"Now entering the field — making her first official race appearance — is the returning student from overseas: King Halo! The audience has been eagerly awaiting this competitor's debut. Her records show that during her half-year at the academy she went undefeated across every simulated race. While she has not yet been assigned to a team, and her partnered trainer is an unknown rookie with no name to speak of, results are everything for an uma musume! Let us see whether her strength truly matches the rumors that surround her."
"Please welcome the fan-favorite number one!"
"King Halo, taking position at lane twelve!"
"Your commentators tonight are once again Akasaka and Hosoe!"
The spectator stands erupted in a hum of excitement. King Halo finished her formal debut presentation up on the appearance stage, then stepped down onto the racecourse itself.
She wore the standard short-sleeved racing top and shorts, the competitor number pinned across her chest.
Her gaze drifted toward Special Week.
"Here we go. Let's see how much you've grown in just a single week, Protagonist."
A wickedness she could not put into words.
King Halo had decided to deliver Special Week a hard knock at her debut race.
But what she truly wanted to see — and what she eagerly anticipated — was Special Week breaking through to a higher form under her pressure.
She wanted to know just how far Special Week's limits could be pushed.
"Next, the fan-favorite number two — and unbelievably, also a student from Central Tracen Academy — Seiun Sky!"
Commentator Akasaka sounded openly startled.
Unlike the original storyline, this debut race had assembled a fearsomely lavish field.
The mysterious mid-year transfer student whose declared goal was to become Japan's number-one uma musume — Special Week.
The future hidden-talent front-runner destined for greatness — Seiun Sky.
And finally, the racer once mocked as the "Pacer Halo" — King Halo herself.
This was clearly a configuration that had appeared in neither the anime nor the game.
Because in the original story, the debut race was always dismissed as a "minor warm-up" or "barely worth mentioning."
Any uma musume from Central Tracen Academy could be expected to win her debut race without difficulty.
Moreover, students from Central Tracen Academy generally avoided entering debut races where their classmates were already registered, ensuring an effortless dominance over the local-circuit competitors.
But this time...
This time, that approach was simply too dull.
King Halo had entered today's race specifically to ambush Special Week, while Seiun Sky had entered specifically to ambush her.
Three students from Central Tracen Academy, all in the same debut race.
Even before the race had begun, the local-circuit competitors had taken on visibly anxious expressions.
'How are we supposed to win this?'
Granted, even when only one Central student was in a debut race, beating them was difficult.
But there was a vast difference between facing a single Central prodigy and facing three at once.
In the former case, the local racers could at least band together against the Central genius. The odds were poor, but not zero.
Now, with three Central prodigies running together, even forming a coalition was meaningless.
The expressions on Team Spica's roster — and on Nishizaki Ryu's face — were just as grim. The moment King Halo stepped onto the appearance stage, Nishizaki Ryu's expression collapsed.
"To run into that one of all people..."
"What do you mean run into — she's clearly here to ambush us!" [Gold Ship] grumbled fiercely from the side.
There was an unspoken rule among everyone at Central Tracen Academy that students would not enter the same debut race together. There was no way King Halo and Seiun Sky didn't know that!
"What's the point of complaining now? What do we do? Does Spe-chan still have a shot?"
Daiwa Scarlet looked anxiously at Nishizaki Ryu, hoping their trainer might offer some reassuring words.
But all Nishizaki Ryu did, when he heard the question, was draw a sharp breath through his teeth.
Special Week, against that King Halo?
Was she serious?
Vodka, watching his pathetic display, snapped harshly: "Trainer, answer Daiwa's question!"
"..."
I think you all just want to watch me suffer.
Nishizaki Ryu looked at them, helpless.
"No. She can't win."
He knew saying it that bluntly would be cruel to Special Week.
But his pride as a trainer told him that, in this moment, only honesty would do.
In race experience or in raw physical condition, Special Week had no chance — none whatsoever — of beating King Halo.
And worst of all, the tactic he'd assigned her was the Chaser running style.
Because Special Week's foundation was genuinely abysmal — she couldn't grab any advantage at the starting gate.
And she didn't have the legs of a front-runner either.
That left Stalker out of the question, which forced him into Chaser by default.
What about Closer?
What trainer in their right mind would choose to train a Closer if they had any other option? This wasn't a video game — in real racing, Closer was the hardest style of all.
So all that was left for Special Week was Chaser.
And even then, Nishizaki Ryu was worried she might not perform well.
After all, the girl had only formally begun her uma musume training a single week ago.
Under normal debut-race circumstances, Nishizaki Ryu would have believed that Special Week's late-race burst — the one she'd shown in the Team Rigil tryouts — could win.
But with King Halo and Seiun Sky in the field, simply finishing in the top three without crashing out would count as a victory.
Because King Halo's specialty was also the Chaser style!
If Special Week let King Halo's strength rattle her, this race could end in a humiliating loss.
"Spe-chan... do your best!"
Even Silence Suzuka's normally expressionless face carried a trace of unease.
She was worried for her friend.
Silence Suzuka had grown close to Special Week over this past week.
After all, they'd been assigned to the same dormitory.
Worth noting: in this world, Silence Suzuka and Special Week were not in a senior-junior relationship.
If Special Week could clear her debut race this year, the two might even end up rivals.
This was where this world's timeline diverged from the others.
Just as Narita Brian was Mejiro McQueen's junior in another world but a senior elder in McQueen's own.
The uma musume world's timeline shifted with every iteration.
But things like that didn't really concern King Halo or Mejiro McQueen.
They cared about who their rivals were, whether they could win, and how to win.
At the starting gate, Special Week's expression was dazed.
"I'm actually standing on a racecourse..."
Amazing.
She couldn't quite focus, and she was nervous, but her heart was pounding faster than usual.
Is this what it feels like to stand on a real racetrack?
She found she didn't mind the sensation. She thought she might even love it.
Seiun Sky walked over at that moment and said, "Alright, Special Week, just relax — our chances of winning aren't great anyway."
Special Week had assumed Seiun Sky was coming to give a rival some encouragement, and she'd been about to thank her — until she heard the rest of the sentence.
"What do you mean, our chances aren't great?"
"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know yet, would you, Special Week. King Halo is the strongest in our year. It's something all the students are aware of."
Seiun Sky's words successfully ratcheted up Special Week's nerves.
"What about Suzuka-san?"
In this world, Special Week and Silence Suzuka were in the same year. Special Week had assumed Silence Suzuka was the strongest uma musume in Japan right now.
She hadn't expected Seiun Sky to tell her there was someone even stronger.
And that she was about to race against that person?
"Suzuka-san hasn't faced King Halo in any of the simulated races yet, but I can tell you with certainty — King Halo is stronger than Suzuka-san."
Seiun Sky's tone was rare in its firmness.
If she had to race Silence Suzuka, she felt she could win. But against King Halo, she'd be thinking about how to fight for second place.
"Is it really that bad?"
Special Week and Seiun Sky were on good terms, so she didn't think Seiun Sky would lie about something like this.
The thought that her opponent today was even stronger than Suzuka-san made Special Week tense — and at the same time, sent her blood racing.
What do I do? If I can't figure it out, I won't! I'll just give it everything I've got!
Mom — I'm about to start my very first race. Cheer for me!
The opponent is strong, supposedly even stronger than Suzuka-san, but... but I want to win!
Special Week's condition shifted abruptly for the better.
"Hm?"
In the spectator stands, Nishizaki Ryu's eyes lit up.
She hadn't been crushed by the pressure — she'd actually rallied.
Spe-chan! That's why I have faith in you!
Go for it!
Meanwhile, P — who had spent ages plotting elaborate strategies to recruit her, only to be inexplicably claimed by King Halo before he could execute any of them — was also standing dazed in a corner of the spectator stands.
Huh?
She just... took me? Just like that?
Was she... using me as a paperwork-filler to enter the race?
But however he looked at it, his wish had been granted... right?
"Still, what is it about that transfer student that has King Halo so interested?"
P was puzzled. He didn't quite understand why King Halo would target this transfer.
He himself sensed that Special Week's ability wasn't as poor as everyone assumed — but surely her ability wasn't enough to draw King Halo's attention?
He'd offered no advice for this race.
Or rather...
King Halo simply hadn't asked for any.
Beyond filling out the registration paperwork, his role as a trainer seemed nonexistent. Tactical setup, race-day equipment — King Halo hadn't shown any intention of letting him handle them.
Still, his read of the situation matched Nishizaki Ryu's.
He didn't think King Halo would lose.
Seiun Sky targeting King Halo was unexpected, but even Seiun Sky and Special Week working together would mean nothing.
King Halo's strength was in a class of its own. In her past half-year of simulated races, she'd gone perfectly undefeated — across every distance, every track condition. A terrifying record.
At Tracen Academy.
Watching the broadcast, Symboli Rudolf's face was a study in resignation.
"Honestly, this girl..."
Going too far.
King Halo.
The reason she was paying attention to Special Week's debut race was Special Week's mother.
That human woman had once served as the assistant to a certain legendary trainer.
If she was that woman's daughter, Symboli Rudolf naturally had high expectations of Special Week.
And Special Week's biological mother had also been a rather capable uma musume.
Special Week herself didn't realize that her family background, her bloodline, was anything but ordinary.
Then again, was there any uma musume whose bloodline ancestors hadn't shone in their day?
After all, the bloodlines of uma musume were all interrelated to some degree.
Because uma musume bore children with one another through the act of wishing.
It was simply that uma musume born into [established families] received more public attention.
Because that signified they had inherited a legitimate bloodline — that they carried the strength once wielded by an ancestral line that had shone before.
That was the inheritance — of Skill Transmission!
Skills could not be perfectly inherited from one generation to the next. Or rather: every uma musume's signature skill was something that simply couldn't be taught to others.
But an excellent next generation might inherit, from that bloodline factor, a power with similar effects!
That was why Symboli Rudolf had taken note of Special Week, the transfer student so few currently believed in. Just like Nishizaki Ryu, she had spotted Special Week's potential.
But potential was only potential. Pitting Special Week against the strongest of her year — King Halo — was a bit much.
And this was only the debut race!
"I hope this child won't have her dream crushed by this single defeat."
The introductions had moved on to fan-favorite number three.
Unsurprisingly, that wasn't Special Week. Even though she was a Central Tracen Academy student, having transferred only a week ago, she had no name recognition yet.
Number three was a regional star uma musume.
A "star" by local-circuit standards, of course — sub-Graded-Stakes level. The so-called "debut race" was the first battle for a Central Tracen student, but for a local-circuit uma musume, it was very often the final goal.
Because — let's not forget —
G3 was still a Graded Stakes race!
And only by clearing this "debut race" hurdle could one even qualify to enter G-series Graded Stakes competition.
Many local-circuit uma musume would never achieve that in their entire careers.
As for talents born in the local circuit — even someone like Seiun Sky had earned her way into Tracen Academy through the entrance exam.
Real prodigies, barring extraordinary circumstances, rarely ended up at a regional Tracen Academy.
Cases like Oguri Cap's were comparatively rare.
Once the popular runners had been introduced, the racers began moving into the gates.
Today's debut race was a 2000-meter contest with twelve uma musume.
Seiun Sky was in lane six. Special Week, lane four. King Halo had drawn the worst of all — lane twelve, the outermost and farthest-back starting position.
But to her, this position wasn't a disadvantage at all. She was a Chaser who excelled on the outside, so the lottery hadn't actually been unkind to her.
"Sa!"
"All competitors ready!"
"Final preparations complete — the signal lights are flashing!"
"The gates open!"
"Who will be the first to break out — ?"
...
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