The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

"Don't lose your way because of expectations, that's dangerous, so I hope you can listen to your heart and make a real decision."

Perhaps because of Mi Yu's blessing before the race, Xiu Xingmeng didn't care about the principle of not getting involved with other racehorse girls, and patiently spoke to Mi Yu.

After listening, Mi Yu turned her head and glanced at the familiar Kyoto Racecourse, muttering to herself.

"The decision in my heart...?"

After a moment of silence, when Mi Yu turned to look at Xiu Xingmeng again, a smile had returned to her face. She looked up at Xiu Xingmeng, who was a head taller than her, and said with a smile.

"I didn't expect to be enlightened here, but no, Mi Yu is clearly the senior."

Xiu Xingmeng lowered her head and looked at the petite Mi Yu. For some reason, another figure appeared in her mind, so she subconsciously said something.

"Does the term 'senior' specifically refer to shorter racehorse girls?"

After all, apart from Tamamo Cross, Xiuxing Meng had never seen a racehorse girl so much shorter than herself, and Miyu was also her senior, just like Tamamo Cross, so she made the connection.

"What...what did you say?!"

With a puff of anger, Mi Yu raised her fist and waved it as if she was going to hit Xiu Xingmeng. Xiu Xingmeng had no choice but to back away, saying that she was going to find Narita Shirohito and then ran away.

Watching her retreating figure, Mi Yu also lowered her waving fist and shouted at Xiu Xingmeng.

"Since you're participating in the Emperor's Spring Appreciation, you'll definitely be participating in the Emperor's Autumn Appreciation too, right? I'll be there to cheer you on, because Miyu is a racehorse girl who brings blessings, so you'll definitely achieve your dream!"

Xiu Xingmeng, who was almost at the front of the contestants' passage, waved to Mi Yu with her back to him, indicating that she had heard him.

Watching her gradually disappear from sight, Mi Yu finally lowered her hands and stared at the spot where Xiu Xingmeng had just left, seemingly lost in thought.

Through Kentaro Sugimoto's words and Xiu Xingmeng's expression, Mi Yu had already sensed the heavy pressure Xiu Xingmeng was under, which is why she put on a farcical act to try and make Xiu Xingmeng relax a little.

"Although you are very good at comforting others, you must be under a lot of pressure."

"Don't let the bystander's perspective be too clear."

Thinking of Xiu Xingmeng's expression when she was thinking, Mi Yu muttered to herself.

Chapter 192 Injuries and Promises

By asking the staff along the way, Xiu Xingmeng successfully found out where Narita Shirohito had gone. Just as Mi Yu had guessed, she had indeed returned to the contestants' preparation room. However, just as Xiu Xingmeng was about to knock on the door, a staff member suddenly came out of the contestants' room.

She glanced at Xiu Xingmeng and asked with some confusion.

"Miss Xingmeng, you already knew?"

Upon hearing the staff member's words, Xiu Xingmeng paused in her work and asked.

"Know...what?"

"Ms. Narita Shirahito will not be participating in the winner's stage due to her injury. Her place will be taken by the winner of the fourth stage."

"Miss Xingmeng, you should go and get ready too. I need to go and inform the stage champion."

After saying that, she waved her hand and left, leaving Xiu Xingmeng alone in front of the door.

Now she finally understood why Narita Shirohito's domain suddenly disappeared during the final straight line; it turned out that Narita Shirohito had been injured at that moment.

This also explains why the second phase of the mission was not completed, because Narita Shirahito, who was participating in the Emperor's Spring Festival celebration, was not at his peak at that moment.

Xiu Xingmeng hesitated for a moment in front of the door before finally pushing it open. She had already vaguely realized why Narita Shirahito had attended the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Ceremony, and Xiu Xingmeng felt that she should also bear some responsibility for his injury.

Upon hearing the door open, Narita Shirahito, who was wrapping a bandage around his ankle, didn't even look up and spoke in a cold tone.

"I won't give interviews, go back."

Meanwhile, Xiu Xingmeng noticed the obvious red and swollen marks on her legs, many of which were not new injuries, indicating that Narita Shirahito had attended the Emperor's spring viewing while injured.

"Why did you even participate? You should be focusing on recovering from your injury. Do you want to end your professional career prematurely?!"

Hearing the familiar voice that had been echoing in his ears day and night, Narita Shirahito suddenly raised his head, opened his mouth as if to say something, but his expression immediately darkened.

"You've come to the wrong room. Well, you're right, after all, the names of losers don't need to be remembered."

Just as Narita Shirahito was feeling down, thinking he hadn't made the other person remember him, Xiu Xingmeng suddenly spoke up.

"Narita Shirohito, a racehorse who won two Triple Crown races and defeated many of her predecessors in the Arima Kinen race, how could I not remember you?"

Upon hearing her words, Narita Shirahito's eyes immediately lit up, and she suddenly raised her head and looked at Xiu Xingmeng with some excitement, shouting.

"That--"

"What I said before the match was just me trying to provoke you. I also want to fight against you at your peak."

"As for the Arima Memorial... during that time I—"

Before Xiu Xingmeng could finish speaking, Cheng Tian Bairen immediately jumped up. At this moment, she had completely forgotten about her foot injury and rushed straight towards Xiu Xingmeng. Startled, Xiu Xingmeng subconsciously took two steps forward and hugged the injured woman.

"It doesn't matter, I don't care about Arima commemorations or anything like that! It's enough that you remember me!"

Compared to the disdain that Shirato Narita had imagined for Hoshino, the current situation was more like a scene from a dream.

Not only did the other party remember what he didn't say, but they even said they wanted to have a final showdown with him. Nothing could make Narita Shirahito happier than that.

As for the Arima Memorial, Hideyuki clearly had her own reasons, so Narita Shirahito naturally didn't need to dwell on it any longer.

At that moment, she threw herself onto Xiu Xingmeng, hugging her neck as she spoke.

"Let's have another match after that! When's the next showdown? The Takarazuka Memorial? Or the Japan Cup?!"

Seeing Narita Shirahito's burning gaze, Xiu Xingmeng couldn't help but sweat a bead on her forehead. She quickly interrupted Narita Shirahito, who was still listing the competitions and was almost talking about next year's Arima Memorial.

"Wait, wait, stop right now! I'm about to lose my balance!"

Narita Shirahito wasn't much taller than Xiuxing Meng, and as a racehorse girl, Xiuxing Meng could easily lift her weight. However, Narita Shirahito was restless and kept moving around on her, which made it difficult for Xiuxing Meng to maintain her balance.

Upon hearing her words, Narita Shirahito obediently stopped, clinging to Xiu Xingmeng like a giant dog.

Having finally regained her balance, Xiu Xingmeng breathed a sigh of relief. She led Narita Shirahito back to the chair and carefully put him back without touching his injuries.

Throughout this series of actions, Narita Shirahito watched Xiu Xingmeng intently, and only spoke after she had put him down.

"A Takarazuka memorial! I think a Takarazuka memorial is the most suitable, it's probably the closest major tournament to now!"

Xiu Xingmeng raised her eyebrows helplessly upon hearing this. She looked at Narita Shirohito's legs, which were covered in scars, and sighed before speaking.

"It's only a little over a month until the Takarazuka Memorial, you should focus on recovering from your injury first."

Upon hearing her words, Narita Shirahito raised his head defiantly and placed his legs directly on the ground.

"This little injury is nothing, I'll walk a few steps and show you!"

Seeing that she wanted to get up and walk around, Xiu Xingmeng, who was unaware of the specific extent of Narita Shirohito's injuries, quickly pulled her back.

"Taking a few steps won't make a difference!"

Seeing the other person's stubborn gaze, Xiu Xingmeng sighed helplessly and spoke to her as if coaxing a child.

"These injuries were there before, weren't they? When did they start, Arima Kinen? In any case, it's because you were injured that you lost to me again, isn't it?"

Faced with Xiu Xingmeng's irrefutable words, Narita Shirahito could only lower his head and let out a meaningless growl.

"Since it's a duel, it should only take place when both of them are at their peak."

"Attending the Takarazuka Memorial will only make your injuries worse. Don't you really want to beat me? This will only make your chance of victory slip through your fingers."

Narita Shirahito remained silent for a while before responding reluctantly.

"Then what do you say we should do..."

Seeing that she had finally persuaded the patient, Xiu Xingmeng breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking for a while, she slowly spoke.

"How about the Emperor enjoying the autumn scenery? Let's treat it as a continuation of today's Emperor enjoying the spring scenery and have another battle."

"About half a year..."

"That's enough! As long as I focus on recovering from my injury for six months, that will be enough for me to get back to my peak!"

Before Xiu Xingmeng could finish speaking, Narita Shirahito excitedly interrupted and responded first.

Originally, she didn't plan to rest indefinitely, but rather wanted to train while looking for another opportunity to face off against Xiu Xingmeng.

But since Xiuxing Meng had said she wanted to be at her peak, Narita Shirohito was determined to do everything he could to recover from his injury before challenging Xiuxing Meng to a rematch at the Emperor's Autumn Viewing Ceremony.

"We've made a promise this time, haven't we?"

Seeing the sparkling eyes of Narita Shirahito, this time Xiu Xingmeng didn't give a perfunctory answer, but nodded solemnly to her.

"It's agreed!"

Chapter 193 A Swarm Arrives

After making a promise to compete again at the Emperor's Autumn Appreciation, Hidehoshi waved goodbye to Narita Shirohito. As the champion of the Emperor's Spring Appreciation, she still had to participate in the winner's stage.

However, Xiu Xingmeng is no longer troubled by the Victory Stage. After all, she has participated in so many competitions in various script worlds and has long accumulated experience.

While I wouldn't say I'm particularly good at it, I don't find it particularly difficult either.

Xiu Xingmeng thus completed the winners' stage of the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Competition, along with the second-place winner, Mi Yu, and the fourth-place stage champion.

As Xiu Xingmeng returned to her room to change out of her final outfit and prepare to leave, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The racehorse girl named Stage Champion actually became one of the main characters on the winner's stage because of Narita Shirahito's absence, which still seems a bit unbelievable now.

It's as if everything was predetermined in the name itself.

However, Xiu Xingmeng didn't find it particularly amazing, since although it seemed like a coincidence, there had actually been clues for a long time.

Stage Champion is the strongest racehorse girl besides herself, Miyu, and Narita Shirahito. Moreover, it was expected that Narita Shirahito would not participate in the winner's stage due to his injury. It was just that the name of Stage Champion was cleverly chosen, which made Hidehoshi Dream think of it.

As Xiu Xingmeng's thoughts continued to wander, she noticed that a group of people had gathered in front of the exit. Upon hearing the noise, they immediately raised their cameras and video recorders, looking at Xiu Xingmeng with burning eyes.

Seeing that the reporters had been waiting for a long time, Xiu Xingmeng shook her head, cleared her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and walked toward them.

Grandmother wanted the Northern family to be revived. In addition to the Emperor's reward for the Spring and Autumn Period's consecutive victories, Xiuxing Dream also needed to make the Northern surname spread throughout the horse racing world once again. Therefore, it was necessary for her to be interviewed by reporters who acted as messengers.

Kentaro Sugimoto, who was squeezed by reporters from various newspapers, anxiously stood on tiptoe, but could only see the red ribbon fluttering on Hideki's head.

He wanted to find Xiu Xingmeng as soon as possible, but he had hosting duties and couldn't get away for the time being. By the time he finally finished his work, Xiu Xingmeng had already stepped onto the winner's stage.

Kentaro Sugimoto didn't even watch Xiu Xingmeng's performance. He rushed to the entrance, eager to catch Xiu Xingmeng as soon as he arrived, but he was immediately surrounded by a swarm of reporters.

Now, he can hardly even see Xiu Xingmeng, let alone speak to her alone.

"These reporters! Are they in such a hurry?! Can't they let me talk to Xingmeng first?!"

Amidst the sweltering crowd where chests were pressed against backs, even the usually composed Kentaro Sugimoto became somewhat embarrassed and angry.

Kentaro Sugimoto had never hated his own incompetence as much as he did now, but there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as the reporters finished their interviews and then tried to get closer to Hideyuki.

Just as Kentaro Sugimoto was getting annoyed, Yume Hidehoshi had already walked up to the reporters. Facing the swarm of cameras and microphones, she didn't panic at all. Instead, she casually pointed to one of the reporters who looked somewhat familiar, indicating that he could ask her questions.

Looking at his fingers, Tagami was excited to be able to interview the champion of a G1-level event on his first try, as a newcomer to the field.

He flipped through the booklet in his hand and began to speak from the first point.

"As the new winner of the Spring Emperor's Award, what are your thoughts?"

"The Emperor's Spring Appreciation Competition is a special competition for me. I have worked hard for the glory of my family, and I am grateful for the blessings of my ancestors to win the competition."

Xiu Xingmeng answered fluently. She had thought about this for a long time, and only after steer the conversation toward the Northern family could she continue smoothly.

She was confident that her story would spread throughout the horse racing world through journalists' reports. Xiu Xingmeng even had a title in mind for her interview, such as "The Last Heir to a Fallen Noble Family."

"What are your upcoming competition schedules? Do you plan to participate in the Takarazuka Memorial in a little over a month?"

"We're not considering that for now."

"Are you sure? Just now, Ms. Mi Yu announced her withdrawal from the Takarazuka Memorial Tournament. The Takarazuka Memorial Tournament is no longer a match for you. You actually chose to give up when the G1 championship was so close?!"

Tagami Kaneki stopped taking notes in shock.

Mi Yu left Kyoto Racecourse before Xiu Xingmeng, and naturally accepted an interview with the group of reporters. Just now, she announced that she would not participate in the upcoming Takarazuka Memorial.

Therefore, Tagami naturally couldn't help but remind Hidehoshi Yume that this was, after all, a G1 victory that was within easy reach. How many horse girls have given their all and exhausted their careers in order to win the glory of a single G1 event?

Xiu Xingmeng nodded upon hearing this. It seemed that Mi Yu had followed her heart and made a decision. Perhaps this way, she wouldn't face any risks on the field due to pressure.

She paused for a moment before continuing to speak to Takanashi.

"The Takarazuka Memorial is not my goal, and I did not come to the arena to win more G1 championships."

Upon hearing this, Takanashi put down his pencil again, his brows furrowing in confusion. He had never heard of a racehorse girl not wanting the G1 race championship.

"So, what competition will you be participating in next?"

When Mida Kamukura finally asked the question he wanted to hear, Hidehoshi Yume immediately looked at the camera and said seriously.

"Next, I will win the Emperor's Autumn Viewing Competition."