I Won--!!
The moment the announcer declared "Kitasan Black," deafening cheers surged through the stadium like wave after crashing wave, completely flooding the racecourse.
Amid the overwhelming roar, Kitasan Black desperately gasped for breath, bracing herself against her knees.
Her mind was a haze, her consciousness like a lost little boat struggling to stay afloat on a stormy sea.
It took quite a while before her breathing gradually steadied. She straightened up as well, her awareness slowly emerging from the murky abyss of exhaustion.
Her thoughts still lingered on the fierce race that had nearly drained every last bit of her strength.
The fatigue in her body had slowed her thoughts, and everything before her seemed veiled by a hazy layer of gauze, impossible to see clearly.
Then, her gaze inadvertently swept toward the other side of the track.
On the enormous display board, the name at the very top—"Kitasan Black"—stood out brilliantly amid the light.
Her eyes froze, and her unfocused gaze abruptly sharpened.
As if she wanted to carve it into the depths of her soul, she stared fixedly at that line of text.
"Is that... my name?"
Her lips parted slightly, her voice full of disbelief.
In an instant, her heartbeat accelerated, and her heavy body seemed to regain a little strength.
Staring at the display board, she involuntarily took several steps forward.
Then she staggered back, only to step forward again.
Her name still remained firmly in first place, unchanged in the slightest.
In that instant, joy burst through her like floodwaters breaking through a dam, sweeping over her entire body and mind.
Her eyes widened further, brilliant light glittering within them as two flushes of red appeared on her pale cheeks.
"I... did it?"
Her voice trembled faintly with excitement, much louder than before.
Then,