Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled...

Why doesn't my brother praise himself...!

Mi Yu was more distressed by the sudden pain in her hands than by her physical weakness.

Her fair fingers had clenched into a fist, and from between her fingers, a bright, glaring red oozed out as if unwilling to give up.

(Mi Yu was able to do all this because of her brother, but—!)

"Well--"

A warm touch suddenly came from above her head, interrupting Mi Yu's inner thoughts.

"Well done, Rice Bath! You were undoubtedly the brightest star in this competition."

The gentle voice of Stardust Illusion reached my ears.

"Eh...? Brother...!"

Hearing the expected praise and the slight worry in his tone, Mi Yu was stunned and speechless.

She then realized that her call with the noble family had ended sometime earlier, and the Stardust Illusion was standing in front of her, gently stroking her.

"Sorry, I didn't have time to say this to Mi Yu just now... but I'm absolutely not lying, I genuinely think Mi Yu's performance in this competition was truly remarkable."

Stardust Illusion took Mi Yu's hands, smoothed her fingers, and examined the injuries on her palms.

She was about to say something when she saw the look in Mi Yu's eyes.

A strange light flickered in his eyes.

As if a black fog had obscured his vision, there was little glimmer in Mi Yu's eyes, yet a burning desire still shone through them.

Mi Yu completely ignored the pain in her palm, and like a puppy waiting for its owner's praise, she swayed her body slightly, and her ears on the top of her head twitched.

More importantly, the stardust illusion could vaguely sense a terrifying aura contained within the body of the girl before it…

As if startled, the Stardust Illusion paused for a moment.

Rice bath... Are you really yearning to run?

This question arose in her mind for the first time, but she couldn't think of any other answer.

For Stardust Illusion, standing on the field and running on the field requires no other reason... But is that the case for Rice Bath?

However... satisfying the need for a rice bath is still achievable.

Stardust Illusion bent slightly, meeting the gaze of Mi Yu, who had raised her head:

"Mi Yu went home and rested well after this morning, right?"

“Okay!” Mi Yu nodded immediately in response.

"Well done, that's why you were able to unleash such extraordinary power just now, right?"

"And did you hear what the prominent family said? Mi Yu possesses the same power as that secretary... That's quite an incredible potential."

Recognizing her efforts is probably the best encouragement for Mi Yu, Stardust Illusion thought.

“Secretariat…” Mi Yu looked somewhat confused.

"Secretariat is a veteran American racehorse girl who has now retired. Her record in open races is 16 wins, 3 second places, and 1 third place in 21 starts... which is already very strong. But more importantly, this racehorse girl can create a crushing gap with other competitors in almost every race."

"Currently, almost all the races she has participated in in the United States are dominated by records set by the Secretariat, and some even believe that this racehorse is the greatest and most perfect racer in the world today."

Stardust Illusion, of course, was familiar with runners of this caliber. She briefly introduced the Secretariat's greatest strengths, allowing Mi Yu to understand the other party's greatness.

Seeing Mi Yu's eyes brighten again, even showing a hint of joy, Stardust Illusion smiled:

"So, keep up the good work! Like the Secretariat, runner Mi Yu is amazing... umm... maybe even I'll be defeated by Mi Yu!"

"How could this be... Brother, please stop talking..."

Mi Yu blushed with embarrassment at the comparison. No matter what, it was too much to compare her to world-class talents like those in the Secretariat.

She frantically waved her hands, trying to stop the Stardust Illusion's boasting.

"—Rice bath, right?"

The two, who were playfully fighting, were suddenly interrupted by a cold, stern voice:

"Next time... I'll win."

"Huh?!"

Mi Yu turned her head and saw another racehorse girl who had competed with her in the previous race, Ai Mu Orihime.

----------

"How about it, Orihime! My rice bath is amazing, isn't it? I told you this training match would definitely satisfy you."

Upon seeing the newcomer, Stardust Illusion smiled and put his arm around Mi Yu's shoulder, showing off:

"It's not just about rice baths; Bourbon and I are both formidable rivals!"

"...I have no intention of changing trainers."

Looking at the Stardust Illusion fawning over her, Orihime, who admired him, remained silent for a moment before reiterating what she had said to the Stardust Illusion earlier.

Since the match ended, Ai Mu has fallen into a long silence.

For her, losing this training match was something she had expected.

After all, I am just a contestant who has not yet debuted. Being able to compete with these active players and learn from their experience is already a very valuable thing.

but……

I almost thought I'd never be able to contact you again... I almost thought you'd left me forever!

The girl's tired body trembled slightly.

During the race, she was defeated head-on by Mi Yu, a runner she hadn't taken seriously. More importantly, during the confrontation, her opponent managed to completely sever her connection with Vega...

She was terrified in that instant; an unprecedented sense of loneliness overwhelmed her.

At that moment, Orihime realized what it was that had been making her uncomfortable all along...

Running for victory without doing it for oneself is far too frivolous.

Instead of looking at his opponent, he was reveling in the expectation he carried...

When that expectation was suddenly taken away, she fell into an abyss of failure from which she could not extricate herself.

Without the guidance of Vega, what should I do?

She even felt this sense of confusion while running.

"I will think clearly about the reasons why I need to run."

Ai Mu Shiri spoke to Mi Yu without thinking, making a declaration.

"I won't forget what I promised you... Let's meet at the planetarium three nights from now."

Having said this, Ai-mu no longer intended to interact with the runners and turned to walk away.

What Ai Musou needs now is to sort out her feelings. Such joyful reunions are not meant for a lonely runner like her...

No, she can't be considered a lonely runner yet.

(He admires Orihime and relies too much on the guidance of the star Vega.)

She quietly reached out, clutching the clothes to her chest, and tilted her head slightly to look at the shining star in the sky.

The black-haired girl lowered her eyelids, her long, thin eyelashes trembling slightly.

To make her a unique and shining star, that's why I'm running... Isn't that enough?

How exactly do I become stronger?

The training match ended there. Stardust Illusion escorted Mi Yu back to her new dormitory and greeted her roommate Chun Wulala before returning to her own place.

She pushed open the door and looked at the bed next door, which, as expected, was still empty.

Since watching the East Sea Emperor's match that day, she has never returned to her dormitory. When she asked around, all she could find out was that the East Sea Emperor had been taken away by Rudolf for secret training.

"Special training..."

Stardust Illusion sighed, took off its ballast suit, and went to bed...

The Emperor has already undergone special training, Sweepy has returned to the family to seek guidance from his seniors, and even Narita Shirahito can be seen to have improved somewhat today.

In this classic treble-winning opening match, there will definitely be no weak opponents.

Just thinking about this made Stardust Illusion feel his blood boil...

Yes, her emotions were so pure that they seemed unbelievable to others.

Stardust Illusion looked forward to it, and the stronger the opponent, the more motivated she became.

What she longs for in the arena is to defeat powerful opponents, or even opponents stronger than herself.

(I'll ask Toyama again tomorrow... to see if there are any other ways to improve.)

The battle for the classic triple crown has already begun off the field.

------------

The next day at noon, at the Treson College area cafeteria.

"Make good use of your jumping ability, find that light, floating feeling when you run..."

Stardust Illusion looked miserable as it ate large mouthfuls of ramen on the table in front of it.

Today's training results were not particularly ideal. Although the training volume was completed smoothly, there was still not much progress in learning the cornering techniques of Super Creek.

Most importantly, Stardust Illusion struggles to grasp the key techniques explained by Superstream.

Suddenly, the chair opposite the dining table was pulled out, and Toyama Scarlet, unusually, did not eat her favorite junk food, but instead sat down in front of Stardust Illusion with the cafeteria set meal in her hand.

"Is there a problem?"

Stardust Illusion didn't even look up, sweeping the entire bowl of ramen into its mouth, then brought the fried rice a little further away to its front:

"Is there a new adjustment to the training?"

"Haha, Stardust, haven't you always thought that everyone still idolizes the Emperor of the East Sea?"