"So this is what it feels like… to get completely outplayed."
Soaking in the hot water, Symboli Rudolf kneaded her legs, heavy with lactic acid, and let out a quiet sigh.
So the song choice had not been pre-race trash talk after all.
Xingyun Liuge had really gone into that race having her completely figured out.
The worst part was that she had actually sung it too—while running.
Honestly, that was far too much of a mental attack.
"But wasn't it nice in its own way? It's been a long time since you got to run that wholeheartedly too, hasn't it, Rudolf?" Maruzensky said with a light laugh as she soaked beside her, then changed the subject. "And besides, that girl might have the makings of a real superstar."
That was what Maruzensky genuinely thought.
Xingyun Liuge sang beautifully. That voice, full of strength, felt almost like a blessing from a goddess.
If she had had the means, she really would have wanted to record it and listen to it again in her spare time.
After hearing Maruzensky say that, Rudolf could not help but agree.
"That's true. A singing voice that full of power is a treasure on a world-class level. And…"
Looking at her reflection on the bathwater, Rudolf thought of the girl's figure racing after her dream with all her might.
How dazzling it was.
But if that was the case, did that not make her the villain standing in the way of that dream?
That was not funny at all.
"Rudolf?" Maruzensky's expression turned concerned when she saw Rudolf suddenly fall silent.
After all, Symboli Rudolf had retired because of injury. This time, she had gone all out and even fully released her Domain in mid-race. What if something had gone wrong?
"Hm? Ah, it's nothing. Just…" Rudolf answered softly. "I suppose being defeated so cleanly by an outstanding junior leaves me feeling a little disappointed."
It was not entirely an excuse, either.
Who would have thought that a Xingyun Liuge who had already used Domain power right from the start could still unleash such terrifying finishing speed?
Even if there had only been two hundred meters left at the end, getting blown away in an instant like that…
Was that not just a little absurd?
Granted, Xingyun Liuge had been exhausted afterward too, but Rudolf still found herself wrestling with complicated feelings.
After all, her Domain—Behold the Emperor's Divine Might—did not merely grant her a massive increase in speed. It also pressured her opponent and slowed them down.
That was why the flame effect had tangled itself around her opponent's legs in the first place.
And yet Xingyun Liuge had looked entirely unaffected.
Faced with a junior like that, even Rudolf—who sincerely wished to see countless powerful successors rise after her—could not help feeling conflicted.
A horse girl like that could not run in the Classic Triple Crown?
The rules really were a bit too harsh.
No wonder Xingyun Liuge had been furious enough to turn her eyes overseas.
If Rudolf had been in her place, she would have wanted to go abroad too.
But rules were rules.
When you ran into them, you ran into them.
There was nothing to be done.
Even she, the Emperor, could not change the bigger picture.
Symboli Rudolf let out another quiet sigh.
She did want to fight for Xingyun Liuge in front of the JRA. But if Xingyun Liuge herself did not intend to go to Central, and if she lacked official results there or overwhelming public support, then even Rudolf would be powerless.
Maruzensky, however, did not see it that way.
She felt that an overseas campaign would carry even more weight, and she was prepared to reach out to her senior—Nijinsky, the British Triple Crown winner—and ask him to lend Xingyun Liuge a little help.
Maybe Xingyun Liuge would not actually need it, but even just having a better place to stay and—
Well, if nothing else, simply lodging more comfortably would still be some help.
That, too, was one more reason Rudolf felt dissatisfied.
She was the Emperor. She was the president of Central Tracen's student council.
And yet she could do nothing at all for Xingyun Liuge, while Maruzensky might be the one who had to step in instead…
It made her feel as if this title of student council president was worth nothing.
Maruzensky, meanwhile, was smiling brightly.
If she could help that adorable junior who possessed both ability and ambition, then she would be genuinely happy.
Still, there was one thing she could not stop wondering about.
Xingyun Liuge's terrifying finishing burst did not seem to be the same ability as the overwhelming front-running speed she had shown at the start.
And it also did not sound like the same thing Oguri Cap had described.
So what exactly was going on?
Was she born with two Domains?
Or had she really figured out how to make one Domain serve multiple functions?
If it was the latter, then this horse girl was not merely promising.
She would become a superstar.
And not just in Japan—worldwide.
At that point, even if Xingyun Liuge failed to win the British Triple Crown, there would still be horse girls as numerous as grains of sand eager to receive her guidance.
Japanese horse girls might have no chance at all by then.
While the two of them were mulling over all this, events elsewhere had already moved on.
Xingyun Liuge planted both hands on her hips and asked the people she had thoroughly stunned,
"Well? Do you believe now that I have what it takes to campaign overseas?"
Everyone except Oguri Cap had gone green.
That had been the Emperor.
And Xingyun Liuge had not merely beaten a fully serious Symboli Rudolf—she had beaten her by a huge margin.
What did that mean?
It meant that if Xingyun Liuge and Symboli Rudolf had lived in the same era, the title of undefeated Triple Crown monarch might very well have belonged to someone else.
Symboli Rudolf might have ended up as nothing more than the great predecessor defeated to build Xingyun Liuge's legend.
Even setting that aside, with this level of ability, Xingyun Liuge absolutely could have claimed an undefeated Triple Crown herself.
She might even have rewritten history.
And yet she could not even take part in the Classic season's exclusive races…
At that point, an overseas campaign really did become unavoidable.
How could they let a star meant to shine be buried by people like the JRA?
She had to go abroad.
She had to.
But then another problem immediately arose.
None of them understood the rules governing overseas campaigns, nor did they know what foreign turf and dirt tracks were really like.
Even so, Chihaya Yui inhaled sharply and declared without hesitation,
"Fine! Then we start preparing right now. I'll go look up everything I can. Tomorrow I'll go ask the chairwoman about the relevant regulations."
Kitahara Jones answered just as firmly,
"I'm in too. Xingyun's helped Oguri so much—if I'm Oguri's trainer, then I have to repay that debt!"
"Me too!" Bright Shine chimed in, swept up by everyone's determination. "I don't know what I can do yet, but I'll help! I'll start making calls right now!"
Her family ran a chain of horse-racing supply stores, with branches in many places. At a time like this, that background might actually prove extremely useful.
Oguri Cap wanted to do something too.
Not only because she had been moved by everyone's enthusiasm, but because she genuinely liked Xingyun Liuge—both as a rival and as a teacher-like friend. She wanted to help.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.
"Would it be better if I campaigned overseas too?"
The moment she said it, everyone turned to stare at her.
Their looks ranged from surprise to confusion. No one had expected her to say something like that.
Oguri Cap grew embarrassed under all those gazes and hurriedly explained,
"Um… well… if she goes alone, won't it get lonely?"
A lovely blush surged up her graceful neck in an instant, quickly painting her whole face red, right down to the tips of her ears.
Having a strong competitive spirit was obviously not a bad thing.
But did Oguri Cap, at her current level, really have a chance of beating Xingyun Liuge?
No.
She did not.
Kitahara Jones wanted very badly to persuade her to drop the idea. But if this was truly Oguri's wish, then as her trainer, she could not just ignore it.
Chihaya Yui, meanwhile, thought: Oguri Cap was strong. She would surely be capable of winning major races.
But if she entered those same races together with Xingyun Liuge, then she might never take first place for the rest of her life.
That would be terrible.
And yet, for reasons similar to Kitahara's, Chihaya Yui could not bring herself to say it aloud.
At that moment, Xingyun Liuge stepped forward.
"Campaign overseas together? Good. Very courageous. Let's show those foreign powerhouses just how strong we are."
Her wholehearted approval delighted Oguri Cap.
But then Liuge abruptly changed tack.
"Still… is that really okay? If the two of us go overseas together, the people in Central will decide we're not strong enough—that we're only avoiding them because we're afraid."
"!"
Oguri's expression changed instantly, confusion plain on her face.
Avoiding Central's edge?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Even the Emperor had suffered a crushing defeat at Xingyun Liuge's hands. What right did anyone in Central have to think that way?
Oguri simply could not understand.
She only felt that the whole idea was unbelievably strange.
Still, Oguri Cap was not stupid. It took only a moment before the answer struck her.
Was it because the horse girls in Central had not seen that race?
Once that thought surfaced, everything clicked into place.
No wonder that so-called Emperor had forbidden anyone else from watching.
So that was what she had been aiming for all along.
Good grief.
That Emperor was way too underhanded.
The more Oguri thought about it, the more upset she became. In her eyes, that horse girl called the Emperor was just a sore loser.
She was nothing like the horse girls back in Kasamatsu.
Seeing Oguri fuming, Xingyun Liuge delivered the next push.
"But if someone goes to Central and defeats all those prestigious horse girls head-on, then the world will know the name of Kasamatsu's Ashen Cinderella. So, Oguri—come with me and sweep across the world!"
But if one person was going to fight abroad, then someone also had to stay behind and hold the home front.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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