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

She appears to have achieved second place, surpassing Takarazuka Memorial's record and even defeating Eliseko as she had hoped.

But... I can't feel happy.

Manchester City's attacking line only started to gain momentum in the middle of the game, overtaking several players in succession.

The unique, magical domain she unleashed completely overwhelmed most of the runners on the track.

In the end, only three people were left to compete, because the other contestants had almost completely lost their last bit of strength. Even the three in front of them struggled in the mud to reach the finish line.

It can be said that the overall pace of the race was less affected by Stardust Illusion, which even rallied the runners in the Great Escape, than by the pace of the race itself.

(It started strong but ended weakly...!)

What the teahouse was unwilling to accept was not losing the game or being defeated by the younger generation of the classic year.

What she truly couldn't accept was that, at the end of the match, the person she had been resentfully seeking revenge against lost to her due to a recurrence of their leg injury.

Although Alice hasn't had another system check-up yet, Manchester City Tea House is no stranger to this kind of thing.

Of course, it was clear that she had activated the Shattered Star Domain in this match, and the resulting recurrence of her injury meant that Suko would most likely no longer be able to continue running on the field.

She no longer even has a chance to take revenge again!

It's easy to imagine how painful this outcome must have been for Manchester City.

(Are you very unwilling to accept this?)

The tinnitus caused by overexertion gradually faded, and the voice of my friend became clear again.

"Utterly unwilling...!"

The girl's jet-black fingers traced marks on the ground, digging out soil and grass roots and pinching them into her palms.

The showdown I'd been waiting for for so long has ended like this, and Alice has even broken through the legendary Star Shattering Domain right in front of me.

Isn't this just giving no chance for revenge after defeating oneself?

Just like back then, after winning the Satsuki Prize with a perfect 4-4 record, she simply announced her indefinite retirement...!

(Then let's change our target, [friend].)

"Change...target?"

Feeling that his strength had recovered slightly, Manchester Tea House calmed himself down, stood up, and looked in the direction of Alice.

The one being tapped on the head was none other than the champion of this competition: Stardust Illusion.

(Didn't Eliseko say at the end of the match that Stardust Illusion was the object of her hopes?)

"That's exactly right."

(Then prove it to the Speedo—prove that you can become stronger than Stardust Illusion!)

"The Golden Ship!!!"

A loud shout rang out from the field, and the lady, who had just been panting, suddenly rushed out, chasing after the runner who had fled ahead of her.

McQueen watched as his teammate laughed as he swept across the arena and fled towards the players' tunnel.

As he ran, he shouted gleefully:

"Losing the race was clearly your own fault—you noob! You noob who got beaten by a classic runner! You're a noob with 6G1 wins and didn't even make the top three!"

"Hahaha, how do you feel—how do you feel now?!"

"I'm going to blast you to pieces!!!"

McQueen sighed as he watched the two disappear one after the other into the contestants' tunnel.

For some reason, my previously melancholy mood improved considerably.

She wiped her sweat, straightened up, and sighed deeply:

"As expected, the gap between me and Stardust is widening. I can't even join their final showdown in this competition..."

McQueen's expression was complicated. He looked at the person he had wanted to chase not far away, but seeing the smile she showed to Alice, he didn't even dare to take a step.

Inspired by the Stardust Illusion, McQueen was not unable to accept his defeat and successfully won the Springtime title in this year's competition, achieving his long-cherished goal of winning the title for the third consecutive time.

For McQueen, this was an achievement that came from constantly pushing his own limits.

But... the loss was still so indisputable.

"What's wrong? Do you feel like you're not good enough for Stardust?"

Aldan Meguro, who was back-to-back with McQueen, turned around with his head tilted, revealing a malicious smile:

"In that case, why don't you help me create every opportunity to spend time with her? Let me think... how about this week?"

"Sister Aldan, what are you saying...!"

When this was mentioned, McQueen blushed and instinctively avoided Aldan's gaze:

"We're talking about the competition right now..."

"I was just talking about the competition. I wanted to exchange training and running tips with Little Stardust. What's wrong?"

"Alright, let's talk about these things later."

Ryan was also quite helpless when he saw McQueen struggling to resist Aldan's teasing and starting to hesitate.

She knew that Aldan was trying to distract McQueen and prevent her from putting too much pressure on herself.

but……

(As expected, this guy is a monster.)

Ryan closed his eyes, the image of the figure he saw at the end of the Arima Memorial still vivid in his mind.

That phantom of the reeds, a racehorse girl like a goddess.

He was the first runner to inspire Ryan with an indomitable spirit.

While Stardust Illusion is not yet as powerful as Little Gurikado's current evolution speed, it puts no less pressure on McQueen than it did on its own back then.

Under such pressure, can McQueen hold on? As the gap between Stardust Illusion and herself widens, can she adjust her mindset?

Thinking of this, Ryan looked at his sister with a worried expression.

“Ryan is right, I’d better go and prepare for the winner’s stage first… Stardust will probably prepare another original song.”

To rouse himself, McQueen patted his cheeks to clear his head, then turned and walked toward the contestants' tunnel.

An inability to accept failure should not exist in oneself.

McQueen was well aware that while he was exceptionally talented in long distances, he wasn't as strong in other areas, so it wouldn't be surprising if he were defeated by other runners at any time.

Since we lost this time, we should train even harder and win next time.

What I need to do is definitely not waste time on self-pity.

(I'm far from being strong enough... I don't have time to be depressed here.)

Next time... I will take my revenge on you.

Stardust!

Chapter 331 The Noble Families Have Made Their Move

[Main storyline missions completed.]

[Host detected to have completed the G1-level bounty event in first place, reward 71 PT.]

[Main Quest: The Undefeated Overlord: 4/5 wins in G1-level matches throughout the year.]

[Main Quest: The Swift Runner Who Travels Through Dimensions: 4/9 of the Great Escapes, 2/2 of the Consecutive Great Escapes.]

[Main Quest: Half-Body Illuminated by Starlight: Selected half-body of the East Sea Emperor, running and judging... Judgment complete, quest conditions fulfilled.]

[Quest reward obtained: All attributes +10, Endurance Manual x1.]

[Main Quest: The Wise Man Fishing Under the Azure Sky: Quest in progress... The opponent, the noblewoman, has been defeated. Quest objective achieved.]

[Rewards: All attributes +10, obtain 1 Amulet]

[Main Quest: The Blue Rose of Happiness Piercing the Cold Flame: Quest in progress... The noblewoman has been defeated, quest objective completed.]

[Special Inherent Skill: Blue Rose Beyond All Limits Level Up, increases acceleration.]

[Endurance Secret Manual: From the mysterious holy land of horse racing girls, a unique training manual that instantly grants +15 points of stamina upon use.]

Inside the single lounge.

Stardust Illusion glanced at the series of system prompts that popped up and then ignored them.

At this point, the rewards provided by the system are no longer of much help to her.

The system is just a tool. It's already quite satisfactory that it can provide such a bug-level effect as a data-driven body as the Stardust Illusion. Relying on it too much is just trying to take shortcuts.

Taking shortcuts goes against the heart of racehorse girls and should not be attempted too often.

It's safe to say that unless they get something like a panacea that's sufficiently beneficial to other racehorse girls, it's unlikely they'll be able to survive.

In other cases, it's better to train and comprehend things diligently on your own, which will allow you to have a clearer understanding of your thoughts.

Furthermore, given that their basic attributes have reached a point where they can no longer be considered extraordinary, they certainly won't hold them back anymore, so there's no need to rush.

This Takarazuka memorial is the best proof of that.

Facing nine runners who had trained for at least a year longer than him, he still managed to maintain his endurance until the end and ultimately win the championship.

Furthermore, the domain is a blind spot that the system cannot reach, and it can be said to be a key element that truly requires one's own efforts to understand and break through.

but.

(...The Shattered Star Domain?)

With my eyes slightly closed, the light that completely pierced through the black hole flowed through my mind.

As the runner closest to Alice, Stardust Illusion naturally noticed all of her movements most directly.

In the instant that the Destiny Star was shattered by the Speed ​​Particle, Stardust Illusion felt as if the runner in front of him had suddenly disappeared from this world.