The day of the Osaka Hai finally arrived.
Fujiwara Chiya was making the last pre-race adjustments.
After helping Shirayuki straighten her outfit and tighten her shoelaces, he headed over to Rice Shower and gently patted her head.
"About… the strategy…"
Chiya had no idea how to say it.
After all, this was a race between him and Rice Shower too. If he told Rice Shower his decisions, it would be like going easy on her, which went against her request that he give it his all.
But if he did not tell her, then he would be failing his duty as her trainer.
The downside of having two identities had finally reared its head.
Seeing Chiya's troubled expression, Rice Shower smiled.
"Onii-sama, can Rice handle this race on her own? Rice wants to run it the way Rice thinks is best."
"Will you be okay?"
"Mm. Onii-sama, Rice is really strong, you know? Even stronger than Onii-sama thinks."
"I know. Rice Shower has never once disappointed me."
Chiya gently pulled Rice Shower into a hug.
"Go surprise the whole world again."
"Yes…"
Wrapped in Chiya's arms, Rice Shower narrowed her eyes in bliss.
But that happiness quickly hardened into resolve.
To protect her beloved Onii-sama, Rice Shower had to defeat Shirayuki.
After leaving the room, the door across from her opened at almost the exact same time.
Their eyes met.
Both of them stopped in perfect silence.
"Rice Shower is ready."
Shirayuki's expression turned serious.
She could tell Rice Shower was going all in.
Although she had no idea where Rice Shower had been during this time, one thing was certain.
Rice Shower was far stronger than before she left.
That strength was not something obvious, like muscle or speed.
It came from her heart.
From her will.
Shirayuki could feel it radiating off Rice Shower, that overwhelming hunger for victory.
She could even sense the killing intent Rice Shower was unleashing for the sake of defeating her.
A Zone…
If Shirayuki's guess was right, Rice Shower had already obtained her Zone.
Her aura had far surpassed that of other uma musume at the same level.
And an uma musume who obtained a Zone could break past the limits of her body.
How far she could break through depended on her willpower and concentration.
And Rice Shower, while perhaps lacking in other areas, had a terrifyingly strong will.
There was a real chance that gaining a Zone would transform her entirely.
At last, after Shirayuki entered her senior year, she had met an opponent who could stand toe-to-toe with her.
Before this, Shirayuki had been focused on raising Orfevre. Watching her grow stronger and stronger had given Shirayuki a sense of pressure too, and she had used that pressure as fuel, constantly pushing herself forward.
Uma musume broke through their limits.
They grew in the face of pressure.
But without an opponent capable of driving them to that edge, it became difficult for an uma musume to surpass herself.
Seeing Rice Shower like this, Shirayuki felt tension.
Fear.
And, at the same time, a powerful sense of anticipation.
She wanted to see how Rice Shower had changed.
She wanted to race against her.
Brother and younger sister.
Uma musume and trainer…
No.
Here, there were only opponents.
Shirayuki and Rice Shower were each other's rivals.
The two of them arrived at the racecourse.
The stands were packed with spectators. The moment Shirayuki stepped out, thunderous cheers slammed into her ears.
People waved blue-and-white flags, calling out the Empress's name.
Yet Shirayuki's attention was not on the audience.
"Rice Shower, are you nervous?"
"No. What about Onii-sama?"
"I'm a little nervous, I guess."
Seeing Rice Shower look at her in slight confusion, Shirayuki continued.
"I think this race might be just as difficult as last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
"Please welcome our number one favorite, the Empress, Snow Dancer!"
Two Triple Tiara crowns.
The Japan Cup.
The Arima Kinen.
Shirayuki now stood at the unquestioned peak of Japan.
She was no longer merely an uma musume.
She was a symbol.
An icon.
And her victories were no longer simply for herself.
They were for all the uma musume fighting their way upward, to inspire them through her own story.
Only now did Shirayuki realize something.
Uma musume and trainers were the same.
No matter who they were, they all existed for the sake of helping more people reach that distant, seemingly impossible height.
Feeling the terrifying aura around Rice Shower, sharp enough to tear someone apart, Shirayuki took a deep breath.
Her heart gave a heavy thump.
And in the distance, it overlapped with Chiya's.
She was an uma musume born from Chiya's wish.
And one day, her own wish would merge together with his.
"Racers, please enter the gates!"
Shirayuki stepped forward and entered the metal gate.
Countless eyes locked onto the starting line.
Several hundred kilometers away, at Tracen Academy, students had gathered in the cafeteria.
They stared at the screen without blinking, watching the Empress's race.
When Mejiro McQueen saw the small black figure at the center of the screen, a chill ran through her body.
For some reason, she felt a terrifying coldness from Rice Shower.
It was as if, in the very next second, Rice Shower might swallow her whole.
Wait.
She still had a Tenno Sho race against Rice Shower this year, didn't she?
She was going to be fine… right?
"McQueen, sorry to keep you waiting."
Mejiro Dober walked over, sat beside her, and placed her tray on the table.
Her gaze shifted toward the television.
"Another internal team battle, huh? Trainer must be suffering like crazy right now."
"That's what happens when Trainer Chiya recruits so many uma musume from the same generation. By the way, Dober… was Rice Shower always like that?"
"Rice Shower? Like what?"
"Don't you think her aura is a little scary?"
"No."
"I see…"
Then maybe it really was just her imagination.
Mejiro McQueen refused to believe Rice Shower would somehow have a special advantage against her too.
All racers were ready.
With a loud clang, the gates flew open.
Fourteen figures shot out in perfect unison.
Shirayuki ran near the front, holding fifth position.
But the instant she left the gate, she felt something strange.
She had been caught.
Yes.
That was exactly how direct the sensation was.
Shirayuki could clearly feel someone grabbing hold of her body.
Right behind her.
It was Rice Shower.
From the stands, Fujiwara Chiya could see it clearly.
From the moment she entered the gate, Rice Shower's gaze had never once left Shirayuki.
Even the instant the gates opened, her eyes did not waver.
From beginning to end, Rice Shower stayed less than half a length behind Shirayuki.
A marked hunt.
A blatant, undisguised lock-on.
Rice Shower had already made the purpose of this race clear through action alone.
She had only one goal.
To surpass Shirayuki.
Do I have some kind of curse on me or what?
The closer an uma musume was to him, the more she seemed able to draw out abnormal strength during a race.
Among everyone, Rice Shower's relationship with Fujiwara Chiya was probably one of the closest.
And in this race, her condition was obviously far beyond ordinary.
Generally speaking, a lock-on tactic was only used when one was certain a particular uma musume could win.
It made perfect sense for Shirayuki to be targeted.
But the feeling Rice Shower gave her was completely different from anyone else.
Front, back, left, right.
Every possible direction gave Shirayuki a feeling of restraint.
She had been completely locked down by Rice Shower.