Hearing the announcer roar out her name, then the perfectly unified cheers that erupted from the stands after a moment of stunned silence, Kitasan Black stood frozen for a long while before suddenly drawing in a deep breath.
The slightly fishy, salty sea breeze carried the bitterness of sweat into her nasal cavity. She accidentally choked on it and coughed several times.
After catching her breath for a while, she tried to stand, only to find that her legs were still trembling uncontrollably. All she could do was kneel on the ground, panting as she looked toward the big screen.
The screen displayed a frozen image of the finish, taken by a camera directly across from the Finish Line.
She was on the Inner Lane, while Adayar, with her light-brown long hair, was on the Outer Lane.
In the finish-line photo, this Horse Girl from Europe had completely lost the elegance and composure she had shown when they first met.
Her curls had been glued together by sweat into damp strands that clung to her forehead, temples, and cheeks.
Her cheeks were flushed bright red, a deep crease formed between her brows, and her eyes were veiled in scarlet from bloodshot veins. Her teeth were visibly clenched tight, while swollen veins could faintly be seen from her jaw to her neck.
The veins at her temples were even more pronounced. Though it was a still photograph, one could practically feel the throbbing pulse in them.
"She really... looks awful with that expression..." Kitasan Black thought unconsciously as she stared at Adayar's face.
But when she turned to look at herself on the Inner Lane, embarrassment instantly filled her heart.
She had indeed crossed the line first, but not by much. Judging from the photo, she had only been ahead by