Not a moment to spare mourning the defeat of her little sister, Sea The Stars—rushing straight into the [Lin Anran Cup] was...
——Big sister, Galileo!!
At that moment, the black-haired girl, Galileo, didn't hesitate for a second before extending an invitation to the doctor who'd been waiting all along.
"Dr. Lin, would you like me to help arrange accommodations for you?"
In Galileo's eyes, with such a rare chance to reunite with the familiar young doctor, it'd be a real shame not to try and convince him to stay in Europe, wouldn't it?
Whether Lin Anran had come just to watch the Arc de Triomphe or was considering a longer stay—that was the real question.
The latter would be ideal, but even what was left of Galileo's rationality after seeing him told her that was nothing but pure wishful thinking.
After all, Lin Anran was already making a name for himself in the U.S., and his reputation wasn't small. There was no real reason for him to purposely stick around Europe.
In terms of development, dirt-track racing in the U.S. was every bit as competitive as Europe's turf-based Uma Musume scene. What's more, many of Europe's G1 races were spread across different countries or regions—like France's Arc de Triomphe, England's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, or the Irish Champion Stakes.
As a doctor, all Lin Anran had to do was stay in the U.S., and top-tier dirt-track Uma Musume from all over the world would naturally seek him out for treatment.
Even if he did make house calls, staying within the U.S. would be far more convenient than dealing with cross-border travel in Europe.
Europe, by comparison… wasn't convenient at all. It hardly held any advantage over the States.
So, since Lin Anran was already gaining fame in the U.S. and had moved past the toughest early phase, staying there meant his career would only keep rising. He had little reason to start over from scratch in Europe.
Even if he were some kind of completionist gamer who wanted to clear every route, usually you finish one storyline before moving on to the next, right?
From a gaming perspective, Dr. Lin had already 100% cleared the Japan route and was 15% through the U.S. route—was it really time to start the Europe route?
But even if the chances were slim… they weren't zero, right?
And even if he wasn't settling in Europe short-term, that didn't mean he never would!
In Galileo's view, worst-case scenario, she could at least give Dr. Lin a heads-up for the future!
She'd already waited quite a while in Europe—a little longer wouldn't hurt.
Heck, she could even consider flying to the U.S. herself!
'If Dr. Lin says no… then the only way left is through racing.'
'I can tell Mom I'm going to the U.S. to take on their top-tier Breeders' Cup! She'd definitely accept that.'
The black-haired girl was already plotting her next move in case her first plan failed.
Then, to train hard for the race, heading to the U.S. early to practice and adjust to the environment would make perfect sense, right?
And after the race, win or lose, an event as intense as the Breeders' Cup—on par with Japan's Arima Kinen or Europe's Arc de Triomphe—would surely take its toll.
Regardless of the outcome…
After such a high-stakes race, it'd be only natural if she, as a traveler, wasn't feeling well, was struggling with jet lag, and needed to rest and recover locally for a while, right?
'Sorry, Little Star!'
In her heart, Galileo apologized to her sister, Sea The Stars, who had just turned and walked away down below.
But that apology was gone in an instant.
A moment later, Galileo lifted her head, gazing intently at the cunning young doctor before her, eager to hear his reply.
"Sorry, Galileo. My return flight to the U.S. is already booked."
"I have patients scheduled back there in the next couple of days. For their sake, I can't stay any longer."
Lin Anran maintained his professional demeanor, sticking to the persona of the shrewd yet saintly—no, benevolent healer.
Whatever his motives, he truly was a skilled healer—that much was certain. The rest didn't matter.
"Aww…"
"Alright, I understand."
The black-haired girl, Galileo, immediately let her disappointment show, heaving a dejected sigh.
Even though, deep down, she'd known all along that Lin Anran had no reason to stay.
If he could make a name for himself in the cutthroat world of American Uma Musume, then even Europe's top-tier scene probably had little extra to offer him, right?
If she had to name one advantage Europe had, it'd be…
The little foreign fillies!
More precisely, Europe had a lot more of them!
After all, Europe was made up of dozens of countries. Put together, the population here far exceeded that of the U.S.
But generally, due to cross-border issues and how spread out everything was—unlike the U.S. or Japan, where everyone was concentrated in one country—this numerical advantage… was pretty much useless for most Uma Musume doctors.
There was only one way to make use of Europe's numbers!
And that was—become famous across Europe!
The challenge of different countries, the seemingly inferior conditions compared to the U.S.—none of that would matter if he became a renowned Uma Musume doctor known throughout Europe.
Then, fillies from all over, along with elite Uma Musume from Europe's great families, would come seeking his help.
But pulling that off was tough. Europe wasn't like Japan, where all the top Uma Musume were gathered in one place—Tracen Academy.
So far, the only exception was the Pegasus Platinum, who, despite being registered in Japan, had no ties to Tracen whatsoever.
Every other elite was at Tracen, which was why after healing Tokai Teio and Agnes Tachyon—the biggest names in Japanese racing at the time—Lin Anran's reputation spread throughout the academy and eventually all of Japan.
But doing the same in Europe or the U.S. wouldn't be nearly as easy. It'd take several times longer and require treating many more Uma Musume!
That's why Galileo wasn't planning to just wait around in Europe!
'If I wait for Dr. Lin to speedrun the "U.S. route," it could take three to five years, maybe even over a decade. I can't wait that long.'
'So… in a few days, I'll start planning my trip to the U.S.'
Galileo made up her mind: she'd go to the U.S. soon to meet Dr. Lin again!
"Well then, Dr. Lin, see you in the future!"
The black-haired girl sighed softly, waving energetically at the young doctor as they parted ways.
--+--
Ten minutes later.
The petite chestnut-haired girl, Sea The Stars, was sitting in the car with her mother, Urban Sea.
As soon as she got in, she spotted her sister, Galileo, in the seat beside her.
The incredibly beautiful, petite chestnut-haired girl looked utterly dejected.
Not only had she suffered a crushing defeat, but…
Dr. Lin had been in the stands, watching her lose.
Darn it!
Aside from her disastrous debut, she'd never lost in her entire career. But of all races, it had to be the Arc de Triomphe… and of all times, Dr. Lin had to be there watching.
Now she'd really be seen as a small fry, looked down on by Dr. Lin as just some "ordinary little foreign filly" not worth as much as Platinum!
The shame—for a proud Uma Musume like Sea The Stars, this was the ultimate humiliation.
But no matter what, she wouldn't let this one defeat make her bow down to Platinum's absolute dominance on the track.
She wouldn't quit the [Lin Anran Cup] just because she'd lost and felt too ashamed to prove she was better than Platinum.
She wanted it all!!
She'd ramp up her training, get even stronger, and by next year when she was an older horse, she'd have a real shot at improvement!
Then, she'd get her revenge fair and square!
Even though her cheeks were flushed and her whole face was burning with embarrassment, her fighting spirit hadn't dimmed one bit.
'Even though I lost… Dr. Lin hardly ever comes to Europe.'
'I have to seize this opportunity.'
Sea The Stars immediately lowered her head, pulled out her phone, and under the subtle watch of her calm-faced sister, Galileo, dialed Lin Anran's number.
The call connected quickly.
A few minutes later—
Sea The Stars couldn't wait any longer and asked the question she most wanted answered.
But the response she got was…
"Huh? Leaving already??"
"Can't you stay a couple more days?"
The flawless, reigning middle-distance champion of Europe let out a soft, defeated whimper.
Beside her, Galileo showed a hint of sympathy, patting her shoulder.
"It's alright, Little Star."
"If he came for the Arc this year, he'll definitely come again next year."
"You'll only be entering your older horse year next year, same as Platinum. She might've already hit her peak, but you haven't—you can still get stronger."
"Next year, you'll have a real shot at revenge. And Dr. Lin will probably have more time then, so there'll be plenty of chances to see him."
Galileo spoke in a serious tone, offering what sounded like comfort.
Comfort?
No, this was actually a "hint," and also "advice."
As an older sister with limited talent who'd already peaked in her older horse year and was likely to decline rather than improve, wasn't it reasonable to spend the latter part of her career racing abroad?
And as a highly talented younger sister who could make great strides next year in her older horse year, if revenge was possible then, shouldn't she—train hard—this year? That made sense too, right?
Officially, Platinum was already in her older horse year, but that was due to race choices. Age-wise, that wasn't really the case.
Typically, an Uma Musume's first year is their rookie year, the second is their classic year, and the third onward is their older horse year.
It's kinda like elementary school, middle school, and high school.
Platinum had only been in "elementary school" for a few days before skipping straight to Irregular Quadruple Crowns and classic-year races, effectively skipping "elementary."
So, on paper, this year Platinum was in the "high school" of older horse racing. But in reality, she was still in her classic year.
You could say she was advanced in status, but not in age!
So, no Uma Musume in her right mind would think Platinum would start declining next year—that was just not possible.
At the very least, she'd maintain her Arc-winning peak form for a while!
If Sea The Stars could keep improving next year and show off the high ceiling of a "late-blooming Uma Musume," she might just have a shot at revenge!
And if that happened… Galileo would have one less rival in the [Lin Anran Cup]!
'Sorry, Little Star.'
'Since you got a late start, you might as well keep at it.'
'Big sister will cross the finish line and win it all first, in your place!'
With a touch of guilt in her heart, Galileo finished making her suggestion, urging Sea The Stars to focus on training and preparing for next year's revenge.
"Anyway, do your best, Little Star!"
Hearing this, the chestnut-haired girl didn't pick up on anything unusual at first.
Galileo's words sounded like perfectly normal encouragement.
Just because she couldn't win now didn't mean she never would—that made sense!
"Yeah, I get it."
"Next year, I'll make sure Dr. Lin is watching when I get my revenge fair and square. I'll show him I'm the best Uma Musume he's ever treated!"
Reinvigorated, Sea The Stars clenched her small pink fists and declared with fierce determination!
Hearing this, Galileo smiled, breathing a quiet sigh of relief.
'Good, little Star will keep training!'
But as the older sister, she didn't notice the elegant, noblewoman-like Urban Sea, who was acting as part-time driver, staying silent but wearing a slightly complex expression in the rearview mirror.
It was as if Urban Sea had seen right through something.
--+--
Half an hour later.
Back at the Urban family estate, Galileo was the first to head inside, ready to plan her preparations for racing abroad.
Sea The Stars, newly motivated by her sister's words to throw herself back into training, had no intention of going to her room to rest.
So what if it was post-race training? If monsters like the great Secretariat or Platinum could do it, so could she!
On the way to the family's private training ground within the estate, Urban Sea drove her there.
This time, only Urban Sea and Sea The Stars were in the car.
As they neared the training ground…
Urban Sea, with a hint of reluctance, sighed and said something that seemed casual and a little off-topic.
Her eldest daughter was being a bit too much, and her usually clever younger daughter wasn't connecting the dots this time.
A little balance was needed!
"Little Star… your sister didn't watch the race with me."
That was as far as the hint would go.
The moment those words were spoken, the chestnut-haired girl—who'd been completely preoccupied with thoughts of Dr. Lin, training, and revenge—suddenly froze.
The next second, her mind was flooded with disbelief and suspicion.
No way??
This was the Arc de Triomphe, the world's greatest race.
If her sister had ridden back in the same car with her, it meant she'd definitely watched the race.
And for every one of her previous races, Galileo had always watched alongside their mother, Urban Sea.
There was no reason she'd suddenly choose to watch alone or with some other friend for this particular race, right?
After a few seconds of thought, the clever and quick-witted chestnut-haired girl cleared her mind of everything else, focusing entirely on this peculiar question.
One highly plausible guess immediately came to Sea The Stars.
It couldn't be some other European Uma Musume.
And she wouldn't have watched alone.
Then… Dr. Lin?!
While she was racing down on the track, had her sister been up in the stands, watching with Dr. Lin like they were on a date??
Danger!!
Sea The Stars' eyes widened in shock. Could it be that her most trusted sister, Galileo…
The one who'd written that report on "scheming rivals" for her… might actually be one of those schemers herself?
How awful!
'If this is true, then I'm in big trouble.'
'I have to do something.'
Awakened, Sea The Stars!
--+--
The next day, evening.
United States.
Just after sunset, outside a certain racecourse, a tall, handsome, and spirited young Uma Musume was walking away.
Margaret Nearl—The Radiant Knight—had returned!
After being away for just two or three days, Dr. Lin, now back in the U.S., had finished his daytime shift.
At dusk, he'd chosen a well-paying G2 stakes race, transformed into Nearl, and effortlessly clinched victory.
"Warm-up's over…"
The golden-haired girl, Nearl, tilted her head slightly, gazing up at the moonlight overhead.
A low-intensity, non-G1 race was just routine warm-up in her eyes.
Right now, she didn't feel tired at all.
But what disappointed Nearl a bit was the rule that required a week between races.
So for now… it was back to training.
Daytime: working as a doctor!
Dusk: racing as an Uma Musume!
Nighttime: hitting the training ground.
And after returning home, switching back to her original form, and thoroughly reviewing Uma Musume data, treatment cases, and studying!
For Margaret Nearl, racing and training were far from unpleasant—they were actually relaxing and enjoyable.
And for Dr. Lin, treating Uma Musume and studying to improve his skills were just ways to earn those sweet foreign filly coins. Progress was a must.
Before and after transformation, the shrewd young doctor and the Pegasus were both eager to improve!
What a fulfilling day.
"Alright, time to head back."
"The Arc is over, so next…"
"Next up is my [U.S. Triple Crown]!"
--+--
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.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.