The next day...
As the afternoon sun hung high above the academy, a gentle breeze swept through the grass.
And the track was alive with activity, students trained while the trainers observed.
Conversations echoed throughout the field.
Until, suddenly—
A series of thunderous footsteps shattered the atmosphere.
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
*Thud!*
Dirt exploded behind every stride, and a lone runner charged across the course.
And it was none other than King Halo.
Her body leaned forward aggressively while her breathing remained controlled.
Yet her face—
Her face carried an unmistakable bitterness.
Her teeth were clenched, and her eyes burned with frustration.
As though she were chasing something.
Or perhaps...
...Someone.
In front of her eyes, a memory replayed vividly.
Far ahead of her were two silhouettes.
And they were charging ahead at warp speed.
As though they belonged to an entirely different league.
Every time she tried to close the gap, the distance remained.
Every time she pushed harder, they simply stayed ahead.
Leaving her completely behind.
And those two figures...
Those monsters of speed...
Were none other than Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa.
The same friendly match from a few days ago.
The same race that had shattered the image she held of herself.
All her confidence, all her pride, and all those declarations of being first-rate...
There were always still those standing far above her.
And that realization lacerated her more than anything else...
...
...
...
Meanwhile, behind her, another voice continued calling out.
"King...!"
"King, you're... you're going too fast...!"
And it was Haru Urara.
The self-proclaimed advocate of group training.
According to her, training together was always better than training alone.
At least, that was what she had enthusiastically declared before somehow inserting herself into King's training session once again.
Unfortunately for Urara, despite all her abilities...
King wasn't listening.
Not even a little.
Instead, she remained consumed by the memory replaying inside her head.
That race.
That humiliating race.
The sight of those two figures ahead of her.
Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa.
How she chased them, pushed harder.
Forced every ounce of speed from her body.
Yet no matter what she did—
She couldn't catch them.
Not even close.
Despite the gap, when they crossed the finish line wasn't enormous.
Yet it felt insurmountable for her.
Because for the first time in a long while...
King had given everything she had.
And it still wasn't enough.
With that, the memory gnawed at her.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Meanwhile, far away at the sidelines, another person watched her.
It was Yuiji with his notebook resting under his arm.
Concern spread across his face.
"King..." he muttered quietly.
Watching her push herself harder than usual.
Watching her run as if she were trying to outrun something.
And naturally...
He remembered all as well.
The day it all happened.
The day Urara forgot to bring her training clothes.
The day an innocent suggestion somehow became a race.
The day the three of them stood together on the track.
And the day King Halo learned just how high the wall before her truly was...
...
...
...
A few days ago...
The evening sun cast long shadows across the training grounds.
And beside it stood three runners preparing for their friendly race.
Grass Wonder stretched her legs calmly while El Condor Pasa bounced in place enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, King Halo conducted her warm-up, too, nearby.
Or at least, she appeared to be warming up.
In reality, she was busy observing her opponents.
A smug smile formed on her face.
"Another two victims."
She folded her arms.
"Ready to challenge the one and only first-rated Umamusume, King Halo."
Her smile widened.
"What a shame."
"I don't feel particularly charitable today."
Her gaze shifted toward Grass and El.
"Soon enough, they will come to understand the true extent of my capabilities."
Then—
She laughed.
"Oh ho ho ho ho!"
The sudden outburst caused everyone nearby to turn toward her.
Grass blinked while El tilted her head.
Even Yuiji looked over from the sidelines.
There, King elegantly placed a hand against her chest.
"My, I sincerely hope you two intend to give me your absolute best."
She then pointed dramatically toward them.
"Because I have no intention of treating this race lightly."
"After all, I, the first-rated Umamusume, approach every challenge with utmost sincerity!"
At that, Grass smiled gently.
"Don't worry, King."
"We'll do our best, too."
And El immediately followed.
"Sí, my friend!"
"I'll also give everything I've got!"
"Excellent," King nodded in satisfaction.
With that, she gracefully walked toward the starting line.
The others followed shortly behind.
As she took her position, King glanced over her shoulder.
"But understand this."
She lowered herself into her stance.
"I'm prepared to win," she smirked.
"At any cost."
Not long after, Grass also joined her at the starting line.
"That's good to hear," she said with a gentle smile.
"Of course we're here to win!" El Condor Pasa also added enthusiastically as she pumped her fist into the air.
"After all, winners never quit!"
With that, the trio took their positions.
Each stood at the starting line, their gaze ready.
And each intended to give everything they had.
But, for a moment...
Silence spread across the track while the three runners remained crouched.
They were ready, waiting even.
Yet nothing happened.
There was no signal, no announcement.
No one to start the race.
Only after several seconds had passed did King's eye twitch.
Slowly, she turned toward the sidelines.
"Trainer."
"Would you mind counting us in?"
Only then did Yuiji realize the problem.
"R-Right!"
He immediately fumbled forward.
"Sorry!"
Rushing toward the starting area while nearly tripping over his own feet.
Meanwhile, Urara bounced excitedly nearby.
"Whoa!"
"This is so exciting!"
"Do your best, everyone!" She cheered.
Finally, Yuiji arrived as he placed the whistle in his mouth.
He then took a deep breath, raising his hand.
"On your mark, runners!"
Instantly—
The three competitors tensed.
With three of them lowered themself, their expression sharpened.
El's playful demeanor also vanished.
Meanwhile, Urara continued cheering from the sidelines.
"Go, King!"
"Go, Grass-chan!"
"Go, El-chan!"
"Go, everyone!"
At the same time, Yuiji continued.
"Get set!"
"And...!"
Their breath hitched as their heartbeat pounded.
But before they could get any more nervous.
"GO!"
*BOOM!*
The track exploded beneath them.
Three figures launched forward simultaneously, followed by a gust of wind that exploded.
The shockwave rushed across the field.
Sending dust flying and nearly pushing the spectators back.
"Whoa!"
Urara staggered for half a second.
Then immediately recovered and dashed up against the fence while leaning forward.
"They're so fast!" Her eyes lit up.
"This is awesome!"
Meanwhile, Yuiji needed a moment to regain his footing.
Once he steadied himself, he quickly turned his attention back toward the race, too.
And instantly, his eyes also widened.
"They..."
"They really do...!"
Out on the track, the three runners were nearly aligned perfectly.
At the front was King Halo.
Following her experience in the Trial Race, she had decided she would not leave anything to chance.
No traffic, no crowding, and no risk of misjudging the final stretch.
This time, she would control the race herself.
So she took the lead immediately.
"I..."
A smile crept onto her face.
"I'm in front!"
"As long as I keep this pace, I should be—"
Suddenly—
She felt a presence right behind her.
And it was close.
Far too close.
"What the—?!"
King's eyes widened.
She glanced over her shoulder for the briefest moment.
And immediately saw El Condor Pasa.
Practically glued to her.
Maintaining the distance so effortlessly.
Meanwhile, a little farther back was Grass Wonder.
Yet despite the gap—
She wasn't falling behind.
Not even slightly.
She was simply matching their speed from a comfortable distance.
And that realization sent a chill through King.
"Their...!"
Her breathing hitched.
"Their pacing is surprisingly good!"
She then increased her speed.
And the response was immediate.
El accelerated with her while Grass accelerated too.
Every time King pushed harder.
They followed.
Again.
And again.
And again.
No matter what she did—
She couldn't shake them off.
She couldn't create any meaningful distance.
And for the first time since the race began, doubts began creeping into her mind.
Meanwhile, from the sidelines, Yuiji also watched with concern.
His finger nervously rested against his lips.
"Those two..."
His eyes followed El and Grass.
"Their fundamentals are incredible."
Even from this distance, he could tell.
"Their movements were efficient."
"Their pacing was precise."
And most importantly—
Neither of them looked remotely strained.
"They're good..."
He swallowed.
Then corrected himself.
"No..."
His eyes narrowed.
"They're really good."
"I know, right?"
Yuiji nearly jumped and turned, seeing Urara standing beside him.
"When I met them," Urara continued cheerfully, "I heard from other people that they're really strong racers!"
She pointed toward the track.
"Like, really, really strong!"
Yuiji then glanced back at Grass and El while Urara continued.
"Apparently, they were scouted by one of the strongest teams, too!"
Urara suddenly froze.
Her finger pressed against her chin.
Her brows furrowed.
"Team..."
She muttered.
"Team..."
Trying desperately to remember.
"They were scouted?!" Yuiji exclaimed as his eyes widened further.
"That explains it!"
He turned back toward the race.
"That's why their fundamentals are so polished!"
"That's why they're this good!"
"As if they came from...!"
"OH!"
Urara also suddenly shouted.
Remembering at last.
"They were from...!"
At the exact same moment—
Both of them spoke together.
"Rigil!"
At that, Yuiji's concern grew even further.
He began fidgeting nervously.
His eyes remained glued to the race.
"That's bad..."
He swallowed.
"That's really BAD!"
Meanwhile, Urara simply tilted her head.
"Why?"
"Because...!"
Yuiji pointed toward the track.
"If King Halo finds out!"
"If she realizes she isn't..."
"...as good as she thought she was..."
"Her motivation could plummet!"
"And that'll be terrible for us!"
Urara then immediately interrupted, "Not really!"
Yuiji blinked.
"Huh?"
"I don't think King would give up that easily."
"Even if she loses, she'll keep going!"
"After all, King's a first-rated Umamusume!"
Yuiji paused.
"First-rated...?"
Urara nodded vigorously.
"Yep!"
"Even though I don't really know what it means!"
With that response, Yuiji nearly stumbled.
"Then why do you say it?"
"Because King says it all the time!" Urara replied proudly.
"But I know one thing!"
She turned back to King on the track.
"I know she won't stop until she wins."
"No matter how many times she loses."
"No matter how hard it gets."
Her smile widened.
"That's just who she is."
"And that's..."
"...King!"
At that, Yuiji fell silent.
For a moment, he simply stared at the pink-haired girl.
Then he slowly turned back toward the race.
On the track, the runners were approaching the final turn.
They were closing in on the decisive moment.
The final stretch.
And the instant they entered the curve...
Something clicked.
El Condor Pasa's eyes, fixed on the runner ahead, instantly began to glint.
Grass Wonder lowered her posture even further.
Their bodies tensed at the same time, like predators finally spotting the perfect opening.
Meanwhile, King remained in front.
Still trying to keep her lead
To keep pushing.
To keep fighting to maintain the advantage she had built.
But then—
A chill ran down her spine.
An instinctive warning.
A sense of danger that she couldn't explain.
Yet she couldn't ignore.
It felt as though something monstrous was lurking directly behind her.
Like two beasts had locked onto their prey.
Ready to strike.
Ready to consume everything standing before them.
Ready to...
...devour her.
Before she could fully comprehend what was happening...
The world seemed to slow as the wind faded.
The pounding of her footsteps dulled.
Before she knew it—
*WHOOSH!*
Two silhouettes shot past her shoulders.
They were so close she could almost feel the rush of air they left behind.
There, King's eyes widened.
"Wh—!"
"What...?!"
For a split second, she faltered, watching them surge ahead with ease.
"No...!"
"No way...!"
She muttered in disbelief.
As Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa continuously blasted forward without mercy.
The true monsters of the race had finally revealed themselves.
Before King could catch up, the distance grew.
Wider, and wider.
Every stride they took seemed to tear the gap even further apart.
With that, King gritted her teeth.
"Damn it...!"
Her legs pushed harder.
"Damn it!"
Her muscles screamed.
At the moment, King also tried to unleash everything she had left.
Every ounce of speed.
Every bit of acceleration.
Every fragment of determination.
But no matter how much she gave—
It still wasn't enough.
She just couldn't...
...close the gap...
And for the first time—
A harsh realization dawned upon King.
She couldn't catch them.
She simply—
Couldn't.
Catch...
...up.
It felt absurd.
Too absurd that as though she were chasing two cheetahs with her bare feet.
No matter how desperately she ran.
No matter how fiercely she fought.
The answer remained the same.
They were faster.
Then—
Before she could close the distance.
Before she could even think of reaching them.
The world went silent.
The air tensed.
And...
A runner crossed the finish line with another, followed closely by.
With that...
The race was over...
And the victory had been taken.
Stolen from right before her eyes.
For the first time since entering Tracen Academy...
For the first time since declaring herself a first-rated Umamusume...
King Halo felt it.
That crushing weight, that bitter sting.
That unbearable truth that she had just...
...lost...