On the sidelines, Kumi Trainer was a bit puzzled by the situation.
As a human, she couldn't see the aura between the Horse Girl, but the expressions on their faces were clear.
In her eyes, the leisurely elegance of the Young Lady and the focus of Miss Antona were reflected.
“Hmm… I feel like something is strange… Their positions should be swapped, shouldn't they?”
Usually, the Young Lady would run in front, and Miss Antona would chase.
But now, Miss Antona was running in front, and the Young Lady was waiting for an opportunity…
As she pondered in her confusion, the race continued.
Entering the bend, Yuu Mai briefly glanced behind her:
“Polaris is… two horse lengths behind…”
“What a strange feeling, to be able to run in front of her for so long. Usually, I'd be overtaken in an instant.”
Silently adjusting her stride and rhythm, she still had plenty of stamina. Setting the race distance at 1300 meters might have been a bit too short.
Soon, she was ready, only waiting to enter the straight to unleash her final burst.
Behind her, Polaris Glacier had been enjoying Yuu Mai's running form for a while when she suddenly realized it was almost time:
“Hmm? Is the bend almost over?”
“Alright then, it's time to speed up.”
Thinking this, she naturally quickened her pace, completely ignoring, or rather, forgetting that she hadn't yet gone through speed liberation.
The actual situation was that she broke free from the initial maximum speed limit. To Yuu Mai's astonished gaze, she caught up from the outside and ran alongside her before the bend ended.
“That's a wonderful running form, Yuu Mai. With this winning uniform, you look exceptionally elegant, like a queen.”
“Just watching you makes me happy.”
Polaris Glacier said with a smile on her lips, her face still looking carefree, as she ran alongside Yuu Mai:
“You're about to sprint, aren't you? Shall we do it together?”
Yuu Mai raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled in response:
“Of course, that's no problem, but Polaris, are you really alright? I feel like your aura has changed a lot.”
In her eyes, Polaris Glacier's pupils had turned golden, with flames continuously flickering within them.
Her originally somewhat cold expression had become enthusiastic, as if she was very excited.
“Hmm… I don't really understand, it might be the effect of this winning uniform.”
“Don't worry, I'm fine. Can we start sprinting now?”
As she finished speaking, they had just passed the corner and entered the final straight.
“Yes, let's go.”
As her words fell, Yuu Mai quickened her pace and burst into acceleration, almost instantly pulling ahead.
Polaris Glacier smiled and followed, also starting to accelerate, but she didn't use her domain. The sense of liberation that should have surged forth seemed to be absent, nowhere to be seen.
There was no fierce struggle; Polaris Glacier simply exerted a little effort to catch up to Yuu Mai, and then overtook her.
Kumi Trainer on the sidelines, seeing this scene, unconsciously took a step forward, her surprise evident on her face:
“This kind of final burst… Has the Young Lady grown again?”
Grown again? But that was only a judgment based on past experience.
Not only Kumi Trainer, but Yuu Mai was equally surprised when she saw Polaris Glacier's figure passing her from the outside.
The difference in their speeds was visibly obvious; it hadn't been like this before.
This change came so suddenly that Polaris Glacier herself felt confused:
“Can I really run at such a speed?”
Unconsciously, she crossed the finish line. When she stopped and came to her senses, she found herself standing in front of a full-length mirror in a room.
Instinctively concentrating, text appeared on the mirror as expected:
“Domain: Empress's Leisurely Elegance Lv. Max”
“Description: A normal domain. Your state of mind will unconsciously become relaxed and carefree. If in a race, you will tend to run at the back and enjoy watching the Horse Girl run.”
“You may not properly activate aura interference skills. Conversely, all acceleration limits are completely lifted.”
“Note: This domain can only be activated while wearing a white winning uniform.”
Having just finished reading all the text, she suddenly came to her senses again, finding herself lying in bed.
It was five in the morning, and only a small lamp was on in the room, making the surroundings a bit dim.
Yuu Mai seemed to be preparing for her morning run, changing from her pajamas into sportswear in front of the wardrobe.
“Yuu Mai…”
A soft call sounded, her ears on her head twitched, and she turned to look:
“Hmm? Polaris, are you awake already? I'm sorry, my movements might have been a bit loud and woke you up.”
She paused briefly.
“It's still early, you can go back to sleep, you know. I'm going for my morning run first.”
She finished speaking and opened the door to leave.
Polaris Glacier lay on her side, blinking:
“Was the parallel run earlier… a dream?”
Although she thought so, the white dress stored in the wardrobe showed that it was not a dream.