Haru Urara was warming up when she spotted Hayato, and her whole face lit up. "It's that trainer!" She ran over to his side, practically bouncing with joy.
"Watch my race later! Urara thinks I can absolutely win this one!" She raised both hands in a victory pose, grinning widely.
"Um, Urara, you've got the wrong venue." Hayato kept his voice gentle. "Your race should be in group 14's final slot. It's the 1600-meter dirt race."
"Eh?" Urara tilted her head, genuinely confused. Did I really remember it wrong?
Then she shrugged it off completely. "Whatever! Even if it's a dirt race, Urara can win! Urara's really good at dirt races, so there's even less of a problem!"
As Hayato started changing her number vest, he asked, "You know you're stronger on dirt? Then why didn't you choose it from the start?"
"Because Urara heard that amazing uma musume all run on turf! Especially the Arima Kinen, last year's Arima Kinen had so many people watching." Her voice carried pure excitement, no trace of doubt. "Urara also wants to run where there are lots of people. The feeling of being watched by everyone is so happy."
Haru Urara spread her arms wide as she said it, her face lighting up with a smile so brilliant it hurt to look at. Her pink cherry blossom pupils narrowed slightly with joy, and for a moment, she looked like a flower in full bloom, opening to the sun without a care in the world.
Haru Urara had beautiful cherry blossom pupils, different from the Sakura family's. Hers were rounder, fuller, radiating nothing but warmth. Her unique skill was stamina recovery, the complete opposite of Sakura Laurel's aggressive acceleration. Whether she could unlock a zone was still unknown.
Hayato's hands stopped mid-motion, the number plate suddenly heavy in his grip.
The words caught in his throat. How could I tell her that the Arima Kinen was completely impossible when she was looking at him like that? When all she wanted was to make people happy by running in front of cheering crowds?
His chest tightened, something twisting deep inside.
"Trainer, what's wrong?" Urara's voice cut through his thoughts, her head tilting in innocent concern. "Are you unhappy?"
"It's nothing, Urara." He forced his hands to move again, finishing with the vest. "Ganbare!" He clenched his fist, trying to match her energy even though it felt like his throat was closing up.
"Yeah! Urara will definitely win!" She put her hands on her hips, striking a confident pose. "Hehe, I can't wait to start running! None of them is Urara's opponent today! Wahahahaha!"
"Don't think about front-running during the race," Hayato said, keeping his tone steady. "Use the end-closer running style instead with your current body. Conserving stamina for the final sprint will work better for you."
"End-Closer? What's closer?" Urara touched her face, her expression genuinely puzzled. "How do I conserve stamina?"
It wasn't that she didn't quite understand. She completely didn't understand.
Though Haru Urara had no idea what Hayato was talking about, Urara would work hard anyway. That was just how she was.
Hayato felt like explaining to Urara would take all day and still might not stick. He could only sigh and say, "It's fine. Just run normally. Run however feels right to you."
As for the great escape? Forget it. She couldn't even manage basic front-running or pace-chasing, much less something that technical.
After fastening the number plate securely, Hayato stepped back toward the edge of the field, giving her space.
Impossible.
For Urara, the Arima Kinen wasn't just a race that required a miracle to win. If regular-level turf races were hell difficulty for her, the Arima Kinen would be an abyssal nightmare level. A gap so wide it might as well be a different dimension.
"You've got your eye on that pink uma musume?" A voice came from beside him, casual and relaxed. A trainer with a lollipop in his mouth smiled in Urara's direction. "Her ability isn't as good as you'd think."
"Thanks for the reminder." Hayato's response came immediately, protective instinct flaring hot. "Her aptitude might be the worst, but one day she'll definitely be the strongest."
The lie tasted bitter, but Hayato said it anyway.
"Really? Then I hope you work hard. I'm looking forward to that day." The other trainer pulled out a stopwatch, already shifting focus to record each uma musume's data with professional detachment.
Team Spica's trainer, Nishizaki Ryu, is also known as Okino. Originally, a first-rate trainer who shared an office with Tojo Hana. Usually easygoing and relaxed, but his ability wasn't something ordinary trainers could match.
Before the two had time for proper introductions, today's stars arrived at the venue.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka showed up one after the other, still in the middle of their ongoing argument.
"Didn't I already tell you? First place in this race is mine. I'm number one." Daiwa Scarlet's voice carried absolute certainty.
"Not necessarily. The outcome hasn't been decided yet. Why are you so sure?" Vodka wanted to correct that premature thinking.
"Do I even need to say? Who do you think I am? I'm the most amazing Uma Musume, Daiwa Scarlet."
Having always taken first place back home and entered Tracen with the best grades, Daiwa Scarlet had every reason to be confident. She'd never lost before.
"Then let's compete in the race. Who wins is still up in the air."
"Hmph! I already told you I'll definitely be number one."
The two Uma Musume kept bickering all the way until race time. Even entering the starting gate, Daiwa Scarlet huffed, "You just watch. Once I get first place, let's see what you have to say."
Click—
The gates crashed open, and Daiwa Scarlet exploded forward with powerful strides, immediately claiming the front position and settling into her front-running rhythm.
"The front-running tactic is really popular now, huh? Front-running again." Okino muttered, the lollipop shifting in his mouth. The implication was clear, Hayato's uma musume had started a good trend.
Daiwa Scarlet's front-running was different from ordinary escape runners though. It was a stable-type front-running with high acceleration that wouldn't lose speed in the final phase. Even without late-stage acceleration skills like Silence Suzuka and Seiun Sky had, she could coast to the finish easily.
Hayato wouldn't have recommended she use front-running tactics himself with her current state. Without late-stage stamina or acceleration ability, pace-chasing would work better than front-running.
Though front-running did have its benefits. The position didn't require fighting for, and escaping all the way was easier than competing for lanes in a packed field.
"Ohhhh!!!"
Gradually, Daiwa Scarlet's performance started attracting attention from all the trainers watching.
They'd originally assumed she was just an ordinary escape runner, but looking closer now, she was something else entirely. Her tactic seemed to have already taken proper shape, refined beyond the basics.
"I heard her last race was the same, she escaped all the way to the finish," one trainer commented.
"This uma musume's aptitude is pretty solid. If she trained properly and switched to a different running style, she'd definitely shine in the Twinkle Series."
"You don't know that young lady's temperament yet, do you? Tsk tsk, very difficult to work with."
While the trainers continued their discussion, Daiwa Scarlet had already passed through the final corner.
From start to finish, she showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. Her front-running form was exceptional, forcing the uma musume behind her to quicken their pace just to keep up with the rhythm she'd set.