The race situation temporarily stabilized.
Polaris Glacier was waiting for two bursts of Absolute Speed after clearing the turn and entering the final straight.
Mihono Bourbon was also waiting, biding her time to unleash her superior final burst of speed, which was better than most Horse Girl of her generation.
The four Horse Girl maintaining their positions behind were visibly starting to breathe more rapidly.
The Polaris Glare's chilling aura from ahead was slowly seeping into their skin, constantly eroding their stamina.
Most of the spectators were watching intently, but some were quietly discussing with those beside them:
"That Horse Girl named Mihono Bourbon this time, she seems quite promising, huh?"
"Ah, the four Horse Girl in the back are already showing clear signs of low stamina, yet she can still follow Han Hime without a change in expression. It seems there are geniuses in this generation of Horse Girl too."
"There are quite a few geniuses in this generation, like Sakura Sunday King, Ball-Winning Dyna, Black Ten, Super Cura, and so on."
"It's just that Han Hime's brilliance is too dazzling, overshadowing the other geniuses of her generation."
"That's true. Speaking of which, if Han Hime keeps winning like this, won't it become like Maruzensky back then, where no Horse Girl is willing to race her?"
"Hiss... On home ground, that's really possible... If it comes to that, we can only hope Han Hime goes on overseas expeditions."
While the spectators were discussing in hushed tones, the race on the track was steadily progressing.
Polaris Glacier was the first to pass the 600-meter mark, entering the turn of the fourth corner.
Mihono Bourbon followed, about five horse lengths behind, concentrating, and suddenly accelerating her leg movements, clearly intending to make her move here.
"Entering the turn of the fourth corner, Polaris Glacier, is she still waiting?"
"Mihono Bourbon in the back is starting to move! She's accelerating even before entering the final straight!"
Listening to the Announcer (Female)'s voice, Polaris Glacier indeed felt the pressure gradually closing in from behind.
That was Mihono Bourbon's momentum, a special aura with a temperature similar to Polaris Glare's chilling aura.
"Polaris, to catch up to you, to surpass you, I've been thinking..."
Mihono Bourbon's excellent final burst of speed was on full display, her speed increasing rapidly, continuously closing the distance. Before entering the final straight, she had closed in to within one horse length behind Polaris Glacier.
"Now, let me show you, my run..."
"My... run, changed because of you!"
The two gradually ran side by side, their auras intertwining for a moment.
"Mihono Bourbon! From the outside, she's caught up to Polaris Glacier and is running alongside her! Can she overtake?! Can she overtake?!"
A rare, or rather, never-before-seen scene was unfolding. Not just the Announcer (Female), but the spectators' emotions were instantly stirred.
Could it really happen? Could it really appear?
Han Hime, who had always led the race, being caught and overtaken by another Horse Girl in a race.
The excitement made the spectators unconsciously cheer.
As if Mihono Bourbon had become the hero about to defeat the demon king.
As if the Polaris Glare's chilling aura that had permeated various racecourses since June was about to be dispelled.
Polaris Glacier listened silently, her long blue hair flowing backward. In the dark black frost in her eyes, while there was enjoyment from being pursued, there was more calmness.
"Well done, but..."
"It's not enough!"
Upon reaching the final straight, Polaris Glacier stomped her right foot, and an icy coldness suddenly swept out. The grass beneath her feet rapidly transformed into a Polaris covered in thick snow.
With complete concentration, her acceleration burst forth, and the twice-unleashed limit of her leg strength was immediately displayed.
Mihono Bourbon only felt snowflakes flash before her eyes. The blue-haired figure that had been beside her suddenly leaped ahead, and the distance between them began to gradually widen.
Even though both were running, the distance gradually widening could only mean one thing: there was a clear difference in speed.
Her full strength... her leg strength... was not as powerful as the blue-haired figure ahead!
"Polaris!!!"
Realizing this, Mihono Bourbon's eyes slowly widened, and she suddenly cried out, in a reluctant, struggling manner.
She was so close... just a little more... and she would have seen the scenery ahead...
How could she give up like this?!
"Ugh ah ah ah!!!"
As if to push herself, to break through her limits and accelerate further, she let out a roar.
As far forward as possible, as fast as possible with her steps, her limit should be far beyond this!
Mihono Bourbon's aura suddenly became even more intense, and flames even appeared in her eyes.
Her only thought now was to surpass the figure ahead and win!
"The last 400 meters! Polaris Glacier starts to accelerate! She's instantly opened up a two-horse length gap! Is Han Hime's strength truly unshakable?!"
And the very next moment after the Announcer (Female)'s words fell, the race situation changed, causing her to quickly add:
"Mihono Bourbon! Mihono Bourbon hasn't given up! Can she still accelerate?!"
"But her speed is indeed still a bit lacking, and the gap with Han Hime is still slowly widening!"
And it was true. Mihono Bourbon gritted her teeth, pushing herself to the limit beyond the limit, but it only slowed down the rate at which the blue-haired figure ahead was widening the distance.
On Polaris Glacier's side, she could no longer hear the surrounding sounds. In her dimming vision, she only saw the bright light representing the finish line.
Finally, the two figures crossed the finish line one after another, the difference settling at four and a half horse lengths.
Both crossing times broke the previous race record.
Polaris Glacier once again proved to the world that her victory was unshakable. No matter how strong the opponent, no matter how great the genius, they would eventually fall behind her.
At the same time, at the Tokyo Racecourse.
"Finish line! Sirius Symboli! She defeated Sakura Ichimonji by five horse lengths, winning the Fuchu Junior Stakes!"
Amidst the cheers of the spectators, Sirius Symboli slowly turned to look at the Horse Girl behind her, dark flowing light shimmering in her eyes.
"Too weak, completely incomparable to Polaris and Mihono Bourbon."
Letting out a soft breath, she had already decided in her heart that next time, she would at least race against one of them.
Back at the Kyoto Racecourse, after crossing the finish line, Polaris Glacier paused for a moment, then, as usual, turned to face the stands and lightly waved her hand.
Mihono Bourbon was now lying ungracefully on the grass, breathing heavily, her stamina completely exhausted.
After a while, she suddenly raised her hand to cover her eyes, biting her lip, with faint tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.
Noticing the other's emotional distress, Polaris Glacier turned to look, unsure for a moment whether to go forward and comfort her.
If it were anyone else, she naturally wouldn't pay attention, and would just walk to the athlete's tunnel on her own.
But now she was facing her classmate and good friend, and an opponent who had, for the first time in a long while, made her feel the joy of being pursued.
Lowering her gaze in thought, she finally took a step and walked over, kneeling on one knee in front of the other:
"Mihono Bourbon, thank you. Thank you for reminding me of the joy of racing."
Her gentle voice emerged, and the ears on the other's head twitched. She slightly parted her lips but did not move the hand covering her eyes.
"Until now, no Horse Girl has ever managed to close the gap with me to within 15 horse lengths in a regular race."
"And no Horse Girl has ever been able to chase behind me for such a long time in a regular race, even coming close to overtaking me at the fourth corner."
"Polaris... are you boasting...?"
Mihono Bourbon finally moved her hand away, her eyes glistening with tears, though her expression was a bit dejected.
Seeing this, Polaris Glacier chuckled softly and nodded:
"Yes, I am boasting."
"At the same time, I also want to tell you that I acknowledge your performance in this race. As my opponent, I sincerely look forward to you becoming even stronger and bringing me an even more intense chase."
Mihono Bourbon's ears twitched again. After a moment of thought, she corrected her:
"Not a chase, but an overtake. What I'm thinking now is to surpass you."
"Hehe, then feel free to try."
Feeling that the other's mood had improved, Polaris Glacier ended the conversation and extended a hand.
Mihono Bourbon immediately understood, reached out and grabbed it, using the leverage to stand up from the grass.
The winner's stage was scheduled for two hours later; they should probably go rehearse now.
On the other side, at the Central Tracen Academy training ground.
"Rudolf, Polaris has won again. She's now on a nine-race winning streak."
Maruzensky, dressed in sportswear, stood by the side of the track, holding her phone, and spoke to Rudolph Symboli, who was doing squat jumps.
"Is that so? Although I knew she would win, I still feel happy when I actually hear it."
Rudolph Symboli exhaled, stood up, and then replied.
To prepare for the Japan Cup, her training time had significantly increased, and document processing was mostly pushed to the evening.
"Mhm, mhm. But this time, a Horse Girl broke the record for the smallest gap with Polaris. It was less than five horse lengths!"
Maruzensky smiled, seemingly very interested:
"It seems she's also Polaris's classmate, a girl named Mihono Bourbon."
"Mihono Bourbon? Is that the girl who ran alongside Polaris and Sirius Symboli several times?"
Rudolph Symboli had specifically looked at the student roster before, so she remembered when it was mentioned.
"Yes, yes, that's the girl."
"Watching the race, I feel like she's developed an 'antibody-like' aura due to being overly influenced by Polaris."
