Only One Year Left—I'll Become a Legendary Uma Musume!

Twilight Song felt like she'd vanished.

Not literally, of course. Rather, the existence called "Twilight Song" had shed all extraneous thoughts, immersed completely in the race.

[Flow]

This state, familiar to her from her previous life, was described in sports and esports as a state of total concentration, a perfect harmony between mind and body.

It was also the secret behind the legendary miracles known as [Skills] in the Uma Musume world.

Absolute concentration triggered the state of [Flow], and combined with the blessings of the Three Goddesses and an Uma Musume's unwavering determination, a miracle could occur.

None of these elements could be missing.

Now, stepping onto the dirt track guided by a staff member, Twilight Song clearly felt her own perfect focus.

Actually, it wasn't even a conscious thought—it was a realization she simply knew:

She was strong. Frighteningly so.

A breeze blew past, lifting her white hair, fluttering the lace and ribbons on her dress, brushing gently against her delicate skin.

The track itself was welcoming her.

Still…dirt was a little tricky.

Twilight Song's understanding of the differences between dirt and turf races was limited. Except for obstacle courses, the distinctions felt negligible.

It was pointless to deliberately control her body—her own minimal experience paled in comparison to the muscle memory honed through rigorous training.

Her real focus needed to be on deciding when to accelerate, when to hold back, and what tactics to employ…

As she entered the gate, Twilight Song took a quick glance at her opponents.

Compared to the American Uma Musume, she was noticeably smaller, almost like a filly who hadn't yet fully grown.

And this was entirely expected; after all, she'd only debuted three months ago.

Every country's Triple Crown races were classics, usually meant for experienced Uma Musume with at least a year under their belts.

But this could be an advantage.

An advantage of being underestimated…

People always instinctively dropped their guard against someone smaller or seemingly weaker—such was human nature.

Twilight Song could feel her whole body trembling slightly, adrenaline pulsing through her. She was earnestly attempting to plan her strategy and approach, yet—

"The race is about to begin! Who will claim the guaranteed entry into the American Triple Crown?"

Twilight Song's eyes locked fiercely onto the flashing lights above the gates.

Strategy… first secure a good position, then rely on her speed to break through… and then… then what?

No.

She had it wrong from the start.

Given her current situation, there was only one strategy she needed to follow.

"Three."

"Two."

Front-Runners adapted the easiest to new tracks, and Twilight Song certainly had the stamina to go full throttle over just one mile.

In other words, within her comfort zone, the entire track was effectively within her striking range.

Why was she even bothering with tactics? Just charge forward, right now!

The tiny voice in her head urged again, and Twilight Song shut her eyes, gathering strength in every muscle.

"One! And they're off!"

But just as before, that small, glowing angelic figure inside her head retorted:

What are you hesitating for?

"Out in front immediately—unbelievably—is Twilight Song, who debuted in Japan and returned home to America! Such a perfect start! Such terrifying speed! Wait…this isn't just a good start! Look at her stance! This posture—this posture!"

Why had Twilight Song achieved an instantaneous perfect start during her debut race purely by instinct?

Because it was engraved into her body's muscle memory—a skill practiced relentlessly.

And which type of Uma Musume trained so obsessively for perfect starts?

Twilight Song's lips curled into a confident smile. Her small, lightweight build granted her an unmatched advantage!

Because her petite height and weight meant only one thing:

She could lower her center of gravity to an extreme degree, then gradually accelerate, faster and faster, into a full-on charge!

She could explode immediately into maximum speed.

In other words—

Twilight Song, who had been at full throttle from the start, was about to execute a spectacular one-mile wire-to-wire breakaway, completely abandoning any thoughts of restraint or tactics, from start to finish.

Strategy? Tactics? Thinking? She didn't need them.

As long as she successfully nailed her start, everything else would fall into place. As long as she left all her competitors behind, there'd be no worries at all.

"This is madness! A one-mile dirt race, and she's pulling off a full-throttle breakaway?"

Typically, front-runner types came in two categories. Regular Front-Runners merely established an early lead to control the pace and secure a strategic advantage.

But then there were extreme, wild Front-Runners—those who didn't care about their opponents at all, who simply burst forward at maximum speed toward the finish from the start.

And what was the result of such tactics?

Second-Place Contender, Festival Glory—the original favorite and star of this race—could only gape in shock before quickly stabilizing her emotions.

This lunatic! She had seemed so calm and collected moments ago—was she seriously attempting a breakaway from the very beginning?

Should Festival Glory chase her right now? But what if Twilight Song slowed later?

Yet, if Festival Glory didn't follow now, what if Twilight Song never slowed down?

This was only a mile race—a distance perfectly suited to extreme front-runners since stamina limitations were significantly less restrictive over shorter distances!

But if Twilight Song faltered toward the end, and Festival Glory had already burned through her energy early, she'd lose to the opponents conserving strength behind her.

"What a spectacle! Will the chasing Uma Musume accelerate now, or will they gamble?"

Betting that Twilight Song would exhaust herself before reaching the finish line…

Festival Glory felt every second of hesitation was torture. All she could do was watch, dumbfounded, as Twilight Song raced further and further ahead, already approaching the first corner.

Yet—

"That absolute madwoman!"

Festival Glory could hardly believe her eyes.

"My goodness! She's accelerating even through the turn? Twilight Song shows no signs of slowing her breakaway pace—she's actually accelerating through the corner!"

Twilight Song executed a maneuver that left everyone utterly stunned.

At the turn, she shortened her stride, rapidly increasing her cadence while shifting her weight dangerously to one side. It seemed for a moment like she might fall—indeed, she stumbled—but still completed the turn perfectly.

Festival Glory was so astonished that she hesitated, forced to abruptly reduce her speed at the corner, helplessly watching as the figure in her Racing Outfit grew further and further away.

It was at this moment that Festival Glory, who'd set her sights on the American Triple Crown, understood something crucial.

A mile?

Even two kilometers probably weren't outside that monster's effective range!

Were all newly debuted Japanese Uma Musume such monsters? No—she couldn't hold back anymore. If she didn't accelerate now, the race would be over before she knew it!

This was now a fight to the death!

Hesitation? Hesitation meant defeat!

She couldn't take it any longer—accelerate! Right here, right now!

All the trailing Uma Musume made the same desperate decision at nearly the same time, launching themselves forward immediately after the corner.

The scene at Aqueduct Racetrack turned instantly chaotic.

Aside from the one at the head of the pack, now far ahead, everyone else was furiously accelerating.

This had suddenly become a one-mile race of sixteen Uma Musume—all desperately chasing a single runaway figure.