"—"
Watching the two Uma Musume blocking her path, Oguri Cap instinctively gritted her teeth.
She could feel it; neither Ludi Lemo nor Mini Lady were her match. They were even a step below Norn Ace. Under normal circumstances, they shouldn't have been able to cause her any real trouble.
In any fair fight, she was certain she could easily overpower these two and seize victory!
And yet, it was so strange—she was actually stuck behind them. This shouldn't be happening at all.
Oguri Cap's ears pinned back as she thought hard: What is going on? In terms of raw strength, I should definitely be winning.
Whether looking at her theoretical potential or her actual performance, Oguri Cap refused to believe she could lose to these two. The current situation felt incredibly suffocating, leaving her with the stifling sensation of having immense power but no way to vent it.
It wasn't just Oguri Cap; even the two "blockers" were stunned by their own success.
Ludi Lemo let out an instinctive gasp: "Seriously? That mud... that Oguri Cap is actually... being held back by us?!"
She never imagined their blockade would hold so smoothly. Their opponent was that Oguri Cap—a girl whose running was filled with a primal, wild power, and whose finishing spurt was rumored to be as terrifying as a monster's. Her reputation was already beginning to rival that of Fujimasa March within Kasamatsu Tracen.
And yet, here she was, suppressed by the coordination between Ludi and Mini. Am I dreaming? Ludi Lemo almost wanted to pinch her own cheek to check if this was reality.
"Are you an idiot?" Mini Lady rolled her eyes, offering a "vicious" retort. "With me on the job, isn't completing the task a piece of cake?"
Watching Oguri Cap's frustrated expression, Mini Lady felt a surge of pure delight.
As the self-proclaimed "brain" of the trio, Mini Lady had quickly grasped the true reason for their success. The relatively tall Ludi Lemo only needed to slightly adjust her angle and maintain an intercepting posture. Mini, on the other hand, had to handle the heavy lifting: coordinating their strides to compress the gap between them to an impassable width, while simultaneously anchoring the outside lane to ensure Oguri didn't have enough space to comfortably pass.
Forcing a breakthrough? Unfortunately, an Uma Musume would never do that. If they collided, everyone might die on the spot! Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they'd risk an injury that would banish them from the track forever.
No matter how powerful their physiques, they would never intentionally harm anyone, especially during training or a race. The more competitive a girl was, the more she respected that boundary.
This was the very reason the "Side-by-Side" blocking tactic existed.
Mini Lady thought: No doubt about it—all credit goes to me!
But a moment later, her thoughts shifted. That guy Ritsuka said I had a flexible mind and was good at adapting, so he let me control the rhythm... but that's basically just a nice way of saying I like to pull pranks and give Ludi and Norn bad ideas!
It annoyed her, but she had to admit that Fujimaru Ritsuka's observation skills were bordering on the supernatural. He had seen through the "scary" Ludi Lemo as just a brawler and realized that Norn Ace, who always wanted to be the star, was a simple-minded girl easily provoked. That was why he had handed the most critical job—controlling the flow—to her.
If he had put Mini at the front, Ludi and Norn would never have been able to stop Oguri Cap.
Making sure every girl "plays her role" so that even the mediocre can suppress the strong... is this what a Trainer is?
Mini Lady found Fujimaru Ritsuka a bit terrifying. She suspected he wasn't quite as "sunny" as he appeared on the surface; otherwise, he never would have come up with such a "dark" tactic. If a faction were to field multiple runners and have two act as support to pave the way for a single ace, the fairness of the sport would vanish instantly, wouldn't it?
As she thought about it, however, a blatant, excited smile spread across her face. She thought: Well, who cares? It feels pretty good.
For someone like Mini Lady, who only wanted to "slack off" in the regionals, this sense of control was intoxicating. She didn't care about results, so why think so much? As long as she had fun, it was enough.
Mini felt a surge of endless energy through her petite body. Every precise block she executed made her heart skip with joy. She was almost ready to start humming.
Their shared euphoria transformed into an invisible pressure, weighing down on Oguri Cap's heart alongside the physical blockade.
Frustration grew like wild weeds in spring, threatening to entangle Oguri's limbs and her very thoughts. These two girls were like moving walls, sealing off her path to the future.
Oguri Cap gritted her teeth, her blue eyes darting rapidly as she searched for any possibility of a breakthrough. She heard her heartbeat grow more violent, felt the sweat sliding down her spine like a crawling insect, but what she found most unbearable was the sensation of stagnation.
It was like throwing a full-strength punch into a thick pile of cotton; all her power was dispersed and absorbed. She hated it.
Her goal was the Japanese Derby! How could she stop here? If she couldn't even break through this training session, how could she face the Uma Musume from all over the country?
A bitter taste spread in her mouth. Oguri gritted her teeth and whispered to herself: Calm down... calm down... you...
Suddenly, Oguri Cap's breath hitched, and her eyes widened. She remembered Fujimaru Ritsuka's small gesture before the training started. At that time, Ritsuka had mysteriously waved her over, assuring her that he wasn't some heartless Trainer who only knew how to pile on pressure. He had left her a hint.
—Flashback—
"In a race, the strongest weapon isn't speed. It's this," Fujimaru Ritsuka had said with a smile, tapping his temple with a finger. His cerulean eyes shone with a deep, wise light. "Oguri, when you feel like there's no way forward, quiet your mind. Take a good look around you. The opponent's rhythm, the flow of the wind, the condition of the track, even the angle of the sunlight... everything can become the key to breaking the deadlock."
"And until you find that key, Oguri, I want you to maintain a '平心' (peace of mind). Run in the way that feels most comfortable to you. Craving victory is a good thing, but enjoying the run is even more important."
—End Flashback—
Quiet your mind, and look at the surroundings... run in the way that feels most comfortable...
Oguri Cap chewed on those words, and a sudden realization struck her. She stopped straining her steps. Instead, she relaxed every muscle in her body, slowing her pace and bringing both her body and spirit into a state of total peace.
Double Bell Light was gasping for air. Seeing Oguri suddenly slow down, worry instantly flooded her face. She whispered in her heart: Oguri...
As an Uma Musume running on the same track, she felt Ludi Lemo and Mini Lady were clearly fouling. Even if they weren't "slanting," they were maliciously blocking another runner's path and boxing her in. What was the difference?
Once the training was over, she was absolutely going to file a complaint with Trainer-san about these two meanies!
Double Bell Light: (•́へ•́╬)
"?" Both Ludi Lemo and Mini Lady felt a deep sense of confusion. Their ears twitched; they could hear that the rhythm of Oguri's footsteps had changed. The force was smaller, the frequency lower.
How to describe it? It felt... lazy?
Driven by doubt, the two girls instinctively tilted their heads, wanting to see Oguri's current state and expression.
For an Uma Musume, this was a cardinal sin—diverting one's attention mid-race often led to accidents. This was basic knowledge shared globally; every Trainer taught this to their girls, even those who never debuted. This was "Lesson One."
Watching the two girls, Fujimaru Ritsuka let out a helpless smile. He felt he might need to give them a proper lecture later. As for Oguri's performance, he was more than satisfied.
"To be able to make the most appropriate move even in a dire situation, never allowing emotions to dictate her actions... Oguri truly is remarkable."
Just as Ludi Lemo and Mini Lady were exchanging remarks like "Has she given up?" and "Can't be helped, it's not like she could push through that sinister tactic anyway," the race hit its final 200 meters. Norn Ace was already beginning to think about her victory speech.
And it was in this exact moment that Oguri's blue eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp. Like a tiger waking from a nap, a faint but undeniable pressure instantly enveloped Ludi Lemo and Mini Lady.
Oguri Cap's brain had transformed into a supercomputer. She stopped looking at Norn Ace in the distance. She stopped thinking about how to overtake all three girls at once. Instead, she focused entirely on Mini Lady.
She had realized that while there were two "walls" in front of her, the lynchpin was Mini Lady. It was Mini's subtle swaying that pinned her position and prevented the breakthrough!
It wasn't that Ludi Lemo was useless—her larger build was vital—but her reactions were a beat slower than Mini's. In a critical moment, that delay would become a flaw!
Oguri Cap took a deep breath, recalling Ritsuka's teachings, and slammed her right foot into the ground.
Power surged from the earth, through her ankle and knee, and into her hips. She felt her blood—her very life—pulsating. She released it all at once!
"—!"
In that instant, the wind whistling past the girls' ears was violently redirected. It surged back from directly behind—no, it erupted from around Oguri Cap, sweeping toward the two girls blocking her path!
It was as if her sheer intimidating presence had materialized into a physical force, a hammer of judgment swinging down on those who dared to obstruct her!
Not just the girls in front of her—even Double Bell Light, who was a horse-length behind, was startled by the sudden eruption of pressure.
Ludi Lemo's hair nearly stood on end. She gasped: "This girl!"
Mini Lady shouted: "Stupid Ludi, there's a gap!"
Because Oguri's aura was so terrifying, the two girls instinctively drifted toward the sides to avoid the brunt of that malevolent pressure. As they did, the distance between them widened. The narrow crevice transformed into an open road to the front!
"Tsk!" Ludi Lemo clicked her tongue loudly. "Mini, you did it too!"
She wasn't just being stubborn; the "gap" between them was indeed massive, proving that Mini Lady had also instinctively veered outward. Who was Mini to judge her?
The two girls didn't forget their job; they immediately tried to close the gap again to box Oguri back in. Since one was on the inside and one on the outside, they hadn't deviated from their lanes. No matter how close they got, it wouldn't be considered "slanting."
But they didn't know that Oguri Cap wasn't waiting for the moment they opened the path—she was waiting for this exact moment where they would instinctively try to close it!
Running toward the outside, Oguri Cap decisively veered even further, charging toward the Daikougai—the far outside lane!
"What?!" The two girls cried out in shock. They never expected Oguri to take the long way around, ignoring the open channel in front of her to swing wide to the far outside.
But Oguri's mind was perfectly clear. She thought: They will realize the mistake immediately. With a one-length gap between us, they have time to react. Therefore, their instinctive act of filling the gap is my opportunity—at that exact moment, the far outside will be wide open!
The girls' cries were instantly swallowed by the roar of the wind.
Oguri Cap had become a silver blur, a flash of a blade tearing through silk. In the heartbeat before Mini Lady could react, she streaked past the edge of the girl's clothes, aiming straight for Norn Ace at the very front!
Oguri's final spurt was like a sudden, torrential downpour. The dense, rapid sound of her footsteps made Norn Ace's scalp tingle!
That wasn't just acceleration; it was like she was riding a rocket!
Norn Ace gritted her teeth, pouring every last drop of her strength into the run. Her expression turned savage, looking as if she were willing to pay any price for victory. After the last test, she knew for a fact she couldn't outrun Oguri Cap. But this time, her friends had given her a massive advantage. How could she let their efforts go to waste?
Norn Ace refused to give up!
But Oguri's speed was still climbing!
She lowered her center of gravity until her upper body was nearly parallel to the track. This was a total release after breaking through both physical and psychological shackles. The girl was unstoppable!
Final fifty meters. Oguri Cap and Norn Ace were neck-and-neck.
Final thirty meters. Oguri Cap took a slight lead!
With a long, sharp whistle from the timer, Oguri Cap crossed the finish line first with a clear one-length lead!
Even with three girls acting as one, they couldn't defeat that silver-gray flash!
After crossing the line, Oguri Cap slowly decelerated. Resting her hands on her knees, sweat fell from her like rain, but a clear smile immediately spread across her lips.
Fujimaru Ritsuka's advice had helped her seize victory. It had allowed her to see the brilliant scenery that only reveals itself to a champion. Wanting to share this joy with Ritsuka immediately, she turned and ran back toward him where he stood by the track.
The girl cheered: "Trainer-san!"
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (40 Chapters – Ongoing)
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