The following day.
Kitasan Black and her three companions parted ways with the young couple, successfully snagging prime seats in the front row.
Nakayama Racecourse was a sea of people, swollen by an extra fifty thousand spectators, yet the crowd remained manageable thanks to the venue's organized layout.
Up in the commentary booth, the veteran duo of Akasaka Misato and Hosoe Junko had already taken their places.
"Welcome to Nakayama Racecourse! Shortly, we'll be introducing a special guest for today's race. I suspect many of you in the audience won't be able to guess who we've invited."
"If you would, please say a few words to everyone."
Stepping out from the side of the booth was an Uma Musume with long, golden wavy hair.
She carried an aura of regal authority, like a masterpiece of a blade poised to leap from its sheath, her brow etched with unwavering confidence. "It is an honor to be a guest for this competition."
"This is the Sovereign of France—Montjeu. As she happens to be visiting our country, we've invited her to join us as a guest commentator."
Whether they recognized her or not, the spectators were immediately drawn to the unique pressure she radiated.
She wasn't soft and cute like Tokai Teio, nor was she a lovable airhead like Special Week. She was the type who looked formidable at a glance—and truly was in reality.
"So, Miss Montjeu, what are your thoughts on this Arima Kinen?"
"My thoughts?"
Montjeu picked up the thread naturally, showing no sign of nerves before a crowd of over two hundred thousand.
"This race will be a duel between the 'Big Two,' Grass Wonder and Special Week. The Undefeated Triple Crown winner, Tokai Teio, is certainly talented, but..."
"It's still a bit too early for her to stand on the same stage as them."
"Think of it like when Barbatos entered the Winter Dream Cup right after her debut,"she offered as an example.
Since the Japan Cup, Montjeu had conducted a deep-dive study into Barbatos's life and every one of her races.
She knew all about the Winter Dream Cup; after all, Barbatos was likely the rival she would spend her entire life chasing.
Her visit to Japan this time was driven by a desire to witness Barbatos's performance from the closest possible vantage point.
A wave of commotion rippled through the stands. Even Akasaka Misato's mouth hung slightly agape.
"Miss Montjeu, are you suggesting that Barbatos is no match for Grass Wonder and Special Week?"
"Surely no one thinks that?"Montjeu said with a faint smile.
"The 'Big Two' duel between Grass Wonder and Special Week is a battle for second place. First place was decided the moment she signed her name on the entry form."
"Among the active Uma Musume today, no one is her match. Not even the legends."
Montjeu's gaze grew profound.
Just how strong were the legends of Japan? She wasn't entirely sure, but the greatest legends in France were roughly on par with herself.
"If I had to name someone with a chance to beat Barbatos, I suppose only that person in Japan stands a chance."
From the booth, she turned her gaze toward the exclusive seating area reserved for Team Rigil.
The broadcast director reacted instantly, cutting the camera to Rigil's section. It focused on Symboli Rudolf, who stood with her arms crossed.
The Emperor simply returned the look with a composed smile.
In the Rigil seats, Hishi Amazon rolled up her sleeves and stood, looking ready to go find Barbatos for a match right then and there.
"Even though I know Montjeu's telling the truth, I still really want to give Barbatos a run for her money."
"I was looking forward to last year's Winter Dream Cup for ages, but then she just quietly slipped off to America."
Narita Brian watched Amazon, who looked like she wanted to fast-forward time to the next Dream Cup.
"Then let's use this Dream Cup to show her the strength of her seniors. Let's hope she doesn't get caught by us."
The competition in the Winter Dream Cup was never weak, but at its core, it was a gathering of familiar faces—especially since most of the legends were teammates.
Having a peer like Barbatos, who was absurdly powerful yet on good terms with them, made her an excellent rival.
Furthermore, Montjeu wasn't wrong: in terms of raw power, the current Barbatos had surpassed them.
"The pre-race interviews are starting."
Maruzensky glanced at the massive screen in the center of the track.
Special Week's endearing, slightly goofy face appeared, flanked by captions: [Back-to-back Tenno Sho Spring & Autumn Winner], [Japan Cup Champion], [3rd in Popularity], [1.19 Million Fan Votes].
In her interview, she looked just as dorky as she did in person—a seemingly harmless Uma Musume.
But even those with little knowledge of the sport could see her true strength once they read "Back-to-back Spring and Autumn" and "Japan Cup Winner."
Those who knew her well understood that Special Week was a "big-match" runner; she could occasionally stumble in a G2 race, but she displayed terrifying power when a G1 title was on the line.
The footage showed Special Week sitting in the cafeteria, mid-lunch. "The Arima Kinen?"
Interrupted from her meal, Special Week snapped out of her food-induced trance.
"The Arima Kinen is my dream. It's the goal I need to reach to fulfill my promise to my mothers. So, I'm going to give it everything I've got!"
As she spoke, she kept glancing at the palm of her hand holding the chopsticks.
Her tone was a bit robotic, as if she were reciting lines, but everyone could hear the underlying sincerity. "I will fulfill that promise and become the best Uma Musume in Japan!"
Following Special Week was Rigil's own Grass Wonder.
Captions like [Arima Kinen Winner], [Takarazuka Kinen Winner], [Asahi Hai Winner], [2nd in Popularity], and [1.51 Million Fan Votes] scrolled beneath her.
While Special Week's charms earned her plenty of fans, most people were inclined to put their faith in Grass Wonder, who consistently seemed to have the edge over her rival.
In the video, Grass Wonder was warming up at Tracen's public training grounds. Her smile was gentle and inviting, giving off an approachable, easy-going vibe.
"Last year's Arima Kinen was just a duel between Spe-chan and me, but this year, there's definitely a lot of pressure."
"But it's because of that pressure that I have to work even harder. This is the true moment to fight for the Arima Kinen crown."
Grass Wonder's eyes narrowed slightly, an aura of Battle Spirit—invisible to human eyes—surging around her. "I will try my best to defend my title!"
The moment she finished speaking, she dropped into a starting stance and bolted forward. Her hooves left deep imprints in the turf, suggesting she was training under an immense physical load.
In the stands, Kitasan Black took a jagged breath. Despite yesterday's conversation, she still held onto a measure of faith in Teio.
However, she was stunned to see that Grass Wonder and Special Week, whose reputations preceded them, had garnered so many votes.
Both had over a million, and not just by a small margin. Teio was incredibly popular, yet her vote count this time was only just over 300,000.
The gap in fan voting was five-fold!
It meant that the audience gathered here favored Special Week and Grass Wonder over Teio by a massive margin.
Kitasan clasped her hands together, offering a silent prayer that Teio might somehow win the Arima Kinen.
A few seconds later, when she finished her prayer and opened her eyes, her pupils dilated and her jaw dropped.
The shock to her worldview was so profound that even the deafening roar of the crowd around her seemed to fade into the background.
The giant screen now displayed Barbatos.
Beneath her image, the section for her track record read: [45-Race Graded Stakes Winning Streak], [16-Race G1 Winning Streak], [1st in Popularity].
Kitasan had known these stats beforehand, and while seeing them in black and white was staggering, it wasn't what paralyzed her. It was the line at the very end of the list...
[214 Million Fan Votes!]
It was seven hundred times more than Miss Teio's total!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.