Somewhere in the stands, watching Silence Suzuka turn and leave, Tojo Hana slammed her fist against the nearby wall hard enough to leave a mark.
What else could she say?
Nothing. She had absolutely nothing to say.
Hayato solved both problems, the physical burden of the runaway strategy and the late-phase acceleration issue. She had to admit it, no matter how much it burned. Hayato was better than her.
She kicked the wall again, harder this time, then stormed off.
She didn't even know why she felt this way. Maybe it was just the sting of having an uma musume poached from her stable. That had to be it.
Or maybe it was stubbornness. She'd never been willing to believe in a fifth running style.
That's what she'd always thought. An all-out runaway strategy defied common sense. It shouldn't exist in this world.
But now it had appeared. Three different Uma Musume. Three races. Three victories.
Even the weakest of them, King Halo, had opened up a seven-length gap to claim victory. What did that mean?
"Has another entirely new era begun?"
She snorted.
"Just who are you..."
"What kind of person are you?!"
As the main event ended, the audience began filing out.
Maruzensky pressed Rudolf from behind. "Rudolf, what was that just now?"
"Mm, you saw it too, right? That kind of speed doesn't burden the body. Rather than calling it a zone, it's more accurate to say she's utilizing the zone."
Rudolf paused, then continued, "As for the specifics, I don't know either. You could go ask that person."
"Hah? You're too embarrassed to ask yourself, so you want me to do your dirty work?" Maruzensky found this inexplicably amusing.
"No, I never said such a thing." Rudolf firmly refused to admit it was about embarrassment.
"Look at you, Rudolf." Maruzensky's grin was downright mischievous now. "You pique my curiosity and then just leave it hanging like that? How cruel."
Meanwhile, back near the track—
Congratulations! Your dedicated Uma Musume Silence Suzuka has won her debut race. Reward: 12 attribute points.
Silence Suzuka's affection +10. Now at Level 2.
Silence Suzuka's personal profile is unlocked and available for viewing.
Good at: Continuous running
Not good at: Crowded places
Increase affection to unlock more information.
Since this wasn't a Grade race yet, there was no bonus 10 attribute points reward.
Hayato allocated all 12 points to power again. After power exceeded 100, he'd discovered something interesting, it wasn't as simple as one plus one anymore.
The higher it went, the more obvious the strength increase became.
By his calculations, power was measured in kilograms.
That meant Hayato now had the strength to lift 100 kilograms with one hand.
"Suzuka-chan won too! Trainer, time to celebrate, right?"
Right after the race ended, Seiun Sky had already set her sights on Hayato's wallet.
Indeed, three battles, three victories. If they didn't celebrate now, when would they?
Hayato's wallet had fattened up again, breaking through the three million yen mark once more. He could definitely afford to treat everyone to a meal.
Hayato waved his hand generously. "Alright, let's prepare a celebration feast."
"Woohoo!" Seiun Sky raised her hands toward the sky in enthusiastic response.
They turned around and were about to take their first steps when a swarm of reporters surrounded them so tightly that not even water could leak through. Microphones and cameras everywhere.
When did so many reporters appear?
Were they all in plain clothes?
That must have been tough work.
"Mr. Hayato, are you really planning to train only runaway uma musume?"
"Trainer Hayato, do you have some secret to making uma musume run away successfully?"
"Does this really count as a running style? Please answer."
The reporters fired off questions, practically shoving their microphones into Hayato's mouth.
Hayato tried pushing them away, but couldn't keep up. Push one away, and two more appeared. Push two away, and three more came. These reporters were relentless.
"Stop, stop, stop, stop... wait." Hayato raised his hand to make a pause gesture, which finally got them to quiet down somewhat.
"Let me answer the first question." Hayato took a breath, organizing his thoughts. "I'm not only training runaway uma musume. This depends entirely on the race venue and the Uma Musume herself. I have them use the great escape strategy to win, not purely for the sake of running-style."
Hayato held up a finger. "If a great escape can win, use it. If it can't, I don't use it."
"The second question... what was it again?" Hayato feigned hesitation and asked the reporters.
One reporter immediately jumped in. "Do you have some secret to making Uma Musume great escape successfully?"
"Ah, right. Good question." Hayato's smile turned slightly mischievous. "However, this is a trade secret, and I have the right to remain silent. But if you absolutely must get to the bottom of it, I can reveal a little bit."
"The answer is speed. As long as your speed is faster than other Uma Musume, you can easily establish a runaway lead."
Hayato pause for a moment.
"Whether you can maintain that lead for the entire race is another matter entirely, which I'm allowed not to explain."
That reporter opened his mouth to follow up, but Hayato waved impatiently. "Next."
Another reporter immediately shoved the previous one aside, nearly causing a small scuffle. "Mr. Hayato, does this really count as a running style?"
Is this guy serious right now?
"Isn't that kind of a stupid question?" The words came out sharper than intended, but Hayato didn't take them back. "If it can get on the racetrack and win races, why wouldn't it count as a running style? It's just that ordinary people don't understand how to develop it properly."
"If you want a historical example, look at Inês Fujin. She's always used this running style, and she's a Derby uma musume, isn't she?"
Inês Fujin had retired right after the Derby. Official reason: excessive race consumption. Though honestly, it wasn't entirely the running style's fault.
The Derby was cursed. Like the Tenno Sho Autumn, it had a reputation for breaking uma musume. Many never achieved GI results again after winning it. Winning Ticket and Sakura Chiyono O were prime examples.
Some said the Derby was won by the uma musume with the best luck. Others said the Derby exhausted all of an uma musume's fortune, and for those without enough luck, winning the race wasn't a good thing.
For instance, Sakura Chiyono O had forced an explosion of power for the Derby, activating her Cherry Blossom Zone. This was forcibly adding luck to herself, exhausting even her future fortune in the process.
The Derby was just that mystical and fantastical.
After Hayato finished answering, another reporter pushed forward. "Mr. Hayato, we heard you're having your uma musume challenge the Classic Triple Crown this year. Is that true?"
Were reporters' information networks really this extensive?
Hayato had to admire their intelligence-gathering capabilities. Though seriously, weren't they managing a bit too much? This was borderline stalking.
"I say, Trainer."
The new voice cut through the reporter chaos like a blade.
"Aren't you being rather undignified? Can't you handle such a small matter?"
King Halo stood beside him, hands planted firmly on her hips, chin raised in that characteristic imperious manner of hers.
The reporters seemed to notice her for the first time, their attention shifting like a school of fish changing direction.
She beckoned with one hand, and countless microphones extended toward her immediately.
"What's so surprising about this?" Her voice rang out clear and confident, brooking no argument. "If I dare to challenge the Triple Crown, naturally, I have absolute confidence. You don't need to question it."
A pause, letting the weight of her words sink in.
"In this year's Triple Crown races, I will definitely appear on that track. And I will win!"
While all the reporters' eyes turned to the King Halo words, Hayato and Seiun Sky took the opportunity to run away.
It's not that Hayato doesn't want to be interviewed, but he doesn't want to reveal too much, and if he has to say something, he really has to pretend to be stupid.
Just then, a female reporter snapped back to her senses. Wanting to confirm King Halo's statement, she hurriedly looked toward Hayato. Only to find that he had already vanished without a trace.
Her eyes widened as she blurted out,
"W–Wait! That trainer ran away again!"
---
Sorry, my mistake, I uploaded it at 3AM in a hurry before sleep so I didn't see it.
If you don't know Ines Fujin, you can check it out on Wikipedia. It's said to be one of the front runners who won the Japanese Derby. She led the race from start to finish by running at the front, one of the best front runners because she won the Derby. (Yes, although her achievements are less, unlike the McQueen era who played in long races with a front race strategy) but in that era, most monsters were either pace-chasers or end-closers.