Chapter 115: The Unthinkable
The Henry II Stakes was a whirlwind of rapid developments and stunning moments, but when it was all over, the results aligned with expectations. First place went to the top favorite, Kayf Tara. Second place, to the second favorite, Jarajara-chan. Third place, to the third favorite, Golden Nedawi-san.
Jarajara-chan had executed her own perfect countermeasures, but Kayf Tara simply outdid her. That was all there was to it. Of course, if Kayf Tara hadnât unleashed that final burst of speed, the outcome couldâve been differentâŚ
âWhat a race that was.â
âYeah. I wasnât the only one who got stronger. Everyoneâs leveled up by several notches.â
âRight. Jarajaraâs gotten sneakier, and Kayf Taraâwell, sheâs gained a completely different level of power and closing speed. Especially that closing speedâno matter how many times I watch the replay, I still donât get it⌠I honestly thought she had flippers or something. âŚMight be time to rethink our training menu.â
Right after crossing the finish line, Jarajara-chan was utterly spentâshe couldnât even stand. She had poured everything she had into the race, yet couldnât lay a finger on Kayf Tara. Seeing Kayf Tara extend a hand to her and Jarajara-chan accept it, biting her lip in frustration, stirred something deep and painful inside me.
âIt felt like the rankings had been permanently decided. Only the two of them really know how it was, but Jarajara-chan looked utterly crushedâphysically and emotionally.
Only Kayf Tara appeared on camera. The winnerâs interview, the minimum fan service, the unique atmosphere of the winning live performance, the race recapâall of it centered on Kayf Tara-san. Jarajara-chan and Golden Nedawi-san were pushed off to the sides of the frame.
âŚI know this kind of cruelty is part of the harsh world of competition. But stillâif not for that absurd final sprint, Jarajara-chan had a very real shot at winning.
The front was blocked, and the chase group was running an extremely slow pace. If Kayf Taraâs closing speed had been the same as before, the one under the spotlight could very well have been Jarajara-chan.
But nowâKayf Tara-sanâs closing speed is just that. With such a devastating burst, Jarajara-chanâs chance of winning in that moment was basically zero. And sheâs surely not satisfied with that. It was just too irrever-sible.
âTo counter that ab-surd closing speed, weâll have to fight absurdity with absurdity. Iâll have to run a great escape, get so far ahead not even her âUnknown Domain Zoneâ can catch up.
In other wordsâthis is my fight. I have to defeat Kayf Tara.
As I suppressed the fire burning deep inside my core, I recalled the winnerâs interview from the Henry II Stakes.
ăApollo⌠you made me remember what it means to dream. Youâre the reason Iâve gotten this strong. Itâs still not enough. Youâre gonna take responsibility for this aching fire in my chest.ă
ăAs a fellow warrior on the turfâIâll devour you at the Gold Cup.ă
Despite it being a winnerâs interview, Kayf Tara-sanâs words felt like she could see right through my heart. Noâmore than provocation, it felt like a formal declaration: âI accept your challenge.â Either way, Iâm not the type to forgive a smug rival whose attitude is going to become a cringey memory in a few years. I resolved firmly to defeat Kayf Tara-san at the Gold Cup.
I heard that Montjeu-chan, the favorite, won the Prix du Jockey Clubâthe French Derby. News updates online were flooded with reports of both Kayf Tara-san and Montjeu-chanâs victories, and on Japanese social media, people were showering Jarajara-chan with praise for being the only one who managed to stick close to Kayf Tara.
At the same time, voices wondering âHow are we even supposed to beat Kayf Tara-san?â also began to crop up. Her winning time of 3:43.1 was fairly average, but her closing section time was just too abnormal. It wasnât some lucky break born of camera angles and inside cuts like the GolShi Warpâit looked like a true warp, a literal explosion of speed.
Itâs helpful that we now have tangible proof of Kayf Tara-sanâs growth. But⌠when asked if we have any concrete strategy to beat thatâwellâŚ
âUghâŚâ
Honestly? My gut reaction was: This is a damn impossible game.
I mean, come on⌠she pulls off this monster-level acceleration at the very end of the race. Even though Jarajara-chan was clearly giving it everything, she got completely left behind. Kayf Tara-san feels like a different species altogether.
Ever since the Henry II Stakes ended, Tomio and I have been brainstorming ways to counter Kayf Tara-san and Angely-chan. Meanwhile, the day after the Henry II Stakes, the G2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier took placeâand Angely-chan secured a clean win with a three-length lead.
Itâs still impossible to say which of the twoâKayf Tara-san or Angely-chanâis stronger. But for now, prioritizing a plan to counter Kayf Tara-san, the clearly more dangerous of the two, is the right call. Itâs not like weâre ignoring Angely-chan entirelyâitâs just a matter of prioritization.
If I had to describe it, Angely-chan is a slightly tricky type of horse girl. On the other hand, Kayf Tara-san is a purely physical powerhouse. When it comes to a head-on clash of raw output and closing speed, the latter is far more troublesome.
Day in and day out, I throw myself into intense training while constantly thinking about countering Kayf Tara-san. Then, a week after the Henry II Stakes, I was suddenly summoned by Kayf Tara-san to meet her on the training ground.
Weâve definitely grown closer than when we first met, but now that the Gold Cup is drawing near, we havenât been hanging out much. At most, we share lunch with Angely-chan now and then or chat briefly after school. Once the race schedule opens up again, I wouldnât mind relaxing together, but for now⌠not so much.
Still, for her to call me out during this final stretch before the Gold Cupâwhat could it be? It must be something really important.
So, with my heart thumping nervously, I headed to the meeting spot at the training groundâonly to hear:
âRace me, Apollo Rainbow.â
ââŚHuh?â
ââKayf Tara-san just made a completely outrageous statement.
With so little time left before the real thing, she was openly revealing her hand. While I stood there stunned, mouth agape, she tilted her head and asked, "Is it really that weird?"
Wait, isn't it weird? Isn't it normal to keep your cards hidden until the Gold Cup? âŚOr are we planning to do a mock race while keeping our âUnknown Domain Zonesâ secret from each other? If thatâs the case, then how is that any different from a regular side-by-side run?
"I'm having a mock race with you. It'll be on the track in the forest, 4000 meters. No tricksâjust a straight-up match."
"âŚWh-Why would you do that?"
"?"
"With your finishing speed, thereâs no need to give away information by doing a mock race with me. Angely-chan and I have been trying to come up with countermeasures for your âUnknown Domain Zoneâ..."
"âŚYeah, I figured. But donât get it twisted. Iâve also challenged Angely to a match race. I need to gather info on both of you, right before the GOLD CUP."
âŚEven if itâs called a mock race or a match race, the contents are often as intense as the real deal. Of course, it wonât be as brutally demanding as the Gold Cup itself, but still, it means Iâll have to adjust my schedule accordingly before and after.
Among the Uma Musume, thereâs a certain number of us who actually perform better when we do mock races before the real eventâeither to gather info or to psych ourselves up.
The fighting-spirit type⌠or rather, the kind that doesnât lose stamina from racing and values dataâbasically the ultra-durable kind. Like Ikuno Dictus-san? Apparently, Kayf Tara-san is a superhuman hybrid of both types.
She collects data, doesnât get cocky about her own power, and is also a battle maniac. You think sheâs a tricky type who hides her thoughts behind a poker face, but she actually overwhelms you with sheer physical force. Sheâs got all the worst traits you could want in an opponent.
On the other hand, Iâm the type who slowly eases into the final stretch with a relaxed training schedule, using rest and delicate adjustments to peak at the real event. The classic "easy adjustment before the race" typeânot really suited for back-to-back races. Which means doing a mock race before the main one risks throwing off my condition.
I know my recovery after races is quick, and my bodyâs pretty tough. But I also understand that the amount of energy I burn per race is kind of insane. Itâs probably because of my all-out runaway racing style that eats through stamina like crazy.
ââUnder normal circumstances, I should be declining Kayf Tara-sanâs invitation. Iâve had success in Japan using this method, and I donât want to mess with a winning streak. Disrupting a routine might ruin the delicate rhythm that keeps an Uma Musume in peak condition.
That said, her proposal was incredibly appealing. Facing off against Kayf Tara-san before the real thing? Sheâs not the type to hold back, and seeing that finishing speed up close would be more valuable than any data.
âŚOf course, there was another reason. If I turned her down, Angely-chan would end up having that experience alone, and Iâd be left behind.
I donât want to be outpaced by my rival. Iâm a runaway Uma Musume, after all. I came to Europe representing Japan. Iâm here to defeat Kayf Tara-san and make my dream come true.
"Understood. Letâs do it."
ââThe desire to fight outweighed my instinct to say no. As I typed out a lightning-fast message to Tomio behind my back, I accepted Kayf Tara-sanâs proposal.
"ââHeh. I knew youâd say that, Apollo."
"When will the mock race be? The sooner, the better for me, but Iâll have to coordinate with my trainer."
Tomio replied to my message in a flash: âIâll handle the schedule adjustments, so leave everything to me and just go fight how you want.â Looks like instead of sticking to the flow thatâs worked so far, heâs planning to go all-in on data gathering. Well, since weâre not likely to win in our current state, weâre abandoning routine to take a shot with everything weâve got.
He said, "go fight how you want," but I donât think he meant I should hold back. When your opponentâs someone like Kayf Tara-san, you have to give it your all if you want to draw out a real performance.
"You pick the date. âŚIâm the one asking, after all. Do what you like. Besides, youâre not the type who thrives on being whipped into shape last-minute."
"Well, yeahâŚ"
"If you canât decide now, message me later."
"No, my trainer just got back to meâhow about the day after tomorrow, after school?"
"No problem. Letâs do that."
According to Tomio, âIf weâre going full throttle with the finishing touches, we can be ready for a race by the day after tomorrow.â Of course, the Gold Cup is the real target, so itâs not like weâll be peaking then. Tomioâs handling all that perfectly, and Iâm seriously grateful.
âŚThough, if Tomio hugged me, Iâd probably hit peak condition instantly.
"âŚLetâs just hope this mock race doesnât end up backfiring on you."
"Sorry to disappoint, but you donât need to worry. Iâve got no intention of losing to either you or Angely. âŚStill, this overwhelming confidence only holds true in one-on-one scenarios⌠Iâm not as sure of myself as I was during the Dubai race a few months ago. Iâm not confident I can take both of you at once on the day of the real thing. This yearâs Gold Cup isnât going to be that easy."
"âŚâŚâŚâŚ"
ââIf only Kayf Tara-san were just some reckless muscle-brained Uma Musume. But unlike her bold racing style, sheâs incredibly thoughtful. No matter how much she believes in her strength, thereâs not even a hint of carelessness. That cautious, bridge-testing mindsetâthatâs the true source of her strength.
"You get it too, right? The publicâs hyped about a three-way showdown, but from our side, it just means winning a G1 has gotten that much harder. âŚStill, I canât help but feel a bit glad this is happening, in a way."
Thatâs exactly right. The more strong Uma Musume there are, the happier the fans areâbut for us competitors, it just means the win rate goes down, so itâs hard to be completely thrilled. Iâd say itâs half joy, half pain for me. Itâs tough to beat a rival, and thereâs little time for strategy, but managing all that is what makes it fun.
Right now, Iâm filled with both excitement and frustration. Why are you so strong?âthis swirling feeling could be a complaint or pure joy, maybe both.
It makes me ache.
I want to unleash this emotion.
Itâs your fault. So youâre going to take responsibility, okay?
âAs I got to that thought, I nearly burst out laughing. Isnât this exactly what a certain someone said during the victory interview after the Henry II Stakes? Chuckling to myself, I poked Kayf Tara-san on the shoulder.
âWeâre pretty similar, you and me, Kayf Tara-san.â
âHuh? No way. Our birthplaces, appearances, personalities, even race styles⌠weâre completely different.â
âThatâs not true. You know it too, donât you?â
ââŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚIf youâre just going to babble nonsense, Iâm leaving. See you the day after tomorrow.â
âHey, come on! Since youâve come all the way to the training ground, letâs at least do a quick run together!â
And so, after a few runs side by side, we parted ways to return to our individual training.
Two days laterâat the forest track course. Under Tomioâs watchful eye, Kayf Tara-san and I were set to face each other in a direct showdown.
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