By the time Shinji and Saint Halo arrived at Hanshin Racecourse, there was still some time before the Takarazuka Kinen began.
Saint Halo's little face was taut, so tightly drawn that it was impossible to tell whether she was nervous or excited. Still, when Shinji glanced at her status panel and saw Excellent Condition, he felt a measure of relief.
Nishizaki Ryu and Special Week had arrived even earlier than they had. The trainer-horse girl pair clearly cared greatly about this race.
Only Saint Halo had made it all the way to the end of the road toward the Spring Triple Crown.
But as for the road toward a Grand Prix double, that journey had not even begun.
Not just Nishizaki Ryu and Special Week—every trainer and every horse girl present was working for that goal in their own way.
Narita Brian glanced at Saint Halo with a trace of guilt.
During the time Shinji had been away, Saint Halo had mentioned their trainer from time to time, and from that alone, Brian had already gotten the sense of it—this girl had clearly come to admire him.
And as for what had happened the previous night...
Brian turned her face slightly aside.
Neither Saint Halo nor Shinji noticed. The two of them were still fully focused on discussing race tactics.
"So for positioning this time..." Shinji murmured as he looked out toward the far side of Hanshin's course, then paused in thought.
"I think you should stay a little farther back."
"A little farther back? Got it."
No hesitation at all.
If Shinji arranged it that way, then Saint Halo would do it.
She trusted her own strength, yes—but she trusted Shinji's judgment and race plans even more.
Just as Shinji trusted her.
Even though Hanshin was a course that favored forward positions, Shinji had still decided that Saint Halo would run from the rear.
"Most of the others in this race should gather in the front-running and stalking pack," Shinji continued. "Special Week and Grass Wonder especially—even if they don't go that far forward, they still won't drop all the way into the back half."
There was something almost too absolute in the way he said it.
But the confidence in his tone made both Saint Halo and Narita Brian feel the same thing:
Special Week and Grass Wonder really would choose exactly those positions.
That certainty came from the time Shinji had spent closely studying both girls' training.
If they didn't run from those spots, then all the work they had done over this period would have meant nothing.
"I'm guessing Stay Gold will run close to the pace. Nishino should have the lead all to herself—Murakami's pre-race comments were too decisive. Even on a course that favors the front, no trainer's going to let their girl get dragged into a suicidal speed duel with a runaway leader."
"So even Seiun Sky... I'd guess she'll be somewhere around the same range as Stay Gold. Second or third, probably."
As Shinji laid out his prediction, Saint Halo had already begun constructing the race in her mind.
Nishino would drag the field along the course, the pack flowing past the stands before heading toward the first and second turns. A dozen or so horse girls stretched out behind.
In that image, Saint Halo herself sat at the rear—but because the pack was strung out just enough, all she would need to do was shift slightly outward to have a lane ready whenever she wanted to strike.
That was how she pictured it.
And after picturing it, she nodded seriously.
She had absolute confidence in her own strength. As long as she had space and position, she could run down everyone in front of her.
"But there's one more thing," Shinji said. "If Special Week and Grass Wonder start accelerating early, you'll need to judge your own timing on the fly. If you wait too long, you won't catch them. You get what I mean."
As he said that, his eyes had already shifted to Grass Wonder, who had just entered the infield with Togo Hana.
Hana had left El Condor Pasa behind in France, and seeing her here looking worn but still earnestly explaining every detail to Grass Wonder made Shinji briefly wonder whether he should have left Offside Trap overseas too.
"She's in great shape today..."
The moment he said it, Saint Halo's brows twitched.
No matter how good Grass Wonder's condition was, Saint Halo had no intention of losing to her.
This race meant rather a lot to her, after all.
As that thought crossed her mind, her hand rose unconsciously to the necklace resting against her chest.
It lay quietly between the softness there, and perhaps because it reminded her of something, she lifted her head and looked toward the high stands of Hanshin.
There, a certain gaze was already fixed on her.
"Alright, let's head over."
His shoes pressed into the turf. Turf he had already walked over several times.
Shinji looked toward the starting position for the Takarazuka Kinen.
The starting gate was already moving into place.
"Okay!"
Saint Halo answered loudly. Then, without lingering any longer, she turned and ran lightly toward the gate.
Her body was warming, her legs fully loosened now, her strides sharp and springy—and the crowd, seeing that, erupted into fresh waves of cheers.
Everyone could see that she was in excellent condition.
And because they could see it, the Spring Triple Crown now seemed impossibly close.
Once upon a time, no one would ever have expected Saint Halo to reach a point like this.
In people's eyes, she had been little more than a supporting piece. Her temperament had seemed too flawed, and her strength had always looked just a touch behind the true elites of her generation.
But now, she had finally found the trainer who suited her.
And she had finally found her own road.
That dazzling finishing kick—even through a television screen, it had been enough to make people's blood race.
That, too, was part of why Hanshin was packed to unprecedented levels today.
Nearly two hundred thousand spectators crammed the stands for the Takarazuka Kinen.
Because of that, Shinji had no choice but to head up to the high viewing platform.
There, he saw Goodbye Halo.
Compared to before, her expression was much softer now—but it also carried a deeper sadness.
Shinji didn't care much about where that sadness came from.
What interested him more was the necklace she kept clutching tightly in her hand.
For a moment, a thought crossed his mind:
That necklace might also have some deep connection to Brave Dance.
But now was not the time to pursue that thought.
Raising his binoculars, he looked toward Saint Halo by the gate.
She was circling near the stalls. Other horse girls were gathering too.
The track official was shouting instructions through a loudspeaker.
Then the stands suddenly roared—
Stay Gold, from gate one, had begun to load.
Unexpectedly, there was no commotion at all.
Stay Gold was in excellent form as well.
This was bound to be a thrilling, ferocious race.
From a spectator's point of view, anyone watching today was truly blessed.
"All following runners, load in order!"
The official's amplified voice rang out.
And Saint Halo, drawn in stall ten, adjusted her breathing one final time before entering.
As she slowly let out that heavy breath, she stepped through the gate that led toward her dream.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 280
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Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 260
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 135
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 91
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 90
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 100
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 90
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 105
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 85
After Maxing Out Every Class 85
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 70
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
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I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 55
From Trilobites to Titans 55
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 66
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 70
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 50
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