Chapter 149

First place: Tokai Emperor

Second place: Sky Shrine

Third place: Grass Flyer

Fourth place… But in any competition, who really cares about fourth place?

The fastest wins the Satsuki, the luckiest wins the Derby, treating it as mere luck is a common misconception, but Tokai Emperor's performance taught many a lesson.

Her goal isn't here at all—watching her so swift, not only not slowing down but even accelerating, many thought likewise.

Even when the mandatory victory stage preparation segment of Uma Musume races begins, they still firmly believe.

But who could know that in the moment she rushed into the thick black fog, she actually glimpsed the 'future'?

It made her usually cheerful self frown and lower her head, gazing at her own heel bone.

She needed to tell the trainer.

Broken bones and illnesses aren't a big deal nowadays, but if they strike suddenly—especially on the racecourse—one must still accept defeat, or even utter defeat.

As the Uma Musume roster expands, the three-goddess skill system grows more complete; healing and salvation source arts exist, but few Uma Musume actually train in them.

Unless they are preparing to retire and graduate, some even take up such work for convenience.

During their active years, all preparations aim to be faster and stronger; even for Uma Musume, the skills they can master in this period are limited.

So who would willingly devote energy and time to such emergency skills?

As long as they're not on the field, injuries and illnesses are minor.

This isn't just true for Uma Musume; athletes in all sports share similar thoughts.

The difference is that those athletes' careers are much longer than the usual five or six years, or even two or three years for Uma Musume, giving them plenty of time to study emergency arts.

—yet few active athletes actually bother to learn it.

This shows medical textbooks are truly grueling.

Likewise unwilling to be tormented, even seeing a doctor makes Tokai Emperor anxious; she can only, while preparing backstage, receive visits from the trainer and the symbolic Rudolf.

Finally, even Representative Chimei arrived.

This person, who ought to have been her admired president's former rival, also came to say hello before she took the stage.

After a brief congratulation, one had to watch the girl dash backstage to prepare for her appearance.

The victor's stage is a post-race routine that all Uma Musume need to know.

Simply put, it's a post-race live, also dubbed the ultimate humiliation (?).

First place stands center stage, second and third serve as backup dancers—a design that could be called cruel; what about those beyond third?

They're just stage backup dancers, not even qualified for the song's vocals.

This is also why nobody cares about fourth place.

However, athletes who switch to singing and dancing after intense competition, and that sport mode, are exemplified only by Uma Musume, although other sports have also proposed similar ideas.

One side promotes competitive sports, the other promotes the athletes, drawing huge crowds and making ticket prices worthwhile; why not adopt such a business model?

—then they too would need the raw-star potential of Uma Musume amateurs.

Being female and naturally good-looking gives Uma Musume a natural advantage on the idol path.

They also genuinely enjoy jumping around, unlike athletes in other sports who may or may not resist.

Otherwise, how could Miss Kong of Penguin Logistics bear to be so far from her friends?

Merely developing a career and training isn't the whole reason—the fact that idol resources in Jiemen District are saturated by Uma Musume is also a major factor.

Any normal celebrity knows that coming to Jiemen District is self‑humiliation; this land, tied to Uma Musume culture since its inception, has been deeply soaked for over a thousand years.

Thus it has become customary, further influencing each generation of young people.

Idols outside Uma Musume? Don't send them my way—I won't look.

Kairif felt that Little Snake had a deep 'Uma Musume toxicity' meaning; fortunately, his monster‑fan component isn't low either, which instead led Kairif to think independently, considering Uma Musume perhaps could be called a weirdo (?), or even a monster.

Moreover, their aura when they actually race is indeed quite monstrous.

""Still a bit short, Empress?""

Leaving the changing‑room hallway, Representative Chimei, having reached the front hall, turned her head to glance at the deep corridor at the entrance.

The classic triple‑crown stage tradition titled? winningthesuol? faintly plays its music and vocals.

Is Tokai Emperor also a girl who follows tradition? Representative Chimei was quite surprised.

After all, when she first won the triple crown, she simply picked a track from her favorite playlist—an otherworldly arrangement by a traverser.

What was it called?

Was it called? heats?

I vaguely recall it was a male‑voice piece, and the two backup singers nearly fainted from her random song choice.

Six or seven years have passed; even the song she sang on the victor's stage she can't recall in detail, mostly because she didn't care.

But that song remains in her nostalgic playlist, after all she really liked those lyrics.

--the meaning of freedom and the cause of sleeplessness.

--even if burned, one must reach out.

--become the wind that changes the world.

What's that? It's simply…… impossible to refuse!

But after all, this is ultimately the stage of that Emperor‑child.

Witnessing the undefeated take another step forward is inherently exhilarating, yet some still remain in the waiting lounge, and not just one.

""How can you tell?""

The terminal screen ahead plays a recording of the Extreme East Derby; Aumu, alongside Erie Suko, points at the black aura on the screen, quietly discussing the feasibility of 'letting the fate system target the destiny curse'.

Mei Pu Bo Fang, standing to the side, likely stayed silent the whole time because they couldn't understand.

However, even so, the three of them still heard Qianming's representative's words, which sounded like she was talking to herself, and they all turned their heads at once.

Aomo even paused the slow-motion replay on the screen, sat up straight, as if preparing to receive instruction, and was extremely serious.

"If she wants to obtain the true Triple Crown, she's still missing something——"

A voice suddenly came from the entrance leading to the inner side of the hall, and two horse girls who looked almost identical, like twin sisters, walked out from there.

Naturally, the one who spoke was Zhouri Ningjing, who was directly a head taller than her sister behind her.

Upon seeing Qianming's representative here, she added another sentence: "Oh, you're here—go to the stage exit; Maruzen Sukī and the 'Emperor' are waiting for you."

The word 'Emperor' in her mouth carried a hint of mockery, yet Qianming merely smiled, thanked the reminder, turned around, said goodbye to the three, and, not forgetting, greeted the tea seat.

"What on earth is she here for?"

Watching her light-footed departure, Suzi furrowed her brows, quite averse to this type of behavior that is very 'random'.

At some point she had sat in the back rows of the audience, suddenly struck up a conversation, seeming to get along well with Guinea Pig-kun, and when she turned back to visit the Eastern Sea Emperor, Guinea Pig-kun was still willing to wait outside for her.

If it weren't for the fact that the tea seat also needed to go to the restroom, she wouldn't want to stand here… Although she isn't particularly interested in the victory stage either, she has no liking for watching others sing and dance.

In short, Suzi found the entire network of relationships surrounding Qianming's representative quite abrupt, considering that researchers are supposed to take in the whole picture!

"Don't try to fathom the motives behind such people's actions; they might just be doing it for fun."

Recalling the Angel and the Mostima, then the independent Golden Ship, and furthermore recalling their first meeting on the bench, Aomo felt he had already grasped the truth.

However, his willingness to wait was purposeful; with Zhouri Ningjing appearing now as someone in the know, this purpose could be considered fulfilled.

It's fine if Qianming leaves.

So he said: "No need to worry about it."

"That's right, no need to worry about that guy." Zhouri Ningjing spoke again, seeming rather dissatisfied with Qianming's representative, then turned her gaze to the few people whose attention had shifted back to her.

He saw their astonishment.

After coming to his senses, the two accompanying Aomo looked at Zhouri Ningjing again; their surprise was also understandable.

Suzi was surprised by her sudden appearance, and as for Bourbon… she was still wondering who this person was.

With an 86% resemblance in appearance, one could infer: sisters, mother and daughter, … or even grandmother and granddaughter?

Of course, although horse girls do age slowly, the last possibility is still not very realistic.

"What exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

Turning back, Aomo, who was staring at Zhouri Ningjing, asked first, while Zhouri Ningjing merely patted Chazuo on the shoulder and told her to go over.

"Okay… 'friend'."

Chazuo obediently nodded, leaving Aomo with a subtly complex feeling; Zhouri Ningjing had obviously never told her sister her true identity, but Chazuo wasn't completely clueless either.

It should be known that those two visits by the 'female ghosts' left too many loopholes—whether in memory linkage or in their demeanor and speech—enough for Aomo to draw some inconceivable conclusion.

And now, Chazuo's reaction, which doesn't seem feigned, provides a new perspective, a large piece that can fill the final gap in the puzzle.

"Really couldn't catch it?"

The spiraling skyscraper, the back-and-forth pursuit.

For Aomo, who does not study spirit invocation, the connection between these two sisters also counts as opening his eyes.

Who would have thought there could be souls influencing and interfering with each other, and even this Zhouri Ningjing before our eyes—is alive!

That hazy silhouette fell within the dark-red field of view, like a soul accepted by the flesh—steady and concealed.

Well… giving a spirit a new body isn't that hard; the difficulty lies in legality, for if such an act, nearly equivalent to resurrection, lacks legal restraint, it will only cause more chaos.

"What kind of look is that? Have I ever said I'm a dead person?"

It's also unknown whether the physical body enhances spiritual perception; Aomo feels that common sense should be that the body hinders the triggering of spiritual perception.

But Zhouri Ningjing now indeed shows sharp perception, causing him to quietly restrain his gaze and say:

"Tell me what the Eastern Sea Emperor is lacking."

Zhouri Ningjing, who didn't fuss over such details, uttered a sentence that made Aomo's DNA stir:

"She still isn't qualified."

"What does that mean?"

——

"Horse girls capable of obtaining the Triple Crown always have a ghost residing within them."

"Should that be regrettable? The Emperor still doesn't have that kind of thing."

"I think this is a good thing, you know~"

Being able to so lightly interject into the conversation between Ludaofu Xiangzheng and Maruzen Sukī is a style and privilege unique to Qianming's representative.

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"That kind of scorching that could even burn away the self—isn't that also pretty good?"

"That may be so, but this really doesn't sound like something a horse girl would say, especially when it's about the Triple Crown." Maruzen Sukī's expression showed a subtle trouble.

"Saying that in front of Ludaofu really hurts me, Maruzen—think about it, the guy who crushed the ghost inside my body isn't standing right beside you?"

"Uh…" "…"

"Why that expression, Maruzen? Ludaofu, you're not going to say sorry, are you? Forget it, forget it—I'm actually more curious how Zhouri Ningjing ended up relaying a message for you."

"Lately there have been some things; I can only say it this way."

"The student council can't participate, right?"

"You're not in the student council either, are you?"

"Huh? So I'm not?"