"Hey, McQueen, are you really alright? Hang in there. Look, I've got a plastic bag ready just in case!"
"I-I am fine... On the honor of the Mejiro name—no, on my pride as a maiden, I would never succumb to such a..."
"You don't look fine at all, McQueen..."
"Well, after being spun around like that..."
Having been spun at high speeds like she was trapped in a human centrifuge, McQueen collapsed to her knees, desperately trying to fight off intense waves of nausea. Okino, Ryan, and Teio gently rubbed her back, offering words of encouragement while glaring daggers at the culprit behind this whole mess—Golshi herself.
"WOOOOHOOOO!! Mac-chan's energy gave Golshi-chan 564 times the power~! Watch me, Mac-chan, I'm dedicating this race against Ran-neechan to you! Wait, what's wrong, Mac-chan? You hungry or somethin'?!"
"You're saying all that with such a clear voice and handsome face, but you're the reason she's like that!"
"Golshi-chan says tehepero~♪ Or for short: Gol-Gol-Pero-ro-ro~n♪"
"That isn't a shortcut at all..." McQueen choked out.
"Even in that state, she still lands the retorts... I kind of admire that," Teio muttered.
And so, after all the chaos, the race between the future union team—the daughters plus Golshi—and Rampage was finally about to begin. Since the five of them were wearing school uniforms, they had originally planned to run in tracksuits or gym clothes, but...
"No way! Mom has to wear her racing silks, no exceptions!!"
"Yeah, exactly!! We want a real, dead-serious match against Mom in her prime!!"
"Me too, me too~!!! For the pride of a Triple Crown winner, I want to beat Mom at her absolute best!!"
"F-Ford wants to run against Mother in her racing silks too, if... if that's okay...?"
"Yeaaah~ don't worry, nobody's gonna think you're being immature or anything, so feel free!!"
"That applies to YOU too!!" the daughters shouted in unison at Golshi.
"Ah-ha♪"
At the daughters' fierce protest, Golshi was forced to run in a tracksuit instead, borrowing one that Rampage used to wear.
"Ah~ so... what distance are we running?"
"2,400 meters, obviously!! Same distance as Mom's legendary win!!"
"No, I prefer Mom's final race, so 2,500 meters is better."
"Nay, following the ultimate sign of respect to the Mejiro lineage, I propose 2,000 meters."
"F-Ford thinks... longer is better, maybe?"
"Alrighty then, Golshi-chan votes for 2,400! So by majority decision, we're doing 2,400! Any objections~?"
"NONE HERE~!!"
Watching them high-five and make a racket together, it was clear that Golshi and the daughters actually got along quite well. They were surprisingly close, in fact. Maybe somewhere in the future, they'll run into a young Golshi—the 2009 Point Flag concept... Rampage thought to herself, secretly looking forward to the idea.
"Umm... alright then! We will now begin the mock race. I'll act as the starter."
The long-awaited mock race was finally happening. Rampage had never imagined things would turn out like this, but... this was going to be a great experience. Showing her children a glimpse of parental authority—or rather, a taste of her peak form—was part of a mother's duty, after all.
"On your marks... START!!"
"Well then... time to get ready, I suppose."
Class was still in session, but Minamizaka had finished his administrative duties early and was heading out to transition into his team trainer responsibilities. For a former FBI agent, Tracen Academy's workload was child's play. On his way to the Canopus team room, he noticed someone using the track.
"Is that... Rampage-san? But who are those other runners...?"
The mock race had evidently just begun. He could see Rampage bursting forward right out of the gate with incredible momentum. But at the same time, a petite ash-gray-haired Uma Musume was sprinting right alongside her—Ford's start-dash capability was clearly top-tier.
"Rampage-san takes the lead with the small ash-gray girl in second... no, they're practically neck-and-neck! By her build, she looks like a stayer, but... that's a getaway strategy! Going for a runaway lead against Rampage-san... she runs just like Turbo-san. But the two behind them are impressive as well..."
Positioned just behind Rampage and Ford, in the front-runner position, were Amaterasu and Lord. Despite the two runaway leaders setting a blisteringly fast pace, the pair behind maintained composed expressions, looking completely untroubled. They were perfectly positioned to catch up whenever they chose.
Further back were Golshi and Tsukuyomi. For two chasers, having runaway leaders open up such a gap should have been a troubling scenario, yet there was no confusion on their faces—only pure, ecstatic excitement.
"Still running away at full power, I see... Judging by her stride, Rampage-san is in absolute peak condition, every bit as good as her prime. But who on earth is that girl keeping pace with her...?"
Even from Minamizaka's perspective, Rampage was in prime form, yet Ford was matching her stride for stride. And small wonder—Ford was an Uma Musume who had run the Kikuka Sho as a runaway leader, missing the world record by a hair's breadth.
Just as they passed the halfway mark, Golshi and Tsukuyomi made their move simultaneously.
"Moving already?! Judging from the starting point, this is a 2,400-meter race... With less than 1,000 meters to go, they're launching a long spurt! The ash-gray girl has a magnificent stride, while the dark bay's posture is completely rock-solid... What a fascinating race! We're past the midpoint, and Rampage-san still refuses to yield the lead. But those two coming up from behind are terrifying... Is that—Teio-san's step?! Who is that girl...? And now, using the slipstream to counter that step while transitioning into full-body form!!"
Even Minamizaka couldn't help but feel his heart pound. Their running was simply that thrilling.
Lord combining the Teio Step with Amaterasu's slipstream-based full-body running form; Golshi and Tsukuyomi unleash their relentless long spurt; and Ford executing a runaway lead capable of going toe-to-toe with Rampage herself... He couldn't help but wonder how such extraordinary Uma Musume could possibly exist at Tracen without his knowledge.
"Mom! I'm DEFINITELY not gonna lose to youuuu!!!"
"NOPE! The winner's gonna be Golshi-chan!! And then I'm takin' Mac-chan on a tuna fishing boat for a romantic tuna rendezvous!!"
(WHY ME AGAIN?!) a faint, frantic voice echoed from the sidelines.
"The majesty of the moonlight shines right here, right now!"
"The moon can never overcome the sun! I'll wrap the entire sky in my light!"
"Ford... Ford is gonna be a hero!!"
"Alright... let's bring on the LAST SPURT!!!"
"...Mom? What's wrong?"
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Just... you know."
Rampage was looking at a photograph. In it, her daughters were clinging tightly to her, while in the background, a hyped-up Golshi was hoisting McQueen onto her shoulders. It had been a disaster for McQueen at the time, but if anyone brought it up to her now, she would just give a wry smile and call it a fond memory.
"Lord, wanna go for a run?"
"Huh?! Really?!"
"Gotta get some exercise once in a while."
"YAY~!! I'm gonna go call the others!!"
Rampage watched her daughter dash off, gently stroking the photo in her hand. The future that had once visited those nostalgic days had now become her present. She had gotten married, and her daughters were born. And now—
"Mom! Dura-chan says she wants to run too, is that okay?!"
"Oh, Duramente's here? Yeah, of course!"
"Awesome!! Oh, and guess what, guess what?! Deep wants to run with us too! And Orfe, and Donna, and Still, and Con-chan, and then, and then..."
"Wait, wait, WAIT!! Where did you gather all of them from?! Why is that stacked lineup at our house right now?! What is going on with our home right now?! DARLING, HELP!! HELP ME!!"
"Ah, Papa's not here! Golshi kidnapped him onto a tuna fishing boat—he just texted me."
Really... the noisy, chaotic days never end.
(Needless to say, she was forced to run until she collapsed after this.)
[Author's Note]
And with that, the Special Chapter series comes to an end! When the time is right, I'd like to do a second round of Special Chapters and introduce even more offspring!
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