the Starting Gate at the beginning, Kagura finally understood why they showed such expressions.
Rudolph Symbol was a monster, an unreasonable monster. The leader in front could still maintain the lead because Rudolph Symbol was still in the observation phase, temporarily executing her trained running style.
'The Young Lady's strength is simply overwhelming... This race is already over.'
Kagura sighed and shook her head. The race was not even halfway through, but there was no suspense left.
Soon, she heard one or two muffled 'Oyster!' sounds from the track below, and by this time, Rudolph Symbol had already rounded the bend and entered the final straight. She seemed to have confirmed that there were no longer any opponents who could contend with her, and she decisively chose to break away and accelerate. On the bend before entering the final straight, she burst out of the leading group with lightning speed, overtaking several people in the blink of an eye and pulling ahead by several lengths.
"Rudolph Symbol!! Accelerates again on the final straight!! She effortlessly shakes off the trailing pack!!"
"Three lengths! Four lengths! Five lengths!!! The gap is still widening! Rudolph Symbol is still accelerating! No Uma Musume can catch up!!"
"Triple Crown Winner is not a dream!! For her, this is an absolute fact!!"
The commentator's voice was very excited. Kagura felt that this female commentator should also be a fan of Rudolph Symbol. Of course, she thought that given Rudolph Symbol's performance, even if she wasn't a fan, she would have been won over by now.
This was an uncontested crushing victory. The entire Racecourse had become Rudolph Symbol's solo stage.
Everyone's gaze was focused on Rudolph Symbol, who was running at the very front, cheering for her, applauding her. Her brilliance was so dazzling, making the Uma Musume trailing behind seem swallowed by darkness, out of sight.
—This desperate gap... reminds me a bit of myself back then.
Eclipse also left a sigh on the glass in front of Kagura.
"Crossing the finish line!! Rudolph Symbol perfectly demonstrated her powerful strength!! She secured the victory with an overwhelming advantage!!"
This race didn't have many highlights, or rather, Rudolph Symbol was the only highlight. She was so dazzling, so bright that Kagura couldn't see anything else. There was no competition in this race, only pure dominance. For her, it was just a way to learn what the competition among Uma Musume was like.
Kagura looked at Rudolph Symbol, who had already crossed the finish line and was waving to the audience, and then looked at a few exhausted and dispirited Uma Musume behind her, sighing softly.
As for the other Uma Musume participating in this race, one could only say they were unlucky. Their important debut race happened to coincide with this highly anticipated genius.
"Little sister's gaze has been fixed on Rudolph, hasn't it? So, are you captivated by the cool Rudolph~"
As she spoke, Maruzensky pinched Kagura's cheek.
"Ahaha... Yes, it's as if only the Young Lady remained on the entire Racecourse. She... is so dazzling."
Kagura chuckled, not mentioning that she was actually feeling sympathetic towards the Uma Musume who had unluckily run into Rudolph Symbol.
"Let's go, little sister! We're going down to pick up Rudolph!"
Maruzensky ruffled Kagura's head, then grabbed her under the armpits and lifted her up, intending to take her along to meet Rudolph Symbol. Tojo Hana had also stood up, seemingly ready to accompany them.
"Chairwoman?"
Kagura, who had been picked up, looked at Speed Symbol, who just smiled and shook her head, showing no intention of getting up.
"You young people go. Akikawa and I will chat here and not disturb you. You young ones go down and congratulate her."
Speed Symbol, knowing that she didn't quite connect with her granddaughter, didn't plan to go out and spoil their fun. The celebration was for the young people to enjoy. As for what she, an elder, had to say, there would be plenty of opportunities after the celebration.