"Little Kita... R-run, run for it!"
Saburo Kitajima's eyes widened, his pupils rapidly contracting as though he wanted to seize and hold fast to the sight before him.
An urgent cry burst from his dry throat, his voice already tinged with hoarseness and tremors:
"No, no, don't—don't force your way through! Whatever you do, don't force it, Little Kita...!"
At the same moment the old man's cry cut through the air, the announcer's voice suddenly rose sharply:
"The field passes through the Third Turn for the first time and now enters the fourth turn. The crowd favorite, Kitasan Black...
"She's been completely boxed in at this crucial moment!
"Let's confirm the positions!
"Jitsuboku Ishi leads the field, with Red Solomon charging strongly right behind her.
"Ribbon Keiko is in third, while Crowning Stone, who had previously been in front, has slipped to fourth.
"Tagano Coffee is fifth, and on her inner lane is Kitasan Black, trapped in the pack!
"Behind them comes the Advance Group, led by the second favorite, Futanari Shingang!
"The third favorite, Sato no Takarazuka, is leading the late-runners!
"The gaps between the leading group, the Advance Group, and the late-runners have sharply narrowed through this turn, and Kitasan Black...
"Without a doubt, she's completely surrounded!"
The stands instantly erupted.
The discussions caused by Kitasan Black not using her Great Escape strategy in this race had not yet fully died down when this sudden development—her being trapped—landed like a bombshell, instantly igniting the crowd's shock. Cries of alarm rose and fell, intertwining into one roar.
A middle-aged man in a gray jacket gripped the railing tightly with both hands, his face filled with anxiety as he demanded loudly:
"What the hell is going on? How did she get boxed in so completely?!"
Beside him, a slightly plump