Trainer P had been troubled lately.
'Rice Shower' felt like she had become an entirely different person.
That cold, aloof attitude was completely unlike the Rice Shower who had been like the girl next door. Yet from the outside, this 'Rice Shower' appeared to have changed for the better—her talent had skyrocketed from ordinary to transcendent. She excelled at training and could instantly grasp and execute any techniques or tactical concepts he suggested. While this made his job easier, he could no longer feel the warmth he once experienced when spending time with Rice Shower.
No, this isn't 'Rice Shower' at all!
P wanted to say this to 'Rice Shower' multiple times, but he feared he was simply being paranoid. And besides... was this "change" really a bad thing?
P didn't know. He truly couldn't guarantee his intuition was correct.
After all, 'Rice Shower' had genuinely become more excellent. What had been sacrificed were merely some intangible qualities and personality changes. People change—wasn't becoming more excellent a good thing?
Yet even knowing this logic, P still felt uncomfortable.
The reason he had first noticed Rice Shower wasn't solely because of her immense potential.
It was the brilliance in that girl's eyes—the Rice Shower who chased her dreams as she ran—that had moved him.
But now, though 'Rice Shower' had become more excellent, he could no longer sense what had once touched his heart.
The reason he hadn't taken action was because P didn't know if his feelings were merely selfish. Combined with the fact that his bond with Rice Shower wasn't deep enough, he had chosen to continue observing for now.
But this absolutely didn't mean he approved of the current 'Rice Shower.'
Because the current 'Rice Shower' had no obsession with racing, no pursuit of victory.
Those eyes held nothing but empty void and profound darkness—not the eyes that girl should have.
That girl's eyes had always been full of light.
Damn it, is there really nothing I can do?
P despised his own powerlessness.
Under the influence of these emotions, P's relationship with The Overlord had grown even colder.
Deep in his heart, he couldn't acknowledge this as his contracted horse girl.
Time passed until late December.
The final G1 race of the year—the Arima Kinen—had begun.
Like the Japan Cup, horse girls of all levels were eligible to register for this race, with final participants determined by popularity vote. Having won consecutively and awakened as The Overlord during the Japan Cup, 'Rice Shower' naturally qualified to compete.
Her popularity vote had even reached first place!
The impact of the Japan Cup still hadn't faded.
People remained captivated by The Overlord's overwhelming power.
Without question, eighty percent of today's audience had come to see The Overlord.
Tokai Teio entered as the second most popular competitor.
Though her popularity remained high, her crushing defeat at the Japan Cup had been utterly humiliating.
Had she performed poorly and finished far behind, that would have been one thing.
But Tokai Teio had actually performed quite well in that race, only to suffer a crushing defeat in second place. This made her appear weak—completely overpowered by The Overlord in terms of ability—so now no one expected her to win today's race.
Additionally, the chestnut-haired Express, Mihono Bourbon, had suddenly registered for this race.
Though Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower had been parallel super rookies of the same generation, she had been defeated before Rice Shower even awakened as The Overlord. Few expected anything from her in this race—the gap between her and The Overlord was simply too vast.
Originally, according to Trainer Kuronuma's plan, he hadn't intended for Mihono Bourbon to compete at all this year-end.
But Mihono Bourbon had strongly insisted on participating in the Arima Kinen.
Because there was something very important she needed to confirm through this race.
"You'll lose."
Trainer Kuronuma had said bluntly at the time.
Mihono Bourbon had replied: "It doesn't matter. I've come to understand something more important than victory!"
"...Alright, I approve your application."
"Thank you very much, Master."
"Don't celebrate too early. That might just be your wishful thinking."
"..."
Mihono Bourbon didn't respond, only answering with a determined gaze.
Even so, she had to go.
After Mihono Bourbon left, Trainer Kuronuma secretly checked her recent training results, then allowed himself a satisfied smile.
You've completely transformed, Bourbon.
The old you could never have evolved to this point.
But even with such rapid progress...
Trying to challenge that one—
Thinking of The Overlord's pitch-black silhouette at the Japan Cup, Trainer Kuronuma couldn't help but clench his teeth.
You'll lose, Bourbon.
Even a one percent chance of victory is too much to hope for.
The strength The Overlord had displayed was beyond his comprehension.
And that wasn't even The Overlord's full power.
"The final race of the year, the Arima Kinen. As the last race, let's hope for a perfect conclusion to the year."
"The competitors are beginning to enter."
"First is Gate 1, Tokai Teio. Though she was defeated by Rice Shower in the previous Japan Cup, this genius clearly hasn't let her previous failure bring her down. Today she still appears full of confidence and fighting spirit. Will she complete her revenge match today?"
Tokai Teio jumped a few times in place, performing her signature Teio Step to check the condition of her horseshoes.
"Perfect. Everything is prepared flawlessly."
Then she turned to look at 'Rice Shower' at Gate 5, sensing The Overlord's aura—so powerful it felt almost tangible. Rather than feeling fear, she was filled with fighting spirit. She was even satisfied that The Overlord had appeared from the very start, because only by defeating 'Rice Shower' in this state could she complete her revenge and wash away the brand of defeat from her body!
"Rice Shower, I'll win this time!"
Tokai Teio issued her challenge.
The Overlord remained expressionless.
That black fringe of hair floated up with a gust of wind, first revealing a pitch-black aura, followed by blue flames.
So it's you—the one who made Rice Shower suffer.
The Overlord had regretted not crushing those ZONE-using insects in the previous race. Half the reason she had entered this Arima Kinen was to destroy Tokai Teio.
And now Tokai Teio dared to step forward and provoke her—essentially inviting The Overlord's attention.
Taiki Shuttle wasn't competing this time.
Though she had always been the third wheel between Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon, she simply didn't have enough victories, and her popularity votes fell short of qualifying for the Arima Kinen. The veteran competing from their team was Nice Nature, though she personally had little motivation—the competitors in this race were just too strong.
Setting aside the fact that she had never beaten Tokai Teio, there was also The Overlord who had crushed Tokai Teio in the previous race. Even this year's Mihono Bourbon seemed like an opponent she couldn't outrun. So she had already resigned herself to being a supporting runner.
"How nice, how passionate. Is that how geniuses interact with each other?"
Nice Nature watched the two competitors who completely ignored everyone else, envious that they could be so confident.
She couldn't do that.
She simply couldn't be that confident.
"Gate 3, Nice Nature. After finishing third place the year before last, we hope for a better performance from her this year."
Hearing the announcer's introduction, Nice Nature just wanted to say that deliberately mentioning third place was really unnecessary.
Besides, this year, forget doing better—she might not even manage third place.
Teio, Rice Shower, and Bourbon...
This year's opponents were just too strong.
"Do your best, Nai-chan!"
Twin Turbo shouted from the stands.
Within the team, the two of them had the best relationship. Nice Nature often came to cheer at Twin Turbo's races.
Even though Twin Turbo's races were always at lower levels.
"Win it! Don't get the bronze medal again this year!"
Nice Nature, who had been feeling somewhat happy, instantly darkened at Twin Turbo's next sentence.
Twin Turbo, I really shouldn't have any expectations of you!
Twin Turbo's teammates and trainer nearby couldn't help but give awkward smiles.
Haha, Twin Turbo, you really want to roast Nice Nature alive.
With this year's lineup, getting third place would be thanking the heavens.
"Gate 5, the undisputed most popular is this horse girl. Displaying transcendent ability at the Japan Cup with overwhelming power, recently updated to the title of 'The Peerless Overlord'—Rice Shower. Today's popularity vote also shows an overwhelming gap!"
Enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.
The Overlord!
A certain horse girl who also bore the title of Overlord but hadn't debuted yet was watching this race with a smile on her face.
Hmph hmph, let this Overlord witness it—the strength called the Peerless Overlord!
Though she was smiling, T.M. Opera O's eyes revealed intense fighting spirit.
Tracen Academy doesn't need two Overlords!
Even if the title was the same, she wanted to prove that she was the truly strongest Overlord.
Beside her, Narita Taishin watched T.M. Opera O cautiously.
She noticed T.M. Opera O's current mood wasn't very good.
"Gate 9, Mihono Bourbon. Having been training since her loss at the Japan Derby, we look forward to this competitor's performance today."
Though she had been one of this year's popular favorites, Mihono Bourbon's popularity today seemed somewhat low.
This couldn't be helped—today's opponents were simply too strong.
After the announcer finished introducing all of today's competitors, the competitors completed their entry into the gates.
The starting light illuminated.
The gates opened.
The competitors charged onto the track.
"The race has begun! The first to burst out is Mihono Bourbon. It seems her condition hasn't declined during her time off!"
Tokai Teio had originally wanted to compete for position in the opening, but though she had chosen a stalker style for this race, she could still push for the lead even while stalking. However, Mihono Bourbon's starting speed far exceeded hers.
As expected of Bourbon. This starting speed rivals Suzuka-senpai's.
Knowing she couldn't outpace Mihono Bourbon, Tokai Teio chose to follow behind.
"Currently leading is Mihono Bourbon, with a two-length gap from second place!"
Seeing Mihono Bourbon's performance, quite a few spectators' eyes lit up.
"Impressive! Such a beautiful start—outstanding even among all front-runners."
"Yeah, if not for her natural stamina weakness, she could probably compete with Teio and The Overlord."
"Exactly, what a pity."
Trainer Kuronuma, hearing the conversation of these spectators nearby, almost couldn't help but sneer.
The current Bourbon doesn't have that weakness.
But does that mean she can compete with The Overlord?
Don't be ridiculous.
It was only because The Overlord hadn't accelerated in the opening. Otherwise, with the explosive power displayed in the last race, how could she possibly be slower than Bourbon?
As for Tokai Teio?
What made them think Bourbon really couldn't beat Tokai Teio?
Trainer Kuronuma thought Bourbon couldn't beat The Overlord, but he never thought Bourbon couldn't beat Tokai Teio.
Tokai Teio had ZONE.
So what?
Bourbon had Flow.
After securing the lead, Mihono Bourbon immediately began her acceleration.
Tokai Teio, following behind, saw the flash of light beneath Mihono Bourbon's feet, and her expression instantly changed.
No way—Bourbon, you're going to use a breakaway on this 2500m course?!
The next moment, Mihono Bourbon's aura indeed turned red, and with a sonic boom, she began sprinting forward at full speed!
Tokai Teio watched the gap rapidly widen before her eyes, her expression shifting continuously.
Damn it, this is the pressure of a breakaway!
Thinking back now, she had never beaten Suzuka-senpai in team training.
Because breakaways had too much impact on other competitors' pacing—even she couldn't completely avoid this influence.
Should she continue maintaining her original pace, or follow?
Tokai Teio chose the latter.
She didn't like having her nose led by others.
She had Flash-tier recovery skills, and ZONE also had recovery effects.
Did they really think she couldn't handle a breakaway like everyone else?!
"Here, Mihono Bourbon has started her sprint, but Tokai Teio behind is following closely—no—"
"Rice Shower—"
"Rice Shower has followed as well!"
The Overlord's empty eyes locked onto Tokai Teio.
In an instant, Tokai Teio sensed the bottomless darkness behind her, like a deep abyss.
But Tokai Teio felt no fear—instead, her fighting spirit surged.
You want to show that power from the start?
Fine, bring it on. This time I absolutely won't lose!
...
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