A Duel Decided by Inches

"It's time to go."

Ochiai gently patted the neck of the partner beneath him.

Mejiro Tenma shook his head in response.

It was five twenty-five in the afternoon.

The race would begin in five minutes.

There was a faint sting along his inner thighs, but he felt his arms were still strong enough.

At least strong enough to last through this race.

"At the start, perhaps there's no need to rush."

A light rain had fallen not long ago, and the board listed the track as slightly heavy.

Unlike turf racing, such conditions in a dirt race actually favored a fast pace.

Of the previous six races, three winners had come from positions near the middle of the pack.

"I'm counting on you again today!"

A figure in a black suit bowed deeply.

"Leave it to me."

Ochiai responded just as solemnly to the owner's expectations.

After completing this sequence, Kitano returned to the stands.

This time, another group of young people had gathered at the front of the stands.

And there seemed to be even more of them than last time.

"Number three, Kaga Tide. Number four, Mejiro Tenma. Number five..."

The announcer was still leisurely reading out the runners' numbers.

Mejiro Tenma swayed his head as he walked into the gate.

Ochiai did not pay much attention to this somewhat restless behavior.

Though he occasionally had a childish side in daily life, Mejiro Tenma was the type who could switch into serious mode at once.

Sure enough, once inside the gate, Mejiro Tenma quickly became a different horse. Even as the horses in neighboring stalls kept turning their heads and looking around, he remained focused.

"Monbetsu Race Seven, the Makayama Special."

"The last to enter the gate is Kaga Tide, in stall three."

Releasing the lead rope, the final stablehand clutched his yellow helmet and ran toward the side of the track.

The gates sprang open the next second.

"The race is on!"

Once again, the announcer failed to react in time.

Ochiai immediately chose to move toward the inside.

With only six horses in the race, choosing a route became simpler.

At the same time, the battle for position became fiercer.

The three horses on the outside all charged toward the inner rail.

Kaga Tide in number three had no intention of giving up his position, and Agishi adopted an extremely resolute defensive posture in the saddle.

"This is getting troublesome."

Ochiai raised his head. Up front, Iwahashi had begun using the whip early and had already opened a clear gap.

On the far outside, number six Arakudo refused to fall behind and followed after him.

The pace would likely become fast.

Having made his judgment, Ochiai gave up on attacking and instead chose to conserve strength behind Kaga Tide.

With only a slight tug of the reins, Mejiro Tenma immediately understood and began running at a steadier rhythm.

Only then did the early battle for position finally come to an end.

"Number one, Eishin Glory, leads by roughly half a length. Behind him is number six, Arakudo. About four lengths behind, in third, is Kaga Tide, followed by number four, Mejiro Tenma. Remaining at the rear is..."

"Isn't it going to be hard to catch up from so far back?"

In the stands, Kitano was straining up on tiptoe to look at the track.

By now, he was no longer a complete beginner who knew nothing about horse racing.

Precisely because of that, he felt nervous seeing Mejiro Tenma drop into the middle of the pack so early.

"That's not it, Mr. Kitano. Today is different from the last race. It's developing into a fast pace!"

Ogawa Masaru, whose expression was calmer than Kitano's, seemed like the more mature one instead.

"At a fast pace, the horses at the front expend more stamina. Horses in the middle and back can conserve their energy, then use their fresher finishing speed to gain a greater advantage in the final stretch."

Ogawa Masaru explained unhurriedly, while Kitano's expression turned somewhat puzzled.

"Is that really how it works?"

He asked doubtfully.

"If you don't believe me, just watch. At the latest, Ochiai should start making his move at the fourth turn."

Ogawa Masaru pointed confidently toward the track.

Kitano looked over and saw that the two horses leading the race had visibly begun to slow down.

Even Iwahashi's repeated whipping did nothing to help.

Iwahashi, wearing a white cap, could only watch as the pack behind him closed the distance.

"It's time to make a move."

Even before Ochiai gave that signal, Mejiro Tenma had already unleashed his finishing speed upon entering the third turn.

Skipping the need to use the whip, Ochiai focused all his attention on controlling the reins.

As they came out of the turn, the pain in his inner thighs intensified sharply.

No—

Ochiai pressed his lips tightly together.

At least not yet.

He struggled to raise his arms.

Putting all his strength into it, he thrust them forward.

Mejiro Tenma bit down on the bit and moved into first place.

Thunderous cheers rose from the stands.

Drawing back his arms, Ochiai prepared to push forward a second time.

Then his butt dropped uncontrollably onto Mejiro Tenma's back.

The next moment, he sprang back up as if shocked by electricity.

Using that momentum, he barely managed to complete the second push.

But it came out far too weak.

"This... should be enough, right?"

As he passed the furlong marker at the two-hundred-meter mark, Ochiai thought breathlessly.

At that moment, a rapid flurry of whip strikes exploded beside his ears like thunder.

Cold sweat instantly broke out over his body.

At the edge of his vision, Kaga Tide, whom he had already passed, was gradually closing in.

Gritting his teeth, he raised his arms, which had long since gone limp.

His butt bounced up and down on the horse's back; the sight was probably terribly ugly.

But he had no strength left to care.

In equally awkward form, the two pairs launched into their final duel before the finish line.

"Is it Mejiro Tenma? Is it Mejiro Tenma? Or is it Kaga Tide? Can Kaga Tide still catch up?!"

Sweat slid down Ochiai's forehead, and he blinked.

The race was over.

"Kaga Tide! It's Kaga Tide! Kaga Tide takes first!"

A collective sigh came from the stands.

Turning his head with some difficulty, Ochiai saw the banner bearing the words "MEJIRO."

"I'm so sorry."

As he thought that, his fingernails unconsciously dug into his palms.

"What a shame."

Kitano let out a sigh as well.

He waved his fist unwillingly.

Yet he was not as disappointed as he had imagined he would be.

Whether it was Pegasus or Ochiai, both had already done their best.

Meanwhile, Ogawa Masaru clutched his head as though he were a gambler who had bet one hundred million yen on Mejiro Tenma.

"Damn it! It was only that close!"

"If only the stretch had been a little shorter!"