After some earnest persuasion from the two reporters and two editors, Elizabeth finally gave in and changed the headline.
And so, an interview that satisfied everyone was born in suitably dazzling fashion. The only possible problem was that the French might not be very pleased with it, because the entire feature revolved around Seiun Ryoka's tour of France. It was practically a public slap across the face.
Once the interview was over, Ryoka found herself thinking that these two newspapers were perhaps not the perfect fit for her after all. Maybe the Morning Star or the Daily Telegraph would have suited her better.
After all, loyal Morning Star readers generally seemed to think Britain ought to be ruled by some other country, while diehard Daily Telegraph readers tended to think Britain was already being ruled by one. If you mapped that mindset onto racing, it would pair rather nicely with her undefeated record, would it not?
Of course, that was only a passing thought. Ryoka had no particular complaints about Elizabeth's arrangements.
That same day, under a cloudless sky, Ryoka and her party bid Elizabeth farewell and headed to France to race. One small exception remained behind: Cuihe and her attendants, who stayed back to prepare for the race Ryoka had entered her in—the GI Phoenix Stakes.
Ryoka herself went on to win the Prix Rothschild, a 1600-meter turf race, and then, the following week, the Prix Maurice de Gheest over 1300 meters on turf, effortlessly extending her dominance over short-distance and mile races alike.
Both of those GIs allowed entries from Classic-year horse girls and up, but the moment everyone learned that Seiun Ryoka had entered, the spirited Classic-year contenders withdrew one after another, leaving the older girls to duel her instead. The result was a bizarre sight: a boiling-hot racetrack atmosphere, and yet only five or six horse girls actually competing for the winner's stage.
But everyone knew that field size had nothing to do with who would win, because one horse girl's brilliance simply shone too brightly.
Ryoka took the Prix Rothschild by four lengths, then won the Maurice de Gheest by two, looking utterly untouchable in both.
The British papers responded in kind:
That silver-white figure, they wrote, was like a meteor splitting the blue heavens of Europe with blinding speed, leaving a dazzling trail in her wake.
Then they began listing her achievements. Since her debut, this mysterious horse girl from the distant East had crossed the gulf of age and experience with the strength of her legs and the absoluteness of her talent, writing an irreplaceable silver legend upon Europe's ancient turf courses.
Its name was simple:
Undefeated.
It was during this stretch that Ryoka also got to know two more horse girls better: Wangzu and her younger junior, Zhuofu.
Zhuofu, in particular, turned out to be very attached to Ryoka. The moment they met, she clung to Ryoka's leg and called out in a soft, sweet voice, "Lady Ryoka, I'm your fan!"
The sight left even Wangzu feeling a little jealous. Zhuofu had started out as her fan, after all. She had said she would cheer for Wangzu, support her, be her most loyal little admirer—and yet she had been stolen away by Seiun Ryoka in an instant.
Still, it was not really a problem.
After all, Wangzu was Ryoka's fan too.
She was greatly looking forward to Ryoka's performance in this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Japan had never produced a horse girl this strong before. Ryoka was, quite simply, crushing the entire era beneath her hooves.
Many people thought the same way. Even among world-class kings, they felt, Seiun Ryoka would stand out as one of the most exceptional of them all.
No matter the race, the winner would always be showered with praise. But for the runner-up, it was another story entirely.
In both of these races, the now older-division Meiyan Shike had finished second. On paper, the margin looked smaller than before—but she did not feel happy in the slightest. The distances had been shorter, the demands on stamina and endurance correspondingly lower. If the only thing that had changed was the gap, then it proved nothing about her strength.
Worse still, she had the feeling that Ryoka had been holding back.
It was only an intuition, but horse girls' instincts tended to be frighteningly accurate. Meiyan Shike hated the thought of it. She wanted to see Ryoka's true full power.
Meanwhile, Cuihe ran in the Phoenix Stakes in Ireland, a 1200-meter turf race, and fell just short, coming home in third.
The girl's golden eyes widened slightly as she recalled Ryoka's advice:
For you, Cuihe, races from the mile up through middle distance are probably the better fit, aren't they?
And the Phoenix Stakes had been a sprint.
Outside her range.
After thinking it over seriously, Cuihe decided to drink the mysterious green juice Ryoka had left her.
If she had the choice, of course she wanted to become a horse girl like Seiun Ryoka.
That horse girl who seemed uninterested in fame and fortune, who supposedly only wanted to run freely wherever she pleased, had already won over ten GI titles. Seiun Ryoka was making history.
As that person's disciple, Cuihe naturally had to become stronger. Stronger still.
At that moment, her eyes were full of resolve.
After Ryoka won the Maurice de Gheest, Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo—who had been traveling with her—invited her to run in the Arlington Million in America, a 2000-meter turf race. They, too, were preparing to end their break and return to serious campaigning.
Ryoka declined with a smile and instead made the two girls a promise.
"Let's meet again in the Breeders' Cup Classic. I'll be putting your growth through a very thorough inspection, you know~"
The very next day, she entered the Prix Jacques Le Marois in France, another 1600-meter turf GI, and flattened Meiyan Shike all over again, making it three straight wins over her.
It hit Meiyan Shike's confidence hard.
She had known perfectly well how strong Ryoka was. Ever since Ryoka had run in the Grand Prix de Paris, she had already suspected there was a good chance she herself would lose to her.
But this time?
This time she had lost by seven lengths.
That was enough to crack her mentality clean in half.
Before, she had wanted to push Ryoka into showing her true strength, wanted the two of them to have one proper match.
Now…
Now she did not want to think about racing at all.
What kind of rotten plotline was this—training desperately, improving herself with all her might, only to be crushed by an opponent with even more horrifying ability?
If reality were a novel, then it would have to be a complete trash novel.
Her pale fingers slowly curled into the turf, gouging deep lines into the grass as a sense of bitter frustration threatened to swallow her whole.
Then she saw a clean, slender hand appear before her.
When she looked up, it was Seiun Ryoka.
Seeing the horse girl kneeling there, drenched in sweat, Ryoka naturally had no intention of letting her sink any deeper into defeat. After all, she was the most loving and compassionate horse girl in the world.
"Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Ryoka's voice was as gentle as ever.
"You were really strong, Meiyan. I ended up using my full strength without even realizing it, because I was afraid you'd catch me. Ah—seriously, that's the truth. I'm not just trying to comfort you."
Ryoka gave a small cough, then continued.
"In sprints and mile races, you're the strongest horse girl I've ever seen. So if possible, let's run together again next time."
Inside her own head, Meiyan Shike immediately muttered:
There's a next time? I don't want to run into a monster like you ever again…
And yet, despite herself, she still reached out and took Ryoka's hand.
In that instant, her eyes filled with countless reflections of the silver-haired horse girl's smiling face.
Her heart skipped a beat, as if it still had not recovered from the all-out chase she had just poured herself into.
What she had no way of knowing, of course, was that Ryoka's kindness was never free.
Ryoka was already thinking about asking her to help look after a child.
Although Cuihe had been beaten in the sprint distance, the next race Ryoka had lined up for her was the Prix Morny in France, another 1200-meter turf GI and a fiercely competitive one.
It was not Cuihe's ideal range either, which naturally meant she would need a reliable horse girl to guide her from the sidelines.
After all, Ryoka herself still had more races to run, more glorious results to add to her already dazzling record.
At a time like this, what she really needed was a capable, kind-hearted person willing to lend a hand.
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
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 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 70
Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried! 36
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