In the afternoon, Sakura Baimu pushed open the door to the TCB activity room and met the five team members waiting inside.
"I have something to tell you. We received a friendly match application from Pluto Academy and the Abyss team, and I accepted them all."
Hearing this, Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen perked up, but Smart Falcon's expression became somewhat tense.
"Teiō, McQueen. You two will participate in the 2v2 2400 Meter middle-distance turf race."
"Okay~" Tokai Teio nodded.
"Got it~" Mejiro McQueen also nodded, seemingly unconcerned.
"GG, you're in the 1400 Meter dirt sprint race."
"Eek—" Smart Falcon let out a scream, a look of panic appearing on her face.
Her scream immediately drew a helpless look from Sakura Baimu.
"What's wrong with you? Can't you set a good example for the younger generation?"
"But… Falco has only run one OP-level race on the dirt track, hasn't even participated in a big prize race, and she's already going to compete against international Umamusumes…"
It's common knowledge that international Umamusumes are more adapted to the dirt track than Japanese Umamusumes.
"Alright, that's enough. I've already taken care of it for you. Don't lose." Sakura Baimu patted Smart Falcon on the shoulder, then led the team to the side of the track.
At that moment, a race was underway on the Tracen Academy track, but it wasn't a 1v1 race; it was a 2v2.
Inside the track, Matikanetannhauser from Canopus and Nice Nature were competing against two American Umamusumes from Abyss.
"You got a friendly race?" Sakura Baimu approached Canopus's trainer, Minamisaka, and said softly.
"Yes, I wanted Tannhauser and Su Jing to race against strong international Umamusumes. These opportunities are rare." Minamisaka nodded. "What about Ms. Sakura?"
"We're Abyss too."
On the track, a black-haired American Umamusume was in the lead, having already passed the fourth turn and entered the final straight.
Behind her was Matikanetannhauser, wearing a blue and white hat at a jaunty angle, with a white highlight in her brown bangs—a very cute Umamusume.
Third in line was Nice Nature, wearing red and green earmuffs, followed closely by another dark-skinned Umamusume.
Following the black-haired Umamusume, Matikanetannhauser also reached the final straight, a serious expression on her face, her pace steadily increasing.
"Go!! Overtake her!!" The girl with blue twin ponytails raised her arm high, shouting at Matikanetannhauser in the arena.
The black-haired Umamusume, who had led the entire race, was beginning to show signs of fatigue.
The distance between her and Matikanetannhauser was steadily decreasing.
With only 400 meters left to go on the final straight, Matikanetannhauser finally caught up with the dark-haired American Umamusume and was slowly overtaking her.
"Itachi should win," Ikuno Dictus said, adjusting her glasses. "That dark-haired American Umamusume doesn't have the stamina to accelerate anymore."
But no sooner had she spoken than a gasp of surprise came from the Umamusumes around the track.
Everyone saw the American Umamusume, just as Matikanetannhauser was about to overtake her, suddenly slam to the right, sending Matikanetannhauser staggering and nearly falling off the track, her speed drastically reduced.
"Hey! What are you doing?! That's too much!!!" Twin Turbo roared in anger.
"Tsk, no wonder it's Pluto." Sakura Baimu chuckled, not particularly surprised.
Head-banging is common in Japan, especially in informal races, and even more so in local areas.
Matikanetannhauser was already quite fast, but the impact from the black-haired Umamusume sent her veering off course, dropping her to last place.
The cheerful Matikanetannhauser's face was now filled with surprise and shock; it was the first time she'd encountered something like this.
After regaining her balance, she ran forward again.
However, everyone present knew that after that incident, Matikanetannhauser was no longer a contender for the championship.
Nice Nature, having witnessed their actions, felt a surge of resentment.
Looking at the approaching American Umamusume behind her, she quickened her pace.
But before she could take more than a few steps, the dark-haired Umamusume stomped her foot on the turf, kicking a large shovelful of mud and grime directly at her.
Nice Nature was prepared; with sharp eyes, she deftly tilted her head to avoid the flying mud.
But the ordeal wasn't over yet. After dodging the mud, Nice Nature suddenly felt a figure hurtling toward her from the side.
It was the dark-skinned Umamusume.
Nice Nature was startled and jerked to the side, barely managing to avoid the oncoming dark-skinned Umamusume.
Before she could even relax, another figure appeared ahead. The black-haired Umamusume suddenly veered diagonally into her lane, abruptly slowing down.
It all happened so fast; the two coordinated perfectly. Caught off guard, Nice Nature crashed into the back of the black-haired Umamusume.
Because the black-haired Umamusume was taller and stronger than Nice Nature, she staggered slightly after being hit, but then used the momentum to continue running.
"Nature!!" Matikanetannhauser stopped abruptly, looking worriedly at Nice Nature, who had collided with someone else.
If it were her, she would definitely have gotten a nosebleed.
"It's okay," Nice Nature said softly, starting to run forward again.
Matikanetannhauser, her face full of worry, followed Nice Nature after she started running.
The two hadn't run far when they heard Sakura Bakushin O's announcement of the finish line.
First place went to the dark-skinned Umamusume, who had initially been in last place.
Second place went to the dark-haired American Umamusume.
Nice Nature and Matikanetannhauser crossed the finish line more than five seconds after the dark-haired Umamusume, finishing third and fourth respectively.
Upon seeing this, trainer Minamisaka didn't utter any words of criticism against the American Umamusumes. Instead, she shook her head slightly and let out a heavy sigh.
The TCB members all looked at Sakura Baimu, wanting to hear her summary of the match.
"Competition first, friendship second..." Sakura Baimu commented casually.
The surrounding Umamusumes nodded in unison, feeling that Sakura Baimu's summary was incredibly accurate.
But then they heard Sakura Baimu suddenly blurt out:
"Nature is Third."