Thirty minutes later.
Curren Chan finally revealed the sharpness she'd been honing.
It was clear… her skill had already been steadily polished. After all, she was an Umamusume who had passed Tracen Academy's selection and earned a spot in the fall G1 sprint races. Her explosive power was, without a doubt, the strongest among the three of them here.
Even Tokai Teio couldn't defeat Curren Chan at this distance.
Of course, it was mostly due to differences in aptitudes.
"Now it's your turn~"
After finishing her run, Curren Chan turned towards Garden Gale, smiling brightly as she wiped sweat from her forehead. "How was it? Pretty good, wasn't it?"
But this time, Garden Gale no longer felt the despair and helplessness from before.
Because she'd already broken through the bond threshold.
She'd gained some insights into Curren Chan's style!
The Selas System was truly overpowered… If someone like Curren Chan had this ability, she'd probably become the ultimate Umamusume, capable of racing on grass, dirt, short, long, and everywhere in between. Garden Gale couldn't help but think about that as she stood up, smiling back warmly. "Absolutely! That burst of speed...was incredible!"
"Curren-san… You really are amazing!"
Listening to this, Tokai Teio stood quietly by the side.
But deep down, she felt increasingly frustrated… increasingly unsettled. It felt as though a dark force was dragging her down, tempting her, especially whenever Garden approached Curren Chan. This feeling was driving Tokai Teio crazy, nearly unbearable—
Until she finally reaches her breaking point.
...
Mimicry.
Learning.
As Garden Gale stepped up to the starting line once more… without even fully processing her decision, she simply began to run again, a faint smile playing on her lips. All her other thoughts were quickly set aside.
Whatever.
Since I decided to run…
Then I'll run with everything I've got. I'll perfectly mimic Curren Chan's running style!
—[Turbo Sprint: (Level 1)]
[Description]:Derived from Curren Chan's explosive short-distance running, it compresses every available ounce of strength into a burst of speed—increase your acceleration on straights! Forget endurance, just break through everything!
Of course…
Curren Chan could sustain this burst only because she specialized in sprints.
In a mile or longer race, she'd burn out completely.
But it should be perfect for a final sprint—Garden Gale mused.
"Ready to go?" From afar, Curren Chan energetically waved her arms, bouncing cheerfully while holding up her phone, seemingly ready to record.
Garden Gale casually glanced over and replied, "Ready."
She took off—
Imitate, Color Change! Transform into Curren Chan!
But just before fully committing to her run, she caught sight of Curren Chan's phone again. She immediately stumbled to a halt. "Hey, are you recording this? Isn't that kind of embarrassing?"
"I just thought Garden-san looked super cute!" Curren Chan giggled innocently.
"If GG-san doesn't want it, don't record."
From the side, Tokai Teio finally spoke, her voice unexpectedly firm. It wasn't a request; it was a statement directed pointedly at Curren Chan. After glancing back at Tokai Teio, Curren Chan quietly nodded and put away her phone without arguing.
She already knew she'd overstepped.
Then…
With the camera gone and everything else adjusted, Garden Gale took a deep breath, clearing her mind once again. She recalled every tiny detail of Curren Chan's run, adjusting her posture and stance accordingly, mimicking her perfectly. It was as if invisible wings had suddenly unfolded from her back.
With everything ready—
She dashed forward once again!
Freely soaring across the field, the Chameleon copied another running style without restraint.
"It actually worked…!" Curren Chan gasped in genuine astonishment as she watched Garden Gale. Despite the slight awkwardness, Garden Gale was undoubtedly running with her exact form. How long had it been? Barely an hour at most! All she'd done was touch a bit, observe closely, and she could already replicate Curren Chan's technique? This was way too convenient!
Moreover…
If imitating my style went this smoothly…
Then just how many running styles has Garden-san learned before this? She's practically a machine with endless transformations!
Seeing Garden Gale mimic Tokai Teio's running style previously had been impressive enough, but learning her own style in just an hour was truly on another level. This was genuinely mind-blowing!
A monster! A total monster!
But Garden Gale didn't stop there—
Having mastered Curren Chan's form as closely as possible, she shifted effortlessly into Tokai Teio's style in mere seconds, truly becoming a chameleon who could change as she pleased.
Her ceiling was absurdly high…
Or perhaps, it was limitless.
Tokai Teio quietly folded her arms.
She watched silently, her gaze closely following Garden Gale as she ran around the track.
Yet…
Something within her heart was starting to heat up.
Ah…
How to put it into words?
Was it excitement at finally meeting a worthy rival? Or perhaps something more profound, something like fate…
...
Garden Gale finished her run.
She had briefly but accurately imitated Curren Chan's running style. Along the way, she'd even experimented by shifting to Tokai Teio's style, proving that switching between styles posed no issue at all. It took only seconds.
Pretty good.
"Garden-san!" Curren Chan rushed over, immediately gripping Garden Gale's hands with shining eyes, visibly thrilled. "You're incredible! Super incredible! You really copied Curren's style perfectly! I don't even know how to praise you anymore! I'm totally out of words, so all I can do is repeat the simplest and highest praise!"
Such earnestness far surpassed Garden Gale's expectations.
…And unknowingly, Garden Gale's social anxiety started to flare up again. Faced with Curren Chan's overwhelming enthusiasm, all she could manage was a goofy grin.
"…Ahaha." Garden Gale scratched her head awkwardly, radiating pure dumb charm.
Then…
As Curren Chan's excitement continued without pause…
Garden Gale quickly shot a pleading look toward Tokai Teio, desperately signaling, Save me, Teio-san!
Their eyes met.
And Tokai Teio immediately spoke up, "GG-san, let's go out for a bit."
"Sure!" Garden Gale instinctively replied, then quickly realized something felt off. She tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Eh?"
Just the two of us?
She didn't mention Curren Chan at all!
---
T/N: gulp time to get basemented, anyway she didn't actually use color change, she was just talking yknow like hyping herself up, all she used was turbo sprint and what she gleamed from that to run in currens style