Sakura Baimu and her four Umamusumes boarded the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. They were lucky; there was no one else in their carriage, so they chatted on the train.
"Speaking of which, Dia-chan's running style this time, although it was a Pace Chaser, felt like it could also be considered a Front Runner tactic. If that's the case, it seems like all four of us on the team could be considered Front Runner Umamusumes," Smart Falcon suddenly blurted out.
"I can't do Front Runner, but the others are pretty much the same," Tokai Teio said.
Mejiro McQueen, Kitasan Black, and Smart Falcon are all Front Runners.
"By the way, Falco-senpai," Kitasan Black looked at Smart Falcon, "you're the leader of Fugitive SISTERS. You should be quite familiar with the Front Runner Umamusumes in the academy, right?"
"That's right. Falco remembers every Umamusume who has used Front Runner tactics," Smart Falcon nodded.
"So, who is the strongest Front Runner Umamusume in our academy?" Kitasan Black asked curiously.
Sakura Baimu had said that she was suited to the Front Runner style of running, and she herself had experienced the joy of being a Front Runner in her debut race, so she couldn't help but be curious about the outstanding Front Runner Umamusumes in the academy.
"The strongest? That has to be Maruzensky-senpai! Maruzensky-senpai is a member of Fugitive SISTERS!" Smart Falcon said with great pride. "It was Maruzensky-senpai herself who suggested joining Fugitive SISTERS."
"I see…" Kitasan Black nodded, noting the name down. "Trainer-san, do you know what kind of Front Runner tactics Maruzensky-senpai likes to use?"
"As for 'Hotrod,' Kita-chan, don't bother trying to emulate her; she's on a completely different level. Forget about Front Runner Umamusumes; Maruzensky is the top Umamusume in the entire academy, truly undefeated. What's a competition for you is just child's play for her. It's said she hasn't even shown her full strength yet," Sakura Baimu said.
"Oh, and what about second place?" Kitasan Black asked again.
"Second place? Falco thinks it should be Sirius-senpai. She's the president's childhood friend, and the two of them represent two opposing forces in Tracen Academy, so powerful it's frightening."
"Sirius Symboli, the so-called king of Front Runners who can dominate an entire competition, is a very powerful Front Runner Umamusume," Sakura Baimu said.
"Trainer-san knows Sirius-senpai too?" Smart Falcon turned to Sakura Baimu, quite surprised.
"Of course. I've done my research on all the Umamusumes in the academy."
"What kind of tactics does Sirius-senpai usually use? Are there any I can learn from?" Kitasan Black asked curiously.
"Kita-chan, you could learn from her. Sirius Symboli likes to start at an incredibly high speed as a super Front Runner, then gradually slow down in the middle of the race. When others think she's going to keep slowing down until she loses speed, she's actually just slowing to her normal pace."
"Because Sirius Symboli is incredibly strong, her normal speed is very taxing for other Umamusumes to keep up with, but for her, it's actually conserving energy for a final burst at the end."
"That sounds like a pretty ordinary tactic," Mejiro McQueen said, not finding anything particularly special about it.
"McQueen, Sirius Symboli's tactics are specifically designed to counter those Umamusumes who are very confident. The strength of her tactics lies in the exaggerated speed at the beginning, which disrupts their judgment later on. This causes them not to realize that their pace has been accelerated, and their stamina is unknowingly depleted. Therefore, in matches where Sirius Symboli wins, her opponents are usually trailing by a large margin in the later stages."
"So this is the Front Runner who dominated the entire competition…" Kitasan Black's eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
"Trainer-san, Sirius Symboli is so strong, and she's the president's childhood friend. She should be in the top three in the academy, right?" Smart Falcon asked.
"Top three? She's not even in the top ten," Sakura Baimu said. "Where did you put the Heisei Big Three? Aren't they stronger than Sirius Symboli?"
"Heisei Big Three?" Kitasan Black looked puzzled by the term.
"Oh, it's Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Super Creek, and Inari One. Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap could crush Sirius Symboli even before they mastered their Zones. Her Front Runner style is only suitable for dealing with Umamusumes with a large skill gap. Against these truly powerful Umamusumes, Sirius Symboli is far from a match," Sakura Baimu said.
"Wait, aren't they the Big Three? Why are there four?" Mejiro McQueen noticed the inconsistency.
"Isn't it normal for the Heisei Big Three to have four people?" Sakura Baimu blinked, offering no explanation.
Anyway, these four hang out together at the academy every day; they have to have a name, right?
—
Time flew by as the TCB members chatted, and they had already returned to Tracen Academy from Kyoto.
"Alright, Teiō and McQueen will run in the Takarazuka Kinen in a couple of days. You guys get some rest. GG, come with me," Sakura Baimu spoke.
"Huh? Where are we going so late?" Smart Falcon asked, somewhat surprised.
"Training. After Teiō and McQueen finish their race, it'll be your race against Satono Crown. Although you're almost guaranteed to win, your G3 race has been canceled, disrupting your original schedule. If your popularity isn't high enough, you'll have to participate in more races, leaving virtually no time for training. You need to make the most of every minute."
"Starting tomorrow too…"
Smart Falcon felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at Sakura Baimu's eyes, which were like an eagle eyeing a chick, and instinctively took a few steps back.
Sure enough, Smart Falcon saw Sakura Baimu pull out a box of aoji (a type of agar-agar) from somewhere and shove it into her hand, saying in an unyielding tone.
"We're going to Hanshin Racecourse in Hyogo Prefecture the day after tomorrow. There's no time for training! Finish this and get going!"
Sakura Baimu glanced at Kitasan Black, whose red eyes were wide and whose face was filled with fear.
"Is Kita-chan coming to train?"
"No... I'll come with Dia-chan tomorrow. I'm leaving now, Trainer-san!" Kitasan Black looked at the aoji in Sakura Baimu's hand and couldn't help but shudder.
"Alright, then you two go back and get some rest," Sakura Baimu said, pulling Smart Falcon toward the academy.
Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and Kitasan Black stood there, watching with sympathy as Sakura Baimu pulled Smart Falcon away, her hands outstretched in a pleading manner.
All three clasped their hands together and offered a prayer for Smart Falcon.
"I hope she's alright."