Umamusume's days are numbered

"platinum!"

Episode 117 Dazzling

"The final victor... is Platinum!"

A hush fell over the stands. Then, a deafening roar, like a tidal wave, erupted and engulfed the entire racetrack.

There were voices of doubt, confusion, anger, and fervor, all mixed together.

Regardless of the opinions expressed, the one at the center of the discussion was Platinum, who had already taken center stage.

Although she was an unknown before the competition, and no one considered her a real competitor during the competition...

But she did win the crown through her own strength and a little bit of luck.

...Was it me? Did I win?

With one hand clutching her stomach and the other covering her lips, Bai Jin struggled to her feet. She then saw a camera lens right in front of her. Not just one camera, but it felt as if all the cameras in the stadium were pointed at her.

And then there are those gazes. Sha Tin Racecourse can hold 80,000 people, and in such a huge stadium, almost everyone's eyes are focused on you.

Platinum didn't even react at first; she just felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet, as if she were in a dream.

You beat Golden Gun Sixty? You beat that Golden Gun Sixty who was as strong as a monster?

"Although the late start of the race left Platinum trapped at the back of the pack, with unwavering spirit and tenacious courage, Platinum fought his way through the waves and finally shook the throne of Golden Gun Sixty at the finish line!"

"Let's give a round of applause and blessings to this outstanding female racehorse who has overcome her setbacks and limits. We all sincerely look forward to seeing the Platinum Racer soar to new heights. We believe that day is not far away."

"Similarly, let's give a round of applause to Golden Gun Sixty. Thank you for your companionship over the years; you have almost become the king of kings and a symbol of Hong Kong horse racing."

"Platinum is still like a newly born sunrise; her victory proclaims to us—a new era has arrived!"

This time, Platinum truly didn't feel like she had won. She blankly raised her arm, waving at the camera and the audience as if in a daze.

And through the cameras, this scene will simultaneously appear around the world. Everyone will know that a rookie has defeated the Hong Kong Jockey Club champion.

One failure or victory means nothing, but there is no doubt that Platinum's future path has only just begun. One day, she will be in the world's spotlight.

In the audience, Alice finally let out a long sigh of relief. She quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead, smoothed her hair, and looked no different from usual. Then, she composed herself and pushed through the crowd to walk out.

"Go share the joy of victory with the champion?" Uncle He called out to Alice. Although Golden Spear Sixty lost the match, he didn't seem too disappointed. "Don't want her to see me lose my composure?"

"Hehe, if she knew I was this excited, she'd probably be strutting around like crazy." Alice was clearly in a good mood, her lips curving upwards involuntarily. "I'm going to give her a little nudge. Otherwise, that girl won't have any ambition at all."

After a pause, Alice reached out and suppressed the smile on her lips: "But she... really gave me a huge surprise."

"Even I never thought that Platinum could actually achieve this."

"She's already working so hard, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Thousands of miles away, Rudolf symbolically remained silent for a moment, then turned off the television and sat back down at his desk.

She picked up her pen and began writing on the official document; the rustling sound of her writing soon filled the entire student council.

The rustling sound continued for a while, then suddenly stopped. Rudolf sat at his desk, fiddling with his phone and opening a chat window.

My friend's name was "File Transfer Assistant," and that was Platinum. When Rudolf Symbol saw Platinum's name, he couldn't help but smile.

"If someone actually thinks I'm a file transfer assistant and sends me all sorts of files, wouldn't I be able to openly spy on them?" Platinum's eloquent words still echoed in Rudolf's ears.

[You did very well, but be careful. Didn't I tell you not to be so competitive...?]

After writing half of it, Rudolf symbolically shook his head and deleted the message.

In the end, she simply wrote "Congratulations on winning the laurel" and sent it.

The rest I'll have to wait until Platinum comes back and then I'll teach her a lesson.

Let her enjoy the joy of winning.

"We won! We won! We won!" Yamato Akaki and Vodka hugged each other excitedly.

"We won! We won! We won!" Nishizaki Ryu jumped up from his seat, his spirits high and his expression excited, as if he wanted to perform a set of military boxing in the training room.

"We won! We won! We won!" The Golden Ship had already started practicing military boxing in the training room. In a moment of carelessness, a punch landed squarely on Megumi McQueen's head.

"Ouch!" McQueen leaned back, his head hitting the East Sea Emperor's forehead again.

"Ouch!" The Emperor of the East Sea also leaned back, his head hitting Special Week's forehead. Special Week also leaned back... There was no one behind her, so the back of her head slammed solidly against the wall, making intimate contact with Suzuka's poster.

McQueen, rubbing his reddened forehead, scolded Golden Ship: "Really... be careful..."

It was at this moment that McQueen noticed that the Emperor of the East Sea was silent, simply covering his forehead and staring at the television without blinking.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing...it's nothing." The Emperor of the East Sea watched Bai Jin waving at the television screen, a mix of emotions welling up inside him—a mixture of envy, blessing, excitement, and...

That's really strange.

She only felt as if she were standing inside the television set, standing in the platinum box at Sha Tin Racecourse...

It was so dazzling at that moment.

At this moment, Platinum, standing in front of the camera, finally regained her senses as if she had been awakened from a sleepwalking state.

"By the way... what about the Golden Spear Sixty?"

Platinum rolled its eyes and looked into the distance.

It was only at this moment that she saw what was happening at the racetrack.

"What?! A carp leaping over the dragon gate...!"

In an instant, the joy of victory was washed away. After all, the child ultimately chose to participate after his encouragement.

It's fair to say that this unexpected incident on the field is inextricably linked to his own actions.

With a mix of trepidation and uncertainty, Bai Jin ran towards the direction of the carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Episode 118 Moonlight

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate was already somewhat dazed. She could only sense that no more contestants were passing by, and the cheers from the stands had spread far and wide.

Is it all over? It seems everyone except myself has finished their match.

In the end, I was still the one who dragged everyone down.

She strained her voice, enduring the pain in her legs as she slowly made her way forward. Compared to running, what she was doing now couldn't even be called walking; it was merely a slow shuffle.

At the very least, I must finish the race no matter what...

As she leaped over the dragon gate, she heard shouts from the people around her. She staggered, half-kneeling on the ground, a piercing pain shooting up her leg bones. It felt numb, hot, and even a little cold.

"Quickly, help the athlete lie down, and bring the ambulance in quickly!"

The carp leaping over the dragon gate heard someone shout that. Immediately afterwards, someone gently supported her shoulders, and someone tenderly squeezed her hands, pressing her down to make her lie down.

Suddenly, she regained her senses and withdrew her hand, startling the medical staff.

"I...I'm alright." Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate struggles to shake off the arm on its shoulder and tries to stand up again. "I can still continue the game."

"The competition is over," a staff member kindly comforted her. "Rest assured, you've done enough."

That's enough. That's not the kind of talk the carp leaping over the dragon gate wants to hear.

"Already good enough" means it's not good enough, but it's just that you've reached your limit, which is still within reason.

But it's not good enough... it's just not good enough.

"Hehe. Ah Li, you really look terrible. I never thought you'd end up like this after participating in the competition."

A slightly sarcastic and cynical voice rang in Li Yuelongmen's ears. Li Yuelongmen was already extremely familiar with this voice, to the point that just hearing it was utterly repulsive—

She raised her eyelids and saw Jinqiang Liushi leaning against the fence with his arms crossed, his face showing no worry whatsoever, but rather a mocking expression, as if he was enjoying the show.

"Yeah, that's right." Feeling utterly bored, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate lowered its head again. "That's all I have. Are you satisfied?"

"I'm not satisfied. I'm not satisfied at all."

Jinqiang Liushi sighed softly and reached out to stop the medical staff who were about to step forward: "Could you wait a moment?"

"The ambulance is about to arrive, we need to..."

Jinqiang Liushi impatiently interrupted the medical staff, her willful and domineering attitude unchanged: "Okay, okay, I know, this is my sister, I'll handle it, okay?"

"Please wait a little longer. Like she said, the game isn't over yet."

Then, without waiting for anyone else to reply, Golden Spear Sixty turned his gaze back to Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate and raised his voice several notches, shouting, "Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate! Stand up! Didn't you want to finish the race?"

"Do you expect someone to carry you to the finish line?"

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate sneered repeatedly: "You're a real bastard, Golden Spear Sixty. What I hate most is your self-righteous attitude of ordering others around."

However, Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate still clutched his swollen calf, slowly but firmly stood up, head held high, looking down at Golden Spear Sixty with eyes full of pain and determination.

“I stood up not because of what you said, but because I wanted to do it myself.”

As he said this, the carp leaping over the dragon gate felt a wave of dizziness and was about to collapse uncontrollably to the ground.

Just then, a pair of strong hands supported her shoulders.

Jin Qiangliu lifted Li Yuelongmen's arm, placed her hand on his shoulder, and pressed the weight of half of Li Yuelongmen's body onto himself.

"I know. I've always known." Jinqiang Liushi looked at Li Yuelongmen with a half-smile, as if he himself didn't know what expression to use to look at his sister. "You've always been like this. I hate you the most."

"From childhood to adulthood, your willfulness has caused me so much trouble. Whether it was wanting to become a racehorse girl or running off to Japan on your own, do you know how much your family worries about you with every action you take?"

"You've never been sensible, never understood other people's good intentions, and you're still the same now."

"but···"

Jinqiang Liushi sighed softly again.

"No matter what, Ali, you are my sister. You are the sister I hate the most, yet also love the most. No one can surpass your place in my heart."

"You are the person who has been with me the most in this world so far, Ah Li."

"If there's something you can't say, let me say it first. After all, I'm the older sister, so I'm naturally supposed to give way to my younger sister."

"—I'm sorry, Ali. I'm sorry for all the teasing, sarcasm, and hurt I've caused you."

After a slight pause, the two sisters took their first step toward the finish line. Like a carp leaping over a dragon gate, they stumbled and nearly fell, but were firmly caught by Golden Spear Sixty. The two walked side by side, step by step, across the grass.

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate kept its head down, making no sound. Golden Spear Sixty didn't mind, but cleared his throat and spoke leisurely.

—The moon is yellow, the light shines yellow.

——Xiaboy, please get off the bed obediently

———I heard that Grandma needs to hurry up and plant rice seedlings.

——Grandpa watched Niu Canal go up the hill

This is a song buried in the memories of two people. It takes us back to that leisurely summer night many years ago, the air cool and refreshing, the starry sky as bright as day. The Milky Way slowly rotates overhead, the older sister holding the younger sister's hand, the younger sister holding the older sister's hand, dragonflies and crickets flitting by, their wings rubbing together to produce a loud chirping sound.

———Little shrimp, grow up quickly!

——Help grandpa go see the cattle and sheep

The older sister hummed the song softly, while the younger sister nestled in her arms. The two figures merged into one, their silhouettes intertwined in the dreamlike summer night.

——The moonlight illuminates the underworld

— Picking betel nuts on New Year's Eve

—The harvest is bountiful, and the granaries are overflowing!

———Old and young, all joyful

Jinqiang Liushi hummed softly, but then heard sobbing beside him. Looking down, he saw that Li Yuelongmen was already in tears.

She began to sing, her voice choked with emotion.

—Hey shrimp, hurry up and close your eyes!

——Sleep to the bright sky

The two sisters leaned on each other, just like before.