The instant the gates sprang open—
Fuka Shirayuki followed the guidance of her body and surged forward.
But she didn't force it.
Her thoughts were simple—almost absurdly so.
Enter the race. Win it. That's all.
The girl slowly gathered her scattered thoughts back in.
The lake of her mind became perfectly still—no ripples, no tremors.
The future had already arrived…
From here on out… it's my era.
Fuka Shirayuki's resolute face seemed to say exactly that.
…
Inside Hanshin Racecourse—
every gaze locked onto the very front.
Onto Fuka Shirayuki.
A gemstone, fully polished—
reflecting a glassy, lapis brilliance.
In that inverted mirror-world…
enemies, spectators, commentators—
all they could see was Fuka Shirayuki's back.
Even Kyokuhou, running on the same track—
wore a stunned expression.
What the hell…?
What was going on?
She still hadn't even processed what had just happened.
All she could do was stare at that light ahead—
a brilliant meteor slicing across the turf.
And the announcer's voice turned feverish:
"Fuka Shirayuki! It's Fuka Shirayuki!"
"The nameless Cinderella has chosen the front-runner escape style again! In a single burst, she's pulled away from the pack—an empty no-man's-land is opening between her and the rest!"
"Two lengths? Three?!"
"A crack where the old era and new era overlap!"
"Is Fuka Shirayuki trying to become the next generation's Silence Suzuka—an otherworldly runaway!?"
Up in the booth, the commentary roared.
Kyokuhou finally understood.
So this was it—
Fuka Shirayuki is a pure lead-runner type.
That recognition settled into everyone's minds.
After stabilizing her rhythm, Kyokuhou began to raise the overall pace, little by little.
The steep uphill curve was like a swampy abyss, greedily swallowing stamina…
yet with each step she crossed forward, she displayed that unmatched talent and technique again—her form so elegant it looked like she was flying just above the ground.
Everything she needed to do was done.
And now—
the first corner approached.
The race officially entered its scorching, white-hot tempo.
Kyokuhou's gaze…
slowly fell onto Fuka Shirayuki's back.
Two… three lengths ahead.
Kyokuhou bit down lightly.
"Tch."
There's no room for a deathmatch at all.
How sly, Angel Classmate.
…
Kyokuhou realized there were only two possible endings now.
As for all the horse girls besides Fuka Shirayuki—
she could set them aside for the moment.
Kyokuhou didn't believe any of them had the right to steal the crown in their duel.
The most likely outcome was this:
Fuka Shirayuki would finally slow, and Kyokuhou would take the Challenge Cup with her finishing kick.
And the other answer was…
Fuka Shirayuki wouldn't slow at all.
Considering the special nature of this course, Kyokuhou lowered her head, thinking—
If that happens…
then no matter how hard she explodes at the end, she still won't catch her.
So what now?
Do you gamble on Fuka Shirayuki losing speed?
No one can run this course without slowing down.
This Challenge Cup track is made to break you—
unless you're really going to stand there and tell Kyokuhou that Fuka Shirayuki is the next Seiun Sky, the next Maruzensky—
or even one of those absolute apex monsters.
Bottomless stamina. Bottomless endurance. Bottomless grit.
Even their "spirit" burns like a raging furnace.
Even if the Challenge Cup is "only" 2000 meters—
everyone reaches the same conclusion:
this course demands endurance.
Kyokuhou lowered her head.
She chose the gamble.
She bet on Fuka Shirayuki slowing down.
…
Even the Emperor up in the stands did the same.
Symboli Rudolf sat in the crowd, deep in thought.
Escape?
Rudolf realized it was a smart choice.
Right now, Fuka Shirayuki's biggest weakness was lack of training and refined technique.
Sometimes, she could only bulldoze problems with raw stats.
So the escape style fit her perfectly—
no need to juggle a thousand things.
No need to calculate pacing.
No need to plan a finishing burst.
Just maintain the advantage.
And now that Rudolf thought about it…
when Fuka Shirayuki defeated Tokai Teio, hadn't she used the same style?
"She looks kind of spaced out…" Rudolf murmured, full of awe. "But she's actually really smart."
Perfectly playing to her strengths while covering her weaknesses.
No trainer—yet she had combat IQ.
Beside Rudolf, Hayakawa Tazuna nodded gently in agreement.
But—
the same doubt rising in Kyokuhou's chest
also rose in the Emperor's.
As an insider, as a stronger horse girl—
Rudolf understood even more sharply that Kyokuhou's logic was correct.
In fact, Rudolf's view was even more extreme.
Fuka Shirayuki choosing escape on Hanshin's special 2000m track—
was that really okay?
The question returned.
Because…
Rudolf stared at that steep incline and fell into thought again.
Even though this wasn't Kyoto Racecourse,
even though it didn't have the despair of Yodo Hill—
that endless uphill that tests endurance to the breaking point—
still…
the moment you see the Challenge Cup's 2000m layout,
you know the course is unfriendly.
Because the first corner comes with a sharply rising slope.
A corner combined with an uphill.
It demands endurance.
Sure, it's "only" the first corner.
No horse girl is going to lose speed after just 200 meters.
The truly critical point is the final straight.
After circling the entire Hanshin course and clearing the fourth corner—
the moment that finishing straight opens in front of you…
that desperate, brutal uphill returns again.
You must sprint up the slope again.
Twice in one race.
Twice at high speed.
By the final straight, any horse girl lacking endurance will get swallowed—
passed cleanly by the ones who saved strength, who still have a finishing kick.
That straight is where disasters happen.
There's a saying:
The mountain looks close. Run it and you die.
The Challenge Cup really does filter out those with weak stamina.
Even in the game,
the demanded stat is the same:
Stamina.
And—
Rudolf remembered—
last time Fuka Shirayuki beat Tokai Teio, it was 1600 meters.
She didn't slow down then, but middle-distance and mile races are different worlds.
In the world of horse girls,
even an extra 100 meters can flip the answer upside down.
"Haa…"
Slowly, Rudolf let out a long breath.
But Fuka Shirayuki had already chosen escape.
There wasn't much Rudolf could say now.
Still—
without realizing it,
Rudolf's fingers tightened hard around the railing,
and worry-sweat bloomed in her palm.
Can you do it?
Fuka Shirayuki!?
—
Back to the track.
The pack thundered through the first corner.
Clearly, the slope and curve hadn't taken their toll yet.
Not even on Fuka Shirayuki at the very front.
Her breathing was quiet.
Her rhythm was stable.
She ran so steady she felt like a wooden statue—heavy, calm, unshakable.
The race's tempo continued rising, sharper, hotter, more vicious.
"We're approaching the halfway marker—1000 meters!"
The announcer kept chattering:
"So far, nothing noteworthy has happened."
"No one is chasing Fuka Shirayuki… Looks like the group behind is betting the runaway Cinderella will slow down!"
"Second place is Kyokuhou!"
"But the distance between Fuka Shirayuki and Kyokuhou has slowly widened—now it's five lengths!"
They crossed the halfway line.
Horseshoes struck like thunder, echoing through the stadium.
When they rounded another bend and came back alongside the stands, the crowd's roar surged again.
"Go, Kyokuhou! Avenge Tokai Teio!"
"Beat Fuka Shirayuki—just like you said in that interview!"
"Ten thousand years is too long—seize the day! Don't let Fuka Shirayuki take the crown! I don't wanna see it!"
"Can she write the Cinderella script again—Fuka Shirayuki!?"
"High monk prediction: the first horse girl to cross the line wins the Challenge Cup!"
Cheers and jeers crashed across the racecourse.
Now—
Kyokuhou in second place stared at Fuka Shirayuki ahead—
steady as a robot, stable like a machine.
To be honest…
sweat was already running down Kyokuhou's forehead.
She suddenly found herself wondering:
How did the Lady ever beat Fuka Shirayuki?
After thinking it through,
Kyokuhou had chosen to let Fuka Shirayuki run free in front.
That was why the gap had grown to five lengths.
Sounds outrageous—
but it was actually normal.
In the Tenno Sho (Autumn), a frontrunner can open ten-plus lengths—
and still get caught by a late kick.
A frontrunner's finishing kick being weak is almost an iron law.
And sometimes, when their stamina empties,
they even "reverse-rocket"—
from a hilariously exaggerated first place
to dead last in an instant.
Yes, we're talking about that one idiot who always brainlessly guns it—
Twin Turbo.
But—
a creeping sense of danger started coiling in Kyokuhou's chest.
She had to breathe over and over, forcing her mind to stay calm.
Still, thoughts she couldn't shake kept winding around her brain.
Does Fuka Shirayuki really have no finishing kick?
Is she really going to slow down?
No answer yet…
The question just sat there again, right in front of Kyokuhou—
asking her:
Was she really going to bet the championship
on someone else's mistake?
Betting on Fuka Shirayuki slowing down!?
Kyokuhou inhaled again.
She truly didn't understand—
Fuka Shirayuki was "just running normally,"
so why did the pressure feel this suffocating?
What the hell…
Kyokuhou—
inside your sportswear, is that sweat?
Or is it piss!?
And then Kyokuhou understood something.
Even if the whole world knows Fuka Shirayuki will slow down on the final straight—
even if it's ninety-nine percent certain—
what if this race…
is that one percent?
Kyokuhou—
would never allow herself to win a championship because someone else messed up.
Even the Lady can beat this enemy—
so if Kyokuhou takes the field, shouldn't it be easy!?
Emotion she could no longer suppress flooded her like an overflowing lake.
1200 meters…
1300…
The Challenge Cup was approaching the endgame.
Up front, Fuka Shirayuki kept running calmly.
She had no idea Kyokuhou was gambling with her inside a mental battlefield.
The scenery Fuka chased—
was a world with no one ahead.
And—
Kyokuhou stopped hesitating.
She closed her eyes slowly.
When she opened them again—
within those gradient violet-blue eyes spread both stillness and flame.
Then…
come on.
Angel Classmate.
I'm going to catch you before the final straight.
And when I do—
let's give them a finishing-kick deathmatch that makes the crowd scream.
In that moment, Kyokuhou suddenly understood:
If Fuka Shirayuki were truly going to slow down,
she wouldn't have lent those magical shoes to someone else.
She wouldn't have climbed upward with Tokai Teio as her stepping-stone.
She didn't fear any enemy coming to snipe her—
what she enjoyed…
was only a spectacular race.
I just hope—
I can dance with you to a perfect answer.
If you want to blame someone, blame yourself, Master!
Master—
you taught me too well!!!
Kyokuhou threw away all thought.
Her remaining stamina screamed that she could still endure.
The desire to run—long suppressed—finally broke soil, sprouted, took root.
Now she handed herself to instinct.
She only wanted to burn everything—
before the fourth corner.
Instinct racing?
No—
Best racing!!!
"Kyokuhou—Kyokuhou is making her move!"
"Kyokuhou is going early before the fourth corner—she's starting her sprint now!"
"Is she trying to recreate Gold Artisan's story—moving before the final straight, running alone into the finishing stretch, letting the snow-country flower bloom!?"
"But—there's an enemy she can't go around!"
"Fuka Shirayuki…!"
"Are the two about to clash in a deathmatch?!"
"The pack behind is accelerating too—this Challenge Cup is about to bloom and bear fruit!"
Kyokuhou—
fully committed.
She accelerated into a true sprint.
Five lengths?
The girl wore a confident smile.
Once Kyokuhou makes her move, everything will be fine!!!
She had a past she couldn't bear to revisit.
A rival she couldn't defeat no matter how many times she challenged.
All of it—
all the bitterness—
was for one purpose:
to bloom into a result through effort.
Now…
this was the moment the iris flower would bloom.
Kyokuhou subtly slowed—just a hair.
[Unique Skill: Queen's Rebirth / Phoenix Queen]
[Opponent behind closing in… Condition met!]
[Instantly increases current speed. Slightly restores stamina and endurance. Burns grit!]
Iris blossoms erupted beneath Kyokuhou's feet.
Where she ran, a sea of flowers followed.
Die!
She lifted her chin proudly and locked onto the back ahead—
Fuka Shirayuki!
People are people, things are things!
Even if you're my Angel Classmate—
I'm still going to kick you to death in this Challenge Cup!!!
…
"?"
"Huh?"
Even while sprinting forward—
Kyokuhou could feel it.
The distance to that back ahead…
wasn't shrinking.
It was… getting farther?
Okay, maybe that's exaggerating—
but wait.
Wait, what!?
Why is there a chasm I can't cross!?
Kyokuhou froze.
This was already her fastest full-power burst outside of the finishing kick—
hotter than Shining Tiga's form, practically steaming.
And even so—
even if she clenched hard enough to crack her teeth,
even if blood began to leak that metallic taste into her mouth…
she still couldn't overcome the monster ahead—
Fuka Shirayuki!?
To be fair…
the distance did close.
Five lengths became three.
But that was it.
Besides getting a little closer—
she gained nothing.
And—
once she got closer, Kyokuhou could sense it clearly:
Fuka Shirayuki wasn't straining at all.
Not even a little.
Is this real?
If you want to call Fuka Shirayuki a "suicidal frontrunner," that's just wrong.
Where's the suicide?
Kyokuhou didn't see any.
Instead, it was—
like cruise control.
What the hell…
What kind of super horse girl is this!?
If the spectators couldn't sense it, fine.
But Kyokuhou was chasing her directly—
how could she not sense it!?
Kyokuhou refused to believe it.
You can run away that well?
The fourth corner is right there.
The final straight with that uphill is right there!
If Fuka Shirayuki truly escapes the entire race—
then Kyokuhou will admit defeat.
But—
Kyokuhou thought—
Fuka Shirayuki has to slow down.
Maintaining this speed for the full race and still winning?
Call it cruise control all you want—
this is a galactic battleship launching.
Not just the Challenge Cup—
with this strength, she could win a G1.
What kind of galaxy battleship is this!?
What did you say!?
The battleship's roar is too loud!!!
Fuka Shirayuki can't hear you.
And it wasn't just that she couldn't hear.
She couldn't even notice what the other horse girls were doing right now.
Her eyes contained only the empty track ahead—
a world where no one stood in front of her.
Fuka Shirayuki's thoughts were painfully simple.
Only one thing existed:
the resolve to run forward.
The girl thought—
Didn't I say it before?
You fight for your dreams. That's good.
Every dream is a shining guiding star.
But me?
I fight to survive.
Carrying everything—
I will not lose.
Fuka Shirayuki adjusted her center of gravity slightly, slipping through the fourth corner in a clean, controlled line.
The last corner.
After this—
the final straight.
Kyokuhou entered the turn behind her, expression sinking, preparing for her final burst.
Everything—
would end in the final thirty seconds.
And faster than the world itself—
was that white-haired silhouette.
Fuka Shirayuki began her sprint early.
A gemstone, fully polished—
reflecting a glassy, lapis brilliance.
It felt like Christmas snow was already falling ahead of time.
In Tokyo, a cathedral's choir girls in white dresses stood in the light.
The top horse girls who would run the Arima Kinen would race thirteen days from now.
Before those thirteen days—
this was the gap where eras overlapped.
A rookie Fuka Shirayuki.
And Kyokuhou.
There was a distant, unbridgeable difference in strength—
and an even greater gulf in fandom.
But this—
was exactly what Fuka Shirayuki wanted to prove.
She wanted to tell everyone:
The brightest horse girl of the next era has already arrived!!!
Next year at this time—
she'll have the right to stand on the Arima Kinen track.
I'm right here.
Come on.
Fuka Shirayuki thought—
Become my fans.
Witness a girl shouldering her family's burden.
Witness her bloom into a youthful flower.
Witness her win every race she enters—
surpass every horse girl with a name—
surpass humanity—
become a god.
Starting with—
this Challenge Cup victory!!!!
....
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