The Changing of the Guard at the Summit
Feeling the surging pursuit of the younger racers behind her, Kitasan Black felt a blazing fighting spirit well up within her, one she had never experienced before.
It made her feel as though the blood throughout her body was boiling, as if she were about to burst into flames.
Yet strangely enough, she was not swept away by those surging emotions.
On the contrary, as the pursuit from behind grew fiercer, her thoughts became clearer and clearer, like a precision instrument operating at high speed, rapidly and accurately analyzing the current race situation:
They've only just passed the opening phase, and Little Anzu and the others are already chasing this closely. Should I keep accelerating, or conserve stamina...?
If I maintain this pace and they keep chasing like this, I might run short of stamina in the final stretch—
But if I conserve stamina, my rhythm will probably fall apart.
Little Anzu's sense of rhythm still isn't fully developed, and Mikki Classmate's and Milan's rhythm don't suit me either—
So does that mean I have to compete in sheer grit...?
I—I probably won't lose, but—the risk is still too great.
So... the domain...?
The word "domain" flashed through her mind, but Kitasan Black swiftly shook her head inwardly and decisively discarded the thought.
After the Takarazuka Kinen, while preparing for her final exams, she had also reviewed the race with Anjing Zhen and Little Anzu.
After repeated analysis and reflection, she had come to a definite conclusion: for her as she was now, the domain was no longer an utterly unfamiliar and mysterious ability.
Ever since the trip to Dubai, she had personally experienced that wondrous state several times.
In that state, she could completely empty her mind and entrust everything to