After presenting themselves briefly on stage, all participants returned to their respective waiting rooms to prepare for the upcoming race.

An hour later, the Uma Musume contestants stepped onto the racetrack, guided by the staff to their starting gates.

Urara was in gate six, with Happy Meek right beside her in gate seven.

"Meek-chan Good luck!" Urara cheerfully called out to Happy Meek in the gate to her right.

"Mm," Happy Meek nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then Urara turned her head toward an unfamiliar Uma Musume on her left side, greeting warmly, "Hello It's great to race with you!"

The other Uma Musume was momentarily taken aback by Urara's friendliness.

Shouldn't they be rivals? Shouldn't there be some hostility? Why was this pink-haired girl being so friendly?

Her trainer had instructed that if any Uma Musume dared to interact with her before a race, she should respond harshly, refusing to appear weak.

But… this cute girl is greeting me…

Looking at Urara's warm, gentle smile, the stranger's resolve melted away.

"H-hello," she finally replied softly, smiling back, mentally removing Urara from her list of opponents to target during the race.

Besides, seeing how small Urara was—shorter than her by a full head, seeming frail and delicate—she quietly decided to look out for this tiny pink-haired Uma Musume later, to ensure she wasn't jostled by the others.

"All participants, get ready—the race is about to begin!"

The moment arrived, and hearing the announcer's cue, each Uma Musume shifted into their starting positions, eyes fixed firmly on the gates ahead.

The moment the gates opened, the race would officially begin.

Spectators stared anxiously toward the track, anticipating the Uma Musume bursting forward. The entire venue gradually quieted, leaving only the countdown audible.

"Three, two…"

Bang!

The gates simultaneously flew open.

"Go!" At that instant, all participants charged forward, breaking into their strides.

Initially, the Uma Musume ran shoulder-to-shoulder, but after a few moments, positions began to shift.

Urara chose to keep to the mid-pack, but without any late-runners in the race, this placed her toward the back. Happy Meek, however, moved swiftly toward the front, immediately challenging others who employed the same racing style.

The announcer's commentary filled the air:

"Around the first turn, it's Delicious Fresh in the lead! Second place is…"

"Fourth place is Happy Meek…"

"Haruu Urara currently sits in eighth…"

"Around the second turn, Delicious Fresh remains in first, holding a two-length lead!"

"Happy Meek maintains fourth…"

"And Urara is third from last…"

"The race order remains largely unchanged."

"As they approach the third turn, what will the contestants do next? Let's watch closely!"

As the finish line drew near, the atmosphere tensed for both Uma Musume and spectators alike.

"You can do it, Urara-chan!" King Halo and several others cheered excitedly.

"Ganbatte… Urara-chan…" Rice Shower clutched the lucky charm against her chest, eyes tightly closed in earnest prayer.

"Delicious Fresh-san! Keep holding the lead!"

"Happy Meek-san! Charge ahead!"

"Whoever wins, I'll be your dog!"

"Meek! Fight on!" Even the usually reserved Kiryuin Aoi couldn't help raising her voice in support of Happy Meek.

Everyone watching was on edge—except Mizuno.

Mizuno quietly observed the race, eyes fixed on Urara, who was still caught up in the back of the pack, feeling completely at ease.

Although he hoped desperately for Urara to take first, luck had always reminded him that praying made no difference. Miracles didn't happen just by wishing.

Urara wouldn't receive any external help. Everything depended solely on her.

Since worrying would help nothing, Mizuno refused to worry.

All he could do was trust the effort they'd invested together—and believe wholeheartedly in Urara.

Quickly, the contestants approached the fourth turn, entering the final stretch!

"All runners are now entering the fourth turn! Delicious Fresh is still holding the lead! Can she maintain her position all the way to the finish line?!"

Just as many assumed Delicious Fresh was about to claim victory, the situation shifted suddenly.

"Happy Meek!" shouted the announcer.

"Happy Meek is surging forward!"

Happy Meek had abruptly accelerated, passing several Uma Musume at once, rapidly closing the gap toward Delicious Fresh.

"Damn—!"

The overtaken Uma Musume couldn't obstruct her, forced instead to watch helplessly as Happy Meek moved farther ahead, aiming directly for first.

"!"

Delicious Fresh sensed the danger behind her, anxiety twisting her expression.

Her stamina was already nearly depleted, preventing her from accelerating again. At this rate, Happy Meek would surely catch and surpass her with no chance of recovery.

What can I do? Am I really going to lose?!

I don't want to lose… I can't!

Her trainer had promised her: if she won this race, they'd go on a date to an amusement park, ride the Ferris wheel…

Was she really going to hand victory—and that precious date—to someone else?!

No way!

Delicious Fresh's expression hardened with determination.

"Then… there's only one thing left!" She pushed her hoof forcefully against the dirt, kicking up a cloud toward Happy Meek behind her.

In racing, kicking up dirt was common—certainly not illegal—and if the dirt managed to blind an opponent, forcing them to slow down or even stop, that would be even better.

"I'm definitely going on that date!"

But what Delicious Fresh hadn't expected was for Happy Meek to deftly dodge sideways, evading the dirt entirely.

"What?!" Delicious Fresh gasped, astonished.

Her sudden attack had failed?!

Seizing her momentary confusion, Happy Meek darted past Delicious Fresh, seizing the lead.

From there, it became Happy Meek's time to sprint to her heart's content. With her current speed, Delicious Fresh had no hope of catching up. Victory was all but certain.

"Daaamn~" Delicious Fresh moaned despairingly.

"Well done, Meek!" In the stands, Kiryuin Aoi felt immense pride.

Happy Meek's outstanding performance today owed credit to just one person.

"Trainer Mizuno, this is all thanks to you," she sincerely thanked him, smiling gratefully. "If you hadn't taught me how to properly guide Meek, she wouldn't have surpassed the others today, and we'd have lost."

Though, phrasing it this way did make it sound slightly sarcastic.

Kiryuin realized immediately and hastily apologized, flustered. "Uh… sorry! I didn't mean to mock you or anything, I just…"

The more she explained, the worse it sounded.

"It's alright, I understand," Mizuno waved casually, easing her tension.

He knew Kiryuin hadn't meant any harm—she'd merely stated a fact.

"Thank you for understanding," she exhaled in relief.

Mizuno truly was smart and gentle. Being around him was always easy.

"No need to thank me. This was all due to your own hard work," Mizuno replied lightly.

He'd only briefly instructed Kiryuin on understanding Happy Meek's mindset, using a basketball analogy to demonstrate the concept of "passing an opponent." Afterward, Kiryuin herself took Meek to play basketball, training her agility in playful conditions, leading directly to today's success—both in overtaking the other Uma Musume and dodging dirt on the fly.

Mizuno had merely set her on the right path. The ones responsible for Meek's improvement were Kiryuin and Meek themselves.

Did he regret helping them? Mizuno was certainly not petty enough for that.

Besides, just because Happy Meek was stronger than expected, did that mean she was guaranteed to win?

Mizuno calmly returned his gaze to the track, observing quietly.

"Wait a moment! Who's that…?!" the announcer suddenly shouted in surprise.

"Haruu Urara! Urara from eighth place has begun her sprint!"

"Seventh place! Sixth place! Fifth! Fourth!"

"Haruu Urara is breaking through! She's charging forward!"