On the Training Ground
Tokai Teio and Daiwa Scarlet, who had paused their training for a break, were staring dumbfounded at their phone screen.
A Look Back?
A crushing victory by a massive margin?
This is… just too absurd!
Even someone as strong as Tokai Teio had never witnessed a "Look Back" on the racetrack, let alone achieved a victory by such an enormous gap.
The sheer talent radiating from that Pegasus was… blindingly obvious!
It went without saying that in the short time since the Oaks had ended, this would sweep through all of Japan, top to bottom!
Even if it didn't reach the point of every single person knowing, it would undoubtedly get damn close.
With Agnes Tachyon falling short and withdrawing, the official URA, despite having all the resources, had no one to promote and was utterly headache-ridden.
But now—a look back! A Pegasus achieving a massive, crushing victory!
That was absolutely a performance no less impressive than Agnes Tachyon's. She was precisely the new-generation monster they had been desperately searching for, one who could potentially prop up the entire Japanese horse girl racing world!
So—they went all in!!
Consequently, news related to the Oaks was now being pushed and spreading across the nation at an astonishingly viral rate. Even many horse girls currently training had taken notice.
A nobody unknown just a month ago was now famous throughout the land!
"Gulp…"
Daiwa Scarlet, who was still hung up on her defeat by Platinum in her debut race and longed for revenge, wore an intensely complicated expression.
That sheer power… They were both rookies, supposed to compete in the classics next year, yet she could achieve such a massive victory against seasoned seniors!
Just how strong was that?
Even though Agnes Tachyon was her idol, Daiwa Scarlet had to admit in her heart that even the Agnes she worshipped would have no guarantee of victory against Platinum. It'd probably be a 50-50… no, maybe a 70-30 chance?
What a shame though…
They would most likely never have a chance to face each other. A world-shaking matchup would never happen.
Unless… that tendonitis, the illness horse girls fearfully called incurable, could actually be perfectly treated!
But the chances of that were minuscule, practically a miracle, right? Even internationally renowned horse girl doctors wouldn't have any confidence, would they?
"Hey, Scarlet, if I remember right, you only lost to Platinum by five lengths?"
Tokai Teio, who seemed to have thought of something, suddenly spoke up.
This wasn't meant to pick at a wound, but a thought that popped up after witnessing the Pegasus's arrogant, look-back, massive-margin victory.
In a G1 race, Platinum won by ten lengths!
In her debut race, Platinum won by five lengths!
Clearly, 10 > 5!
So, looking at it that way, Daiwa Scarlet's loss in her debut wasn't a disgrace at all, but rather… an honor, right?
Maybe years later, after Platinum climbed to even greater heights, that debut race would still be relished by everyone, wondering just how strong the opponent must have been to make the heavenly horse Platinum "only win by a mere five lengths"!
Daiwa Scarlet's reputation would rise with the tide of that debut race's result. In a way, you could even call it lucky.
Although… it was obvious that Platinum wasn't going all out in her debut; even her starting gate form and running style lacked polish.
But if given the choice… Daiwa Scarlet didn't want this kind of luck. She never wanted to run into that terrifying Pegasus in the first place!!
But at least judging by the result, Daiwa Scarlet hadn't lost as badly as the seniors in this prestigious G1 Oaks! That could already be considered a huge stroke of good fortune!
"Yeah."
'What an unprecedented monster.'
Daiwa Scarlet's expression immediately turned to one of relief as she let out a soft sigh.
"If during our race, Platinum had looked back at me like that…"
"I'm afraid even my dreams would be haunted by that image of her glancing back."
And that was just from watching the race!
Daiwa Scarlet could almost hear the contestants' wails of despair! Sense the city crumbling around her! See the victorious Platinum grinning savagely!
"Pegasus… how terrifying!"
Even someone as steadfast as Daiwa Scarlet couldn't help but feel Platinum's dreadfulness.
Then, her fair, jade-like hand gently patted her extremely ample chest.
"Whew—"
"Thank goodness there's only one Pegasus like that…"
--+--
On the Grass
"That was a truly wonderful race. I don't think I'll ever forget you."
Platinum turned her head and offered her praise to Mejiro Dober.
A brilliant race can't just have an amazing protagonist; it needs other shining characters too.
A single dazzling performance would just be seen as smurfing, the opponents being too weak.
As the favorite to win, a daughter of the prestigious Mejiro family, and with a performance significantly ahead of the third-place finisher, Mejiro Dober had more than proven her excellence. This ensured the race wouldn't be dismissed as a one-sided stomp.
And even after winning an unexpectedly huge victory, Platinum wasn't particularly interested in saying things like "because you're weak" or "I'm invincible."
She'd already gotten the prize money. What was the point of provoking other opponents? It wasn't like she'd get extra cash.
The cautious and steady assassin felt it was better to show some grace than say something like "Too weak. I'll probably forget you in a second."
After speaking, she turned back around and strode toward the winner's stage.
Still standing there, hearing Platinum's praise, Mejiro Dober felt a slight easing of the shame in her heart.
But Mejiro Dober knew her crushing defeat was a fact!
And the image of the Pegasus Platinum looking back… would undoubtedly spread far and wide, forever remembered by fans and etched into history.
'The Triple Tiara, there's still one race left!'
'The final one, the Shuka Sho… when I face Platinum again, will I have a chance for revenge?'
Faced with this difficult question, Mejiro Dober couldn't find an answer.
"Utterly defeated, couldn't even get on the stage as a dancer…"
"Revenge… there will definitely be a chance in the future!!"
The genius girl of the Mejiro family found her fighting spirit utterly shattered at this moment…
--+--
Some time later!
Platinum, who deeply felt the winner's stage was a terrible tradition, still chose to take the stage—for the sake of future fan donations.
For her, a few-minute race was a piece of cake, but a Winner's Stage ceremony over half an hour felt like facing a formidable enemy!
Thankfully, it was finally over. Time to clock out.
Like an office worker finally off duty, Miss Platinum left the stage and headed down the passageway backstage when she overheard several URA staff members chatting.
"I am Miss Platinum's dog!!"
"Weren't you saying you were Miss Dober's dog before the race?"
"Blergh, I'm a meta-slave!"
The URA staff immediately stopped talking upon seeing Platinum.
Among them, one female staff member painted an excited, thrilled smile on her face and spoke to Platinum.
"Miss Platinum, I'm your fan…"
"Could you please come for a post-race interview now?"
"Don't worry, you can review the questions beforehand. We can skip any you don't like."
"For example, simple questions about your upcoming race preparations."
--+--
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 advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.