Umamusume's days are numbered

Standing in the audience, the Golden Ship, holding a telescope, chattered incessantly.

“Hey, Golden Ship…” McQueen couldn’t help but turn his head, “Who are you talking to?”

"So, what exactly is going on?" Zhou looked around blankly. She had just run to the training room, but was now being pushed back to the training field. She still hadn't figured out what was happening.

"Next, let's see how the contestants are doing." The Golden Ship's telescope tilted downwards as it continued speaking with great interest.

"The most popular contestant, Donghai Diwang, is at the first gate of the first track! Donghai Diwang seems to be in excellent form today, her eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit! We look forward to her performance!"

"The second most popular contestant, Platinum, is in the second gate. Is she a little dissatisfied with her popularity? Let's take a look at Platinum's state... Oh, she looks very unwilling. Is Platinum trying to refuse to enter the gate?"

Platinum rolled her eyes. She had no intention of running this race at all, and there weren't even any gates on the track!

Fine, I'll just go along with this nonsense. I can just run around casually, right?

Think about it, I'm completely clueless about running right now, so isn't it normal that I can't outrun the Emperor of the East Sea?

Seeing how much she wants to win, it's just a race, not the Yayoi Prize. I'll just let her outrun me.

"Ms. Megumi McQueen, what do you think of this match?" Golden Ship put down his binoculars and asked Megumi McQueen with a serious expression.

"Even if you ask me what I think... I can't see them clearly at all, I didn't bring any binoculars." Megumi McQueen shook his head helplessly, "But if you ask me... the Emperor will win."

"No matter how talented someone is, they are useless without being honed."

"I have personally experienced the pace of the East Sea Emperor. I can clearly see that there are very few people in my class who have a chance to beat the East Sea Emperor."

"Hey, don't make such a bold prediction. If someone is hyped up like that in the anime, they're basically going to lose."

"Huh? Is that a saying?"

Ignoring the commotion in the stands, Platinum stood listlessly by the track, while Donghai Emperor stood beside him, taking deep breaths and jumping repeatedly on tiptoe.

"Platinum, don't you want to do some warm-up exercises?" After a round of exercise, the Emperor of the East Sea was covered in a light sweat.

"There's no need for that." Platinum's ears were pressed tightly against the top of her head, her mood extremely unpleasant. "As long as I run, it'll be fine, right?"

"I'm very happy that you agreed to my request." The Emperor of the East Sea smiled slightly as he approached the starting line.

"Do I have the right to refuse?" Platinum asked, speechless, as she stood at the starting line.

So···

"All runners have entered the gate!" Golden Ship took a deep breath and waved his arm downwards. "Start!"

As if they could truly hear the sound of the golden ship traveling from such a distance, the Emperor of the East Sea and Bai Jin stepped forward simultaneously.

Start running!

They were almost neck and neck, with no difference in their strides, moving at nearly the same pace.

Huh...?

Similarly, almost simultaneously, a question flashed through the minds of both of them.

“Something’s not right…” Goldship gripped the binoculars, his brow furrowed. “Neither of them is behaving.”

Not right.

Such a thought flashed through the mind of the Emperor of the East Sea.

Of course, I intended to have a proper match. But this wasn't a serious competition; there weren't even any gates, and my only opponent was Platinum. It was more like a friendly match.

Although I planned to use my full strength... I never imagined...

Soft ankles stepped on the grass, leaving clear imprints.

I never imagined that I would be sprinting like this from the very beginning!

Not right.

The thought flashed through Platinum's mind.

I never intended to compete properly; I was just going through the motions of running around like a kindergarten teacher to amuse the kids.

Moreover, she wasn't confident she could defeat the Emperor of the East Sea. She had been feeling a bit cocky after winning her debut match, but the Emperor's harsh words woke her up, telling her: "Save your breath, you're still a long way off."

Playing along with the Emperor of the East Sea, holding back his strength, and then feigning defeat and shaking hands in reconciliation would be enough.

The hard bones stepped on the grass, the entire sole of the foot sinking into the ground, leaving a terrifying deep pit.

I never imagined that I would sprint at the very beginning!

The two women glanced at each other between their steps, and both saw an expression of disbelief on each other's faces.

It wasn't that the other party was intentionally leading us... so what's going on here?

"Hey, these two are running like this from the start, aren't they considering their stamina?" Even without binoculars, Megumi McQueen could see that the two were moving at an extraordinary speed.

Huff. Huff.

Excited panting.

Bai Jin suddenly felt her body burning. Her heart was burning, her bones were burning. She even felt as if a burning stick was stuck in her brain, and her brain was burning too, and she felt her eyes were bloodshot.

I clearly didn't intend to run seriously at first.

But my body started getting excited on its own.

She glanced at the Emperor of the East Sea again. The Emperor, clinging tightly to her, was also breathing heavily; even now, the two hadn't managed to create any significant difference in their strength.

It's like neither of them wants to fall behind the other by even a second or a millisecond!

As soon as the Emperor of the East Sea showed any sign of accelerating, Platinum's body would accelerate on its own. And as Platinum accelerated, the Emperor of the East Sea would increase his own speed. It was as if the two of them were being drawn deeper and deeper into a whirlpool.

Sure enough... a drop of sweat dripped from the East Sea Emperor's forehead, meandering down to his chin, and was finally blown away from his body by the strong wind.

As expected, Platinum, you're not willing to admit defeat either!

Neither of us wants to be the loser in this race.

Let alone becoming a loser, I'm not even willing to fall behind the other side by a little bit.

I had this feeling from the very beginning.

We might become very good friends.

At the same time... we will also be in each other's lives...

An indispensable enemy.

Standing anxiously in the stands, watching the two run faster and faster, Megumi McQueen suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. She shivered and hugged her arms, wondering if she was dressed too lightly today.

Episode 30: A Mistake

"So I'll have to entrust this child to you for now, Trainer Nishizaki Ryu."

Walking along the academy's path, Rudolf and Nishizaki Ryu walked side by side.

“Not at all. Since it is the emperor’s request, I have no reason not to accept it.” Nishizaki Ryu rubbed his hands together, behaving like a restless teenager despite being a man in his thirties.

"And since she's a child even the emperor praised... she must be a top-notch racehorse girl. Thinking of this, I'm eager to go home and can't wait to see her right now."

I've watched the video of that girl named Platinum before. Even in her debut race, finishing in the twenties is a truly terrifying result.

What incredible talent! Keep in mind, the last one who could leave his opponent more than ten horse lengths ahead in his debut battle...

It's still that emperor who ruled the entire American horse racing scene for over a decade—the secretariat's beloved disciple, Hangxian!

It proclaimed the birth of the new king with absolute dominance.

Just six months after Ariel's debut battle, Japan saw the emergence of another character, Uma Musume, who achieved the same success as Ariel.

This beautiful white horse has once again signed a trainer's contract with Rudolph.

Although Japanese horse racing lags far behind American horse racing, a glimmer of hope still burned in Nishizaki Ryu's heart.

Is it possible that Platinum... could become a route to Japan?

Seeing Nishizaki Ryu's expression, the emperor returned the smile.

She doesn't dislike childish trainers.

Personality doesn't change with age, but rather with experience. Spending time with teenage girls and maintaining an innocent and optimistic personality helps one get along better with the racehorse girls.

This is also where Rudolf symbolizes his appreciation for Nishizaki Ryu.

"That child is still very shy, trainer, don't scare her."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing." Nishizaki Ryu patted his chest and assured him, "I will absolutely not let the Emperor down and will find the most suitable running method for Platinum."

Yes, that's why the emperor entrusted Nishizaki Ryu to the task instead of his own trainer, Tojo Hana.

The Emperor himself is quite busy, and forcing Platinum to train would only hinder her progress. Besides, the initial offer to become her trainer was merely a delaying tactic. The goal is to let Platinum adjust to school life first, and then hand her over to other trainers once she's become familiar with everyone. In the meantime, Platinum can try training in various teams.

Rudolf, you are despicable now!

Otherwise, what kind of horse girl would act as her junior's trainer? Apart from that terrifyingly controlling old woman in the secretariat, human trainers understand horse girls far better than horse girls themselves.

The reason for choosing Nishizaki Ryu's Spica team instead of Tojo Hana's Rigil team is twofold: firstly, Emperor is also in Spica, which can help support Platinum; secondly, Rigil team has more knowledge of Rudolph Symbol, which is not a suitable team for beginners.

With sufficient strength, relatively mild starting conditions, and a small number of signed female racers, only the Spica team stands out.

The two chatted as they left the teaching building and headed towards the training room. Rudolf had originally planned for Platinum to come to the student council to find him later, but since Nishizaki Ryu had come to the student council first and Tokai Emperor had messaged him saying that Platinum was already in the SPica training room, he might as well go and talk to Platinum directly.

They were chatting happily when Nishizaki Ryu's phone rang.

"Excuse me, let me check my messages." Nishizaki Ryu took out his phone. "Ah, it's a message from McQueen."

"We two don't need to go to the training room. These guys are in high spirits today and are already at the training field."

"High spirits are a good thing, but don't overdo it," Rudolf said with a smile. Who wouldn't like to see such a vibrant team?

"Let's hurry over there too. The teaching building is closer to the training ground, and we might be able to catch the training match between the East Sea Emperor and Platinum."

With that, Nishizaki Ryu turned and walked in the exact opposite direction, looking quite excited. Spica's training room was located in the southeast corner of the campus, while the training field was to the north of the teaching building.

"Wait... who are you saying is racing whom?"

Realizing that the person behind him hadn't followed, Nishizaki Ryu turned around and saw Rudolf's signature smile frozen on his face.

"What happened to the Emperor of the East Sea and Baijin?"

Rudolf gripped Nishizaki Ryu's shoulder tightly, his face clouded with gloom.

"No, make them both stop right now!"

"An opponent like an emperor is far too early for Platinum!"

Nishizaki Ryu felt as if his shoulder was being crushed: "Emperor, wake up, what's wrong with you? I've watched Platinum's matches, her speed is comparable to the Emperor's, the two of them will be good opponents."

“That’s not how it is!” Rudolf said through gritted teeth. “You’ve only seen the video, you haven’t actually run alongside Platinum, so you don’t know.”

"Platinum can't run at all!"

"Have you seen how she runs? That's not how a professional athlete should run at all."

"It's alright against the less strong girls... but if it's against a racehorse girl like Empress, whose skill and agility are both at their peak..."

"If you don't have the will to win, it's fine to let others surpass you..."

"If you want to win, you have to use your legs as much as you can... but the disadvantage of lacking skill will soon become apparent."

"I'm afraid an accident will happen as soon as we reach the first bend."

Upon hearing the emperor's explanation, Nishizaki Ryu realized the seriousness of the matter, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.

He hurriedly dialed McQueen's number.

"Please, connect quickly, connect quickly, connect quickly..." Nishizaki Ryu was trembling with anxiety.

I don't want to see a genius fall like a shooting star.

If you don't have the desire to win, nothing will happen... Which racehorse girl doesn't have the desire to win once she steps onto the track?

As the call finally connected, Nishizaki Ryu's face turned deathly pale.

"McQueen said they've already started, and it's unstoppable."

Before Nishizaki Ryu could continue speaking, he felt a gust of wind brush his face, and Rudolf had already sped away several hundred meters, leaving spiderweb-like cracks on the marble paving stones.

It's about 3,000 meters from here to the training ground... the distance of a chrysanthemum viewing... Rudolf clenched his teeth, feeling his surroundings gradually blurring, the roadside trees being left behind at lightning speed, leaving only the road ahead in his vision clear.

Please, you have to make it!