Just a few minutes earlier, in one of the private cars heading back to Tracen Academy.
Student Council President Symboli Rudolf, along with several other council members and her most cherished junior, Uma Musume Tokai Teio, had just finished watching the entire Japan Derby broadcast.
Now, it was time for her to return to campus alongside Tokai Teio, Narita Brian, and Air Groove.
Even though Symboli Rudolf had grown calmer and more composed since her retirement, she had to admit—she was utterly stunned by Platinum's overwhelming victory by a staggering fourteen horse lengths.
She couldn't help but wonder: if during the Oaks, Platinum hadn't chosen to glance back but had instead pushed on at full speed… could she have achieved a terrifying winning streak, triumphing by over ten lengths again and again?
No matter what, one thing was certain now: the legendary, unprecedented Irregular Triple Crown was about to welcome its first challenger of the new generation—and perhaps its only one!
"Platinum… what an interesting and adorable little filly."
The more Rudolf reflected on the race that had just concluded and the winner's performance by that silver-haired girl on stage, the more her lips curled into a smile. She felt an growing urge to recruit Platinum into Tracen Academy—into the Student Council.
But then, suddenly…
The petite horse girl seated beside her, Tokai Teio, held out her phone with a slightly surprised expression.
"President, Platinum just gave another post-race interview. Want to see it?"
"An interview? Sure, let's take a look."
Rudolf nodded without a second thought.
A few seconds later, Platinum's voice emerged from the phone.
"That year, in the San Luis Rey Stakes, when Symboli Rudolf went overseas…"
Just hearing those first few words, the smile on Rudolf's face froze instantly.
In that very moment, the sharp-witted Ms. Emperor sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Before: Ehe
Now: Not Ehe
After winning the Japan Derby by such a huge margin, Platinum was undoubtedly the center of attention across the entire nation. This interview was bound to trend everywhere and become widely known.
'It's over… I'm being publicly roasted in a live broadcast!'
Gulp… Not that, please no!!!
"Back then, I saw Symboli Rudolf slumped in her chair, crying uncontrollably…"
The interview continued, Platinum's resolute words piercing Rudolf's ears.
"I had to consider whether this might be my one and only chance…"
"Rebuilding the glory of Japanese Uma Musume is our duty!"
Only one thought echoed in Rudolf's mind…
'Gah! You damn fox… This can't be happening!'
Even as a retired Student Council president who had long left the spotlight, Symboli Rudolf never dreamed she'd experience a secondhand embarrassment of this magnitude after retirement!
Without a doubt, today would be filled with heated discussions. Rudolf, clever as she was, could already predict the headlines:
—The Real Reasons Behind Symboli Rudolf's Overseas Defeat
—Genuine Question: When the Pegasus Talks About "The Former Dominance of Japanese Horse Girls," Is She Referring to the Emperor's Zero Wins Overseas?
—No Bias, Just Rational Analysis: Was the Emperor Overhyped? I Believe Tachyon, Teio, and Platinum Should Be Ranked as Japan's Strongest Horse Girls!
—The Gap Between Symboli Rudolf and World-Class Horse Girls!
The spine that Symboli Rudolf had held high all her life finally broke.
'It's over… I'm really going to die of embarrassment…'
The Emperor's breathing grew slightly rapid, her face flushing bright red.
In the back seat of the car, Air Groove and Narita Brian—both fellow Student Council members—had also heard Platinum's interview responses.
The two council members couldn't help but curl their lips upward, turning their faces toward the windows beside them and raising hands to cover their mouths.
It seemed they had both recalled something amusing.
They were professionals, after all. No matter how funny, they wouldn't laugh!
Unless they couldn't help it…
As for the petite Tokai Teio, she wasn't sitting with Narita Brian and Air Groove but was right beside Symboli Rudolf.
So, Teio didn't notice anything amiss. She only ever focused on races, improving herself, and her idol Symboli Rudolf—completely missing the two seniors struggling to hold in their laughter.
In Ms. Teio's eyes, all she saw was Symboli Rudolf's flushed face, her ample chest rising and falling rapidly, her breath growing hurried.
Was she… so happy that she was moved or shy?
'Well, Platinum does have the potential to become Japan's strongest super rookie!'
'Being praised live on national television by a once-in-a-generation talent like that… no wonder the President is so happy she's blushing.'
'I've never seen the President blush like this before…'
Tokai Teio lowered her head in thought, as if coming to a decision.
No—she had to prove that she was the President's number one fan!
She couldn't fall to second place! She couldn't let the President think that little pegasus was the cutest junior!
What the young Ms. Teio didn't know was…
Sometimes, blushing isn't from shyness—but from overheating and crumbling under pressure.
'Okay, after the upcoming Takarazuka Kinen…!'
'I'm going to do the same thing! I'll make sure the President remembers me too!'
Time to memorize a speech and give the President a surprise!
--+--
At one of the training grounds in Tracen Academy.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, rivals who constantly trained together and faced off in practice matches.
Originally, Daiwa Scarlet had seen Vodka as her greatest rival, an opponent she had to give her all to defeat throughout her career.
But last month, after an unexpected defeat in her debut race… Daiwa Scarlet's perspective suddenly expanded dramatically.
Vodka?
No, her destined rival, the one she had to defeat in the future, had to be that Pegasus!
As for Vodka… she'd just be a necessary stepping stone, a whetstone to sharpen herself before facing the Pegasus.
Right now, the two of them had just finished their daily training and were sitting together on a bench beside the field.
After watching the Japan Derby, both of them looked deeply shaken. Major shock!
"A full… fourteen lengths!"
"She's achieved the Irregular Double Crown now! She went from a nobody to a household name in just a week!"
"In one week, she went from a rookie horse girl, a low-level G3 winner, to a young dual G1 champion!"
Neither Daiwa Scarlet nor Vodka could keep their composure; they couldn't help but marvel.
"She's too strong! Where did this monster even train?!"
"Even Tracen Academy would have a hard time producing a monster like that, right?"
The usually brash Vodka couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Daiwa Scarlet nodded in agreement. There were plenty of times when she'd argue with Vodka—their personalities just naturally clashed.
But when it came to praising and evaluating Platinum, they were completely in sync, without a hint of disagreement.
Though compared to top horse girl schools in Europe and America, Tracen Academy had produced very few world-class horse girls, lagging behind by more than a notch.
In Japan, however, it was in a league of its own, leaving second place far behind in every aspect—educational resources, average trainer quality, facilities, and the strength of its horse girls.
Generally, even exceptionally talented geniuses needed a school worthy of them to grow rapidly. Conversely, poor educational resources could hold them back and slow their progress.
After all, talent determined the ceiling, but reaching that ceiling required persistent effort, strong rivals, and an excellent training environment.
Take Vodka, for example. If she didn't have Daiwa Scarlet as a rival in training matches, her growth would undoubtedly be slower. That was the kind of superior environment and competition Tracen Academy provided.
But Platinum's name hadn't appeared in any of Japan's famous schools!
She definitely couldn't be from a prestigious family either—if she were, it would have been advertised to bring glory to her family. For instance, horse girls from the Mejiro family often gained popularity the moment they debuted.
Platinum, who hadn't attended a famous school and wasn't from a renowned family, was far more than just "inspiring"!
Under such conditions, Platinum managed to grow stronger with every race. This was something they had never even heard of!
Or… had Platinum undergone some unknown, extremely harsh training?
Had she fought against some terrifying, unimaginably strong rivals?
That… probably wasn't possible, right?
Even if there were some remarkable retired horse girls, once they retired, they couldn't possibly be stronger than active G1 champions, could they?
Daiwa Scarlet, unable to make sense of it, eventually gave up on that line of thought.
Beside her, Vodka seemed to remember something and suddenly broke into a grin.
"Scarlet, I kinda envy you…"
"Hah?"
Daiwa Scarlet turned her head, puzzled, to look at Vodka, whom she never quite got along with.
"Five lengths."
"?"
"You're the opponent Platinum defeated by the smallest margin in her four debut races."
"???"
Daiwa Scarlet's smile instantly froze, her expression subtly changing.
When you thought about it, that was true.
In her debut race, Platinum had beaten Daiwa Scarlet by five lengths. A week later, in the G3 race against her seniors, she won by fifteen or sixteen lengths. Half a month later, in the Oaks, she won by ten lengths even after glancing back!
And in the Japan Derby, the crown jewel of the classic races, Platinum had taken victory by a full fourteen lengths!
Every other race had been a "double-digit length victory." Only against Daiwa Scarlet in her debut had it been a single digit—a "mere five lengths."
Just a month ago, right after her defeat, she'd been furious, wondering why she'd lost so badly. Five whole lengths! Had she not been training hard enough…?
But now, barely a month later, even she herself found it… unbelievable. How had she only lost to Platinum by five lengths?
The contrast was just too extreme.
Vodka, nearly burying her face in her phone, went on.
"I just saw a few comments. Someone was amazed, saying:"
"[Daiwa Scarlet is definitely a future Triple Crown-level talent. Even Jungle Pocket and Mejiro Dober were crushed by huge margins, but Scarlet only lost to Platinum by a mere five lengths!]"
"[We can look forward to Daiwa Scarlet maybe actually having a chance to defeat Platinum in the future—after all, she only lost by five lengths!]"
Hearing this, Daiwa Scarlet's breathing grew rapid, her ample chest trembling. She hurriedly made an "X" gesture with her hands, signaling Vodka to stop.
She couldn't even tell if she should be happy, angry, or relieved…
But no one understood better than Daiwa Scarlet herself: she simply didn't have the strength to compete with Platinum's performance in the classic races!
She was so weak that Platinum hadn't even needed to go all out!!
What suddenly struck Daiwa Scarlet even more was…
'In the future, if Platinum completely dominates Japan with no rivals left…'
'This… couldn't actually happen, could it?'
In the young horse girl's mind, a vivid scene unfolded.
One talented horse girl after another being easily "cut down" by the Pegasus, Platinum.
And then, all of Japan would turn its hopeful eyes to her.
"Go, Daiwa Scarlet–who only lost by five lengths, show us your true power when you reach your peak!"
"The one we placed our hopes on, Tokai Teio, has fallen to Platinum…"
"You're the only one left. Will you win?"
"The mythical powerhouse who only lost by five lengths, Daiwa Scarlet—she must have been holding back."
"The absolute champion, the loneliness born from it… who taught her love was—"
The crux was, this wasn't just empty imagination. The chances of it happening were actually pretty high!
Daiwa Scarlet might end up becoming some kind of "Mythical Uma Musume" because of this.
A shiver ran down her spine, her legs trembling slightly.
Ah, her vs. Platinum?
Could some monster please come and put that Pegasus in her place? She didn't want to be the one everyone pinned their hopes on!
"Ugh… time to ramp up training."
"If I don't, next time I face Platinum, I might lose by more than five lengths!"
Daiwa Scarlet found herself forced to regain her motivation for intense training!
--+--
The next day.
Tracen Academy was buzzing with excitement.
Countless young fillies were discussing the recently concluded Japan Derby with friends, classmates, or their trainers.
And this scene wasn't limited to Tracen Academy—countless people across Japan had watched that stunning, historic Derby race!
In one of the medical rooms on campus!
The doctor, Lin Anran, was frowning slightly, his expression complex, as if faced with something troubling.
However, the young Uma Musume before him wasn't injured at all, yet her issue was closely related to this shady young man.
"Doctor, I think I've been hallucinating lately. During the Derby yesterday, that damn Pegasus overtook me and then shot me!"
"My trainer says it's psychological, that it's all in my head! What do you think?"
The shady doctor sighed.
"First, I'm a doctor, not a psychologist."
"Second, you're the fifth horse girl to come ask me about this today. Next!"
Better to clock out early and claim those race rewards.
What would the rewards be this time? Something from Uncle or maybe another Kuranta?
--+--
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.