Umamusume's days are numbered

Wait, trainer?

Platinum's trainer... isn't he just a symbol of Rudolph?

At this thought, Bai Jin held her breath and stared expectantly at the doorway without blinking.

Could it be...?

So that's what you were up to, Boss, hehe.

"Uh... Platinum, we're in."

As the sound reached his ears, the figure standing at the door came into Platinum's view.

His eyes were a deep, unwavering azure, with long, flowing gold hair dyed with a deep blue hue that resembled smooth silk. He waved a long-sleeved robe that concealed even his fingertips, and always wore an ethereal, ghostly expression—this was the new universe.

With a pair of emerald green eyes, a green bow tied on the right ear of his head, and wearing a form-fitting outfit that looked like a racing suit, his waist was bare, his slender waist and faintly visible navel arousing the imagination—this was Leo Deban.

“Excuse me, we’d like to discuss a winner’s stage…” Leo Deban cautiously peeked out, being extremely careful because he had heard that Platinum had a dark history of kicking other contestants out of the lounge.

Will I be kicked out too?

"Cornflower, we're in."

"Wow!"

Seeing the expression on Platinum's face, Leo van wiped the sweat from his brow: "Looks like we've come at the wrong time?"

"...No, you've come at just the right time." Platinum's face twitched.

That damned emperor... it seems he's really forgotten all about himself.

Looking at the clenched teeth of Platinum, Leo Deban's voice grew softer and softer.

"Actually, we came to ask about the upcoming winners' stage... If you're busy, then we'll go out first?"

The winner's stage, and this one too. Platinum let out a heavy sigh, as if he were about to exhale his lungs.

Her singing wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either; at best, she wasn't off-key. As for dancing, Treson Academy does teach it, but the bouncy, youthful dance moves were just... well, let's just say Platinum's skills were only so-so.

The same thing happened on the previous winners' stage. Platinum members would choose a pre-selected song, do a quick performance, and then run away. This could be considered fulfilling the obligations of a winner.

So... for the Satsuki Sho, do I also need to choose a pre-selected track? That's certainly the easiest way, but since it's my first G1 win, it's still quite memorable.

But if I don't choose a pre-selected song, what songs can I sing?

New Universe glanced at Leodban, then at the hesitant Platinum, stepped forward, wrote a few words on a piece of cardboard, and held it up for the two to see.

"Cornflower... If you're hesitant, there's a good idea in the new universe."

Episode 193 Embracing in the Rain

The Emperor of the East Sea did not remember how he walked off the field, nor what he did afterward.

She just stood there blankly on the grass until a staff member came and led her off the racetrack. She followed the staff member back to her dressing room as if she had no soul.

The rest area was empty; no one was there. The East Sea Emperor felt very thirsty, but she didn't want to drink any water; she could also feel the muscles in her legs aching slightly, but she didn't want to rest; similarly, the East Sea Emperor felt her rain-soaked clothes clinging tightly to her body, but she didn't want to change them.

I don't want to do anything; I want to forget everything.

So the Emperor of the East Sea, like a ghost, turned the doorknob and wandered in the backstage corridor, not knowing where he wanted to go, only wanting to keep walking, as if that would allow him to leave all his troubles behind.

I kept walking and walking. It felt like there were noises around me, like someone was calling my name, but... I was so tired, I didn't want to pay attention.

Let me keep going...

"Your Majesty!" A stern rebuke rang in the ears of the East Sea Emperor, and at the same time she felt her shoulder being gripped tightly.

"...What's wrong?" The Eastern Sea Emperor looked up in confusion. The newcomer seemed to notice her gloomy expression and called out loudly a few more times. At this moment, the Eastern Sea Emperor seemed to come back to her senses, her consciousness and intellect gradually returning.

The first feeling was cold, very cold. His clothes, which had been showing signs of drying out, were now soaked again, and with each gust of wind, the Emperor of the East Sea carried away a great deal of heat from his body.

Unbeknownst to them, the Emperor of the East Sea had already walked out of the racetrack buildings and was getting soaked in the drizzle. If he had walked a little further, he would have left the racetrack area altogether, and the Emperor of the East Sea's distraught appearance would have been witnessed by the spectators and reporters crouching at the racetrack entrance.

And the one calling out to this version of herself is none other than the one wearing a dark green coat...

"...President?"

The Emperor of the East Sea murmured aloud.

Who else could have such an iconic outfit besides Rudolph?

Rudolf looked at the Emperor of the East Sea with a complex expression.

As the match ended, Rudolf Symbol noticed the dejected expression on the face of the East Sea Emperor. Without time to think, and fearing something might happen, Rudolf Symbol greeted Maru Zenki and headed towards the contestants' rest area.

They were delayed a bit due to security issues, and when they arrived at the East Sea Emperor's lounge, it was already empty. Rudolf inwardly cursed and immediately chased after them.

Rudolf was genuinely anxious at this moment. She had no idea where the Emperor of the East Sea had gone, and could only rely on her intuition to search. Fortunately, she found him before anything serious happened.

He had originally intended to reprimand the Emperor of the East Sea, but seeing the Emperor's body hanging limply as if it had no bones, which he had been holding down, he felt a pang of heartache.

This setback was far too devastating for the Emperor of the East Sea.

Rudolph's symbolism was actually intended to give Tokai Teikoku a taste of defeat. There might be racehorse girls who can win every race, but there won't be a racehorse girl who never loses. Tokai Teikoku's goal is an undefeated triple crown, an achievement that requires both skill and luck, and an undefeated record is even more unattainable.

Even legendary horses like Rudolph Symbol, Golden Sixty, and the Secretariat can still suffer defeats on the track. An undefeated record is far more demanding than a triple crown.

However... the sudden and devastating defeat caught the East Sea Emperor completely off guard. His dream of a triple crown and an undefeated record shattered simultaneously, and not just by a narrow margin, but by an overwhelming defeat.

All the failures struck the Eastern Sea Emperor at the same moment, shattering her into pieces.

"Let's go back inside first and talk about it then."

Rudolf noticed that the Emperor of the East Sea was still shivering in the cold wind. If this continued, the Emperor of the East Sea would suffer both mental and physical torment.

She took off her coat, leaving only her shirt underneath, and gently draped it over the East Sea Emperor. The dark green coat was a full size too big for the East Sea Emperor, completely enveloping him.

"Can I still leave?"

The Emperor of the East Sea shook his head, his lips trembling and already turning blue. Rudolf then embraced the Emperor. As their bodies touched, Rudolf realized how incredibly cold the Emperor was, as if he were hugging a block of ice.

Embracing each other, Rudolph symbolically carried the Emperor of the East Sea back to the lounge.

In the lounge, the East Sea Emperor, still wearing Rudolf's symbolic coat and having changed her clothes, curled up in a small ball on the sofa. Rudolf stood behind the sofa, using a hairdryer to blow-dry the East Sea Emperor's hair to prevent her from catching a cold.

"···sorry."

In the quiet room, someone broke the silence. But the voice of apology did not come from the Emperor of the East Sea, but from Rudolf's symbol.

“Your Majesty, I must apologize to you.” Stroking the hair of the Emperor of the East Sea, Rudolf said softly, “I must apologize for my vile thoughts.”

Rudolf Symbol didn't discuss the events on the field. She knew that talking to the Emperor of the East Sea about it now would be pointless.

“I have always tried to find a balance between you and Platinum.”

He neither favored either side nor expressed his opinion on either of the two individuals.

Maintaining neutrality and mediating between everyone is what Rudolf Symbol excels at, and it's what she has always followed.

Rudolf Symbols was adept at handling relationships, including those between the Equestrian Association and the Board of Directors, relationships between student organizations, and even relationships with classmates.

As the student council president, this is the appropriate course of action. She needs to act more as a mediator, a judge devoid of personal feelings—

However, this is not appropriate when he is with the Emperor of the East Sea and Bai Jin.

Therefore, when Rudolph saw the East Sea Emperor lose speed and be overtaken by Platinum at the end of the race, his first thought flashed through his mind: such a result is acceptable.

Both Platinum and the Emperor of the East Sea need a defeat to hone their skills. Compared to Platinum, the more arrogant and conceited Emperor of the East Sea especially needs a defeat.

However, what she didn't expect was that the Emperor of the East Sea would suffer a complete defeat.

Episode 194: Hold Your Head High Again

Looking back now, I find it unforgivable that I had such thoughts back then.

The Emperor of the East Sea is the Emperor of the East Sea.

Platinum is platinum.

There should be no attempt to find a balance between the two people, nor should there be any attempt to remain neutral.

Trying to detach oneself from such things is utterly absurd!

How did Nishizaki Ryu do it while he was searching for some so-called balance point?

Nishizaki Ryu was so scared that he trembled and closed his eyes, unable to watch what was happening on the field.

Even though Platinum only trains with Spica and doesn't actually belong to Nishizaki Ryu's team, she is still Nishizaki Ryu's student, and Nishizaki Ryu has poured countless efforts into her.

Between Platinum and the Emperor of the East Sea, Nishizaki Ryu couldn't choose. Both were important to him; he simply couldn't discern which was more important.

For Nishizaki Ryu, the outcome of the battle between Platinum and the Emperor of the East Sea was both a source of happiness and pain.

This is the attitude that Rudolf symbolizes as a trainer.

Therefore, it can also be said that the suffering that the Emperor of the East Sea is currently enduring is also caused by the symbol of Rudolf.

She felt deeply guilty about this.

Please forgive me.

Facing the back of the Emperor of the East Sea, Rudolf bowed his head deeply.

The Eastern Sea Emperor blinked. She didn't understand why Rudolf Symbol would say these things at this time.

However, there is one thing the Emperor of the East Sea understands.

"No...that's not how it is."

The Emperor of the East Sea subconsciously retorted.

Why is the president apologizing?

"To me, the president has always been someone who is resilient, intelligent, and powerful... someone I can't help but admire."

Therefore, I want to become an undefeated triple crown horse girl. Because that's an honor the president once achieved. If I could also win it, wouldn't I be one step closer to the Rudolph symbol?

"...It's myself."

The Emperor of the East Sea said in a trembling voice, "It was my own fault for not keeping up with the president's pace. I was too arrogant during the competition."

"I have always thought that becoming someone like the chairman is my lifelong pursuit."

"So I pretended to be an older sister to take care of Platinum, trying to stand out in the team, and even boasted that I would definitely become the next president."

"But in reality, when I care about my classmates and take care of Bai Jin, I'm secretly thinking—"

If you were the president, you would probably do this at this time.

Faced with Platinum's sudden appearance, she felt both helpless and somewhat resentful, as if something that belonged exclusively to her had been taken away in half out of thin air. However, she knew the president wouldn't have such thoughts, so she needed to show her understanding and supportive side as an older sister.

The Emperor of the East Sea has always been a fervent imitator of Rudolf's symbolism. It's only natural that someone who considers himself the Chairman's successor and takes pride in that, would ultimately lose to the Chairman's Platinum.

“This is why I want to apologize to you, Your Majesty.” Rudolf symbolically let down the East Sea Emperor’s hair and turned to face her. The East Sea Emperor’s gaze darted away, while Rudolf symbolically gripped her shoulders, half-forcing the East Sea Emperor to meet his eyes.

“I have always wanted to be your role model and strive to show my best side in front of you. In the face of this idol image that has evolved into a performance, I actually lost myself for a moment.”

"This is me. I'm not as good as you think. I can lose games, and I can lose badly, and come back utterly humiliated."

“I also have selfish motives. When the emperor praises me so highly, I feel proud inside.”

“I’ve never told you these things before because I thought what you needed was a benchmark to move forward.”

Seeing that the Emperor of the East Sea was staring intently at him, Rudolf symbolically tried to loosen his grip and sat down next to the Emperor of the East Sea.

"That's actually ridiculously wrong, isn't it? It's precisely because they only showed you the best side that they made you mistakenly believe that you should do this or that."

"Because the president can win three championships without a loss, I want one too. Because the president can treat everyone kindly, I want one too."

"—Now I'm telling you, Your Majesty, this is wrong."

Rudolf symbolically extended the back of his hand, gently touching the hair of the Eastern Sea Emperor, and then moving down to touch her cheek.

"I can't really be friendly to everyone either; I actually have a very bad temper."

"I am also truly undefeated, but there are also opponents I cannot defeat."

"Similarly, I also have many shortcomings. As I just said, I can lose my true enthusiasm due to complacency, and I still need to learn from Nishizaki Ryu in this regard."

"—So, stop crying, Emperor of the East Sea."