Umamusume's days are numbered

Even on a holiday like White Valentine's Day.

This is already irrefutable evidence; there's no need to say more.

Overwhelmed with grief, Alice cried out in a loud, mournful voice that carried far and wide, startling a flock of gulls and egrets.

That damned emperor has done everything he was supposed to do! I can't even bear to imagine what that scene would be like!

And, damn it... Alice Digital actually feels that this pair is surprisingly compatible.

Aaaaaaahh ...

The mournful sounds continued unabated. Another student had been crushed by the Night Emperor, losing all their dreams.

Episode 175 Family

Back to last night.

Rudolf rubbed his slightly sore eyes, stretched, and sent the remaining documents to the air tank.

It's so late now, Qichao is probably already asleep. But she'll wake up to work right in front of her the next day, she'll probably be moved to tears.

Just kidding.

Rudolph symbolically took a simple shower, washed his mug, changed into a bathrobe, and then simply dried his wet hair on the small balcony.

She didn't use a hairdryer, afraid the noise would wake the little girl who was sleeping soundly in the attic.

...Speaking of which, did Platinum go straight to sleep after taking a shower without even drying his hair?

And so, for no apparent reason, Rudolf, the symbol of the city at night, sighed.

The small apartment wasn't in a good location either; being on the fifth floor, the view wasn't pleasant at all, blocked by layers of tall buildings. Perhaps with binoculars you could see the view from the windows of the apartments across the street, but otherwise, all you could see were the utility poles and the dangling wires along the roadside. Rudolf Symbol was lost in thought as he smoothed his hair.

What does platinum mean to me?

I first noticed her because of her outstanding academic achievements, and then I saw her awkward, twisted, and volatile personality. If I hadn't arrived in time, Platinum would probably have been in the police station that very night.

A problem child—this is Rudolph's symbol of the prevailing view of platinum at the time.

Geniuses may receive preferential treatment because of their talent, a fact that Rudolf Symbol doesn't acknowledge, yet is sometimes forced to follow. However, Rudolf Symbol's concern for Platinum isn't due to her talent, but rather because Platinum needs a mentor.

Because Platinum is lost and aimless. She often doesn't know what she should do, and she doesn't know how to ask for help.

Over time, without realizing it, it became what it is now. For him, Platinum is still shrouded in mystery.

Where did she come from? Platinum claims to be from Poland, but she doesn't speak a word of Polish, though she does know a little Chinese and Russian. What about her family? So far, Rudolf has never heard Platinum mention a single word about her family, as if they didn't exist.

Rudolph touched his hair, feeling that it was about time, and returned to his room, quietly climbing the stairs.

Then she saw a scene that made her laugh out loud—Platinum hadn't left any room for Rudolph's symbol at all, lying sprawled out on the attic, with even the pillow halfway over the fence, teetering on the verge of collapse.

They're such a worry... Oh well, it's normal for a child to be a worry.

Doesn't this prove why he was willing to lend a helping hand to Platinum?

———Because she was just a child.

Rudolph symbolically picks up the pillow from Platinum's feet, then as smoothly as possible extends his arms under Platinum's neck and knees as she sleeps, embracing her and placing her in a normal position.

Beside Platinum, Rudolf lay down symbolically and quietly closed his eyes. Suddenly, the only sounds in the small room were Platinum's even breathing, the ticking of the clock, and the occasional sound of a train passing by outside the window.

After an unknown amount of time, Rudolf suddenly opened his eyes.

I can't sleep.

Having missed his biological clock's bedtime and been exposed to the wind outside, Rudolph is now wide awake.

Let me think... To prevent this from happening, I should always carry two sleeping pills with me... In the darkness, Rudolph symbolically groped to sit up. At that moment, she felt her arm being pulled.

Platinum rolled over, placing her arm directly on Rudolf's symbol's shoulder. As if using Rudolf's symbol as a pillow, Platinum immediately wrapped her body around it, like an octopus.

...Now he's completely immobilized. Rudolf, held tightly in his grasp, looked up at the sky, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Well, let's leave it at that. Speaking of which, the Emperor of the East Sea also falls asleep like this... These two might be surprisingly similar.

"dad···"

"Mother···"

A soft murmur, so quiet that it was almost inaudible even to Rudolf's symbol.

But now it is a completely silent night, and there is no sound around.

"Dad... Mom..."

Rudolf seemed to understand. Therefore, the smile on her face froze.

Turning his head, Rudolf symbolically gazed at Platinum's sleeping face. It was a carefree, innocent sleep, devoid of any pain. But a single tear slid down his cheek from the corner of his eye.

?

Although it's not very common, Platinum sometimes has nightmares.

Unlike normal, terrifying nightmares, Platinum's nightmares are always the same.

I was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, and the pungent smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils. The entire hospital was deserted; no matter which way I looked, I couldn't find my way out, and I didn't encounter anyone. Even looking out the window, I couldn't see a soul.

It felt like I was the only person left in the world.

Platinum wasn't afraid; she simply kept walking down the endless corridor, searching for others she might never find. The gray light shone on her, casting a dark filter over her vision, as if the world had turned black and white.

"Dad—Mom—Are you there?!"

Platinum kept walking and shouting in vain.

"Dr. Jin—where have you been?"

Platinum wasn't afraid. She was just a little... a little sad.

Wandering barefoot down the corridor, Platinum suddenly realized that the water had submerged her ankles. In that instant, she realized she was dreaming, and she was waking up.

The floodwaters surged towards her, engulfing the entire city, including Bai Jin. As usual, she felt suffocated but didn't struggle; instead, she slowly sank, lower and lower…

Until the moment I opened my eyes.

This time, today, Platinum didn't feel suffocated. She only felt the water beside her was so warm, even a little cozy. Platinum curled up, continuing to sleep like a fetus in amniotic fluid.

Even as the sunlight streamed through the curtains, Platinum remained tightly entwined around Rudolf's Symbol. But... Rudolf's Symbol also extended her arms, wrapping them around Platinum's waist.

The two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

Episode 176 Pre-match

It's another early morning.

A towel hung around Bai Jin's neck. The early spring morning was still slightly chilly, and her breath condensed into white mist that slowly drifted away. Bai Jin ran uphill along the mountain road, the rising sun slowly behind her.

These past two days, Alice has been acting like she's seen a ghost. She never imagined that Platinum would get up so early.

Unexpectedly, after repeatedly missing morning training sessions, being forced to participate, and then waking up even earlier than Alice to voluntarily train around the mountain road, Bai Jin actually has some motivation and is able to improve on his own.

It seems that even that lazybones is working hard in the face of the Satsuki Prize... Airi Soko thought with satisfaction, and then started getting up later and later, gradually returning to her old life.

Just kidding, it's not like I'm the one running the Satsuki Prize; let Platinum run it himself.

Platinum himself is indeed actively preparing for the upcoming competition.

Putting aside the weekly elimination missions, I absolutely must win the classic triple crown—the Satsuki Prize, the Japanese Derby, and the Chrysanthemum Prize.

Platinum wasn't really interested in these competitions, and even considered not participating at all, since all he wanted was the Yayoi Prize.

But the situation is different now. The Tier 3 store is right in front of you, and the necessary condition for unlocking the Tier 3 store is winning the Classic Triple Crown.

Not a single match could be missed; this achievement can be described as arduous.

In the Yayoi Sho, she didn't encounter any equally matched opponents. But the Classic Triple Crown is different. Almost all the shining new stars of her generation, all the strongest racehorse girls of that era, will appear on stage. Platinum will be facing them for the first time.

Although he had already competed against Golden Gunner 60 before... to be honest, Platinum knew how much of that was inflated. He might be a bit stronger, but just how much stronger, Platinum wasn't sure.

The Emperor of the East Sea... an unimaginable genius, a racer dedicated to achieving an undefeated Triple Crown racehorse girl. Although she always seems to be getting the short end of the stick, Platinum, who once ran alongside her, knows just how powerful those supple ankles can be.

Half a year has passed since then. How much has the Emperor of the East Sea grown?

There's also a new universe. A peculiar horse girl who shouldn't exist in the original timeline wins against her parallel world counterpart.

Although Platinum did not accept the invitation from New Universe to the Spring Tournament, he still secretly went to take a look out of concern for his future opponents.

That was an undisputed victory. Shin-Universe's running style was extremely precise and breathtaking, dazzling like the tail of a comet. In this respect, her running style was somewhat similar to Elisako's. Elisako's footwork was near perfect, every step landing precisely where it should. Watching Shin-Universe's race gave that same feeling.

However... despite the similar appearance, Platinum had a vague feeling that the core of the new universe and the Erishoton were completely different. He couldn't quite put his finger on exactly how they differed.

In short, since we don't understand it, we can only be extremely cautious.

Bai Jin stopped running, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, looked up at the rising sun and the endless plain, and continued running up the hillside.

?

The speeding figure crossed the finish line, and Nishizaki Ryu pressed the stopwatch.

"Good, let's maintain this momentum and continue a few more times."

After writing down the stopwatch data in his notebook, Nishizaki Ryu shouted at the figure on the field.

"Good—" The East Sea Emperor waved to Nishizaki Ryu from afar. It was still early morning, and the other members of Spica had not yet arrived. There were only a few people on the huge training ground, so the East Sea Emperor could run with all his might.

Of course, Platinum isn't included either.

The Emperor of the East Sea paused at the thought of platinum, then pursed his lips.

The East Sea Empress had been eagerly anticipating her duel with Platinum for a long time. However, as the moment drew near, she no longer seemed as motivated as before.

That lingering, subtle, itchy feeling still lingered in the heart of the Emperor of the East Sea, something he couldn't quite define.

Oh well, whatever it is, we'll think about it after the competition!

Right now, the most important thing for me is still the Satsuki Sho!

Undefeated Triple Crown racehorse girl, it's my dream all along. I must achieve this goal so that I can run alongside the president!

So what if Platinum beats Golden Sixty? I won't back down an inch. Only in this way will my victory have more value.

The Emperor of the East Sea forcibly swept away those emotions, shook his head, and ran towards the starting line.

“…” Looking at the back of the Emperor of the East Sea, Nishizaki Ryu scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

The battle has finally come... Although Platinum is officially under Rudolf's name, he is still considered half a member of Spica.

Although Alice was also responsible for a lot of Platinum's training, she personally taught him step by step. Regardless of who wins between Platinum and the East Blue Emperor, it also means the other person's defeat.

Neither side wants to lose...

?

Above the teaching building is an attic, its door secured with a sturdy lock. Normally, the key to this lock is only held by the duty officer and the security guard, and it's always kept locked unless there's an emergency. The attic door leads directly to the rooftop.

Opening the rooftop was still too dangerous for the students. But today, the attic door opened silently, and the rooftop welcomed a guest.

Shin-Uchus sat on the edge of the rooftop, swaying gently in the morning breeze. It was an extremely dangerous move; if he made even the slightest mistake and slipped, even with his Uma Musume physique, he would end up in the hospital.

The new universe paid no heed to this danger. The morning dew dampened her golden hair, and sparrows chirped and flocked around her, pecking at the ground for food.

The eyes of the new universe gaze upon the distant landscape.

...No, speaking of looking at the scenery in the distance, it feels like the new universe is looking at something even more distant.

"Gemini...no, three stars..." the new universe spoke, still using those incomprehensible words, as if it were having a conversation with someone.

"Interstellar chases... um... a new universe... what should we do?"

Three stars also imply a more chaotic and complex orbital path between them. And what will happen at the end of this unpredictable trajectory?

Episode 177 Solar Prominence

Xin Yuzhou felt herself breathing rapidly, and a light drizzle was falling on her body. Only then did she realize how hot her body was.

"The competition has entered its final stage! Platinum is in the lead, with Neo Universe and Platinum close behind!"