Tokyo Racecourse.
Runners' waiting room.
At the moment, Kitahara and Belno Light were helping Oguri Cap with the final preparations before she went out onto the track.
"Oguri, don't be nervous. I've already gone over all the key points about the Tokyo course with you during training."
"With your ability, Oguri, you can absolutely handle the full distance without any trouble."
"So I only have one thing to ask of you: stay calm, and run like you normally do. If you show your usual strength, you won't lose to anyone."
Kitahara was doing everything he could to fire Oguri Cap up before the race.
"I know."
Oguri Cap's answer was as brief as ever.
Compared to the race ahead, the gray-haired girl seemed more concerned with the clothes she was wearing...
Her race outfit.
Only Umamusume competing in the highest-level races were allowed to wear one.
Usually, the Umamusume herself or her Trainer would offer ideas, and then a professional designer would create the finished outfit.
Oguri Cap's race outfit had been commissioned by Sakuraba Ryo.
The upper half was primarily white, and more than a race outfit, it looked almost like a stage costume. The lower half was a red-and-white skirt that brought out the girl's shapely figure. Her long, powerful legs were wrapped in black stockings like a crisp shell of chocolate.
And beside one ear atop her head was a small bow tied from red-and-yellow ribbon.
This was the race outfit Oguri Cap would wear for the Derby.
Never mind whether it looked good or not—Sakuraba had spent a fortune on this outfit.
He had gone to a top-class designer for the style, and the materials were premium fabrics chosen for both comfort and performance.
Altogether, the whole set had cost Sakuraba around a million.
When it came to pure enjoyment, he had truly gone all in.
"That designer's taste is kind of... unique..." Belno Light murmured from the side, her expression more than a little conflicted as she looked at Oguri Cap's outfit.
It was not that the outfit looked bad...
It was just that, more than a race outfit, Belno Light felt Oguri looked like she was dressed for a Christmas stage performance.
And with all those layers, it looked obviously thick at a glance.
It was only the first half of the year, and the weather was already fairly warm... Wouldn't this be too much for Oguri?
"Oguri, maybe you should take off the jacket..."
"It's fine. I'm not hot."
Oguri Cap shook her head.
Then she lowered her gaze and spun once in place. Watching the hem of her skirt flare out lifted her spirits quite a bit.
Ryo should like how I look like this, right?
"Oguri, if there's anything wrong, say it now. Once you're out on the track, it'll be too late," Kitahara reminded her.
"No problems."
Oguri Cap shook her head. She opened her hand in front of her eyes, then clenched it into a fist.
Feeling the strength surging through her body, she turned to look Kitahara in the eye.
"Right now... I feel like I can win!"
Seeing how confident she was, Kitahara finally relaxed.
"Then everything's ready."
"Show all of Japan what you can do!"
...
"The annual Japanese Derby is about to begin!"
"Who will claim the crown in this race? And whose dream will continue?"
With the race about to start, the commentator naturally began stirring up the crowd's emotions.
It had to be said, the commentator was good at her job. Even Sakuraba, sitting in the stands, could not help feeling his blood stir when he heard how rousing her words were.
Which made sense.
A race like the Derby, where an Umamusume only gets one chance to enter, naturally carried far more weight than most others.
And on top of that, the Derby was a crucial leg of the Classic Triple Crown. If the winner of the Satsuki Sho also won this race, she might even have a shot at the title of Triple Crown winner.
It was only natural for this race to draw so much attention.
More than that, the Derby held a special place in the public imagination.
Generally speaking, whichever Umamusume won it would be treated as the strongest of her generation and receive an enormous amount of attention.
That said, the title of "strongest" did have a bit of padding to it.
After all, there were Umamusume who won the Derby and never achieved anything notable again.
Still, no matter how you looked at it, the Japanese Derby was one of the most watched races in all Japan. Its prestige was beyond question.
It'd be nice if the prize money were a little lower... Sakuraba muttered inwardly as he looked toward the track.
He did not think Oguri Cap would actually win the Derby, but even finishing in the money here would bring in a hefty purse.
First place was 200 million. Second was 80 million. Third was 50 million...
Even fourth and fifth paid 20 to 30 million!
Those numbers were enough to make Sakuraba's vision go dark.
Right now, all he could do was silently hope that the Umamusume at Tracen Academy would be a little stronger.
And while Sakuraba was grumbling to himself, the runners entered the track!
"The winner of the Satsuki Sho! One of the favorites to take this Derby! Yaeno Muteki!"
To a wave of cheers, Yaeno Muteki made her entrance in a race outfit styled like martial arts wear.
Her eyes were resolute, and the aura she gave off made it obvious at a glance that she was no ordinary runner.
"Ohhh! She looks good!"
At Yaeno Muteki's entrance, Sakuraba's spirits lifted a little.
Nice. A real powerhouse!
"Heir to the Mejiro bloodline! Elegance made flesh on the track! Mejiro Ardan!"
Wearing a gentle smile, Mejiro Ardan entered the track after Yaeno Muteki.
"A young lady from a distinguished family, huh? A runner like that has to be seriously strong too!"
Seeing Mejiro Ardan step out, Sakuraba felt a little more at ease.
"In the name of the sakura! Winner of a G1 race in her newcomer year! She may look like a child, but her strength far surpasses ordinary runners! Sakura Chiyono O!"
"Wah... why does my introduction have to be so unserious?!"
The one stepping onto the track in a pink race outfit was Sakura Chiyono O, her face bright red as she waved her little pink fists toward the commentary booth.
Seeing how adorable she looked—like a tiny animal trying to act threatening—the audience around her could not help smiling warmly.
As for Sakuraba, hearing her record left him completely stunned.
Whoa, she won a G1 in her newcomer year?
That's insane. She's a genius!
She looks so harmless too—who knew she was that good?!
Come to think of it, Tamamo looked tiny too, and she still won the Tenno Sho Spring...
Does being shorter actually make it easier for Umamusume to win races or something?
If that's really the case, then me shouting "go, little Uma!" should be fine too, right?
Go, little Uma! You're incredible!
Uma-Power!
Take Oguri down for me!
---
T/N: heuheuheu oguri
T/N2: yeah no excuse this time :sob: WAIT NO I WAS STARTING NEW TLS SO HA! yeah sorrrey heres the 4 chapters!
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl