"Ohhh, it's starting!"
Suro watched as the horse girls who had been warming up on the track filed into the starting gates.
Oguri Cap's debut race was finally about to begin!
"Oguri, go—! You've got this—!"
Beside Suro, Kitahara shouted his support at the top of his lungs.
Truth be told, Suro wanted to cheer too… except the person he wanted to cheer for was Fujimasa March on the opposite side, so he didn't dare yell it out loud.
Cheering for the enemy's ace while standing with your own team just didn't feel appropriate.
Your soldiers are ready to fight to the death—why is Your Majesty surrendering before the battle even begins?
No, no. Definitely not.
Better to just quietly cheer for March in his heart.
At moments like this, all he had to do was put on a deeply emotional face and stare at the track—no one would suspect a thing.
Stare—
Suro kept a straight face, eyes locked on the runners poised to start. He was so focused he didn't notice Kitahara watching his expression from the side.
Mr. Suro is watching so seriously…
He never comes by during training, but now that it's Oguri Cap's debut race, his sincerity is finally showing…
Look at that concentrated gaze!
Look at that eager expression!
So Mr. Suro really is hoping for Oguri's victory!
With that thought, Kitahara's cheering grew even louder.
"Oguri—! Go—! You've got this—!"
This time Suro almost jumped from how suddenly loud it got.
Hey, Kitahara, you're so noisy!
—
Bang!
A crisp gunshot tore through the air. The gates sprang open—
The horse girls, already coiled like springs, exploded forward like arrows loosed from a bow!
Not a trace of hesitation on the line. No one botched the start. No one looked back. Only a chaotic thunder of footsteps hammered the track like a sudden downpour.
In that lightning-fast instant, a blue-green figure sliced into the inside lane like a gust of wind—
Fujimasa March!
She lowered her body, eyes sharp as fire, seizing the lead with perfect precision!
Behind her, a short distance back, Oguri Cap stayed calm, sitting in the middle-to-rear of the pack.
She didn't rush to contest. Her steps were steady, deep, controlled—those blue-green eyes fixed on the churning silhouettes ahead.
Not coming up to challenge me, Oguri Cap?
Sensing that Oguri wasn't fighting for the front, Fujimasa March frowned slightly.
Planning to save energy and beat me with a finishing kick at the end?
Heh.
Who are you looking down on?!
Do you think I'll give you that chance?
This debut race was a real short-distance sprint—only 800 meters!
Saving stamina in a race this short? Don't make me laugh!
Watch closely, Oguri Cap—this is what Kasamatsu's number one looks like!
Fujimasa March kicked off hard. Sand and gravel scattered underfoot as her speed surged in an instant!
Her blue-green figure looked like it had been whipped forward by an invisible lash, widening the gap between herself and the chasing pack.
The wind pressure slammed into her face, but her keen eyes burned with a resolve she'd never shown before.
This wasn't her usual style.
What she specialized in—what she'd honed—was a composed, "stalk and strike" front-running approach: like a hunter lying in wait, delivering the fatal blow at the perfect moment.
But—
This time, she planned to crush Oguri Cap head-on!
So she chose an even more aggressive strategy: a full-on breakaway lead!
The tactic change paid off immediately.
Fujimasa March pulled away from the main group at once, creating a dominant scene—one runner alone in front, ruling the race.
Oh yeah! I knew it, March!
Watching March lead from the front, Suro screamed with joy in his heart.
Wow, Miss March, if you're this strong you should've told me earlier!
I worried for nothing!
With a lead like that, Oguri's got no chance… After the race I'll treat her to a nice meal to cheer her up—perfect, I can lose some money beautifully~
"Trying to break away early with a runaway lead… heh. Tricks like that can't bring down Oguri!"
Instead of panicking at Suro mentally popping champagne early, Kitahara wore a confident smile.
"Mr. Suro, just watch!"
"Oguri's strength isn't limited to that level!"
—
Back on the track.
In the blink of an eye, half of the 800 meters was gone.
Fujimasa March held the front steadily, looking like she was about to take this race exactly like this.
Still not making your move, Oguri Cap…?
Don't disappoint me!
Just as the field entered the final turn, Fujimasa March suddenly felt a chill from behind.
That sensation—like a beast locking onto its prey?!
Don't tell me—
Tap-tap-tap—!
A relentless barrage of footsteps thundered from the outside lane!
Somehow, heavy breathing sounded right at her ear!
Fujimasa March stared in shock. In her peripheral vision, she could only catch a flash of white hair—
Oguri Cap?
When did she get here?!
Tap!
A footstep boomed like a shell hitting the ground—and the gray-white figure shot past March in a blur!
"Holy—!"
Suro summed up his feelings in the most concise two words he could manage.
Referee!
Referee, are you there?!
I'm reporting someone for cheating!
Catching March without even needing the full bend—are you telling me this is fair play?!
These ugly stats—aaagh!
At that moment, the one who felt Oguri Cap's power most vividly was March herself.
The instant Oguri overtook her, March chased with everything she had!
But the gap between them still kept growing… slowly, mercilessly.
Oguri Cap—! Is this your full power—?!
Oguri didn't care what March thought.
Those black shoes slammed into the track—
Her speed climbed again!
Sprint!
Charge the line!
First place!
All in one seamless sequence!
Ah—!
Fujimasa March is down—! (sob)
The moment Oguri broke the tape, Suro let out a despairing wail.
"Mr. Suro, I know you're excited seeing Oguri Cap win… but aren't you a little too moved?" Kitahara couldn't help complaining.
"Don't mind me…" Suro said, covering his face with both hands, pretending to cry tears of joy—hiding the agony on his expression.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (190 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (78 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (130 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (80 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (140 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (50 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (60 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (80 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (43 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (41 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (55 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (30 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (47 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it