Nakayama, 2000 ters, the Satsuki Sho. The first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, a gathering of talents.
"The fan favorite, Number 6, jiro McQueen..."
Just from her entrance, the entire venue erupted in fervent cheers.
This was the popularity she had gained from winning a GI race right after her debut.
Winning a GI right after debuting—this was practically the birth of another legend.
When the fans saw jiro McQueen register for the Satsuki Sho, they all knew she was planning to compete for the Triple Crown honor.
On the track, jiro McQueen was sizing up her fated rival—Tokai Teio. Although Teio had only just debuted, McQueen felt that Teio's physical abilities were probably not much worse than her own. A true genius, indeed.
Tokai Teio, who was in the middle of her "Teio Step" warm-up dance, noticed her gaze and shot her a challenging smile. "I will win this race."
"..."
jiro McQueen turned her head away. This level of provocation didn't faze her in the slightest.
Want to win?
Then try and catch in the race.
Seeing jiro McQueen's reaction, Tokai Teio didn't approach.
Because she was paying close attention to this 'rival', she had already investigated jiro McQueen's personal info beforehand.
She knew exactly what she had to do to make jiro McQueen look her way.
That was, in the race—to surpass McQueen, fair and square!
While Tokai Teio was watching jiro McQueen intently, several other horse girls were watching both of them.
As the two brightest geniuses of this era, it was hard not to pay attention to them.
In their eyes, jiro McQueen and Tokai Teio were the sa: geniuses born with a natural 'leg quality'.
jiro McQueen's brilliant footwork and Tokai Teio's Teio Step were, in their view, the sa kind of thing.
In reality, they weren't far off.
It was just that jiro McQueen possessed multiple skills.
Whereas Tokai Teio only had her Teio Step.
...
As the warm-up ti ended, the horse girls began to enter the gates.
The countdown began. Three, two, one!
The horse girls completed their start.
jiro McQueen, as always, ran at the very front.
Because her start was so fast with the boost from her skills, the other horse girls simply couldn't stop her escape.
Seiun Sky was a step behind, her expression not looking good.
She had originally planned to fight McQueen for the lead position.
She felt that if jiro McQueen took the lead in this race, it would be very bad. From watching the recordings of McQueen's previous two races, McQueen's running style was always to use a Great Escape at the start to open a huge gap, then recover stamina in the middle leg, and finally unleash a terrifying burst of speed in the final leg.
Therefore, to stop McQueen's Great Escape, it was best to break her rhythm right at the start.
But after actually trying it, Seiun Sky realized how difficult that was.
'Is this starting speed sothing a horse girl can even achieve?'
When the runners behind saw that Seiun Sky had failed to break jiro McQueen's rhythm, their expressions all changed.
Seeing that jiro McQueen was planning to pull a huge gap again, all the runners chose to accelerate in unison.
They absolutely could not let jiro McQueen open up a huge lead at the start like in her previous races!
Because once they let her escape, it would be extrely difficult to catch her later.
It might seem like there was a chance in the middle leg, but a 2000-ter track was simply too short for jiro McQueen!
'Everyone is so tense.'
Tokai Teio, following in the middle of the pack, silently observed the other runners' conditions. It was clear that McQueen was putting a lot of pressure on all of them.
"Currently
in the lead is Number 6, jiro McQueen. The runners behind seem to be affected by Number 6's pace."
"In second place is Number 3, Seiun Sky. She is currently six horse lengths behind the leader..."
"Number 11, Biwa Hayahide, Number 1, Tokai Teio..."
...
Passing through the corner.
jiro McQueen frowned.
The lead she had built in the early stage wasn't big enough; she was a bit dissatisfied.
However, this wasn't a 3000-ter long-distance race. She didn't need to conserve too much stamina in the middle leg. In her previous races, she chose to run that way, one, because her opponents weren't strong enough, so there was no pressure, and two, to prepare for this exact situation, holding this card up her sleeve.
Reaching the middle leg, all the runners were waiting for the figure in front to slow down.
But jiro McQueen didn't slow down as much as she had in the past. Although she wasn't as fast as before, her speed was still considerable.
'How is that possible?!'
The runners behind were all stunned.
Even Tokai Teio, who had been prepared for this, was a bit dumbfounded at this mont.
Her original plan was to catch up in the middle leg, overtake on the second corner, and then use her final burst to shake McQueen off.
But now, if she didn't use her burst, she had no way of catching up to McQueen in the middle leg.
'Damn it!'
A blue light flashed in Seiun Sky's eyes up ahead. She decisively used a skill and gave chase.
Although jiro McQueen's performance had exceeded her expectations, her intuition told her that her only remaining chance to win was at this very mont!
jiro McQueen felt the pressure from behind.
Seiun Sky's burst was unexpected, but she wasn't surprised that Seiun Sky had skills.
'It's too late.'
Entering the final corner, jiro McQueen activated her skill, and her speed began to increase.
When Seiun Sky saw the slipstream appearing around McQueen, she could no longer remain calm.
No!
She had to catch up on this corner!
"Guwaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Aaaaaaaaah—" x2
Seiun Sky watched in shock as the two people overtook her, her voice catching in her throat.
Biwa Hayahide and Tokai Teio had both unleashed their own slipstreams, instantly passing Seiun Sky and chasing after jiro McQueen's back.
Ten horse lengths!
Seven horse lengths!
Three horse lengths!
The two of them were practically bursting with potential at this mont, and the slipstreams around them were the best proof.
The comntator shouted excitedly: "Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio! Biwa Hayahide! Biwa Hayahide! They're catching up! They are catching up!"
jiro McQueen heard the broadcast and couldn't help but grit her teeth.
Damn it, as expected, having only one skill isn't reliable enough.
Although her "Last Spurt" skill could activate as long as she was in the front group, not just in first, she had no intention of giving up the lead!
Besides, if Tokai Teio and the others could unleash this skill-like acceleration through sheer willpower, was she, jiro McQueen, incapable of doing the sa?
At this thought, jiro McQueen's gaze turned even colder.
A deep purple fla flickered in her left eye.
In the stands, so of the horse girls seed to sense sothing.
Bang!
With the sound of a slipstream exploding, jiro McQueen's speed increased once again.
The pure white figure seed to leave an afterimage, and in the blink of an eye, she had opened a one-horse-length gap on the two behind her.
"!"
Tokai Teio's expression faltered for an instant. Her foot almost missed a step, and she was imdiately overtaken by Biwa Hayahide.
But after only a mont's distraction, she slamd her foot back down on the ground and burst into a third stage of acceleration!
Tokai Teio, re-ignited!
At this mont, a crimson fla seed to appear in her slipstream.
Spurred on by her fated rival, jiro McQueen, Tokai Teio's potential had blossod early in this race.
...
In the premium spectator box.
Symboli Rudolf watched Teio's figure, her expression not looking so good.
Tokai Teio had not touched the threshold of the ZONE.
But the way she was overdrafting her potential now was no different from having opened the ZONE.
And what Tokai Teio was doing now was even more life-threatening than actually entering the ZONE.
But at this mont, Symboli Rudolf couldn't do anything for Tokai Teio, except pull out her phone and call the dical team.
...
On the track, Biwa Hayahide just felt that the two people in front of her were monsters, each one more ridiculous than the last!
She wasn't surprised by McQueen's burst; after all, McQueen's track record was right there.
In the previous GI race, McQueen's performance was just as strong.
But Tokai Teio's burst was just too strange.
She had clearly sensed that Teio was about to falter, and Teio had even made a mistake. How on earth was she able to burst again?
...
Although jiro McQueen had unconsciously touched the threshold of the ZONE.
Right now, she hadn't even touched the door, let alone opened it. So, her current burst was completely incomparable to the burning Tokai Teio.
The heat coming from behind her almost made jiro McQueen's expression twist. Tokai Teio's performance had shocked her.
'Don't even think about it!'
Seeing the exit of the corner
ahead, jiro McQueen erupted with a deep purple slipstream and instantly charged through.
But behind her, Tokai Teio's crimson fla slipstream was far more intense than her deep purple one.
Tokai Teio closed the gap to half a horse length.
They were now just two or three steps away from the corner's exit.
If Tokai Teio were to pass jiro McQueen at this mont, McQueen wouldn't have much confidence in overtaking Teio in this state.
But Tokai Teio was, in the end, just one or two steps too short.
jiro McQueen maintained her lead as she passed through the corner.
A brilliant light shone from beneath her feet. White light wrapped around her body, and in that instant, she shot out like a bullet.
'Victory belongs to !'
In the blink of an eye, one horse length! Three horse lengths! Five horse lengths!
jiro McQueen was still accelerating!
In the final 200-ter straight, in just a brief mont, the distance that Tokai Teio had fought so hard to close was opened up again.
And that distance was still growing with jiro McQueen's acceleration!
...Until she reached the finish line.
"She crosses the line!"
"The one to conquer the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown is jiro McQueen! What an exciting race! Let's congratulate her!"
"Crossing the line right after is Tokai Teio!"
"The race is over!"
jiro McQueen, having stopped, turned around and looked at Tokai Teio, whose face was a little pale but who was still forcing herself to wave to the crowd.
"Hmph!"
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