"Brian-san, you'd better bring your full strength today too!" Top Gun walked up to Narita Brian with that characteristic bounce in her step, saying some encouraging words.
She loved that excited feeling of battling strong opponents, that rush of adrenaline. Being able to stand together with a Triple Crown uma musume on the same starting line made her inexplicably thrilled and excited, like a girl in love with a pounding heart.
Before Narita Brian stumbled at the Tenno Sho Autumn, Top Gun had been a huge fan, wanting desperately to race against her. But after that Tenno Sho race, watching Brian fall apart, she'd felt somewhat disappointed.
Had the Triple Crown champion's brilliance really faded away like that? Was this all that was left?
Her beautiful golden pupils flashed as she continued, "Regardless, I hope you'll do your best in this race. I'll also give it my all and hold nothing back."
"Yeah, thanks. I will." Narita Brian's response was polite but carried weight.
She knew exactly what Top Gun was capable of, having seen her race enough times. She never thought about being careless or underestimating herself. Of course, she'd use her full strength here.
"If Maya hasn't guessed wrong, you can't use that running style from before your injury anymore, can you?" Mayano Top Gun's voice was gentle, but the question cut deep.
She was referring to Narita Brian's powerful final kick, that explosive acceleration. That kind of raw power was like a rocket launch, extremely terrifying to face.
Uma musume who'd raced against prime Narita Brian would literally tremble in fear when they saw her make that final push.
"I really can't do it like before." Narita Brian looked down at her clenched right fist, her fingers squeezing even harder until her knuckles went white. "But even so, my conviction and willpower haven't changed one bit."
The glory of the past was still vivid in her mind, playing on repeat like a film reel she couldn't stop remembering.
The winner of the Satsuki Sho is Narita Brian! She broke the Nakayama Racecourse track record!
The roar of the crowd still echoed in her ears.
...
Crossing the line! Narita Brian dominated the Derby with an overwhelming victory, achieving five consecutive Grade race wins and becoming a dual crown horse girl.
She remembered how it felt, that unstoppable momentum carrying her forward.
...
Crossing the line!
It's Narita Brian! Narita Brian crossed first! She broke the Kikka Sho record and became the second Triple Crown horse girl after Rudolf Symbol.
...
There was one more voice that had never left her, even through all the losses that followed.
Ah! Narita Brian seems unable to seize the chance to accelerate. Horse girls are passing her one by one.
Tenno Sho Autumn, Narita Brian's comeback race only netted her twelfth place. Who would have thought that unbeatable Uma Musume before would end like this?
...
Why did I lose that race? And why couldn't I win the races after?
Narita Brian thought of many answers to those questions over the months. To avoid losing next time, she trained even harder, pushed her body past safe limits, but nothing changed. Victory grew farther and farther away while her desire to win grew deeper, swelling until it felt like it would burst from her chest.
That desire kept affecting her restless heart, making it impossible to find peace.
"Then let's both do our best. Maya won't lose to you, you know!" Top Gun's voice pulled her back to the present.
"Yeah. That suits me just fine." Narita Brian's fingers tightened into fists.
It was almost time for the race to start. Eighteen uma musume entered the gates and positioned themselves, their bodies coiled and ready. These battle-hardened veterans were no longer the naive rookies of the past. They gritted their teeth when needed, gathered their energy when needed, ensuring they'd burst from the gates in optimal condition.
"Alright, all the uma musume have entered the gates. The race is about to begin! This race is Triple Crown uma musume Narita Brian's revival battle, and also a showdown between two uma musume of the Year! The long-distance Hanshin Daishoten, now—"
After the red light came on, they took one final breath, compressing time as they silently counted in their heads. "3, 2—"
"—1."
Click—
BOOM!
All the uma musume burst from the gates almost simultaneously, their footsteps hammering the turf in rhythm, their momentum like a force of nature unleashed. The sound was deafening, powerful enough to shake the ground.
"The race begins!"
"All uma musume successfully completed their start, settling into formation as the pack began to spread out!"
"It's likely this long-distance race didn't feature any escape runners. All the Uma Musume chose to conserve their stamina for the brutal distance ahead, knowing that burning out early meant certain defeat!"
Because it was a long distance, all the uma musume squeezed toward the inside lane, bodies pressing close as they fought for the advantageous position.
"Currently in first place was number 6, Iron Casting. Behind her was number 8, Polaris, maintaining steady pressure. Mayano Top Gun held third, with Narita Brian settling in behind her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike!"
At the start, the positions didn't change much until they hit the turn, when several Uma Musume began to push forward with calculated aggression.
"Number 10, Tokai Palace! She surges forward with a sudden burst of speed, overtaking Mayano Top Gun in a flash! Narita Brian slips back to sixth, biding her time, while Iron Casting remains stubbornly in the lead, holding onto first place!"
"Quite intense, isn't it?" Hayato muttered, leaning forward against the railing.
"Yeah, they're all strong opponents after all." Seiun Sky's eyes tracked the movement below without blinking.