Silver Tear arrived at the training field with Yayoi. The chairwoman waved at her and went off to the audience podium.
The track was already in use. A handful of first-years were gathered near the curve, arguing about pacing, their voices carrying easily across the open space. Laughter mixed with complaints, shoes scraped against the ground.
It was all very ordinary.
Comfortably so.
She stopped near the entrance and watched for a moment.
"…This is nice." She said quietly.
Without thinking much of it, she relaxed. Her shoulders dropped, the tension easing out of her posture. Her tail swayed lazily from side to side, and a small smile found its way onto her face.
To her, it was just a peaceful scene. She was glad that she wasn't thrown into some apocalypse world to fight tooth and nails.
A second-year crouched nearby, tying her shoelaces, happened to glance up.
She froze.
"…Why is she smiling that way?"
Another student followed her gaze. Then another. One by one, the chatter thinned as attention shifted toward the entrance.
Silver Tear stood still, tall and broad-shouldered, hands tucked into her pockets. The tear-shaped mark on her cheek caught the light, and her slightly upturned eyes curved faintly with that calm smile.
From a distance, it didn't look calm at all.
"It's like she's… selecting her prey." Someone muttered, and the others couldn't help nodding in agreement.
Silver Tear, meanwhile, was just scanning the track.
'Woah… Being stared at by so many people makes me feel a little anxious.
Let's get this done and explore the canteen later.'
She blinked, the smile fading back into a neutral expression, and began a light stretch to warm up. Her movements were smooth and flexible in a way that looked effortless.
The field fell silent.
"…Strange." She said, genuinely puzzled. "Why has everyone suddenly become so quiet?"
She stepped forward and entered gate 10, completely unaware that half the field had just collectively decided to keep a tab on her after witnessing that unbelievable flexibility of hers during the warm-up.
The other Uma in the starting gate stared at her warily. Something told them very clearly that this Uma Musume was not someone to underestimate.
_________
1600-meter turf track. Weather: Sunny.
_________
From the stands, a collective of gasps was heard from the other Uma Musume. It drew the chairwoman, and she turned to see two familiar figures.
"Rudolf Symboli and Maruzensky? What brings the two of you here?"
The two legends walked side by side, unhurried.
Rudolf's presence was calm but absolute, the kind that didn't need to assert itself.
"I heard there is a special admission this year, so we came to see her ourselves."
She gave Yayoi a brief greeting and turned her attention to the track. Her gaze swept across the track once, already taking in the conditions, the runners, the atmosphere.
Maruzensky, meanwhile, leaned slightly on the railing, eyes bright with interest, a lazy smile playing on her lips.
"So this is the newcomer everyone's whispering about?" Maruzensky said lightly.
"The tall one in gate ten?" She pointed at Silver Tear.
Rudolf nodded. "Silver Tear. I've read her profile. No track record yet. This is her first on-track evaluation."
Maruzensky hummed. "She doesn't look tense at all. That's rare for a newbie."
On the track, Silver Tear stood at the line, posture loose, gaze wandering while waiting for other participants.
Of course, she noticed the atmosphere, her eyes flicking briefly toward the stands.
'Important people, huh? Noted. Now I'm 100% sure this is an evaluation.'
There was no trace of nervousness even when she saw Rudolf Symboli and Marizensky. Instead, a faint smile rested on her face, as if she were enjoying the weather more than the race.
Maruzensky chuckled. "That kid's smile is dangerous."
"On your marks!" The referee called out.
Silver Tear rolled up her sleeve absentmindedly. The fabric had been bothering her. She slipped her hand into her pocket.
Maruzensky leaned forward and squinted her eyes. "Oh? What is that?"
"Is that a… coin?" Maruzensky raised her brow in confusion.
Rudolf narrowed her eyes. "…What is she doing?"
Silver Tear brought out a coin, rolling it between her fingers. It was a coin she had asked for from the system on the way here.
"Get set!"
The tension spiked across the field.
For Silver Tear, however, it carried little meaning. She had decided on a late start from the very beginning anyway. Waiting was just a means to guarantee the rolls.
The act of deliberately starting late was already a gamble in itself. In a high-speed race where the winner was decided by only a fraction of a second, starting later than the pack put her at a huge disadvantage.
But this was a mock race.
Winning or losing in this race did not matter to Silver Tear.
Besides, a bit of showmanship wouldn't hurt anyone. It might even leave an impression on the higher-ups and make her life at the academy easier.
"Go!!"
The starting signal rang out.
The gates burst open.
Uma Musume surged forth in a blur of color and motion. Their hooves striking the track, breaths sharp with exertion as the pack began to set into motion–
Everyone except for Silver Tear.
She did not move.
The clock began ticking–
00:01.13
From Rudolf's perspective, it was unmistakable. "That bastard."
She was still standing in the gate.
00:02.47
Silver Tear remained inside the open gate, posture relaxed, weight still evenly balanced. The gap between her and the others widened with every step they took.
00:03.11
The tall Uma Musume tossed the coin upward and dropped into a running stand.
00.04.03
The coin arced through the air, spinning lazily, sunlight glinting off its surface as it began to fall toward the ground.
Time seemed to slow.
Under every eye followed that single point of silver.
Rudolf's face darkened. She gritted her teeth so hard that it made a creaking sound.
00:04.50
At exactly four and a half seconds, the coin struck the ground.
Thud–
The sound echoed softly in her ears.
The next moment, Silver Tear vanished.
Boom–
The air detonated where she had been standing, the ground cracking faintly beneath her first step.
The shockwave rippled outward, snapping everyone's heads back. They were unprepared for the violence of her acceleration.
[Runner from Another World activated]
[Hidden Conditions Met]
[Current Bonus: +45% (Max)]
[Rolling Result: H-H-H]
[Effect Granted: +100% in Speed, Stamina, Power for the next 5 seconds.]
_______________
A/N: Need some time to polish this so yesterday I didn't post. It's definitely not because I'm lazing around.