Goodbye Halo's ears twitched.
She glanced at Winning Colors, then at Xingyun Liuge, who had clearly grown much more handsome after her maturation. A lovely blush quickly spread across her pretty face.
Liuge looked even more in line with her tastes now, which only made Goodbye Halo hope even more that she would transfer to American Central Tracen.
So she said, "I think it's a great idea. The great racing families of America, and the Triple Crown winners too, are all looking forward to your coming, Xingyun~"
"But…"
Goodbye Halo very sensibly inserted a pause, then turned to Winning Colors and tugged lightly at her wrist, as though handing this moment in the spotlight over to her friend.
Under Forty Niner's puzzled little gasp, Winning Colors nodded. The two of them looked at each other, then spoke in unison:
"What matters most right now is the final leg of the Classic Triple Crown—the Belmont Stakes. Xingyun doesn't need any pressure. She just needs to focus on the Belmont."
Why had the Triple Crown winners only held a banquet, instead of pressing Xingyun Liuge hard at the time?
Because they wanted her attention fixed on the race.
For horse girls, what mattered most was always running freely with the wind in their faces—not getting lost in games of fame and influence. Anything else was just losing sight of the bigger picture.
Only then did several of the others realize that Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo were not actually on their side at all.
Seeing the surprise on certain faces, Xingyun Liuge smiled in satisfaction. She had already thought those two were interesting; now she found them even more appealing.
So she said, "Mm, I understand. But I have something I can say too."
Before the words had even settled, a faintly wicked edge crept into her smile.
"My goal is the British and American Triple Crown. Until that's done, anyone who wants to talk to me about things outside racing can settle it on the track. Run a training race with me. If anyone beats me, I'll calm down and listen properly to her 'wise advice.'"
In other words, until the end of this year, the only way to talk to Xingyun Liuge about transferring was to beat her first.
That condition was beyond harsh.
Some horse girls instantly felt it was impossible for them. Not merely difficult, but utterly hopeless. In their view, only older, open-class veterans might possibly beat this monstrously strong girl in a straight race.
Winning Colors? Goodbye Halo? No chance.
Even Secretariat's so-called masterpiece might not be able to do it. Risen Star had already lost to Xingyun Liuge twice.
Yes, Risen Star's growth was visibly outrageous. Without Xingyun Liuge around, she probably would have crushed the field and won with ease.
But reality was reality, and reality did not care about "what if."
Noticing the retreat in their spirits, Liuge smiled again, her attitude turning even more "obnoxious."
"Since you're already here, and the moon looks so beautiful tonight, why not run a lap? Maybe you'll find a way to beat me~"
For a moment, the girls thought they could hear the howl of wind.
They instinctively looked up at the dim sky.
It was overcast tonight. At best, there were only a few visible stars. Moonlight? Not even a trace.
And this counted as a beautiful moonlit night?
They strongly suspected Liuge was thoroughly fed up with all the transfer talk, and they had accidentally walked right into the line of fire. She clearly wanted to use them to blow off steam.
Some felt panic rising in their chests. Others had legs that were already threatening to give out.
"Ready?" Liuge asked, smiling with alarming kindness.
That grin only made Goodbye Halo's eyes light up more. She raised a hand high at once and answered loudly.
"?"
Winning Colors felt her friend was acting strange tonight, but if Xingyun Liuge wanted a training race, she was more than willing to oblige.
"I booked the track already," she said. "I was going to say so after we talked. Since Xingyun put it that way, why don't we all go together?"
Even knowing full well she could not win, Winning Colors had no intention of passing up any chance to race Liuge.
She had a strong feeling that even just running training races with Xingyun Liuge would benefit them.
Maybe Liuge naturally brought growth to those around her. Or maybe she simply awakened people's competitive spirit, forcing them to squeeze out every last drop of potential and improve at top speed.
"So late and you still want to train. That's just like you, Winning. Trying to quietly amaze everybody, huh?"
On the surface, Goodbye Halo sounded noncommittal, but her tone was openly enthusiastic. She was obviously joining too.
The others, however, did not have such a healthy mindset. Seeing the three girls chatting cheerfully, they slipped away one after another.
Forty Niner thought seriously for a while, then said, "I'm planning to focus on sprints and mile races from here on. I won't join you. I wish you all the best."
Brian's Time, on the other hand, stepped in. She wanted to set a good example for the younger girls: no matter how "miserably" you lost, you could not abandon the unyielding heart inside you.
Xingyun Liuge, however, was thinking much more simply.
"It'd be boring to walk there," she proposed. "Let's race there. Whoever gets there first wins. Ready."
"Wait, it's about two miles from here to Belmont Park—"
Goodbye Halo tried to persuade Liuge to give up this overly murderous idea.
Run more than three thousand meters, then run another training race of nearly twenty-four hundred on top of that?
Were they made of steel? They would die.
But Liuge had clearly never considered such a possibility. Without the slightest hesitation, she shouted:
"Go!"
At once, it felt as though the air had been compressed to its limit. The moment Xingyun Liuge launched forward, a terrifying gust pressure rose from flat ground and punched straight into the heavens.
It was not just the shrubs and roadside trees that looked as if a hurricane had torn through them.
Even the layer of clouds stretched across the night sky was affected by that invisible force.
Like someone taking an eraser to the shadows in a painting, the heavy clouds were swept all the way to the horizon. The glittering stars scattered across the sky lit up in that instant, revealing a dazzling river of stars to everyone across New York State who happened to look up.
Not far away, at Belmont Park—
Risen Star had just finished her training.
Sweat poured from every part of her body, soaking her through so completely that faint white steam seemed to rise from her skin.
Breathing hard, she walked slowly to steady herself, and she too saw that brilliant star-filled sky blazing overhead.
Nearby, Lady's Secret rubbed her eyes, half convinced she was imagining things.
Because otherwise—how could it seem as though Risen Star herself was beginning to shine?
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter222)
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 190
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 Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 215
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 200
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 61
Checking In in Demon Slayer 65
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 15
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