The rain was still coming down in sheets from the sky.
Even with a high-quality raincoat on, Terumi Shinji was soaked through at the brows and in his hair, looking more than a little bedraggled.
Offside Trap was in even worse shape, drenched from head to toe like a soaked cat. Her once-beautiful racing outfit had gone dull under the pounding rain, its vibrant colors—colors that ought to have symbolized life and energy—utterly washed out by the storm.
Of course, she was not the only one looking miserable. Every horse girl in the field looked much the same. Even Sekaishuu, who normally cared obsessively about whether her makeup and fashion were "stylish," had shown up bare-faced today for once.
The fresh-faced look gave her a completely different charm from her usual heavy makeup, and Shinji found himself glancing at her a few extra times.
[Negative Emotion +30]
"Hm?"
Shinji turned in confusion toward Offside Trap, who was still staring grimly at the track. The sudden system prompt had come out of nowhere, and he had no idea what had triggered it.
"Today's race, above all else, will depend on the unfolding of the field," he said, forcing his attention back to the matter at hand. "With the ground this heavy, there won't be many especially fancy tactics. Even if someone tries something reckless, you have to stay calm. No matter what happens, keep to the rhythm you're used to. Run at the pace you've adapted to and made your own."
Whether it was the brutally direct stat gains brought by the full five-piece Vassal Lord set, or Earthwarden's correction to track aptitude, Offside Trap's rune synergies were extraordinarily well-suited to this race. A lone Noble bond simply could not compare to the effects of those fully completed synergies.
Offside Trap nodded firmly.
Then, almost unconsciously, her gaze drifted toward the stands.
That same grandstand—the one that had once dealt her a wound so deep she could barely describe it—now held more than a few banners bearing her name.
The crowd was a dark sea of bodies.
Yet unlike most race days, when the air would already be ringing with cheers, Fuchu Racecourse had fallen into an eerie silence. There were over a hundred thousand spectators present, and yet they may as well not have existed at all. No sound. No roar. No life.
That interview had, in the end, been released to the public.
And from it, people had heard many things.
Most of all, Shinji's line about the student council forcing Narita Brian to race had deepened the racing fans' already intense unease over the Japan Cup lineup.
Correspondingly, they had little choice but to trust Offside Trap more than before. At least for now, she appeared to be the Japanese horse girl with the best chance of defeating the foreign elites. And however radical Shinji's statements in that interview had been, he clearly had the confidence to back them up.
On the other side, Toka Hana had long since lost count of how many times she had taken off her glasses to wipe them clean. Nothing on her body remained dry. The rain had reduced the normally sharp, capable woman to peering through blurred vision as she continued giving final instructions to the three horse girls lined up behind her.
She found herself regretting, bitterly, that she had not done more specific heavy-ground training with them beforehand.
Especially El Condor Pasa. A horse girl with only one year of racing behind her now had to tackle a course this deep and punishing without any real prior adaptation. The oversight filled Toka with self-reproach.
El and Air Groove, naturally, listened with complete focus. Narita Brian alone seemed distracted, almost dazed. Each time she and Toka Hana's eyes met, something passed between them—something both clearly understood—yet neither let the eye contact last even a second.
But with the rain pouring like this, and the sheer pressure of the foreign lineup weighing on everyone's minds, neither Air Groove nor El had the spare attention to notice the subtle tension. They simply nodded once Toka had finished speaking.
Then the rain seemed to intensify further.
Standing up on the high platform, Rudolf Symboli wore a grim expression equally dark as the sky above. Beside her stood Mr. C.B. and Sirius Symboli, old rivals and old friends alike, all three of them staring toward the track with equally somber faces.
The Japanese horse girls looked as if they were facing a national crisis.
Sekaishuu, by contrast, was practically dancing with delight.
The ground underfoot had never once been to her liking during all her visits to Fuchu over these past days, but now—now, at last—it felt perfect.
Only...
She stole a glance at Doremi and secretly clenched a fist.
Everyone said Doremi was incomparably strong. They claimed even an undefeated Arc winner like herself could not be compared to Doremi. And the fact that Dream Well was now the leading candidate for European Classic Horse Girl of the Year, while Sekaishuu had been passed over, had only left her with a lump of resentment she had yet to swallow.
With a track this deep, you two are finished, she crowed inwardly. I'm absolutely winning this!
She laughed madly to herself while maintaining the same obedient, respectful façade she always wore around Doremi. Doremi gave her an extra look, then let out a small sigh.
"This race," Doremi murmured, "will probably depend on you all."
"Don't say that, Doremi."
Towering Heights and Country Lover both knew perfectly well how strong Doremi was. Though each privately found some comfort in the deluge currently soaking Japan, hearing Doremi say such a thing still filled them with regret.
Europe's representatives had come here fully intending to dominate a foreign course that was supposedly unfavorable to European runners through sheer overwhelming strength.
Instead, things had turned into this.
"Do your best."
Doremi said no more than that, giving Sekaishuu a light pat on the shoulder.
Sekaishuu froze, then nodded with unusual seriousness.
She had promised that she would beat Offside Trap head-on in the race itself.
The memory of that vow from the training grounds made her start cackling inwardly again. On a track like this, she truly could not imagine how Offside Trap was supposed to beat her.
"I really didn't expect the rain in Japan to be this bad!"
"And this is absolutely favorable for our European runners."
The voices came from the foreign commentary booth.
As the only Japanese race capable of drawing such extraordinary international attention, the Japan Cup's main world feed was in the hands of these two commentators.
"This year's lineup is so strong partly because the prize money has been raised to a truly staggering level, and partly because Japan sent invitations far and wide. You can clearly tell Japan means business with this year's Japan Cup."
"Exactly. It's a pity that Silence Suzuka isn't running, but just looking at the promotional materials, they still have Triple Crown horse girl Narita Brian, runners from the Mejiro family, and even members of the student council in the field."
"Rigil, widely regarded as Japan's strongest team, has also entered three horse girls. I wonder whether they've prepared any tactical cooperation or team formations for this race."
They clearly did not understand that in Japan, even horse girls from the same stable did not normally run coordinated team tactics. And so the two of them went on enthusiastically speculating about what sort of formation those three runners might use to secure victory.
"I also heard on the way over that Rigil is sometimes called 'Japan's Godolphin.' If that's true, then surely the fans here must have tremendous faith in them. They can't be underestimated."
"Indeed. And then there's Offside Trap, the veteran who defeated Silence Suzuka in the Autumn Tenno Sho. For her to receive so much screen time in the pre-race promotional film, it can't just be because she beat Suzuka. Her strength must be the real reason."
No matter who watched it, Offside Trap's capture of the great frontrunner in the Autumn Tenno Sho was undeniable proof of overwhelming ability. The foreign commentators were no exception. Even with only one G1 win to her name, they were not relaxing their guard in the slightest.
The two commentators exchanged a brief look. They both knew that there was something somewhat unusual about Offside Trap's situation.
After all, when they had praised her strength to the JURA official earlier, the man's face had gone awkward almost immediately.
They understood what that meant, and after only a few more remarks, they tactfully let the subject drop.
At that moment, the live feed was cycling through close-ups of the runners' faces.
Each horse girl wore a different emotion, and even the two commentators—men who had seen more than their share of grand stages—could feel the excitement in their blood rising higher and higher beneath the pounding rain.
So many familiar faces.
This race, which did not even rank near the very top of the world's turf calendar, had nevertheless drawn the eyes of the entire world.
"All right, viewers—"
"Welcome to the Japan Cup!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 126)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter157)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
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Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
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Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 143
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Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
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Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 99
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 75
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 75
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 52
Uma Musume: I Want All 51
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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