The commentator’s frenzied shout ignited the entire stadium. Thousands of hands pounding against metal railings set off a continuous hum, mingling with roars of encouragement that surged through the skies above Nakayama Racecourse.
Golden afternoon sunlight transformed the track into a molten corridor, upon which fifteen shooting stars simultaneously ignited their trailing flames.
At storm-like speed, Kitasan Black’s short black hair and long ponytail whipped straight behind her. Grass continuously erupted beneath her racing shoes, creating a vivid emerald ripple chasing her shadow—only to be immediately crushed under the stampede of the pursuing Uma Musume.
“They’re coming out of the final corner!”
“The crowd-favorite Satono Crown has begun her sprint!”
“She’s locked onto Kitasan Black! She’s chasing down Kitasan Black, sprinting from the outside, overtaking one rival after another!”
“After so many years, will we finally witness another undefeated Uma Musume claim the Satsuki Sho?!”
“Can the Satono family’s long-cherished dream finally become reality in such perfect fashion?!”
Eyes locked onto the figure ahead, pouring every ounce of strength into her sprint, Satono Crown clenched her teeth, a flicker of regret stirring in her heart.
She hadn’t expected that after such a grueling early battle, uphill climbs, and repeated corner accelerations, her childhood friend—now rival—would still possess such incredible stamina.
Unaware of the commentator’s impassioned words, Crown had only one thought dominating her mind.
Catch up!
Catch up to Kita-chan!
To fulfill her family’s long-held dream, she had to close the gap, surpass her, and seize the victory in this Satsuki Sho!
Yet suddenly, her vision opened wider, and as the final straight appeared clearly before her, her heart lurched sharply.
In quick succession, two figures appeared, positioned diagonally ahead of her.
“They’ve entered the final straight!”
The commentator’s voice cracked, raw with excitement.
“The rear group is quickly catching up! But the leading pack on the inside is equally determined!”
“Nakayama’s straight is notoriously short! Now entering the final incline, Unyielding True Steel accelerates from the outside!”
“Her target is Kitasan Black! Just like Satono Crown, she has locked onto Kitasan Black! And she’s closing the distance!”
“However, Satono Crown remains in mid-pack—can she truly win this?!”
“Directly ahead of her is Crushing Raise, who also has eyes locked on Kitasan!”
“But, but! Kitasan Black still leads!”
“Kitasan Black maintains a lead of six—no, five lengths!”
“Only 200 meters remain!”
“Kitasan Black is still holding on, still charging furiously!”
“Kitasan on the inside! Unyielding True Steel is furiously closing the gap from the outside, shortening the distance to just four lengths!”
“Can she overtake Kitasan Black?!”
“But wait—Crushing Raise is catching up!”
“Crushing Raise is actually charging from the outside!”
“She’s overtaken Unyielding True Steel!”
“Now it’s Crushing Raise chasing down Kitasan Black!”
“The gap is rapidly shrinking! Rapidly shrinking!”
“Four lengths… Three lengths…”
“Only two lengths separate her from Kitasan Black now!”
“100 meters left!!”
The commentator’s frantic narration, trailing after the swift figures on the track, triggered the day’s loudest cheer from over a hundred thousand spectators.
Yet Crushing Raise, the reflection of Kitasan’s black-and-gold form shimmering in her deep blue eyes, heard none of this.
She disliked noise.
She never mentioned to many people that whenever she stepped onto the racecourse, the overwhelming attention and commotion always filled her heart with irritation.
But right now, it was as if someone had pressed pause on the world itself. All the annoying noise disappeared.
Although the noise hadn’t truly vanished, it seemed frozen—just like Kitasan’s fluttering hair, suspended midair.
Tiny beads of sweat clung to her hair tips, glittering under the sun with a strangely amber hue.
Suddenly, a month’s worth of memories flooded Raise’s mind.
During one rainy training session, covered in mud, Kitasan laughed brightly while breaking an energy bar in half, handing Raise one half with clean fingers, then carefully wiping a smudge of chocolate off Raise’s mouth.
That bittersweet taste, the dampness of rain, and the softness of Kitasan’s fingertips vividly lingered on her lips, summoned clearly by these unexpectedly resurfaced memories.
Unconsciously, Raise’s lips curled slightly upward.
The memories shifted again.
Kitasan’s figure blurred and distorted, becoming the carved arch of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe’s finish line.
The arch quickly transformed into her father’s stern face, her mother’s gentle smile, Air Groove-san’s exasperated expression—
—and finally returned to the figure of the friend she’d known for barely a month.
This time, Kitasan stood before a vending machine, smiling warmly as she waved.
“Raise-chan, want to try this new lemon soda? Teio-senpai endorsed it, it tastes amazing!”
Again, Raise’s lips lifted into a smile.
She watched as the memory’s swinging soda can tab overlapped bit by bit with the distant finish line marker, glittering ahead under the sun.
Right…
I’m… running in the Satsuki Sho right now.
But it seems like being the fastest, strongest, or greatest…
Isn’t everything a race has to offer.
There’s also you, Kita-chan…
Now fully aware she was still racing, less than 100 meters from the finish line, and astonished that she had just let her mind drift, Raise felt no panic at all.
Her swinging arms felt strangely hot; she unconsciously stretched and flexed her fingers.
The air itself seemed to ripple visibly around her, splitting aside like water, the track becoming dense and viscous like deep ocean currents.
She felt her leg muscles and bones with extraordinary clarity, keenly aware that she was slicing through invisible gaps of airflow at absolute precision.
Blades of grass burst beneath her feet, their fresh green juice unfurling into emerald mist suspended in midair.
She could hear sounds again—but not the irritating shouts from the stands.
The gentle rise and fall of her own lungs.
The chaotic, labored breathing behind her.
The faint crackling sound of someone crushing a soda can in the front row of the stands.
And clearest of all, the loud, rapid heartbeat and faltering footsteps directly ahead.
As this realization struck, she distinctly heard the faint pop of fizzing bubbles.
The paused world suddenly resumed motion and noise rushed back—but this time, none of it disturbed her at all.
With the finish line directly ahead, and Kitasan’s figure now suddenly positioned just diagonally before her, Raise surged forward without hesitation.
“Has she caught her? Has Crushing Raise actually caught her?!”
“Is Crushing Raise truly this powerful?!”
“Kitasan Black’s massive lead is practically gone! Her six-length advantage is almost completely erased!”
“Fifty meters!”
“Can she surpass Kitasan, can Crushing Raise capture her?!”
“Or can Kitasan hold on to the very end and resist Crushing Raise’s charge?!”
“At this very moment—”
“They cross the finish line!!”
The declaration practically shattered the sky. Raise’s ears involuntarily twitched, signaling the race had ended.
She instinctively tried to slow her pace to a jog, only to discover with astonishment that her body felt utterly drained of strength. Her legs buckled suddenly, and she collapsed toward the turf.
“R-Raise-chan! Are you alright…?”
Hearing the familiar voice, unusually breathless with concern, Raise instinctively smiled.
She glanced toward Kitasan Black, ready to thank her—but instead, her eyes followed Kitasan’s gaze toward the large electronic board far away.
“…Photo finish…?”
—
T/N: NO WAY DID SHE ACTIVATE HER ZONE??????????????????????????????????????????
This is a fan translation of 赛马娘：从被撞飞十米开始 by 百升飞上天 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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