Chapter 287: The Finals (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 287: The Finals (4)
“What are you doing?! Run! Run faster!”
In the VIP room on the fourth floor of the spectator stands.
Rin, pressed right up against the massive plate-glass window, shouted frantically at the track.
Rin was currently in a state of mental and physical distress. She had foolishly taught Mirabelle a secret technique, only to be implicated as an accomplice and scolded by Karami.
If Shibiogwi won this race, she planned to demand he retract his order removing her from duty rotation.
But Shibiogwi, who had been running well, had fallen to third place. No, unable to recover easily, she had just been overtaken by Marin and was now in fourth.
“This race is void! That prude cheated and attacked Rin's racer!”
“Cheated? It was a simple blessing. It's just that your racer's foul nature made her unable to avoid the damage. Besides, who told you to enter a monster in the race?”
“Eek! So that's how you want to play? In that case, Rin will...!”
As Rin tried to activate her Solar and Lunar Eyes, Mirabelle stepped in to stop her.
Holding a staff, not a broom.
“I cannot permit such presumptuous interference, Rin.”
“Hah, presumptuous interference? I saw you casting a spell on her, playing the good friend. Did you think Rin wouldn't know? So that's okay, but this isn't?”
“The only spell I cast was to reduce her pain. It didn't enhance her abilities, nor was it direct interference in the race. It was merely a part of managing her condition.”
“And that spell disappeared because of that prude's blessing! Do you think she can get a good result in this state?”
“That is...”
Mirabelle trailed off, her gaze fixed on the racetrack.
The race was moving past its opening and into the middle stretch.
Miro's position was still eighth place.
There was still a lot of distance left, but once a racer lost their pace, it was difficult to recover.
In contrast, the racers in the rear had conserved their energy while the leaders fought it out.
They might be friends, but objectively speaking, she was now quite far from contention for the win.
In the past, Yuhwa had seen a future with her Heavenly Eye where Miro won, but there was no guarantee it was today's race. It could be the next one.
“Even so, you cannot twist fate. Do you think the Master would permit it?”
While his slaves bickered, Karami never took his eyes off the race.
He knew without having to be told whether twisting fate was allowed or not.
“...How annoying.”
“Huhu, you should just concede to me this time. The victory belongs to me and Iris...”
-Following Shibiogwi, Iris is also stalling! She's been caught by the relentless Kiss and pushed back to second place! Kiss takes the lead! The race's outcome is once again lost in a maze!
“Eh?”
A huge roar erupted from the crowd.
Kiss's Non-Virgin Attack.
It was super effective!
Iris, dazed, began to lose her strength.
Rin shot a mocking grin at Elize.
“Keehee. That bitch slammed the door on Rin and Master. Serves her right~”
“Tch.”
Elize clicked her tongue, her brow furrowed in displeasure. Mirabelle looked at Karami with anxious eyes.
“M-Master...”
“There's no need to be anxious. The thrill of a race is not knowing what will happen. We just need to keep cheering them on as we have been.”
“Yes...”
Karami looked around before standing up.
“Hmm, but it lacks a certain energy up here. Shall we go down and watch?”
*
-The racers are coming out of the second corner and entering the straightaway on the opposite side of the stands. The race has now entered its middle phase. Let's take another look at the standings.
The announcer rattled off the current rankings.
In the lead is Kiss.
Two lengths behind is Iris.
Third is Marin.
Fourth is Shibiogwi.
Fifth is Astrope.
Sixth is Neiro Bram.
Seventh is Miro.
Eighth is Lua Swift.
The rest of the racers follow, with Scarlet, as always, at the very back.
With the exception of Kiss in the lead, the racers are tangled up in the main pack. Miro is trapped in the middle of it.
“Running in the rain isn't easy, is it? Right, Miro?”
“......”
“Ahh~ But running with you in the rain like this reminds me of our time at the academy, Miro. It was raining that day, too.”
While the others focused all their attention on their breathing, Lua chattered away without a pause.
Her pace was already broken and pain was overwhelming her. She was struggling to survive, but with Lua chattering away and distracting her, it was impossible to concentrate.
But it was impossible to shake her off now.
She had only one spurt left in her. She had to settle this with one final burst.
The situation was dire, but the one silver lining was that the formidable Iris and Shibiogwi were also in poor condition.
There was still a chance to aim for victory.
-The leader, Kiss, is the first to enter the third corner. The trailing racers follow her in. After this corner comes the final turn, and then nothing but a single straightaway.
-They may seem to be running together peacefully now, but they're conserving their strength for the end. The moment anyone makes a spurt, the flow of the race will change in an instant. Who will be the one to signal the start of the finale?
Miro knew who it would be.
The data she had accumulated pointed to only one person.
Scarlet Stampede.
In every simulation, Scarlet began her spurt earlier than anyone else.
Miro knew better than anyone that with the race already thrown into chaos by unexpected variables, she couldn't blindly trust the simulations.
But here, she had to believe.
No, she had to pray.
Because if another variable occurred, Miro didn't have the stamina left to deal with it.
She applied the data she'd gathered to the current situation.
She'll start earlier than usual.
A rain-slicked track.
It was difficult to go all out.
To catch the leader before the race ended, she would have no choice but to make a long spurt.
In that case, I'll break out even faster and seize the initiative.
-The racers are beginning to exit the third corner. The race is now looking toward its final phase. 1600 meters remaining. The psychological battle between the racers continues. To go, or not to go. To run, or to wait. Where and who will make the first move?
I have to go.
The corner.
And on it, a muddy path, easy to slip on.
She had to go now, while the other racers were forced to slow down.
If she didn't, she'd be trapped.
Squelch!
Mud splattered.
She didn't fight the centrifugal force.
Surrendering her body to the outward pull, Miro broke free from the outside of the pack and took the corner wide.
And just like that, she began to pick up speed.
-Ah, and there's Miro, breaking out of that prison-like encirclement at the perfect moment! She doesn't stop there, accelerating into a long spurt! It's the start of the finale, as if declaring to everyone that the time has come to put an end to this long journey!
She could have easily slipped on the slick ground, but her hooves were made of mithril. They held her feet firm, unwavering. They were certainly worth the high price.
If I start running here...!
But Miro's prediction didn't end there.
“Oh my, Miro. Are you running already? Let's go together~”
The air currents around them shifted.
Her stalker, Lua, cloaked herself in wind and pursued Miro.
The peculiar thing about Lua's spurt was the unnatural wind it generated. It wasn't a major hindrance to her running, but it was incredibly distracting.
Miro, at least, was used to Lua's wind, but the others were not. If she kept Lua with her, she could also keep her rivals in check.
-From the far outside, it's Lua Swift! Wreathed in a gale, she instantly closes in on Miro! A friendly spurt from the academy senior and junior! The racers in the rear try to pick up their pace in pursuit of the two who fired the starting gun, but have they lost their timing?! They can't seem to gain any ground!
At the edge of her vision, Miro checked the sign that was drawing closer.
1200m.
Seeing that sign while rounding the corner meant...
KUUUNG!
A massive vibration, like the beating of a war drum, echoed out.
-Past the third corner and now into the final turn! Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. Even the rainwater begins to flow in reverse. The moment has come. The moment has come! The moment the war chariot begins to roll!!!
In every race, always bringing up the rear—Scarlet Stampede.
She was starting to run.
It was like a war chariot was bearing down on them.
Scarlet shot forward with terrifying speed.
At the same time, the leading racers also began their spurts.
Marin rode a blue wave.
Golden sparks erupted from Astrope.
A green wind blew from Lua.
The firepower of Shibiogwi's flames intensified.
Iris gathered her divine power and poured it into her blessing.
-The final corner! The lead still belongs to Kiss! But the chasers are closing in furiously! One length behind is Iris! Then Marin! Shibiogwi! Miro! Lua! And Scarlet, who has shot from the rear to the middle of the pack in an instant, overtakes Neiro and now threatens Astrope!
“RUUUUUUUN!”
“Get away, Kiss-chan!!!”
“Trample them all, Scarlet!”
A thunderous roar erupted.
But Miro couldn't hear the earth-shaking cheers.
Not just her, but none of the others running on the track.
She's coming.
That unique, immense pressure.
She could clearly feel Scarlet closing in from behind.
She knew how Scarlet ran.
When she spurted, she always took the outermost lane.
The edge, where no one could interfere.
That was the path she preferred.
In that case...!
Miro moved further to the outside.
Lua followed her.
A wall formed, stretching from the inner racers to Miro and Lua.
This would force Scarlet to take an even wider path.
It was unlikely to have a major effect.
But if it could just disrupt her flow, even a little!
THUD!
The ground behind Miro shook.
Scarlet had finally caught up.
“What a pathetic trick...”
Scarlet's chilling low voice, clearly annoyed that they had blocked the path, vibrated in Miro's eardrums.
She refused to play along with their shallow ploy. Instead of going wide, Scarlet chased Miro's tail with the intent to smash right through the wall.
-They pay no mind to the falling rain or the splashing mud! Though their bodies may be dirtied, in this moment of running, the sixteen girls are more beautiful than anyone! They're coming out of the final corner and entering the last straightaway where the crowd awaits!
Rounding the corner, she saw the straight path stretching out before her.
This final stretch would decide everything.