Me, race Rudolf?
You've got to be kidding.
Even if Shirayuki had won the Oka Sho, that did not mean she had the ability to race Rudolf. As a powerhouse at the peak of her senior year, Symboli Rudolf's strength could be said to stand at the very summit of Tracen. At this stage, she was undoubtedly Japan's number one uma musume.
The difficulty of beating her was even higher than becoming a Triple Crown champion.
Even Air Groove felt that Rudolf's demand was a little unreasonable.
Tokai Teio, standing nearby, looked completely frightened. She looked at Shirayuki, then at Rudolf, unsure of what to say.
"What do you think, Shirayuki? Do you want to race me and seek the answer you spoke of?"
Hayakawa Tazuna had crushed Tokai Teio, and now Symboli Rudolf was coming to crush her. Was this what people meant by fortune coming full circle?
Shirayuki hesitated for a moment. In the end, she gritted her teeth, raised her head, and said seriously,
"All right. Then please take care of me, President."
Tokai Teio covered her mouth. She had not expected Shirayuki to actually agree.
This time, Teio was the one asking Shirayuki, "Are you sure this is okay? That's the President, you know."
Of course it matters!
But as an uma musume, she could not run away before battle.
Besides, Shirayuki did not feel that the current Rudolf was completely unreachable. After entering the Domain once, her understanding of the world had become much clearer. To put it plainly, her thinking had become faster. Back when she raced Maruzensky, she had experienced a similar feeling. That incident had become the stepping stone that led her toward the Domain.
And now, that clear and transparent feeling had become even sharper.
She could sense the difference between these powerful uma musume and ordinary ones.
If she could recognize the difference, that meant she could learn.
Whether it was experience or running style, she could learn something from these people. That was far better than before, when all she could do was shout "amazing" from the side.
Since she had already obtained the ticket that led to becoming stronger, what came next was simple.
One word.
Fight.
Just like Narita Brian had once told her. Race against these people. It did not matter who they were. As long as they were powerful opponents, she could learn something from them.
So even if it was Rudolf, there was no reason for her to retreat.
Air Groove looked at Shirayuki, admiration appearing in her eyes. Shirayuki had already surprised her several times, yet Air Groove's evaluation of her continued to rise. Not backing down in front of a powerful opponent, that was the mentality a strong person should possess.
The next day, news that Rudolf would be racing Shirayuki spread.
And a certain alien uma musume even added plenty of extra embellishment.
"Tracen's about to change, hey! The 'Empress' is going to knock the 'Emperor' off the throne! From now on, Tracen's surname will be White! When you see Shirayuki, bow properly! Did everyone hear that?"
Gold Ship shouted loudly in the hallway until Fujiwara Chiya came over and grabbed her by the ear.
"Hey, Gold Ship, what the hell are you spouting this time?"
"Yo, if it isn't Trainer. You haven't heard? Shirayuki's going to have a PK match with Rudolf."
"I heard. I already heard. But what are you doing here?"
"Obviously, I'm building momentum for Shirayuki. If Shirayuki beats Rudolf, then Tracen will belong to us. The Student Council will be ours, the Director will still be ours, and won't the whole of Tracen be in the palm of our hand? Over three thousand students in total, all part of Trainer's harem. At that point, even if you're drained dry, you still won't finish going through all their nameplates!"
"Shut your mouth already!"
Fujiwara Chiya looked left and right. Seeing passing students cast strange looks at him, he pulled Gold Ship aside.
"Listen, this is just an ordinary practice race. If you keep spreading rumors, I'll double your afternoon training time."
"If everyone believes it, then it's not a rumor anymore. Trainer, Shirayuki is famous now. If she can take down Rudolf in this race, she'll definitely establish incredible prestige. Then she'll be guaranteed to win the Student Council election. Once we take the Student Council, everything else won't be a problem."
"Stop saying ridiculous things."
"What, Trainer? You don't believe Shirayuki can win?"
"I… believe she might be able to win. But this has nothing to do with whether she wins or loses."
"I have complete confidence in Shirayuki. Since we finally have this chance, Trainer, we can directly rebel against that 'Emperor'!"
"Gold Ship, if this were ancient times, you'd be executed for saying that."
"Don't worry. In modern times, at worst, the disciplinary committee will scold me."
No matter what, Fujiwara Chiya had no intention of going along with her nonsense. After repeatedly warning her not to spread strange rumors, Fujiwara Chiya left.
Gold Ship, left behind, clicked her tongue.
"To think he doesn't even want a harem of three thousand beauties. Trainer is way too lazy."
By afternoon, Shirayuki arrived at the training ground as promised. At the same time, the surroundings were packed with students.
Gold Ship's words had been stopped halfway by Chiya, but quite a few students had still heard them. Those students then became new sources of transmission, and the rumor spread across all of Tracen, growing more distorted with each retelling.
"Empress-sama!"
The lower-year students nearby let out excited cries. Shirayuki waved symbolically, and they immediately screamed.
Compared to Air Groove's cold and distant image, Shirayuki was clearly much more approachable. Originally, she had shown signs of moving closer to Air Groove's style, but after Gold Ship's warning, she found an image that belonged only to her.
She carried dignity, but without an overly strong sense of distance.
Those juniors liked coming to Shirayuki for practice. Her popularity continued to rise, already giving off a faint taste of Air Groove at her peak.
Fujiwara Chiya stood not far away and watched. Hayakawa Tazuna came beside him.
"Chiya, why are you suddenly racing Rudolf?"
Of course, because of you.
Thinking that in his heart, Fujiwara Chiya said seriously, "Because I long to challenge the strong."
"Chiya, you… haven't completely turned into an uma musume, have you?"
"No."
"That's good. Don't forget, you're determined to become the greatest trainer. Don't forget your very first wish."
"My very first… wish…"
That familiar phrase stirred Fujiwara Chiya's memories.
A blue figure flashed through his mind.
"My name is Godolphin Arabian. You can just call me Godolphin."
"Godolphin…"
"Chiya?"
Hayakawa Tazuna suddenly heard Fujiwara Chiya mutter the name of a goddess.
"I feel like I met her once… Strange, when exactly was it…"
"Chiya, the race is about to begin."
Hayakawa Tazuna pointed toward the track.
Fujiwara Chiya raised his head, and his attention was drawn to Shirayuki's side. For now, he could only set aside that vague memory and focus on the race.
Very soon, Rudolf appeared before everyone.
The students erupted in deafening cheers. The long-absent "Emperor" had once again appeared on the racetrack, and her opponent was the currently popular young Empress.
"Come, Shirayuki."
Rudolf extended her hand toward her.
Shirayuki nodded. The two of them stood at the starting line.
The instant Air Groove announced the start, both of them stepped forward at the same time.