At 3:20 p.m., the pre-race horn of this year's Japan Cup echoed across Tokyo Racecourse, performed by the Ground Self-Defense Force band. Shuta An and Berno Light stood side by side at the floor-to-ceiling window, their gazes fixed on the fifteen Uma Musumes lining up before the gates.
"There are two local Uma Musumes participating this year," the chestnut-haired support Uma Musume spoke first.
"Oguri, and Rosita—the Minami Kanto Triple Crown winner of this year," Shuta An continued naturally. "But there's no need to worry about Rosita. She can't run on turf. Entering the Japan Cup is more of a symbolic gesture for her."
"I see…" Berno Light murmured thoughtfully. "Just like how outsiders viewed Oguri at the beginning."
"Something like that," Shuta An replied, waving a hand. "But Rosita has almost no aptitude for grass. She's not a factor in this race. The real key is the opening phase—Oguri must keep Folkqueen within reach and not let her break away freely. Otherwise, chasing her down in the final straight will be extremely difficult."
"You've reminded Oguri of that countless times," Berno Light smiled. "I think she remembers it very clearly. Look—she's staring straight at Folkqueen."
"She's being too obvious," Shuta An's lips twitched. "Folkqueen is definitely on guard already. But judging from what you told me after your shopping trip, Folkqueen was targeting Oguri from the start anyway. Whether Oguri stared or not, Folkqueen would still be watching her closely."
"That's true," Berno Light nodded quickly. "Oguri's performance last year drew far too much attention. After defeating strong opponents like Tony Bianca here at Tokyo Racecourse, it'd be impossible for overseas Uma Musumes not to notice her."
"They'd notice even without looking," Shuta An lightly tapped Berno Light on the head. "The URA Association has been pushing Oguri hard these past weeks."
"Oh—right…" Berno Light stuck out her tongue.
—
According to the gate order, Oguri Cap in gate 3 entered before Folkqueen in gate 2.
Once inside the stall, Oguri Cap took a deep breath, spread her feet slightly, and clasped her hands before her chest, as though in silent prayer.
"Gate 3—Oguri Cap! Last year's strongest Uma Musume in Japan! After the Arima Kinen, she was sidelined by injury and spent over half a year in recovery. This Japan Cup marks her long-awaited comeback! Can she once again unleash that dazzling surge we witnessed here last year at Tokyo Racecourse?"
The live commentator's voice rang out—though few in the stands truly needed the introduction.
"Show them your peak… no, something even beyond it," Shuta An murmured softly by the window.
—
The gates flew open.
Oguri Cap exploded forward.
"Oh!" Even Shuta An couldn't help but exclaim. "What a start!"
It was perhaps the cleanest break of Oguri Cap's career. Folkqueen reacted quickly as well, but she was unmistakably half a beat slower.
"No—" the Uma Musume from New Zealand frowned sharply. "I thought Oguri Cap would mark me from behind. Is she trying to seize control of the pace instead?"
"I won't allow it."
Folkqueen lengthened her stride immediately, accelerating before Oguri Cap could cut in and seal her path. Oguri Cap, of course, sensed everything happening behind her. Yet she showed no reaction at all, as if completely unaware.
At this stage, any adjustment was meaningless.
Cutting inward risked contact—an accident here would be disastrous. Moving outward so early would be unnatural, inviting suspicion. Accelerating alongside Folkqueen to block her advance would only drain stamina unnecessarily.
Oguri Cap would never choose such a reckless option. Though she hadn't raced officially in nearly a year, her instincts remained razor-sharp. Her deliberate inaction, however, was interpreted very differently by Folkqueen.
"You want to take control from me?" Folkqueen ground her teeth. "Impossible."
She increased both stride length and cadence. Just before the first turn, Folkqueen slipped past Oguri Cap on the inside, claiming the lead. As she passed, Oguri Cap clearly heard a faint, confident snort.
"So it works," Oguri Cap thought calmly. "Even if it started as a spur-of-the-moment decision, the effect is clear. This is the right moment to switch fully to the marking tactic."
—
From gate 6, Super Creek observed the brief exchange with quiet attention.
"That movement just now…" she murmured while maintaining a steady rhythm in fifth place. "Were they competing for something? And in the end…Oguri yielded? The third position? That doesn't make sense. Third or fourth shouldn't matter this early. I'm fifth, and I don't feel any shift in the overall flow…"
—
In the VIP box, Nase Fumino stood by the window as well. Watching the subtle struggle between Oguri Cap and Folkqueen, her brows drew together.
"They're fighting for control of the pace within the leading group," the genius Trainer concluded calmly. "Starting this early means both Shuta An and Folkqueen's Trainer believe this will be a super high-speed race."
Her gaze shifted forward.
"So now, it depends on how long Oguri Cap and Folkqueen allow Eve Binty and Thief Crow—the two runaway Uma Musumes—to stay ahead."
Then her eyes settled on another figure.
"Running Free…" Nase Fumino murmured. "Once a hero who always charged at the very front. Now—she can't even secure a spot in the leading group."
A faint trace of pity surfaced in her eyes before she pushed the thought aside and refocused on the race unfolding before her.
After entering the first turn, Oguri Cap subtly angled a few steps inward, tucking neatly behind Folkqueen—exactly as Shuta An had instructed. Although this line meant enduring stronger centrifugal force through the bend, the trade-off was clear: she could fully benefit from Folkqueen's slipstream.
Folkqueen noticed the movement immediately—and understood its intent just as quickly.
"Using my slipstream, huh?" she thought with an inward chuckle. "That's fine, but if another Uma Musume cuts into the space on my right later, Oguri Cap, you'll be boxed in completely."
"You're not unaware of that risk… are you?"
If this race were taking place in Australia, New Zealand, or the United States, Folkqueen's thinking would have been perfectly reasonable. In those regions, Uma Musumes prized early positioning above all else. Once a gap appeared, someone would seize it without hesitation, eager to gain initiative—even if it meant forcing others into an unfavorable pocket. By Folkqueen's experience, Oguri Cap's cut-in should have immediately invited another runner to surge forward, sealing her in like filling between dumpling skins.
But this was Japan.
Japanese Uma Musumes rarely obsessed over momentary positional loss. They valued rhythm, patience, and running their own race far more than reckless early contests for space. Thus, even as Oguri Cap relinquished her original position, no local Uma Musume chose to accelerate rashly on the turn to fill the gap.
As for the overseas runners, each carried their own calculations. None were willing—or able—to step into that opening.
By sheer circumstance, Folkqueen's imagined danger never materialized.
Oguri Cap herself thought nothing of it. She simply trusted her long-held intuition: no one would rush to fill that space so early in the race. Besides, she had no intention of remaining on the innermost line for long. Once past the turn, she would angle outward again, returning to her natural position.
"For now," Oguri Cap murmured inwardly, "this is enough to make Folkqueen uneasy."
—
As the pack settled into the bend, Shuta An stepped away from the floor-to-ceiling window. He turned and sat down on the sofa, calmly watching the broadcast on the television. Berno Light, however, stayed where she was, eyes fixed unblinking on Oguri Cap's running form.
"With no one blocking that lane," Shuta An spoke as if to himself, "Oguri won't have any positional issues anymore."
He took a slow breath.
"This race is destined to be super high-speed. I wonder if the others are mentally prepared. There'll be a very clear split later on, and in the final stage… it'll come down to sheer willpower."
A faint smile surfaced.
"And that's where Oguri truly shines."
—
In another VIP box—one occupied solely by Student Council members—Symboli Rudolf suddenly spoke.
"Oguri Cap's positioning is unusually forward today."
"And the pace certainly isn't slow," Maruzensky added. "Is she overexcited after being away from official races for so long?"
"That seems unlikely," Air Groove shook her head. "Shuta Trainer would never allow that kind of mindset. Miss Oguri Cap would have discarded such emotions long ago."
"Then there's only one explanation left," Symboli Rudolf sighed. "She's marking Folkqueen."
"Marking Folkqueen?!" Maruzensky and Air Groove exclaimed in unison.
"Why her? Thief Crow's threat is even greater than Obey Your Master's, isn't it?"
"I don't know," Symboli Rudolf replied softly. "Perhaps Shuta-kun's analysis placed Folkqueen as the greater danger. We'll know whether that judgment is correct—in about two minutes."
"That long?" Maruzensky laughed, sticking out her tongue. "Even one minute feels unbearable now. I want to ask Shuta-kun directly!"
"Don't," Air Groove stopped her calmly. "That's their team's box. Barging in wouldn't be appropriate."
Maruzensky sat back down, grinning—she hadn't truly intended to go anyway.
"The first 1000 meters," she said confidently, "will be the fastest in Japan Cup history. No exceptions."
"The previous record was already around sixty seconds," she continued, her sense of pace honed from years of leading races. "This time—Eve Binty and Thief Crow will probably push it into the 58-second range."
"I see," Air Groove nodded in realization. "If Oguri Cap were marking Thief Crow instead, she'd effectively become the third runaway runner."
"Shuta-kun thinks several steps ahead of us," Symboli Rudolf said.
Though she said us, both Maruzensky and Air Groove clearly felt that the "Emperor" had quietly excluded herself from that category.
—
As the pack approached the straight on the far side of the grandstand, Oguri Cap used the centrifugal force to drift a few steps outward from the rail.
Folkqueen reacted instantly, angling outward as well—fully alert.
Oguri Cap paid her no mind. She simply returned to the relative position she had held right after the start.
On the sofa, Shuta An let out a soft chuckle.
"Pfft—"
"Did Ann think of something funny?" Berno Light asked, intrigued.
"I just find it amusing," Shuta An grinned, "how much energy Folkqueen is spending guarding against Oguri. Being that fixated will cost her dearly later."
"Yes," Berno Light smiled as well. Turning her back to the window, she clasped her hands together. "The effect of the mark tactic is already showing. I hope Oguri keeps running this smoothly."
Almost on cue, the live commentator's voice rang out through the box—
"The first 1000 meters time is—58.5 seconds?! Super high speed! The fastest opening 1000 meters in Japan Cup history! Eve Binty and Thief Crow have jointly created this blistering pace! Now the question is—can Oguri Cap and Super Creek, positioned in the leading group, endure until the finish?!"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens