"Hurry! Hurry!" Echo Eclipse hurriedly pulled along Gold Way, the Suzu's sisters, Onward Cameroun, and Symboli Rudolf toward the protective fence. They are excited to cheer for Bizen Nishiki, well. Except for Gold Way and Symboli Rudolf, Gold Way only came because Nishiki would be upset that her best friend wouldn't be there, and Symboli Rudolf was only there because Echo dragged her.
They approach the fence and see Bizen Nishiki stretching.
"Nishiki! You can do it!" Echo waved her arms around excitedly, and the others also joined in. Seeing the support from Bizen Nishiki, she lets out her signature confident smirk and fist pumps the air toward them.
This wasn't just accepting their support, but also as a message to Symboli Rudolf that she will win.
Nishiki turned away from them, feeling the noise of the stands swelling into something heavier. She doesn't just hear the cheers, but she feels the pressure, expectation, and the weight of being seen.
"Fuuh, Let's do this."
She steps onto the turf at Kyoto, and she can feel it answer beneath her shoes with the firmness she adores. It was a fast ground, an honest ground. The kind that will never betray you.
"Perfect… Right at home~" She muttered before rolling her shoulders once, letting the tension fall off while drawing in a slow breath. The air smells like cut grass and anticipation. Her heart hasn't started racing just yet, with each breath she takes, it continues being steady, measured, as if she had already found her pace before the race even began.
"That's good. I'm in perfect conditions-" She stopped speaking as the commentators called them forward.
She walks among the others, feeling each of their distinct presence without looking. And ahead, it's Nihon Pillow Winner, who carries herself like a weapon, or more like a blade. Bizen Nishiki tilted her head for a moment before settling on a blade.
She had seen her race before; she moved precisely, clean, and cleverly, waiting for the exact moment to cut ahead to the front.
To her side, Happy Progress moves with a light bounce in each step, almost hiding how fast she really is. Quick and quiet, as if she's already slipping through the gap that hasn't opened yet.
Nishiki compared her to Echo Eclipse, but they aren't the same. Happy Progress simply cannot compare to Echo Eclipse. If Happy Progress was considered a runner with a motor for calves, then Echo Eclipse is considered like the wind. Simply unrestrained and can move as fast as she wants.
Behind her, she can catch the rhythm of Long Hayabusa with her ears, steady and ground, the kind that won't disappear even if the pace breaks others. Similar to Onward Cameroun, the silent pillar of Bizen Nisihiki's friend group.
"Good. Strong opponents, just how I wanted it." Nishiki started grinning excitedly before calming herself down.
With each step she takes, the gates loom closer.
"I don't need to rush, never at this part." She hummed silently to herself. The race hasn't started yet, but inside her chest, it's already happened, the way her fingers curl and uncurl, the slight tilt of her head as she listens. Not to the cheers, not to the commentator. No. She is listening to the track.
As the crowd fades, the chatter disappears. Only the track lay stretching ahead of her like a promise. Stepping into the gate without hesitation, she doesn't feel nervous. No doubt. The narrow metal frame closes around her.
Bizen Nishiki shifts her weight slightly as they are still loading the others, settling into position. Her breathing syncs with the silence.
In…
Out…
In…
Out…
Somewhere to her right, someone fidgets. Another taps her foot, yet Nishiki doesn't move. She simply doesn't need to.
'The moment the gates open, all of this, the noise, the waiting, the tension, will simply disappear anyway.' She thought to herself before lowering her gaze slightly, focusing on the line ahead.
As she waited, and waited. Time seems to slow down for her until…
Click.
The gates snap open, and Bizen Nishiki launch forward into the track.
For her, the world explodes into motion, the turf rushes beneath her, feeling the wind hit her face in an instant. Reminding her of the nature of professional racing, sharp. Her strides open naturally with each step she takes, landing exactly where they should be, clean and powerful.
She doesn't need to think; she didn't need to, it is simply engraved into her core. She lets the others fight for position in the first seconds; there's no need to force and take the lead right now. She will naturally settle just behind, right where she wanted to be.
"Good, they're increasing the pace," She muttered for a moment as the rhythm is formed quickly at the top 5 in the race. She wants them to push further, let them waste and burn their stamina a little early.
She kept her breathing even, her shoulders relaxed. This is still the beginning of the race.
Soon, they hit the first corner, and Bizen Nishiki felt the pack tighten. Happy Progress slips along the inside smoothly and efficiently. Nihon Pillow Winner is already positioning herself forward, claiming space with domineering authority.
"Strong… But compared to Symboli Rudolf's domineering aura, weak." Nishiki marked down her observation, measuring the top 3. No need to waste any movement, no need to panic.
The backstretch opens, and the pace stretches with it. She welcomes the increasingly growing and loud wind. This is the right time for her to start gradually moving. Lengthening her strides slowly, as she starts to close the distance.
She is now behind them.
A subtle shift occurred. Nihon Pillow Winner's posture tightened as she prepared for the next phase, Happy Progress glancing for an opening. Long Hayabusa continues moving with the same speed, her stamina still high.
"They're good. Better than most, however… I raced against runners better than you all."
As they approach the final corner, Bizen Nishiki finally push ahead, slowly building up her speed, accelerating ahead. Her stride expands, slowly becoming a blur of Chestnut and white. One by one, the others fall behind. The sound of their footsteps fades, replaced by the pounding of the 4 remaining.
She swings to the outside, overtaking Long Hayabusa.
Now it's just the three of them.
"Faah- Fuuh- Faah- Fuuh." I can do this, only Nihon Pillow Winner is in the front, Happy Progress just off her shoulder.
I am slowly and steadily closing in.
Come on.
After the final corner ends, only the straight opens wide before them.
This is it. Come on. Push forward. Get the win!
Bizen Nishiki drives herself forward; she can hear the crowd roar, but it's distant. As if it belongs to another world.
All she can see is the line ahead, the backs in front of her, and the space between them is shrinking with every step.
[Flow]
'Wow…' She thought in bliss, it felt perfect, she felt in control of her entire body.
Her legs feel light, powerful. There's no strain, no hesitation. Just motion. Pure, unstoppable motion.
Slowly becoming more and more blurry to the outsider, and she drew level with Happy Progress first.
Happy Progress duelled and resisted back first, obviously, but Bizen Nishiki doesn't back down; she doesn't falter. In doing so, she won the duel and passed her.
"One more." Nishiki sucks in cold air as she stares at Nihon Pillow Winner. She can tell that she's strong, even beside her. Nihon Pillow Winner's pace doesn't break, doesn't waver.
They run side by side, matching stride for stride. But this is still a race.
60 meters ahead, the finish line is right there.
Come on, time to win.
Bizen Nishiki pushes even further; she is running faster than she ever had, and for a moment. She felt at peace.
The finish line is right there. She can see it. She can feel it. The cheers! The medal! The look on her as she dances on the stage!
She will be the winner-
Just as she was 30m away from the finish line, she overlooked a sharp bump in the ground.
She tripped over it at 71km/h.
Snap