Because Xingyun Liuge had so effortlessly defeated a powerful older rival, even the BBC—normally so fond of its moody, ominous filters—had been stirred into action. They produced a special feature just for her.
Of course, they did not dare use their trademark gloomy presentation style on something like this. If they had, certain British ladies and gentlemen would probably have sent people to their offices for a very heartfelt little talk.
Rudolf Symbol, who had grown noticeably thinner, naturally did not miss the program. Not only did she watch it, she watched it together with the elders of her family, as well as the Mejiro family and several other prominent houses close to the Symbol line. Her purpose, of course, was to keep advancing the "beauty strategy."
What she wanted to tell the heads of those families was simple:
Look at that. The British are doing everything they can to pile praise on Xingyun Liuge. And what did we do?
The moment she thought about how Japan had lost simply because of the JRA, Rudolf's headache doubled. If she were not such a principled horse girl, she might have wanted to add several extra centuries to the sentences of those JRA executives already confirmed guilty of dereliction of duty, corruption, and bribery—just lock them up until they died in prison.
Half a month before the Takarazuka Kinen, letters from racing fans had piled up so high at the gates of Central Tracen that they nearly blocked the entrance. Everyone wanted an answer to one serious question:
That girl had been away for so long, had won so much international glory for Japan—when was she coming home?
Together with the Arima Kinen, the Takarazuka Kinen made up the two highest-paying races in Japanese horse racing, the so-called "Grand Prix" races. Fans everywhere wanted to see Xingyun Liuge shine on that stage, and that desire was reflected very clearly in the polls.
In the vote for "Which horse girl do you most want to see in the Takarazuka Kinen?", Xingyun Liuge's total absolutely crushed the runner-up. Rudolf Symbol had broken out in cold sweat the moment she saw the result.
Because Xingyun Liuge was set to run in the Commonwealth Cup, and the schedule conflicted with the Takarazuka Kinen.
At this rate, whether she would even come back for the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen remained a huge question mark.
So Rudolf had decisively invited all these "old-timers" over, hoping they could offer some support—or better yet, a great deal of it.
The head of the Mejiro family was, of course, very supportive of Rudolf's work. She immediately thought of what she considered a strong candidate.
"Our Mejiro house has a very promising girl. She'll be eligible for the Classic series next year—"
A bead of cold sweat slid down Rudolf Symbol's temple, and she hurriedly cut her off.
"That won't be necessary, will it? That child is still very, very young, haha…"
What was she supposed to do? Say out loud that Xingyun Liuge quite possibly, maybe, perhaps, probably did not like flat-chested girls? Even her laugh sounded forced.
In truth, there was no need for her to be this nervous. Maruzensky had already quietly made a phone call, and that senior had also concluded that Xingyun Liuge preferred curvier horse girls.
The Mejiro family head, however, mistook Rudolf's reaction for modest politeness and became even more eager to support the student council president's efforts.
While the great families of Japan were discussing the matter with great enthusiasm, at the Ritto dorms of Central Tracen—
Fujimasa March was proudly reporting her recent results to Xingyun Liuge: after transferring to Central, she had gone three-for-three.
According to the rules, she could now enter GII races. If things kept going at this pace, aiming for a GI title was no longer a fantasy.
But Fujimasa March showed no arrogance. Instead, she sighed softly.
"The tracks, the dorms, the support staff, the teaching methods… everything here is on a completely different level from the local circuit. The horse girls here are also one stronger than the next. Even that last GIII—yes, I won, but it was a very close thing. If it hadn't been for your help, Xingyun, I definitely wouldn't have won. I'd have probably just slunk back to Kasamatsu in disgrace…"
As she spoke, she wiped at the corner of her eye.
She was not stupid. Of course she understood how much she had changed before and after drinking that green juice. Without exaggeration, the current her could easily trample the old her into the ground. She had long since fully entered her peak form, which meant the only possible explanation was that it was all Xingyun Liuge's doing.
Just then, Oguri Cap seized the telephone receiver.
She had been listening the whole time from the side, and she wanted a proper chat with Xingyun Liuge too. The moment she saw Fujimasa March on the verge of tears, she acted decisively.
But Fujimasa March had no intention of letting go.
Without a word, the two horse girls began a tug-of-war over the phone. If the telephone had not been made from specially reinforced materials, the poor thing probably would have died on the spot.
After a fierce struggle, the international call time limit ran out.
"…"
Hearing the dead line, Oguri Cap's ears drooped limply against her head.
"…Oguri."
Seeing her like that, Fujimasa March could not help calling her name—but after a moment, she threw her own sadness aside and said, "No, it's nothing."
Since Oguri was a natural airhead who understood nothing, then Fujimasa March would simply shoulder everything herself. In the years to come, she would be the one to take care of Xingyun Liuge.
Though she had plenty of spirit, from the perspective of accumulated prize money and domestic skills, it was still anyone's guess who would really be taking care of whom.
And besides, there were so many other horse girls around outside.
After hanging up the phone, Xingyun Liuge's line of sight was met by a pair of slender hands holding out a warm, damp towel.
The horse girl offering it to her possessed a breathtaking figure. Lowering her head respectfully, she said, "Please, use this."
In that regard, Lady Donna really was a horse girl with brains. She had started with the little things around Liuge, trying to increase her weight in Liuge's heart, and from there learn the art of running.
"Oh…"
Blinking, Xingyun Liuge accepted the towel and wiped her hands before saying, "Donna, I told you last time, didn't I? I really can't get used to this. There's no need. Don't do it again next time."
Who lived everyday life in such a ceremonious way? This was far too elaborate.
Donna slowly straightened, the fullness of her chest swaying magnificently.
"Yes. I will reflect on it properly, Lady Xingyun."
Xingyun Liuge's expression turned faintly odd.
But I can't see any sign that you're reflecting at all…
At that moment, Daiwa Scarlet stepped forward decisively, offering up something in an almost syrupy tone.
"Lady Xingyun, please have this. It's freshly made pudding~"
The pudding wobbled enticingly, showing off its soft perfection to great effect.
But the real focus should have been on Cui He right now, shouldn't it? Cui He had won her debut race. It was time to begin a new round of study and planning around her.
Then again, Xingyun Liuge herself felt that this arrangement was not so bad.
She rather enjoyed being waited on by beautiful horse girls. Especially when they all had such lovely personalities.
As for Cui He, the little horse girl was quietly glug-glugging down her carrot juice, perfectly content to sit back and observe her master navigating this so-called love battlefield.
Though in Cui He's opinion, the amount of actual "battlefield" present was still a little lacking.
Perhaps it would take a little more time before things became truly interesting?
And so, amidst Cui He's wandering thoughts, another week slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Xingyun Liuge won the Grand Prix de Paris—
and her legend of consecutive victories continued.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter260)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter135)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 240
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 280
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 260
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 135
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 91
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 90
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 100
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 90
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 105
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 85
After Maxing Out Every Class 85
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 70
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 55
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 55
From Trilobites to Titans 55
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 66
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 70
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 50
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