The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

The moment he saw the name, his thoughts drifted back to that distant era.

When he was a child, his father took him to the racetrack. Watching the racehorses galloping across the track, he was held in his father's arms and his eyes were filled with the unparalleled charm that pierced through all the racehorse girls.

Even now, well into middle age, Kentaro Sugiki still cherishes the memory of that racehorse girl in his heart.

Her surname is Northern.

Kentaro Sugiki hasn't been seen with this surname on the field for a long time.

His rough hands traced the surname etched in his heart as if touching a treasure, and he subconsciously muttered to himself.

"Only racehorse girls who can inherit the glory will be given the Northern surname, so her appearance symbolizes that the Northern family is ready to reclaim the glory of their ancestors on the racetrack."

Kentaro Sugiki couldn't help but feel overjoyed. Had the Northern Family, which he had supported since childhood, finally produced another racehorse girl worthy of carrying on their past glory?

However, amidst his joy, he also felt a sense of unease.

As a professional commentator with many years of experience in the horse racing world, Kentaro Sugiki naturally knows a little about the current situation of the Hokuriku family.

I heard from some journalist friends who were planning to go and interview that the Northern Family's Western-style mansion, hidden deep in the mountains, was so poor that they couldn't even afford to hire a maid to clean it.

The once grand and magnificent building is now covered in moss, and the carefully maintained forest has long been abandoned. It is said that weeds have grown wildly and sunlight can hardly penetrate it. The entire northern mansion is filled with a rotten and old smell.

There are even rumors that now only the two horse racing girls, grandmother and granddaughter, remain in the Northern family. Not to mention cleaning the outside of the mansion, even the inside of the mansion is covered in dust, with only a few places showing traces of life.

Can the Northern Family, now in such dire straits, still produce any promising horse girls?

Is this newly promoted racehorse destined to inherit past glory, or is it a final, desperate gamble?

Kentaro Sugiki immediately looked up the details of this racehorse girl and found that she was so mysterious that she left almost no trace. She did not enter Central Treisen, so she did not even have any usual results.

The only data point is the record she left when she debuted last year.

Judging from his performance at that time, although he had already crushed his opponents in his debut battle, it was still far from enough to give Kentaro Sugiki confidence.

After all, in his heart, the glory represented by the surname "North" was too great and too dazzling. In addition, their competition style of "if they don't participate, they will fight and make a name for themselves" meant that almost every racehorse girl named "North" won the glory that belonged to them.

Now, Kentaro Sugiki simply couldn't believe it.

This racehorse, who had no professional guidance, no professional equipment, and might even have trouble with its diet and nutrition, was able to unleash amazing power on the track after nearly a year of silence.

If that really happens.

"Then it can only be described as a miracle."

Kentaro Sugi murmured to himself.

Chapter 145 Who Can Challenge the Strongest of the Generation?

The sky above the Zhongjing Racecourse was cloudless, and the bright sunlight shone directly on the grass, almost turning the entire track into a white expanse. Even through shoes and horseshoes, Starman could still feel the scorching heat surging from his feet.

Standing on the field, gazing at the distant audience and feeling the gaze of his opponents, the intense stares, along with the magnificent sunlight, almost ignited Starman's heart.

This is the arena, this is the competition, something you'll never experience in regular training matches. Only by standing in it can you feel the exhilarating sensation that seems to ignite your very being.

Starlight Warrior silently clenched her fists, her round chestnut eyes blazing as she raised her head with high spirits, sensing the energy emanating from the racetrack.

This is actually her first time participating in a high-stakes race, and her first time in a race is in a G2-level event, which might make some female racehorses nervous.

But for Starlight Girl, she felt that time was passing too slowly and the competition hadn't started yet, even though she couldn't wait to run on the field!

She turned her gaze to the other two racehorse girls on the track. One of them, with long, black, Hime-style hair, was casually gazing at the stands, while the other, with pigtails, was staring intently at her with her lips pursed.

Starlight Man blinked, seemingly oblivious to the subtle atmosphere between the two, and instead laughed and waved vigorously at them.

"Fujino Mark King, thank you for the stage, you're here too!"

The two racehorse girls in front of me, with their subtle atmosphere, are strong contenders for the championship in this race. Fujino Marko, with her long black hair, has achieved quite high rankings in this year's Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby.

While the other thank-you stage performance was not good in the Triple Crown Tournament, she is still a true champion of the Grand Prize Tournament.

Hearing Starman's loud voice, Fujino Mark Wang glanced at her impatiently and said with disdain.

"I don't think I know you?"

Faced with the blatantly indifferent lines, Starman showed no sign of surprise and casually pointed at himself and shouted.

"I am Starlight Girl! I'm going to defeat Narita Shirohito's horse girl!"

"what?!"

Her declaration elicited gasps from both of them, who frowned and looked at Starlight with disbelief.

But Starman seemed oblivious, confidently patting his chest and shouting.

"I'll win my first big prize match here, and then I'll go to the Kyoto News Cup! Narita Shirahito's signed up for that match too, right? I'll beat her there!"

Looking at the radiant Starlight Hero, he crossed his arms and frowned as he thanked the stage.

"Do you... really know who Narita Shirahito is?"

"The strongest racehorse girl of this generation, the blindfolded monster, right? Of course I know."

Starlight Man tilted his head, seemingly wondering why she would ask such a question.

"Did you know she was capable of saying something like that?"

Her tone was strained as she thanked the stage; having witnessed Narita Shirahito's terrifying performance firsthand, she couldn't believe anyone could utter such ignorant words.

Having won two big prizes and qualified for the G1 stage, she was by no means a weakling. However, she was so frightened by Narita Shirahito's intimidating aura on this thank-you stage that she forgot how to run and could only achieve the humiliating results of seventeenth and eighteenth place.

How dare Starlight, a racehorse girl who's never even met Narita Shirahito before stepping onto the high-stakes race stage, make such a boast?!

"Since her title is monster, then as a hero, I must defeat her."

As he spoke, Starman made a transformation gesture with his hands.

"Besides, isn't it super cool to defeat the strongest of the generation!"

Standing to the side, Fujino Mark King glanced at the excited Starman and said coldly.

"Turns out he was just an idiot."

She turned around and continued speaking, ignoring the furious Starlight Knight.

"Don't even mention stepping onto the G1 stage, this is your first time even in a big prize match, you simply can't understand what you're saying."

"However, you are right about one thing: Narita Shirahito will be defeated. But... that opponent will definitely not be you."

Fujino Mark Wang snorted at Starlight Man and continued speaking.

"A racehorse girl like you can't even imagine the pressure you feel standing on the same track as her."

"Some racehorse girls with low endurance are clearly quite strong, but under that oppressive feeling, they can't even exert their original strength."

The person on the thank-you stage stood to the side, and upon hearing these words, subconsciously clenched their fists, biting their lip in resentment.

"Only racehorses that can maintain their strength under that oppressive pressure are qualified to face Narita Shirohito head-on."

She proudly raised her head and loudly proclaimed to the Starlight Warriors and the thank-you stage.

"On this field, only I am qualified to face Narita Shirahito head-on!"

"And you... along with the outcome of the Kobe News Cup, all of you, kneel before my back!"

Upon hearing this, the stage manager could no longer contain herself. She raised her head and faced Fujino Mark directly, speaking sternly.

"I will prove it to you, I will show you! Thanking the stage is not cowardly. I am the champion of this Kobe Shimbun Cup, and I am the one who can compete with Narita Shirahito on the same stage!"

The moment their eyes met, the ensuing battle nearly ignited the small space. Realizing he was being ignored, Starman also started shouting loudly from the side.

"Me too! Me too! I, Starlight Girl, am the only racehorse girl who can defeat the Blinded Monster! I want the Kobe Shimbun Cup championship and the title of the strongest of all time!"

Upon hearing this, the two turned their gazes toward Starman, who had been spouting nonsense, and Starman fearlessly retorted.

Although the competition has not officially started yet, the contenders for the Nakato Shimbun Cup championship have already begun their battles.

While they were facing off, the commentators outside the arena never stopped working. Kentaro Sugiki looked at the materials in his hand and suddenly felt a little nervous for some reason.

Having already experienced countless battles, his heart was pounding wildly, and his throat felt inexplicably dry. He looked at the surname reflected in his pupils, took a deep breath, and then spoke in a loud voice.

"The long-silent Northern family has finally seen the return of a racehorse girl! Having never participated in a race since her debut, what kind of performance will she deliver this time?!"

"The final contestant, number ten, is Northern Star Dream!"

Chapter 146 Is it sweat?

After hearing the commentator's introduction, the three female racehorses slightly shifted their attention, not because they were curious about the female racehorse, but simply because the appearance of the last racer indicated that the race was about to begin.

Having already exchanged harsh words before the match, declaring their intention to win the Kobe Shimbun Cup, they naturally longed for the match to begin as soon as possible.

After a racehorse girl with a black ponytail walked out of the contestant confirmation tunnel, Fujino Mark Ou snorted and took the lead towards the gate.

She was tired of this pointless standoff with these guys. Fujino Mark King had no more desire to say anything to the thank-you stage or that arrogant Starman. Let the brutal victory speak for itself.

Watching Fujino Mark's departing figure, the stage manager gritted his teeth and muttered to himself.

"I will win this game."

She and Fujino Marko entered school in the same year and were in the same class. After their debut, they met in two competitions.

The first major prize for the winner of the following tournament is Fujino Marko.

The winner of the second OP prize round will receive a thank-you speech.

They were constantly being compared to each other by those around them, and even on the thank-you stage, they all regarded each other as formidable rivals.

When she won two G3 prize matches while Mark Wang Fujino came away empty-handed, she thought the contest was over.

The discussions surrounding the two women did indeed end, but the victors were not given a chance to thank each other.

Having finished near the bottom in two important matches, the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby, she no longer deserves to be ranked alongside Fujino Marko.

Seeing her former rival gradually fade away, she was naturally unwilling to be left on the stage for the Queen's thanksgiving, so she had to win this Kobe Shimbun Cup.

The thank-you stage is a way to prove to Fujino Marko, and to everyone, that I can still stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

After saying this, he turned and walked towards the gate without looking back.

Starlight, left behind, rested her head in her hands. Her heart was filled with the desire to win, and she couldn't understand the complicated relationship between them. She was just a little confused as to why they left in such a hurry.

"But it doesn't matter."

"I will be the champion of this Kobe Shimbun Cup."

She already knew who the two strongest in the competition were besides herself, which is why she came up to greet them.

Otherwise, why didn't she talk to the other contestants and tell them her goals?

Knowing that his opponent was a formidable foe, Starman's competitive spirit was ignited.

“Fujino Marko’s stamina is insufficient. She struggled in the 2,000-meter Satsuki Sho, which is why she dropped from the top three to fourth in the 2,400-meter Japanese Derby.”

"The distance of this Kobe Shimbun Cup is exactly two thousand meters. Her stamina is just enough, she can't compare to mine at all!"

"The same goes for the thank-you stage, and she was not in good form after the Japanese derby, so it was difficult for her to perform to her full potential."

"In other words, the outcome of this match will be absolutely certain!"

Starlight Knight watched the two figures leave and muttered to herself. Although she seemed carefree, how could a racehorse girl aiming for Narita Shirahito be completely unaware of a formidable opponent?

Her trainer had already prepared everything before the match, and Starlight only needed to maintain her confidence and give full play to her strength to win the game.

Fortunately, the one thing she had in abundance was confidence.

"All players, please take your positions!"

Upon hearing the voice, Starlight Man grinned broadly and, following the commentator's voice, walked toward her designated gate.

Each of them has a reason to win, each has their own strategy, and they all have the will to win.

They had already identified all the formidable opponents in this competition and devised a path to victory; all that remained was to step onto the field.

The racetrack is cruel. Although every racehorse girl who has the courage to step onto the track wants to win, the gap between strengths means that many racehorse girls are destined to become supporting characters.

In their hearts, the protagonists of this stage have already been decided, their competitors have already been identified, and they will defeat their opponents to become the most dazzling racehorse girls in the Kobe Shimbun Cup.

The racehorse girl who appeared last was merely a harbinger of the start of the race.

Having never heard of the name "Northern," they had no idea what the surname represented, nor what the racehorse girls who carried this history had gone through.

Because they were so focused on their perceived rivals, they completely forgot to check the performance of the other female racehorses.

Naturally, they also failed to see the racetrack, which suddenly fell silent after the black-haired racehorse girl appeared, and the racehorse girls who had inexplicably become terrified.

Driven by a burning desire for victory, they stepped through the cold gate before realizing the danger.

Therefore, when Xiu Xingmeng truly stepped through the gate and came into close contact with them, when the suffocating sense of oppression finally had no room to hide, they vaguely realized that the situation was abnormal.