The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

But the dream of becoming a star cannot be escaped.

She needs to gain the audience's approval, so she must defeat powerful enemies time and time again. She must defeat the Golden Master head-on, so she cannot seek victory through such despicable means.

She is a racehorse girl, a racehorse girl who has honed her skills on the battlefield-like racetrack, a racehorse girl who has personally experienced the boiling fighting spirit and competitiveness. If she wanted to escape, Hideyuki would have already escaped in the rain at Tokyo Racecourse, and there would be no need to wait until today.

Therefore, she would never run away.

Xiu Xingmeng pushed away Haibara Chizuru's hand that was gripping her shoulder, pressed her hard against the back of the chair, and stared at Haibara Chizuru's frightened and uneasy face.

She was confused, she was afraid, she was uneasy. Haibara Chizuru couldn't understand why Xiuxing Meng seemed to have suddenly become a different person. The girl who could joke around freely in normal times was now filled with an indescribable sense of danger.

Do you remember what you said to me when we first met?

Xiu Xingmeng's voice was as cold as a blade, tearing a rift in Haibara Chizuru's mind, which was somewhat dazed by panic, causing her to subconsciously answer.

"I want you to leave Kasamatsu... and go to the Central Region."

"Then why were you made to stay?"

After hearing this, Chizuru Haibara paused for a moment before replying.

“I saw your potential during your debut match, and what you said made me believe that even in Kasamatsu, you could make it to the center, or even take the G1 title from a prestigious team and make the local team—”

She was interrupted by Xiu Xingmeng before she could finish speaking.

"Why don't you believe me now?"

Looking into Xiu Xingmeng's dark, abyss-like eyes, and seeing her own disheveled reflection in them, Haibara Chizuru was speechless, unsure of what to say.

But it's okay, Xiu Xingmeng will tell her the answer.

"Because I haven't yet demonstrated the ability to surpass the Gold Master, right?"

“Unlike the enthusiastic audience who place their trust and expectations on me, as a trainer, you can rationally perceive the gap between me and the Gold Master.”

"My abilities haven't improved in a long time."

Upon hearing Xiu Xingmeng's words, Haibara Chizuru instinctively averted her gaze.

Kitahara's main focus was on Oguri Roman, so she didn't notice, but how could she not notice when she liked recording data and was the main trainer of Embroidery Dream?

This was the real reason she advised Xiu Xingmeng not to confront the Golden Master head-on.

After being defeated, the Golden Master will gain power at an abnormal speed, but what about Xiu Xingmeng? How can she break through her limits?

Therefore, in Haibara Chizuru's view, there is only one chance to take a shortcut.

This is the most rational strategy, but Xiu Xingmeng has never cared about rationality in this Kasamatsu Tresen, otherwise she would have left here long ago, wouldn't she?

Xiu Xingmeng twisted Haibara Chizuru's head, forcing her to stare into her eyes, and said, word by word.

"The horse girl's abilities aren't the key to victory. Just watch closely, Chizuru, I will—"

"Victory!"

Chapter 85 The Bet (4k)

Tokyo Racecourse, sunny, Ryobaba.

All the spectators looked expectantly toward the contestants' tunnel, waiting for the racehorse girl to make her appearance. A large part of the reason they had gathered here was because of her.

Faced with the audience's expectations, the commentator naturally wouldn't disappoint. The middle-aged commentator, who had been through many competitions, knew what everyone wanted to see and hear. He raised the microphone and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Next up is the racehorse girl—"

"Number 1 Popularity! Contestant No. 12, the Golden Master! The classic three-crown match, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, has finally brought the destined queen to her stage!"

The commentator's voice echoed throughout the Tokyo racetrack. Such an introduction might seem biased if used for other female racehorses. Commentators need to increase the suspense of the race and arouse the audience's curiosity, so they generally wouldn't utter such absolute statements.

Just like Rin Akasaka during the Common Communication Cup, even though Yume Hidehoshi won the match, she was still warned afterwards not to bring her personal preferences onto the field.

But now, no viewer questions these words, and the commentator who said them is not warned after the game.

This is not just the commentator's personal preference, but a consensus among everyone.

The Golden Master, this racehorse girl with the surname Gold, is the undisputed absolute ruler of this generation.

Her story had already spread throughout the entire horse racing world. Her unparalleled talent, discovered from a young age, and her ability to single-handedly shatter the future of Central Treisen, even forced the rival, prestigious families to acknowledge her abilities.

She is the future of Japanese horse racing.

For the racehorse girl who is most likely to break the Arc de Triomphe curse, the Satsuki Sho is just a starting point on her legendary journey.

Amid cheers from the crowd, a composed figure emerged from the contestant tunnel. The overwhelming anticipation did not overwhelm her; on the contrary, she waved her hand matter-of-factly, as if surveying her own territory, sweeping across the audience.

Amidst the jubilant crowd, Minamino Sumire watched the Gold Master make his entrance and silently clutched the plush doll embroidered with stars in her hand.

Today, the Gold Master wore a decisive outfit composed of gold, black, and red, a color combination that made her look even more majestic. The exceptionally gorgeous accessories hanging on her body added to her noble air, and the six-pointed star crown on her head shone brightly in the sunlight along with her already dazzling golden hair.

Even with full confidence in Xiuxing Dream, seeing such a master craftsman of gold made Minamino Sumire's heart sink.

Especially since everyone around, except for the people from Kasamatsu Tresen, was shouting the name of the Golden Master, compared to the power of tens of thousands of people, the people supporting the Dream of Embroidered Stars were so insignificant that they were almost invisible.

These ten or so people were like a small, isolated group of outcasts; once discovered, they would be crushed without a trace by that overwhelming force.

Minamino Sumire subconsciously looked around at the crowd and found that everyone's expression was just as solemn as hers. In this jubilant Tokyo racetrack, they were definitely a minority.

The mere name of the Gold Master had already put a lot of pressure on Minamino Sumire, and now, with the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators, she couldn't even imagine what Xiuxingmeng, who was about to appear, would face.

Thinking of this, a surge of courage suddenly welled up in Minamino Sumire's heart, and she shouted loudly even though she knew that Xiuxingmeng couldn't hear her.

"Go, Meng!"

Her voice was insignificant compared to the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators, and was instantly drowned out; no one even noticed what she had shouted.

But Sumire Minamino's words weren't meant for the audience; they were for herself and for everyone around her.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Kasamatsu Tressen and the others stood up and shouted in response to the cheering crowd.

"Let them see the performance of Kasamatsu Saima Musume!"

"Exactly, exactly! He's just a Gold Master, so what? Use your invincible Great Escape to get past him!"

Amidst the cheers that resembled a surging ocean, the Kasamatsu Tressen supporters were like a small reef, stubbornly and defiantly calling out to the person they supported amidst the waves.

Just when they thought their shouts would go unanswered, two surprised voices suddenly came from behind Minamino Sumire.

"I didn't expect there to be people here who support Ah Meng?!"

"It's a miracle that we were able to bring everyone together."

When everyone turned around, they found that it was a man and a woman who were speaking.

One of the men raised his camera in acknowledgment, took a closer look at the crowd, and then said with some emotion.

"I am Tagami Kane, a correspondent from Gifu Publishing. It is truly a kind of fate to meet Kasamatsu Tressen at such a large Tokyo racetrack."

Upon hearing Tagami's words, Kobayashi Kaze turned around and said, half surprised and half puzzled.

"You actually know us?"

"I know everyone in Kasamatsu, after all, I'm a professional."

Tagami then proudly read out the names and records of the Kasamatsu racehorses present, not even forgetting the two trainers and the principal behind the scenes.

Just as he finished speaking and was about to face the surprised looks of the crowd, a weak male voice suddenly rang out in front of Tian Shenguan.

"what about me?"

Tian Shenguan looked at the unremarkable young man, then at the plush doll with the embroidered star dream in his hand, and asked with some doubt.

"Are you... also a fan of Embroidery Star Dream who happened to gather here together?"

Hearing him say that, Takeru Satoh finally gave up hope. Seeing that Takami could name everyone, he was still hoping to be among them.

It seems that those who work in logistics really have no presence. Just as Sato Takeru was feeling a little disappointed, the woman who had spoken earlier finally spoke up.

"You are Takeru Satoh, Kasamatsu Tresen's third trainer, right?"

Rin Akasaka took off her sunglasses and winked at Tagami in a provocative manner, as if to say, "Look, this is what professionalism looks like."

Faced with her desire to compete for the title of the most professional embroidery dream fan, Tian Shenguan could only shrug and indicate that he was surrendering.

After her rival conceded defeat, Rin Akasaka became even more smug. She winked at the Kasamatsu members, hoping they would recognize her.

But everyone just looked at Rin Akasaka with confusion, thinking she was about to say something more.

"You don't recognize me?! You could recognize my voice, right? I've been commentating at Kasamatsu Racecourse the whole time, commentating on several of the races you've been playing!"

Seeing that she had revealed her identity, Anjiang Lingyin said somewhat embarrassedly.

"We thought you would be on the commentary panel, so we didn't expect it for a moment."

Upon hearing her words, Rin Akasaka collapsed backward as if struck by a heavy blow, looking even more dejected than if she hadn't been recognized by the racehorse girls.

She looked up and stared intently at the commentary booth, saying with resentment.

"I also want to commentate on Meng's match, this is her first G1 match."

"They must have somehow managed to steal the thunder from those old guys in the commentary world, and they set us up!"

In fact, given Rin Akasaka's qualifications, being able to host the G3 tournament, the Kyodo Communications Cup, after arriving at the Central Division was already a sign of high regard. However, today is truly different. It's not only the start of the G1 tournament but also the beginning of the classic Triple Crown Tournament. Most importantly, it's the debut of the Golden Master.

Today's match is too important; no one would entrust such a crucial task to a junior commentator who has just arrived at the central broadcasting station.

No matter how unwilling Akasaka Rin was, she had no choice but to buy a ticket herself and watch the Embroidered Dream competition from the stands.

Just as everyone was surprised by the two behind-the-scenes supporters of the Embroidery Dream, Minamino Sumire keenly noticed that Haibara Chizuru, who was sitting to the side, seemed to have remained silent the whole time.

Not only was she not curious about Tagami Kane and Akasaka Rin, but she also didn't seem to say a word when everyone was cheering for Xiuxing Meng.

"Sister Chizuru, what's wrong?"

Sensing something was amiss, Minamino Sumire nudged Haibara Chizuru's shoulder.

The sudden touch made Chizuru Haibara freeze for a moment. When she came to her senses, she realized it was Sumire Minamino. She breathed a sigh of relief before speaking.

"Oh, it's you. What happened?"

This behavior made Minamino Sumire even more certain that something was amiss.

Xiu Xingmeng and Haibara Chizuru did not tell anyone about their conversation in the office, and Haibara Chizuru deliberately maintained her original appearance during training on the playground.

It wasn't until she arrived at the scene today and actually saw the gold master that she finally couldn't hide her emotions, and the perceptive Minamino Sumire noticed something unusual.

It was this slight anomaly that made Minamino Sumire suddenly recall what Hideyuki had told her before: Kitahara supported participating in the Satsuki Sho, while Haibara Chizuru advocated starting with the Japanese derby.

Now that Hideyuki has participated in the Satsuki Sho, does that mean that Chizuru Haibara is dissatisfied with it?

"Even if Amu chose the Kitahara trainer's schedule, she shouldn't be unhappy about it."

"Chizuru-nee, were you really such a petty adult?!"

Upon hearing Minamino Sumire's words, Haibara Chizuru paused for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"You really do like Star Dream."

Haibara Chizuru's seemingly random remark immediately made Minamino Sumire blush. She quickly waved her hands, denying it as she spoke.

"What is all this nonsense! Don't change the subject!"

Seeing Minamino Sumire, who was flustered by her words, Haibara Chizuru couldn't help but smile. But when she thought about what she had just been pondering, she unconsciously lowered the corners of her mouth.

"Ah Jin, do you think Xingmeng can win?"

"Uh-huh--"

Minamino Sumire was taken aback by the sudden question, and she thought for a moment before speaking.

"There should be a chance."

"When I watched the Common Communication Cup, she didn't seem to be using her full strength at all. She also makes us so tired during training. Even if the Golden Master is amazing, she's still just a racehorse girl. The difference shouldn't be that big, right?"

Haibara Chizuru nodded silently. This was basically the common idea among those who supported Xiuxingmeng. Before coming to the scene, she also believed that Xiuxingmeng could snatch a championship from the Golden Master through a clever trick.

but……

Chizuru Haibara narrowed her eyes slightly. Even now, from this distance and with so many people around, she could still feel the terrifying aura of the Golden Master that made it impossible to look directly at him.

The Golden Master is even stronger than I thought. Even without the pressure from other racehorse girls, her growth rate far exceeds what Chizuru Haibara imagined.

She is now even starting to worry that her last chance to dream of embroidering stars will also disappear.

At that time, would I have to see my dream of horse racing girls shattered in front of me again?

If Xiu Xingmeng is defeated, it won't just be her who fails; the revival of the region will be cut short, Kasamatsu Tressen will become the same as before, and all the efforts everyone has made this year will become meaningless.

Chizuru Haibara closed her eyes; her heart was already filled with dread for that future.