Agnes Digital crept stealthily toward the Student Council's door.
It wasn't that she was here to steal anything... In fact, the Student Council President herself, the famous Emperor Symboli Rudolf, had summoned her.
It was just that Agnes Digital had a habit of moving this way out of instinct—always ready to dive into bushes at a moment's notice to witness a perfect scene of her favorite idols...
Thanks to this habit, she often got mistaken for some kind of weirdo.
"Ahem... Is anyone there?" Agnes Digital tentatively knocked on the Student Council door.
"Come in," a calm voice belonging to Symboli Rudolf sounded from inside.
Yet Agnes Digital knew it was all a facade. Symboli Rudolf was, in truth, the Night Emperor who ruled over this academy.
Outwardly, she was the dutiful Student Council President, but in reality, she saw every student in the school as part of her personal harem. Every night, she'd flip through name plates to decide who to summon...
'Agnes Digital, stop making things up.'
Don't believe it? Just you wait—the moment this door opens, you'll see Rudolf with two young horse girls clinging to her, one on each side, sitting astride the Student Council chair, flaunting her supreme authority—
Agnes Digital cautiously pushed the door open. There was no one else in the Student Council room except Symboli Rudolf and—
"Platinum, go left, try going left!" Tokai Teio lay sprawled on the sofa, eyes glued to what was in Platinum's arms.
"It's no good... I can't jump over..." Platinum gritted her teeth, having kicked off her little leather shoes and now sitting cross-legged on the sofa. She gripped a Nintendo Switch, twisting it left and right as if it were a steering wheel.
Symboli Rudolf sat on the other end of the sofa, taking a sip of black tea from her cup.
"Please, have a seat."
'Geez, one on each side—I actually called it.'
Agnes Digital timidly took a seat on the opposite side of the sofa, facing Symboli Rudolf.
"Make yourself at home. Please, have some tea." Rudolf pushed a cup of tea toward Agnes Digital.
"Uh... Thank you, President..." Agnes Digital carefully accepted the cup, glanced around, then took a small sip before setting it down.
The sounds of Tokai Teio and Platinum playing video games continued in the background. Amidst the noise, Agnes Digital rubbed her hands together and forced an awkward smile. "What did you need me for, President?"
'Could it be that I've spread too many rumors, and now Symboli Rudolf is planning to... permanently silence me?'
'Or maybe she's grown tired of her usual delicacies and wants to try something new...?'
At that thought, Agnes Digital quickly covered her chest.
'President, I must refuse! As a dedicated solo stan, I'm meant to be a background camera, not a romanceable character!'
'Please go flirt with your harem members!'
Symboli Rudolf gave a curious look to Agnes Digital, who was still clutching her chest, then took another sip of tea before continuing. "Agnes Digital... Although you usually keep a low profile at school, the glory you've achieved cannot be overlooked."
"Glory?" Agnes Digital scratched her head. "President, are you talking about the photos I took? Or those posts on the forum..."
"What photos? What forum?" Symboli Rudolf blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm referring to your racing achievements, of course."
"Never mind, never mind." Agnes Digital waved her hands repeatedly, letting out a sigh of relief. "So it's about racing... I thought it was something else."
'As long as the forum isn't getting shut down—that's my lifeline.'
Symboli Rudolf, however, looked intently at Agnes Digital.
As unreliable as she might seem, the Uma Musume sitting before her was a veteran with a glorious record.
A rare genius adaptable to both dirt and turf courses, a rare dual-threat who had claimed G1 titles on both surfaces.
The one who ended the winning streak of [Conqueror of the Century's End] T.M. Opera O in the Tenno Sho.
Moreover, she had achieved four consecutive G1 victories across various tracks, both domestic and international, on dirt and turf.
A true monster of versatility.
With such a list of honors, even in Tracen Academy—where geniuses were anything but scarce—Agnes Digital stood out as one of the finest.
...So how had she ended up like this?
Oh, right—Agnes Digital had always been like this.
"Agnes Digital, if I recall correctly, you've raced in Hong Kong multiple times, correct?" Setting aside these tangential thoughts, Symboli Rudolf pressed on.
"That's right."
"Then you must be familiar with the situation over there. For example—do you know Golden Sixty?"
At the mention of that name, not only Agnes Digital, but even Tokai Teio and Platinum fell silent. Three pairs of eyes fixed on Symboli Rudolf.
"President, you mean that Golden Sixty?" Tokai Teio asked with rising excitement.
If Symboli Rudolf was the emperor of Japanese horse racing, and Secretariat dominated the American tracks with undeniable force—then Golden Sixty was the emperor of Hong Kong horse racing.
A world-class champion who could be mentioned in the same breath as Symboli Rudolf and Secretariat.
But unlike Rudolf and Secretariat, Golden Sixty was still active on the track, powerfully asserting her presence by continuing to race.
How many years had Golden Sixty been running now? Three? Four? Was her body made of iron? Did she have an endless supply of stamina?
"Golden Sixty... may be considering retirement," Symboli Rudolf stated.
This season, Golden Sixty's winning streak had been broken. Not only broken—she had missed the top spot in two races.
To the audience, it might just be a lamentable turn of events. But Golden Sixty's status was so lofty that no one would doubt her ability, not even for a second.
"Rumor has it that Golden Sixty's physical condition may be a concern. In the worst-case scenario... she might retire after this."
As she spoke, Symboli Rudolf placed an envelope on the table and handed it to Agnes Digital.
"And all of this... was told to me personally by Golden Sixty herself."
Under the gaze of the others in the room, even Symboli Rudolf's mood seemed to grow heavier.
"The Hong Kong Mile is in two months, and Golden Sixty is still recuperating. It's highly possible she won't make it in time for the race. Even if she forces herself to compete, it's unlikely she'll win."
"Under these circumstances, Golden Sixty has sent me an invitation, asking me to participate in a special race held alongside her event."
"Her exact words were: [I know you have your duties, so this isn't an official race—think of it as a chance for old friends to catch up. If you can't make it, feel free to pass the invitation to any other Uma Musume you approve of. I'll welcome any challenger.]"
Symboli Rudolf's gaze shifted to Agnes Digital.
"And Agnes Digital," she said, "as a former winner of the Hong Kong Cup, you are the ideal candidate."
--+--
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.