Should this have been a moment for celebration?
In one sense, yes.
After all, Xingyun Liuge had just claimed the second jewel of the American Triple Crown, and once again she had all but crushed the field by a huge margin. That was proof enough of her strength. As her seniors, they ought to have been sincerely happy for her.
It was no exaggeration to say that, at least on middle-distance dirt, she was now unbeatable within her generation. Not even Secretariat's masterpiece had been able to defeat her—she had been blown apart instead.
That was more than enough to stir the blood.
On the other side of things, the JRA reforms spearheaded by Rudolf Symbol had finally produced results. Under the united "appeals" of Japan's great racing families, and with the old JRA leadership reflecting on their failings, half a month of preparations had brought the restructuring plan to its first milestone. A new JRA was about to be formally born.
This time, the major Japanese houses had moved in concert. They had purged the old men and well-connected freeloaders who had contributed nothing to the racing world, added a supplemental registration system, promised close communication and cooperation with NAR, increased investment in regional racing, offered better treatment to local horse girls, and ensured that promotion channels would remain open.
To convey goodwill to Xingyun Liuge, the Japanese elite had even specially invited her to run in the Kikuka Sho, the Japan Cup, and the Arima Kinen.
Though doing so was nearly tantamount to handing her the title in advance—and rather unfair to the other girls of her generation—Japan truly, desperately, desperately needed this horse girl who had conquered the world on foreign soil.
At this point, where Xingyun Liuge had come from no longer mattered. With achievements like hers, she would be treated as an honored guest by the racing aristocracy no matter where she went. Now it was Japan that needed Xingyun Liuge so it could stand over the world, not Xingyun Liuge who needed Japan to act as her patron.
Without exaggeration, she had already become, after Rudolf Symbol, a new spiritual emblem for Japan—someone whose name alone could make the Japanese stand a little straighter.
Why had racing fans stormed JRA headquarters?
Why had JRA staff themselves opened the gates from the inside?
To put it bluntly, during this overseas campaign, Japan had done absolutely nothing of value.
Most people believed Japan had wronged Xingyun Liuge, forcing her to go abroad almost alone. Countless enraged fans had demanded that the top brass of the JRA commit ritual suicide in apology, furious that these parasites had squandered the tax money they paid.
The executive director who had gone before the cameras to hold a press conference and take the blame had even been punched in front of everyone—right there on live television—with someone snarling, "If apologies solved anything, what would we need the police for?" The security staff had been left dumbfounded. Even more absurdly, once that happened, some reporters tossed aside their cameras and rushed in to throw punches too.
"…Anyway, the scene is complete chaos."
The horse girl on the other end of the phone had hidden behind a pillar while giving Rudolf Symbol a play-by-play.
But judging from the occasional shouts coming through the line—"Hit him in the head!" "Right hook, right hook!"—she clearly was not merely "watching the scene." She was actively offering tactical advice.
Rudolf Symbol glanced at the number and sighed.
"Just don't let anyone die."
Causing a stir for the fun of it was one thing. But this was a press conference. Did it really have to escalate this badly?
The other side checked the time and asked brightly, "Rudolf, the Preakness should be about over by now, right? This is the perfect chance to congratulate our champion. She won, didn't she?"
"Yes," Rudolf Symbol said. "Decisively."
She did not reveal what she was thinking. She simply stated the fact.
In the eyes of Japan's major families, even NAR—which had supported Xingyun Liuge more than anyone—had ultimately played only a minor role in her overseas success. JRA, which had practically vanished from the picture from the very beginning, had been worse than useless.
So they wanted to use this good news to congratulate Xingyun Liuge at once, and tell her:
Child, welcome home.
The problem was…
Rudolf Symbol let out a long breath.
If this news had arrived a few hours earlier—no, even half an hour earlier—she could have gone to Xingyun Liuge with perfect composure and asked her, in her victory comments, to mention the repentant Japan.
But now it was too late.
She had seen the darkness in Xingyun Liuge's heart.
A Domain was the embodiment of mental force, the projection of one's inner world. Could the grievances Xingyun Liuge had suffered really be erased just by restructuring the JRA?
Rudolf Symbol did not believe so.
In her view, this was far beyond something that could be settled with a simple apology.
Just as the furious fans had said: if apologies solved everything, what would they need the police for?
It was not that apologies had no value. They did. But apologies were only a way of stating one's attitude—the beginning, not the end. What truly mattered was demonstrating through real action that they had reflected sincerely and would never repeat the same mistake.
So then, would inviting Xingyun Liuge to compete as an exception be enough to show that sincerity?
Again, Rudolf Symbol did not think so.
Xingyun Liuge was already a two-crown winner. If one counted the 2000 Guineas as well, then she was already a piecemeal Triple Crown holder—the kind who reigned supreme over middle-distance racing.
She could transfer to Britain. To America. To any country she pleased. Wherever she went, central Tracen academies would treat her like royalty.
Japan no longer possessed anything that could truly attract her.
Rudolf Symbol pressed her lips tightly together. She did not want to say it, but it was the truth:
Restructuring the JRA, promising Xingyun Liuge the next presidency of Central Tracen's student council, inviting her back to race—none of it was enough. None of it could truly move her. It might not even be enough to dispel her anger.
And she had only managed to force the old JRA leadership out by bargaining with benefits. Xingyun Liuge might well laugh at her weakness.
After thinking it over, Rudolf Symbol decided that the old JRA brass would have to suffer—and she herself would shoulder the infamy.
She texted her family, asking for their understanding of what they would likely consider her outrageous insolence:
She wanted a complete purge of the JRA from top to bottom, and to build a new governing body from the ground up—one that cared for nothing except fairness and justice.
That would touch too many interests. It certainly would not be as quick as this latest reform package, which had been pushed through in just half a month. But if it was for a brighter future…
Rudolf Symbol believed they had to endure that pain.
At the end of the message, she added one final line:
Otherwise, Xingyun Liuge will never return to Japan. Anyone who saw what she showed in the Preakness will understand that.
Because a Domain was a mirror, reflecting the truest contents of the heart.
Only when that darkness—dark enough to swallow everything—was dispelled would Xingyun Liuge truly decide where she belonged.
Rudolf Symbol glanced toward Secretariat in the distance.
She was sure that the thoughtful student council president had reached the same conclusion.
The real contest had only just begun.
With that thought, Rudolf Symbol slapped both cheeks lightly, forced a bright expression onto her face, and said:
"Come on. Let's go cheer Xingyun on. The winner's stage belongs to her now."
Then, after a beat, she added with genuine anticipation:
"I wonder what song she'll choose."
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 147)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
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 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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