Umamusume's days are numbered

Episode 301: Falsehood and Truth, Truth and Falsehood

Of course, someone with excellent qualities knows where the astronomer is. Perhaps the strange light is now turning back to look around the reef and finding that the astronomer has climbed back up.

So, how hated must astronomers be for this situation to arise where two groups are chasing after them and kicking them while they're down? I don't know how long I've known the supermodel girl in front of me, but I've only known her and Li Yuelongmen for less than ten days, right?

In just ten days, the astronomer and the carp leaping over the dragon gate had become sworn enemies. It's reasonable to suspect that the astronomer's reason for traveling the world wasn't because she wanted to travel, but because staying in one place for too long made her vulnerable to assassination by her enemies.

"What's going on now?" The strange light returned and began to question itself! She suspected that the excellent qualities had tampered with the astronomers!

"...Would you believe me if I said this really has nothing to do with me?"

With a deep sigh, I thought, "It seems my fate is sealed here. Alas."

“I don’t want to hurt you. I know you are a kind nun… so please hand over my friend.” The voice, shimmering with strange light, turned cold. “I swear, I won’t do anything that violates my principles.”

You didn't violate your principles, but you went and broke the criminal law, okay? The person with excellent manners is internally ranting about it.

She wanted to hand over the astronomer to the supermodel girl, but she was already struggling to protect her own life, so how could she have the energy to protect other people's lives?

But she truly had no idea where the astronomer was! The astronomer was in the hands of the carp leaping over the dragon gate.

"Um, Sister..."

While excellent qualities and strange light were confronting each other, the small door of the confessional ward opened shakily again.

Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate, carrying a huge sack in one hand and a gleaming machete in the other, appeared in the confessional: "I still want to discuss this with you. I feel that simply putting it back where it was isn't quite appropriate..."

In the small confessional, two pairs of eyes and a numb arm reaching out from the small window stared at each other.

"...It's the girl who knocked the astronomer unconscious." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate recognized the strange light at a glance.

"So that's how it is. So that guy was with you." The strange light narrowed its eyes, and it immediately recognized that the bag that Li Yuelongmen was carrying contained the large piece of trash that she had been searching for.

It's over. The final battle is about to begin here. That's the only thought in my mind right now.

Though swords clash, their materials differ; though weapons clash, their wielders are different. One is a Hong Kong city girl known for her chivalry, the other a Hawaiian beach club-wielding demon. When these two meet, they are true rivals, their exchanges endless. One wields a staff with countless ferocious strikes, its movements swift as the wind, looping around the waist; the other wields a spear-like staff, never missing a shot, its left and right defenses impossible to counter.

In that split second when those two people locked eyes, Excellent Character had already planned out his next life's destiny. First and foremost, he absolutely must never encounter those two people...

"Stop! Stop! Stop everything!"

The images of outstanding qualities began to flash before my eyes, and then another familiar voice rang in my ears.

Is that... Platinum's voice?

Platinum stood between the two women, hands on her hips, and pulled them apart: "Alright, alright, the director said it's OK, no need to continue acting, the effect was a great success!"

"Hmm, is it finally over? I was still thinking about how to continue the performance, otherwise it would have turned into a fight."

"Oh my, I never expected to be dragged to participate in a show while in Hawaii... Hehe, I guess I'm just benefiting from Platinum's fame, to actually have the opportunity to appear on a prime-time variety show."

The moment Platinum rushed in and shouted "Stop!", the strange light and the sound of the carp leaping over the dragon gate ceased to be aggressive and instead became cheerful.

What variety show? What director? What exercise?

At this moment, her mind was completely blank; she couldn't process anything. She felt those words were very, very distant, and her brain was utterly incapable of understanding what they were saying.

"Thank you all for participating. It's great that you were willing to be in the picture." This was Ms. Sakai, whom Excellent Quality had been searching for. She was standing on the other side of the wall, talking to Strange Light and the others.

"Oh, and there's also Miss Excellent Quality. We can stop filming now; Miss Excellent Quality is stuck on this barrier. Can anyone figure out how to get it out?"

Ms. Sakai's voice came closer from afar.

"I'll give it a try." It was the deep voice of the fashion designer. "I remember carrying lubricant with me."

"...Thank you very much, but why do you carry these things with you all the time?"

"Of course it's for my boyfriend to use."

"Are you serious?"

As her right arm, which had already lost sensation, was smeared with some slippery substance, she was given a forceful push, finally freeing herself from the small window that had been blocking her, and fell wobbly to the ground, next to her phone.

Then the entire barrier was opened, and the scorching sunlight instantly filled the dark little house, shining on the face of the exceptionally well-mannered individual who hadn't seen sunlight in a long time. The exceptionally well-mannered individual rolled his withered eyes and found himself surrounded by everyone, lying beside them like a miraculous survivor pulled from an earthquake by a rescue team.

"What...what's going on?" Excellent qualities tried to use the last bit of rationality to think.

The carp leaping over the dragon gate looked at the strange light, the strange light looked at Platinum, Platinum looked at Sakai, and Sakai didn't dare to look at the burly man next to him. They all clapped in unison.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Excellent Character!"

"The recording of the program was a great success!"

A TV program recording? What kind of recording? How come these people are suddenly sitting down and chatting, laughing? Why aren't they calling the police...?

Wait, a TV show recording?

Excellent quality suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring at Ms. Sakai with eyes as big as copper bells in fear.

"You said...there was no script..."

Ms. Sakai smiled apologetically: "If I had told Miss Excellent Quality in advance, we wouldn't have been able to achieve the best results. We really didn't have a script; all we had were reminders and suggestions from the production team to the guests. Everything you experienced was just something the guests put on stage for you. It seems that it achieved results beyond expectations."

······彳亍口巴.

"Ah, right," Bai Jin suddenly remembered something, "Where are the astronomers? Why haven't we seen them?"

"Who knows?" Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, its eyes crinkling like crescent moons, picked up where Platinum left off.

"Perhaps he's dead." Strange Light and Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate exchanged a glance, then smiled and finished speaking for Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate.

Looking at the two people in front of him, Youyang Su couldn't help but shudder again.

The show is unscripted; everything is improvised by the guests.

So, which of these impromptu performances were genuine, and which were acted?

Where are the astronomers now?

Seeing the smiles of these two terrifying women, I, with my excellent character, decided not to pursue the matter. I'll just keep these things as secrets buried deep in my heart.

Episode 302: We're here for a trip to Hawaii!

Paris, France

A hurricane swept across the racetrack. It was a hurricane that made the grass tremble—and this hurricane came from only one figure galloping across the field.

This is the trembling of the air beside the figures on the field, crushed by the high speed.

There was only this one figure on the entire training ground. Because this was a horse farm created for her, a paradise built to the highest standards, belonging solely to her.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Her short, bright red ponytail was billowing behind her head due to the storm, and her bangs were pressed against her scalp. Such speed is difficult to achieve even in a car, let alone by a race car driver—it's far too dangerous for the average person, let alone to actually drive it.

At this stage, the functions of the senses, such as the eyes and ears, are greatly diminished. By the time your brain becomes aware of what your eyes are seeing, it has already been overshadowed. Therefore, only the tactile sensation from the racehorse's hooves, along with countless accumulated experiences and instincts, are skills that can be relied upon.

“Cross the finish line!”

Even after crossing the finish line, her momentum remained undiminished. After sprinting dozens of meters ahead, Zhuo Fu slowly stopped.

"That's enough, take a break." Standing by the finish line, Wang Zu, who had watched Zhuo Fu rush past, nodded and turned to look at the monitor beside him.

The display screen showed a dense array of data, including Zhuo Fu's speed curve after completing the race, her acceleration curve at the end of the race, and all the data from continuous monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, and other aspects, all of which were presented to the Wang family.

The secretariat didn't just send invitations to Platinum. In fact, they sent invitations to the Hawaii training base to all the potential seeded players who could participate in the Arc de Triomphe, but the Noble Family didn't intend to respond. For Zoe, this was the most effective training ground.

This training ground is Zhuo Fu's paradise, and that's no exaggeration. Although only Wang Zu and Zhuo Fu are on the spacious training ground, behind them stands a huge team, a team that exists solely to help Zhuo Fu stand at the top once again.

"How did I do?" Zhuo Fu peeked out from beside the noble family and looked at the screen—even though she couldn't understand all the dense data.

"The momentum is very good now, just keep it up." The nobleman smiled slightly and looked at Zhuo Fu with affection. "The third Arc de Triomphe... I believe that you will definitely be able to bring your career to a perfect end."

Zhuo Fu wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, gazing at the green field that had been her companion for so long.

"I'm certain I'll win the Arc de Triomphe." (I'm sure I'll win the Arc de Triomphe.)

London, UK

As soon as Dai Tuli closed her eyes while sitting in her seat, she felt her left wrist being tightly wrapped.

Dai Tuli had a bad feeling and opened his eyes, which he had been squinting. As soon as he opened his eyes, he could see Cheng Quanbao's big, bright, and pure eyes staring at him without blinking.

Cheng Quanbao was tall and slender, with stunningly long legs. Especially her long, difficult-to-manage flaxen hair, which could almost cover the entire floor when she lay down, made her look like a princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

The title of "European Racemets Queen" refers not only to Cheng Quanbao's outstanding racing performance, making her a true champion, but also to her striking beauty, making her the center of attention. At the gala banquet for the selection of Racemets of the Year, Cheng Quanbao wore a snow-white veil, her silky hair flowing freely down her back, blending seamlessly with her flowing skirt. As Cheng Quanbao gracefully walked towards the podium, arm in arm with Deturi, one could almost hear gasps from those around her, followed by a flurry of camera flashes. The next day, Cheng Quanbao's photos were on the front page of almost every newspaper.

Cheng Quanbao was Dai Tuli's proudest student. But this student was not without problems, and they were quite troublesome for him—Cheng Quanbao was like a child.

At this very moment, Cheng Quanbao and Dai Tuli were sitting in the cabin of an airplane, looking out the window at the sky full of clouds—they had begun their journey to Hawaii.

At this moment, Cheng Quanbao shook Dai Tuli's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Dai Tuli, are we really, really just going to Hawaii for vacation?"

Just like now. Cheng Quanbao cooperates very well with her trainer, never contradicting them, and will cry while fulfilling even the most unreasonable requests. However, this cooperation is by no means without resentment...

If Dai Tuli were to tell Cheng Quanbao right now that we're going to Hawaii for training, Cheng Quanbao would start throwing a tantrum, rolling on the floor and crying, completely disregarding his image.

Her emotional development lagged far behind her physical development, making Deturi always feel like she was with a child, not a grown woman. With a grown woman, you can reason with her, set goals for her, and talk about life's ideals. But with a child, she won't understand any of that. You can only be stern and force her to achieve those goals, and then she'll go to practice, crying and whining.

Cheng Quanbao is just such a girl who appears to be a grown-up. Her favorite thing to do is to roll around on the ground before training, to snuggle in Dai Tuli's arms and cry before a competition, and to continue snuggling in Dai Tuli's arms and crying after the competition, saying that she will never compete again, and then repeating this over and over.

So Detour answered almost without hesitation: "Yes, we did go to Hawaii for tourism."

It's not too late to tell Cheng Quanbao the truth when we get to Hawaii. At least Dai Tuli doesn't want to see Cheng Quanbao rolling around on the plane and attracting attention.

"Then why bring my horseshoes and battle attire?"

“Well, because your winning outfit is really nice, I’d like to hire a photographer to take a set of photos of you in Hawaii.” Dai Tuli blurted it out without even thinking, as if he could fool a child without even preparing a draft. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really fooling her; he knew that keeping his word was important when dealing with children—at worst, he could just take a set of photos of her in Hawaii.

"Then... what are those uncles and aunts doing here?" Cheng Quanbao tightened his grip on Dai Tuli's arm. "I just want to go with you."

Dai Tuli calmly pulled his arm, which had gone numb from the immense grip, and waved it: "That's because the uncles and aunts also want to travel to Hawaii!"

The "uncle" and "aunt" that Cheng Quanbao mentioned refer to the team behind them, who are responsible for Cheng Quanbao's logistics, medical care, and meals.

(I'm experiencing writer's block, so there will be no extra chapter today.)

Episode 303 Local Specialties Forgot to be Mailed

Compared to the others, Haidu City and Haidu Star really look like they're going to Hawaii for a vacation.

These two didn't choose to stay at their own training ground, perfectly suited to their athletes and which they had run countless times, nor did they bring a large team to handle all the matters related to the participants. They received an invitation from the secretariat, bought two plane tickets in Haidu City, handed over the management of their family's horse farm to their younger sister, and set off for Hawaii with Haidu Star, carrying large bags and small packages.

Two people, one tall and one short, sat swaying on the plane.

"Oh, I don't think I told the astronomer I was going to Hawaii." Hai Dudu, sitting on the plane, suddenly exclaimed and took out his phone.

Although all the sisters in the family had been notified and all the necessary arrangements had been made, they had forgotten about the astronomer, who was always away from home.

If you do the math, it's been almost a year since I last saw the astronomer. The last time I contacted her, she was still in Barcelona.

Upon opening his phone and seeing the chat history between himself and the astronomer, Hai Dudu's eyes immediately turned somewhat hostile.

Look at the kind of talk they're having! Strange Light is such a lovely girl, such a perfect match for an astronomer! Every time I ask them if there's been any real progress, the astronomer just gives vague answers. Can't they be a little more proactive with a lady from a respectable family? They've been traveling together for a year, can't they spark something?

Haidu City was very dissatisfied; he became dissatisfied whenever he saw an astronomer.

Forget it, I'm not going to talk to her anymore! Every time I chat with an astronomer, her glib tongue and shamelessness drive Hai Du City half to death.

Anyway, this child never cares about family matters, so telling her is the same as not telling her at all. It's better to encourage her to be more proactive about the strange light.

So Haidu put his phone down angrily again.

Haidu Star wasn't idle either. She placed her phone in front of her, extended one finger from each hand, and began practicing one-finger Zen on the phone.

"Starfish, are you chatting with Platinum?"

Hearing her sister's voice, Haidu Star tilted her head and thought for a moment: "I want to tell Platinum that I'm going to Hawaii too."

Although the plane hasn't taken off yet, and the distance is still halfway around the world, who says that speeding up in terms of time isn't fast?

Hai Dushi covered Hai Du Zhixing's phone screen with a serious expression and shook his head at her: "No, Hai Xingxing, you can't tell Bai Jin about this now."

Haidu Star didn't understand why her sister was stopping her, but her sister was usually right. So Haidu Star said "oh" and obediently turned off the phone.

Upon seeing Haidu Star's dazed expression, Haidu City couldn't help but feel an overwhelming surge of affection for it.