Umamusume's days are numbered

It seems pretty good.

"Are you having a fit of hysteria? —" Alice's voice came from afar.

"Of course there's a guaranteed way to win; go use performance-enhancing drugs—"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Platinum's forehead.

No, Hayate A-Dream? You can't even let me win, yet you're still training me like this?

"You bastard!" Platinum exclaimed in fury.

Looking at Platinum shouting in the distance, Alice crossed her legs and took a sip of black tea.

The newly debuted foal had absolutely no chance of winning against the former top racehorse girl.

But—if you want to win, that's another story.

Platinum was right about one thing: Alice never speaks without a reason.

Episode 95 Final Match

"I'm so tired—" Platinum sighed, wishing she could just collapse onto the sofa. "My whole body aches."

“You’ve said you’re tired enough today.” Alice stood to the side watching Platinum roll around on the sofa. “In my experience, when you’re really tired, you don’t even have the strength to shout.”

"That shows you still have energy to spare, very good. You'll have extra training tomorrow."

Platinum immediately stopped barking. When Alice said she'd give extra training, she meant it. A promise is a promise.

So she started lying on the sofa and humming.

"Bai Jin, are you alright?" Li Yuelongmen pinched Bai Jin's thigh, and Bai Jin immediately groaned.

"Your muscles are so stiff. Let me give you a massage." Li Yuelongmen rolled up his sleeves, sat sideways on the sofa, and put Bai Jin's restless feet on his lap.

Platinum was usually very averse to physical contact. But today she was too exhausted to chatter on. Even if Alice were to tap dance on her, Platinum could only manage to roll over; she couldn't get up no matter what she said.

"Why didn't you come to the racetrack today? I saw you doing your morning exercise." Platinum grumbled, hugging her pillow.

It's not so much about how much I care, but having another sparring partner can help share Aishoko's attention, so she doesn't have to train all by herself.

I wasn't worried at all.

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate pursed its lips, bared its teeth, and made a face: "I don't want to run in the same racetrack as that person."

"Besides, I'm not planning to participate in this special race. I can't outrun them anyway, and I don't want to embarrass myself by going up there."

The carp leaping over the dragon gate only stayed briefly. After massaging the swindler's leg muscles, it secretly slipped away without alerting anyone.

"I see." Platinum, who was lying down, struggled to raise its neck, trying to turn its head to take a look at the carp leaping over the dragon gate.

As I said before, it's not appropriate for me to meddle in other people's family affairs.

Don't make things worse. This is experience passed down from a past life.

"By the way, you can even give massages?"

"Hmm." Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate responded softly, rubbing Platinum's ankle. "I learned it when I was a kid. It was out of interest."

“I’m different from that person. I’m not a very talented guy, but I didn’t realize that when I was a kid. I insisted that I must have some talent that hadn’t been discovered yet. So I learned a lot during that time.”

"I've tried everything: oil painting, embroidery, Huangmei opera, piano, traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts. Although the final result is that I am indeed just a mediocre person, I will never forget what I learned before."

"Massage is one of the more proficient skills I've learned out of all the miscellaneous things I've studied. Master Fuji has been full of praise for it."

Platinum realized she couldn't keep her head turned in that position, so she gave up and let it droop back onto the pillow: "Well, you're pretty amazing, aren't you? You know so many things, you're a genius."

"If you say that, I'll start having unrealistic fantasies again." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate smiled wryly. "Only someone like Golden Spear Sixty is a true genius. Only those who can do things that others can't do despite their efforts can be considered geniuses, right? Someone like me is just someone who has learned a little but not mastered it."

"I see." Platinum lowered her eyelids, seemingly lost in thought.

"The muscles are stiff... or should I say firm..." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate stroked Platinum's smooth calf. "They're pretty impressive in every way..."

"Ouch, ouch, that hurts!" Platinum grimaced. "Where did you press? Why does it hurt so much?"

"Pain doesn't mean it's effective, but no pain definitely means it's ineffective." Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate's slender hands were unexpectedly strong, firmly holding Bai Jin's ankles and kneading the muscles on her calves little by little.

"Have you ever heard of fascial adhesions? It's a condition where all the connective tissue is stuck together, making it difficult to even bend over."

Platinum throbbed a few times in pain, like a carp pulled from the water, before collapsing back down. There was no way around it; it was just too exhausting.

"What did Dr. Li say? Do I have this disease?"

“That’s not what I meant. But the way to treat fascial adhesions is to insert an iron skewer into your subcutaneous tissue, and then…” Li Yuelongmen stretched out a finger, hovered it above Bai Jin’s waist for a while, and then directly drilled it into a piece of soft flesh on her waist, “Use this iron skewer to rotate under your skin and tear the fascia apart again.”

"That sounds terrifying."

"But that's the treatment method. To draw an analogy, massage works the same way, breaking down and relaxing muscles that are tense from over-exercising, like patting pork belly."

Alice, sitting on the other sofa, watched the two chatting and suddenly said, "Platinum, don't fall asleep."

"Go take a shower and rest for a while. I'm going out tonight."

Platinum let out another painful cry: "We still have training tonight!"

"...How could that be? What kind of image do you have of me?" Alice touched her ear and sighed. "Go get a foot mold and make a new pair of shoes."

Upon hearing that she would be a foot model, Bai Jin unconsciously wiggled her toes.

"I feel very comfortable wearing my current shoes."

The implication is that they don't want to go and will just wear these sneakers on the court.

"You think I don't find it troublesome?" Alice laughed. "You really will have to wear new shoes to the competition."

"Although it's not a standard high-stakes race, it's a special race hosted by the local horse king, Golden Sixty, and it also invites many top international racehorses..."

"Everyone would love to see them in their final battle outfits, wouldn't they?"

"You'll be wearing your final outfit for this special match at Sha Tin Stadium."

"The final battle suit... the final battle suit?" Platinum's eyes widened immediately. "Really?"

I'm getting a new skin! From today onwards, I'm a noble SSR!

This is absolutely fantastic!

"As for the final outfit, I want one that reflects my handsome, dashing, and debonair style, but doesn't look too greasy. Ideally, it should make me look younger. By the way, could I add some hidden heels to my shoes? Although I feel like I'm already a giant in spirit, I can't ignore the objective factors of reality..." Platinum raised a finger and spoke eloquently.

"You're still making trouble." Alice rolled up a newspaper and slammed it directly onto Platinum's head. "I reckon your final outfit is being sewn up right now. It's too late to make demands now."

As Li Yuelongmen listened to the conversation between the two, his thoughts drifted far away.

The final outfit...it's great.

I also dream of one day wearing my winning outfit and standing on the stage...

But it certainly won't be this time.

While feeling somewhat disappointed, he also felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally made up his mind about something.

It's definitely too late to prepare for the final battle now.

In other words, the carp that leaped over the dragon gate was destined to never set foot on the competition field.

Episode 96 Two Flowers Bloom

"He's crossed the finish line! He's about to cross the finish line—"

"East Sea Emperor, the East Sea Emperor has won. The exciting and unpredictable match has brought a perfect end to the East Sea Emperor's debut battle, and at the same time, it marks the beginning of a brand new journey for her."

"Congratulations, Emperor of the East Sea. May you fly ever farther, carrying the Emperor's long-cherished wish. A vast future awaits you."

The commentator's voice came through the phone screen, and the East Sea Emperor, having crossed the finish line, was waving his arms at the camera.

"President, did you see that?" The East Sea Emperor pointed at his phone screen, beaming with pride. "For Your Majesty, the debut battle is nothing but a piece of cake."

"I have a feeling I can run even better and faster!"

Sitting at his desk with a ballpoint pen in hand, Rudolf smiled tolerantly at the noisy Emperor of the East Sea.

There's nothing wrong with making the little one happy. While pride can lead to arrogance, excessive damage to self-confidence is also detrimental to future development.

Qisuo placed a freshly brewed, piping hot teapot next to the president, a smile playing on his cold face: "Your Majesty, you don't need to show the president any more of these. The president has certainly contributed a lot to the video views these past two days."

"Gas Tank, you—" Rudolf glared at the Gas Tank with a hint of reproach. The East Sea Emperor, seeing this, couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle secretly, as if he'd eaten honey.

Actually, Rudolph wasn't that shy; watching match videos isn't shameful. However, based on her recent insights into parenting, not appearing too assertive in front of younger people might actually increase their positive impression.

Giving the younger generation positive feedback is forgivable, right? So, using a little bit of cleverness is forgivable.

"President, you just watch closely." The East Sea Emperor held up three fingers. "I will definitely achieve the same glory as the president and become a racehorse girl worthy of the president."

Undefeated treble, here I come!

Looking at the glittering Emperor of the East Sea, Rudolf even felt a sense of relief.

As the saying goes, comparisons are odious. Only with a point of comparison can one truly appreciate how well-behaved Di Bao is.

The thought of that lazy brat who seemed to live a life completely devoid of common sense made Rudolf's teeth ache.

How could a living pony look like that?

What happened to all the racehorse girls being friendly, peaceful, and adorable fairies? How come you're the only one living like a little devil?

But then he thought of that troublemaker... Rudolf Symbol felt uneasy again.

Was it really a good decision to throw platinum into Hong Kong?

Regardless, Platinum is, after all, a complete newcomer, while her competitors are all top-tier...

"Hmm... Speaking of which, what is Platinum doing now..." As if in sync with Rudolf's symbolic thoughts, the Emperor of the East Sea also thought of Platinum.

"That Bai Jin guy, he didn't even say goodbye before leaving! And he didn't even send me a postcard after he got to Hong Kong, he's so disloyal!" The Emperor of the East Sea was furious at the thought of Bai Jin.

"They must be busy preparing for the competition and don't have time to spare," Rudolf said, resting his chin on his hand, his thoughts drifting far away.

I wonder if Aili Digital can keep Platinum and Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, those two annoying little devils, and keep them by their side.

...Just thinking about what Aili Digital would look like made Rudolf slap his forehead.

They are completely untrustworthy!

Is Platinum eating and sleeping well? Is she adapting to the local environment? Hong Kong is much more humid and hot than here; what should I do if she gets heat rash?

That guy, Jinqiang Liushi, is reckless and acts like a child. Will he clash with Baijin?

There are several other senior colleagues. Will Platinum be able to get along with them? Given her social anxiety, if two people sit face-to-face for ten minutes and can only say "The weather is nice," can they really make friends?

At first, Rudolph didn't think much of it, but now that he thought about it, he became more and more worried, fearing that Platinum might get lost without him by her side.

Rudolph stood up with a pained expression and began pacing around the student council area. He considered making a phone call to Hong Kong, but worried that Platinum and the others might be training at the moment.

"Hasn't this completely elevated your status...?" QiCao silently watched Rudolf's symbolic performance from the side, internally complaining.

Oh, they're just distant relatives anyway, so it's alright.

"President, when will Platinum and the others start their competition? Will we be able to see them on TV?" The East Sea Emperor asked, watching Rudolph's symbol circling around in circles.

"It should take about two weeks, and Platinum's final outfit should be ready by then."

The Emperor of the East Sea blinked longingly, "The final battle outfit...it's so nice."

"I also want to run with the G1 Marathon."

"President, do you know all of Platinum's rivals? Are there any particularly strong ones?"

Rudolf paused for a moment to think: "Frankly, Your Majesty, your statement is not accurate."

"Because just because you're running on the same track doesn't mean you can be considered rivals."

"For those retired female racehorses, their only rivals should be each other."

"Platinum... I'm afraid they don't consider it an evenly matched enemy."

Standing before Platinum was first and foremost Hai Du City. As the champion racehorse from the Arc de Triomphe, she had also demonstrated impressive results in various G2 races. In Rudolf's memory, her patience and almost fanatical willpower were her greatest weapons. On the Longchamp Racecourse, where the track had practically turned into a muddy mess, it was precisely that almost fanatical attitude that allowed her to maintain her speed and preserve her advantage in the final moments.

Then there's Aili Digital. Although they may seem unconventional, Aili Digital is a prime example of giving their all on the track. From being initially underestimated to gradually reaching the top, Aili Digital's spirit has inspired countless people. Their tenacious pursuit on the track serves as a monument, encouraging those who follow.

The con artist is a prime example of someone who races with their life on the line. Facing the world's most formidable enemy, the con artist suffers devastating blows in almost every race. Yet, she fights on with increasing ferocity, delivering a satisfactory result to everyone and giving herself a dignified exit.