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

Under such circumstances, how could one possibly go back to Treson Academy and invite friends who obviously knew the other failed contestants to a victory celebration for the winners?

For example, if we invite McQueen, Big Tree Express, and Dawning to the party, will they be able to forget the failure of their teammates, Tokai Emperor and Narita Shirohito, and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the celebration?

Obviously, this is impossible.

So before Stardust Illusion discovered this, Scarlet Toyama had already booked a private room in this shop as the venue for their Draco team's celebration.

Of course, there is also the figure of someone familiar with Stardust Illusion hidden within this.

That was Lin Yongyi, the beer-bellied man.

Perhaps some people have already forgotten who this person is?

This guy is the manager of the Zhongjing Racecourse, and also the man who once talked to Stardust Illusion about giving her his full support.

He also discussed this matter with Stardust Illusion during their debut battle.

However, after that, Stardust Illusion made a public challenge to the Emperor of the East Sea, which, in his view, was tantamount to a suicidal declaration of ignorance and arrogance.

Thus, the collaboration came to nothing.

But things are completely different now.

This is a racehorse girl who debuted as a local.

Now, having entered the Central Plains and won battle after battle, even the Satsuki Sho title is no match for him. He has even defeated the "Emperor II" head-on and is officially heading towards the highest laurel wreath known as the "Classic Triple Crown"...

Most importantly, she debuted as a local racehorse girl at Chukyo Racecourse!

In order to quickly mend his relationship with Stardust Illusion, and at least to gain the right to use her fame to promote the Zhongjing Racecourse, Lin Yongyi decided to place a bet before the race.

Before the competition began, he had a detailed discussion with Hikari Toyama about business cooperation. Although Hikari was asking for an exorbitant amount, he gritted his teeth and agreed to everything, which earned him the honor of being able to take care of Hikari's living expenses in the future.

Yes, it is an honor.

For a racehorse girl who continues to achieve good results, or even demonstrates top-level performance, even providing her with the necessary funding free of charge is already a golden opportunity that countless people would fight over.

In Lin Yongyi's view, although Stardust Illusion may still have some complaints about his failure to support them to the end, at least they are willing to accept his financial assistance, which is the first step in repairing the relationship.

Yes, that's right!

This is not some kind of foolish act; it is undoubtedly an early-stage business investment!

"Speaking of which, do you still remember Lin Yongyi from Stardust Illusion?"

Seemingly considering the other party's financial support, Toyama Scarlet handed a whole plate of grilled beef from the next table to Stardust Illusion, and then asked this question.

Who is that?

The girl, her mouth stuffed with various foods, gave a mumbled answer.

"Oh, it's nothing. Someone is offering to fund our team's daily expenses and wants to use that as a stepping stone to discuss business collaborations using your name."

"Business cooperation?"

The Stardust Illusion looked up, its mouth glistening with grease, and asked in confusion:

"Aren't these things your responsibility? Just make sure I don't get embroiled in any strange rumors. As for the rest of Toyama, just handle it as usual."

"I think so too."

Hikari Toyama grinned.

Stardust Illusion's answer was exactly what she expected. All he could think about was eating and running, maybe with a tiny bit of his other racehorse friends at most.

As for Lin Yongyi and the Stardust Illusion's concerns about harboring resentment...

They've probably long forgotten about it.

However, the fact that Stardust Illusion forgot about it doesn't mean that the whole thing was meaningless.

If I don't extort a lot from Lin Yongyi and make him bleed a lot for the publicity I want to achieve, so that he understands the price of being blind to talent, how can I live up to my identity as a trainer?

"Brother, you're really... really amazing."

Mi Yu carefully placed the roasted meat she had prepared into the Stardust Illusion Bowl, and then exclaimed:

"Watching my brother's running rice bath made me realize what kind of racehorse girl can bring happiness to the audience..."

"Mi Yu thought, perhaps I've already found the direction to strive for..."

"Definitely, Stardust Illusion possesses potential that ordinary players do not have."

Sitting on the other side, Miura Bourbon, with an unwavering tone and serious expression, mixed a plate of salad and placed it in front of the Stardust Illusion:

"Currently, with the processing capabilities of the central operator, we cannot draw an accurate conclusion, but the full functionality has been confirmed—it is undoubtedly a complete victory for Stardust Illusion."

"...Don't you guys consider getting something to eat yourselves?"

Stardust Illusion finished eating the food everyone had brought, only to find that the three people in front of him had each handed him another batch.

She's still a ways off from being full, but what's going on with her current state?

This is clearly a victory celebration banquet, isn't it? Why does it seem like three people are serving me food?

It wasn't that she was uncomfortable with being fed, but a victory celebration banquet would be completely meaningless if only one person was eating!

Hikari Toyama noticed his embarrassment and teased him with a smile, "What's wrong? Is our Overlord embarrassed by the service of one or two young ladies?"

"What do you mean by 'tyrant'? Let's not bring this up when we're having a private meal..."

Stardust Illusion blushed and retorted.

"Should we add more endurance training next...? Perhaps the arc artist could also refine his skills a bit more..."

After the celebration banquet, everyone returned to the academy overnight. Stardust Illusion walked towards his dormitory, still thinking about how to intensify his training.

While most places are still basking in the afterglow of the Satsuki Sho Festival, Stardust Illusion believes that since the competition is already over, there's no need to waste time dwelling on it.

Normally, the next step should be to focus on preparing for the second leg of the classic treble, a match that carries a very special meaning: the Neon Derby.

"Tsk, there's the G2-level Keisaka Cup, but the Tokyo Mile also starts on May 12th. Do I have to choose one of these two competitions to participate in..."

Stardust Illusion weighed the pros and cons. After all, she had accepted five main career missions in one go. It could be said that for her now, participating in more competitions would be no problem if she wanted to become stronger.

After all, as long as you can run at your own pace and complete the task in a game, you can continue to get stronger, which is definitely a worthwhile thing.

With that thought in mind, she took out her room card, swiped it, and then pushed open the dormitory door in front of her and went inside.

"Stardust—you're finally back."

As soon as I entered the dormitory, I saw the East Sea Emperor sitting in a chair facing the door, still wearing the same outfit she wore today.

"Ah...has the Emperor not rested yet?"

Although everyone was already very familiar with each other, Stardust Illusion still felt a bit awkward.

This is not just because she just defeated her opponent in today's match, shattering her dream of an undefeated three-time champion.

More importantly, in the latter half of the event, Stardust Vision was even unsure how much of the time he was actually focusing his attention on the Emperor himself.

Instead of regarding the seemingly more powerful and terrifying [Emperor Phantom] as an opponent.

Do you understand this feeling?!

It's like a student rushing to finish a test at the last second before the bell rings, only to realize they've miscalculated the time and actually have more than half an hour left—

"Today's stardust has shown the Emperor what true power is."

The East Sea Emperor had no idea what Stardust Illusion was thinking.

She waited for him in the dormitory until he returned, just to express her true feelings to him:

"It's not just a slight victory, but a difference of six horse lengths. Anyone would see it as a complete defeat for the emperor, wouldn't they?"

"You can't say that, Your Majesty. You lost speed at the end, right? Actually, it was quite lucky. I was almost exhausted from running too..."

The emperor did not want to hear this answer.

Didn't she know that by then, everyone would be on the verge of collapse?

The reason why some female racehorses are always able to stand out in this kind of competition is precisely because the more they face this situation, the more they can persevere and even create miracles.

Just like the Stardust Illusion of today.

And most importantly, she was facing the winner as the loser.

Once a game is lost, anything said will sound like an excuse, and the emperor doesn't want to do that.

Seeing the emperor so serious, Stardust Illusion abandoned his plan to study the rulebook for a while.

She could only listen attentively to what the other person was saying, while placing the backpack she had brought to the competition that day beside the bed, before taking a chair from the emperor and sitting down as well.

"So, regarding this match, do you think there was anything the Emperor did not do well enough?"

"……what?"

Stardust Illusion stared wide-eyed in surprise at the Emperor.

"The Emperor would like to hear your opinion, Stardust."

The emperor repeated the sentence, his feelings extremely complicated.

She knew, of course, that asking her opponent for help was rather shameless.

However, she also knew that if anyone in this competition understood her current problems best, it would undoubtedly be Stardust Illusion, who had competed with her until the very last moment.

"The emperor could vaguely sense that Satsuki no Sho hadn't done his best. But... he couldn't figure out exactly where the problem lay."

"At a distance of 2000m, even if you were to follow Stardust in your great escape, the Emperor shouldn't have lost speed before the finish line—so, we need to find out the reason."

"If I can correct this problem and further improve my running style, I will be able to compete against you again in the next race."

After speaking at length, the Emperor of the East Sea seemed somewhat flustered.

Although she knew that the Stardust Illusion had an unusual relationship with her, she was still surprised that she would directly ask her opponent for help, and even after asking for help, she would emphasize that "I need to improve my strength, and then I will take revenge on you in the derby."

Even if Stardust suddenly loses his temper and berates the emperor for being shameless, there's nothing he can do about it, right?

But she also believed that if it were Stardust, he wouldn't care about such things.

"I think the biggest problem is on the second and third turns, right?"

Stardust Illusion didn't think too much about it. Upon hearing the Emperor's plea for help, she immediately recalled the events of the competition and slowly shared her thoughts: