When her friends lectured her about it, Oguri Cap still did not quite understand, so there was a tiny knot of confusion in her heart.
As far as she was concerned, there had been nothing wrong with Xingyun Liuge's words of encouragement. The ones at fault were the JRA, with its absurdly rigid rules. The JRA ought to have created a supplementary registration system in the first place. That way, the principle of "strength matters most" could have been carried through to the end. It would not have been perfect fairness, of course, but at least it would have been relatively fair.
Instead, they insisted on this nonsense of "you must register three times and complete the formal Classic registration process that stretches over two calendar years, though in practice it only spans about half a year." The rule was not just inflexible. It was downright fossilized.
By that logic, it was not only local horse girls who got excluded. Even some girls who had been in Central from the very day they were born could still end up shut out.
So obviously, the problem lay in the current rules.
And because of that, Oguri Cap agreed with Xingyun Liuge more than ever: since they were not allowed to compete in the Classic series, then they would make up for it elsewhere. They would prove with their strength that Central had no right to decorate them with honors.
What was wrong with speaking honestly during an interview? Was even that much not allowed?
It was only after Oguri Cap saw newspapers everywhere crazily printing that line she had said, and using it to spark widespread discussion about Xingyun Liuge, that—
Her ears drooped flat against her head.
"Hm? I thought something serious had happened. So this is why you specially called me, Oguri?"
Xingyun Liuge did not sound bothered in the slightest. On the contrary, she spoke in a relaxed tone, comforting Oguri Cap as though the possibility of being mocked behind her back by horse girls, reporters, and racing fans alike simply did not exist.
"Um… Xingyun, you're not mad at me? I mean… well… if I hadn't said that, then all these people who don't understand how strong you really are wouldn't be judging you and talking about you however they want…"
Oguri Cap's face had turned bright red, and she stumbled awkwardly over every word.
She felt terribly sorry toward Xingyun Liuge. Xingyun had guided them so earnestly, encouraged her to run bravely, and wished for her to stand on the grandest of stages. And yet she herself had blurted out something without thinking, something that ended up affecting Xingyun's reputation. That was not what a friend should do.
"Not at all~" Xingyun Liuge thought to herself, That's because I already figured there was a good chance some reporter, whether they had a conscience or not, would trick information out of you. That's why I deliberately said those things in the first place.
Naturally, there was no way she could tell Oguri Cap the blunt truth. So instead, she simply said,
"In racing, what matters is raw ability, not seniority or reputation. As long as you win in a way that gets people's blood pumping, you can turn your haters into fans. From that perspective, I should be thanking you, Oguri."
"And if you really feel bad about it, then shine brilliantly in the Mainichi Hai. Turn every voice of doubt into praise and recognition of your strength."
"Mmh… okay!" After hearing Xingyun Liuge's reassurance, Oguri Cap felt much better. She nodded hard and said over and over, "I'll win. Xingyun, you have to do your best too. Win that… um… UAE Derby!"
The overseas call ended there, and the Oguri Cap who had been gloomy for the past two days immediately bounced back to life.
What she did not know was that her supposedly spontaneous call had not really been spontaneous at all. It had been something Xingyun Liuge had already calculated.
Just yesterday, Xingyun Liuge had called Kitahara and asked how Oguri Cap had been doing. It was easy enough to coax out the current state of public opinion in Tokyo, as well as Oguri's worries. After that, Xingyun had casually suggested:
"If Oguri gets trapped in her worries and can't pull herself out, then have her call me. I'll talk her through it properly."
And that was how this phone call had come to happen.
But that raised another question: even if Xingyun Liuge could guess that Oguri Cap would be deeply troubled, how had she managed to time it so perfectly?
For that, she had Rudolf Symbol's "help" to thank.
"So you're unexpectedly good with words. Hard to believe, really. I never would have guessed someone as tiny, adorable, and well-behaved as you could say something so sharp-edged."
As she spoke, an arm slowly swept past Xingyun Liuge's ear and came to rest against the wall behind her with practiced ease.
The newcomer had long brown hair, with a few white strands in the bangs forming an inverted chestnut-shaped patch. Her rose-red eyes carried a teasing glint, and the sharpness in her features gave off the impression that she might be a very aggressive type.
Her name was Sirius Symbol, Rudolf Symbol's senior. She had spent two full years campaigning in Europe alone and could be considered one of the great pioneering figures of Japanese horse girls' overseas expeditions.
The awkward part was that she had never actually won a race there.
Her noteworthy results amounted to two third-place finishes and one second-place finish. Looking at that record, no one would ever guess she had once been the winner of the Japanese Derby.
After years of fruitless overseas campaigning, Sirius Symbol had originally intended to return to Japan. But then, out of nowhere, she received a request from Rudolf Symbol, so she changed course and came to Dubai instead, just to see for herself the little brat who had somehow captured Rudolf's attention.
How had a girl like this managed to say something so openly provocative? She really did not look the part at all.
Sirius Symbol wanted to see just how sharp Xingyun Liuge's claws really were. So without warning, she closed the distance to an absurdly intimate range, her tone and body language dripping with suggestive boldness.
What met her was Xingyun Liuge's merciless iron hand.
"The Symbol family's horse girls are all so ill-mannered."
If Xingyun Liuge had truly wanted to, she could have used Apprehend and dragged Sirius Symbol halfway into the wall, the kind of stuck-fast situation where no one could pry her back out.
But Sirius Symbol had come here to "cheer her on," after all. Xingyun Liuge did not bother making too much of the other girl's rudeness. She merely lifted one hand and planted it squarely over Sirius Symbol's face.
That left Sirius Symbol unable to speak even if she wanted to. With some resignation, she thought, This little brat really does have a bit of an aggressive side, huh?
A moment later, Xingyun Liuge shoved Sirius Symbol away. She had not come to Dubai to play around. Getting used to the track as quickly as possible was what mattered.
Even if she could simulate everything perfectly inside the Realm of Samsara, she still could not slack off in her normal training.
She needed numbers and mechanics, yes. But she also needed sweat. That was what it meant to be properly well-rounded.
"Heh. She really is an interesting horse girl~" Sirius Symbol had originally wanted to play the part of an overbearing CEO-type, since that domineering style suited the Symbol bloodline quite well. Instead, she had been swatted aside almost immediately.
She liked horse girls with that sort of character. At the same time, she found herself deeply curious about Rudolf Symbol's motives.
Why did that Rudolf care so much about a local horse girl like this? The great Emperor had never shown this much concern for her own senior, after all.
And then, once Sirius Symbol remembered that Rudolf had also brought another gray-haired horse girl into Central at the same time, she could not help but wonder…
Could this perhaps have something to do with Rudolf Symbol's tastes?
Sirius Symbol was very, very curious.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
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