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

Perhaps, from the moment Stardust Illusion was born into her family as a horse girl, it was already destined that this child would race on the track?

Chapter 305 A croak! There's a lowly woman here! Retreat!

Airu, who could only recuperate in the hospital for the time being, began to obtain information about Stardust Illusion from various horse racing media.

[Rudolph II and Uma Musume Girls: East Blue Emperor defeat the weaker opponents with overwhelming superiority and win their debut battle!]

[A rookie racehorse escapes victory in a high-stakes race, then boldly challenges the Central Genius!]

[God's Retirement! Oguri Hat's retirement ceremony unexpectedly hands over the honor to a local Uma Musume—a new monster or vanity?]

[The defeat of the magnificent and the elusive, the Stardust Illusion of the Great Escapers begins to show its power!]

[A miraculous last 200 meters! Monster II lives up to its name, defeating Qingzhu Memories once again!]

[The Supreme Overlord! The Miraculous Escape and the Last Foot's Ascension to the Satsuki Prize!!!]

The Pegasus of the new era is born in the Japanese derby!

All these news articles, along with all the photos of the stardust illusions that could be seen, were cut out by Eru from the newspapers and made into a scrapbook for her to look at and keep.

From initially not even being worthy of being mentioned by name, and even when her photos only showed half of her profile behind the Emperor of the East Sea, to now having her running figure occupying the entire front page of the newspaper.

In addition, the other uncles and elders in the town who knew about horse racing would often come to her to report good news, so Airu could understand the truth to some extent.

While her abilities are still debatable, in terms of popularity alone, this girl has become the most popular Uma Musume (horse racer) in Japan.

Even the butcher in the shopping street vividly described to Eru everyone's expectations for Stardust Illusion's future overseas campaigns.

"But no matter how you look at it, Little Stardust is still just Little Stardust."

Gently lifting a strand of hair from Stardust Illusion's cheek and tucking it behind her ear, Eru sighed softly.

Just six months ago, she was still that naive girl, and now Stardust Illusion doesn't show any obvious changes in appearance.

But when Eru first saw her, she could clearly see the well-proportioned yet powerful muscles on Stardust Illusion's hands and feet, which had grown through training.

Everyone around Stardust Illusion marvels at her talent and strength, and hopes that she can continue to be active in the racetrack as a racehorse girl.

But what Airu saw was that, outside of the competition, this younger sister had dedicated countless days and nights to rigorous training in order to be able to give a run of less than three minutes.

Just like back then, downstairs at the hospital, I listened attentively to Dongshang Biange's explanation of running techniques, and even when I was alone, I practiced and pondered them.

"Is Little Stardust destined to become a great horse girl? But there's no need to make these things a burden for herself."

Muttering to herself, Eru reached out and gently smoothed the furrowed brow of the Stardust Illusion.

"If I feel tired, I can always act cute with my sister like I did today... because that's the role of family."

Summer sunlight streamed through the window into the hospital room, where the sleeping Stardust Illusion and the gently patting Star Airu maintained this picturesque warmth.

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

Three days later, in the evening, at Central Teresen College.

Regaining his composure, Stardust Illusion put on his specially made weighted suit while still in the car, over which he wore the student uniform of Treson Academy, and headed towards the academy gate.

The girl felt the weight that had been increased to 300kg on her body, and gazed eagerly at the scene inside the academy gate.

This time when I went home, I didn't do much. Stardust Illusion stayed with her sister obediently and stayed in the hospital for three days, where she also learned about the current treatment situation.

Overall, she is no longer as financially strapped as before; the prize money she earned from just one Japanese derby is almost enough to cover the medical expenses of all the patients in the hospital.

Therefore, for her older sister, Hoshi Airu, there is no longer any need to worry about choosing a certain treatment that would be too expensive. Currently, as long as she avoids strenuous exercise and emotional fluctuations, she is basically no different from an ordinary person.

The only problem is the difficulty in curing asthma, which prevents her from recovering and being discharged from the hospital immediately.

However, both sisters are very optimistic about the current treatment prospects, and the attending physician also said that as long as there are no unexpected events, they can basically recover within six months.

In these three days, Stardust Illusion also had a rare opportunity to relive the days when it was cared for and even pampered by Star Airu, and it could be said that it was almost too happy to leave.

However, for her as a racehorse girl, her ultimate destiny lies on the racetrack... Therefore, after saying goodbye to Eru, she returned to the academy to prepare for the training schedule that would last until the Takarazuka Memorial.

Just as Stardust Illusion was about to take her resolute step into the academy, a joyful voice suddenly came from behind the girl:

"Stardust, when did you get back? Just now?"

Turning around, Stardust Illusion saw Megumi McQueen's surprised yet joyful expression, with the other two runners from the Megumi family walking beside her: Ryan and Aldan.

"Yo! Long time no see!" Megumi Ryan, still like a tomboy, struck a pose at Stardust as a greeting.

Aldan, with an elegant smile, gently lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands and gracefully performed a noble lady's curtsy towards the stardust illusion:

"Gui'an, Stardust Illusion."

"Good evening. I did just get back—hmm? It's been a long time, ladies. You all seem to have gotten stronger?"

Stardust Illusion put down the gifts in its hands and returned the greeting to the three of them.

Although the three people in front of them had not yet competed in a formal match, thanks to McQueen, Stardust Illusion often trained and even held mock matches with them. It could be said that both Ryan and Aldan were good opponents in Stardust Illusion's eyes, so they were naturally generous with their praise.

"Haha, maybe it's because Sister Gao Feng recently returned to Meguro City, so she gave us a thorough training session?"

Ryan burst into hearty laughter, while the other two ladies, who remembered to observe etiquette, smiled and did not object to Ryan's statement.

"Mejiro Mineki?"

Upon hearing the name of this powerful figure, Stardust Illusion's eyes lit up instantly.

She had naturally heard of the first empress's reputation. Not only did she win six matches known as the "Complete Triple Crown," but she was also known as the founder of the Meguro family's dominance. She could be considered a top-tier powerhouse in terms of both strength and training level, and she was no less than Rudolf Symbol, who was at the height of his power back then.

Could I have a go at this Mejiro Takamori?

"Just look at Stardust's expression, and you'll know what he's thinking... Sister Gaofeng has been retired for several years now. Even if she's willing to compete with you, her strength is no longer at its peak. Don't even think about that!"

McQueen sighed and muttered this to Aldan beside him, then without waiting for a response, he strode forward, turning and naturally standing next to the Stardust Illusion as he spoke:

"Um, my plans for tonight have changed. Ryan and Sister Aldan, could you please let me know for me—"

"I'll treat Stardust to dinner then~"

"..."

The young lady with long, turquoise hair narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at McQueen, who had already taken his hands in Stardust Illusion's arms.

Chapter 306 Stardust: Come at me all at once, I can handle it!

"Little McQueen, what are you doing?" Aldan's voice was unchanging, but the Stardust Illusion felt the entire surroundings cool down, as if it had suddenly transitioned from the height of summer in June to the edge of winter in November...

"Oh dear, I wonder what Sister Ardan meant by that—"

McQueen responded to Aldan's question with a perfectly executed smile, but his hands, which were holding Stardust Illusion's arm, tightened even more openly, pressing her wrist directly against his chest...

……

A slightly unpleasant sensation came from his elbow. Stardust Illusion scratched his head with his other hand, wondering why the atmosphere had suddenly become so strange.

"Um... what's wrong with you two...?"

Unconsciously, Stardust Illusion's questions became cautious. Looking at McQueen and Aldan, who seemed to be summoning their own clones to wage a void battle, she didn't know what to do and simply considered leaving.

"Can I go now? I'm a little hungry and want to go to the cafeteria for a big meal..."

"Hey, what a coincidence! Stardust's hungry too! Let's find a restaurant and get something to eat! Consider it a celebration for your return to the academy for training today! Hehehe~"

McQueen spoke in a tone so affected even Stardust Illusion couldn't stand it, then grabbed her arm and headed towards the school's food court.

"It's really heartbreaking that Xiao Maikun is so wary of me~"

Ardan's voice sounded behind them. The long-haired young lady had a smile on her face, but her words carried no hint of laughter; instead, they were so cold that even the Stardust Illusion felt a chill run down its spine.

"Huh? Is this Aldan's territory?"

"I've seen Sister Aldan's domain once, and it's not like this... Stardust, let's talk as we walk~"

Seeing the Stardust Illusion looking bewildered but offering little resistance as McQueen pulled it away, Aldan didn't speak further. Instead, he stood still and continued to release his pressure towards the departing two.

After all, compared to McQueen, who had already gone all out, Aldan was actually grateful to the Stardust Illusion. At first, he just wanted to take some time to thank her for the amazing help she had given him.

However, seeing McQueen's adorable expression of resistance, which immediately emanated from her body like a small animal with its fur standing on end, Aldan couldn't help but tease her from time to time, pretending that he was also interested in Stardust Illusion, and then forcing her to continue to take positive action and launch an attack on Stardust Illusion, this racehorse girl.

"I wonder if McQueen will make any progress today?"

Watching the two disappear down the road at the edge of his sight, Aldan regained his usual elegance and looked at Ryan beside him with a sigh:

"Although I know that Stardust Illusion is a bit slow, if McQueen really mustered up the courage to attack, he wouldn't just pretend not to see it, would he?"

"Haha, if McQueen could really be bold, he wouldn't have been troubled for so long."

Ryan continued walking out of the campus with a grin, pleased to see McQueen's relationship with the Stardust Illusion progressing.

"Grandma agrees with this, and hopes McQueen will succeed, right?"

"Xiao Maikun has quite a few enemies, but she only knows how to bully me, her older sister~ Sigh, it's really heartbreaking."

Aldan gently cupped her hands to her heart, feigning sadness. Even with this slightly affected performance, her innate delicate beauty still stunned passersby, causing one to bump his head into a lamppost.

"If all else fails, we'll just have to do what Grandma says—if one McQueen isn't enough, then everyone should try it together! I hope we can see what kind of expression McQueen will make...it'll be so much fun!"

"Aldan, you've changed a lot lately."

Ryan looked at his sisters, who were grinning mischievously, and sighed, holding the back of his head with both hands.

"Really?" Aldan asked, tilting his head.

"You wouldn't have had such bad intentions towards McQueen before, would you?"

"Perhaps it's because... a hero saved me from my vulnerable past."

With his eyelids lowered and his long, thin eyelashes trembling slightly, Aldan spoke while his ears swayed gently on the top of his head.

As the setting sun shone down, it dyed the eyes of this reborn girl a shimmering, golden hue.

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

"I was so stupid... really..."

McQueen sat in a seat at the hot pot restaurant, raised his lifeless eyes, looked at Stardust Illusion who was eating heartily, and then said:

"I only knew that I should be careful of Sister Aldan and guard against her doing something to Stardust; I didn't realize that I should be wary of far more than just her."

"I clearly wanted to take advantage of Stardust's return today to have dinner with her, and maybe then spend some time alone with her in the evening so I could tell her what's on my mind... That's why I suggested inviting her to dinner as a celebration for her return from vacation."

"Stardust readily agreed, but little did he expect... this guy, this blockhead, has absolutely no idea what it means to be alone together! One phone call and so many people showed up, it's basically just a regular party!!!"