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

It felt as if someone was watching me from somewhere, with a subtle, almost imperceptible gaze.

More importantly, this happened before the competition... I specifically checked last night to make sure the shoes were securely nailed on, how could they have come off?!

Splash splash splash splash...

Suddenly, all sounds except for the raindrops disappeared from Zhuo Fu's ears, and everything around her seemed to consist only of the narrow gate in front of her.

The sight of the horseshoe slipping off the shoe, the increasingly loud patter of raindrops filling the air, coupled with the peculiarly narrow structure of the gate...

All of this made Zhuo Fu feel an inexplicable, unpleasant chill spreading involuntarily from her body, as if her limbs were frozen, and her body, which had finally warmed up, became stiff again.

It was as if she had been suddenly slammed down by a huge wave, then found herself in a whirlpool of spray, being pulled and plunged into the deep sea...

No.

No, no!

"don't want……!!!!"

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

Stardust Illusion stood at the very front of the stands, gazing at the gates on the field from afar, waiting for the match to begin.

Although her attire was relatively normal when she escorted Zofu into the contestant tunnel, Stardust Illusion prepared a traditional outfit of hat, sunglasses, and unisex clothing just in case she arrived at the most enthusiastic stands of the Uma Musume audience.

This outfit was indeed very effective at concealing her identity. Even though she managed to squeeze to the very front of the stands thanks to her superhuman physique unique to horse girls, not many people thought of her as a famous person—at most, they just thought she might be an ordinary novelist who came to gather material.

(This match won't be as simple as you think, Zoe... If you still want to meet me at the Arc de Triomphe, then give it your all and defeat that person.)

At this moment, the initial ease in Stardust Illusion's mind was long gone.

When she first sent Zhuo Fu into the arena, she thought that this match would probably be like her previous matches, without many strong opponents.

But when she noticed the girl inside the outermost gate, Stardust Illusion knew that this match was definitely not something that could be won easily.

Although the girl had an ordinary-looking head of black hair, the iconic bunny ear knitted hat on her head made her recognize at a glance the racehorse girl, Haidu Star, whom she considered a formidable rival!

Upon first glance at Haidu Star, Stardust Illusion wanted to check out the contestant information that Toyama had specially compiled.

However, when she reached into her pocket, she remembered that Zhuo Fu had simply left the document in the car, not only without looking at it, but also without taking it with her.

However, even without checking the detailed data recorded in the document, Stardust Illusion could tell that the racehorse girl was definitely a formidable opponent for Zofu in this race!

The azure battle aura that enveloped its entire body had almost solidified into a tangible form. Not only was the rain not affecting the state of the Sea City Star, but its aura actually increased to an incomparably powerful level.

Even standing on the stands dozens of meters away from the starting line, Stardust Illusion's heart pounded with fighting spirit as he gazed at the Sea City Star and Zhuo Fu inside the gate.

It was leaping with joy, it was shouting for the stardust illusions to join the battle—

Unfortunately, I can't go.

However, at least we can see the battle between Zhuo Fu and the powerful Haidu Star, which makes the ticket price worthwhile!

Thinking this, Stardust Illusion quickly pulled out his phone from his pocket, preparing to turn on recording mode and accurately record the video of the match.

Although she herself did not need such an extra means to record the race, after all, for Stardust Illusion, the clear and still mind that reflects the runners is more reliable than any recording equipment.

However, Toyama Scarlet had instructed her long ago that if she encountered a match while watching that could inspire Stardust Illusion to join the battle, she should...

Therefore, it is essential to record this information so that the trainer can analyze and study it, enabling Toyama to extract new intelligence and training methods.

However, just as Stardust Illusion looked down and operated his phone, preparing to hold it up to watch the game, the cheering crowd around him suddenly started making noise.

Before she could even raise her head, the cacophony of doubt and astonishment grew louder and louder, almost instantly replacing the previous lively atmosphere.

"Huh? What happened?!"

"Really?... How could this happen...?"

"I hope nothing bad has happened to Zhuo Fu!"

(Suddenly... what happened?)

Stardust Illusion looked up, somewhat bewildered. There had indeed been some changes on the track. The staff had already evacuated the track to prevent any accidents, as the race was about to begin.

At that moment, two or three staff members were rushing towards the starting line in the rain, while Zhuo Fu could be seen peeking out from behind the gate, talking to the staff members who were rushing over.

Even with Stardust Illusion's hearing, it was still barely able to make out some things from this distance.

But with the raindrops falling so heavily, the noise made it difficult to even see Zhuo Fu's lips clearly.

But why does everyone seem to know what happened?

Stardust Illusion then remembered the discussion it had just heard, and with worry for Zhuo Fu in its heart, it quickly looked in the direction of the others' gazes.

The screen, which was originally used to announce the players' scores after the competition, now displayed several lines of text explaining the situation.

At the same time, the host's voice echoed in the arena:

[Dear viewers, we sincerely apologize. Due to Zoe's horseshoe coming off before the start of the competition, we have to postpone the start time to allow all competitors to recheck their equipment and for Zoe to have her horseshoe reattached.]

The racecourse sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

(This fool, doesn't he really check the horseshoes before the race starts?)

Just as Stardust Illusion was thinking this, it heard the two audience members to its left discussing the incident that had just been broadcast:

"It's just that this happened on the heavy horse track, which is Zhuo Fu's weakest point, and such a rare occurrence, which happens only once a year, that's really terrible..."

"And the opponent just happens to be that Star of the Seas. Even losing to Stardust Illusion would be slightly better... Losing to this Englishman is unacceptable!!!"

(What do you mean by losing to Stardust Illusion? That's a little easier to understand. It's as if I'm some kind of inferior product...!)

Although Stardust Illusion thought this to itself, it wouldn't hold a grudge against these ordinary viewers over a single sentence.

Furthermore, from the conversation between the two, Stardust Illusion also heard some crucial information: it seemed that the loss of the horseshoes was something very important.

Even those viewers who originally supported Zhuo Fu started to consider the possibility of her losing the match.

Thinking this, Stardust Illusion simply moved closer and took the initiative to ask, "Hello, excuse me—I wanted to ask what you mean by 'fallen horseshoe'? It's just a horseshoe coming off. Doesn't the rule say that it's allowed to nail it back on before the start of the competition? So it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"Miss Ma... are you a tourist?" The two French locals in conversation exchanged a glance, then smiled and displayed gentlemanly manners.

These two people in front of me are obviously seasoned fans of horse racing, and they probably know a lot about me, who has been very active these past few months.

Thinking this, the Stardust Illusion deliberately gave a rough "hmm" in response.

"Anyway, welcome to Paris." The slightly taller man smiled.

Although the brown-haired girl who had approached them looked a bit odd, with her face completely covered, they couldn't discern anything amiss. They just thought she might be a bit introverted.

"By the way, were you asking about the meaning of 'falling iron' just now?" The other, slightly shorter man recalled the question from the Stardust Illusion earlier and became even more certain that the horse girl in front of him was just a tourist who occasionally came to watch the race.

After all, if she were truly a famous female racehorse hiding her identity, how could she not know about this widely circulated claim in the industry?

(Judging from her appearance, she should have already passed the early stages of being a true Uma Musume fan, which is why she came to the racetrack to see the best individual Uma Musume race on the track, right? In that case, let me, the know-it-all, give her a lesson on these things!)

"What this young lady is wondering is why everyone is taking the iron fall incident so seriously, right?"

"Regarding the consequences of the fall, people mainly understand it from two aspects. First, from this fall, we can see that there was a problem with the racehorse's pre-race equipment check. Whether it was due to her negligence or, most importantly, the poor quality of the running shoes themselves, it was not a state of being fully prepared for the race."

Thinking this, the short man began to talk incessantly to the girl in front of him.

However, despite what he said, Stardust Illusion believed that Zofu was not the kind of runner who would make such a mistake before the race.

Back when they trained together in Tresson, Zof was always the most serious one in the team, while Stardust Illusion, who only had running and eating on his mind, was often taken care of.

Perhaps it was because of her role as a personal assistant before being appreciated by a prominent family that Zhuo Fu developed the habit of taking every matter seriously.

"Could it just be a coincidence?"

Stardust Illusion tried to defend Zofu by saying, "I believe she wouldn't make such a basic mistake, especially against me... in a match that she values ​​most."

"Actually, that's what we thought too. Nobody believed that this French beauty would make such a basic mistake..."

The short man nodded, but his expression was not good; instead, his brows were furrowed. "However, this also means that this was a completely accidental occurrence, which corresponds to another situation."

"what's the situation?"

"I wonder if you've ever heard this proverb: 'For want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, the horse was lost; for want of a horse, the battle was lost; for want of a battle, the war was lost; for want of a war, the kingdom was lost.'"

“Since ancient times, people have used this incident as a metaphor for the defeat that is about to occur in the next battle. Now that we all believe that Zofu’s horseshoe fell by accident, it is hard not to associate it with this proverb metaphor.”

"..." Stardust Illusion remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.

The short man sighed, and the little bear shrugged: "Well? Now you should understand why the audience was in such an uproar, right?"

"So, that's it?"

Stardust Illusion realized that these spectators had doubts about Zofu's upcoming performance based on just one proverb.

"Um...isn't that enough?" The two men exchanged a glance and then asked in unison.

"It's just something vague and unfounded. Even if it were truly destined for failure because of the falling iron—"

Stardust Illusion curled its lip in disdain, its mind recalling how, before France, Alice had been willing to give her all for that fleeting moment of brilliance:

"Then let's crush this fate along with it!"

Chapter 370 Oh my god, another escape!

After re-studying her horseshoes and checking her equipment, Zhuo Fu jogged back to the racecourse, apologized to all the runners waiting for her, and then stood back in her own gate.

"call……"

"It seems that today's match will not be won so easily."

During the time she was adjusting her equipment, Zhuo Fu had also calmed down.

The fear of claustrophobic spaces that I had felt earlier vanished, replaced by a renewed desire to compete.

"Stardust has already made us a laughing stock before the competition even started... There's no turning back now."

Feeling her body already entering a battle-ready mode, Zhuo Fu muttered to herself.

The biggest rival in this race, as Zhuo Fu has already identified during the apology just now, is that runner in the bunny ear hat who doesn't look like a racehorse girl at all.

"Although I didn't look at the information provided by Stardust before the match, I'm afraid her identity is already beyond doubt—she is the Star of the Sea City."

As the interrupted race resumed, Zhuo Fu heard the announcement that the race was about to start again, but the track was still covered in rain, and the condition of the entire track was very worrying.

It's fair to say that there are countless factors that are detrimental to her.

"Among runners my age, besides Stardust, she's probably the only one in all of Europe who can make me feel this kind of pressure... She truly is a monster."

Now, the girl known as the "Flower of France," on whom all the local spectators placed their hopes in this match, has ignited a fierce fighting spirit in her azure eyes, which are as blue as the sky!