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

Haidu Star stood on the field, staring blankly at everything before him.

Panting heavily, she could clearly feel that her body was in very bad shape.

In the final stages of the race, in order to catch up with Zofu, Haidu Star displayed a running speed that surpassed any previous one, a state on the verge of seeing the next level.

However, even running until they were exhausted, they still couldn't reach the victory that was so close.

At this moment, even though Haidu Star came in second place, they felt no joy at all.

Looking at the orange-clad girl bathed in the cheers of thousands, and hearing the repeated cheers from the audience in the stands, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she were being pricked by needles.

This girl has been trained to be a world-class racehorse girl since birth, and is being trained to the highest standards.

During her debut performance, she only managed to secure fourth place due to overload on her brain.

From then on, Haidu Star adjusted its mindset every day, eliminating all unnecessary emotions and making its brain function perfectly like a machine.

And then... even so, they still lost.

Originally, Haidu Star had also experienced a defeat in their debut battle. Although they went on a winning streak after that, they also seriously studied how to adjust themselves after a defeat in order to prevent their mentality from becoming unbalanced.

It could be said that she should now follow the advice in the book and use this defeat as motivation to become stronger.

What Haidu Star should do now is to go forward and congratulate Zhuo Fu on her victory, just like the third-place flight attendant did.

She needed to calmly acknowledge her opponent's strength, because only then could she prove that she wasn't too weak, just not strong enough.

Competing against such a formidable opponent is an honor for her as a racehorse girl, and it is the real driving force that motivates her to strive even harder.

Haidu Star has always prepared in this way, maintaining a correct understanding of the competition and not letting a single victory or defeat become a permanent part of the game.

However, now all the girl could do was tremble with exhaustion, reach out her right hand to tightly clutch the clothes at her heart, and silently lower her head.

(Why does my nose feel sore...)

Haidu Zhixing could feel that his eyes were almost uncontrollably moistening.

She tried to wipe her tears, but found that they immediately flowed like a burst dam, impossible to wipe away no matter what she did.

"Ha, ha, ha ah...!"

"I can't understand, why... can't I understand...!"

Not only did she fail to wipe her cheeks clean, but her tears continued to overflow.

Haidu Star even wondered why the rain had stopped just now. If it were still raining, at least he could say that his face was just wet with raindrops...

They made so many preparations, even considering the possibility of losing.

Having decided to abandon her emotions and focus entirely on the race, she should be able to view the race results more rationally than other racehorse girls.

But even with such suppressed emotions, the moment of collapse can be far more intense than with other racehorse girls.

The girl opened her mouth wide, then silently lowered her head and choked back sobs.

A wave of intense regret overwhelmed her, and even desperate gasping for breath couldn't alleviate the agonizing feeling of oxygen deprivation.

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

Since their debut battle, Haidu Star has never experienced such a thrilling moment.

But this is irrational; it's an emotion that doesn't help with the game or training, and it must be discarded before it can be considered a statement.

Haidu Star desperately tried to shift his thoughts and attention.

She began to analyze her opponent from the previous match, her voice choked with emotion as she murmured, "Respectfully yours... please allow me to inform you... Zhuo Fu's zero gravity... its true nature is... to disappear... oh...!"

"Ah Xing, that's enough." A clear, cold voice suddenly called out from behind Haidu Zhixing, who was almost sobbing.

Following the sudden shout, Haidu Star raised its head and looked back with teary eyes.

"Sister Galileo...!"

Galileo, the famous racehorse girl who rushed from the VIP room to the racetrack, had somehow arrived in front of Seastar. She looked at her sister, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and sighed.

"You've already tried your best, Xing. Now it's the loser's break time, so it's okay to cry."

"Ugh...! But... after the match... is the perfect time... to analyze the situation...!"

It seemed that Galileo's arrival gave her some strength, and the sobs of the Star of the Sea gradually subsided.

She reached up and rubbed her face vigorously, trying to regain her initial expressionless demeanor.

However, he couldn't manage it no matter what he did, and in the end, he could only slightly curl the corners of his mouth, revealing a very ugly and pitiful smile:

"I...I'll definitely win next time...! Sister Galileo...I need to study...our opponent carefully...!"

Seeing this, Galileo didn't say anything more, but walked straight over. Before the Star of the Sea could react to what was happening, it felt itself being embraced in a warm embrace.

The warmth instantly stopped her trembling and shattered the tense expression on Haidu Star's face. Galileo's gentle whisper rang in her ears at that perfect moment:

"Ah Xing, listen to me."

"You've done very well; you've successfully broken through your own limits in this game."

“There are many factors that can lead to a loss. There is never a sure thing in a game. As long as you can understand that, you can overcome today’s defeat. Your mother and I have always believed in you.”

Galileo, of course, saw all of Haidu Star's helplessness and resentment.

She knew exactly how much effort her younger sister had put in to become a world-class racehorse girl in the eyes of her and Haidu City.

Even though she had to abandon all her feelings and hobbies, Haidu Star never complained once, and even asked the two of them how to become stronger.

She also knew that Ocean Star's efforts had indeed paid off. She had won one race after another since her debut, and even dominated the entire English racing scene, standing out from many female racehorses.

However, Galileo understood better than anyone how heartbreaking it was to have reached his limit and still have to watch others cross the finish line.

Galileo gently embraced the Star of the Sea, stroked her head, and wiped away the dirt and tear stains from her cheeks.

Then, she rubbed her cheek against Haidu Zhixing's face and continued gently, "Now, if you want to cry, then cry. It doesn't matter how weak you are in my arms, because I am your sister."

"...Can...can I cry...?" Sea Star asked cautiously, burying her head deeply in Galileo's arms.

"Yes, you can cry. Because I am Galileo, crying in my arms won't make you weaker. Trust your sister."

"Waaaaah... I'm not reconciled... I want to become stronger, I want to take revenge on her, on Zofu..."

"That feeling of helplessness—that inability to reach her no matter what—I never want it again! Never again…!"

"Wa ...

The girl, covered in mud, buried her head in her sister's arms and cried loudly, just as she had done countless times before.

--------

"Congratulations on your victory, Zofu!!!"

Snapped!

Stardust Illusion, who had arrived at the lounge ahead of time, opened the paper firecracker in her hand and loudly congratulated Zofu as she pushed open the door.

"Hehe, Stardust, you've been stealing the spotlight lately, so of course I can't fall behind."

A smile naturally appeared on Zhuo Funa's face, which was exhausted from the competition.

Although this celebration looked no different from a child's congratulations, she was still very happy.

The reason, of course, is the person in front of him who genuinely congratulated him.

“That’s true. We’ve agreed to a duel at the Arc de Triomphe, and neither side can afford to lose before then—so both sides are working hard to uphold that agreement.”

Stardust Illusion nodded, then stepped forward to support Zhuo Fu, and continued to speak in response to her surprised gaze: "Don't look at me like that. Your body is almost worn out, isn't it? I'm not so stupid that I can't even tell."

"If Zhuo Fu hadn't told me not to go to the stadium to pick you up, why would I be waiting here? Hai Du Zhi Xing was picked up by her sister herself."

Stardust Illusion shook its head helplessly, reached out and wrapped its arms around Zhuo Fu's waist, gently squeezing it twice.

The girl in front of him wanted to say more, but at this moment she let out a soft moan and collapsed into her arms, and could only obediently let her help her to sit down on the sofa.

"See, I told you you'd reached your limit, didn't I? You should rest for a while before talking to us again."

"It was clearly because of a surprise attack..."

Zhuo Fu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she protested softly, "Besides, I want to take a shower first. I ran almost the entire race in the rain today. Although the final outfit has the blessing of the three goddesses and can automatically clean the stains, it's very uncomfortable when the stains stick to other parts of the outfit."

"You're finding it hard enough to even stand up on your own right now, aren't you?"

Stardust Illusion carefully observed the girl's condition, although she wasn't good at observing and evaluating racehorse girls' conditions like a trainer.

However, if we're talking about the firsthand experience of exhaustion and depletion, Stardust Illusion is certainly more experienced than almost everyone else in Uma Musume—

After all, this guy is a super fanatic who consistently practices until he's exhausted two or three times a day.

That's why Stardust Illusion could tell just by looking at the slight, involuntary spasms in the muscles of Zhuo Fu's hands and feet as she stood at the door.

She is now exactly the same as before, relying entirely on willpower to get back to the lounge, and once she sits down, she will be unable to move again.

So even though Zhuo Fu said she wanted to take a bath and clean off the mud and dirt, she couldn't actually do it.

"Even if you can't move, you can still take a bath...!"

Zhuo Fu blinked, a slight smile playing on her lips, revealing a slightly naive yet alluring charm: "Stardust, can't you help me?"

"Huh?"

Stardust Illusion was stunned for a moment before realizing what Zhuo Fu meant.

She frowned in disbelief, then pointed to her nose: "I'll help you take a bath? Really...?"

"Because it's really uncomfortable!"

Seeing that even after all that, Stardust Illusion was still hesitating, Zhuo Fu, slumped weakly on the sofa, simply gave up and completely abandoned all her pride:

"With all that mud and dirt on me, even if I rest, the effects will be greatly reduced—which will also affect my physical recovery, won't it?"

"Stardust, you wouldn't want to arrive at the Arc de Triomphe without me in perfect condition, would you?"

Zhuo Fu smiled slyly, but her tone suggested that she was genuinely worried that simply taking a bath later would cause her some irreversible damage.

Of course, all of this was just acting. Zhuo Fu was well aware of her condition. Although she was temporarily exhausted, it was not to the point that it would really have any consequences on her body.

After all, her body was proven by the noble family to be strong enough to handle such a reckless weightless running technique, so how could she possibly be physically weak?

The main reason why the conversation had reached this point was that Zhuo Fu was extremely excited about the victory she had just achieved against Haidu Star. Even now, her passion remained undiminished.

And now, she finally has a rare moment alone with this blockhead, even though she had already planned to confess her feelings behind the Arc de Triomphe—

But, doing some light intimate activities should be fine... Yes, absolutely fine!