Umamusume's days are numbered

"Winning is of course better, but losing is not unacceptable."

Alice pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Alright, I've said everything I wanted to say. You can now refute me with your sharp words, and then run out crying to the distraught Rudolf Symbol to complain and ask her to help you resolve our emotional entanglement."

"I will sign your application to participate in the competition. That's your own business, and it's none of my concern. If you win, that's great, and our agreement will remain unchanged. But if you lose... well, it'll be quite interesting to watch an arrogant, conceited, and conceited guy fall from heaven to the abyss."

The talks fell apart. Now you're the one being unreasonable and turning your back on people, Alice. She thought to herself.

The completely uncontrollable emotional shifts, the cathartic outburst like a volcanic eruption, were truly rare for me. This is a very interesting and worthy topic of study. Why can't humans completely control their emotions according to their reason?

Sigh, so how am I supposed to deal with this mess now...?

Just as she was lost in thought, Alice felt her right hand being grasped.

"I never knew... I didn't know until you said these things, Soko."

Instead of storming out as Eliseko had expected, Shirogane walked towards Eliseko and took her right hand.

Platinum didn't seem to be arguing with Alice; she just lowered her eyes.

"It was because you told me these things that I realized I couldn't live without you."

"Arisuko, please help me. Just like you said, if I, who just went through a classic year, challenge a race from the previous year, I will suffer a crushing defeat without adequate preparation."

"Isn't what you need to do, Soko, is to let me stand on the track with confidence?"

This...this is really...

Alice stood frozen in front of Platinum as if she were under a spell.

I don't understand, I don't comprehend, I can't figure it out.

What exactly is Platinum thinking? The things hidden in her mind always seem to be from a different dimension than those of Alice.

How could our conversation go so completely off-topic? Can't you tell I'm trying to get rid of you? You're such an idiot.

"What an idiot."

Alice put her left hand on her forehead and burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"You're so adorably stupid!"

"I simply... don't know what words to use to describe you."

"Shoko, now I know why you're angry." In response to Alice Soko's laughter, Shirogane simply replied with an extremely serious attitude, "You think I attended the Takarazuka Memorial because of the Emperor of the East Blue."

"That's a fact. If I weren't the emperor of the East Sea, I wouldn't run even one more race."

"But that doesn't mean I have to lose. Since I'm already on the field—"

Platinum pulled Alice's right hand, which was tightly clasped, to his chest: "—You're going to get first place, right?"

"I assure you: at this year's Takarazuka Memorial, the champion will only be us!"

Episode 243, huh?

The air vents clearly show that Rudolph has been worried these past few days, and we know why.

A week ago, during the Japanese derby, Tokai Teios was taken away by ambulance and even missed the winner's stage. This was a very serious accident, and for the past week, every time I opened my phone, the news that popped up was related to Tokai Teios.

More accurately, it is related to the injury suffered by the Emperor of the East Sea.

The student council members were currently enjoying a precious break. They had finished off most of their backlog of tasks, and with no major tournaments scheduled after the Japanese Derby, they could finally relax. Qisuo was currently sitting on the sofa with Rudolf, watching TV and chatting.

"Recently, the injury suffered by Tokai Teios during the Japanese derby has become a hot topic of discussion. Treson Academy and the JRA immediately informed the public that Tokai Teios was not in life-threatening condition and had received immediate medical attention, expecting him to return to the public eye soon. However, a week has passed, and there has been no further reliable information..."

"Why is it all this news?" Qi Cao frowned as he changed the channel, secretly glancing at Rudolf's symbolic expression.

We can't afford to provoke Rudolph any further. Even Qi Cang, looking at her gloomy face, didn't dare ask about the current situation of the East Sea Emperor.

Student council affairs don't just disappear into thin air. These past few days, Rudolph Symbol has been trying to finish her tasks as early as possible so she can have time to visit the East Sea Emperor in the afternoon. Only Rudolph Symbol knows the current state of the East Sea Emperor; everyone else is forbidden from visiting him by the doctor's orders.

Seeing the gas tank's reaction, Rudolf immediately knew that his mood was affecting those around him. He waved his hand and forced a smile, saying, "It's alright, the Emperor is doing very well now."

"I know, I understand." Qi Cao nodded vigorously. "President, you should balance work and rest. Don't overwork yourself. You can get through any difficulty."

If the president falls, the student council's rule will be lost; if the president falls, the peace of Treson College will be over.

“No, I’m telling the truth.” Rudolf said, both amused and exasperated. “I’m just making this face because I’ve been working too late this past week. The Emperor is perfectly fine now and has already let his family and friends know he’s safe and sound.”

"As for not letting her appear in the media, on the one hand, dealing with those reporters is a tough job, so we should try our best to give her a good rest environment. On the other hand, this is also the emperor's own request."

"Then..." Hearing Rudolf's words, Qi Kao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased a little. He tentatively asked, "The Emperor's injuries..."

"A minor fracture might have some impact on the King's career, but it's easy to heal, and he'll still be able to run on the field."

"only···"

Rudolf, staring blankly at the constantly flashing television channels, said, "The East Sea Emperor's classic three-crown journey cannot come to a perfect end."

"Given her injury, there's no way she can recover before the Chrysanthemum Festival, and it might even affect the competitions after the Chrysanthemum Festival. The Emperor has suffered two defeats and has been unable to participate in competitions for almost half a year, so he's currently causing trouble in the hospital."

"Is there absolutely no chance of them participating?" Qi Cao asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up. She knew how important the classic triple crown was to the East Sea Emperor.

At first, the East Sea Emperor was always making a lot of noise about becoming an undefeated triple crown racehorse girl, which made everyone look at her with new respect.

Although the Tokai Empress's goals changed after her defeat at the Satsuki Sho, completing the classic Triple Crown process was still of great significance to her.

If you can't even participate, then there's no point in talking about whether you can win.

"It's a foregone conclusion that I won't be able to participate in the Chrysanthemum Slam, and depending on the situation, even the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen might be affected."

Thinking of this, Rudolf sighed deeply: "But this is an acceptable result, and it can be considered good news."

"Many female racehorses have had to end their professional careers due to injuries, so it's fortunate that Empress still has the opportunity to return to the track."

Being plagued by illness and injury is, in fact, a psychological preparation that every female racehorse must make before stepping onto the racetrack.

As the level of competition increases, so does the intensity, resulting in each match being a dazzling firework display that consumes life. There are even examples of people being completely consumed by a single match. Similarly, not only the Emperor of the East Sea, but even Rudolf himself suffered from illness.

This is an insurmountable hurdle, one that must be faced eventually. However, for the Emperor of the East Sea, it has come a little too soon.

Knowing the whole story, QiKao didn't say anything more and could only try to change the subject while switching channels: "So, the only G1 tournament that's going to be held soon is Takarazuka Memorial, which hasn't announced its roster yet."

"I remember that Mejiro Zenshin announced before that he would participate in the Takarazuka Memorial."

"Will this year once again be a battle between the Mejiro families?" Rudolf Symbol didn't want to continue such a somber topic.

Last year's Takarazuka Memorial featured a showdown between Mejiro Ryan and Mejiro McQueen, which ended in Mejiro Ryan's victory. This year, it's a showdown between Mejiro McQueen and Mejiro Zenshin.

However, compared to Mejiro Ryan and Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Zenshin's performance has been consistently mediocre. For a period of time, he even switched to obstacle course racing due to low popularity. After participating in obstacle course racing for a while, he switched back, but his results remained unsatisfactory.

"In that case, this year's Takarazuka Memorial is something to look forward to. There's a high chance that the Mejiro family will retain their title."

So, it seems that my encounter with Platinum happened around the time of the previous Takarazuka Memorial. Before I knew it, Platinum had been at Treson Academy for almost a year.

Although Platinum caused herself quite a bit of trouble this year, overall things were going well. By this time next year, if Platinum is interested, it will be about time to register for the Takarazuka Memorial.

If Mejiro McQueen wins this year's Takarazuka Memorial title as expected, then next year's Platinum title will be contested by the Mejiro family, who are aiming for a three-peat in Takarazuka.

...It's too early to think about all that now. For Platinum, the most important thing right now is to use the upcoming summer training camp to prepare for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Just then, a television program caught their attention.

"The list of participants for this year's Takarazuka Memorial has been finalized. All sixteen contestants will draw their numbers soon..."

"Number one in popularity—Mejiro McQueen!"

"As expected, there's no other choice." Rudolf changed the subject, his mood noticeably improved, and a slight smile even appeared on his face. "With Megaku McQueen's strength, he should be able to show off his skills at this Takarazuka Memorial."

"Second in popularity rankings—Ueno is getting stronger!"

“Mejiro Zenshin might be under a lot of pressure at this Takarazuka memorial, after all…” Rudolf Symbol was about to continue speaking when the voice from the television interrupted her thoughts.

"Third in popularity rankings—Platinum!"

Wait a minute, did I hear something wrong?

Hmm, I must be hallucinating. Oh dear, remembering that my encounter with Shirogane was around the time of Takarazuka, how could that cause me to hallucinate? How strange…

Or is it that the constant presence of Platinum Group around him lately has caused him to develop mental problems?

Compared to Mejiro Takamine and Tokai, who were relatively reserved and balanced, Shirogane was completely unrestrained, relying on his position as Rudolf's symbolic subordinate. For the past month, whenever it wasn't during class time, Shirogane could appear around him at any time, always with a particularly righteous and self-righteous reason.

Rudolph symbolically patted his ears, rubbed his eyes, and looked at the television again.

The figure on the screen was still the same all-white figure, making a peace sign with a blank expression, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. The more Rudolf looked at it, the more frustrated he became.

This little brat!

"President..." Qi Gai looked at Rudolf's symbol with concern, "Don't worry, we can overcome any difficulty..."

Now I'm really worried that Rudolph will symbolize something like passing out, since the student council elections are starting tomorrow.

Without Rudolf as a symbol, what remains is a capricious Chiaki and a devilish Narita Shirahito... well, an unimaginable chaotic future.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Rudolf pressed his temples and took a deep breath to calm himself.

...Well, okay. I don't know why Platinum chose to participate in Takarazuka this year, but it's a reasonable request.

Takarazuka Memorial has long opened registration for classic year racehorses, but due to time constraints and other more important races for classic year racehorses, few participate.

Furthermore, the Takarazuka Memorial is not the kind of race that you can only participate in once. Generally, people wait until they have gone through a year of hard work before taking on the challenge. However, there are indeed some very confident Uma Musume Classics that participate in the races—although the final results are not very good.

—The real problem is, why didn't this brat consult me ​​before signing up for the Takarazuka Memorial?

Am I the kind of annoying adult who doesn't listen to the reasonable requests of the racehorse girls under my command?

And what's more! Without my permission! How did Platinum even register?!

To participate in a race, a female horse racer must first fill out an application form, which then needs to be signed by her trainer, the female horse racer herself, and stamped by the chairman of the board before it can be submitted to the JRA. This is the result of cooperation among the three parties to prevent the female horse racer and her trainer from acting unilaterally.

As for the chairperson's stamp, well, Rudolf believed the chairperson wanted to carefully review every application form, but the number of applications submitted daily was like snowflakes, enough to overwhelm her. All she could do was keep stamping and submitting them to the JRA, since any ineligible applications would be rejected by the JRA anyway.

Since I didn't sign it... which of the two, Ryu Nishizaki and Alice, is so spoiled by Platinum that they just casually signed their names on it?

Rudolph symbolizes squinting eyes.

Getting a copy of the application form from the JRA is one option, but since there are only two candidates and I already have a general idea of ​​who I want... it would be more convenient to just call them directly.

"Alice... I need an explanation." The call was answered within seconds. It seemed the other end had been waiting for Rudolf's symbol.

Rudolf could be patient and forgiving with the ponies, but there was no need for that with someone like Elisako. If Elisako couldn't give herself a reasonable explanation, she would likely face the Emperor's wrath.

As for Platinum... I'll have a heart-to-heart talk with Platinum later.

What else could we do but whip her until she was spinning like a top? Unlike the Emperor of the East Sea, Bai Jin was like a tough nut to crack, without any weaknesses.

According to Rudolf's symbolic conjecture, Platinum is probably upset because he has been busy taking care of the Emperor and has not had time to look after her lately.

But it's one thing for kids to be ignorant, but you, Alice, not only don't try to persuade Platinum, you're also helping the wicked, right?

"Rudolf Symbol, are you looking at the list of names for the Takarazuka Memorial?" Alice asked in a leisurely tone, showing no sign of impending doom.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, don't rush, read it first and then we'll talk."

Bang! The student council door was suddenly pushed open.

"The student council is a public place, so please be mindful of your manners. At least..." The impatient man scolded the rude visitor, but then froze when he saw the visitor's face.

The person who pushed open the student council door was the trainer of New Universe, a young girl who had just graduated from Italy. She was still quite inexperienced in many aspects, especially after encountering a little prodigy like New Universe.

At this moment, the young woman stood stiffly in front of Rudolf's symbol, her face completely bloodless, her whole body covered in cold sweat, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Rudolf's symbol and the gas tank immediately gave him an ominous feeling.

...No way? That kind of thing shouldn't happen, right? Why would anyone want to mess with their own legs?

"Sixth in popularity ranking—New Universe!"

The sound from the television felt like a hammer blow to Rudolf's temple; she felt a sudden darkness engulf her, and almost dropped the phone.

"I don't know... I don't even remember when I signed it... but it is definitely my handwriting..." the trainer said tremblingly, his voice trembling with tears in his eyes.

Just then, Alice's caring words came through the phone: "See? I told you so! The surprise is yet to come."

Rudolf's head lolled to one side, and he slid right off the sofa. Kiku quickly caught him, shouting, "Chairman! Chairman! Don't fall asleep!"

The blue sky of Treson College has fallen.