"...Hah... hah..."
Xingyun Liuge dropped heavily onto the bed, sweat pouring out of her in an endless stream.
Before long, her training clothes were completely soaked through, clinging tightly to her body. What they outlined was no longer the graceful figure of a young girl, but something much harder to describe. For now, it was probably best summed up as the bedraggled state of someone who had just barely escaped from a raging storm.
Sweat gathered into thin rivulets that ran down her back, along her arms, and over the sides of her legs. She was sweating so much that even she found it unbearable.
At this point, Xingyun looked less like someone who had just finished running and more like someone who had plunged headfirst into the Mariana Trench and then been hauled back up in a panic. Every cell in her body was protesting wildly, doing its utmost to expel this infuriating salty moisture.
She lifted an arm and gave it a cautious sniff, then nearly burst into tears on the spot.
She had never once fantasized about "fragrant sweat," but this smell was way too strong—strong enough to make her genuinely afraid.
Xingyun let out a helpless sigh.
"As expected of a legendary horse girl whose name is etched into history. This level of difficulty is absurd."
Still, thanks to the service provided by Reincarnation's End, she now had a rough idea of how Secretariat planned to sharpen Rising Star.
That realization made Xingyun feel much better. She turned and headed straight into the bathroom, intending to soak in the tub, wash away the sweat and lingering fatigue from her spirit, and then continue preparing for the Belmont Stakes.
Over the next few days, however, the other horse girls noticed something unusual:
Xingyun Liuge seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood the entire time.
Had she already convinced herself that the Belmont Stakes were hers for the taking—that she was destined to be crowned the first foreign Triple Crown champion in American racing history?
Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo were a little worried, because Rising Star had not shown herself at all for several days.
A Rising Star who was already that strong would undoubtedly be receiving special training from Secretariat and Lady's Secret. No one knew exactly what sort of monster she would become by the end of it, but one thing was certain: her improvement would not be minor.
To put it bluntly, this Belmont Stakes was probably going to be a duel between Rising Star and Xingyun Liuge—a personal showcase for the two of them.
Both girls felt deeply frustrated by that thought, so they trained even harder, trying to wring out every last scrap of progress they could. Even if this Belmont Stakes ended in defeat, they still wanted to run their own race with pride, and then challenge Xingyun again in the competitions yet to come.
And so, the Belmont Stakes finally began.
That day, Belmont Park was packed beyond belief. Words like wall-to-wall crowds and sweating through one's clothes had become literal reality. Everyone wanted to see the birth of a new Triple Crown champion—
—or perhaps, just perhaps, they wanted to witness the emergence of a horse girl like Rebito, someone who would backstab the overwhelming favorite at the final moment and snatch away her victory.
Of course, that kind of tactic was widely criticized. If something like that actually happened, plenty of people would lash out at Xingyun Liuge—but even more would attack the so-called "new Rebito."
After all, mercilessly shattering the hopes of the majority was never going to be widely accepted.
What the crowd did not know was that if such a horse girl really did appear, Xingyun would only smile with delight—
—and then crush her with absolute force.
That was because her Ultimate Spellbook, after a long dry spell, had finally refreshed with another crucial skill. If an assassin really appeared on the track, no one would be happier than her.
Still, she did not believe this race would produce any such accident.
To put it bluntly, she already understood every horse girl of this generation in America inside and out.
Listening to the thunderous cheers echoing from outside the tunnel, Xingyun smiled faintly and walked on at an unhurried pace. She had already heard footsteps behind her, and guessed that the long-vanished Miss Rising Star wanted to take part in what might become a pre-race trash-talk session.
For some reason, though, Rising Star merely trailed behind her at a distance of about one length, saying nothing at all.
Xingyun's ears twitched slightly. She could hear the other girl touching her hair, fiddling with it, rubbing the back of her head. She sounded terribly conflicted, as if she simply could not bring herself to speak.
With a resigned sigh, Xingyun kindly stopped walking, turned her head slightly, and asked,
"Do you need something?"
So lost in her own thoughts was Rising Star that the sudden question startled her. Even now, when the moment had finally come, she still stammered and hesitated. It was not until Xingyun gave her a look that clearly said If there's nothing, I'm leaving—and had already walked several meters away—that Rising Star finally steeled herself and shouted,
"Wait!"
Xingyun stopped once more and turned around, her eyes carrying a faint trace of complaint, as though asking: Why are you yelling so loudly?
Ignoring that reproachful glance, Rising Star blurted out her invitation:
"Xingyun—after this race... let's go running together again."
"?"
Xingyun genuinely could not understand what there had been to hesitate over for so long. Was that really so hard to say?
Still, Rising Star had not shown up to talk trash, but to make a sincere invitation. And since the other American horse girls were, on the whole, rather easy to get along with, Xingyun could not think of any reason to refuse.
Even so, remembering how brutally she had been put through the wringer by Secretariat's peak phantom, Xingyun could not resist saying with deliberate sweetness:
"If you enjoy the taste of defeat that much, then I'll be happy to let you experience it a few more times."
She said it with a smile—a dazzlingly sweet, beautiful smile.
And Rising Star discovered, rather to her horror, that she did not find it annoying at all.
Damn it... is this what they mean by a heart attack?
Xingyun said no more. She simply gestured ahead.
"Come on. The audience is waiting."
Rising Star gave a small nod, but then seemed to think that wasn't respectful enough, and worried Xingyun might not have heard her. So she immediately raised her voice and answered again:
"Yes! Yes!"
"So loud," Xingyun muttered.
"Uh..."
Rising Star awkwardly scratched the back of her head, once again feeling that she really did not understand Xingyun Liuge at all. She had no idea how she was supposed to get along with her.
Then, as that thought passed through her mind, the sound of the crowd suddenly sharpened—swelling into something fierce enough to shake heaven and earth.
When she looked up, she saw why:
The all-but-certain first favorite had stepped into the audience's sight, and the crowd had erupted into pure frenzy.
Not a single person remained seated. Hats, cheering signs, towels, and all manner of random objects were being waved overhead, all in a desperate effort to make sure Xingyun Liuge could see the depth of their enthusiasm.
Watching that scene, Rising Star found herself recalling Secretariat's private assessment of Xingyun:
This is what a horse girl ought to be.
But wasn't Secretariat herself already a legendary horse girl? Saying something like that about a junior—wouldn't it verge on exaggerated praise?
Well, no. Not really.
Because she had only said it in private, where no one else could hear.
After a brief but passionate introduction, the horse girls began entering the gates one after another.
Belmont Stakes — approximately 2400 meters, dirt, sunny, fast track.
The final battle of the American Triple Crown had begun.
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! (Chapter225)
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 195
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 225
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 210
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 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
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 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
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