The instant she accelerated, the airflow whipped up Kitasan Black's pant legs, revealing calf muscles rippling at an astonishing frequency.
The howl of the wind by her ears suddenly rose in pitch. The crowd's cries and the rustle of grass, which she could still hear clearly moments ago, were now torn into fragments of noise.
All that remained in her vision was the track ahead, steadily shrinking away. In her peripheral vision, the railings, the crowd, and the empty grandstands in the distance were visibly streaming backward.
At the same time, cries of alarm erupted from the crowd gathering both inside and outside the track.
"She's pulling away! She's pulling away!"
A little boy holding cotton candy shouted as he jumped up and down, nearly flinging his snack into an elderly man's face beside him.
"Big Sister Little Kita... is so fast! She shook off Teio-senpai!"
A little farther away, someone held up a phone to record, the camera locked firmly onto the leading figure.
"Th-this explosive power... Watching the race up close really is something else!"
Veteran fans were discussing it as well.
"She's incredibly strong, just as expected! The Classic Year is only halfway over, but Kitasan Black... I'm afraid it'll be hard for anyone to face her head-on on the track, won't it...?"
Amid the discussion, Kitasan Black had already charged toward the entrance of the turn.
She could feel the wind resistance changing, as though she had slammed into an invisible wall. Her cheeks went slightly numb from the blast.
As she entered the Third Turn, she used the momentum of her lean to swiftly glance behind her.
Sunlight slanted across the track, and with the light in her face, it was difficult to judge the distance to the figure behind her.
But by rough estimate,