Race twelve at Tokyo Racecourse, sixteen hundred meters. Next up, the top favorite, number eight, gate twelve—Gold Legend!
The commentator was as fiery as ever, as though they were forever burning with passion.
Gold Legend snapped back to attention and hurried onto the parade stage.
It was June—time for her debut.
Ever since that Japanese Derby, Gold Legend often drifted into thought like this, whenever she was alone. Fortunately she never let it show in public, so no one worried.
After greeting her Trainer and teammates, she stepped onto the turf course.
A light rain was falling, leaving the grass soft and slick.
Does this count as heavy going?
She looked up at the leaden sky, feeling the unfamiliar turf beneath her shoes, her thoughts drifting.
Inside the starting gate, the cramped, dim space echoed with the patter of rain, and she couldn't help recalling her conversation with the new Derby champion a few days earlier.
After the Winner's Stage, Ines Fujin had been carried straight to Central Tresen's equine hospital—the facility Central Tresen built specifically for its Horse Girls.
Everyone knows Horse Girl racing is a sport lived alongside injury; to minimize that risk, Central Tresen had poured enormous resources into recruiting top specialists and building this hospital.
The doctors ruled that Ines Fujin had overextended herself and would need an extended convalescence.
Gold Legend, who had been worried, seized the chance to invite her to the Gold Family's secret retreat—under Mejiro McQueen's name, of course.
Ines had meant to refuse, but Gold Legend offered an irresistible condition: it was free.
To an Uma Musume juggling part-time jobs to support her family, that was an instant yes.
Gold Legend had no ulterior motive; the Derby had simply moved her, and she wanted to help.
The Gold retreat was small, but its facilities ranked among the very best in Japan—if not the world.
Which brings us to the Gold Family's peculiar history.
Everyone knows the Golds are freedom incarnate.
Consequently, the family wielded little real power.
After all, you can't expect a bunch of happy-go-lucky mavericks to run a clan seriously.
That the Gold Family still existed at all was something of a miracle; real noble houses don't work that way.
Perhaps the gods felt compensatory: though the family lacked might and influence, it possessed wealth—fortune smiled on them.
Their very surname was Gold.
Among Japanese racing clans, the Gold Family's coffers had always been top-tier, and in Gold Legend's generation they reached unprecedented levels.
The reason lay with her parents. For their daughter, they abandoned their carefree lives and went into business; the then-head of the family cheered them on. Apart from wanting the best for Legend, having someone else shoulder the work was wonderful.
He dumped the entire treasury into their hands, and the family's wealth multiplied several-fold.
In terms of raw power, the Golds couldn't rival the northward-fading Northern Family.
In influence, either Symboli or Mejiro at their peak could thrash them without breaking stride.
But in pure cash, bluntly, every famed racing clan in Japan combined couldn't match one hand of the Gold Family.
With resources like that, you can imagine the quality of their facilities.
And this retreat wasn't just any retreat—it had been built specifically for Gold Legend by her parents. Everything was state-of-the-art.
How over-the-top was it? It had taken a girl wracked by recoil from her own talent and Domain and kept her healthy all the way to sixteen. Every autumn and winter of her life had been spent here.
In that case… it must be incredibly expensive. Why would you let me stay for free?
After hearing the introduction, Ines Fujin—flattered and startled—blurted out honorifics.
"Aren't you Ryan's roommate and rival? Ryan is McQueen's sister, and I'm McQueen's best friend. Besides, I really like what you show on the track."
Gold Legend rattled off a few random reasons.
"I see—I'm benefiting from Ryan's glow, then."
Ines Fujin sat on the bed gazing out the window. Weakened, she lacked her usual spark; instead she radiated the fragile beauty of an invalid.
"So, Miss Gold Legend, was there something you wanted to tell me?"
Ines Fujin turned her head toward Gold Legend, who stood by the door with arms folded, back against the wall.
"...Is it that obvious?"
"Very much so, you look like you're dying to speak." Ines Fujin teased. "So, what does little sis want to ask big sis?"
Sensing Gold Legend's inexperience, Ines Fujin relaxed.
"...Sigh."
Gold Legend exhaled, walked to the bed, sat down, and looked straight into Ines's eyes. "Was it worth it?"
"Eh?" Ines Fujin blinked, puzzled.
"I'm asking—was burning yourself out, even throwing away your whole career, just for this one Derby worth it?"
True, Ines Fujin had achieved unprecedented results in that race, but the cost was enormous; she might never return to the track. Even the doctors said retirement was the best option.
"...I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"Honestly, my mind was blank. What carried me across the finish line—momentum, instinct, something else—I can't say. I was just waiting for the final result."
Ines Fujin looked at Gold Legend and spoke slowly.
"...I see."
"But I don't regret it."
"!"
"The scene of that day—I'll never forget it, no matter how many years pass! The crowd's roar, the fans' excitement, those rivals who also gave everything for that once-in-a-lifetime stage. Just those things alone make the journey worthwhile, so—I don't regret it." Ines Fujin's words came slow and firm.
"...Right."
Gold Legend seemed to understand something—or perhaps nothing at all.
Having her answer, Gold Legend chose to take her leave.
"By the way, Classmate Legend."
As if sensing Gold Legend's confusion, Ines Fujin called after her as she rose to go.
"What is it?" Gold Legend looked back.
"If you don't know which way to run, start by making sure you won't regret it! There's no reverse gear in racing."
Ines Fujin smiled—Gold Legend knew that was the true smile of the Wind God.
"...I'll take that to heart."
...The gate signal snapped Gold Legend back to reality.
The commentator's voice still echoed; it seemed all the Horse Girls were loaded.
Gold Legend shook her head, drew a deep breath, and reset her focus.
The cold, moist air restored her concentration; her body tingled with anticipation, a faint flame dancing in her eyes.
"What a strange feeling—stronger than last time..."
She recalled the training race; this time the sensation was fiercer.
Crack!
The gates flew open.
"Even in the rain the runners break well—oh! Favorite Gold Legend is a bit slow out."
The veteran commentator spotted Gold Legend's slow start.
"Still not quite there."
Gold Legend sighed; her overactive mind had always made tardy starts a chronic problem.
No matter. For most Front Runners, a bad break means losing the lead—disqualifying for a Front Runner.
But Gold Legend wasn't worried. Slow out? Lose the lead? Just steal it back!
Superior ability and solid conditioning let her shrug it off.
She drove off, leaving a shallow crater, and easily surged past several Horse Girls to seize the front.
The Front Runner's face showed surprise—why was someone sprinting from the gun?
Gold Legend ignored her.
"Gold Legend, coming from behind, has taken the lead—looks like she's a Front Runner! Is going this early safe?"
The professional commentator smoothly explained the unfolding race.
After the break the field usually settles, giving commentators a moment to call positions and inform the audience.
Today they didn't get that chance.
Because Gold Legend kept accelerating.
"She's flying—already left the pack behind by six lengths, seven lengths? The gap keeps growing!"
Gold Legend ignored the commentator's shock and the rivals behind her.
Cold rain struck Gold Legend's face, a strange exhilaration spreading from her heart to her limbs; she had never run this fast, yet her body told her:
I can go faster!
Obeying that inner voice, she stamped through the muddy water and surged ahead again.
No one could match her stride; only the wind led her onward.
"Ha!"
It was as if some beast had awakened—Gold Legend laughed aloud, unable to contain the joy and excitement rising from within.
Was it because this was an official race?
She didn't know; she simply let the beast roar.
"They're too slow."
A faint sneer echoed in her ears—her own unbidden arrogance.
"Gold Legend is still accelerating—still accelerating!"
The commentator shouted, astonished that a routine debut could thrill a veteran so fiercely.
Gold Legend opened a gap so vast the camera had to pull back to keep the whole field in frame.
Behind her the Uma Musume seemed to realize what was happening and began to drive.
Too late.
Gold Legend had already entered the final straight.
She lowered her center of gravity and gave everything.
She exploded again, golden hair streaming; even the gloomy rain could not dim that blazing gold.
"At the line! The winner—Gold Legend! By a crushing fifteen lengths!"
The commentator's ecstatic call ended the race, yet as Gold Legend glanced at the board a strange dissatisfaction welled up.
"Too short."
The brief distance left her feeling incompletely burned.
"Oh—!!!"
The roar from the stands snapped her back; she turned.
Scattered spectators chanted her name.
It was only a debut; the crowd was small—mere thousands compared with Derby madness, but they cheered as though witnessing the dawn of a Legend, a golden myth.
Watching them, Gold Legend remembered Ines Fujin's words.
"As expected… I still don't understand what an Uma Musume is."
She sighed, raised her right hand, and answered their cheers.
★ The Beginning of Glory ★