In Kitasan Black's vision, four or five meters behind her to the right stood Deep Impact… the same senpai she had thought was still way back in the pack just moments ago.
The figure leaned forward, clearly visible in her peripheral sight. The distance was roughly four or five meters.
The track thundered beneath her light, swift strides. Her taut leg muscles vibrated at high frequency, like powerful hydraulic pumps. Each push-off left a small, shallow crater in the woodchip surface.
Dark brown wood chips flew continuously to the sides and rear, some even flicking into her eyes.
Kitasan Black unconsciously tilted her head, then snapped it straight again. Her pupils contracted sharply.
In the blink of an eye, the senpai had drawn level with her.
Chestnut hair and ponytail streamed straight back in the headwind. Her bangs fluttered wildly, revealing golden eyes that burned with intensity beneath her smooth forehead. Her pupils were slightly narrowed, locked forward. Nostrils and mouth stayed tight, as if this were not a simple Training Race but a major event like the Japanese Derby.
Yet beneath that total concentration, the senpai's breathing rhythm, stride length, and cadence remained terrifyingly steady.
Kitasan Black had the vague sense that this early burst felt as casual to her as an after-dinner stroll.
…Just what kind of running style and tactics was this senpai using?
From her debut until now, even counting all her pre-debut training, this was the first time Kitasan Black felt truly flustered.
Early acceleration was not impossible, of course. Physical strength was at its peak right after leaving the gate. Gaining a strong position early could benefit the rest of the race.
But the early stage made up less than half the total distance. Even with smart positioning and forcing tactics, burning too much energy to force higher speed early would not only fail to help later but could leave her short on stamina and unable to finish.
Normally, the easiest path to victory would be to yield the rhythm temporarily, then seize an opportunity to take position or overtake on the final bend or straight. That had always worked in her past experiences.
Yet Deep Impact's acceleration right now was completely unexpected.
It was as if the senpai did not realize there were still more than two thousand meters left. She was already running at a pace almost reserved for the final straight.
In Kitasan Black's view, she had already shaken off the pressure from Special Week and the other seniors and established a solid leading pace. There had been no need for Deep Impact to push like this.
So what exactly was the senpai…?
She bit her lower lip, thoughts spinning without an answer. Just as she tried to recall everything she had learned and practiced, Kitasan Black's eyes narrowed suddenly.
Deep Impact had already overtaken her.
Though it was hard to judge the exact distance from several meters away, one thing was certain: the senpai was now in front.
Even more importantly, the entrance to the first bend was right ahead.
As the early positioning battle wound down and the bend approached, the pack would compress sideways and stretch out lengthwise. Unless you were already leading, opponents would inevitably block the path ahead.
There was no time for further thought. Kitasan Black's throat tightened. Her chest and abdominal muscles trembled for a moment, and her breathing rhythm, which had only just eased, grew tight once more.
Her stride shortened as her cadence suddenly rose.
This was the necessary state for acceleration.
She had to reclaim the lead before the first bend.
She did not know how well Deep Impact could hold the front.
But she was certain that if she let this senpai take the lead, with her strength and experience, there would be no chance to catch up again.
Outside the track, Silence Suzuka stared intently at the black-haired girl drawing near the bend. She pursed her lips and clenched her arms at her sides.
"Oh no… Kita-chan's rhythm has been disrupted."
"This… should be unavoidable, right?"
Gold Ship, who had been gloating over Giant's false start earlier, now frowned with clear worry for her junior.
"I didn't expect Deep Impact to chase so fiercely at this point…"
"No, I'd say it's understandable," Daiwa Scarlet suddenly cut in. "I didn't notice it before, but thinking about it now, Kita-chan's early-stage handling… was too careless."
"Careless? No way?" Gold Ship said in surprise. "Although I haven't run in front myself, I thought Kita-chan's distance control looked fine, right?"
"It's different, Gold Ship. I think I understand what Daiwa Scarlet means," Silence Suzuka replied, frowning. "I heard from Special Week that you often train with Kita-chan, so you should be quite familiar with her running style and habits.
"After Kita-chan accelerated just now, Special Week and Vodka should have understood her intentions. They knew further probing was pointless, so they backed off.
"Grass Wonder… probably observed and followed Special Week's change.
"The problem is…"
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the figures at the very front and very back of the pack. She pursed her lips again.
"Deep Impact and Giant… don't have that idea.
"With their strength and temperament, they probably… won't let Kita-chan off so easily.
"This is what Daiwa Scarlet meant by carelessness."
As the three Uma Musume spoke in low voices, Yasui stared intently at the race and said nothing.
To better help Kitasan Black reach her training goals, he had discussed the race with each Uma Musume beforehand. But those talks had not gone into specific step-by-step instructions.
After all, he did not understand them the way he understood Kitasan Black.
It was better not to be overly prescriptive and instead trust their strength and experience.
So, like Gold Ship, he had not expected Deep Impact to unleash such speed so early.
Yet thinking about it carefully, this was not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it aligned with one of the original purposes of a Training Race.
As Daiwa Scarlet and Silence Suzuka had pointed out, over the past several months the seniors had helped Kitasan Black train whenever they could. They were very familiar with each other's habits.
Under those familiar conditions, whether in regular training or a Training Race like this, Kitasan Black could receive better cooperation and more ideal results.
However, a real race would never be so perfectly arranged.
Scheduled runners might drop out for various reasons, with alternates stepping in.
New tactics never tried before could appear.
Extreme situations unique to actual races, like Duramente in the final straight of the Satsuki Sho, or Grass Wonder in the Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen, would arise.
All of these factors made real races full of uncertainty. No one could guarantee that pre-race training would cover everything.
Especially with the Japanese Derby coming up.
Even if the entry list stayed the same, unconventional tactics and sudden bursts would definitely appear.
Deep Impact's spontaneous performance had precisely strengthened that part of the training.
Moreover, just as Daiwa Scarlet and Silence Suzuka had said, this Uma Musume had no intention of letting Kitasan Black off easily.