Chapter 98: The Uma Musume’s Name Is.

The soft patter of rain filled the air in the dimly lit self-study area of the library. I sat there alone, a video playing quietly on my laptop.

It was official footage released by the URA—a G1 race held just two months ago. Through the Uma Musume–spec earphones resting over my ears came a thunderous roar of cheers, loud enough to shake an entire racecourse, layered with the wildly excited voice of the commentator.

"So they round the second corner—just how long will this otherworldly journey of two continue!? At a glance, you can’t even tell the gap between them and third-place Daitaku Helios! Just how far will the distance stretch!? At what pace will these two tear through the race!?"

"An otherworldly journey, huh…"

A wry smile tugged at my lips as I listened. Not just because the commentary was so over-the-top, but because the phrase was painfully accurate.

Even with a camera, it was impossible to fully capture what was happening. This truly was an otherworldly journey, belonging only to the two runners at the front. In the first half of the race, the leading Uma Musume were visibly operating on an entirely different level from the rest of the field.

On one side was the chestnut-colored escape artist, her elegant form devouring the turf as she claimed both the title of the fastest and the glory of the lead.

On the other was a bay dragon, chasing her with a posture so low it seemed to scrape the ground—yet somehow giving the impression that she was flying.

They were the only two Uma Musume in the country capable of a full-scale breakaway in a G1 race. Their ferocious struggle for the lead felt less like a standard competition and more like a national championship meant to decide the strongest front-runner alive.

The Arima Kinen, held at Nakayama at the end of the year. At 2,500 meters, it was classified as a long-distance race. They were only around the 1,000-meter mark—still firmly in the middle phase.

And yet, these two had already left the rest of the pack far behind, tearing across the turf at a speed more suited to the final sprint.

"...You really are absurdly out of the ordinary, Wilm."

It went without saying that the faster we Uma Musume run, the more dramatically our stamina consumption increases. If reaching a speed of ten costs ten units of stamina, then fifteen costs twenty, and twenty costs forty. That kind of comparison makes it easier to understand.

You need speed to win a race—but pushing speed too far quickly becomes inefficient.

That’s why the basic strategy is to hold back through the opening and middle phases, then unleash everything in the final stretch.

Uma Musume aren’t machines. Because we’re living beings, we have limits—and we make mistakes. As stamina drains and breathing grows ragged, less oxygen reaches the brain. Judgment dulls, flexibility of thought declines, and it becomes harder to choose the right tactics.

So we keep our speed reasonable to avoid excessive fatigue, then burn through whatever stamina remains at the very end.

…Well, that’s how it’s supposed to work.

To be honest, I’m not knowledgeable enough to lecture anyone about this with absolute confidence.

If anything, that kind of theoretical analysis is more Nature’s territory. I’m not as smart as she is. …Well, it’s not that I’m dumb. Our strengths just point in different directions.

If Nature is a theory-driven, science-type thinker, then I’m more intuition-focused—more humanities than equations. Carefully linking together tiny fragments of information through rigid theory is exhausting, and frankly, not something I’m good at.

Because of that, I don’t usually spend much time closely analyzing someone else’s running.

…but setting that aside.

I tend to think about things intuitively.

…Or maybe precisely because of that, I was able to notice it.

"...?"

I realized my brows had drawn together. Something about Wilm’s running in the video felt… off.

It wasn’t anything concrete—just a vague sensation, like something snagging at the back of my mind. But my intuition, especially when it comes to races, is surprisingly reliable.

I dragged the seek bar back and replayed the video from the moment Wilm began dueling with Suzuka-senpai, carefully tracing that faint unease before it slipped away.

On screen, after passing Turbo—who had begun to fade around the 600-meter mark—Wilm suddenly leaned forward at an astonishing angle and accelerated all at once.

…This was the posture she takes when she gets serious.

According to Wilm herself, it’s called the "Heavenly Star Sprint." Honestly, it’s a little frustrating—but I have to admit, it’s a cool name.

And that was it.

That sprint was what had caught my attention.

As I’d been thinking earlier, the basic tactic for Uma Musume is to conserve stamina until the final phase, then dash through the finish.

What makes Suzuka-senpai and Wilm so otherworldly is that this kind of pace appears in the first half of the race.

That tactic is called a breakaway.

It’s an extremely rare running style where you burn an enormous amount of stamina early to separate from the pack, then somehow maintain that gap through the latter half.

…Of course it’s rare.

We normally reserve sprinting for the final stretch to avoid destroying our legs or losing mental clarity and tactical judgment.

A breakaway, however, throws stamina away in massive chunks right from the opening phase.

On top of that, higher speed increases air resistance, and when you’re running alone at the front, there’s no one beside you to ignite your fighting spirit through direct competition.

Frankly, it’s not a strategy that lends itself to victory.

If anything, it’s a dangerous way of running—one that carries a high risk of self-destruction.

That’s why only a handful of Uma Musume can pull it off. Those who can only run that way. Those who truly want to run that way. And those with such outrageous ability that they can afford the recklessness.

This is something I heard secondhand from our trainer, but to win a race using this strategy, you need three key qualities.

A special temperament that lets you run at full tilt without directly competing with anyone.

A high level of rationality and thinking ability, allowing you to ignore everything happening behind you.

And the physical strength to support such an absurd style of running.

Of course, the required standard changes depending on the race—but if even one of those three is lacking, winning becomes extremely difficult.

A clear example is Turbo in the Arima Kinen.

She meets the temperament requirement easily, but lacks the physical ability. That’s why she couldn’t keep up with Suzuka-senpai or Wilm.

…Honestly, it’s incredibly rare for all three qualities to exist at a G1-viable level in the first place.

That’s why Uma Musume like Silence Suzuka and Hoshino Wilm are called "otherworldly," even among the strongest runners in the country.

No matter how hard others try to imitate them, they can’t. They’re true anomalies.

…At least, that’s what both the trainer and I believed.

But now, a very small question had begun to form.

"When you really think about it, why is it that Wilm—"

That was when it happened.

"May I?"

"Hyah!?"

Someone suddenly tapped my shoulder, and I shot to my feet in surprise. A split second later, I remembered where I was and clamped a hand over my mouth.

Even though I knew it was unreasonable, I shot a resentful glare at the culprit—and froze.

"Please refrain from raising your voice! This is a library, you know?"

Standing there with a slightly flustered frown was one of my rivals—and also a friend—the silver-haired Uma Musume, Mejiro McQueen.

"McQueen…? What are you doing here? Are you studying too?"

"If I were studying, I would use my family’s facilities. I came because your trainer asked me to pass along a message."

"A message?"

"Yes. ‘We’re calling it a day. Don’t overdo it—make sure you don’t interfere with tomorrow’s training.’ That’s what he said."

Calling it a day? It didn’t feel that late yet.

I checked the time—and winced. Three hours had already passed.

The two hours I’d promised the trainer were long gone. …Looks like I’d been far more absorbed in the video than I realized.

"Damn it… sorry. Thanks for the save, McQueen."

"It’s no trouble. Still, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard."

"Yeah. Thanks for worrying. I’ll head back soon."

Judging from the phrase "don’t overdo it," today was basically free after this.

I decided I’d finish thinking through that odd feeling, then wrap things up. If this faint sense of unease led me to uncover the secret behind Wilm’s breakaway—or even a small weakness—I could tilt things just a little more in my favor.

There wasn’t much time left before the Osaka Hai, the next race Wilm would run after her break.

I needed to close the gap between us, even if only a little.

Alright—time to put my earphones back in.

…Huh?

"McQueen?"

The presence behind me, which I’d assumed would disappear right away, was still there. When I glanced over, she was looking at me and my laptop with unmistakable interest.

"I always thought you weren’t particularly fond of academic study."

"I’m still not, really. I’m just doing it because I think it’s necessary."

"I see. You’ve changed a little."

"What do you mean? …Me?"

"In the past, you would have said something like, ‘I don’t need to do that—I can win without it.’

But now, you’re seriously searching for what you can do in order to beat that girl.

She’s made you take racing seriously. That’s a wonderful thing."

…Though it is a bit disappointing that it wasn’t me who inspired that change, she added with a playful smile.

"...Yeah. I guess you’re right. I probably have gotten a bit more serious."

…It does feel a little embarrassing.

But I really do think I was changed—by Wilm… and by Nature, too.

---

Up until the Satsuki Sho, where I was utterly crushed by Wilm, racing had always been something simple to me.

As long as I trained properly, winning was never a problem.

Because—well—I was a genius.

So long as I didn’t slack off and let my body dull, I was far stronger than everyone around me. My strategy was the orthodox one: take the lead early and pull away. Overwhelm the others with sheer physical ability.

There was no need to waste time thinking about tactics or strategies.

I understood that kind of thing without having to consciously process it.

How to run to pull further ahead. How to reach the finish faster.

I didn’t need to analyze it—those things came to me naturally.

I mean, nobody has to think about how to walk in order to walk, right?

No one lives their life constantly thinking about how to breathe or blink.

For me, racing—how to run, how to win—was the same kind of thing.

If I pushed forward here, broke out of the pack there, slipped past at just the right moment, and got serious at exactly that point… I’d win.

As long as I was in the race, I could feel those things. Not through theory, but through instinct.

…Honestly, from my perspective, it was more like—why don’t the others get it?

But…

Relying on intuition alone wasn’t enough to beat a genius who surpassed even me—Hoshino Wilm.

Around last November, I realized that. And it hit me harder than I expected.

The running style my trainer and I were aiming for wouldn’t be completed in time for the Arima Kinen.

And even if it were… I couldn’t imagine it surpassing Wilm, who had gone on to win the Japan Cup.

…When it comes to racing, my intuition is usually right.

As I am now, I can’t beat Hoshino Wilm.

But then, at a time like that, my friend Nature said something to me.

"So what, you’re going to give up because you’re scared of losing again? Is that really all the kind of Uma Musume you are?"

It was an unusually aggressive—almost taunting—line for Nature.

I was already feeling low, so it hit hard enough that we ended up fighting over it.

But she wasn’t being cruel.

She wasn’t telling me to despair. She was kicking me in the back, telling me to look forward and keep going.

That was what snapped me out of it.

I can’t stop here.

The running style we’re aiming for might not be ready in time for the Arima Kinen.

This time, I might lose—completely and utterly.

But there’s a next time.

…That’s right.

Back then, at the Japan Derby, I made my choice.

Not a fleeting victory in the moment—but victory in the long run.

To keep running, long and strong.

From next year onward, the Twinkle Series between Wilm and me will continue.

If that’s the case, then bring it on.

If this time doesn’t work, then the next. If that fails, then the one after that.

I’ll keep challenging Wilm, over and over again…

And someday, as an emperor, I’ll surpass the dragon.

---

…And with that resolve in mind, I found myself doing something completely unlike me—researching Wilm’s races.

I hesitated over how I should explain that to McQueen. In the end, I decided not to say anything at all.

There was no need to confess something like that to her.

It wasn’t something worth boasting about. It was enough to keep it quietly held in my heart.

So I chose to change the subject.

…It’s not like I felt embarrassed or anything. Really.

"Analysis might be the trainer’s job, but I figured I’d do what I can too. That said, it’s not like I’ve gotten much out of it."

As I spoke, my shoulders naturally shrugged.

…Huh. That sounded a bit like Nature just now. Maybe I really am being influenced by her.

As I stood there feeling vaguely frustrated—and vaguely embarrassed—McQueen continued.

"I see. And which footage are you watching?"

"The Arima Kinen from the other day."

"I understand. Diligent study is a wonderful thing."

"Yeah. Thanks."

"…………"

"…………"

…Uh, what’s going on? Why isn’t she leaving?

I definitely got the message, and honestly, it’d be fine if she headed out already.

McQueen kept stealing glances at the video playing on my laptop.

…Ah. I see. She wants me to invite her.

"…Um, want to study it together, McQueen?"

"If you don’t mind. Would that be acceptable?"

"That’s basically you asking already. Seriously…"

Maybe it’s a Mejiro family thing, but McQueen can be kind of a hassle sometimes.

I let out a wry smile, shifted over to make space beside me, and handed her one side of the earphones.

---

And just like that, an impromptu study session between McQueen and me began.

I started the video on my laptop, and McQueen—who looked a little uncomfortable squeezed into the narrow space—quietly spoke up.

"You said ‘why’ earlier… what was it that you found questionable?"

"Why…? Huh, did I really say that out loud?"

If it slipped out unconsciously, then yeah—it was probably about that lingering sense of unease.

"Mm. It’s just… something feels off."

"Unease, you say?"

"Yeah."

As I watched Wilm running side by side with Suzuka-senpai on the screen, I murmured,

"It’s about Wilm’s running… no, more specifically, her Heavenly Star Sprint."

"Hmm… would you mind explaining in more detail?"

McQueen rested a hand against her chin, shifting into a thoughtful listening posture.

I nodded once and paused the video. The frame froze right around the moment Wilm leaned sharply forward.

"Wilm’s forward-leaning dash—the Heavenly Star Sprint. That posture only appears when she’s truly using her legs in earnest.

Which means that instead of saving everything for the final stretch, Wilm went all-out right here… starting around the 600-meter mark."

"However… I clearly witnessed Wilm-san opening her Domain in the final stretch. If we’re speaking of ‘going all-out,’ wouldn’t that moment—when she activated her Domain—be the true one?"

"Yeah. Exactly. That’s the first thing that felt off."

For racing Uma Musume, a Domain is our ultimate technique.

According to the trainer, it’s an extreme state of focus—by directing everything we are toward the race, we can push our performance beyond its usual limits. Though honestly, considering you can even perceive something like an inner world while inside it, I doubt it’s just heightened concentration… but that’s beside the point.

What matters is that while a Domain is active, we become far stronger than normal.

Which also means that activating a Domain marks the moment an Uma Musume commits to her decisive move.

Whether it’s the timing to surge forward, or the moment to inject power while maintaining speed, the nuance differs from runner to runner—but for Wilm, me, Nature, and McQueen, it’s something we use to move ahead.

And yet, Wilm activated her Domain in the final stretch… at a completely different timing from the Heavenly Star Sprint she used earlier.

"In other words, in this race, Wilm went all-out twice.

The first time was during the middle phase, while clinging to Suzuka-senpai. The second was in the final phase, when she was being chased by Spe-senpai and the others.

And both times, the pace was extremely fast."

"So the sprint that would normally be enough when used once was split into two… and that’s why Wilm-san lost to Special Week-san?"

"No, that’s not it. …Or rather, it might be part of it, but that’s not the important point.

It’s not unusual for Wilm to unleash a powerful finishing kick after a full breakaway. That’s not what we should be focusing on."

Right. Wilm always runs like that.

She surges to the front early to avoid being swallowed by the pack, eases off slightly in the middle to catch her breath, then sprints again in the final stretch to fend off the runners closing in.

That was Wilm’s signature style—often described as ‘escaping and then closing,’ or ‘breaking away and then charging.’

…But this time, something was different.

"Normally, Wilm uses the Heavenly Star Sprint together with her Domain.

Honestly, I always assumed that sprint was something she could only perform while inside her Domain.

I’ve used high-strain running styles myself, so I can tell—Wilm’s technique should place an enormous burden on her body if used normally."

"Now that you mention it… I recall hearing that after the Japan Derby, Wilm-san slightly injured her leg."

"Yeah. She was hospitalized at the same place as me, so that part’s definitely true.

If she used that sprint properly, just one serious race would be enough to cause an injury. That’s how severe the recoil is—frankly, it’s a running style that shouldn’t be used at all."

That was why I’d assumed the only reason Wilm could keep using the Heavenly Star Sprint after the Takarazuka Kinen was because of the benefits provided by her Domain.

A Domain is something that transcends normal understanding.

Honestly, even something like ‘completely negating the load placed on the legs’ wouldn’t feel out of place.

But in the Arima Kinen, Wilm used the Heavenly Star Sprint in the middle phase, and her Domain in the final phase.

And even after that, she didn’t collapse, didn’t black out, didn’t suffer an injury—apparently, she even resumed training immediately afterward.

Considering all that…

My theory—that Wilm was brute-forcing her way through the sprint’s burden using Domain power—was probably wrong.

"…Hmm. In that case, what becomes interesting is how Wilm-san is able to use such a high-burden running style."

"And one more thing—why she chose to use a sprint she normally saves for the final stretch, in the first half of the race."

Honestly, that second point bothered me even more.

As I tilted my head, McQueen suddenly spoke, as if something had just occurred to her.

"Could it be… because of Silence Suzuka-san’s unique trait?"

"Trait? Oh—the ‘likes the view from the front’ thing? You mean she forced her way past just to disrupt Suzuka-senpai’s rhythm?"

"No… this is merely speculation from my trainer, with no definitive proof.

But apparently, as long as Silence Suzuka-san is in the lead, her stamina consumption is drastically reduced."

"What—seriously!? Just by being in front…!?"

"Please keep your voice down. …Again, this is only a hypothesis."

As long as she’s in the lead… or rather, if the condition of being in first place is met, stamina consumption decreases?

What is that…? No—seriously, what is that!?

I mean, we already have Domains, so maybe it’s too late to complain, but doesn’t that sound like something straight out of a sports manga!?

If that’s true… did my trainer really not notice?

No—knowing him, he probably noticed and deliberately chose not to mention it so it wouldn’t become noise for me.

At the very least, that factor had nothing to do with me in this Arima Kinen…

I guess that was better than having one more thing to worry about—though thanks to it, I did end up embarrassing myself just a little.

"If that’s the case, then pulling off ‘escape and close’ the way Suzuka-san does would be quite difficult otherwise… ah, I see.

The unease you felt—so that’s what it was about."

"Yeah… I think I get it now. That explanation makes sense.

If your trainer’s hypothesis is correct, then Wilm going all-out in the first half was meant to crush Suzuka-senpai’s infinite stamina."

Judging from this Arima Kinen, if neither of them had used the Heavenly Star Sprint, Suzuka-senpai likely had superior raw specs.

That’s exactly why—before Suzuka-senpai could open her Domain and make it too late—Wilm used the Heavenly Star Sprint to shatter that invincibility, that limitless stamina.

And thinking further, it also explained why Suzuka-senpai’s running lost its sharpness after being overtaken.

Stamina she’d previously been able to use without limit suddenly became finite. Naturally, that forced her to calculate when to spend stamina—and when to move.

If you’ve been winning simply by running nonstop, and suddenly you’re required to think about those things…

Yeah. That’s bound to be difficult.

…Even so, Silence Suzuka still finished eighth.

She beat me by a full two lengths, placing just one spot above me.

Was that the dignity expected of her—or was my own unfinished running simply too pathetic?

Honestly, it’s hard to say.

"So then, the remaining question is… the unnatural nature of Wilm-san’s Celestial Star Spurt, isn’t it?"

"Yeah. Running like that should put an enormous strain on the body. How in the world does she—"

…Just as I was about to finish that thought, something clicked.

If Silence Suzuka truly possesses some kind of special condition…

Then where’s the guarantee that Hoshino Wilm doesn’t have one too?

"…What if?"

That’s it.

That’s it—that’s it—that’s it. Why didn’t I question this sooner?

She’s Hoshino Wilm—an undefeated Triple Crown Umamusume, second only to the chairwoman.

That level of absurdity, that level of mystery… it wouldn’t be strange at all.

Hoshino Wilm’s abnormalities—aside from her legs.

If she has one, what exactly is it?

An unexplained detection range extending more than five lengths behind her.

A low-risk, high-pace running style that should be impossible, which she calls Celestial Star Spurt.

…And stamina overwhelming enough to sustain a reckless front-running escape.

What kind of ability could explain all of that?

Physical toughness? …No. That leaves too many gaps.

A sixth sense? …No. There’s still a discomfort I can’t shake.

In that case—

"Hearing… an expansion of her senses. No—an increase in the cognitive ability to process them? Yes, that would explain it… she could optimize her stride efficiency…"

"Um… are you alright?"

"If Silence Suzuka’s condition is ‘being in the lead,’ then Hoshino Wilm’s trigger must be different…

Looking at the Arima Kinen, she wasn’t in the lead. It wasn’t the final stretch either.

No—maybe it’s not the activation condition at all. Right—look at how she corrects her posture here…

That’s it. A time limit!"

I slammed my hands on the desk and sprang to my feet.

I finally understood it.

The peculiarity Hoshino Wilm possesses.

Whether it’s based on distance run or elapsed time, I don’t know.

But for just under three furlongs—roughly thirty seconds—her cognitive ability increases dramatically.

With it comes an impossibly high level of running efficiency and an overwhelming intake of information.

That’s Hoshino Wilm’s second trump card—on par with her Domain.

"Thank you, McQueen. I finally get it now."

"Um… get what, exactly?"

"Hoshino Wilm."

I’m not certain—but this theory is probably correct. There’s no physical proof, yet the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

…Still, what a nightmare.

An expansion of perception and thought means that while the rest of us are forced to make split-second decisions based on limited information, she can take her time—processing far more data before choosing.

On top of that, her running form is likely refined to near perfection… no, to a level that shouldn’t be possible for an Umamusume at all.

And if my time-limit theory is correct, then unlike Suzuka-senpai at the Arima Kinen, you can’t disrupt her rhythm with a surprise tactic either…

It isn’t flashy, which makes it hard to notice.

And yet its effect is overwhelming, and countermeasures are incredibly difficult.

Calling it a special-ability cheat wouldn’t be an exaggeration—

It’s terrifying.

…But nothing in this world is truly invincible.

Once you understand the trick, there’s always a way to respond.

For now, I need to report this to my trainer and get their judgment.

As I took off running, McQueen’s voice reached my back.

"Hey, wait!? What’s gotten into you!?"

"I’ll explain it next time too, McQueen! Sorry, but let’s call it a day here!"

Thank you, McQueen. Thanks to you, I finally feel like I’ve found a path forward.

Running through the Tracen Academy building, I clasped my hands together in my heart in silent gratitude to my friend.

…Alright. I’ve gathered enough information.

Now all that’s left is to beat her—

In my own way, with my new running style.

Just wait for me, Hoshino Wilm.

At the Satsuki Sho, arrogance crept into my heart.

At the Japan Derby, I eased up at the very end.

At the Arima Kinen, my running form was still incomplete.

But this time—

This time for sure.

I’ll let you face the real me you wanted to fight…

A Tokai Teio giving it everything she’s got.