The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

When the beep signal came through the headset, Kentaro Sugiki looked up and addressed the arena.

"Welcome to Kyoto Racecourse, welcome to—"

"Springtime Imperial Gift!"

Chapter 181 A Familiar Feeling

"Second most popular! Contestant number two, Mi Yu!"

"The holder of the Emperor's Springtime Crown, the strongest long-distance racehorse currently in service! Can this black assassin reclaim her past glory?!"

As the commentator announced with gusto, a petite racehorse girl slowly walked out of the contestant tunnel. She wore an exquisite black gothic miniskirt, and the bow tied at the back swayed slightly with her steps, like the hem of her skirt.

Despite the gloomy sky, her all-black battle attire did not make her appear somber. Her amethyst-like eyes, accentuated by the blue roses under her hat brim, looked even more beautiful and dazzling.

After waving to the cheering crowd, Mi Yu turned her gaze to the racetrack. Once again, she had come to the Kyoto Racecourse and stepped onto the stage for the Emperor's spring appreciation. This similar scene made her involuntarily overlap the scene before her with the past.

However, before she could dwell on her feelings for long, the enthusiastic cheers from the audience pulled Mi Yu back to reality.

She instinctively gripped the decorative dagger at her waist, telling herself that everything was different now.

In the past, she was an unblessed black assassin, a despicable racehorse girl who shattered people's hopes. People would never give her such enthusiastic cheers as they do today, and even after winning, all she received were cold stares.

But things are different now. She has proven herself and shown that Mi Yu is no longer a child who is disliked. The cheers from everyone now are the best proof of that.

Mi Yu closed her eyes and took a deep breath, lowering her hand from the dagger. The unease she had felt because of the past scenes eased.

When she opened her eyes again, only unwavering determination remained in those amethyst-like eyes.

Since everyone has given MiYu such warm blessings, MiYu will repay everyone who supports MiYu with the most glorious victory!

The 3,200-meter Spring Emperor's Slam is my best distance, and I will definitely not lose in this rice bath at Kyoto Racecourse!

Just as Mi Yu's determination was strengthened by the cheers of the crowd, the commentator's voice once again resounded throughout the stadium.

However, unlike the overwhelming attention when Mi Yu appeared, the Kyoto Racecourse, which had been bustling with activity, fell silent as if doused with a bucket of cold water the moment this racehorse girl was introduced.

"The red blade that cut off the path to the triple crown lay dormant throughout the winter. After that long period of honing her skills, she has finally stepped onto the track once again. It's another long-distance race. Can she, who won the Chrysanthemum Sho, take the Emperor's Spring Sho championship?!"

"Contestant number three! Northern Star Dream!"

In contrast to the commentator's passionate introduction, the audience's reaction was quite lukewarm. Even Miyu, a racehorse girl with excellent hearing, could only hear a few scattered words of encouragement.

The audience seats under the overcast sky converged into a huge, dark mountain, swallowing up all the blessings for Xiuxing Dream, leaving only an indescribable oppressive silence on the field.

The horse girl dressed in the black, red, and gold hussar victory uniform did not have the same reaction as Sugiki. She silently bowed to the dark crowd of spectators and then walked into the arena with her back to them.

Her long black hair appeared even more profound under the gloomy sky. Looking into those eyes, which were as dark as the night sky, Mi Yu felt an indescribable sense of oppression, as if her heart had been shackled.

Mi Yu was all too familiar with this kind of oppressive atmosphere.

This is the kind of treatment that Yoneba, who once defeated the undefeated two-time champion nome Miura Bourbon in the Chrysanthemum Sho and ended her three-time champion undefeated streak, received.

But it's a little different from then. Although Mi Yu dashed everyone's hopes for an undefeated three-time champion back then, she did gain some attention afterward through her hard work on the field. Although she was still not popular with the mainstream, people subconsciously recognized Mi Yu's strength.

So even when she participated in the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Contest, facing the very popular Megumi McQueen, Miyu was able to get the second most popular vote after her.

But today's Xiuxingmeng is different. She hasn't participated in any competitions since the Chrysanthemum Appreciation. People's memories of her are fading, and several months is enough time for everyone to forget her amazing performance.

Rather than discussing her abilities, people are more interested in her avoidance of races at Arima Kinen, where she once defeated Narita Shirahito, who still showed his prowess even against a group of veteran female racehorses, achieving consecutive victories.

Correspondingly, Xiuxing Meng, who avoided battle and fled, was naturally looked down upon even more. More and more people believed that her victory at the Chrysanthemum Appreciation was just a lucky break. As Narita Shirahito's performance improved recently, Xiuxing Meng's victory became increasingly insignificant and despicable.

She is now facing a more cruel form of disgust than she ever experienced with rice baths.

People gathered here, watching her not to see her victory, but to witness Narita Shirahito erase the humiliation he had suffered with an undisputed victory.

They came to witness the failure of Xiuxing Dream.

Narita Shirahito is the most stunning racehorse girl of this generation, and her supporters will not allow their idol's past to be tainted by such a stain.

Moreover, didn't Narita Shirahito also participate in the race before the registration deadline? This further aligns with the supporters' thoughts; their idol, the horse racer they admire, also wants to erase the stain of past failures through a victory at the Emperor's Spring Festival.

Therefore, under such circumstances, even if there are still supporters like Nebula Sky, the majority who have already reached a silent agreement will never allow their voices to be heard on the field.

As a stain on Narita Shirahito's past, and an antagonist in the story, Xiu Xingmeng's entrance should be marked by a repulsive silence, and her ending will inevitably be an undeniable failure.

Looking at the solitary Xiu Xingmeng, Mi Yu couldn't help but purse her lips.

Her trainer had already explained the list of contestants for the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Competition to Mi Yu before the competition.

Of course, Xiuxingmeng was also introduced, but the trainer only focused on her strength shown at the Chrysanthemum Appreciation and analyzed how she would perform at the Emperor's Spring Appreciation.

However, he never mentioned to Mi Yu everything that Xiu Xingmeng had gone through, since it was unrelated to the competition, and the trainer did not want it to affect Mi Yu's performance.

Therefore, when Mi witnessed this scene at the bathhouse, she found it even harder to suppress her grief. The black racehorse girl being despised by the masses during the Emperor's spring festival reminded her of the past—no, this scene was even more heartbreaking than her past.

Without any hesitation, Mi Yu lifted her foot and walked towards Xiu Xingmeng's direction.

Chapter 182 The Blessing of Rice

After bowing to the audience, Xiu Xingmeng walked towards the arena, gazing at the gloomy sky while lost in thought.

In the past few months, the Meguro family seemed to have forgotten about her, leaving her and Meguro Aldan to stay in the small courtyard where her mother used to live. No one came to disturb her or care about her. Apart from Meguro Takamine occasionally coming to argue with Xiuxing Meng, she hadn't seen anyone else.

Xiu Xingmeng still doesn't know why the Meguro family went to so much trouble to deceive her. Apart from having a better training ground and Meguro Aldan by her side, her life is almost the same as when she was in the Northern family.

There was no family banquet or invitation; the head of the Meguro family seemed to have no intention of introducing Xiuxingmeng to the rest of the family.

Time flew by in this training cycle. Apart from the fact that when she signed up for the Emperor's Spring Appreciation, Meguro Takamine said that her family had already signed her up, which made Xiuxing Meng feel strange, nothing else happened.

Xiuxingmeng actually thought this kind of life was not bad. The quiet courtyard, far from the noise, was almost just her and Meguro Aldan, and Aldan was a very gentle horse girl.

Even when it came to buying food, Aldan would take her out to buy ingredients and cook for her. Xiuxing dreamed of rebelling, but Aldan's cooking skills were far superior to hers.

If she could train quietly in such an environment until the end of the script mission, it wouldn't seem like an unacceptable thing. Although she no longer saw Megumi Ardan as her mother when she was young, Xiuxing Meng didn't want to make her sad or upset.

Before her arrival, Aldan seemed to always stay alone in that small courtyard. Xiu Xingmeng, who had a deep understanding of loneliness, knew that such a peaceful state was not terrible. What was terrible was being broken by noise only to return to silence once again.

If she left the Meguro family, Meguro Aldan would be very sad, and Xiuxingmeng didn't want this horse girl who was so kind to her to be alone in that lonely little courtyard again.

Just as Xiu Xingmeng's thoughts were wandering, a voice suddenly came from in front of her.

"Um... I'm Mi Yu!"

Looking down, Xiu Xingmeng tilted her head in confusion as she gazed at those amethyst-like eyes.

She subconsciously mistook Miyu for a typical racehorse girl declaring war, but she didn't understand why the other party's tone was so weak. Is there such a thing as a racehorse girl making a pre-race declaration like this?

Xiu Xingmeng shook her head, having no intention of paying attention to Mi Yu. Leaving aside the fact that Megumi Ardan was an exception, she had no intention of getting along well with the other racehorse girls.

Moreover, no matter what declaration Mi Yu wants to make, Xiu Xingmeng will not let her realize it.

Because the only winner of the Emperor's spring appreciation competition can be himself.

Just as Xiu Xing was about to avoid Mi Yu, those small hands suddenly grabbed her cloak.

"Boos... boos are a badge of honor for challengers! There's no need to feel hurt!"

"But one day, one day it will turn into cheers and blessings. As long as you keep winning, it will!"

Mi Yu's face was flushed. Although she had grown a lot in the competition, she still felt shy about saying such things to a strange racehorse girl.

But when she looked at Xiu Xingmeng, it was as if she saw her past self. When Xiu Xingmeng ignored her, Mi Yu thought that she had been overwhelmed by the pressure, so she immediately remembered what her friend had said to her before.

These words inspired Mi Yu back then, and now she wants to use them to inspire Xiu Xingmeng.

Looking at Mi Yu's rosy cheeks, Xiu Xingmeng was stunned for a long time. She really didn't expect that the racehorse girl in front of her would say these things to her.

They were clearly rivals, and they were about to fight each other for the championship, but Mi Yu had to say something to encourage herself at this moment.

Xiu Xingmeng had never experienced anything like this before, because her past experience told her that all the racehorse girls who stepped onto the racetrack were already prepared.

Only one spot can shine on the field, and they will push themselves to the limit in pursuit of this glory.

Seeing Mi Yu with a few tears welling up in her eyes from her emotional outburst, even Xiu Xingmeng, who was determined not to get involved with other racehorse girls, couldn't help but be moved.

She patted the other's head and large horse ears, and whispered to her.

"You're saying all this to me when we're clearly rivals? You're so kind."

Hearing Xiu Xingmeng's words, Mi Yu touched her cheek somewhat embarrassedly and said.

"Actually, this is something a friend once told me. It inspired me, so I wanted to share this with you."

She seemed to feel that quoting her friend was inappropriate, and waved her arms anxiously as she explained.

Xiu Xingmeng remained silent for a while after hearing this.

This was said to her by a friend, indicating that she had had similar experiences before. After reliving the painful scenes of the past, she did not choose to escape, but instead encouraged herself to come forward and comfort herself.

Xiu Xingmeng first sighed, then smiled somewhat helplessly.

"Aren't we still competing? Aren't you afraid that the power of those words will make me take the championship?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Mi Yu shook her head. Her cheeks were still flushed from what she had just said, but her eyes were more determined than ever before.

"Run, Miyu wants to bring happiness to everyone through running. If we ignore the injured racehorse girl in order to win the championship, then even if we win the race, it will be meaningless!"

Seeing her resolute gaze, Xiu Xingmeng was stunned again.

She had previously thought the other person was the kind of horse girl who was gentle to everyone, but Mi Yu's words made Xiu Xingmeng realize that this was not the case.

Mi Yu came here only after she had clearly defined her goals and knew which direction she was running in. Before coming here, she had already made up her mind.

She is not only a gentle racehorse girl, but also a resilient and powerful one.

"Rice bath... I'll remember you."

Running has been imbued with too many meanings for Xiu Xingmeng: to save her mother, to complete the main quest, and to make the Northern Family's name shine once again in the horse racing world for the Emperor's Spring and Autumn Reign.

In this scenario world, she was instilled with too much family glory and pressure, to the point that Xiu Xingmeng even forgot that racehorse girls don't actually need these things when they run.

She couldn't abandon these responsibilities yet, so Mi Yu, who had no burdens and only wanted to run to bring happiness to everyone, became even more dazzling in Xiu Xingmeng's eyes.

Although it was only for a moment, the rice bath did make Xiu Xingmeng feel relaxed, which was perhaps the happiness she wanted to pursue.

"What a gentle person."

Xiu Xingmeng murmured to herself.

Chapter 183 The Hunt

Time continued to flow as Mi Yu and Xiu Xingmeng talked. The commentator introduced one racehorse girl after another, and after a series of encouraging shouts, the entire Kyoto Racecourse suddenly fell silent as if it had realized something.

They were waiting, waiting for the commentator to call out the name they had been longing for.

"Arima Kinen's resounding victory was like a declaration, a proclamation to the entire horse racing world."

"She is not only the strongest female racehorse of this generation, but she can also easily win glory even when facing older predecessors. Her goal is to become a legend in history!"

"A blindfolded monster! A lone wolf on the field! Let's adorn her entrance with the loudest cheers!"

"Number 10: Narita Shirahito!"

Unlike any of the previous appearances of Racegirls, Narita Shirahito's name immediately caused a frenzy. People waved their arms and chanted her name in unison. The surging wave seemed to submerge the entire Kyoto Racecourse, and the whole sky was filled with her name.

Shiraki Narita.

Brown boots gleaming with steel light stepped out of the racer's tunnel amidst cheers from the crowd. Her golden eyes, like those of a wild beast, shone with a chilling ferocity under the gloomy sky. The moment Narita Shirahito stepped into the arena, all the racehorse girls present felt her powerful presence and instinctively looked in her direction.

Narita Shirahito ignored the cheers of the audience and the sidelong glances of the racehorse girls. From the first second she stepped onto the track, she was searching for a figure, a black and red figure.

When that once unattainable red cloak once again pierced Narita Shirohito's eyes, the ferocity in her gaze suddenly surged, like an enraged beast, and a terrifyingly fierce aura swept across the entire arena with her every step.

"finally found you……"

Narita Shirahito stared intently at Xiu Xingmeng with his golden wolf eyes, and said in a hoarse voice.

Without the slightest hesitation, she strode fiercely toward Xiu Xingmeng, ignoring the cheers and gazes of everyone. With each step she took, her ferocious aura grew more terrifying. By the time she reached Xiu Xingmeng, most of the racehorse girls had lost the courage to look Narita Shirohito in the eye.

In the vast Kyoto racetrack, among the dozen or so female racehorses competing, only two could meet Narita Shirahito's fierce gaze directly.

Despite her petite stature and charming appearance, Mi Yu is, after all, a veteran who has dominated the competition.

She has already faced and defeated many strong opponents on the field. Although Narita Shirahito's pressure is extremely fierce at this moment, she will not be afraid of him in the slightest.

Aroused by the fighting spirit, Mi Yu's amethyst-like pupils ignited with a faint, blue rose-like flame, and her right hand quietly gripped the dagger at her waist.

However, before she could even speak, Narita Shirahito took action first.

Facing this renowned senior racer, known as the strongest long-distance racer currently in service, she didn't even spare a glance. At this moment, Narita Shirahito focused all his attention and sharpness on the racer with the same long black hair as her.

"Arima Kinen... Why didn't you come..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Narita Shirahito's terrifying aura surged to its peak once again. Mi Yu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but be a little surprised. She didn't expect that Narita Shirahito could have made such great progress just a few months after the Arima Memorial match.

Judging from the intensity of her aura, she might—no, she definitely had already awakened her domain.