It has been two years and a half.
I have crushed every race so far. No losses. Clean wins. Perfect pacing. Perfect triggers. And yet my stats are still hanging around B like usual. Not A. Not S. Just B. I sigh every time I check the panel. The system really does not care about win streaks.
This race is special though. A G2.
According to what I remember from the game and the anime, this is the race that marks Marzenskii as invincible. The turning point. The moment everyone starts to fear her name.
But something feels off.
I look around while warming up. The other runners are not moving like usual. Their eyes track the field. They whisper. They adjust their stances after watching each other. One of them even changes lanes early, like she predicted traffic.
"…Huh?"
That is new.
NPCs are not supposed to do that. They usually follow patterns. Safe lines. Fixed reactions. These ones feel like they are thinking. Like they are learning.
I brush it off. Whatever. The system has been weird before.
Then I see her.
Marzenskii.
Not the international version I inhabit sometimes. Not the future dream version. This is the original anime horse girl. Still active. Still racing. Bright eyes. Confident smile.
She is… adorable.
My chest tightens for a second.
"Oh," I mutter. "So you are here."
I remember this race. She is supposed to dominate. Supposed to make history. Supposed to become unbeatable from this point on.
And I am standing in her way.
I stretch my legs and step toward the gate.
"Guess," I say quietly, "I am here to beat you."
She glances my way.
And she smiles.
Not polite. Not scripted.
Sharp. Curious.
Like she knows I am not just another runner.