December's icy wind swept through Central Tracen Academy, and across the entire Far East archipelago.
With Christmas approaching, the shops lining the streets had already put up their holiday decorations.
Christmas trees. Santa hats. Festive displays of every kind, adding an extra layer of cheer to the season.
But it was not just Christmas that was on everyone's mind.
At major stations, plazas, and storefront entrances, one exquisitely designed, grandiose poster after another drew the eye.
The annual climax of the Twinkle Series: the Arima Kinen fan vote campaign posters.
For Central's horse girl fans, the Arima Kinen was not simply a G1.
It was more like a year-end festival, the final curtain call for an entire year of fierce, exhilarating races.
Countless fans, carrying their hopes and devotion, cast their votes toward the name they dreamed of seeing at the top.
Yet the day before voting even opened, a bombshell exploded across the scene.
[Overseas G1 Triple Crown dominator: Oguri Cap announces she will not compete in this year's Arima Kinen.]
The news hit like a bucket of freezing water, instantly dousing the excitement that had just begun to flare.
"Huh? Why?!"
"Oguri Cap just came back from overseas, didn't she? She should be at her peak!"
"Is she injured?"
"No way. Someone saw her wipe out an all-you-can-eat place a few days ago!"
Across the net and the forums, regret and suspicion rose in waves.
After all, Oguri's record this year had been dazzling.
That terrifying dominance overseas made everyone desperate to see the Grey Monster work another miracle on the biggest stage of all.
But Oguri's decision was not something the outside world could sway.
And what felt even stranger to sharp-nosed reporters and seasoned fans was that it wasn't just Oguri.
Within Chasing Light, those once-invincible queens of the previous era seemed, as time passed, to have fallen into an unusual silence.
Fujimasa March had officially retired last month and stepped away from the track.
Mejiro Ardan, despite having just claimed the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and completing the Spring-Autumn double, had fully switched into "taking-care-of-myself mode" after that.
Forget preparing for the Arima Kinen.
A reporter had even snapped photos of her lately, strolling leisurely down a shopping street.
That serene, gentle look on her face had none of the edge of someone about to head into battle.
"Chasing Light is changing generations," a veteran racing commentator said on a program, staring at the list in his hands, unable to hide his admiration.
As the old-era rulers stepped aside one after another, a stage that used to feel cramped suddenly opened up.
And because of that, the spotlight finally fell, unobstructed, onto the new generation that had been coiling for this moment.
After a brief lull, the fans' passion didn't fade. If anything, it surged higher as suspense returned.
With Oguri Cap and Mejiro Ardan, two mountains that had left everyone gasping for air, now absent…
This year's Arima Kinen would be a true battle royale.
On the final day of voting, a star-studded list, bristling with tension, was officially revealed.
At the very top, without question, was Mejiro McQueen.
As the standard-bearer of Chasing Light's new generation and the second undefeated Triple Crown horse girl in history, she'd already conquered the audience with her past performances.
With so many elite monsters of the previous era sitting out, she had fully cemented the "one-and-only" status. She was widely seen as the single biggest favorite.
Behind her stood countless "shadows," all eager to pull her down.
Mejiro Ryan, Haku Taisei, Eishin Flash, Bright Rock, and more all wanted to defeat McQueen head-on.
To prove themselves, once and for all.
And mixed into the list were also a few lingering "afterglows" from the old era.
Yaeno Muteki. Bamboo Memory. Veterans who had fought their way out of that god-tier brawl of a generation.
They clearly had no intention of handing the era over without a fight.
They'd been holding their breath, determined to teach these young upstarts a lesson at Nakayama Racecourse before the year ended.
…
Mejiro Training Grounds.
Winter sunlight spilled across grass that still somehow held its green, painting it with a thin wash of gold.
Then, in an instant, that gold was torn apart by a streak of purple lightning.
Thud-thud-thud!
Heavy, powerful hoofbeats hammered like war drums, rapid and relentless.
Dirt sprayed. A purple-and-white figure shot past the finish line like an arrow released from a bow.
The wind whipped up, tossing the hair of the onlookers along the rail.
"Two minutes, one point three seconds…"
At trackside, Aoi Kiryuin stared wide-eyed at the numbers on her stopwatch.
Mr. C.B. couldn't help blurting out, disbelief written all over her face.
"Two thousand meters. She didn't even fully open up, and she's still holding that pace without dropping off."
"McQueen's getting stronger and stronger lately…"
On the track, McQueen slowed to a stop, her long hair swaying as she let out a controlled breath.
Even after a two-thousand-meter endurance session, the girl's breathing barely wavered. Only a fine sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Five days…" McQueen murmured, her amethyst eyes burning with a level of fighting spirit she'd never shown before. "Just five days."
With Oguri-senpai and Ardan out of the picture, this Arima Kinen made her the unquestioned "main character."
If she was going to carry the title of the era's sole dominator, then she had to show the absolute power to rule it.
And also…
The purple-clad girl looked toward the trainers' office.
A tall, familiar silhouette was faintly visible there.
"This is my last chance this year to ask Trainer for it."
"If I miss it, then next year, even if we can take up more of Trainer's time…"
"Something like that… no. Absolutely not."
…
On the other side of the training grounds, the visual impact was simpler and far more brutal.
"Raaahhhh!"
With a young, explosive shout, a small yellow horse girl dragged a massive tire, nearly the size of a tractor, along a specially built artificial track.
The rubber screamed against the ground with a harsh squeal, carving a deep groove behind her.
Tokai Teio clenched her teeth, those lively eyes blazing with stubborn, unbreakable will.
"I'm not letting McQueen hog the spotlight all by herself!"
"I'm going to become a horse girl who surpasses the President, surpasses Oguri-senpai, and reaches the very top!"
The undefeated genius was improving at a frightening pace, far from the public eye.
(End of Chapter)
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