From the moment the race began, Shirayuki had never felt anything like this.
Every space around her was locked down tight. She couldn't move.
It wasn't like being boxed in on the European turf. This pressure came from something deeper. Awareness. Experience. Instinct.
Every sense she had as an uma musume was screaming at her.
Don't move recklessly.
Rice Shower's attention was fixed entirely on her.
The instant Shirayuki made a move, Rice Shower behind her would move too.
Of course, Shirayuki could force her way out with the reaction speed she had trained so hard to sharpen. But doing that would wreck her own rhythm.
And for some reason…
Shirayuki felt like her odds of shaking Rice Shower off were low.
Under that fully focused gaze, every movement Shirayuki made would be slowed down several times over.
She knew that feeling. She had experienced it herself.
When you stared at one single thing with absolute concentration, time began to stretch.
That was the prerequisite for entering the Zone.
And apparently, Rice Shower had grasped that sensation too.
No matter how Shirayuki accelerated, Rice Shower would match her.
Or even move faster.
Unless Shirayuki possessed reflexes that surpassed the limits of humanity like Treve did.
Or unless Shirayuki entered the Zone herself.
But even if she could enter the Zone, Shirayuki had to wait until the final stretch.
The Zone unleashed an uma musume's full potential, but it also placed a terrifying burden on the body. If she activated it too early, her stamina would be drained dry.
Going that far just to shake off Rice Shower was a little too costly.
Right now, Rice Shower's biggest threat was simple.
The instant Shirayuki swung outside to accelerate, Rice Shower would cut into the outside lane first, seize the acceleration line, then launch her sprint ahead of her.
She would take the initiative and force Shirayuki onto the back foot.
Having the best chance stolen during the final acceleration phase would be a real problem. Shirayuki might not be able to unleash the full top speed of her three-wave closing kick.
And aside from stealing the initiative…
There was Rice Shower's position.
Since earlier, Rice Shower had been hiding diagonally behind her, almost close enough to touch.
Shirayuki had once taught her how to save energy during a race.
The inner lane and wind resistance.
Those were the two major factors in an uma musume's stamina consumption.
Uma musume ran incredibly fast, which meant they generated heavy wind resistance as they moved. To fight that drag, they had to kick off the ground even harder.
Rice Shower had a small, slender body. She wasn't suited to acting as a windbreaker.
But she could use that small frame to her advantage by tucking herself behind another uma musume, slipping into the low-pressure pocket created after they cut through the wind.
That would help Rice Shower preserve a great deal of stamina.
Clearly, Rice Shower had remembered Fujiwara Chiya's words perfectly.
And now, she was using that very trick against Shirayuki.
She was treating Shirayuki as her windbreaker, while constantly applying tension and anxiety from behind.
She was weakening Shirayuki physically and mentally at the same time.
The embryonic form of the Zone Rice Shower had shown, and the techniques she displayed now, were all created for the sake of defeating one person.
Like a blade, plunged deep into the enemy's chest.
At that thought, Shirayuki's expression changed.
In this race, she might become the first opponent Rice Shower sacrificed.
Amazing.
Without anyone noticing, Rice Shower had grown this much.
Who was it that broke through the final wall blocking her path to the Zone?
Was it me?
Whoever it was, only one thought filled Shirayuki's mind now.
She would take victory from this fully evolved Rice Shower!
"The final corner!"
The announcer's voice rang through the stadium.
The pack entered the fourth corner. Because of their early lead, the uma musume at the front were beginning to run out of steam. The runner in second seized the chance and charged through the inner lane, forcing the formation to shift.
Third place followed right behind.
Shirayuki, who was in fifth, also noticed the movement of the uma musume ahead.
They split left and right.
A narrow gap opened between them.
A chance!
Her pupils snapped tight.
Shirayuki lowered her body and slipped through the gap in the crowd.
This wasn't an outside acceleration. Rice Shower couldn't interfere.
It wasn't just a chance to break through.
It was a chance to shake Rice Shower off.
But in the very next instant after Shirayuki accelerated, maybe not even 0.2 seconds later, almost at the exact same time…
Rice Shower moved.
She stuck close to the uma musume on the outside, brushing past the other girl's arm, nearly grazing her body.
And the instant Shirayuki passed her opponent, Rice Shower returned to Shirayuki's side.
The uma musume at the front looked completely lost.
Before she could even understand what had happened, the two of them had already blown past her.
She can actually go this far…
Shirayuki was stunned by Rice Shower's transformation.
This was practically Zone-class stalking.
And the moment that thought crossed Shirayuki's mind, Rice Shower's aura changed.
Purple flames flickered in the depths of her eyes.
Her clear pupils reflected only Shirayuki.
The entire world began to vanish from Rice Shower's sight.
At the same time, a cold sensation crawled across Shirayuki's neck.
It felt like someone had pressed a blade against her throat, ready to end her life at any second.
A chill shot down Shirayuki's spine.
This is…
The real Zone!
On instinct, Shirayuki wanted to slow down.
She was prepared to forcibly knock Rice Shower out of the Zone.
But in the end, she stopped herself.
This was Rice Shower's first time entering the Zone in a race.
Shirayuki didn't want to interrupt her.
But she wouldn't hand over victory either.
Rice Shower was strong.
Very strong.
That wasn't Shirayuki being protective of her. It was the truth.
If it were anyone else, facing this kind of relentless mark from Rice Shower would be an absolute nightmare.
The advantage in timing.
The mental pressure.
Fear. Hesitation. Panic. Confusion.
Those kinds of effects would lower any uma musume's judgment.
But not Shirayuki.
She had experienced all of that long ago.
From the very beginning, Shirayuki had always been fighting against terrifying opponents.
Not a single race she had entered had been an easy win.
Every time, she and Chiya had been wrung completely dry.
And through one limit after another, Shirayuki had kept breaking through herself.
If Rice Shower had possessed this kind of strength during the Arima Kinen, Shirayuki might have been in danger.
But this was a two-thousand-metre race.
And within Japan, Shirayuki stood at the undisputed top.
Rice Shower was strong.
But Shirayuki was stronger.
"The race has entered the final straight!"
Along with the announcer's call, that petite figure erupted with tremendous power.
The leg strength she had stored up for the entire race burst free in that instant.
Rice Shower surged up beside Shirayuki.
The two ran shoulder to shoulder.
"It's the Snow Dancer and Rice Shower! The two of them have overtaken third place and are sprinting side by side! What incredible speed! Two lengths! Three lengths! Four lengths! They've opened a four-length gap on third place! Neither one is giving an inch!"
Rice Shower gritted her teeth.
Her eyes stared straight ahead.
She had to defeat Shirayuki in this race.
She had to create a meaning that belonged only to her.
The white figure before her eyes grew smaller and smaller.
And just as it shrank into a single tiny point—
Roooaaar!!
A deafening sound exploded inside her mind.
The world turned white in an instant.
Then Rice Shower saw it.
A white wolf, leaping across the grass.
Its sharp claws were graceful and fierce. Its supple body ran as if no rule in the world could bind it.
Free.
Flowing.
"...Eh?"
A confused sound slipped from Rice Shower's lips.
The white wolf gradually transformed into Shirayuki.
Her body was pressed so low it looked as if she were almost sliding across the ground. Her strides stretched farther and farther, each step like a bowstring pulled to its limit.
A tearing sound of wind came from beneath her feet.
Rice Shower's eyes went wide.
When she came back to herself, Shirayuki was already ahead of her.
And the gap was still widening.
"It's the Empress!!"
The announcer's voice thundered through the racecourse, almost tearing his throat apart.
"She's showing an unbelievable closing kick! She's still accelerating! Still accelerating!! This is the strength of the uma musume who reigns at the peak of all Japan! Unmatched speed! Unmatched power! An unmatched figure!!"
Amid thunderous cheers that shook the stadium like a storm, the white girl crossed the finish line.