The winner of the Arima Kinen was the Undefeated Triple Crown Horse Girl, Narita Brian. By capturing the Arima Kinen during her Classic year while maintaining an unbroken winning streak, Brian achieved a historic feat that sent shockwaves of excitement across all of Japan. Her victorious roar after crossing the finish line was bound to linger in the hearts of everyone who witnessed it...
"And now, we would like to begin the winner's interview with Narita Brian!"
Camera flashes went off in unison. While Tojo standing beside her was clearly accustomed to the spectacle, Brian wore a grim expression. Though she had known she needed to get used to the press after securing the Triple Crown, the sheer volume of flashes today far exceeded that moment, forcing her to narrow her eyes. Observing this, Tojo let out a soft chuckle.
"It was a magnificent race. How do you feel right now?"
"I am simply delighted that we could stand on this stage once more, and I want to praise Brian's exceptional performance," Tojo answered on her behalf.
"And what about you, Brian?"
The question was redirected to Brian, but her eyes remained half-closed. She wanted to answer, but the light was blinding. Just then, someone clapped their hands to bring the room to order.
"Alright, alright, everyone, let's calm down for a second! What you all want is to see how cool Brian looks, right? If you keep blinding her like this, you're only getting in your own way~"
It was Flora, who had been sitting in the commentator's booth. Anticipating this exact scenario, she had stepped in to offer backup. At her voice, the flashes instantly died down. Taking a breath of relief, Brian offered Flora a word of thanks before speaking into the microphone.
"Right... I am truly proud to have run on this Nakayama stage alongside my sister and Laurel, the two runners I've wanted to face for so long. Proud, yes... but at the same time, I realized I still have a long way to go. I can still reach higher."
As reporters murmured in shock at her relentless ambition, one reporter stood straight out from the crowd, hand raised high. It was Otonashi. When Flora called on her, Otonashi cleared her throat and pressed further into that remark about 'having a long way to go.'
"Regarding your comment about still having room to grow—are you referring to your late start out of the gate? Compared to your usual standard, it seemed as though you were caught off guard at the beginning."
"Ah, that. It's frustrating to admit, but it seems I hadn't fully adapted to the atmosphere of the Senior class. I didn't mean to take it lightly... but as expected, a real race is entirely different from a mock race. I have no intention of repeating such a run, and I will push myself even harder from here on out."
No one else had dared bring up her delayed start. Even Flora hadn't noticed it, yet this reporter had picked up on the microscopic flaw immediately. Tojo had known, but only because she had been coaching Brian personally; for an outside reporter to notice was staggering. Learning that Rampage favored this journalist suddenly made total sense.
"So I was right! I compared your break to the other runners and found you were delayed by approximately 0.7 seconds—which is roughly 1.2 seconds behind your personal average. Since you didn't appear underconditioned, it must have been the tension of your first Senior-mixed race! Yet, having already recognized it, your drive to refine your performance only proves why you're a Triple Crown winner! Your mindset is simply on another level! And to recover from that delay, you deliberately abandoned a forward-running strategy in favor of a late-charge positioning, didn't you?!"
"...I didn't expect you to see through all of that. You truly live up to being the reporter my senior took a liking to."
"I'm honored!"
(...Is this girl seriously a rookie...?) the other journalists wondered, stunned.
(What incredible vision...) Tojo thought to herself. (She has the talent to become a master trainer...)
The way the surrounding media viewed Otonashi shifted completely. Though she was known as Rampage's favorite, she had largely been dismissed as an eccentric novelty act. No one had anticipated she possessed depth like this. Meanwhile—
"Fufufu... as expected of Rampage's keen eye... His judgment of character is just divine..." Flora murmured with an oddly intoxicated expression. The moment Rampage was mentioned, she lost her composure entirely—a recurring headache for those around her.
"May I ask about your future plans?!" Otonashi pressed on. "And looking ahead to the upcoming Classic class, who is the Horse Girl you are keeping the closest eye on?!"
Up next was the Hopeful Stakes, a G1 race ushering in the new year. The reporters eagerly sought her commentary on the upcoming showdown. Brian paused briefly to ponder the question before speaking.
"Well... my instinct would be to say my junior, Fuji Kiseki, but that wouldn't be accurate. Fuji is still growing; her potential is largely an unknown quantity, though she is certainly a runner to look forward to. The one I am truly anticipating is... Mayano Top Gun."
A murmur rippled through the press corps. Of course—Mayano Top Gun, sent forth by Team Pleiades under Rampage's banner. With her original trainer, Sakahara, joining Pleiades as a sub-trainer, Mayano was in peak condition. Having declared her entry into the Hopeful Stakes, she was already regarded as the overwhelming favorite.
"I have already run with her—though only in a mock race... and I am certain of it. We will clash in the next Arima Kinen... and when we do, well, it will be a race as fulfilling as today's."
Brian's expression was clear and refreshed, radiating deep satisfaction. Filled with anticipation and fulfillment, she turned and departed from the press conference.
The next rival of the Undefeated Triple Crown winner: Mayano Top Gun. Speculation immediately ran wild over whether this rising star could become a rival who surpassed even her peers like Laurel and Hishi Amazon.
"For you to say that much... did you take that much of a liking to her?" Tojo asked softly as they walked away.
"It isn't a matter of liking her, Hana-san... I simply want to experience a race like today's once more. That is all."
"I see! So your victory at Longchamp was driven by a mental surge—a desperate craving to conquer Mejiro Rampage—that physically enhanced your performance!"
"Exactly! I knew you'd understand! For someone like you, I'm willing to expose every single secret behind my overseas campaign! And every last detail of how I became this strong—all of it!"
"Thank you so much!"
Left behind after the broadcast ended, Flora had been answering questions from the press... until one reporter inadvertently asked for her thoughts on facing Rampage again in the Legend Race. Since Otonashi was more than capable of keeping up with that train of thought, the scene quickly devolved into a heated, high-energy dialogue between Flora and Otonashi.
Eventually, this interview would be compiled by Otonashi into a full-length book.
Its title: "The Back of the Tyrant: What Agnes Flora, the Great Flower of the World, Pursued."
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