"So… what exactly am I supposed to say here? To think I got crushed this badly at the very first leg of the Triple Crown…"
Staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling and breathing in that unpleasant disinfectant smell, Risen Star looked as miserable as a bitter melon.
Even though she insisted there was absolutely no need for it, Secretariat had forcibly made her stay in the hospital for observation.
Risen Star had grumbled about that too.
"But I wanted to watch Xingyun's winner's stage!"
Secretariat had answered by chopping her lightly on the forehead.
"You can watch it from the hospital too!"
And so Risen Star could only lie there obediently, stewing in her frustration and muttering to herself.
"Damn it… Winning Colors, that girl actually beat me by a nose…"
She was so dissatisfied—no, furiously dissatisfied—that she nearly started rolling around on the bed, which earned her another chop from Secretariat before she finally settled down.
Still, her peace lasted less than a minute.
"President, Xingyun is that strong, and now she's already taken the first crowns of both the British and American Triple Crowns. Don't you have any thoughts about that?"
In her mind, she could practically picture herself dressed in feather fan and scholar's cap, playing the role of a strategist and saying, President, are you interested?
A talent as outstanding as Xingyun Liuge—how could the JRA possibly deserve to keep her?
If the JRA had truly intended to treat her well, would Xingyun have gone off to challenge the British and American Triple Crowns in the first place?
They had carried themselves with lofty arrogance, with no real intention of revising those ridiculously rigid rules. Was that really how the JRA treated its own talent? It was enough to chill the heart.
Risen Star's mind was quick and lively. As the saying went: when heaven offers something and you refuse to take it, disaster follows. The JRA had let a prized horse slip through its fingers—naturally, anyone in the world with virtue and vision had the right to fight for her.
The JRA couldn't possibly cling to Xingyun Liuge and obstruct her from running toward a brighter future, could it? The Tokai Racing Association, at least, still had the standing to speak on the matter. As for the JRA…
They had none at all.
Secretariat neither agreed nor disagreed. She simply folded her arms and asked in return,
"Star, your dream of an undefeated Triple Crown is already impossible now. I thought you'd be furious about that. Instead… this is what you're thinking about?"
Of course Risen Star was furious.
Her dream had been shattered almost before it had even begun. What ordinary girl could take that kind of blow in stride? Though, to be fair, she was hardly an ordinary girl.
Still full of self-confidence, Risen Star answered,
"I think a horse girl ought to be able to control her emotions well."
On the surface, it sounded almost carefree.
But Secretariat noticed something else: the moment the subject of the undefeated Triple Crown came up, Risen Star's fingers tightened around the bedsheets.
Clearly, she was nowhere near as calm as she appeared.
Naturally. That dream had been with her since childhood. There was no way she could recover so quickly from such a defeat.
Watching Risen Star work so hard to conceal her true feelings, Secretariat sighed inwardly.
This child has already learned how to hide her emotions behind bold, flashy behavior so others won't worry about her.
Without question, that was proof of growth.
And as her senior, Secretariat felt she ought to help Risen Star sort out her feelings and relax a little. Otherwise, if her mood soured badly enough to affect her condition—and then her future races—that would be no good at all.
With that thought in mind, Secretariat said,
"Star, do you know? Something good has happened over in Japan."
Risen Star blinked.
Today was the second day after the Kentucky Derby.
Xingyun Liuge was sprawled lazily in the presidential suite of her hotel, enjoying a leg massage courtesy of Chihaya Yui.
She had already earned such a staggering amount of prize money that it made the eyes water, but when it came time to be frugal, she was frugal. She wasn't the sort of woman to indulge in luxury for its own sake.
Of course, this particular service had been offered by the hotel itself, with an extremely simple explanation:
"Serving the winner of the Kentucky Derby is our greatest honor."
A mere presidential suite—what did it matter if they gave it to her for free?
Did they really think the advertisement 'Kentucky Derby champion Xingyun Liuge once stayed here' wouldn't rake in dollars afterward?
Never underestimate racing fans' worship of horse girls, damn it!!!
Naturally, Xingyun Liuge wasn't about to enjoy herself while leaving the others behind. The country girls from Kasamatsu had all been treated to the same "complimentary upgrade to a presidential suite" as well, and every single one of them was basking in it so happily they were close to forgetting their way home.
The hotel's general manager had even personally sought Xingyun out to discuss cooperation. The chain wanted to launch a "Xingyun Suite," modeled after the room she had stayed in. The endorsement fee was negotiable, and as for the future profits…
Thirty-seventy.
There had been objections inside the hotel. Some had even said outright,
"Thirty percent? That's basically begging for scraps on your knees!"
But the general manager who proposed the plan had shouted back even louder:
"You fools are so shortsighted! Plenty of people would love the chance to kneel for this and still wouldn't get it!"
Because the news of the Kentucky Derby had already made the front page, and one number in particular had been printed in bold so striking it was impossible to miss:
2:04.31
Secretariat's Kentucky Derby record had been 1:59 flat. That meant there was a difference of 5.31 seconds.
If the track conditions in both races had been similar, Xingyun Liuge's time would not have meant much. But the track she ran on had practically been a swamp. That was entirely different from the conditions Secretariat had faced in her era.
For top-class horse girls, times on a bad track were usually five and a half to six seconds slower than on a slightly heavy track.
Which meant, in practical terms, that the two of them had run extremely similar performances.
In fact, the American Racing Association had already gone with the headline:
"Secretariat Returns."
Trying desperately to curry favor at this point already counted as late. If they still couldn't show enough sincerity now, weren't they just waiting to be surpassed by their competitors? What businessman would be foolish enough to reject money lying right there on the ground?
Besides, if Xingyun Liuge's fans came from thousands of miles away to make a pilgrimage, would they really turn around and leave just because that exact room was already booked? Of course not. They'd stay anyway—probably even an extra day or two.
What kind of idiot would turn down money that was practically throwing itself into his hands?
Xingyun Liuge understood all of that perfectly well, which was why she took the money without the slightest guilty conscience.
She had earned it.
The JRA had sent another "messenger," though. But this time, Xingyun Liuge simply refused to see them.
Forget meeting face to face—she didn't even open the letter. She called room service, had someone take it away, and then had it fed through a paper shredder right in front of the messenger.
Was she close enough to the JRA for that?
Who exactly did this "JRA" think it was, writing to her?
"…That's how things stand, Lady Rudolf. You're the student council president of Central Tracen, so please help us. At least give us an idea of what to do."
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 132)
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 (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
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 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
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 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 26
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 36
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