The howling gale slapped against her cheeks.
At such a breakneck pace, the sheer friction of the wind brought a sting of pain even to the sturdy constitution of an Uma Musume.
Silence Suzuka, however, didn't give the sensation a second thought.
In this moment, she had forgotten this was a G1 race.
She had forgotten the other competitors breathing down her neck.
She was simply, utterly immersed in the bliss of being the lone front-runner.
It felt as if the entire Tokyo Racecourse existed for her and her alone.
After the summer training camp, her time with Special Week, and the grueling sessions with everyone in Team Spica, she was in peak condition.
Her recent victory in the G2 Mainichi Okan had sharpened her form to a razor's edge. In fact, she felt better now than she ever had in her life.
I can go even faster, she thought.
As the idea took root, her legs surged with newfound power, driving her forward.
Behind her, the chasing pack—Nice Nature included—felt a cold wave of true despair.
Even though they had prepared themselves mentally for her speed, the gap was widening at a rate they simply couldn't bridge. Forget overtaking her; they were struggling just to keep her in their line of sight.
Beads of sweat rolled down Nice Nature's face.
Leading up to this Autumn Tenno Sho, she had trained alongside Seiun Sky and Barbatos multiple times.
She had even watched the Takarazuka Kinen from the stands. She thought she had a clear grasp of just how powerful Silence Suzuka was.
But standing on the same turf, that realization became terrifyingly vivid.
"So this is the Pegasus..."
The sheer pressure radiating from Suzuka's lead was staggering.
It was far more intense than any pressure she had felt during private practice sessions with Seiun Sky or Barbatos. It wasn't necessarily that Suzuka was "stronger" than those two, but Nature knew that training among teammates was a far cry from the life-and-death stakes of a real race.
Against an opponent who wasn't on her level, Suzuka's Great Escape wasn't just a tactic—it was a soul-crushing steamroller. It was just as overwhelming as watching Barbatos dominate a sprint.
If Barbatos was the undisputed queen of the Japanese short-distance tracks, then Silence Suzuka was the one Uma Musume who could challenge her for the throne in the middle-distance.
Stay calm, Nature. There's still a chance! she told herself. What would B-chan or Sei-chan do in this spot?
Nature racked her brain. Team Canopus held strategy meetings constantly.
Aside from Twin Turbo, their squad was made up of girls who actually used their heads during a race.
Then there was their trainer, Minamizaka.
However, for this Autumn Tenno Sho, Minamizaka hadn't offered much in the way of a complex tactical map; he had simply given her his blessing and encouragement.
After a moment, Nice Nature gave a self-deprecating smile. The fatigue in her eyes hardened into a flicker of resolve.
She could guess how Barbatos or Seiun Sky would handle Suzuka, but the problem was she didn't possess the same "tools" they did.
This wasn't a gap you could close just by thinking harder or studying race tapes. This was a raw difference in talent.
And yet!
They had set their sights on the Japan Cup to stand on the same stage as Barbatos, Seiun Sky, and the rest of the elite. Everyone in Canopus knew the distance between them and the top.
But they worked for it anyway. That was the Canopus way.
With Twin Turbo around, they might be reckless, they might be impulsive, but they would never, ever quit.
Nature's aura shifted abruptly. There was no explosive surge of pressure, no grand expansion of a Zone, but the Uma Musume running alongside her felt a sudden, heavy shift in the atmosphere.
Without even realizing it, their strides began to falter and slow.
"Silence Suzuka is all alone out front! She's passed the third corner and is fast approaching the fourth! She's about to hit the final straight!"
"Silence Suzuka is closing in on her very first G1 victory!"
As the announcer, Akasaka Misato, focused all her energy on the Great Escapee—and as the entire crowd sat mesmerized by the blur of white and green—a soft, low-pitched hum of surprise echoed through the booth.
The sound came from the guest commentator's seat.
The Uma Musume sitting there was small in stature with ash-gray hair, looking like a girl barely ten years old. However, the veterans in the crowd recognized her instantly.
This was the "White Lightning" who had once conquered both the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho, the former pride of Japan: Tamamo Cross.
"Nice Nature... not bad at all," Tamamo muttered.
Taking in the whole field, she had instantly spotted the change in Nature.
She recognized that specific style—an Uma Musume who used sheer mental fortitude to "mark" her opponents, suppressing their ability to give their all.
It wasn't a trick just anyone could learn, though it wouldn't do much against Suzuka. The gap was simply too wide for psychological pressure to bridge.
"Nice Na—"
Akasaka Misato started to turn her head, intending to shift the focus to the runners behind, when something in her peripheral vision caught her. She gasped.
"The Great Zelkova!"
"Silence Suzuka is accelerating again at the Zelkova tree!"
"She's entered the final straight!"
"She's still picking up speed?!"
Akasaka's expression was one of pure shock.
--+--
In the stands, Montjeu's face turned grim, while Treve and Dancing Brave looked as if they were staring at a monster.
To be fair, Suzuka's final "spurt" wasn't technically the fastest—plenty of G3 runners in France could produce a higher burst of acceleration—but that was only impressive if you ignored the blistering pace she had maintained from the very first second.
This girl had been "sprinting" since the starting gate opened.
How? they wondered. Why are the Japanese Uma Musume this powerful?
Despite having done their homework, the trio from France was shaken by Suzuka's sheer dominance.
A fleeting, ridiculous thought even crossed their minds: Did El Condor Pasa only go to France because she couldn't win here in Japan?
After all, Silence Suzuka wasn't even considered the "Number One" in Japan.
That title belonged to Barbatos.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Montjeu and the others regained their composure.
This level of "Great Escape" running was formidable, but it could be countered with the right strategy.
However, if they wanted to handle Suzuka, their plans for El Condor Pasa and Barbatos would need a total overhaul. Still, they weren't out of the running yet.
They had come prepared for the Japan Cup to be a high-octane slaughterhouse, and that's exactly what they were getting.
--+--
"Silence Suzuka crosses the finish line!"
"Let's congratulate Silence Suzuka! On November 1st, as the number one favorite from the number one stall, she has claimed her first G1 victory!"
"In second place is Nice Nature from Team Canopus! Though the margin was massive, her performance in her G1 debut was nothing short of brilliant!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.