A week had passed since Oguri Cap was crowned as the newest possessor of the Undefeated Triple Crown. Japan was still thrumming with excitement over this development, and it wasn't rare for someone to find at least one plushy of Oguri Cap in their daily lives.
Not only that, but Tamamo Cross' dominating victory in the [Autumn Tenno Sho] was another kindling that kept the excitement burning. And the fires burnt even larger when they learnt that Oguri and Tamamo would come into an inevitable meeting within the long-awaited [Japan Cup].
It was in this environment that several overseas umamusume landed onto the land of the rising sun. And one of those umamusume just happened to be--
"「Here we are!」"
"「Hello!」Sorry to keep you waiting, Japanese Paparazzi-chan!"
Alas, despite the umamusume's vibrant greeting, there was no one there to greet her. No reporter, no fellow umamusume, not even her own trainer. She stood in an airport that seemed almost devoid of life.
Yet, despite the lackluster response, the starry-eyed umamusume remained completely unbothered. And why shouldn't she?
After all, her stealthy arrival was by design.
The umamusume smiled brightly as she began walking, dragging her suitcase along towards the spot where her private cab should be waiting. She began humming a nameless tune as she walked, letting her steps echo like background drums. On the front of her suitcase was a sticker, denoting the name of its owner.
「Obey Your Master」, it read in stylishly-written English.
Her smile remained on her lips, even if she hardly felt any joy or excitement. That too was by design; a mask she'd carefully crafted over the span of months. After all, she had to play the part of the stereotypical American—bright and cheery and over-the-top in all sorts of things.
She was none of that, of course. But that was fine. As long as she wore the mask long enough, it'd eventually become her own skin.
Soon, she walked out of the airport and found her private cab. It was a discreet old thing, no different to the other cabs around the metropolitan area. But she could see the little star-sticker discreetly stuck onto the car's back window—the callsign her trainer had told her about.
She walked up to the car, and after stuffing her suitcase into the baggage, barged into the backseat with faux-excitement. "「Alright!」Take me away, driver-san!" The cab driver tipped his cap as he began driving, and with the car now on the road, she let out a sign as she sank into the seat.
As she'd expected, being excited all the time was tiring. She didn't get how the others could live like this. Didn't they ever feel like their chests were seconds away from exploding?
Ah, whatever. Those fools didn't matter right now. They were quite literally on the opposite side of the planet.
She took a small breath as she closed her eyes.
Of course, going here was a risk. Sure, she'd found Japan's Turf far more accommodating compared to the gritty Dirt that was so common back 'home', but she was still new. She'd need to get used to running on the Turf all over again, and there was only so much time before the so-called [Japan Cup].
And with it, her first meeting with her.
Her eyes opened, and a sharp smile lifted her lips.
She'd studied her competitors extensively even before she'd taken her flight here. She knew she was far from the best, but that was fine. It just meant she had to exploit whatever weakness her enemies had.
Moonlight Lunacy. A previous competitor in last year's [Japan Cup], placing 5th. But her loss only meant that she knew the track far better than many others, and considering her stellar record back in Europe, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that she would perform quite well.
Michelle My Baby. Another American, and this time, one that truly fit the stereotypes. Overly friendly, too excited, too powerful—practically a golden retriever turned into an uma. She'd won 9 races out of 32, but records could be deceiving.
Ellerslie Pride. One of the stronger competitors, having won 18 out of 37 races. She's certainly one she'd have to look out for, though she wasn't something she'd lose sleep over. She already had a few ideas on how to make use of the little habits she'd noticed about her.
Tony Bianca. Quite the mysterious one, she was. She didn't seem quite that impressive at first glance, but she knew full well how deceptive an initial look could be. What little records of her race she'd managed to scavenge gave the impression that she wasn't one to be taken lightly.
Tamamo Cross. The little midget herself—though size had never been an indicator of weakness. One of the easier targets she'd locked onto, but that didn't mean she'd ever be lax around her. There was real power behind those legs, one that needed to be dealt with.
Oguri Cap. Dangerous on every account. Dealing with Great Chasers was never fun, and Oguri Cap was the epitome of that style. There was no point in obstructing her—she just had to match her rhythm and blow her away with her own power.
And lastly, Blossom Star.
Ah, Blossom Star. Star, Star, Star.
Her smile grew wider. In a way, Blossom Star was the exact opposite of Oguri. Her Great Escapes were just as hard to deal with, and the fact she was still able to accelerate during the final spurt showed how much of a stamina-demon that umamusume actually was.
But that wasn't what had caught her. What had ensnared her so deeply.
It was her smile. That crooked, jagged, practiced smile she gave whenever she did an interview. The way she weaved the flow of conversations with practiced ease, as if she was a puppet master designing a new play.
When she first watched a recording of her, it was…gratifying. To see that someone else had done something so similar. And to have watched as her practiced smile slowly evolved; her mask growing so airtight that it eventually became real.
They were kindred spirits, in a way. She just wondered what had broken Blossom Star so greatly that she had to stitch her own mask back together.
Ah, but she doubted it'd ever be something she'd know. They were secrets to be buried in the grave, after all.
Hmm, speaking of,
"Say, driver-san." She turned to the rear-view mirror. "What's the race Blossom Star's going to run in, again?"
The driver hummed. "It's the [Queen Elizabeth II Cup], Ms. Obey Your Master. It will be held in two days."
"Eeh? Two days~?" She tilted her head. "All the tickets are probably sold out by now, huh?" Her head sunk low. "What a shame~"
The driver didn't respond to her exaggerated sadness, merely taking a small ticket from his shirt pocket and handing it to her. "Your ticket, Miss."
Her faux-sadness quickly faded, her star-spangled eyes burning intensely as she took the ticket. "Many thanks, driver-san!"
He hummed as he refocused on driving.
Her smile deepened. Of course, she'd already known about the race Blossom Star was about to race in, and she'd already asked the driver to book a ticket for her weeks in advance. There was no way she was missing a chance to directly observe Blossom Star with her own eyes. Couldn't miss the chance to do some reconnaissance, right?
She safely tucked the ticket into her shirt pocket as she sat back. She continued smiling as she glanced out the window, watching as the cab drove through the jungle of concrete and metal.
And for a moment, her smile fell.
It really was unfair. Japan just felt so right. Why couldn't she have been born here? Sure, the umamusume from the past few years had been nothing but fodder, but with Team Kitahara's arrival, Japan was suddenly filled with all sorts of talents. The whole Generation of Miracles sounded tacky as hell, but she didn't disagree. Those other juniors weren't as impressive as Oguri or Star, but they were noteworthy enough.
Unfair. How unfair. Why did she have to be different? Why did she have to be born wrong? The Dirt had never felt right to her feet, causing her to lose many of her races. She was practically no different than laughing stock back in the States.
Her eyes darkened, and for a moment, her fingers twitched with the need to squeeze something. Preferably the neck of those skanks, but a stress ball would also do.
…
She took a deep breath to calm herself. No point in getting lost in her head. They were issues for her to face in the future. Right now, all she needed to do was get settled into her temporary lodgings, continue her research, and prepare to head out and watch Blossom Star's domination over the [Queen Elizabeth II Cup].
And sure, that sounded arrogant and all, but that was an undeniable fact. The so-called rivals Star would be up against were far from enough. Star was leagues ahead of them.
She smirked.
She couldn't wait to see her fellow trickster demolish her enemies.