Rice Shower's eyes widened slightly upon hearing Sakura Baimu's words.
"How did onee-sama know?"
"Symboli Rudolf told me. Rice, the Zone you showed in the Takarazuka Kinen clearly exceeded your body's limits. Someone must have revealed something to you, right?" Sakura Baimu spoke.
Mihono Bourbon had already heard Sakura Baimu tell her these things. She nodded slightly and added.
"Rice's Zone was truly terrifying back then, far stronger than mine."
"Ah! Onee-sama, do you mean Rice was deceived?" Rice Shower's expression instantly turned to astonishment, her heart pounding again.
"Symboli Rudolf only told you and Mihono Bourbon not to mention the method of opening a Zone to j Umamusume who haven't opened one yet. But she didn't mention that the cost of improving a Zone would be exponentially higher," Sakura Baimu explained.
"Symboli Rudolf is still too optimistic about everyone…" Sakura Baimu thought to herself, shaking her head.
She could completely understand why Symboli Rudolf hadn't revealed these things to Rice Shower; after all, Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon had only just awakened their Zones.
There was naturally no need to tell them that higher-level Zones couldn't be easily taught to Umamusume who had just awakened their Zones.
Symboli Rudolf assumed that Umamusume within the academy who had mastered higher-level Zones wouldn't tell others about them, so she neglected to educate Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon about higher-level Zones.
After all, the more you know about Zones, the more disadvantages you'll face.
Listening to Sakura Baimu's words, Rice Shower gradually understood everything.
So, her miserable state was entirely due to the blonde foreign Umamusume she had encountered a few nights ago.
"She taught Rice how to unlock higher levels of understanding, but she didn't tell Rice her body couldn't handle it..."
"She deliberately wanted Rice to become like this?!"
Rice Shower had initially thought the foreign Umamusume was a good person who had stepped in to remind her when her training wasn't progressing.
Unexpectedly, it was for this purpose!
Rice Shower glanced down at her legs, now horribly mangled and almost unbearable to look at, and became agitated again.
"She did it on purpose! She wanted to harm Rice! Rice thought she was a good person!"
"Who is this 'she' you're talking about? Is she from our department or from another department?" Sakura Baimu pressed.
Unexpectedly, Rice Shower's emotions became so agitated that the heart rate monitor sounded an alarm again.
The doctors and nurses rushed in once more, administering a sedative to Rice Shower.
This time, however, the head nurse didn't reprimand Sakura Baimu and Mihono Bourbon. After examining Rice Shower, she said softly to them.
"The transfer can be processed. Miss Rice Shower's recovery speed is astonishing; we've truly never seen anything like it before."
"Although we'd like to keep Miss Rice Shower in the hospital, if she really recovers, it will definitely be a miracle in the horse racing world."
"Then why don't you do that?" Mihono Bourbon asked, puzzled.
"Well, after considering it, the director felt that since we couldn't explain why Miss Rice Shower's recovery was so fast, it meant our technology was still lacking. Rather than seeking fame, it's better to let Miss Rice Shower receive treatment in Tokyo, where the equipment and technology are more advanced," the head nurse said with a smile.
"I see." Mihono Bourbon nodded expressionlessly.
"The nurse is really nice," Sakura Baimu said with a smile.
"Of course, I really like Rice Shower!"
The stern head nurse looked at Rice Shower, a hint of heartache in her eyes, before reluctantly leaving the ward.
After the head nurse left, Mihono Bourbon was silent for a moment, then suddenly said to Sakura Baimu:
"Trainer Sakura."
"What is it, Cyber Umamusume?"
"Rice Shower recovered so quickly. You did it, didn't you?"
"Well, who knows." Sakura Baimu neither agreed nor denied it.
She gently stroked Rice Shower's cheek, her azure eyes revealing no emotion.
"Rice just said that 'she' told Rice about higher-level knowledge but didn't mention the corresponding price. In other words, someone is deliberately trying to harm Rice Shower, right?" Mihono Bourbon asked.
"Oh, quite perceptive," Sakura Baimu complimented.
"I'm going to find her and teach her a lesson for Rice Shower." Mihono Bourbon's expression shifted dramatically to that of her trainer, Kuronuma, in a fit of rage.
"You? Cyber Umamusume? Have you ever beaten her? Since 'she' could teach Rice Shower to unlock higher-level knowledge, she must at least be an Umamusume of the same level." Sakura Baimu chuckled.
"I have a way."
"What way?" Sakura Baimu asked curiously.
"I can ask Rice how to advance my Zone and then challenge that Umamusume." Mihono Bourbon's expression was resolute, as if she were ready to die.
Sakura Baimu: "???"
"You all think I have tons of system points, right? You think I treat you for free? Do you know that for me to treat Rice Shower once, Yayoi has to keep opening her door for me for at least a few months?"
Sakura Baimu mentally complained, feeling a bit helpless toward Mihono Bourbon's robotic mind.
"Do you really think that just because you've unlocked a higher level of Zone, you can surpass 'her'? She's at least an Umamusume who's mastered her Zone for a long time. How can you, who has only been doing it for two months, possibly beat her?" Sakura Baimu retorted.
"..."
Mihono Bourbon was rendered speechless by Sakura Baimu's counter-question. After a long pause, she finally uttered a single sentence:
"My strength is insufficient. I'll request double the training from Master when I get back."
"..."
"..."
And so, the ward fell silent. Neither Mihono Bourbon nor Sakura Baimu spoke.
After a while, Mihono Bourbon suddenly spoke.
"I won't let her get away with it, anyone who hurt Rice Shower."
"Neither will I." Sakura Baimu nodded.
Hearing this, Mihono Bourbon turned her head sharply to Sakura Baimu, a look of bewilderment in her blue eyes.
"Trainer Sakura, are you suggesting that Teiō or McQueen avenge Rice? They haven't even unlocked their Zones yet; how could they possibly defeat her?"
"Unless…" Mihono Bourbon suddenly hesitated, "unless one of the Umamusume in the academy who has also mastered a higher level of Zone…"
Sakura Baimu listened to Mihono Bourbon's words, a slight smile playing on her lips, but remained silent.