Umamusume's days are numbered

She's like a non-Newtonian fluid; if you keep touching her, she'll soften; if you punch her, she'll be so hard it hurts your fist.

"Nothing you want to say to me?" Platinum heard a flat, monotone voice beside her. The secretary's legs were covered with a blanket, and in the dim light of the car's interior without the lights on, her face was indistinct, except for her pair of dark, layered, lifeless eyes, which were extremely striking. Although her body showed signs of training, it wasn't to an exaggerated degree—at least not like Alice had described, with two hearts and three lungs or something.

“On the contrary, I’ve been watching you for a long time.” There were only slight pauses between sentences, as if the secretariat hadn’t expected a reply in the first place, and she continued on her own, “I suppose you can tell, hehe.”

The passenger in the front seat hadn't uttered a word since boarding the bus, acting as if she didn't exist. Platinum responded with silence as well; she didn't want to, and didn't know, what to say to the secretariat.

"Why Japan?" The secretary placed her hands on the blanket covering her legs, her left index finger and thumb gently pinching her right index finger. "If you debuted in Europe, you would face more formidable opponents and see a wider world. As for the Americas... it's not a good thing for you to encounter them too early, hehe, I should thank you for that. Hong Kong... is about the same as Japan."

"So why choose Japan? The eggshell there is too soft and diluted, without sufficient nutrition or the motivation to hatch, so what can be born is just an underdeveloped embryo."

Who knows why it's Japan? Maybe it's because the game Uma Musume Pretty Derby is set here. Platinum thought to herself, but didn't intend to answer.

She could feel the secretariat's dark, unyielding eyes looking at her with a pitying, almost condescending gaze. This made Platinum feel as if she were being looked down upon.

Similarly, not expecting to hear a reply, the secretariat continued to utter names one by one.

"Then let me guess. Akikawa Yayoi? Surugawa Tezuna? Nishizaki Ryu? Tokai Emperor? Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate? Alice? Rudolf's Symbol? Hmm, looks like I guessed right."

Seeing Platinum's hands clenched into fists on her knees, the Secretariat narrowed its eyes in satisfaction.

This guy... is absolutely the most detestable person in the world! Just seeing the conman's hatred for the Secretariat didn't give Platinum a real sense of it. Only when he actually faced this person face-to-face would Platinum clearly realize where the conman's hatred came from.

"You believe that Rudolf symbolizes you as a capable teacher, that she can provide you with the most comprehensive training, that she can allow you to grow sufficiently, and that she can support you to reach the pinnacle of evolution. I see, I see. No wonder, perhaps there are other reasons, but the main reason you are willing to stay in Japan is Rudolf symbolization, isn't it?"

The secretariat member applied slight pressure with his left index finger and thumb, causing his right index finger, which was being pinched, to make a very faint cracking sound.

"In other words, it was Rudolph who symbolically asked you to stay in Japan, to stay at her Tressen College, and you had no reason to refuse, nor the option to refuse—right? Don't answer, just listen to me."

Platinum did indeed break down; the moment she heard the Secretariat mention Rudolf's symbolic name, she clenched her teeth. However, the Secretariat, without even looking at her, precisely interrupted her before she could speak.

Those dark eyes were like whirlpools, drawing all gazes in. She hadn't seen anything, yet it seemed she saw everything.

The secretariat was practically an anomaly among humans. It was as if she could live off the misery of other people.

Episode 335 You'll Regret It

Now Platinum understands why the Secretariat was so irritating. It wasn't someone you could get along with.

"This has nothing to do with you," Platinum uttered through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps, hehehe, who can be sure?" The secretariat didn't take it seriously, his left hand still rubbing his right index finger with two fingers. "Maybe I'm just feeling sorry for you."

"The most perfect embryo in the world is forced to sleep in a soft eggshell lacking nutrition, unable to hatch. And this tightly bound little guy is still immersed in the gentle embrace of the one who binds him, unable to distinguish east from west... Hehe."

"I am saddened that a person cannot distinguish between who is an obstacle and who is an asset."

Bai Jin's brow twitched, his fists still clenched tightly: "Some things are none of other people's business. There are only two kinds of things in this world. One is 'What's it to me?' and the other is 'What's it to you?'"

She suddenly reached out and turned on the interior lights, illuminating the dark cabin. Sparks flew between Platinum and the Secretariat's two pairs of pure black eyes.

Platinum repeated to the secretariat, enunciating each word clearly: "What's it to you?"

As Bai Jin finished speaking, the entire carriage fell silent. Hangxian turned back in surprise to look at the back seat, his lips pressed tightly together.

Upon hearing Bai Jin's words, the Secretariat showed no anger. On the contrary, she smiled slightly. However, this did not ease the atmosphere in the car; instead, it escalated the situation further. The Secretariat's smile was anything but benevolent. Her lips curled upwards, all the way to her ears, her sharp teeth opening and closing like a hyena's.

It was a smile as cold as ice water, poured over everything, leaving one feeling chilled to the bone.

“Hinterlea, do you know?” the secretariat spoke gently, her tone still calm, yet incredibly irritating, “I have met Rudolf Symbol once.”

"Ah... that was when she was still active. At the peak and the end of her career, in order to fulfill her long-cherished wish, she insisted on going overseas to the United States, even though she caused a lot of trouble."

"An unprecedented seven-time G1 champion with all the glory, an undefeated triple crown female horse, even Europe is shaken, and the title of Emperor of Japanese horse racing is widely known."

"I think she must have been determined to fulfill her lifelong dream and prove herself, and wanted to bring her career to a perfect close."

The secretary licked her lips with her bright red tongue and continued speaking with a gentle smile.

"At that time, I was attracted by this great reputation, so I went to watch the race in person with great interest. I was looking forward to seeing a race that would satisfy me and everyone else. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of flame the racehorse known as the Emperor could unleash in the last moment of her career."

"My final conclusion is that fame and ability are not necessarily proportional."

"Rudolph Symbol—no, we can't blame all the fault on her alone. The real fault lies with the entire mild-mannered Japanese horse racing community. What kind of champions can be produced by playing house in such a place? I am very disappointed, extremely disappointed, for Rudolph Symbol, for the so-called Emperor, and for the Japanese horse racing community."

Bai Jin felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and anger surged from her heart into her brain. She could feel her temples throbbing and hear her heart pounding violently.

This guy... how dare she!

“Take back what you said!” Platinum growled.

The secretariat watched Platinum's expression with amusement, as if this observation greatly interested her. She was probably quite pleased with Platinum's current expression, an expression born of anger filling her mind because of herself.

But the secretary clearly felt it wasn't enough, because she didn't stop there. Two fingers of her left hand were tightly gripping her right index finger, causing a cracking sound, but she seemed oblivious to the pain and continued to increase the pressure. She enjoyed the suffering of others, and she also enjoyed her own.

"Rudolph is just a pawn, not worth mentioning."

So the secretariat said that.

Platinum felt as if a taut string in his mind had snapped.

Whether it was Rudolf's Symbol or the others at Treson Academy, Alice, Manhattan Coffee, East Sea Emperor, Alice Digital, and Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate were all friends she cherished. She would absolutely not allow anyone to insult her friends like that.

She no longer had time to consider whether the secretariat was deliberately provoking her.

Perhaps because she hasn't been angry in so long and is often forgotten, Platinum has a rather bad temper. And when she gets angry, she'll hit people.

Platinum had already raised her arm. She didn't know what the Secretariat's purpose was, but she wanted to leave a fistprint on this annoying guy's face; the Secretariat clearly saw Platinum's raised arm, but made no move to flinch, simply watching her every move with those black, abyssal eyes—

"---teacher!"

The sound of the navigation system cut through the tension between the two like a sharp sword. Her thin, bright red lips parted slightly, and her gaze towards Bai Jin conveyed both restraint and warning. The meaning was clear—do not continue.

What kind of riddles are these? Platinum scratched her head in frustration. The interruption from the flight path had only slightly reduced her anger. Now she realized that the Secretariat's goal from the very beginning seemed to be to provoke her as much as possible. From the very first word of the conversation, she had been forced into a defensive posture, constantly retreating despite her attempts to defend herself, by the other party's use of language as a weapon.

The secretary's smile faded, and her voice returned to normal. She twisted her head with both hands, and a crisp cracking sound came from her neck. The secretary turned off the car's interior lights, plunging her face back into darkness.

"I really am... haha. The doctor told me not to have too many emotional fluctuations. It seems I was still too happy today."

"Stop the car," Platinum said coldly.

"Do as she says."

So the Ford stopped on the side of the street, and Platinum simply got out of the car, but instead of leaving immediately, he leaned down, placed his right hand on the car window, and stared intently at the secretariat inside the car.

"You'll regret this." With a gritted voice, Platinum's fingers tightened, and the entire car window trembled as if it were about to shatter. "I'm going to make you take back what you said today."

"You will come back to me, but not to make me take back what I said today." The Secretary's voice, flat and even, came from the darkness. Platinum could imagine that the Secretary's eyes were also scrutinizing him.

"In the near future, you will come to me. And you will come begging to me with tears streaming down your face... You will understand soon enough."

In the darkness, the secretariat's face once again revealed a smile as cold as ice water.

Episode 336 Things Have Come to This

Platinum sighed and pushed open the door, feeling that today was absolutely terrible.

The daytime training went terribly wrong again, and when I went out with the astronomer at night, I had to figure out how to reject her confession and dump her hard. On the way back, I got lost in a place with no signal—seriously, the signal in America is terrible—and then, by sheer bad luck, I ran into the Secretariat and the flight path team, master and apprentice.

Platinum was left frustrated after facing the master and apprentice alone, and had to wretchedly walk back to the resort along the road in the night, in the slightly chilly evening breeze. And that wasn't all; the matter with the astronomer was still unresolved, and Platinum didn't know how she would face him the next morning. As for the Secretariat, she'd actually gotten into an argument with the host on her turf, even though the other side had provoked her first… but the summer training camp still had over a month to go, and she'd have to live on the Secretariat's turf for over a month… just thinking about it was terrifying.

At this point, Platinum simply stopped thinking about it and revealed a relieved smile.

Whatever, it's done now, I should just go to sleep. I'll leave everything to myself when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Now only Teacher Necha and the warm embrace of the carp leaping over the dragon gate can comfort my weary self... It would be even better if I had two embraces.

"Ah Li—Teacher Necha—listen to me—I'm having such bad luck today, I even ran into the Secretariat..." Bai Jin hummed and called out as she pushed open the door, and sure enough, she was met with two gentle embraces.

"What did you say?" Chief Linda, with her short black hair and somewhat boyish appearance, looked at Platinum rushing straight towards her and hugging her, but didn't dodge. She was still only wearing a small tank top, revealing a large expanse of wheat-colored skin and a full chest.

"Secretariat?" A familiar, hoarse voice came from the side. She was only wearing a black leather jacket almost covered in nails; a bright red phoenix tattoo ran from her right calf to her back, like a large bird perched on her waist; her pale, chapped lips parted to reveal a mouthful of sharp, shark-like teeth.

There were indeed two embraces, but they weren't the two Platinum was thinking of.

"Liar, li ...

“Sam, you’re being scared again,” Linda laughed.

"You're finally back." The person who had been quietly moving behind Bai Jin was none other than the excellent qualities she had longed for day and night. She was trembling with fear, her ears pressed tightly to her head, yet she forced a smile, exactly like Bai Jin's expression when she first met the conman. "Ah Li, I don't know why, after coming back this afternoon, she locked herself in her room. No matter how much I called, she wouldn't come out. If you hadn't come back, I wouldn't have been able to take it anymore..."

"Hmm, you seem to be in good spirits. You've been training for over half a month now. How's it going?" Bai Jin had assumed everyone was involved, but it turned out there was another expert. Bai Jin recognized that voice all too well; it was practically a knee-jerk reflex. Bai Jin sprang to attention with a springboard: "The training has been very successful!"

On the wall behind the sofa, an image of Alisako was being projected. It was pitch black in Platinum City, but sunlight could still see through the window behind Alisako. Aside from her signature white lab coat, Alisako's hair was messy, and she kept yawning, looking like she had just woken up. This girl's sleep schedule was neither Japanese nor American; she was completely hopeless.

Bai Jin was immediately drenched in sweat. So many heroes gathered together...? Were they going to become sworn brothers?

Linda and Alice are one thing, but why did the con artists also travel all this way? If Platinum remembers correctly, when they arrived in Hawaii, the con artists were probably still nowhere to be found.

"Platinum, continue," the conman pressed urgently, "What happened to the Secretariat?"

"Secretariat, Secretariat...that girl is awful!" Platinum was furious at the thought of her. "She talks so horribly, she's clearly trying to provoke me! I just want to punch her!"

Linda and the conman exchanged an uneasy glance: "So, did you do it?"

"Almost."

Linda visibly breathed a sigh of relief, while the conman nodded.

“You did well. Learning to be patient is the best way to deal with the secretariat. She likes to see other people suffer. If she can’t get emotional feedback from you, she will naturally lose interest.”

"Now is not the time to completely break ties with the Secretariat, at least not for you."

"So, is there really nothing we can do about someone like her?" Platinum felt indignant when she thought of the Secretariat. "Such a nasty person can become a national idol just because she had good grades during her active career? Good grades make her a top racehorse girl? Shouldn't we be modern racehorse girls who excel in all aspects of life, including morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor?"

Bai Jin, who is completely devoid of any of the qualities of being good at academics, morality, physical education, aesthetics, or labor, stands on a moral high ground and points fingers.

Linda smiled and stepped forward, reaching out to ruffle Platinum's hair: "Alright, alright, stop complaining. You've already done a great job. The rest isn't your job anymore, it's our job. We'll handle the secretariat's affairs. You just need to focus on preparing for the battle between the flight paths."

"Stop rubbing my head!" Platinum angrily waved her arm at Linda, but then froze when she heard Linda's words. "What the heck?"

What does it mean to be in a battle against the flight path?

"That's why I'm here." The conman looked into Platinum's eyes and nodded expressionlessly. "All of us will try our best to help you grow during the summer training camp, to the point where you can rival the airline."

"Whether it's the Arc de Triomphe or the Breeders' Cup, you and Line will eventually have a showdown. And whether Line's undefeated myth can be broken depends on the outcome of this duel, which will determine the future of the Secretariat."

“We have prepared dozens of petitions, most of which are from female racehorses who were maliciously attacked in the same race as the secretariat, were ruthlessly abandoned by the secretariat in inhumane education, and were expelled from the Equestrian Association due to political struggles.”

"The moment the route is defeated, the Secretariat's long-held beliefs will be shattered. That will be the time for us to impeach her."

“Why talk so much to the child?” Linda slapped the conman on the back of the head and winked at Platinum. “Don’t feel guilty, just do what you want and make it as exciting as you want.”

Platinum clenched his fists, sweat pouring down his body, and nodded with trembling eyes closed.

Things have come to this... I don't want to participate in either the Arc de Triomphe or the Breeders' Cup...

I can't say it at all!

Episode 337 Tracing the Origins

"So, what do you want to say to me?" Hiding in her room, Platinum looked at Alice on the other side of the screen.

Chief Linda and the con artists refused to reveal any more information no matter how much they pressed. Linda kept laughing and saying, "Leave it to us... It's precisely because it's in your hands that it feels so scary. What exactly are you plotting?"

Alice was also restless. She knew perfectly well that Platinum had no intention of participating in the Arc de Triomphe or the Breeders' Cup, yet she didn't say a word to stop the con artists.

“So what? Why wouldn’t you want a free coach?” Alice argued. “It’s their business if they want you to participate. Anyway, you didn’t agree to anything. They just assumed you were going to participate in the competition.”

"I'm relieved to see you're still so shameless." Bai Jin scratched her head, feeling that if she continued like this for a few more days, she might go bald.

"Besides, the air route is an adversary you have to deal with no matter what. Do you remember our agreement?"

No wonder Alice didn't stop her; she actually wanted Platinum to participate in the competition too! Linda and the conman's ideas coincided with Platinum's, so now Platinum was the only one who didn't want to participate.

Upon hearing this, Platinum collapsed like a deflated balloon: "That's true... but I race on turf, while the racecourse is on dirt. Even if I participate in the Breeders' Cup, I can only race on turf."

"It doesn't matter, with your running style, you're equally bad at it on grass or mud." Through the screen, Alice tapped the table with her knuckles. "Let's get down to business. There's no one else around now, right?"

Bai Jin looked around: "Linda and the conman have both gone back. I don't know why Ah Li hasn't left her room all night, and the astronomer hasn't come back either. It's just me."

"Yes, that's for the best. Anyway, it's about your... illness." Alice emphasized the word "illness" in particular. Upon hearing Alice's words, Platinum immediately jumped out of bed and shook the screen with both hands.

"There's been progress?! Is there some new discovery?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but please don't rush. At least stop shaking the screen. If you keep doing that, you'll shake the computer apart."