“Patriarch? When did you return?” Speed Symboli had been working overseas for years, so Rudolph Symboli was quite surprised to see him at the mansion.
“I just got back this morning.” He held a newspaper in his hand, and hot tea sat on the table in front of him.
He looked up at Rudolph Symboli and smiled, saying, “So, Rudolph, did something bad happen to you?”
Hearing this, a bitter expression reappeared on Rudolph Symboli's face, and she shook her head slightly: “After the injury, the pain in my leg muscles hasn't subsided, which makes it really hard to get my spirits up…”
“Injured? Muscle pain?” Speed Symboli was slightly stunned, and his expression also became solemn: “Have you been to the hospital for a check-up?”
“Yes, I've had several check-ups and tried treatments, but they haven't helped.” Rudolph Symboli walked over and sat in the opposite seat, her voice low.
“Is that so…” Speed Symboli pondered with lowered brows, then suddenly seemed to remember something: “Rudolph, I know someone who might be able to cure you.”
Hearing that there was a way to treat her, Rudolph Symboli's spirits lifted, and she quickly asked, “Who is it?”
“The Sasabari Master, Anshinza Sasami.”
The perspective switches back to Polaris Glacier.
After hanging up the phone, she went to the training ground.
Yuu Mai had already been training there for a while, and seeing Polaris Glacier approach, she smiled and greeted her: “Polaris.”
“Mhm.”
Smiling, Polaris Glacier nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and suggested: “Yuu Mai, let's have a simulated race.”
Although they had trained together these past few days, they hadn't officially run alongside each other.
And it had been three months since their last parallel run.
Now was the time to confirm whether Yuu Mai had grown stronger during this period.
Yuu Mai, hearing about the simulated race, first blinked her eyes, then agreed: “Okay, do we need to call Kumi Trainer?”
“Just send her a message. She should be organizing documents right now.”
The two reached a consensus and immediately sent a message to Kumi Trainer, who promptly arrived after receiving it.
“Young Mistress, Miss Antona.” She held a tablet in her hand, clearly ready to record data again.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
After appropriate warm-up exercises, Polaris Glacier and Yuu Mai stood together behind the marked starting line.
The course was decided by Yuu Mai, with a total length of 1300 meters, of which the final straight accounted for 600 meters.
When asked why she set it up this way, her answer was that she hoped to have ample distance for acceleration.
In response, Polaris Glacier's lips curved into a smile and she said, “Yuu Mai, did you forget that my sprint is faster than yours?”
Setting it to 600 meters would only widen the distance between them.
Upon hearing this, Yuu Mai did not reply immediately, choosing instead to take a deep breath, and an aura emanated from her.
Fiery crimson-gold flames ignited, and their heat was significantly stronger than when they first met.
“Is that really true?” Her lips also curved into a smile, but then quickly returned to a calm, serious expression: “I am Yuu Mai, the one who promised to stand by your side.”
“My mission is to free you from that lonely path ahead!”
From the lonely path ahead… free…?
“Hmph, you're quite eloquent, Yuu Mai.” Polaris Glacier's face showed an expression that was either anger or joy, and both ice and platinum flames appeared in her eyes: “Then prove it to me. Prove that you can do it.”
Their conversation temporarily ended, and Kumi Trainer had already raised her hand to signal.
Assuming a pre-start posture, even from a distance, Polaris Glacier could still read the meaning from Yuu Mai's mouth: “Ready! Three! Two! One!”
“Go!” As she shouted “Go!”, Kumi Trainer's arm swung down.
A deep Polaris Glare's chilling aura erupted instantly, and Polaris Glacier surged forward first, while Yuu Mai started a moment later, chasing after her.
Running at the very front, Polaris Glare's chilling aura naturally emanated, encroaching upon the space behind her.
The next moment, crimson-gold flames ignited, blocking it completely.
During their parallel runs earlier in the year, Yuu Mai's resistance had been stacking daily, long reaching a level where she could fully withstand Polaris Glare's chilling aura.
Even among the Horse Girl she was familiar with, her resistance was the highest, even higher than Mihono Bourbon and Sirius Symboli.
Polaris Glacier was well aware of this, and she had no intention of relying on her aura to win.
Her strides gradually reached their initial maximum speed, steadily advancing along the inner lane of the course.
A horse-length behind, Yuu Mai followed closely.
They both knew that the focus of this simulated race was the final straight.
The overall pace was a bit fast, but this also meant that the initial straight, which felt somewhat long in their perception, would end sooner.
The two Horse Girl successively entered the bend, and Yuu Mai watched the blue-haired figure ahead, silently beginning to adjust her stride.
To accelerate with full power and unleash her explosive strength as much as possible, she needed to prepare in advance.
Soon, they rounded the corner one after another and stepped onto the final straight.
Feeling the two layers of liberation surging from her legs, Polaris Glacier unleashed her domain, and her acceleration burst forth suddenly.
And Yuu Mai, after adjusting her stride, lowered her center of gravity and accelerated the speed of her legs even further.
Crimson-gold flames fiercely burned around her, and the gradient-colored pupils of her eyes gradually shimmered with flowing light.
Accelerating, galloping, towards an even further realm.
It's possible! This time it's possible!
Yuu Mai, at her peak state, seemed to perceive something in the ethereal.
Although this feeling was not very clear, she clearly understood from it the fact that she could catch up.
For a moment, emotions of excitement and joy uncontrollably surged from the depths of her heart, so much so that she eagerly wanted to share them with the figure ahead: “Polaris!”
As her voice carried, Polaris Glacier received it, and at the same time, the sense of being pursued, which she had always yearned for, also surged forth.
Accompanying it was a long-lost intensity, an inability to shake off the heat even when running with all her might.
This is?!
Upon realizing what this meant, emotions of pleasure and excitement immediately erupted uncontrollably: “Excellent! Yuu Mai! I knew you were special!”
Polaris Glacier's originally calm face gradually showed a distorted expression different from before: “That's it! Run with me with all your might! Compete! Until we reach the glory of victory!”
Affected by her emotions, platinum flames also ignited around her, and they were more intense than ever before.
Two different auras intertwined, and the distance between them began to gradually shrink.
Setting the final straight at 600 meters was indeed a suitable choice.
Thanks to this, they had relatively ample time for an intense confrontation and to decide the final winner.
When there were about 300 meters left to the finish line, Yuu Mai rushed to Polaris Glacier's side, completing the parallel run.
The two instinctively glanced at each other, engaging in a brief gaze, with nothing but each other in their eyes.
“I will win… it's me!”
“Never! Victory belongs only to me!”
Yuu Mai, being slightly faster, did not pause after completing the parallel run, and gradually moved ahead of the blue-haired figure beside her.
I've overtaken her! But it shouldn't be over yet…
Just as she thought, Polaris Glacier, upon realizing she had been overtaken, stomped her right foot hard on the ground, and surprisingly, a secondary burst of acceleration caused her body to leap forward a small distance.
And it was precisely this small distance that allowed her to overtake, regaining the lead by half a horse-length.
As expected!
Yuu Mai's eyes narrowed. At this point, there were less than 150 meters left to the finish line, and the confrontation between them had reached its final, final stage.
Polaris Glacier, on her part, also felt it was a tricky situation.
When her speed was not as fast as her opponent's, she absolutely could not relax; she had to persevere until the end.
However, more than that, she actually felt more enjoyment at this moment.
Yes, she was enjoying it, enjoying the competition and rivalry among Horse Girl, and she wanted to experience more.
Ah, this is truly wonderful, running freely is indeed the most beautiful thing…
As her thoughts surged, the race also came to an end.
The two figures crossed the finish line almost simultaneously, and Kumi Trainer was momentarily stunned, unable to tell who had won.
However, the two Horse Girl involved knew very well.
Polaris Glacier looked up at the sky, revealing a relieved smile: “It was me…”
“I lost.” Before the first sentence had completely fallen, Yuu Mai suddenly interrupted: “In the end, it was still a little off, Polaris, your nose crossed the finish line first.”
Nose?
Kumi Trainer was slightly stunned and turned to look at her young mistress, wanting to know if that was the case.
However, what she saw was Polaris Glacier deep in thought and confusion: “Hmm? Is that so? Why do I feel like your arm, Yuu Mai, crossed the finish line before mine?”
“Huh?” Yuu Mai was also stunned by the remark, but not because of the arm, but something else: “Polaris, don't you know? The judgment of who finishes first is based on the nose, head, and neck, not the arm!”
Hiss… Is that actually true?
Polaris Glacier thought for a moment, gesturing to herself: “So, that means I still won, right?”
Seeing this, Yuu Mai smiled somewhat helplessly: “Yes, you won, I lost, just like always.”