Just as Xingyun Liuge had predicted, once the Wakaba Stakes and the Pegasus Stakes had both concluded, the ever-enthusiastic reporter crowd sprang into overdrive.
Xingyun Liuge had crushed the field by a full twenty lengths, while Oguri Cap had beaten second-place Black Ale by twelve. Both girls came from Kasamatsu Tracen, yet one had remained in Kasamatsu to prepare for an overseas campaign, while the other was already battling rising talents in Central. That contrast alone was enough to drive the reporters wild with curiosity. They wanted to know why the two horse girls had made such completely different choices.
Information on Xingyun Liuge's side was not especially hard to find. After all, she had won the Hong Kong Gold Cup, and both Hong Kong and the Tokai region had been loudly celebrating it in public. Tokai, in particular, had gone almost absurdly far, with practically everyone being made to study the "Spirit of Xingyun," pushing the message that even a grassroots nobody could still fight their way toward their dreams through hard work.
Since the overall message was still fairly positive, Xingyun Liuge did not say much about it, other than asking the association staff not to overdo things.
After all, human effort had limits. Blindly working harder did not necessarily bring success. What mattered was finding the right direction.
To communicate that point clearly, Xingyun Liuge even went on television once, encouraging ordinary people to work hard while also reminding them to get proper rest.
The result could only be described as total strategic failure.
Her speech actually had the opposite effect. The factories around Tokai, though already running strict three-shift schedules, still could not keep up with swelling orders, leaving both factory owners and ordinary workers in tears.
What a wonderful era for making money!
Once she realized reasoning was not going to solve anything, Xingyun Liuge gave up and poured her time into daily training and coaching other horse girls instead.
After all, even though Sir Zhang had said Cuihe could just learn on her own, Cuihe was basically one of their own now. There was no way Xingyun Liuge was actually going to leave her to fend for herself.
Besides, she had already been training the other girls at Kasamatsu Tracen anyway. Adding Cuihe to the pile changed nothing.
And in any case, Oguri Cap had already gone off to Central to "shake the world," so with one person leaving and one person arriving, the total number of trainees stayed exactly the same.
As a side note, Belno Light and Kitahara Jones had both passed the logistics horse girl certification and gone with Oguri Cap to Central, continuing to support her there.
Kitahara Jones also had ambitions of her own. While working as a logistics girl, she was also preparing for the Central trainer exam.
The more conservative reporters praised the girls' friendship, while the more aggressive ones openly blasted the JRA's rigid rules. Some bolder reporters even sought out Oguri Cap in person, carrying freshly written articles under their arms.
"Excuse me, I'm Hayasaka Sora, a self-disciplined reporter currently contributing to XX Daily. Miss Oguri Cap, I've heard you and Xingyun Liuge attend the same school. May I ask you a few questions?"
"Why didn't Miss Xingyun Liuge come to Central with you? And what are your thoughts on the Classic series?"
Oguri Cap had never cared in the slightest about reporter interviews. But once Xingyun Liuge's name came up, that changed immediately. She tossed Rokuhira Trainer's warning — don't speak to any reporters — straight out the window.
There was no helping it. She was deeply grateful for Xingyun Liuge's guidance, and she wanted to keep running alongside her — and someday defeat her fair and square. If Xingyun Liuge never came to Central, then no matter how wide the racetracks were, no matter how many victories Oguri won, her heart would never truly tremble again.
How was someone like Black Ale supposed to give her that same warrior's thrill?
That said, Oguri Cap was an airhead by nature, and there was a real chance she would say the wrong thing. Xingyun Liuge had anticipated that and given her a bit of advance coaching.
If she got asked what she thought of the Classic series, she was supposed to say this:
"The rules are what they are, but we'll keep running in our own places and prove ourselves with our strength!"
Oguri Cap's blue eyes shone with firm resolve. Then she added,
"Xingyun once said that Central's recognition — or its indifference — doesn't really matter. Justice lives in people's hearts. And then…"
Even though Xingyun Liuge had said it would probably be better not to repeat this part in front of outsiders, Oguri Cap still took a breath and said it anyway:
"If you really can't let it go, then just remember one sentence: A measly Central has no right to decorate us with honors."
It was exactly the kind of explosive quote reporters dreamed of.
Hayasaka Sora felt inspiration gush through him like a flood. He wanted nothing more than to go home immediately and write ten thousand words unpacking that single line.
And when the article — "A Measly Central Has No Right to Decorate Us with Honors! — The Local Genius Horse Girl Buried by the System" — finally hit print, it detonated like a bomb.
Some people argued that Central's rules were far too rigid, cutting off the dreams of local horse girls.
Others argued that while the current rules were severe, they had their own merits.
The two sides fought endlessly. Some particularly fearless reporters even tried to corner Rudolf Symbol herself and demand her opinion on the matter.
That gave Rudolf Symbol a terrible headache — not because her peaceful routine had been interrupted, but because that article would only inflame the pride of the old men in charge, making reform even harder to push through.
Worse still, the one quoted in the article was Oguri Cap, who had only won a single GIII race, not Xingyun Liuge, who had already taken the Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Xingyun Liuge had every right to say something like that. After all, her overseas expedition had succeeded brilliantly, and she had become a rising star.
But Oguri Cap?
Her results were not yet enough to make the upper brass of the board even glance her way. From them, her words would only earn irritation.
Rudolf Symbol had no choice but to pull out the phone book and search for Chihaya Yui's contact information.
Things had escalated too suddenly. She needed Xingyun Liuge herself to come out and speak.
As long as Xingyun Liuge publicly expressed respect for Central's board in the newspapers, the media frenzy would die down very quickly.
But the only response that came through the line was:
"The number you have called is not in the service area."
Rudolf Symbol froze for a moment, then glanced instinctively at the calendar.
Today was Thursday, March 10.
The UAE Derby was scheduled for the final Saturday of March — March 26.
It was not too late at all to leave now. Which meant Xingyun Liuge and her party were almost certainly already on a plane.
That was why she could not be reached.
"So it had to be now, of all times?"
Rudolf Symbol's ears drooped slightly, and she let out a weary breath.
That article had come out at the worst possible time. She could not reach Xingyun Liuge, which meant there was no way to show the board Xingyun's sincere attitude. And without that, reform would inevitably stall.
Resting her forehead against the back of her hand, Rudolf Symbol sighed softly.
"What a mess…"
Could it be that unjust fate itself had chosen to target Xingyun Liuge and Oguri Cap?
In truth, no.
Xingyun Liuge knew perfectly well that Oguri Cap was an airhead. She knew there was every chance Oguri might say something inappropriate if her emotions got the better of her.
And yet Xingyun Liuge had still fed her the exact sort of line that was guaranteed to irritate Central's upper brass.
Because she believed reporters could never resist the temptation of a truly sensational story.
Because she believed reform would never proceed smoothly.
And taken together, what she truly believed in was the arrogance carved into the bones of powerful Japanese men.
There would always be reporters trying to make a giant scandal. That was not worth worrying about.
The real question was this:
If the board truly believed the current rules were too rigid, then the matter would end there, and all her scheming would amount to nothing.
Though of course, she would still go run the British and American Triple Crowns anyway.
But if the board had other thoughts regarding Rudolf Symbol's report…
Then they could hardly blame her for playing a little rough.
Xingyun Liuge looked out the plane window at the drifting clouds and smiled faintly to herself.
The winds of March might seem weak.
But by April, they would sweep through Tokyo and stir up a citywide storm of public opinion.
And by late May…
The raging storm rising from North America would surely throw all of Japan into swaying chaos beneath the wind and rain.
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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