After waiting five minutes for Hiroshima Baoza and Konankai to warm up, the friendly match officially began.

Just like the previous selection race, the course was 1600 meters on turf, clockwise, with the life-sized cardboard cutout of Hishi Amazon marking the finish line.

The race quickly drew attention from several Uma Musume, who gathered around the track to watch.

Four participating Uma Musume stood ready at the starting line, poised for the starting signal.

At the starting position, Hayakawa Tazuna raised the starting pistol toward the sky.

"Three, two…"

BANG!

The race began, and all four Uma Musume surged forward simultaneously.

After running side-by-side for a few seconds, they began to separate clearly into positions.

Hinagiku took the lead, adopting an escape strategy and immediately pushing her limits to widen the gap. She quickly opened up a three-length lead from the rest.

In second place was Konankai, followed closely by Happy Meek, with Urara trailing just behind.

By the second turn, Hinagiku continued accelerating, stretching her lead to five lengths. Konankai held steady in second, closely pursued by Happy Meek, with Urara persistently sticking right behind.

However, by the third turn, Hinagiku started showing fatigue, wiping sweat from her forehead as her pace gradually slowed. The chasing group behind steadily closed the distance.

Now on the final straight—the moment of truth!

Happy Meek, who had conserved stamina through steady pacing, maneuvered to the right, accelerating in an attempt to overtake Konankai.

"Konankai!" Hiroshima Baoza shouted sharply from the sidelines.

Upon hearing her trainer's call, Konankai nodded slightly and moved swiftly to the right, blocking Happy Meek's path.

From that moment, no matter how Happy Meek attempted to pass, Konankai persistently shifted to obstruct her, preventing any overtaking.

Urara, breathing heavily and wiping sweat from her brow, struggled but kept doggedly behind Happy Meek, pushing herself to her absolute limit.

At that moment, Hinagiku's stamina finally gave out completely. Sweat poured down her face as the group behind rapidly caught up, making her overtaking inevitable.

Yet suddenly, from outside the track, Kaneshiro Takeru called loudly: "Hang in there, Hinagiku!"

"!"

Hearing her trainer's encouragement, Hinagiku clenched her teeth and squeezed out one last burst of speed.

"Haah—!" With Hinagiku's brief acceleration, the chasing pack's closing speed momentarily slowed.

In the final 200 meters, however, Konankai and Happy Meek still caught up to Hinagiku, and the three Uma Musume fiercely battled for the lead.

Urara desperately tried to join the battle, but despite her leftover stamina, her speed couldn't match theirs. All she could do was watch helplessly as the three rivals dashed toward the finish line.

The race concluded.

Final standings:

1st: Konankai

2nd: Hinagiku (by a head)

3rd: Happy Meek (by a nose)

4th: Urara (2 lengths behind)

"Hahaha!" As soon as the results were announced, Hiroshima Baoza's mouth curled into an arrogant smirk.

"Well, what can I say? I was even holding back, yet still took first place. Ah, this must be what it feels like to be a true genius!"

Hiroshima Baoza was practically glowing with pride, barely restraining himself from dancing in celebration.

If Konankai hadn't won by such a slim margin, he probably would've been even more insufferable.

"Well?" Hiroshima Baoza raised an eyebrow expectantly, hinting at the others to praise him.

Mizuno: "…"

Kiryuin Aoi: "Uh… congratulations…"

Kaneshiro Takeru: "Great job, Baoza-oniisan."

"…"

"Tch…" Seeing that the applause and cheers he'd imagined weren't coming, Hiroshima Baoza clicked his tongue irritably.

After a brief exchange, the trainers walked toward the track to find their respective Uma Musume.

Currently, all four Uma Musume were wiping off sweat with towels handed out by Hayakawa Tazuna, reflecting on the race.

"You did great," Kaneshiro Takeru approached Hinagiku and gently patted her head.

"T-Trainer, please don't come close…" Hinagiku shyly stepped back, covering her head. "I'm all sweaty and probably smell bad…"

"Eh?" Kaneshiro Takeru leaned closer skeptically and sniffed lightly.

"Nope, not at all! You actually smell really nice," Takeru flashed a bright, cheerful smile at Hinagiku.

"Uuu…" Hinagiku blushed furiously, lowering her head.

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

"Why did it turn out like this…?" Kiryuin Aoi murmured in self-doubt, staring at Happy Meek's expressionless face.

In the selection race, Happy Meek had taken first place. Yet after several days of her training, why had she lost to someone she'd easily beaten before?

Was there something fundamentally wrong with her training methods?

Kiryuin Aoi took out her notebook, attempting to analyze what went wrong.

Nearby, Hiroshima Baoza saw Kiryuin's troubled look and grinned smugly. He approached her confidently.

"Kiryuin-san, do you need any assistance?"

Seeing this arrogant guy approaching, Kiryuin Aoi instinctively took a step back but maintained politeness: "Haha… Thank you kindly, but although I am indeed a bit troubled, I'd prefer to think about it myself first. No need to trouble you."

"She doesn't want to trouble me" = She cares about me = She likes me!

"No worries, feel free to call me anytime. I'll rush to your side immediately!" Hiroshima Baoza declared cheerfully, leaving with an air of pride. "Come, Konankai, let's continue training!"

"But today is a rest day…"

"You dare ignore my orders? Or do you not want to keep winning first place?"

"…Alright."

Meanwhile, on Mizuno's side—

"Urara! You've become so much stronger!" Mizuno exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.

"Sorry, Mizuno-san... Urara still couldn't win first place…" Urara lowered her head sadly.

"But you did absolutely amazing!" Mizuno praised wholeheartedly.

Urara had greatly improved her starts, no longer lagging behind. She now knew how to manage her stamina properly, reserving enough energy for a strong finish.

Moreover, last time, she'd finished six lengths behind the ninth place in the selection race. But now, she was merely two lengths behind Happy Meek, who came in third! Her progress was extraordinary!

Given just a bit more time, Urara would undoubtedly become a first-place-level Uma Musume.

Considering her rocket-like rate of improvement, that day wouldn't be far away at all.

"That's right, Urara-chan! You really were wonderful out there!" King Halo chimed in, walking over and gently wiping Urara's sweat with practiced care, eyes shining with pride.

She too noticed Urara's astonishing progress. Although still far from being top-tier, Urara had transformed from trailing significantly behind others to now genuinely challenging ordinary Uma Musume. As her "mom," King Halo couldn't help feeling deeply gratified.

And naturally, Urara's growth was inseparable from the efforts of her trainer.

King Halo subtly glanced toward Mizuno beside her.

This trainer was far more capable than she'd initially assumed—hardly resembling a mere rookie. Aside from his odd habit of hiding behind that Doctor's Outfit, he carried himself more like a seasoned trainer.

Most importantly, his sincerity toward Urara was unwavering. Money couldn't sway him. Mizuno was the first trainer whom King Halo genuinely respected.

She recalled how she had rejected Urara's earlier invitation to join Mizuno's team, thinking he wasn't top-tier enough.

Perhaps… I should reconsider?

"Really? Hehe~" Receiving praise from both Mizuno and King Halo, Urara instantly brightened up, completely forgetting the sadness of finishing last.

"Next time, Urara will definitely take first place!" she declared enthusiastically, adorably holding up a single finger.

"I believe in you!" Mizuno nodded firmly.

Currently, Mizuno only had one week left for his Doctor's Outfit. Yet, within this week, he had absolute confidence in guiding Urara to victory.

It's decided, then—

Next week, Urara's debut race!