"Let's congratulate Margaret Nearl on taking first place! She left all the other Uma Musume far behind with an overwhelming lead!"
"The timer shows she won by a huge margin, but not all huge margins are created equal. Nearl showed us what a truly insurmountable gap looks like."
"The other Uma Musume also performed excellently—for example, Everlamp in second place also opened up a big lead, though unfortunately, she still couldn't catch up to Nearl."
"The defeated competitors also gave their all this time. Look, they're so exhausted they can't even get up now."
"Alright, that concludes this year's Sun-Moon Cup, but I believe the excitement of this race will remain etched in the hearts of all who watched. Thank you all for tuning in!"
"Thank you, everyone."
With their final farewells, the commentators brought the race to a close, but nothing could dampen the audience's enthusiasm.
It was easy to predict that Nearl merchandise would be rolling out in no time.
But that had nothing to do with Nearl herself, who was currently busy dodging reporters.
'Sigh, even though I know the media here isn't the same as in Kazimierz, I still can't help feeling uneasy about it,' Nearl murmured to herself as she walked through the passageway.
'Guess it's best to just avoid them altogether.'
Just as she was about to slip away quietly, a sweet, melodic voice called out from behind her.
"Miss Nearl! Wait up!"
"Hm?"
Nearl turned around curiously and saw that it was Everlamp, the second-place finisher of the race.
Watching the petite grey-haired Uma Musume bouncing eagerly toward her, Nearl instinctively turned and crouched down slightly.
"Hello, Senior Everlamp. Was there something you needed?"
"Hehe," Everlamp giggled shyly. "I think you're amazing, Miss Nearl, and I'd really like to be friends!"
She clenched her small fists in front of her chest, her ears drooping shyly while her little grey tail wagged nonstop.
Her emerald-green eyes widened earnestly as she gazed at Nearl, her flushed face radiating a mix of shyness and anticipation so obvious even a fool could see it.
A gentle warmth flickered in Nearl's eyes. Almost instinctively, she reached out and ruffled the grey hair of the little one before her—the colour reminded her of Oguri Cap when she was young.
'But this kid is way cuter than Oguri.'
As she gently stroked the slightly damp hair of the young girl, Nearl pondered quietly.
"Of course, Senior Everlamp. I'd be honoured to be your friend."
"Yay! Then, Miss Nearl, can I come and play with you sometimes?"
Overjoyed, Everlamp tugged at the hem of Nearl's clothes, her voice brimming with the excitement of someone who'd just hit the jackpot.
"You're always welcome."
Nearl smiled warmly at the lively little sprite, allowing her to wrap her arms around her waist.
"Then I'll be off for today! You're a student at Kasamatsu, right, Miss Nearl?"
"That's right. I'm currently studying and training at Kasamatsu."
"Then I'll come visit you at Kasamatsu sometime! You have to promise to spend time with me then."
After hugging Nearl and nuzzling against her for a good while, Everlamp finally let go, hopping back a few steps with her hands behind her back and a bright smile.
"If you come to see me, I'll be sure to welcome you properly," Nearl replied, returning the smile.
"Call me Little Lamp! No formalities!" Everlamp puffed her cheeks slightly before breaking into another grin.
"Bye-bye, see you later, Miss Nearl!"
The petite grey-haired Uma Musume waved energetically before turning and skipping away. Nearl waved back gently until she was out of sight.
"What a lively and lovely young lady."
Only when Everlamp had completely disappeared did Nearl lower her hand and turn to leave.
"Time to find the trainer. We need to discuss future plans. Though I feel like I've forgotten something…"
Puzzled, Nearl continued on her way. Meanwhile, outside the venue, stage crew were bustling about, decorating the stage with great effort.
"Come on, everyone! A true talent is performing on this stage today. We have to give it our all to make sure everything is perfect!"
"Whoo!"
The crew members shouted in unison as they worked.
As for Nearl? She was already on her way to find her trainer.
--+--
"I'm sorry! Truly sorry! It's entirely my fault for not explaining the process properly, which led to Nearl missing the Winner's Stage ceremony. I take full responsibility."
Kitahara Jo was bowing deeply to the stage manager, while Nearl stood beside him, also bowing apologetically.
"Sigh! Trainer Kitahara, how could you be so careless? We'll let it slide this time and explain to the audience that Miss Nearl had an emergency."
As he spoke, he adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing with a reflective gleam.
"Please make sure it doesn't happen again. We're under a lot of pressure here too."
"Understood, understood." Kitahara smiled awkwardly as he saw the stage manager off.
Once the manager had left, Nearl turned to Kitahara with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, Trainer. This was my mistake, yet you had to apologize on my behalf."
"Well, part of the blame is on me too. I didn't emphasize the importance of the Winner's Stage to you. I share responsibility." Kitahara scratched his head.
"But it's fine. Winners get a lot of leeway, especially someone of your calibre, Nearl. The audience will be more forgiving toward you."
"Still, I shouldn't take their forgiveness for granted. I'll make sure to attend the Winner's Stage next time."
Nearl spoke with solemn determination, though inwardly, she still felt reluctant.
'But I really don't want to sing and dance in front of an audience. It's just not in my nature. I need to find a way to avoid performing on stage.'
"I believe you, Nearl." Kitahara nodded with confidence, then reached for a brown paper envelope on the table behind him.
"Here, Nearl."
Puzzled, Nearl took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a stack of crisp, neatly arranged bills.
"Trainer, is this the prize money from the race?"
"Exactly. The first-place prize for the Sun-Moon Cup is 800,000. It's all there." Kitahara adjusted his cap.
Nearl fell silent for a moment as she looked at the money, then took out a portion and handed it to Kitahara.
"Trainer, according to our contract, I'm to give you ten percent of the prize money. Please take this 80,000."
Looking at the money, Kitahara wanted to refuse. He felt he'd only done a small part of the work and didn't deserve such a share.
But under Nearl's stern, almost severe gaze, he relented and didn't insist further.
"I understand. I'll accept it."
Hearing this, Nearl's expression softened into a smile.
"Trainer, we're comrades walking the same path. The bond and support between us far outweigh any monetary value. Please remember that going forward."
Kitahara lowered his cap, letting its shadow hide the moved expression on his face.
"Yeah, I understand."
--+--
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.