Mejiro Ramonu was also confused. 'What was this "Cygames" that Mizuki constantly mentioned, and who was this "Uncle Giftbox"?'
Furthermore, Ramonu was clearly concerned about her own real-horse counterpart. She wasn't primarily focused on race records, instead, she wondered: 'Will my real-horse self have a happy ending?'
In truth, Mejiro Ramonu's real-horse counterpart was incredibly powerful. From the moment she stepped onto the racing stage, she displayed terrifying dominance. In her debut race, she crossed the finish line a staggering 20 horse lengths ahead of the runner-up.
Such a gap is rare in the entirety of racing history.
Some horses show their terrifying side from the very beginning, as if they were born to forge legends. Among them was another legendary horse from America— Flightline.
In his debut, she won by an astonishing 13 lengths. While debut races aren't always definitive, they proved his monstrous potential.
Flightline was born in Kentucky, the same home state as Taiki Shuttle. He ended his career with 6 wins from 6 starts, including four G1 titles. The IFHA gave Flightline a rating of 139.
What does that mean?
He was the undisputed world number one of his era and the second-highest rated horse in history, rivaling the "Horse of the Century."
To put it in perspective, when Equinox was named World Horse of the Year, he was rated 129 (though that was before his legendary runs in the Tenno Sho Autumn and the Japan Cup). Even then, the gap to 139 is significant.
Yet, Flightline remains second in history. Above him sits a horse that cannot be surpassed: Frankel, with a rating of 140.
Frankel is hailed as the culmination of 300 years of British racing history, the greatest son of Galileo. Frankel's story is equally brilliant. His arrival saved the career of his trainer, Sir Henry Cecil. Henry was elderly, battling stomach cancer, and had recently lost his brother. His once-glorious stable was on the brink of collapse— until Juddmonte Farms sent him a colt named Frankel in February 2010.
Speaking of the horse Galileo, his mother was the "Goddess of the Arc," Urban Sea.
Mizuki had just learned these facts because her diary had upgraded as the URA races began, unlocking new functions:
[Fixed Intel: After a Horse Girl completes the URA, the host receives permanent information about her real-horse counterpart.]
[Random Intel: For every ten Horse Girls who complete a URA goal, the host can draw a random piece of real-horse information. This fills the gaps in her knowledge regarding domestic and overseas racing (Japan, China, Dubai, Europe, USA, etc.).]
[Drawing Limit: The host can currently draw up to 5 pieces of info per day.]
Mizuki happily began writing her log:
[Haha, new content! My diary finally upgraded again!]
[Damn, I have to say, this leveling speed is way faster than training horses in Cygames. Is this what real gains feels like? Back in Cygames, I was just "serving time" every day.]
[My roommates used to call me 'The Great Prisoner' because I was always stuck in Gacha Jail!]
[But who would have thought that I, The Great Prisoner, would actually transmigrate?]
[What can I say? I had a prison break!]
Back at Tracen Academy, a group of Horse Girls was stunned.
Matikane Tannhauser rubbed her head, her voice adorable: "'Gacha Jail'? What does that mean? And Trainer Mizuki mentioned Cygames again. She seems to have a deep grudge against Cygames..."
Narita Taishin, however, looked like she was holding back a laugh and spoke with understanding: "I think it refers to a game she played. I get it, some games feel like serving time. She probably had terrible luck, so she called himself 'The Great Prisoner'."
"As for Cygames, is it an Uma-training game in their world? Is the passion for racing that high over there?"
Tokai Teio giggled: "Ni-hee-hee! Do you think we're game characters? If they made a game where you could raise us on a phone, Teio would definitely be the strongest one!"
Teio then looked at Symboli Rudolf and teased: "President, you should learn some of the memes Trainer Mizuki talks about. You need to cultivate your sense of humor!"
Air Groove wore a pained expression: "Cultivate? Let's... let's not cultivate that."
Rudolf, however, was actually amused. "Haha, you're right, Teio. I really should look into these new jokes..."
Mizuki had no idea that a group of Umas was seriously discussing the "Gacha Jail" meme, nor that Teio had accidentally hit upon the truth of them being game characters. Her sixth sense was terrifying.
Narita Taishin muttered: "Huh? Being made into a game character? No thanks. Only outgoing Uma Musume are popular. Someone like me..."
She didn't say it out loud, but she was still self-conscious about her small stature.
Biwa Hayahide thought silently: 'As long as my nickname isn't "Big Head," I don't care if I'm a game character.'
She also wondered if her real-horse self also had a huge head, or if the real-horse Winning Ticket was also a crybaby.
Just then, the diary updated again, leaving everyone startled.
[There's so much to write, but I'll finish the Rice Shower part first.]
[Rice's death was tragic, but it indirectly saved another famous horse: Nice Nature.]
[At the age of 8, Nature was about to compete in her sixth Arima Kinen. However, before the race, she was found to have a bone fracture.]
[Nice Nature's team immediately thought of Rice Shower's tragedy. Without a second thought, they retired her on the spot. Otherwise, Nature might not have had a peaceful end.]
[There is no such thing as a painless world, it's just that Rice Shower carried the burden for everyone else.]
[Rice Shower is not a villain, she is a hero.]
[Sigh, the more I talk about it, the more my heart aches for her. Oh, and Nice Nature— I almost forgot you. You had a fracture too, and you ran until you were 8. Hard work indeed.]
[Though, I wonder how her career went. I heard she got a few 3rd-place finishes. Hurry up and get some 1sts, Neicha-san!]
[I remember she was practicing center-position dances the other day, I bet she wants to be number one too.]
[I recall there's a "Bronze Collector" in Uma Musume, I wonder who that is...?]
Rice Shower's face turned beet-red. She felt like she was floating. She only saw five words:
"Rice Shower is a hero."
Her heart pounded so hard she felt she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Her eyes practically sparked with blue flames.
Nice Nature was stunned when she read this and immediately bowed to Rice Shower, promising to treat her to lots of delicious food in gratitude. But then she saw the latter part of the entry.
'Trainer Mizuki, what are you saying?! An 8-year-old Nice Nature preparing for her sixth Arima Kinen?!'
"I guess it means I raced for eight years... and I was voted into the Arima Kinen six times? Am I actually that popular?"
Nature felt a bit embarrassed. Her cheeks flushed as she realized her secret "center-position" dance practice had been discovered.
She didn't mind the "always getting 3rd" reputation, but she truly wanted a 1st place finish just once.
At this point, she had only just debuted, so she wasn't yet too bothered by the "Bronze Collector" title. If she knew that nickname referred specifically to her, who knows what she'd think.
Nakayama Festa laughed: "Hahaha! This diary is fun. But if it were me, I'd probably choose to race even with a fracture. To live is to push your limits and squeeze out every drop of potential!"
Gold Ship immediately protested: "Hey, I don't agree with that! You'd run even if it was life-threatening?"
Festa smirked: "Hahahaha! If I die, I die. If a race demands my life as the stakes, I'll give it everything."
Sweep Tosho covered her ears.
"Death? Yada, yada, yada! I think life is more important! Until I master resurrection magic, none of you are allowed to die!"
Gold Ship was moved by Sweep Tosho's words, but she didn't let it show on her face.
Instead, she solemnly nodded at Nakayama Festa.
"I believe in you, Festa. If you die, I'll burn Little Golshi dolls to send to you in the afterlife. You'll probably miss me."
Festa rubbed her head. "Uh... that won't be necessary."
One Gold Ship was enough, a bunch of Gold Ship dolls would be the death of her.
Tokai Teio said smugly: "Sweep Tosho, you really are a kid. Magic doesn't exist, your grandma lied to you. You should hurry up and grow up like Teio-sama! Ni-hee-hee!"
"Yada, yada yada! Magic is real! Just look at Trainer Mizuki's diary!" Sweep Tosho pouted.
Just then, the diary updated again. The content was explosive.
[The info I just drew is, in one word: Legendary.]
[It's about the famous jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe.]
[Rumor has it that when Kenichi Ikezoe set out for battle, he once said:— ]
[When you find a horse that doesn't reject the gate, doesn't throw you off to try and solo the competition, doesn't act up erratically, but instead stands perfectly still for photos— it's not because the horse is naturally well-behaved, but because I have been there!]
At this, everyone in Tracen froze.
"Ikezoe? Why does that sound so much like Papa's name?" Sweep Tosho was momentarily stunned. Although the full name was different, the pronunciation was identical. She was deeply confused.
"Haha, this part is written so well. I get the feeling this Ikezoe guy is a real tiger. Is he the type who can fix problem Umas?" Jungle Pocket chimed in, the resident rocker of Tracen.
"I need to study these words carefully, they'll be very useful for educating students later." Symboli Rudolf took notes in silence. She was taking Teio's advice to heart and planned to pull out some "good content" from the diary.
Only Air Groove stood by, her brow furrowed in a deep frown.
Mizuki's diary continued.
[There's also a funny anecdote here about Ikezoe and Sweep Tosho. During an interview, someone jokingly asked Kenichi Ikezoe, "Would you ever want her to be your girlfriend?"]
[Ikezoe replied with absolute finality: "No thanks, that'd be really rough."]
[Little Witch, Hahaha! I'm dying! Your own father said that— can you stand it? Even I can't listen to that without laughing.]
[But it makes sense. Sweep Tosho is incredibly headstrong and hates training. Once, on a snowy day, she refused to train and stood unmoved as a mountain at the training ground entrance with her jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe, for ages. Man and horse were both covered in snow, and she only moved two minutes before the grounds closed.]
[She often stops mid-workout whenever she feels like it. You practically have to chase her with a broom to get her to finish the route.]
[Oh, Tosho-chan... you kill me.]
In the Tracen cafeteria, the crowd finally lost it, erupting into incredibly joyful laughter.
A world where only Sweep Tosho gets hurt was achieved.
"Haha! Seems like Ikezoe really knows his stuff. He knows exactly how stubborn Sweep is!" Teio couldn't hold back.
"Fake! It's all fake! That's impossible!" Sweep Tosho was nearly in tears. She was having a total mental breakdown.
This "Ikezoe" guy was clearly spreading rumors!
Where was she stubborn? This was the nobility of a witch, and they didn't understand it at all!
But then, Sweep had a realization.
Wait. Could the Kenichi Ikezoe in the real-horse world be the same person as her Papa in this world? It was possible! Since they were a family of mages, maybe Papa was a mage too and could travel between two worlds.
'To think you'd go to another world and call me stubborn— you've gone too far!'
She prepared to grab her magic broom and go home for revenge. No, a broom wasn't enough. She was furious and wanted to file a serious protest.
Good luck, Ikezoe... run for your life! Sweep Tosho is coming to torment you again!
Indeed, not every horse can be as well-behaved as Curren Chan.
The log continued to update.
[I can only say that even Yutaka Take, who had the honor of witnessing Ikezoe's races, couldn't help but sigh. Some people blame Ikezoe for being afraid of his horses, but after I studied the horses under his name— Sweep Tosho, Orfevre, Dream Journey, and so on— I realized how completely wrong those people were.]
[Because I discovered that Ikezoe fights with his life on the line. One of these horses refuses to enter the gate, one goes insane at any moment, and one is always trying to kill him. Any one of them could send a man to the afterlife at any moment.]
[The Flight Specialist Demuro once evaluated Ikezoe like this: "Only he let me know what a true pilot is. I just strike a pose for takeoff, but Ikezoe is actually ready to go to heaven at any time."]
At this moment, everyone was laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.
Gold Ship clutched her stomach, roaring, "Hahaha! This Ikezoe guy is so tragic! And Orfevre— you're actually that stubborn?! This is perfect!"
Even Rudolf couldn't keep her composure. "Ahem... it is indeed quite apt. I can almost see Orfevre's reckless behavior in my mind's eye."
Just then, Gentildonna walked over.
She sighed and said, "Orfevre... you guys shouldn't tease her while she's around. When her temper flares up, no one can control her."
But she was also curious. Demuro? That name sounds... quite familiar?
"It's here! The diary updated!" Mejiro McQueen, the cute little fatty, immediately reminded everyone to look.
[The famous JRA jockey, Kenichi Ikezoe, also publicly admitted that he once experienced beautiful times. If every horse were replaced by Curren Chan, he would live at least five years longer.]
[But unfortunately, he ended up accepting the Gold family.]
[Just what kind of sacred beings are the Gold family? Why would they make Ikezoe sigh like that?]
[The large-scale documentary "Why is Ikezoe the GOAT?" is currently airing for you.]
The crowd finally saw that line and felt satisfied.
Every "gold" Uma they know really is a troublemaker.
One person who read this, however, was very much not satisfied.
"Trainer Mizuki... and Kenichi Ikezoe... you just wait."
Orfevre was livid. If she saw Ikezoe right now, she truly might charge over and kill him.
Poor Ikezoe— he was doing just fine in the real-horse world, completely unaware that the horses under his name were already planning to "educate" him.
Even Sweep Tosho had picked up an axe she found somewhere.
[Alright, that's about enough for now. I'll write about the Arc results for El Condor Pasa and Montjeu later.]
[I suddenly thought of Captain America.]
[I know the result of El Condor Pasa and Montjeu's Arc de Triomphe. In the final sprint, El was overtaken by Montjeu from the left. If Montjeu had Captain America's habits, she probably would have said as she crossed the line: "El, On Your Left."]
[Thinking about it like that, it's truly a heart-piercing blow.]
[But El Condor Pasa was strong enough. She called herself the world-class super-speed phantom bird, and she was right, it's just a pity she ran into the once-in-a-century genius, Montjeu. Her granddaughter Treve was even more terrifying— back-to-back Arc wins. The only regret was failing to achieve the historic feat of three consecutive Arcs. Similarly, Enable also fell short of the triple Arcs.]
[I'll end today's diary here. This afternoon, there's a training match between McQueen and Teio. Logically, McQueen has a higher win rate. She's already past her Classic year and has entered the Senior group, while Teio just reached her Classic year— and the distance is 3000 meters. I hope McQueen does her best.]
Mizuki smiled and closed the log. At that moment, her rewards arrived.
[Diary uploaded successfully!]
[Reward obtained— Host has unlocked a URA Key. When all keys are collected, a mysterious gift can be opened.]
[Host has obtained a Top-Tier SSR Reward. Cumulative time reset. Writing for another 200 days will guarantee another SSR reward.]
Mizuki blinked. A URA Key? A top-tier SSR?
Was she finally lucky today?
She checked the diary's exclusive "Key Page." It was covered with Uma Musume icons, each with a key beneath it. Taiki Shuttle's key was divided into six parts, and the first part was lit up.
She wondered if this was related to the URA training targets. Since Taiki completed the Shinzan Kinen, the first part lit up. Once she finishes the NHK Mile Cup, the second would light up. Once she completes her entire URA career, the key would open the "mysterious gift."
This was interesting. However, the system was being a riddle-teller again.
What would it open? The Dream Trophy? Surely it couldn't be a key to the real-horse world, right?
She noticed that keys for girls like Rudolf were already fully lit, but a single horse wasn't enough to open it, she'd have to wait for a while.
'But if Uma Musume and the real horses could meet, that would be wild.'
But she dismissed the thought— how could that even be possible?
She headed out to eat. she had spent a long time writing today, so the cafeteria should have been empty. What she didn't know was that the cafeteria was currently packed with Umas reading her diary...