Her victory pose was cool, but Hakki wasn't standing still on the spot to show off. She was merely trying to hide her gasping breaths and give her legs a moment to recover enough strength to leave the track.
A minute later, she finally began walking towards the underground tunnel with steps that seemed steady but, to the eyes of some veteran horse girls, were quite wobbly. During this time, she was contemplating a choice that every victor must face: the Winner's Live performance.
"Hiss... why did I push so hard? Now my legs are going to be sore for half a month..." The facade of composure collapsed the moment she was out of the audience's sight. Leaning against the wall, she grimaced as she pounded on her tingling knees. Even with Tachyon's potion allowing her to push herself in the rain, it was clear it still caused some damage.
Hakki made a resolution: in the future, no matter how high the prize money, if it was raining, she would withdraw from the race. You have to be alive to spend the money you earn...
Dragging her slightly stiff legs, Hakki was led by a staff member to the waiting room for the Winner's Live. She was still wearing her gym clothes, soaked with rain, sweat, and mud, so to maintain her image in front of others, she resisted the urge to collapse directly onto the soft sofa.
"Miss Hakki Byakku, congratulations on winning your debut race. Regarding the Winner's Live... do you have any specific arrangements? Or should we proceed as usual...?" The staff member in charge of the performance placed a set of clean clothes on the table for Hakki and inquired about her requirements for the stage.
In truth, Hakki had considered skipping the performance altogether. She was tone-deaf and a terrible dancer, with no talent for rapping. If she had to perform, the only thing she could probably do was demonstrate how to argue with trolls online. But on second thought...
In her spare time, Hakki had carefully read the URA's regulations regarding the Winner's Live. There was no rule forcing the winning horse girl to perform a song and dance. The only stipulations were that the performance must be reasonable, legal, not offensive to public decency, and be the choice of the winner. However, for a long time, the only form seen on the Winner's Live stage was the concert style. Perhaps only that style could accommodate a stage for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of people.
"Um... I'd like to confirm, the regulations for the Winner's Live don't require the performance to be in a concert format, do they?" Hakki asked after taking a sip of the warm, sweet ginger water provided by the racecourse.
The staff member replied, "No, they don't. However, according to past precedent... no other format has ever appeared."
"That makes things easy! Just prepare according to my requirements. After all, this is my only real talent," Hakki said with a relieved laugh. Hearing this, she had no more worries about the Winner's Live!
A large-scale stage would naturally have backup dancers for the winner. However, when Hakki emerged after showering and changing into her stage attire, they all stared in stunned silence.
Because Hakki wasn't wearing the customary stage costume, but a white apron, with a tall, white chef's hat perched on her head.
"Hakki, you're... going on stage in that...?" Alice Jedi voiced the question on behalf of the other horse girls. Unexpectedly, Hakki retorted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Are you going on stage in those? You should know, this time I've chosen an unprecedented stage performance, a stage that can bring something truly useful!" Hakki adjusted her slightly floppy hat. If she had known, she would have asked the costumer for a shorter one. Her ears couldn't hold it up...
Alice Jedi and the other horse girls looked at each other, and were ultimately won over by a certain radiance emanating from Hakki. One by one, they all changed into the same chef's attire. After inspecting them, Hakki nodded in satisfaction. Before going on stage, she asked one final question: "Do you all know how to cook?"
"Uh... does a carrot salad count?"
Hakki immediately shot down the horse girl's question. "It does not. Then I'll assume you all are kitchen idiots by default! I'll teach you step-by-step."
In the audience, Zennin Gloria watched the heavily curtained stage, remarking that she had never seen this kind of opening before. Oguri Cap, on the other hand, sat quietly beside her. According to Kitahara, she hadn't eaten much since the morning and was currently in a low-activity hibernation state.
"Trainer, so what exactly is Hakki planning to perform...? I remember she skipped all the stage practices you arranged for her, right?" Zennin Gloria's phone screen went black after she turned it off. The audience had all entered and were whispering about the unresponsive main stage.
Kitahara shook her head. She probably knew less about Hakki than Oguri Cap did. "I don't know. As long as she doesn't run away, that's better than anything. But thankfully this is a short-distance debut race. Compared to a mile or medium-distance debut, not too many people will come to see the performance..." To be honest, Kitahara had no confidence in Hakki's singing and dancing...
But just then, Oguri Cap suddenly opened her eyes and said with conviction, "You have to believe in CuckooBird. Just when we think she's at her wit's end, she'll do something that makes our eyes light up." This was a conclusion she had drawn from watching so many of her streams, and it had never been wrong.
"Then let's believe..."
Click~
A spotlight suddenly lit up the stage, shining on an equally white figure.
"Huh? What's that outfit?"
"Isn't the Winner's Live supposed to be a concert? Is... is she here to cook?"
The appearance of Hakki in a chef's uniform in front of thousands of spectators caused a considerable stir. Then, her voice was broadcast to every corner: "A very novel outfit for the Winner's Live, isn't it~? Past stages have only been a temporary visual treat. So this time, I want to teach the audience here something practical!"
With a gentlemanly gesture, the curtain slowly rose, revealing a sight that made all the spectators' jaws drop—the other horse girls from the race were dressed in the exact same attire as Hakki, and each had a set of cooking utensils in front of them.
"Did Hakki start a crash course in cooking? Is this a cooking show?" At this moment, Kitahara felt that it would have been better if Hakki had just skipped the Winner's Live...
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Oguri Cap, who had been half-asleep in her seat just a moment ago, instantly leaned forward and started waving a light stick.
"As you can all see, in the time we have, I will teach you how to make a very delicious snack. The ingredients are also very simple, so you can try it at home tonight," Hakki said. In business mode, she exuded the kindness of a teacher, which was a complete mismatch with her petite appearance.
"This delicious and easy-to-make snack is called... a Leek Pocket."
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