The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

"It's just a place for us abandoned people to stay."

As she spoke, Chizuru Haibara's spirits, which she had just mustered, were completely exhausted, and her eyes once again disappeared into her dark circles.

Just as she was waving goodbye and about to leave, Xiu Xingmeng suddenly grabbed him.

"Didn't you ever think about trying again?!"

Chizuru Haibara, who was being pulled back, stiffened and turned her head to see a light burning in Hideyuki's dark eyes that was unfamiliar to her.

Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"That's why I told you to leave. Someone like you isn't suitable for Kasamatsu Tresen."

"What about Principal Haibara? And Oguri Roman? Aren't they people from here too?!"

"And what about the saddler Suzune? Do you even know anything about her? She knows everything about racehorse girls' equipment. Is that considered giving up?!"

Looking at Xiu Xingmeng, Haibara Chizuru was momentarily dazed, as if she had returned to that summer when she had just been admitted to the Central Academy of Drama and still believed in hope and dreams.

But when she looked down, she saw not the smartly dressed trainer from years ago, but a disheveled woman in sportswear, who was holding not the training logbook, but a pile of snacks.

Everything is in the past; the radiant Chizuru Haibara has vanished from my memory.

She flung Xiu Xingmeng's hand away and said in a nonchalant, indifferent manner.

"I really don't know what Anzai Suzune is doing, but so what? If she had any courage to improve herself, would she still be here?"

"As for Dad... if it weren't for Oguri Roman giving him hope, he might have already given up and become despondent. How could he still be in the mood to play this 'good principal' game here?"

"Once Oguri Roman goes to the central government, this place will probably go back to its lifeless state, until one day no new students can be found!"

"Those who shine should hurry to their own sky and stop wasting time in the ruins and broken walls!"

After saying that, she turned around and ignored Xiu Xingmeng, walking straight towards the teaching building.

Behind Chizuru Haibara's nearly disheveled figure, Hideyuki Shizuka pursed her lips and gazed at her quietly.

Kasamatsu Tresson's problem was more serious than she had imagined. After only meeting Principal Haibara and Saddler Suzune, Hideyuki thought that the place was just unreliable because of a shortage of manpower.

It wasn't until she confronted Chizuru Haibara directly that she began to understand what was happening here.

After silently watching Haibara Chizuru leave, Xiuxingmeng started running on the track again. At this moment, a certain emotion inexplicably arose in her heart, but Xiuxingmeng could not understand what it was, and could only vent it by running again and again.

Time passed quickly as Xiu Xingmeng ran. When she returned to the dormitory, she happened to see Anjiang Lingyin waving to her in front of the cafeteria. Xiu Xingmeng, who was already hungry, went straight over.

After following Anjiang Lingyin into the canteen, Xiuxingmeng discovered that there were only a few dishes that had already been touched, and a bowl of rice with only one-third left on the table.

"Ms. Sato usually goes out to buy ingredients for the school meals, and then everyone takes turns cooking them."

"You're a bit late; everyone has already finished eating, so the food doesn't look very appetizing."

Anjiang Lingyin scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed, and said.

"But today's meal was still delicious! Don't let Minamino Sumire's appearance fool you, she's actually quite a good cook!"

As if afraid that Xiu Xingmeng would find it distasteful, Anjiang Lingyin helped her move a stool while talking, and Xiu Xingmeng went over to help her take the somewhat heavy wooden stool.

"Yes, right, let me heat it up for you!"

Looking at her empty hands, Anjiang Lingyin smiled as if she had remembered something and said to Xiuxingmeng, then picked up two plates of food and rushed into the kitchen.

"No need for that. I'm not some spoiled child."

After taking the plate from Anjiang Lingyin, Xiuxingmeng served herself her meal and started eating immediately.

Anjiang Lingyin didn't leave either. She moved a stool and sat next to Xiuxingmeng, watching her eat while smiling foolishly.

As Xiu Xingmeng moved, the food gradually filled her empty stomach, but she felt very restless, as if something was missing.

After quickly finishing her dinner, Xiu Xingmeng refused Anjiang Lingyin's offer and helped her wash the dishes and the cafeteria table.

After returning to their dorm, the two took separate showers. In front of Xiu Xingmeng's dorm, Anjiang Lingyin said goodnight to her and then left.

Xiu Xingmeng breathed a sigh of relief as she returned to her solitary surroundings. Looking at the nearly dilapidated and empty dormitory, a strange sense of irritation welled up within her, almost making her want to throw a tantrum on the spot.

But she quickly suppressed her discomfort and forced herself to lie down and sleep.

A long day passed, and in the following days, Xiu Xingmeng went to class with Anjiang Lingyin while getting familiar with the environment of the muddy field. During this time, she also met the only member she had never met before, Sato Ken, who was an ordinary young man, just like his name.

This was just an ordinary day, but for some reason, Xiu Xingmeng felt increasingly agitated.

Until the day before her scheduled debut battle, Xiu Xingmeng woke up and went out, only to find the dormitory empty.

She wandered around the campus in confusion, and finally saw a crowd gathered at the school gate.

Xiu Xingmeng saw Anzai Suzune, Minamino Sumire, Kobayashi Dafu, Nishimoto Makikusa, Haibara Koutarou, Haibara Chizuru, Sato Takeru, Kasamatsu Tressen, and everyone else in the crowd—

They all gathered here.

Among the crowd, a female racehorse with a downy coat lowered her horse's ears in disappointment. Her face was filled with resentment and regret, and tears welled up in her eyes as if they would fall to the ground at any moment.

Xiu Xingmeng turned her gaze to the crowd, and everyone wore the same gloomy expression.

"I'm sorry everyone... I lost the Autumn Wind Youth Tournament..."

Surrounded by her companions, the racehorse girl with the tuft of hair let out a near-collapsed whisper; the oppressive atmosphere weighed on everyone like a heavy weight, making it hard for them to breathe.

Oguri Roman, the only racehorse girl to debut in Kasamatsu Tressen, and the only one with the potential to reach the center stage, is the only racehorse girl in this ruin who possesses a dream and embodies everyone's hopes—

Failed.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: I Will Be Your Light

Xiu Xingmeng spent the day in a depressing atmosphere.

The next day, on the scheduled debut date, everyone from Kasamatsu Tressen gathered at the racetrack. The Kasamatsu Racetrack was deserted except for a few yawning staff members besides the school students.

After changing her clothes, Xiu Xingmeng walked out of the contestant passage, and everyone she saw had a gloomy expression.

Oguri Roman lost. The only horse girl with a chance at Kasamatsu Tresen Academy failed. Her defeat was not just about winning or losing a race. She carried the hopes of everyone in the school, and also their last hope for themselves.

People are placing their hopes on Roman Oguri, hoping that her victory and her shining will inspire them to move forward.

But now, it's all just empty talk.

Xiu Xingmeng turned her head. On the side of the track, Haibara Koutarou was gripping the guardrail tightly, his head hanging low, seemingly lost in thought. This short, chubby man, who always treated his students with an optimistic attitude, was also dejected because of Oguri Roman's failure.

His hopes were dashed.

A young man, probably around thirty years old, stood silently beside him, staring blankly at the sky. He was Takeru Satoh. Despite being a female horse racer, he couldn't focus on the track. Even though he considered himself just going through the motions, he became dejected after the defeat.

Chizuru Haibara and Roman Oguri sat to the side, watching the match in silence, without saying a word to each other.

Not only the people in the stands, but even the female racehorses on the track looked dejected.

Xiu Xingmeng turned her gaze to the saddler Lingyin. She still remembered how bright Lingyin's eyes were when she introduced the equipment to her, but now they had become gloomy and dull, devoid of any enthusiasm.

The tall, blue-haired racehorse girl, Nishimoto Musashi, weakly propped herself up on her knees, making herself appear much shorter.

Kobayashi Kaze, the pink-haired racehorse girl who loves to wear pigtails, didn't even bother to tie her hair up today, leaving it messy and hanging down her back.

Only Minamino Sumire was still casually twirling her curly hair.

Seemingly noticing Xiu Xingmeng's gaze, he actually walked towards her.

"Do you still have the nerve to say that, transfer student?"

"What do you mean?"

Seeing that Xiu Xingmeng seemed puzzled, Nan Yejin smiled slightly and explained.

"True courage requires a foundation. When you first arrived here, you were willing to stand up for others, but after realizing this place is nothing but ruins—"

"Would you still have the time or inclination to care about other people's business?"

Xiu Xingmeng frowned, as if nothing had happened to Nan Yejin yesterday, and her tone was so relaxed.

"And you? Even though Oguri Roman failed, how can you still be so calm?"

"Yes, I'll probably be disappointed for a while after what Haibara-san said."

Minamino Sumire squinted slightly.

"But for me, it was just to go with the flow and that's why I made that expression."

"Was your disappointment yesterday just an act?"

"Living in such a small place, you need to learn to integrate into the group."

“Look at Lingyin, she’s so lonely because she’s so unsociable, so she goes around and circles around any transfer student she sees.”

As she spoke, Minamino Sumire gestured vaguely towards the distant saddler Suzune.

Xiu Xingmeng remained silent for a while. She could understand why everyone else was disappointed, but she couldn't understand what Nan Yejin was thinking.

So she simply asked the question.

"Didn't you... place your hopes on Oguri Roman?"

"But there has to be some hope."

Minamino Sumire answered with a smile, and the answer, which was so cruel, came out of her mouth with a strange ease.

"Uncle Haibara and the others can pin their hopes on Oguri Roman, hoping that her achievements can revitalize the region, or at least revitalize Kasamatsu."

"Rinne can place her hopes on Oguri Roman. Someone who loves researching equipment like her will naturally be attracted to the arena."

"Kobayashi Kaze and Nishimoto Makisoba are the same, because they are both racehorse girls, so they will also give their share of hope to Oguri Roman."

"Aren't you a horse racer?"

Minamino Sumire chuckled softly before speaking.

"So what?"

"Nobody cares about local races anymore, nobody cares about local racehorses anymore, this Kasamatsu Tressen is just the last echo of that Generation of Miracles."

"Even if I debut successfully, so what? Will my future be any different?"

"A certificate for debuting as a racehorse girl is not even as good as Sato's trainer certificate."

"At least he can find a job and support himself with this piece of paper, right?"

Xiu Xingmeng fell silent. Contrary to her hot-girl appearance, Nan Ye Jin was actually very intelligent.

Unlike her two companions who still held onto their hopes for the races, she had already foreseen the end of local horse racing. Even if she made a successful debut, it would be meaningless, as her life would have no further connection with running except for this period of time.

So she didn't care—she didn't care about Oguri Roman's failure, she didn't care about Kasamatsu Tressen's dilapidated state, she didn't care about whether she could run.

Minamino Sumire, a former racehorse girl, has given up being a racehorse girl.

In this Kasamatsu Tressen College, she was the most realistic, the most desperate, and the most pessimistic person.

At this moment, Xiu Xingmeng finally understood what had been causing her anxiety these past few days.

Kasamatsu Tressen is a school that has lost all hope, where everyone has been forced to give up something—their expectations for the future—due to the harsh reality.

The last remaining bit of residue was also entrusted to Oguri Roman.

With her failure, even that last bit of residue vanished forever.

Why didn't Minamino Sumire feel dejected because of Oguri Roman's failure? It's because she had long since lost even the slightest trace of herself.

Hope for the future, expectations for the future—this is precisely why Xiu Xingmeng has come this far. No matter how difficult life gets, she will never give up.

That's why she felt irritable, irritated by everyone who had already resigned themselves to their fate.

After realizing her own inner thoughts, Xiu Xingmeng suddenly laughed, and this unexpected laughter drew a puzzled look from Nan Ye Jin.

"I'll let you see it..."

"what?"

“The brilliance on stage will also give the audience hope, and I will let you see that.”

"Stage? Glitter? Those are words only the racehorse girls in the central area are qualified to use back then."

Minamino Sumire revealed a mocking smile.

"Look here! Is there any audience here that you call your audience? Besides a few staff members who are on duty, there are only a handful of us!"

"Can this place even be called a stage?!"

She waved her arms, as if trying to show the entire Kasamatsu Racecourse to Hideyuki.

However, even with the cruel reality laid bare before her, Minamino Sumire still couldn't see even a trace of despair in Xiuxingmeng's eyes.

"Wherever I am, that is the center of the stage."