Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Meydan Racecourse.
This was the domain of the oil magnates. There had once even been a ridiculous year in which twelve out of seventeen horse girls in attendance were members of the royal families of the UAE or Saudi Arabia.
Racing had never been a commoner's sport to begin with, of course, but even so… that kind of situation was rare anywhere in the world.
The horse girls here had their own distinct look as well. Some were fair-skinned, some had been bronzed to a healthy wheat color by the sun, and some were tanned all the way to a deep dark shade.
Their hair colors, on the other hand, were comparatively uniform: either long straight black hair or great sweeping waves. Most of them had brown or dark eyes, though the occasional rare blue or green pair could be seen.
That said, the UAE had an enormous expatriate population, and Dubai was no exception. With the UAE Derby so close at hand, the proportion of foreigners had probably climbed to nearly ninety percent. Outside Meydan Racecourse itself, there were scarcely any locals to be seen in the streets. Everywhere you looked, it was a sea of foreigners.
Sirius Symbol was being utterly shameless about it, acting as though she were already one of Xingyun Liuge's companions.
"Oh, as expected of a world-famous international race," she said, meaning the prize money is high, "it really is lively here. Though these dirt races… shouldn't they really be called sand races instead?"
Even while drenched in sweat, she had changed into a white robe in keeping with local tradition, pushing the stereotype to the absolute limit.
Meydan Racecourse had been specially designed by the British at royal request, and it featured a synthetic track unlike ordinary dirt. If you treated it like a normal dirt course, it was very easy to suffer for it.
But because the UAE Derby's purse was so rich and because it had been folded into the Road to the Kentucky Derby points system, horse girls flocked here in an endless stream.
The winner received fifty points. In an era when forty points was enough to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, the UAE Derby was practically a direct ticket.
"The sun… is huge…" Chihaya Yui was an ordinary human, and the sort who did not tolerate heat well. Even covered in sunscreen, dressed in sun-protective clothing, and carrying a parasol, she still felt as though she were about to dehydrate.
Was she really supposed to race in weather like this? That alone made the whole thing feel overwhelming.
Fortunately, it was March, which counted as "winter" in the UAE. The high temperature only reached a little above thirty Celsius, nowhere near the true "summer" that began in May, when the mercury easily broke forty and the sweltering humidity became downright unbearable.
Cuihe was unused to this climate too. Her hair and tail were damp, and her ears drooped weakly against her head. Her delicate pale face was flushed red, yet she still somehow managed to look almost expressionless.
Seeing that, Xingyun Liuge tugged lightly at Chihaya Yui's wrist, making the girl bend down a little, then awkwardly patted her on the head. With her other hand, she reached over and petted Cuihe as well, murmuring all the while, "There, there. Good girl, good girl."
They had all come together, yet Xingyun Liuge showed not the slightest sign of being affected by the local climate. She looked nothing less than bursting with energy.
A stranger like her quickly drew the attention of the other competitors.
Still, most of the visiting horse girls were busy trying to adapt to Dubai's weather. Only one person took the initiative to approach.
She wore a traditional white robe and a white veil that concealed most of her face, leaving only her smooth, full forehead and a pair of beautiful blue eyes visible.
"Welcome, travelers from afar. May the goddess show you mercy and grant you her blessing." The woman in white performed a traditional greeting before Xingyun Liuge's group. "I am Sheikha Latifa bint Saeed Al Maktoum. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"...?"
At those words, everyone in Xingyun Liuge's group collectively went blank. What was with that absurdly long name?
The girl quickly noticed their awkwardness and said, "Just call me Latifa."
Latifa took the initiative in chatting with them, and before long her attention settled squarely on Xingyun Liuge.
The reason was simple: a horse girl like Xingyun Liuge, who seemed to have conquered Dubai's climate almost instantly, was incredibly rare. She might well become Latifa's greatest threat in this UAE Derby.
Her invitation was direct and simple: since your condition is this good, and since you are already here, why not go down and run a lap?
"Meydan's dirt is not like the dirt anywhere else. The more you understand it, the better your chances."
If Latifa had not been a direct stakeholder in the race, this advice would have been worth its weight in gold. But as things stood, her real aim was to gather intelligence.
A horse girl from a subtropical or temperate monsoon region, yet able to adapt completely to a hot desert climate, was not someone to be underestimated.
Latifa wanted more data on Xingyun Liuge: from Japan's Tokai region, winner of the Hong Kong Gold Cup at the end of February, apparently collecting points toward the Kentucky Derby…
That alone was nowhere near enough.
The footage from local races was too sparse to be useful, and the Hong Kong Gold Cup had been a turf race, which meant it could not yield reliable information about her on dirt. The most valuable data would have to be collected right here and now.
With that thought, Latifa's gaze softened even further, like that of an enthusiastic tour guide, and she began energetically introducing Xingyun Liuge to Meydan Racecourse's defining features, including its sharp left-handed turn and the inevitable headwind section.
Some things could be learned from race footage, but if you wanted more detailed information, you had to get out there and feel it yourself.
Since the opportunity was rare and Xingyun Liuge still had ample stamina, she took the suggestion and experienced Meydan's track underfoot for herself.
Several hours later, the girls returned to their hotel.
"Ahhh, I'm alive again, I'm alive again. This weather is brutal."
Completely drenched in sweat, Sirius Symbol sprawled without dignity across a low marble table in the hotel lobby. Her tail hung limp and motionless; none of her earlier dash or charisma remained. She looked like nothing so much as a horse girl who had just crawled out of a swimming pool.
But then a gleam flashed through Sirius Symbol's eyes, and with studied casualness she said, "Still, that Latifa really is a good person, huh? Who would've guessed the Meydan Racecourse even offers pickup and drop-off service. The UAE Derby really is first-class."
"But I never heard anything about the UAE Derby offering special treatment like that." Though she had personally enjoyed the service, Chihaya Yui was still puzzled. When registering, she had confirmed the details with the organizers more than once, and no such perk had ever been mentioned.
As she spoke, she instinctively looked toward Cuihe's personal maid, who had gone with them and was the best witness available.
The maid, dressed in a traditional black-and-white servant's uniform, gave them a curtsy and replied, "That is correct. The organizers stated that it was an extra service provided by the hotel and was outside their area of responsibility."
Chihaya Yui flipped open her notebook and muttered to herself, "Also, I feel like Latifa's surname sounds familiar somehow. Like I've heard it before…"
Only then did Sirius Symbol lazily remark, "The daughter of the Emir of Dubai. Also the number-one favorite for the UAE Derby."
"Huh? Then doesn't that mean—"
Chihaya Yui went rigid with shock, her eyes widening, but quickly regained her composure and frowned. "Even if the chance is small, her friendliness today may have been aimed at getting close to Little Song."
She smacked one palm into the other in frustration. "This is my fault. I should have been more careful. She was probably trying to gather data on Little Song so she could target her in the race."
Although it had been Xingyun Liuge who accepted Latifa's invitation and went down onto the track, Chihaya Yui still blamed herself bitterly. She felt she had failed at her job, and that if only she had been a little more cautious, things might have been different.
Cuihe said nothing. She merely stared quietly at Sirius Symbol, but the meaning in her gaze was obvious enough:
If you knew who she was from the beginning, then you should have guessed what she was after. So why didn't you say anything then?
Sirius Symbol smiled faintly, and that smile rapidly spread into something almost sly.
"Well, let's just treat it as a tiny lesson. You can't afford to get so intoxicated by victory that you lose your head. Because…"
She paused, then declared:
"Never underestimate foreign soil."
Almost at the same moment, Xingyun Liuge put on a stern expression and said:
"Victory isn't only decided on the track. It is also decided outside the racecourse. The contest begins the moment you set foot on foreign land."
Sirius Symbol: "?"
For a moment, she was genuinely baffled.
Wait, if you knew that, then why did you still go run?
Xingyun Liuge seemed to read her thoughts. The corner of her lips curled upward as she said,
"Miss Sirius… when did you start under the illusion that I was already going all out?"
Sirius Symbol: "?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
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Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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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
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Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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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
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I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
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