Even mature Uma Musume in their Older Horses years, strong enough to win GI Races and potentially dominate GIII-level races, usually wouldn't dare take on a schedule this grueling.
And Platinum, who had only just debuted and was still so young, actually dared to compete in such an astonishing string of races?
"Mejiro McQueen told me about this race. She's already at the venue watching."
"I finally got the chance to start training, so after some hesitation, I decided not to go watch and to keep training instead."
"Now... the race should be starting, right?"
Tokai Teio continued with a sigh.
The vast majority of Uma Musume could be described as workaholics. And GI champions like Tokai Teio were often the most extreme of them all.
So after paying that unscrupulous young doctor an exorbitant treatment fee, she had actually returned to training in high spirits, deeply grateful that Doctor Lin had treated her successfully. Now, she was even unwilling to spare the time to watch a race.
"I see..."
Symboli Rudolf nodded gently, then immediately picked up her phone and prepared to call Mejiro McQueen.
Since she couldn't get to the stands herself, she could only contact Mejiro McQueen and ask her to pass along a message.
Back when she was the Emperor Symbol of Rudolf, her domineering, cold, and unscrupulous style of doing things had made her famous.
She'd even once been so heartless as to insist that, because Oguri Cap had such exceptional talent, she should give up racing in the regional leagues and come to Tracen Academy to compete in the central circuit.
She'd even arrogantly told Oguri Cap, "Don't disrespect the central circuit!"
Looking back now, it was an indelible dark chapter in Symboli Rudolf's past, one she desperately wanted to distance herself from.
But now, long retired, Symboli Rudolf's temperament had softened immeasurably. She was full of hope and kindness toward promising juniors like Tokai Teio and Platinum.
"This mysterious little one... she's impossible to figure out."
"I hope she'll join the student council alongside Teio and Tachyon, and help support the future of Japan's Uma Musume world!"
At the racetrack!
Her first time taking the lead and attempting a Big Escape hadn't made the white-haired girl nervous in the slightest.
Because she hadn't realized she was escaping...
At first, Platinum only felt that her Leader style was running a little too fast, slightly faster than the other runners using similar styles around her.
She was still behind the two Escape Horses at the very front. Wasn't that what a Leader was supposed to do?
And since a Leader would eventually catch and overtake the Escape Horses at the front, she kept accelerating and passed those two Uma Musume...
That was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?
It was worth mentioning that Platinum wasn't just making things up.
Some of the young horses she'd met in America had run like this!
That poor, weak, helpless Big Red, for example, loved running that way!
Besides, while he was in America, that unscrupulous young doctor had treated a frail-looking girl who seemed sickly on several occasions. Her name was Route, and she ran much like Big Red.
Miss Heavenly Horse knew nothing about running styles. Since she wanted to change her style, of course she would try to copy the familiar styles of Big Red and Route.
If Big Red and Route could do it, then so could she!
So it was perfectly reasonable to run as a Leader, then keep accelerating and catching those Escape Horses!
And so—
"W-what kind of logic does this monster follow?"
"Wasn't she supposed to be bad at the start? And she's way out on the outside, too!"
When the two Escape Horse girls at the front finally caught a glimpse of Platinum's silver-white figure in the corner of their eyes, they were both stunned!
They'd had the advantage of starting from gates closer to the inside, so they'd easily claimed the inner lane and taken the lead as Escape Horses.
That was exactly why they hadn't been able to see Platinum's outstanding start. They'd even been smugly thinking, "She'll probably be late out of the gate, right?"
But their delight hadn't lasted long before they saw Platinum right beside them. The gap had already shrunk to almost nothing!
"Should we... should we speed up to hold the lead...?"
But before they could decide, that dazzling silver-white figure seemed unwilling to give them even a moment!
The very next instant, Platinum drew level with them on the first turn!
"Gah!!"
Platinum ignored their faint cries. The race wasn't even halfway over, yet there were hardly any Uma Musume left in front of her.
The expressionless, utterly cold Assassin Girl seemed to be settling into her stride, her flying steps growing more and more powerful!
Platinum could feel that she was nowhere near her limit. There was something else... something she could use!
She put an end to her hesitation and stopped thinking—
The petite, incredibly light Heavenly Horse radiated an even more powerful Aura.
In an instant, she seemed to transform completely into a monster shaped by her Aura. What's more, the vast racetrack seemed to turn into an endless swamp, ready to swallow up everything around her.
The dozen or so Uma Musume other than Platinum all faltered, their quickening strides suddenly slowing. Their collective momentum visibly ebbed.
It was as if the racetrack belonged to her, and she could gallop freely as its ruler, while her opponents had all been shackled, leaving an enormous gap between them!
Some sharp-eyed, perceptive Uma Musume stared wide-eyed and clenched their teeth.
"Could that be... Aura? It's definitely not at the level of a domain, but that oppressive force is incredible!"
"She can actually suppress people with her Aura? What kind of monster is this? She's only just debuted!"
"We can't speed up and chase her this early, or we'll lose our pace by the end..."
All of them—so many senior Uma Musume—had been suppressed!
Could Platinum really not be Napoleon on Waterloo, but... "the return of Emperor Symbol of Rudolf," "the second generation who looked down on everyone"?!
In an instant, Platinum rapidly widened the gap and began her first-ever turn at the front!
The Uma Musume behind her could hardly resist her Aura. They were wary of her and couldn't bring themselves to speed up and chase her early.
Four lengths!
Five lengths!
Six lengths!
The race wasn't even halfway over, yet she was widening the gap at an astonishing pace.
This Heavenly Horse had easily surpassed the huge five-length lead she'd gained in her previous Debut Race!
Sorry I Didn't Make Platinum Give It Her All
In the stands!
Mejiro McQueen, the young lady of the Mejiro family, could barely keep her elegant, exquisite face composed.
Her purple eyes were sharp, as if they could see through anything, and were fixed on the Assassin Girl at the very front, who had taken the lead and kept it.
As Japan's undisputed top Long-Distance King, she had an exceptionally powerful command of Aura.
That was why Mejiro McQueen could quickly sense how strong the petite white-haired girl was, and vaguely feel the astonishing potential contained in that small body.
It wasn't unusual for top Uma Musume to bring their Aura close to the level of a domain. Every generation had a few like that. But the problem was... this young horse was far too young. She'd only just celebrated the first week after her debut!
At this point, she could practically be called a "little girl," yet she'd already reached this level? She couldn't be far from a domain, could she?
"She's draining the stamina of every Uma Musume on the track, affecting the whole race on her own. What terrifying Aura."
"But what's truly terrifying... is her plainly evident talent!"
"It seems next year's GI Long-Distance Spring Tenno Sho will have a new challenger."
Mejiro McQueen didn't hold back her praise for Miss Heavenly Horse in the slightest.
Before long, she saw Platinum galloping freely and wildly... widening her lead to eight or nine lengths! She was only a hair's breadth away from the huge ten-length margin known as a "big gap"!
They'd only just reached the second turn! The race had barely been past the halfway point for a moment!
The current Mejiro McQueen was the pinnacle of long-distance racing, yet she acknowledged Platinum's potential and felt threatened by her. If that news got out, it would surely make the headlines of countless trending stories.
Beside her, even the usually taciturn Mejiro Dober nodded in agreement, quietly watching the silver-white figure as well.
Mejiro McQueen, who hadn't taken her eyes off the race, suddenly slipped a hand into her pocket.
When she looked at her phone and saw that the caller was Symboli Rudolf, her expression immediately turned complicated.
President Rudolf?
"This is Mejiro McQueen. Is something the matter, President?"
Mejiro McQueen answered at once, watching the race as she spoke.
She got her answer soon enough.
"Huh?"
"So... Platinum isn't one of our Tracen students?"
"Okay, I understand. I'll pass along the message after the race and ask if she'd be willing to join."
As Mejiro McQueen spoke, with Mejiro Dober watching the race...
Platinum had started from the far outside, yet she'd actually managed to maintain the legendary, incredibly rare "big gap"!
A scene beyond the understanding—and even the imagination—of most people... had really happened!
This was the first time anyone had seen an Uma Musume switch from Leader to overtaking the Escape Horses, then take the lead outright!
Platinum, at the very front, charged toward the third turn and closed in on the final stretch. By then, she'd built up a lead of eleven or twelve lengths.
Her speed was still increasing. It looked like she planned to lead the entire way to the finish. It was absolutely insane!
The commentator's voice grew more and more excited, ringing through the venue and announcing that the race had officially reached its white-hot stage.
Normally, a race wouldn't unfold at such a frantic pace.
But right now, an Assassin Girl had accidentally turned into a Big Escape, setting the pace for the whole field and building up a huge lead.
If this continued, she could widen the gap to more than a dozen lengths! And this was a middle-distance race on Japan's fast turf, no less!
So the Uma Musume across the field were growing increasingly wary. They were afraid they wouldn't be able to catch Platinum in the end, and some couldn't hold back any longer and chose to accelerate early.
From here on, more and more Uma Musume would speed up!
—That was what would happen, if nothing unexpected occurred.
Platinum at the front wouldn't allow anyone to enter her field of vision, not even at the edge of her sight!
Even an Uma Musume following just one or two lengths behind her was unacceptable to someone attempting a Big Escape.
As an assassin who had claimed the Platinum Grand Seat, Platinum might show a lazy side in her everyday life. But once she chose to act and started working, she wouldn't let anything go wrong.
Even if there didn't seem to be any famous rivals in this race, and she didn't need to watch for threats from behind and Hunt them down... she still had to be a little cautious and leave them all behind.
"Sorry, but there aren't any opponents worth hunting in this race..."
"Then I'll take it a little more seriously and get off work early!"
Most people believed that Uma Musume who ran a Big Escape had no finishing kick and couldn't use Second Stage Acceleration.
But in the next instant, Platinum, whose Aura was already astonishingly powerful, showed absolute resolve in her deep, burning eyes.
She seemed to transform completely into a galloping Heavenly Horse, displaying a speed that left people dumbfounded once again, and widening that terrifying gap by even more!
By the time most of the Uma Musume who'd chosen to hold back and wait for Platinum to slow down realized their mistake, it was already too late.
Even though the Uma Musume behind her were flushed red and gritting their teeth as they began to accelerate, only a few who were exceptionally good at sprinting could manage not to fall too far behind.
This was a lead no one could possibly match!
Some of the spectators in the stands hadn't believed in the battle-hardened, far-too-young Platinum before the race, and had chosen to support the other Uma Musume instead. But now, most of them had switched sides, their attention drawn to the silver-white Heavenly Horse making her wild Big Escape.
Before you continue