As Almond Eye surged forward on the track, leaving all competitors far behind, the crowd erupted into applause and heated chatter.
“Oh! That kid’s amazing! Almond Eye, right? She’ll definitely become an incredible Uma Musume someday!”
“I’ve heard of her; she’s from Lord Kanaloa’s family, one of the juniors.”
“Yeah, my kid mentioned her too. Her family’s known for short-distance races. Didn’t expect her to run this well at 2000 meters!”
Amid the commotion, Kitasan Black shouted excitedly from the front row of the spectator stands.
“Yes! That’s it! Go, Almond-chan!”
Much like an official race, this event provided special seats up front for the young “trainers” to directly observe the action.
Alongside Kitasan Black sat the Satono sisters and Crushing Raise. Unyielding True Steel and Noda Gold, who were soon participating in the Satsuki Sho, were also present.
Kitasan’s excited shouts left the others staring in stunned disbelief.
Even Crushing Raise, typically cold and indifferent, now watched slack-jawed.
“…Hey, Kita-chan, did you… did she…?”
Stammering for a moment, Satono Crown grabbed Kitasan’s arm, exasperation mixed with amusement.
“How exactly did you coach this kid…? Isn’t that racing style just reckless?”
“Go, Almond-chan, go… huh?”
Jumping and shouting energetically, Kitasan belatedly realized her arm was being held.
“Crown-chan, were you saying something?”
“I was saying…”
Satono Crown helplessly pointed toward the track, her voice trailing off. “I said the way that kid is running seems completely reckless… Wait, her speed…”
Indeed, on the track, Almond Eye—who’d initially burst out with incredible speed—had now noticeably slowed down.
Although still leading, the gap between her and the other young Uma Musume visibly narrowed.
The commentator quickly reported this change, having regained some composure after the initial shock:
“Now Almond Eye-san’s speed has clearly dropped. Her earlier burst was likely to secure a strong initial position.”
“The other contestants have also adjusted and are steadily closing the gap.”
“Still, Almond Eye-san’s explosive start has had its effect. Several runners had delayed gate exits and are now far behind.”
“There’s no need to panic; the race has just begun. I hope all contestants can remain calm.”
At this point, Kitasan Black finally understood what Satono Crown had been asking.
“How’s it reckless? Almond-chan’s just running exactly how we agreed!”
With a slight pout, Kitasan quickly brightened again. “We discussed this in the morning. She doesn’t have to overthink anything in this race—she should just run however she feels. That’s it!”
Having been focused on the race until now, Satono Crown couldn’t help but look back incredulously, sighing again.
“Running however she feels… Kita-chan, and you say that’s not reckless? What kind of race strategy is that?”
“Don’t be impatient, Crown-chan.”
With surprising seriousness, Kitasan responded earnestly to her friend.
“Running however she feels… that was specifically meant for Almond-chan.”
“Specifically for her…?” Satono Crown paused in confusion.
“Yes, because Almond-chan right now is just like I was when I first met my Trainer.”
Kitasan nodded firmly, knuckles white as she gripped the railing, her eyes fixed affectionately on the small figure on the track.
“Back then, there were many things I didn’t understand. But my Trainer didn’t rush to tell me everything. Instead, he’d often tell me to find my own rhythm, to run the races I truly wanted to.”
“Only later did I realize that every training session, every race—it wasn’t as simple as he made it sound.”
“He put in so much preparation, did so much work behind the scenes. Yet, at the time, he made it seem easy.”
“I think Almond-chan might be feeling that too.”
“That’s why I didn’t give her too many instructions.”
“Of course, the way she’s running now—I thought it through carefully.”
“She’ll be fine racing like this!”
Listening quietly to this earnest explanation, Satono Crown looked her friend up and down as if seeing her clearly for the first time.
Not only Crown, but also Satono Diamond, Crushing Raise, and Unyielding True Steel, who’d overheard the conversation nearby, were all staring at Kitasan in mild astonishment.
To them, Kitasan Black had always been an optimistic, cheerful, somewhat careless girl—sometimes overly casual and carefree.
Yet the black-haired Uma Musume now before them was unexpectedly thoughtful, displaying a maturity none had witnessed before.
“Besides, there’s another difference between Almond-chan and me.”
As Kitasan continued, her eyes softened with gentle sympathy.
“No matter what others said, Grandpa, Dad, my family, and my Trainer—they’ve always supported me running whatever races I wanted.”
“But Almond-chan doesn’t have that kind of support.”
“She desperately wants to run a race like this—2000 meters—but her family won’t allow it.”
“So even if it’s just this once, I want to support her.”
“I want to support her in running however she wants.”
As Kitasan murmured softly, out on the track, Almond Eye ran with an exhilaration she’d never before experienced coursing through her body.
She had no idea how her senpai had managed it, but she was absolutely certain that this run was exactly what she’d always dreamed of.
Constant bursts of acceleration, repeated explosive pushes forward—this was how she’d always trained at home, the essence of short-distance racing emphasized again and again.
Yet she knew middle-distance races weren’t only about bursts of speed.
Secretly, behind her family’s back, she’d studied those races closely.
Middle-distance running demanded balanced capabilities; long-distance depended heavily on endurance. She’d observed strategic styles—nige, senkou, sashi, oikomi—so different from short-distance tactics.
It wasn’t the difference itself she liked.
Rather, she wanted those differences precisely because they meant she could be Almond Eye—not just her family’s Almond Eye.
That’s why… Thank you so much, Kitasan-senpai…
Gratitude welled spontaneously in her heart, but the hurried footsteps behind pulled her swiftly back into reality.
Accompanied by a frustrated yell from behind:
“Al—mond—Eye! Don’t think you can get away that easily!”
She didn’t need to look back. By voice alone, Almond Eye recognized her classmate Shining Starlight from the next class.
From memory, this girl constantly declared she’d become “the strongest Uma Musume,” always fiercely competitive, whether in training or classwork.
“Strongest,” huh… Such a childish idea.
What does she mean, ‘get away’? Does she think I’m running like this just to spite her?
Still, she’s catching up quite fast, so maybe…
Almond Eye’s lips curled slightly upward. Quickly scanning the track ahead, she debated only briefly whether to accelerate or not, before swiftly reaching a decision.
Without any change, she held her current pace steady, allowing the rapid footsteps behind her to close the distance.
As Shining Starlight raced past, Almond Eye glimpsed clearly from the corner of her eye the girl’s shocked expression and smiled faintly once more.
“At a pace this fast… are you treating this like a short-distance race? Careful, or you might run out of stamina at the end…”
She whispered, smiling quietly.
—
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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