My name is Phosphophyllite, you can call me Phos, and I am an ordinary Uma Musume participating in the Kikuka Sho.
As you can all see, I am currently waiting for the start of the Kikuka Sho at Kyoto Racecourse.
If there are no surprises, this race will be a wonderful race in the conventional sense.
The contestants will use all their strength, exhaust their wits, and pull out all the stops, just to obtain that unreachable crown.
And the winner of the race will likely be that Gold Legend.
You ask me why I am so certain?
I'm used to it (laughs). I've already been a runner-up twice; I was there for the Satsuki Sho and the Derby, so I know the drill very well.
Although because I'm just part of the background, my presence is a bit low, and no one remembers my name at all.
But it doesn't matter. As the saying goes, bad things come in threes, so I assume everyone will be able to remember me after this race.
As Gold Legend's designated stepping stone...
At Kyoto Racecourse, an Uma Musume in black and green colors was muttering to herself.
"What are you doing, Phos?"
The gaudily dressed Uma Musume who came to check on me is my old friend, her name is Nijino Rainbow.
She is a runner-up just like me.
If I had to point out a difference, maybe she takes third and I take second?
I don't know why, but I feel like she would have a lot in common with that underclassman named Nice Nature.
"I get the feeling you just said something very rude."
Nijino Rainbow looked at me with sudden realization.
Tsk, she's unexpectedly sharp in this regard.
"Oh, my dear Rainbow, I'm so happy to see you on the stage of the Kikuka Sho. Let us continue to work hard together as Gold Legend's background."
I squeezed out a perfunctory smile.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Miss Rainbow showed a look of disgust. "I am standing on this stage to defeat Gold Legend."
"You said the same thing at the Satsuki Sho."
"Can you call an Uma Musume's struggle 'losing'?! Just you wait, watch me stage a magnificent last stand!"
"You said the same thing at the Derby."
And is that really how you use 'last stand'?
"You're so annoying!"
Miss Rainbow broke down.
"However, I didn't expect you still haven't given up. Let me see... Shenyou Tingquan, Magician, Huiyi Yishi, Xiuluoxia... they're all old faces..."
I looked around; everyone on this track was a familiar face.
"After all, everyone came for the sake of one person."
A dark figure suddenly popped up.
"...You're still as elusive as ever, xcw."
I patted my chest, suppressing the shock in my heart.
"My name is Anye Jinghua, not xcw."
By the way, what is that?
Jinghua tilted her head.
"Then you should dye your hair purple, tie it into twin tails, and by the way, learn from Miss Nijino Rainbow and become a tsundere."
"Who are you calling a tsundere? I'll hit you!" Nijino Rainbow protested.
Jinghua stared at Nijino Rainbow for a while, then shook her head.
"I can't learn it."
"Hey!"
"Indeed, not everyone can pull off being a tsundere."
I nodded approvingly.
"You! Seriously!"
Miss Nijino Rainbow began her impotent rage.
"Are you not frustrated?" Jinghua suddenly said.
"What's with the sudden question?" I looked at Jinghua, confused.
Why say something like that all of a sudden?
"If there was one among us who could defeat her, you would be the most likely candidate." Jinghua's tone was devoid of any inflection, as flat as water. "If it weren't for Gold Legend, you would be the one with the undefeated two-crown title."
"'Ifs' are the most meaningless things." I shook my head. "Even without Gold Legend, there might have been some Mejiro Legend or Symboli Legend, right?"
"Why do you say that?"
"It's like how a play must have main and supporting roles. Isn't the meaning of a supporting character's existence to highlight the protagonist?" I spread my hands and said calmly.
"Are you so sure that you aren't the protagonist?" A complex expression appeared on Anye Jinghua's poker face.
"I have a pretty clear sense of my own positioning. Besides, is there anyone who looks more like a protagonist than Gold Legend?" I said with a smile. "Also, how should I put it? I have a feeling that we were born because of Gold Legend."
"You sound like a brainless fan," Jinghua retorted.
"Look at you saying that. Among us who are still standing here, which one of us isn't a brainless fan?" I teased.
"Indeed, smart people wouldn't be here."
"Do you like Gold Legend that much?" Nijino Rainbow suddenly asked.
"Hmm?"
"You've been fixated on her since a long time ago, haven't you?" Miss Rainbow's tone was inexplicably irritable. "Since when did you become someone who gives up so easily?"
"That's obvious, isn't it? We can't win at all; she's a being from an entirely different dimension." I said with emotion.
"Can't win, I don't understand that." Nijino Rainbow turned around and walked toward the starting gates. "I will prove it. I am not anyone's supporting character!"
"...She's really cool, isn't she?" Jinghua smiled, a rare sight.
"Indeed, she's super cool." I nodded.
"However, I think there is one thing she said that wasn't right."
"What?"
"You are not someone who gives up easily." Jinghua looked at me with gentle eyes. "I have always seen your sweat and efforts. You are not anyone else's supporting character. That is what I think."
"...Why are you saying such cheesy things all of a sudden?" I couldn't help but rub my arms.
"It was just a thought." Jinghua wiped away her smile and turned to look to the side. "Alright, the protagonist has arrived."
"She seems a bit off, doesn't she?" I also looked toward that golden figure.
"It's visible to the naked eye." Jinghua nodded. "You won't go easy on her because of that, will you?"
"What kind of stupid thing are you saying? When have I ever not given my all?"
"Aren't you the one who considers yourself a supporting character?" Jinghua said, surprised.
"It's precisely because I am a supporting character that I must give my all." I nodded as a matter of course. "If the supporting characters cannot shine, how can they highlight the brilliance of the protagonist?"
"Aren't you afraid of stealing the protagonist's thunder?"
"If she cannot suppress the stars to become the brightest one, then she is not qualified to be the protagonist."
I said calmly.
"...That's pretty cool." Jinghua raised an eyebrow.
"I think so too."
Now, it's time to enter the gates.
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