Uma Musume: Becoming a Legendary Trainer Chapter 27: Start!

Accompanied by the colleagues' shouts, a broadcast echoed across the racetrack.

"Now entering is the pre-race presentation for today's race!"

"The first to appear is Group 1, No. 1, Fujimasa March!"

"She can be called Kasamatsu Tracen Academy's rising star and is the most popular Uma Musu in the arena!"

"This is her debut race. Before her debut, she has already won many competitions and earned high praise from trainers as well as love from fans…"

The broadcast began detailing Fujimasa March's past achievents.

On the presentation runway, a silver-haired horse girl with delicate features and a stern expression walked out slowly, nodding politely to the crowd without saying a word.

Even though she wasn't part of Kitahara's team, just her presence alone made it clear that Fujimasa March had a reputation worth noting. Her calm, composed deanor indicated extensive racing experience.

She was not affected by the humble surroundings of the racetrack, nor did she seem self-satisfied from the broadcast praise. This level-headedness was a vital quality for the track.

Kitahara's colleagues expressed their approval of the broadcast, praising Fujimasa March, but Kitahara didn't pay much attention. From the other side of the stands ca voices as loud as the broadcast itself, cheering.

"Go, Fujimasa March! Ah! So cool!"

"Go! Go!"

"Go, Fujimasa March! Win this race!"

It was the three horse girls from Norn Ace's group. Besides holding a grudge against Oguri Cap, they were also fanatic fans of Fujimasa March.

Not only were they cheering loudly, they waved fans and banners with Fujimasa March's na on them.

Slightly distracted by the cheering, Kitahara casually glanced over and accidentally locked eyes with the girls. They gave him a provocative look.

…How childish. Thinking I cared about them before seems kind of silly…

Kitahara turned away, feeling a bit exasperated.

Just as he decided to ignore them, Belno Light beside him suddenly shouted:

"Go! Oguri Cap! You'll be first for sure!"

Startled by the voice, Kitahara looked and saw Belno Light glaring at the Norn Ace girls, cheeks puffed and eyes wide, refusing to back down.

Surprisingly, the quiet, gentle-looking Belno Light could be so aggressive in these monts. Well, after all, they were horse girls—competitive by nature.

As Kitahara pondered this, he suddenly heard the na he cared about in the broadcast:

"…Next up, Group 5, No. 5, Oguri Cap, ah…"

Kitahara imdiately turned toward the runway and almost laughed out loud.

…Dirty as always… I told her to rest before the race, and yet she went out running again.

As Kitahara thought, Oguri Cap stepped out, wearing the sa sports uniform as Fujimasa March—the purple-and-white Kasamatsu Academy outfit—and her long silver hair flowing.

But compared to Fujimasa March, Oguri looked a bit disheveled. Her clothes were dusty, and her pants had mud on the hems—clearly she had gone for a run sowhere beforehand.

The broadcast seed to notice this too, comnting similarly:

"Ah… um… no ti to wash her clothes? This outfit…"

It seed the announcer didn't know how to introduce her, but quickly found a new topic:

"Ah! Oguri Cap is… wearing her hair ornant!"

"It's a beautiful diamond-shaped hair accessory! Silver border with bright yellow filling—very unique!"

"Clearly, she's a horse girl who values her appearance too!"

The announcer seed to be justifying Oguri's ssy uniform.

"That's the classic hair ornant," Kitahara thought as he noticed it.

"With that, aside from her race uniform, this is the Oguri Cap I know."

Horse girls have a special concept called a "race uniform."

According to this world, each horse girl's race uniform design is determined by a divine oracle from the "Three Goddesses," maximizing the horse girl's abilities.

Kitahara understood that, for him, as long as it's a race uniform, no matter how flashy, there's no need to worry—things like wind resistance aren't a problem.

This magical setup links to the original horse's world, but race uniforms only have effect in G1-class races. Kitahara knew what Oguri Cap's race uniform looked like, but wouldn't see it now.

"That hair accessory was a gift from her mother—it really is exquisite," Belno Light said, keeping his attention on Oguri.

"Yes, she really loves her mother. I think during the presentation she did this to catch the announcer's attention, so the broadcast would ntion it and her mother could notice," Kitahara agreed with a smile.

The two chatted casually about Oguri as the race got ready to start.

Guided by the staff, the debuting horse girls entered their respective gates.

At that mont, a confident voice spoke beside Kitahara:

"She's quite exceptional, so although I'm sorry, Kitahara, today I'll win this race."

It was Shibasaki, and "she" naturally referred to Fujimasa March.

Kitahara, still focused on Oguri entering the track, looked up. Shibasaki turned and smiled after a mont:

"You're right."

"But the exceptional racing instinct, incredible flexibility, knees with a huge range of motion, ultra-low center of gravity running posture minimizing wind resistance, specially strengthened ankles for sand tracks, astonishing appetite that guarantees stamina, specially devised race tactics for this competition, a mind free from distraction except running and thoughts of her mother… and the hair ornant she wore for the presentation—"

"That is Oguri Cap."

"You don't need to understand everything I just said. Just rember the na. And when you think of her, quietly say one word in your mind—that word is…"

"Cap Gate."

Kitahara's declaration fell in silence around him.

After a long mont:

"Uh… I didn't really understand what you said, Kitahara, but…" Shibasaki rubbed her forehead and smiled awkwardly, "That's confident. Let's wait and see."

At that mont…

"All horse girls are ready! The 800-ter sand track rookie race is about to begin…"

"Start!"

"The gates are open! Go!!"

Even though the racetrack was humble, the announcer's professionalism was solid. His energetic comntary could stir up the audience.

Thus, though most seats were empty, cheers erupted as the race began.

Especially when the broadcast entered the actual race comntary:

"In the lead is No. 3, the southern female horse! Praised by trainer Yan as outstanding! This debut race is expected to be spectacular!"

"Following closely is No. 6, Fuji Road Dance. Although only fifth in popularity, she shows incredible montum! Can she maintain it to the finish? We'll wait and see!"

"The most popular, No. 1, Fujimasa March, is in third. Is this a tactic? Planning to decide the outco in the final turn? So exciting!"

Then, both the comntary and crowd erupted in astonishnt:

"Heavens! No. 5, Oguri Cap! She lagged at the start!"

"She's in last place!"

…Damn it. Another classic local race start blunder from another world… Oguri, don't replicate that here!

Seeing Oguri fall behind at the start, Kitahara covered his face, silently cursing while his blood pressure rose.