Blow Off Some Steam with a Race?
A few days later, on a sandy path by the beach in Atami, Izu Peninsula.
Fine white sand, carried by the sea breeze, brushed over the sandal-clad feet of Anjing Zhen, Kitasan Black, and Little Anzu.
From the moment they set foot on this path—or rather, throughout the entire journey from their gathering point in Tokyo—Kitasan Black's excited voice had not stopped for a moment.
Over and over, she told Anjing Zhen and Little Anzu about her race with Tokai Teio. Each time she told it, the excitement on her face grew a little stronger.
"...When we first entered the Final Bend, I thought my senior wasn't taking it seriously. But once we hit the downhill stretch, she suddenly charged up!
"A-Zhen, Little Anzu, you didn't see it! Just like back on the track in the old days—one second she was several Horse Lengths away, and the next, whoosh! She was right in front of you!
"Honestly, I was super flustered at the time. Things had been going so smoothly up front that I didn't react right away.
"I was afraid I'd respond badly and embarrass myself in front of my senior. But!"
Her ears suddenly perked up, and her tail began wagging rapidly.
"Precisely because I was afraid of embarrassing myself, I absolutely refused to lose!
"Then I accelerated with everything I had, accelerated, accelerated...
"And then I think we crossed the finish line at almost the same time! At least, that's how it felt to me—and my senior said so too!"
Pride gradually seeped into her voice, and her crimson eyes shone ever brighter.
"And my senior even said that someday, I might surpass her!"
She gestured wildly as she spoke, her entire body swaying back and forth, drawing frequent sideways