"Aaaw! Take it easy, Sis! Why are you being so rough?!"
"Just hold still! If I don't patch it up now, your leg could get worse!"
Inside the waiting room, Milord groaned as she tried to endure the throbbing pain in her leg.
After the race ended and the winner was announced, she had rushed straight here—unable to hold it in any longer. She could barely walk, her legs trembling with every step.
Now, Sunny was tending to her injury, while Thalassa stood beside her. Meanwhile, Trainer, Argentine, and Salva had gone to check on Gavi.
"Ah—! Sis! That hurts!"
"Shut up!" Sunny snapped. "I told you already—the Tegalwaton track is brutal! If you were already in a safe position, you shouldn't have pushed yourself!"
"I-I couldn't help it… I was afraid someone might catch up. You saw it yourself, didn't you? Gavi suddenly showed up right behind me. Who wouldn't panic seeing her sprint like that?"
"Hmm… that's true." Sunny paused for a moment. "Now that I think about it, Gavi really gave it everything she had in that run. I've never seen her like that before."
"Even so, she's still not ready to return to racing."
Sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed, Thalassa didn't look very pleased.
Seeing what had happened to her younger sister seemed to make her reconsider what Gavi should do moving forward.
Still… she was clearly worried.
Sunny—who had known her for years, could easily read what was in her friend's heart.
"You're as strict as ever, Thalassa. I understand—you don't want to spoil your little sister too much. But Gavi really did her best today. You know that, don't you?"
Thalassa looked away slightly, quietly reflecting on her friend's words.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
A horse girl with long black hair appeared and stepped inside.
"Yo, Introvert!" Milord greeted.
"Argentine," she corrected flatly.
Argentine's eyes shifted to Milord's leg, which was now covered with several heat patches.
"What happened to your leg?"
"Cramps. It feels like it's about to fall apart. So this is what Trainer warned us about? That track is seriously cursed!" Milord's gaze turned serious. "Anyway, how's your sister?"
"She's doing better now. Salva and Trainer are with her."
Argentine then turned toward Thalassa.
"Big Sis… Gavi seems really shaken right now. She needs time to pull herself together. So please… don't ask her to face Father yet."
"Your sister fought really hard too," Sunny added. "Please tell Abah Halim to reconsider."
"…Alright. I'll try. But the final decision still lies with Father."
Thalassa stood up from the sofa.
"Your next race is only a few events away, right?"
"Ya."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"I know you'll give it everything you've got. But don't push yourself too hard. I don't want both of my little sisters getting hurt again."
Argentine lowered her head.
"…Understood."
"Then I'll head out first. We'll be watching from the stands." Thalassa started toward the door. "Sunny," she called.
"Alright. In that case, we'll head out too," Sunny said as she grabbed Milord's arm.
"We? Why are you dragging me along? Go back to your own habitat—, ow! That hurts!"
Milord groaned as Sunny squeezed her injured leg.
"You little brat! No gratitude at all! Come on—follow your big sister!"
"Where are we going? I can't stand in the front row!"
"Who said anything about the front row? We're watching from the stands!"
"Huh? Don't tell me…"
"Yeah. With the student council."
"No way! I'm not going there!"
"Just come already!" Sunny dragged Milord along.
"M-My leg! My leg! AAARGH!"
—
𓃗 𓃗 𓃗
—
Tired. Eyes dull with exhaustion.
Amid the sea of people below, Milord could only sit silently, staring at the track.
At the very top row of the spectator stands, she leaned back in her seat. One of her legs was wrapped in a bandage, and she could only move around with the help of crutches.
"Why… are we watching from here?" Milord asked the girl beside her.
"You were the one whining about not wanting to go to the VVIP room!" Sunny shot back.
Seeing the two of them bickering, Thalassa smiled from the seat beside them. They argued often, yet somehow it only showed how close they truly were.
"Oh, right. Is Gavi-chan coming here to watch with us?" Sunny asked.
"Ya. Trainer called earlier—she's going to pick Gavi up. They should be here soon."
"But… is Gavi-chan really okay? I'm worried something might happen to her."
"Yeah… I feel the same. But even when her heart's in turmoil, Gavi always tries her best for Argentine."
Thalassa's eyes shifted toward the row beside Sunny and Milord.
"There she is."
"Huh?"
Walking slowly with the aid of crutches, Gavi made her way toward them. Trainer walked beside her, helping her move as comfortably as possible.
"Gavi!" Sunny stood up, about to help her.
"Aah—! My leg!" Instead, she accidentally stepped on Milord's injured foot.
"What happened to your leg, Gavi-chan?" Sunny asked.
"It's nothing, Senpai. Just a minor injury."
For a brief moment, Gavi's eyes met Thalassa's.
Still feeling reluctant, Gavi quickly looked away.
Thalassa, however, simply smiled at her.
"Gavi," Thalassa called gently. "Come sit next to me."
"…Okay."
Gavi still couldn't bring herself to look at Thalassa. But in the end, she obeyed—walking over and sitting in the seat beside her.
All the while, Gavi kept her head lowered, even as Thalassa continued watching her.
Then suddenly, Gavi felt something land softly on top of her head.
Thalassa was gently stroking her hair. "Thank you for working so hard."
Soft. Warm. Comforting.
Tears nearly spilled from Gavi's eyes, but she tried to hold them back. Her lips trembled as she answered in a faint voice.
"…Ya."
Seeing that warm moment, Sunny, Milord, and Trainer also smiled.
They finally felt relieved after everything that had happened with Gavi's unstable behavior lately. It had even begun to affect her racing.
Everything had just begun to settle—until the announcer's voice broke the calm.
["Next race! Race number twelve—Beginner Class A/B, 1200 meters, Division One! The eight participants are now entering the track!"]
One by one, the racers began to appear.
Among those emerging from the tunnel were two familiar horse girls.
A black-haired horse girl wearing number "2"… and a chestnut-haired horse girl wearing number "7".
"There they are!" Sunny exclaimed.
Salva's gaze swept across the stands. She seemed to be searching for them.
It didn't take long before she found them.
Salva smiled and waved. Then she tapped Argentine's shoulder—who was warming up—and pointed toward the upper stands to show where they were.
Argentine looked up.
Then she waved back, smiling at Gavi.
But Gavi immediately looked away, still embarrassed by her earlier failure.
Meanwhile, Milord—who had been silent the entire time—continued staring at the track.
Her eyes were locked onto a single figure: a chestnut-haired horse girl wearing the number "1".
There, Caraxes Nagari was casually warming up, completely free of any visible pressure.
Perhaps by instinct, Caraxes sensed someone watching her—more precisely, marking her from the stands.
She turned.
Her eyes met Milord's directly.
Without hesitation, Caraxes gave her a condescending smile.
"…!"
Just that single gesture was enough to make Milord boil with anger.
Her hands clenched tightly. Her teeth ground together. Rage surged within her once again.
Fortunately, this time she managed to restrain herself.
"Ah… what a shame," Caraxes muttered in disappointment when Milord didn't take the bait.
Not too far away, Argentine noticed Salva standing there uneasily.
"What's wrong?" Argentine asked.
"N-Nothing! I'm just a little worried about Gavi-chan."
"Don't worry. Gavi will recover. For now, we need to focus on the race. Just follow the plan."
"I-I understand!"
Suddenly—
"Hmm. So you two are planning something, huh?"
"…!"
Before they realized it, another voice appeared behind them.
A chill crept down their necks.
A shiver ran through their bodies.
They froze, their instincts screaming wildly.
The aura behind them felt dark—overwhelmingly so.
Cold sweat formed on their skin as their faces turned pale. Slowly, they turned around.
A tall figure stood there, grinning at them.
"Tell me… what you're planning?"
'Sraagh!' —Instinctively, Argentine and Salva both stepped back.
Their eyes locked on her warily—ready in case the horse girl before them tried anything.
"Ah, so I'm not allowed to know? What a shame. I wanted to play with you two."
"…What do you want?" Argentine demanded.
Caraxes didn't answer.
Instead, she stepped closer.
"Your debut race… it really caught a lot of attention. I became a little interested in you."
"So that's why... you wanted to be in the same bracket as me?"
"What do you think?"
Caraxes's question left Argentine silent.
She knew that wasn't Caraxes's only motive.
Caraxes then glanced at Salva, observing her as if evaluating something.
"Hmm... Not bad either."
Startled by that remark, Salva reflexively stepped back. Fear tightened its grip around her heart.
At that moment, Argentine stepped forward, moving in front of Salva and blocking Caraxes's gaze while staring at her sharply.
Caraxes seemed slightly surprised for a moment.
Then she laughed.
"Ahahaha! I didn't expect you to be pretty brave too! Just like that Shorty! The difference is, you actually know how to keep your mouth under control."
Argentine's glare sharpened even further.
"Wow! Those eyes of yours are pretty scary. Relax, relax! Honestly, I don't hold any grudge against you. But… if you want to challenge me, go ahead."
Then Caraxes's expression turned serious.
"And… there's one thing you should remember," she continued.
"…?"
"You…" Caraxes leaned closer, her face approaching Argentine's face, "…can't catch up to me."
"…!"
Passion surged.
An overwhelming aura of dominance burst forth, as if trying to seize Argentine's heart.
Those burning eyes— they were exactly the same as during that race.
The eyes that had marked her.
The eyes that had frozen her body.
Now those eyes were only half a handspan away.
Argentine fell silent—more silent than ever.
Yet astonishingly, she did not falter, even as cold sweat began to trickle down her skin.
Salva, watching the scene unfold, trembled in fear.
"That girl…!"
Gavi tried to stand, but Thalassa quickly stopped her.
Feeling her arm being held, Gavi turned toward Thalassa, demanding an explanation.
"Calm down," Thalassa said, her eyes still fixed on the track.
"But—!"
"Relax and watch. Trust Argentine-chan."
Gavi looked toward Argentine again. She was still standing firm against Caraxes's intimidation.
Finally, Gavi gave in and quietly sat back down.
["The fanfare has sounded! All participants are instructed to enter their gates immediately!"]
"Hm? Looks like it's time," Caraxes said, turning to Salva. "Your gate is next to mine, right? How about we go in together?"
Salva shrank further behind Argentine's back.
"Ah, rejected again. Oh well." Caraxes shrugged lightly. "Then I'll go first. Good luck."
With that, Caraxes walked away.
Argentine remained staring intensely after her.
She could feel the pressure Caraxes had exerted directly—despite the fact that the girl hadn't even provoked them much.
Argentine turned back to Salva before heading toward the first gate.
"…Salva. Be careful."
"I-I understand."
And with that, they parted ways.
Their steps moved in opposite directions. Both knew they would have to give everything in this race. Obstacles were already waiting.
For now they were teammates. But once the gates closed—that status would change to rivals.
No different from facing Caraxes herself.
Even with anxiety creeping in—especially after seeing Caraxes grin at her—Salva still managed to enter her gate calmly.
"Welcome~ my dear~!"
Once again, Caraxes disrupted Salva's concentration.
Fortunately, Salva managed to stay still, avoiding Caraxes's gaze.
At gate number one, Argentine entered calmly.
The back door closed.
At that moment, she shut her eyes and began taking slow breaths.
Then her eyes opened again—sharp and focused on the track.
—
𓃗 𓃗 𓃗
[POV: Argentine]
—
1,200 meters.
Four small turns. Two short straights. Two long straights.
My advantage lies in the final corner. I've always been fairly good at it—but unfortunately, I can't pull it off here.
At the very least, I need to create some space to build momentum. But that could easily make me a target for Caraxes.
Judging from her performance in Bantul, her burst was deadly as a Late Surger—even though that isn't even her specialty.
But that was over 1,000 meters. She might use a completely different strategy this time.
Honestly, she's very difficult to read. One thing is certain—I have to be careful. I can't stay too close to her. She might lock me down along the track. And that burst of hers is terrifying.
I need to conserve my stamina until the Last Spurt.
That's why—
["The green flag is waving! The runners are about to be released! Focus!"]
—I just need to keep my distance!
["STAAART!"]
※※※(Chapter—11_A)※※※