Watching Oguri Cap's spectacular performance, Maruzensky pressed her palms together and marveled, "So, she charged straight from the wide outside, taking advantage of the moment Epuranu slowed down to close the gap in one breath. That was quite bold of you, Mr. Trainer."
The moment Oguri Cap made her move, Maruzensky had guessed the girl's intention: the arc of the outer lane was gentler, allowing her to increase her cornering speed instead of "slowing down to a crawl" like the other Horse Girls.
The question then was: couldn't Epuranu simply break this rule?
The truth was, there wasn't much she could do—not unless she had a "pacer" to help her. Because when Oguri Cap lunged for the wide outside, Epuranu was already in the lead position, hugged tight against the shortest path on the inside rail. If she suddenly changed lanes mid-run to block Oguri on the outside, she would lose her own rhythm. The cost far outweighed the gain.
Furthermore, no matter the country or region, "veering" or diagonal running was the final red line. If she were judged to have "interfered with another Horse Girl via diagonal movement," she would be disqualified or demoted in rank. That was far too dangerous!
Thus, rather than taking such a massive risk, it was better to maintain her optimal line and trust that her lead was sufficient to hold out until the end.
The beautiful girl's eyes were fixed almost entirely on Fujimaru Ritsuka, her gaze half-filled with curiosity and half with amusement. She asked softly, "This is indeed a brilliant way to solve the puzzle, but Oguri Cap is only a rookie. What if she had made a mistake?"
Running on the wide outside meant covering significantly more distance than those on the inside. Sometimes, a single centimeter could decide a race, let alone a distance like this. Maruzensky was deeply curious: why did Fujimaru Ritsuka trust Oguri Cap so implicitly? At this moment, Oguri was still just an obscure little girl from the countryside.
"Because Oguri is incredibly hardworking, possesses exceptional talent, and trusts me completely as her Trainer," Ritsuka answered with absolute certainty. "If I cannot even trust my own student, how can we walk together toward that brilliant, shining shore?"
In this moment, Ritsuka could have brushed it off by saying "trust needs no reason." He had encountered more than his share of supernatural or "idealistic" events, yet even so, he preferred to champion the values of friendship, bonds, and perseverance.
"..." Maruzensky blinked and simply smiled. She seemed surprised by his candor, and perhaps even more intrigued.
At that moment, Epuranu finally caught a glimpse of that gray figure out of the corner of her eye—the one radiating a dangerous aura that made her feel so restless.
A faint flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, but her rhythm didn't falter. Her face was slightly distorted from the sheer effort she was exerting.
She thought: The wide outside? Does she mean to say she ran all the way out there just to attempt a pass on the curve?
But that meant Oguri Cap had committed to the wide outside long ago. Wouldn't that pointlessly increase her running distance? Or did this Oguri Cap believe she could win even while giving up that much ground?
With that thought, Epuranu pushed even harder. She had just found one more reason why she had to win.
Oguri Cap's deep blue eyes suddenly constricted, and within them burned that familiar, almost feral flame! She no longer held anything back. Her accumulated power transformed into a wild dragon breaking from its cage, crashing down upon the Ohi Racecourse!
BOOM!
The sound of her footsteps suddenly grew much heavier!
It didn't sound like she was merely treading on the ground; it sounded like she was "smashing" into the track, as if she intended to turn the world upside down! Coarse clumps of dirt were ruthlessly kicked up and scattered!
Oguri Cap was showing signs of overtaking Epuranu.
"Aaaah!" Epuranu took a deep breath and let out a roar of pure fury. She wanted to win this race, to make Maruzensky proud of her. For that, she was willing to do anything!
The girl squeezed every last drop of stamina from her body, refusing to let Oguri Cap pass. She thought: If Oguri Cap is trying to snatch victory from my grasp, then I'll just have to snatch it back!
Both Horse Girls could feel it clearly: centrifugal force was pulling at their bodies, demanding more flexibility to maintain balance and forcing them to pay a higher price in strength for every stride. Sweat quickly soaked their hair, and their lungs burned with a pain like searing fire.
Yet neither had the slightest intention of slowing down.
And so, Epuranu on the outer lane and Oguri Cap on the wide outside became like two parallel bolts of lightning, splitting the air of the straight!
"This is the final straight! Epuranu vs. Oguri Cap! We've reached the critical moment for victory!" The announcer's voice was nearly tearing from the strain.
Both Horse Girls wanted to decide the outcome using the straight-line sprinting techniques they had honed. This was especially evident in Oguri Cap.
The moment she burst out of the turn and felt the solid ground of the straight beneath her, something latent within her—something that had been suppressed by the strain of balancing on the curve—was completely unleashed!
It wasn't technique. It wasn't even a tactic. Neither Horse Girl had the mental capacity to think of such things anymore. What they displayed was pure instinct, followed by raw power and other beautiful, intense emotions.
Especially for Oguri Cap—all the knowledge they had accumulated and the self-refinement they had endured along the way culminated here. Reaching the "end of the road," what exploded at this moment was the most primal desire to run!
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
A low growl, barely sounding human, erupted from the girl's throat!
Her silver-gray hair was pulled into a perfectly straight line behind her by the turbulent airflow! Her body pressed even lower, almost parallel to the ground. Every stride made the dirt track let out a dull groan, as if the entire stadium were trembling beneath her feet!
Accelerate! Accelerate more!
Epuranu was shocked to find that even though she was giving her absolute all, the silver-gray shadow beside her was still inching forward, bit by bit, with an unstoppable momentum!
"Impossible..." Epuranu's breathing broke completely. She couldn't believe it—that silver-gray figure was actually overtaking her, and the gap was widening!
Salty sweat flowed freely down her face.
A nose! A neck! Half a length!
"CROSSING THE LINE!!!" the announcer shrieked. "Incredible! The Silver-Gray Comet from Kasamatsu, trailing a long tail of dust and dirt, has crossed the finish line first!"
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (80 Chapters – Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────