"It's over!"
The moment Oguri Cap crossed the finish line, Sakuraba Ryo's pupils trembled, and that was the only thought left in his mind.
How?
How did Oguri win???
Wasn't Yaeno Muteki supposed to be amazing because she won the Satsuki Sho?
Wasn't Mejiro Ardan supposed to be some genius young lady from a distinguished family?
And didn't Sakura Chiyono O win a G1 race in her newcomer year?
And yet, even with all those powerhouses, none of them could stop Oguri Cap, who came up from the regional circuit?
Why?
Could it be that all the Umamusume at Central were really just a bunch of deadweights?
Sakuraba couldn't make sense of it.
"March... Oguri was already stuck in the worst possible position, wasn't she? How did she still win?"
Sakuraba turned to Fujimasa March for an answer, but she was still in a daze herself.
"Maybe... it's just because Oguri really is that strong."
No matter how you looked at it, that position had been a disadvantage—but Oguri Cap had still won anyway.
What else was there to say?
The stats!
The stats had to be broken!
Fujimasa March's answer did absolutely nothing to make Sakuraba feel any better.
Huh?
What do you mean, "stats"?
You're saying an Umamusume from the Regional Circuit had better stats than the Umamusume at Central?
No—!!!
I refuse to accept this—!
The more Oguri won, the sharper Sakuraba's eye looked for having picked her as an investment target in the first place.
Two hundred million...
That was a prize purse of two hundred million!
How could this happen!
How could it turn out like this?!
"Sakuraba, your smile looks awful right now, you know?"
Seeing his face twisted into a tight knot, Norn Ace's mouth twitched slightly.
She knew that expression was supposed to mean he was happy about Oguri's win, but did it really have to look that distorted?
"Sakuraba, calm down a little. I know you're happy, but if you get too happy, it might backfire on you."
"Does this look like a happy face to you?"
"It does, yeah. You're so happy your eyes are tearing up."
"I... I... heh heh heh... HAAAHHH...!"
A certain investor let out a hideous cry from the VIP section.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the VIP seating, Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky looked toward Oguri Cap, who stood at the center of the track basking in the crowd's cheers, and both felt a little wistful.
"So after receiving Sakuraba-san's guidance, Oguri Cap really did awaken her domain..."
Symboli Rudolf had assumed Sakuraba's arrival at Central was meant to help raise Oguri Cap's level...
But she hadn't expected the improvement to be this dramatic.
She had watched Oguri Cap's previous races as well. Back then, Oguri Cap had clearly had no idea how to use a domain. But what she displayed today on the Derby stage was unmistakably a domain.
If anything had changed Oguri Cap, Symboli Rudolf could only think of Sakuraba.
Even so, the amount of strength he had brought out in her had exceeded even the Emperor's expectations.
To think he had taught Oguri Cap how to use a domain in such a short time!
Sakuraba-san... just how many more surprises can you still bring me?
You really should join Central after all.
I absolutely can't let you go...
At that thought, the upward curve of Symboli Rudolf's lips became impossible to suppress.
Maruzensky, on the other hand, felt rather conflicted.
She was happy that Central had gained another outstanding runner.
But the kouhai she had been cheering for had failed to win the Derby.
She couldn't but help feel a little regretful...
She would have to go comfort that girl properly.
...
Elsewhere, Belno Light was grabbing Kitahara by the collar and shaking him wildly.
"Kitahara-san! Kitahara-san! Oguri won!"
"Oguri won the Japanese Derby!"
"Kasamatsu has a Derby-winning Umamusume now too!"
Belno Light was simply too happy.
For Oguri Cap's sake, she had endured hardship and humiliation while building up business in Tokyo, all so she could support her.
And now, thanks to all that hard work under immense pressure, a quarter of the businesses on the shopping street near Tracen Academy had become her assets...
She had worked this hard to repay Sakuraba's investment, and for Oguri Cap's sake.
All so she could see Oguri Cap standing there in victory!
"H-hey... miss, the guy in your hands doesn't look too good..."
One of the onlookers nearby finally couldn't help speaking up, and only then did Belno Light realize that Kitahara had already been shaken senseless in her grasp.
"Kitahara-san——!"
Belno Light let out a cry of despair as she clutched the unconscious Kitahara.
This, perhaps, was what it truly meant for joy to turn into sorrow.
...
On the track, Oguri Cap had only just stepped down when reporters swarmed her, crowding around so tightly that not even water could get through.
"Oguri Cap-san! Congratulations on winning the Japanese Derby! How do you feel right now?"
How did she feel?
Oguri Cap blinked at the reporter holding out a microphone toward her.
Mm...
There were too many people she wanted to thank...
Her mother, Belno Light, Kitahara, everyone at Kasamatsu...
And also...
Ryo.
There were simply too many people she wanted to thank, and for a moment, even Oguri Cap didn't know what to say.
Maybe...
She shouldn't thank anyone just yet.
Maybe she should just say what she wanted to say most right now.
"...What I want to say is..."
Taking the microphone from the reporter's hand, Oguri Cap spoke honestly from the heart.
"The place by that guy's side—I won't give it up to anyone!"
"...Huh?"
The reporters around her all let out startled noises at her words.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was something wrong with this year's Derby winner?
Was that really an appropriate post-race comment?
The crowd in the stands was amused by Oguri Cap's words as well.
"I mean, love is the Derby and all, but that's a little too direct."
"Ooh, nice one! A Derby-winning girl's romance this year? I'm rooting for you!"
As the audience laughed, gossiped, and happily ate up the drama, there was only one person in the stands who understood what Oguri Cap's words actually meant.
"Hmph..."
"You've got some nerve..."
Tamamo Cross stared at the figure surrounded by the crowd.
Oguri Cap's words were clearly a response to what Tamamo herself had once said to her.
There's no place for you by his side.
And the answer she got was: I won't give up that place by his side to anyone else... was it?
"Heh."
Tamamo Cross smiled.
"If you can do it, then come and take it with your own hands."
She turned and walked away with her back to the track.
The Derby was over. There was no reason for her to stay any longer.
And more importantly...
She had figured out what she wanted to do next.
I won't give up the place by Sakuraba's side to anyone else?
I'm the one who should be saying that.
The one who should stand by his side... should be me.
With that resolve in her heart, Tamamo Cross disappeared into the shadows of the exit.