Chihaya Yui was thinking much the same thing as Goodbye Halo: Xingyun Liuge had perhaps put just a little too much effort into acting cool.
For a split second, Yui had even felt that Liuge might suddenly sigh and say, "Life… is as lonely as snow."
Still, she had to admit that this version of Liuge was really cool.
She liked it quite a bit.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xingyun Liuge walked slowly over to Winning Colors and held out a hand.
Winning Colors did not hesitate. She grabbed it at once—while quietly testing it.
The next moment, she was hauled straight back to her feet.
Xingyun Liuge was a lot stronger than she had imagined.
Small and adorable, yet frighteningly fierce.
Buckpasser clapped her hands, wiggled her fingers in a rippling wave, and said, "Congratulations on your win, Little Xingyun. But this is still a king-of-the-hill event. You beat Little Victory, yes, but if you want the gold medal and prize money, you may have to defend the ring until sunset."
Of course, if no one else dared challenge her, Xingyun Liuge would still count as winning in a single match.
Latifa found Buckpasser's explanation a little strange. Liuge had fought Goodbye Halo first, hadn't she? But Goodbye Halo had already lost to Winning Colors, so did this place really allow a continuous ladder like this? Was that not rather unfair?
Buckpasser explained, "Yes, defending the ring is basically the same as a gauntlet match. But losers are not allowed to challenge the champion again."
That only made Latifa more confused.
In that case, why had Goodbye Halo been allowed to fight Xingyun Liuge?
Buckpasser put on a perfectly innocent expression: Well, you didn't ask.
Still, the area did support open free-play matches, and anyone could hop up and play around so long as they were not specifically challenging the current champion.
The system was so confusing it was almost impossible to know where to begin complaining.
Besides, if Liuge became the reigning champion, wouldn't that mean she could not properly explore the Derby Festival anymore?
Buckpasser saw the question on Latifa's face and reminded her, "As long as you don't wander more than three blocks away, it's fine. There aren't actually that many horse girls who like cowboy duels. Normally, if you come back before four, nothing will happen."
So the girls left the area for the time being and went in search of their next bit of entertainment.
Ring toss. Shooting booths. Eating contests. Drinking competitions. Bluegrass concerts…
Louisville had become a sea of celebration.
They listened to local folk songs, watched jazz performances, and while standing below the stage, Chihaya Yui edged closer to Xingyun Liuge and quietly suggested, "Liuge, do you want to go up there and perform too? I love your singing most of all. If it's you, you'd absolutely dominate the entire stage."
As it happened, there really was a fully English song Xingyun Liuge wanted to sing.
But after thinking about it for a moment, she decided there was no need.
She was definitely going to step onto the winner's stage later, so singing now would only ruin the freshness of it.
What she wanted more was to send some local souvenirs back to everyone in Kasamatsu.
The handmade crafts here were quite famous, and supposedly there were even people carrying on their family tradition of making musical instruments.
Xingyun Liuge narrowed her eyes and immediately came up with a plan.
Hadn't there been a shooting booth over there earlier?
Spend a little money, win all the prizes, and call it a day.
Compared to buying everything outright, this was obviously the more economical option.
"Another shooting booth?" Chihaya Yui laughed helplessly. She had no idea when Liuge had even learned how to shoot.
"No," Xingyun Liuge corrected her at once. "Call it adapting to local customs!"
After all, this was America—the land of freedom. Were bullets not practically part of the local scenery already?
Though this was the American West, so even if an American horse girl heard that line, there would be no real way to argue with it. Western cowboys really were one of America's defining cultural icons. If foreigners ended up with that stereotype, well, what could they do?
As luck would have it, the horse girl running the shooting booth was Mom's Command.
Tall, broad-hearted, and radiating the gentle, dependable aura of an ideal wife and mother from head to toe, the mare pressed Xingyun Liuge's hand down with a kindly smile and said, "Good children shouldn't be playing with this, you know~"
Given Liuge's tiny stature, being mistaken for a foal was hardly surprising.
More importantly…
She was huge.
The surging tide of her chest practically slammed into Liuge's face. With the same warm, motherly smile, Mom's Command turned to Chihaya Yui—who looked like the trainer in charge—and asked, "Where are this child's parents? I think I may need to have a good long talk with them."
Her expression never changed, but everyone could feel it: a powerful pressure descended from above, stern without anger, imposing without shouting.
When it came to protecting and educating the young, Mom's Command was serious.
She even enunciated her point with deliberate emphasis.
As one of America's legendary Triple Crown winners, Mom's Command was, of course, as powerful as an empress.
No—she was an empress.
Three years ago, there had not been a single horse girl capable of defeating her in the Oaks, not even that Lady's Secret.
Of course, by the time the mares reached their older years, Lady's Secret had achieved a historic victory in the Whitney Handicap—the first mare in thirty-eight years to do so—and in the same year, she had gone on to win eight GIs in one season for the first time ever.
By then, Mom's Command had already retired due to injury, and the audience never got to see the two legendary mares clash again.
Chihaya Yui waved both hands frantically and hurried to explain.
Xingyun Liuge, too, pressed forward with steadfast determination and clarified her own situation.
Only then did Mom's Command realize she had made a judgment based on appearances.
Covering her mouth with one hand, she sighed softly, "Oh dear, oh dear… how formidable the younger generation has become."
As one of America's legendary horse girls, she naturally knew that a brilliant overseas runner had conquered the first leg of the British Triple Crown and then come here to challenge the American one.
That made her look Xingyun Liuge up and down several more times.
And then, with an even gentler expression, she turned to Chihaya Yui.
Because the American Triple Crown schedule was already brutally dense to begin with.
If one added the British Triple Crown on top of it, that meant five top-tier races in forty days.
This had gone far beyond "Is this a schedule a horse girl ought to be running?"
It had become a grave mistake that reflected a complete failure on the part of the trainer and the racing association alike.
If it had been an especially radical fan standing here, Mom's Command thought, they would probably have already pulled out a shotgun and started having a very heartfelt conversation with whoever arranged this lunatic campaign.
At that very moment, Xingyun Liuge rested a hand on Mom's Command's shoulder and blocked all of that pressure on Yui's behalf.
"This was my own idea," she said. "No one else is responsible. If anything, the people being misunderstood by the public are the real victims here."
"..."
If that was the case, Mom's Command really could not say much more.
In the end, she could only sigh.
"That's far too reckless."
Her eyes filled with sadness, as if she had been deeply wounded by a child who simply would not listen.
She even sniffed, looking ready to cry right then and there.
"?"
Xingyun Liuge nearly broke character on the spot.
Wait, sister, is your maternal instinct seriously overflowing this badly? Why are you looking at me like that?
She, Xingyun Liuge, was not the sort of bad child who deliberately made gentle mothers cry.
But Mom's Command said nothing more.
Instead, she drew herself up—apparently preparing to bury Liuge in a smothering, chest-based homicide.
And just as disaster loomed, Latifa stepped in.
She yanked Xingyun Liuge over and pressed the girl's face straight into her own chest.
"?"
Xingyun Liuge was even more baffled now.
And what exactly are you joining in for?
"?"
Chihaya Yui was baffled too.
Wait, what are you all trying to do to Liuge?
The pink-haired girl suddenly felt a slight weight settle on top of her head. Turning in confusion, she discovered that Cuihe had bought her a cowboy hat and had her maid place it on her head.
For once, Cuihe actually spoke.
"Miss Chihaya," she said, "that hat suits you."
At that moment, Fujimasa March and the others had just arrived at the Derby Festival grounds.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
Uma Musume: I Want All 35
I Can Copy Unique Skills 36
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
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