If Golden Lyric had forced her way forward despite there being no benefit to it, then her condition could only be as Anjing Zhen had said: she had failed to adapt to the slow pace set by Kitasan Black, which had affected her decision-making.
Yet even as she reached that conclusion, Zenno Rob Roy frowned to herself.
This was not Golden Lyric's first encounter with Kitasan Black. Their previous clash had been at a major race like the Arima Kinen, so she should have had a deep impression of the latter's pace.
Even if Kitasan Black's pace in this race differed from the one she had set at the Arima Kinen, Golden Lyric should have conducted thorough research on her opponent before the race, just as Zenno Rob Roy had done for Koushou Hayate.
"So why is Golden Lyric so... unable to adapt to Kitasan Black's slow pace in this race?"
Puzzled, Zenno Rob Roy could not help gripping the railing before her with both hands as the field charged down the homestretch in front of the stands. She leaned forward as though she were about to sprint onto the track herself.
At the front of the field, Kitasan Black was charging toward the left-hand bend, leading by around two horse lengths.
Chasing right behind her, one after the other, were Medal of Honor and Adroit Labyrinth.
Golden Lyric still led the front group, with Golden Lyric, who had failed to cut into the inner lane, tucked tightly behind her.
Further back, in the position Golden Lyric had originally occupied, was Koushou Hayate, whom she had been watching closely all along.
The field sped past so quickly that Koushou Hayate's face flashed before Zenno Rob Roy's eyes, yet she could still see something strange on her younger sister's face...
"Relaxed...?"