"No, no, no—I absolutely won't allow it!"
Okino slapped his thigh, fuming with anger.
"Excellent, excellent, excellent—this is the perfect chance to test our results!"
Agnes Tachyon, her face lit up with excitement, clapped enthusiastically.
Platinum sat facing the two of them, the three of them at a standoff in Spica's lounge.
Okino turned his angry glare toward Agnes Tachyon. "I'm her trainer! I understand Platinum's condition better than you!"
"She just finished a race. Making her run another high-stakes event like this immediately won't give her proper rest, and could even lead to hidden injuries. For an Uma Musume at her stage, that must be avoided at all costs."
"Isn't Platinum's trainer Symboli Rudolf?" Agnes Tachyon replied, a faint smile playing on her lips, speaking unhurriedly. "If Symboli Rudolf has already made the decision, how dare you oppose it?"
"Besides, for Platinum, the race the other day was hardly a burden at all. I know Platinum's physical condition much better than you. She can handle it."
"And what's more..." Agnes Tachyon interlaced her fingers, "...this is a chance to compete against the very best Uma Musume in the world. It's a rare opportunity..."
"Exactly because it's the very best that I disagree!" Okino slammed his palm on the table, looking as if he could grind his teeth to dust. "That's not a race Platinum is ready for yet."
"I need to have a serious talk with Symboli Rudolf! With Platinum's current momentum, in a few months she'll surely have enough prize money. By then, she wouldn't even need to fight tooth and nail for a spot in the preliminary races. She could focus entirely on preparing for the Satsuki Sho."
"Going all the way to Hong Kong—think of the travel time there and back! How many races would she need to run after returning just to accumulate enough prize money?"
"Platinum hasn't even fully mastered racing on Japanese turf yet. Throwing her directly onto a Hong Kong track is asking too much!"
Hearing this, Platinum felt a wave of relief as she looked at Okino.
Well, I'll be damned. You, with your honest-looking face, actually planned to have me skip the Yayoi Sho!
For her, the Yayoi Sho was far more important than the Satsuki Sho!
She could skip the Satsuki Sho, but the Yayoi Sho was non-negotiable.
Thank goodness she found out early; there was still time to fix this.
"—I'll run the Hong Kong race. And I'll run the Yayoi Sho too." Thus, Platinum cut off Okino.
Yeah, worst case, it's just a casual stroll on the track after a meal. No reason to turn down free carrots.
"Every race that interests me, I will take part in."
"Avoiding a race just because there are strong opponents? If that were the case, you might as well not run any race at all. Only running races you're sure to win—where's the fun in that?"
'Interested'—well, that's pretty subjective. The standard for that wasn't really in Platinum's hands, but in the system's.
Basically, she'd run whichever races gave achievement rewards.
"There's no such thing as disrupting the plan. Because for me, no matter if I have enough prize money or not, I am definitely running the Yayoi Sho."
Platinum felt she had explained herself quite clearly, getting her point across. But the meaning the other two took from her words was completely different from what she intended.
"...I see, so that's what you mean." After a brief silence, Okino rubbed his head and sat back down.
So stubborn, this spirit of refusing to yield, of not turning back until she hits a wall... this is exactly the quality a top-class Uma Musume should possess.
Physical shortcomings can be overcome, technical difficulties can be remedied. But that sincere heart, burning with an extreme thirst for victory, is the most precious thing of all.
Not wanting to lose, not fearing loss—Platinum has achieved the former, but can she achieve the latter?
Facing a race she's bound to lose, and going willingly.
It might seem foolish, but in reality, it's the rarest quality.
Not running to seize victory, but running for the sake of running itself... it's a realization that even many seasoned veterans in their classic and senior years haven't yet grasped.
"In that case, it would be ungrateful of me to stop you any further." Okino sighed.
Giving his Uma Musume enough space to develop freely... wasn't that the strategy he himself had decided on?
"I trust you can take good care of yourself."
"Remember, you must go with the flow. If you encounter something beyond your ability, don't push yourself too hard."
Okino naturally couldn't go with her. Although he really wanted to accompany Platinum to Hong Kong, Tokai Teio's debut race was coming up soon, and the other team members' race schedules were also packed.
He just couldn't get away.
It was precisely because of this that Okino was so worried.
"And you? Is there anything you want to say to me?" Platinum then looked at Agnes Tachyon, feeling a bit of secret glee.
Finally, she'd be separated from Agnes Tachyon. It was simply...
So touching!
Lately, being driven to practice by Agnes Tachyon's whip, eating that almost tasteless nutritional food and various supplements—it hadn't been a life fit for a human.
Getting away from Agnes Tachyon was one of the key reasons Platinum agreed to go to Hong Kong.
Sleeping in, hell yeah! Eating and drinking to excess, hell yeah! Staying up late, hell yeah!
Agnes Tachyon, let's see how you can manage me all the way from Hong Kong.
Agnes Tachyon narrowed her eyes, looked Platinum up and down, then gently patted her shoulder. Her crimson eyes held a warm gaze.
"Go for it. Train hard, do your best, give it your all."
As she said this, Agnes Tachyon extended her thumb and drew it horizontally across her own neck.
At the same time, her gaze rapidly turned icy, her whole demeanor seeming to grow several shades darker, as if the very air around them grew colder.
"Lose, and I'll kill you."
"Eek!" Platinum felt a genuine threat to her life. It wasn't a joke; it was real. She was so frightened the hair all over her body stood on end. She jumped up from her chair, staring at Agnes Tachyon with lingering fear.
Damn it, if I lose, Agnes Tachyon will definitely drag me to the bottom of Tokyo Bay.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Platinum's forehead.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Immediately after, the training room door was pushed open roughly.
A head of jet-black long hair and a tall, slender figure—Leap of Faith, drenched in sweat, stood panting heavily by the doorway.
"Leap of Faith, what are you doing here?"
"Haah... haah... Platinum, is it true? Are you going to Hong Kong for that special race?"
Leap of Faith caught her breath for a moment, then rushed in without bothering to compose herself, gripping Platinum's arm tightly.
"You can't! You mustn't go!"
? What the... Why is everyone mentioning the special race today?
Platinum felt question marks popping up above her head.
How did it seem like the whole school found out about it in just one morning?
"I know Golden Sixty best. That one is utterly, completely a tyrant, impossible to get along with. She's definitely up to no good this time..." Leap of Faith spoke urgently.
"If you want a reason why." Leap of Faith raised the invitation letter in her hand, pressing her lips together tightly. "It's because... I am Golden Sixty's younger sister."
"Her shameful, utterly untalented little sister."
--+--
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.