With the arrival of the two American horse girls, the girls from Kasamatsu instantly slipped into a state of shared hostility.
In their eyes, since Xingyun Liuge liked to eat—and had even gone so far as to snatch Chihaya Yui's crab cake—then the obvious solution was to keep feeding her. That way, those two foreign girls would have no time or chance to get close to Xingyun, and would instead be forced to witness the bond between Kasamatsu and Xingyun.
As a result, Rudy Lemono watched in stunned silence as Norn Ace and Mini Lady turned into a pair of whirlwinds, rushing back and forth between the table and the buffet, terrified that they might fall behind the two American horse girls by even a single step.
Unlike her two overexcited companions, Rudy Lemono worried less about losing and more about bursting Xingyun Liuge's stomach.
After all, Xingyun wasn't like Oguri Cap—she had never once shown the traits of a competitive eater.
And then she witnessed something utterly unbelievable: Xingyun Liuge's stomach seemed like a bottomless pit. During the brief moment when Norn Ace and Mini Lady paused to catch their breath, Xingyun had already polished off everything on her plate—and somehow still managed to look hungry for more.
"That has to be a joke…" Rudy Lemono broke into a cold sweat. "That was a mountain of food…"
"Xiao-Ge, you've eaten so much… are you really okay?" Chihaya Yui was startled too. Even after spending so much time with Xingyun, this was the first time she had seen the girl eat like this.
The most baffling part was that after very carefully pressing a hand against Xingyun's lower belly, she found it still as flat as ever, as though the food had vanished into thin air. It made a sharp contrast with Oguri Cap's slightly rounded stomach.
Xingyun raised an eyebrow and replied with supreme confidence, "I'm fine. I can handle it."
Undying Body: Xingyun Liuge can directly convert food into stamina and store it.Storage limit: enough for 4,000 meters of full-speed front-running.
Tips: If equipped with Heartsteel, conversion efficiency drops to half the normal rate, but storage becomes unlimited.
Unfortunately, she had already bought Mercury's Treads and the Quicksilver Sash, so for the time being she didn't have enough gold for Heartsteel.
Luckily, earning the title of two-crown champion had rewarded her with 1,000 gold. As long as she won next week's Belmont Stakes and completed the Triple Crown achievement, she would receive another 2,000 gold. At that point, Heartsteel would be hers.
She did kind of want a Sakura Blade just to see what the special effects looked like, but the ability to store infinite stamina was too tempting.
Xingyun Liuge was in a very good mood, and so she ate just a tiny bit more than usual.
Looking at the two friends whose steps had already grown heavy, then at Xingyun Liuge, who still seemed nowhere near full, Fujimasa March took a deep breath and stepped forward with resolve.
She walked up to Xingyun and brought her several pieces of fried chicken, some crab, and some watermelon to cut through the grease.
That alone would have been one thing.
But Fujimasa March did not leave.
Instead, she picked up a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks and held it to Xingyun Liuge's lips.
In an instant, every eye in the room turned toward her.
It could not be helped. Even Norn Ace, who had been fired up by the presence of the two American girls, had only been acting as a food transporter. But Fujimasa March, usually so quiet and reserved—how had she suddenly leapt straight to hand-feeding Xingyun?
Was that really fair?
Even Fujimasa March herself felt that what she was doing was a little strange, so her hands trembled slightly. But very soon, she shoved those distracting thoughts aside and explained, "Xingyun is today's champion. Giving her a little special treatment is only natural, right?"
If there hadn't been so many people watching, Fujimasa March might even have wanted to sit Xingyun down in her lap and feed her properly.
Of course, if Xingyun didn't want that, she would have no choice but to quietly return to her seat.
Seeing that everyone was staring at Fujimasa March, Xingyun decided this was amusing, so she opened her mouth and ate the fried chicken without hesitation, looking completely unconcerned.
Fujimasa March stared at her puffed-up cheeks, her breath catching before turning rapid. It was odd to say, but her heart really did skip a beat.
Since Xingyun had accepted the first bite, Fujimasa March naturally had no intention of stopping at just one. Her hands moved so quickly they almost left afterimages. As long as Xingyun wanted to eat, she would continue feeding her. Before long, an entire plate of food had vanished into Xingyun Liuge's stomach.
Watching this happen, Oguri Cap—who had only just stuffed a crab cake into her own mouth—forgot to chew.
Her brows knit together as she sensed that something here was not simple at all. A feeling rose in her chest, vague and indescribable, but definitely unpleasant.
It was at this moment that Goodbye Halo stepped onto the battlefield.
With a bright, smiling face, the pink-haired girl approached Xingyun Liuge and said, "Dropping in like this really is rude of us. So let me help too. Xingyun, come on—ahh~"
Combined with her near-perfect figure, Goodbye Halo seemed to radiate a blinding motherly aura in that moment.
And honestly, she really could crush everyone else here with her body alone. Not a single person present was her match.
Winning Colors, meanwhile, was thoroughly lost.
Wait, what?
Wasn't Goodbye Halo the one who had urged her to seize the chance and make a direct move, just like Xingyun Liuge had?
So why had she run off to feed Xingyun instead?
What was Winning Colors supposed to do now?
For a while, she couldn't decide whether she should take the initiative after all, or just relax and feel relieved. After all, she had not prepared any offensive strategy whatsoever—Goodbye Halo had practically dragged her here against her will. But watching Goodbye Halo interact with Xingyun left her with an odd feeling.
What exactly was odd about it, though?
She couldn't say.
After thinking about it for a moment, Winning Colors gave up on the problem altogether and simply muttered, "Well… it's not like this is a bad thing."
At least now Goodbye Halo had found something to do, and no longer had time to keep pushing her. That much was definitely good.
Elsewhere, Sirius Symboli gave Rudolf Symboli a strange look and asked, "Rudolf, even if your reasoning makes sense, are you really going to do it again? You might end up getting slapped with the label of going back on your word—of settling scores after the fact."
Was she really going to do it?
Wrong question.
Rudolf Symboli had already begun.
She just hadn't told Sirius Symboli yet.
And so she explained once more, "We have to. Sirius, you heard those songs too, didn't you?"
First there had been Testament, the song Xingyun Liuge sang after winning the 2000 Guineas. It meant proof, but it directly referred to "someone wishing to shroud the sky in clouds and leave not a single ray of light," before declaring a determination to tear through the darkness and advance.
Then there had been Dark Oblivion, which began with a lost world, asking, How many dreams must die? and calling for kindred spirits to press onward together.
And then came Flame of the Phoenix, whose opening was all about severing ties with the past, before ultimately proclaiming: Set the sky ablaze until it is entirely red!
"She never openly attacked the JRA," Rudolf continued, "but whenever reporters brought up Central, she always dodged the subject. That in itself is already a very dangerous signal."
She paused, then said to Sirius, "You probably want to say that she was much friendlier when speaking about the Tokai region—because she went out of her way to mention them in interviews."
And that was true. Xingyun Liuge's attitude toward Tokai had indeed been friendly.
The problem was comparison.
Any normal person would wonder: Why does Xingyun Liuge only ever talk about Tokai, and never mention the JRA at all?
And once that question took root, they would inevitably investigate. Then they would uncover the conflict between Xingyun Liuge and the JRA.
And because that conclusion would be one they had arrived at themselves, even the fairest and most neutral observers would instinctively side with the weaker party—Xingyun—and feel no sympathy whatsoever for the JRA.
In fact, several international papers had already published articles attacking the JRA over "malicious suppression of horse girls."
In Rudolf Symboli's view, this was what it meant to kill with a smile.
On the surface, Xingyun Liuge had done nothing. She had even technically left the JRA a sliver of dignity. But every word and action of hers had prodded reporters and fans into curiosity, and that curiosity had driven them to investigate what had happened to her in Japan. She had turned curiosity into anger, and that anger had been directed squarely at the JRA.
Sirius Symboli scratched the back of her head, convinced Rudolf was overanalyzing everything. Surely Xingyun Liuge hadn't put that much thought into choosing her songs.
If Rudolf's interpretation was actually correct, then didn't that mean Xingyun Liuge was a rather petty girl who held grudges and loved little schemes? Could a horse girl like that really win races? Mental clarity was incredibly important in competition. It could absolutely affect victory or defeat.
But judging from the domain Xingyun Liuge had unleashed… Rudolf's interpretation also felt uncannily plausible.
Sirius Symboli couldn't make sense of it, and in the end silently lamented:
Yeah, mental work really isn't for me.
So she decisively changed the subject. "Putting that aside, Rudolf, are you really going to bring that person over? She's an absolute weirdo. Aren't you worried Xingyun and her won't get along?"
At the mention of that person, Sirius Symboli's expression visibly changed. She looked openly put off.
More importantly, she was worried that Xingyun Liuge might come to hate Central Tracen because of that girl.
If Rudolf's interpretation was really correct, then wasn't bringing her here an even worse idea? That woman would definitely—absolutely—make Xingyun angry.
Honestly, no horse girl in the world wanted to be called a lab rat.
And that girl's personality and temperament were bizarre beyond belief. She spoke in nothing but strange nonsense.
If she were merely an over-the-top chuuni, she might not have been nearly so irritating.
But Rudolf Symboli answered firmly, "Yes. I've already had Air Groove and the others begin arranging the paperwork. If we're going to bring Xiao-Ge back to Central, then her power is absolutely essential."
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 147)
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 (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
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
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin