"I'm the Student Council President, Symboli Rudolf. I'd like to discuss something with you."
The voice from outside the door made Lin Anran's pupils shrink in an instant.
The Emperor? Symboli Rudolf?!
Even a shady young doctor like him—who had only watched the Uma Musume anime and skipped most of the mobile game's story—knew just how heavyweight a figure Symboli Rudolf was.
In Tracen Academy, a school that gathered Japan's most talented horse girls across generations, being the actual Student Council President with real authority… It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say her status and achievements crushed every other horse girl beneath her.
While most champion horse girls of Japan's golden era had only won three, maybe five G1 races at most, Symboli Rudolf had achieved the monumental feat of seven G1 victories.
The name "Emperor" was well-deserved.
So why would such a legendary figure come knocking on his door, barely a week after he'd taken up the role of school physician?
Symboli Rudolf had long since retired into legend—it wasn't like she could've broken a bone like her successor, Tokai Teio. If it wasn't for treatment… then what?
'Damn, if only this old-timer Emperor hadn't retired yet. She'd probably cough up even more cash than Teio.'
A faint sense of regret flickered in the heart of this unscrupulous young man.
His eyes immediately shifted from the screen toward the door.
"Come in."
The next moment, Lin Anran saw a brown-haired horse girl walk in—not particularly tall, but with an overwhelming presence.
Their gazes met instantly.
A flash of surprise passed through Symboli Rudolf's eyes. It seemed she hadn't expected the doctor who could heal even Tokai Teio's fractures to be… this young and handsome.
After all, in many people's minds, certain professions—like doctors and programmers—followed the rule that the balder, the stronger.
In short, the less hair, the more skill—a stereotype for some fields.
Even if Symboli Rudolf didn't hold such biases, she was still more accustomed to seeing middle-aged or elderly renowned doctors. A young one who could treat severe fractures? That was rare.
So her surprise wasn't unwarranted.
The fact that he could heal fractures that had stumped other top doctors in such a short time was proof enough of his skill. Tracen Academy was lucky to have him!
Hell, on an international scale, Dr. Lin was probably one of the few miracle doctors out there!
In just a few days, this shady young physician's reputation had already skyrocketed.
Though, in terms of average strength and competitive performance, Tracen Academy wasn't exactly top-tier. After all this time, they still hadn't produced many World-Class Uma Musume…
But if there was one thing Tracen Academy did excel at, it was money!
Salaries, bonuses—while they might not mean much to horse girls who lived for racing and chasing greater heights, for a doctor treating them? Now that was tempting.
Symboli Rudolf really wanted Lin Anran to stay at Tracen Academy permanently, healing the unfortunate juniors who suffered injuries.
"Dr. Lin, thank you for treating Teio."
"For a Uma Musume, this is nothing short of a divine blessing. If only… you'd appeared sooner."
A tinge of regret lingered in her words.
Tokai Teio had been an Undefeated Dual-Crown winner—not a Triple-Crown—because a fracture had forced her out of the last race.
Even the Emperor herself had once suffered serious injuries while competing overseas against Europe and America's champions… only to face a crushing, Waterloo-like defeat.
If Lin Anran had appeared earlier, could things have been different?
But what was done was done. All they could do now was prevent similar regrets in the future.
"No need for thanks. It's my duty."
Lin Anran waved his hand with a faint smile.
But behind this seemingly composed and indifferent young doctor…
'Well, Teio did pay up—and she paid well!'
'Once she's back on the track and winning, I'll be raking in those sweet, sweet race bonuses!'
If she was willing to pay extra, of course he'd heal Tokai Teio properly!
"So, Miss Rudolf, what brings you here?"
Lin Anran cut straight to the point, shifting the conversation.
Symboli Rudolf quickly regained her composure and stated her reason for coming.
And then, she dropped a name Lin Anran never expected.
"Platinum—!"
"A few days ago, during her thrilling debut match against Daiwa Scarlet… the entry fee for that race was paid by you, Dr. Lin."
"I'd like to get in touch with Platinum. Could you provide me with her contact information?"
With that, she finished explaining her request.
There were plenty of Uma Musume, but racing Uma Musume? Far fewer. And the biggest reason for that was… the brutal debut races that weeded out the majority!
To maintain this high barrier, most races required entry fees—some higher, some lower.
So after failing a few debut races, wasting both effort and money with no success, most less-talented horse girls would give up on racing altogether.
The fee for a debut race wasn't even high—any ordinary girl could afford it. Yet for Platinum's first attempt, Lin Anran had been the one to pay…
That at least proved they knew each other. The question was how well.
Thus, Symboli Rudolf decided to start by asking for Platinum's contact details.
'Damn, she's fast!'
Lin Anran hadn't expected Symboli Rudolf to come looking for Platinum this soon.
Was this Emperor's dedication to nurturing the next generation… a little too extreme?
But now, there was no way to play dumb or distance himself.
After a few seconds, Lin Anran nodded and pulled out his phone, sending Symboli Rudolf the info for a barely-used alternate account.
"This is her account…"
"Here you go!"
Beside him, Symboli Rudolf looked thoroughly satisfied as she input the details to send a friend request.
Once everything was settled, the Emperor gave Lin Anran one last polite nod before preparing to leave.
No matter what—this little filly brimming with potential… she would recruit her into Tracen!
--+--
The Next Day!
At a racecourse, the very Uma Musume so many were thinking about hadn't even bothered to accept Symboli Rudolf's friend request yet.
While the Emperor waited impatiently, the white-haired, petite girl lazily stretched and yawned, standing at the entrance of another racetrack.
"Ugh…"
"Tch, my accumulated prize money isn't enough. I still need to win one more stakes race before I can enter the Classics!"
With a hint of frustration, the delicate girl strode forward into the venue.
Clearly, Platinum—aiming for an Irregular Triple Crown—needed one more victory to qualify for the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) through supplementary entry.
The Assassin had arrived.
Before her showdown with that monster, Agnes Tachyon…
First, she had one more race to win.
"Fine then. Guess I'll just keep winning from here on out~"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and in the future, advance chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
As of now, there are 20+ Advanced Chapters!
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
p@treon.com/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.