Tracen Academy, Main Gate.
A handsome black-haired young man in a white coat stood at the entrance, seemingly waiting for someone.
Beside him was the petite Tokai Teio.
One, an excellent Tracen Uma Musume doctor; the other, a top-tier active Tracen Uma Musume. Having both of them together for the welcome already showed considerable sincerity.
And the Uma Musume worthy of such a reception… was none other than the world-renowned overseas star, Galileo!
If a certain Pegasus ever went on an overseas expedition, the welcome she'd receive abroad would be no less grand—perhaps even more so.
After all, she was that monster who shattered records in the British Epsom Derby and set world-class G1 records, a legend known across the seas.
But Pegasus wasn't fond of all that. She had little interest in bustling events and even less in overtime. She hadn't even finished her domestic duties yet, so why would she rush off to work overtime abroad?
Thus, Tracen's choice of reception struck the perfect balance—respectful and sincere, yet not overly grand.
After all, Galileo needed to familiarize herself with Japan's tracks, environment, and somewhat different training methods.
This required training alongside local equine-girls and supervision by a doctor. And weren't Lin Anran and Tokai Teio the perfect fit for that foreign equine-girl Galileo's needs?
So, they waited at the school gate for the arrival of that overseas Uma Musume.
"Dr. Lin, who do you fancy for the Japan Cup?"
Beside Lin Anran stood Tokai Teio, who was also part of the welcoming committee.
The petite, adorable filly was growing bored from waiting and couldn't help but ask the familiar, reliable young doctor beside her.
Her slightly high pitched voice carried a trace of worry.
Herself!
Platinum!
Galileo!
Fantastic Light!
That made a total of four Uma Musume with Zones.
Uma Musume with Zones were often near world-class or already world-class in their preferred distances and tracks.
In other words, on a familiar track, she'd essentially get a "track advantage buff."
Whereas a newcomer like Fantastic Light, without enough time to adapt, would basically get a "track disadvantage buff," possibly even compounded by an "acclimatization disadvantage buff." With these advantages and disadvantages balancing out…
Current Tokai Teio, on the incredibly familiar Japanese tracks, felt confident and capable of taking on those truly world-class Uma Musume!
The trouble was, this time her opponents weren't limited to just Fantastic Light.
There was also Pegasus Platinum, equally familiar with the Japanese tracks, and Galileo, whom she was here to welcome and who would have time to adapt to the Japanese environment beforehand.
This left current Tokai Teio feeling vaguely uneasy.
'If my opponents were one or even several world-class Uma Musume rushing in from Europe or America… my chances would be better.'
'After all, the advantage of knowing the track and definitely not suffering from acclimatization isn't small.'
'But who would've thought a world-class genius from Europe or America would specially set aside a whole month to adapt for the Japan Cup!'
This meant the difficulty would definitely be higher than she expected, not lower—and that wasn't even considering the existence of a legendary being like Pegasus Platinum!
But then again—the greater the storm, the greater the reward.
The higher the difficulty of the race, the greater the prestige would be.
This Japan Cup might become the most prestigious one ever, comparable to many international G1s in Europe and America!
Winning it would probably bring more prestige than her Undefeated Double Crown, the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby combined, which she had been so proud of, right?!
Tokai Teio was curious about which Uma Musume the gentle, handsome young doctor beside her, with his excellent reputation, would fancy.
As a professional and extremely skilled Uma Musume Doctor, Dr. Lin must have his own insights!
"Who… do I fancy?"
The question gave even Lin Anran pause.
Honestly, he had actually thought about this before!
Even those four irregular G1 races for the Quadruple Crown hadn't prompted this black-hearted young doctor to investigate and research.
Not because of the Arima Kinen or Japan Cup's intensity, but because… Agnes Tachyon and Tokai Teio would give him bonus splits!!
So, in the black-hearted young doctor's mind, to maximize his bonuses, what he hoped for was… Platinum winning the Japan Cup, with Teio taking second.
For the Arima Kinen, he hoped Or Platinum would win, with Agnes Tachyon taking second.
As for analyzing strength, track conditions, adaptability… the black-hearted young doctor knew nothing about that!
Or rather, if he really understood that stuff, why would he have been so confident initially, back in America, labeling all those little fillies he knew as small fries?
It wasn't until now, with Sea the Stars debuting smoothly and gaining huge fame, Secretariat winning stakes races by wide margins, and Dahlia starting to win stakes races too, that Lin Anran had to admit he might be a little… lacking in judgment.
But right now, Tokai Teio wasn't asking for a strength analysis; she was asking who he fancied!
"Teio, the one I fancy the most… is you! And Platinum."
"In my eyes, you are excellent and will definitely achieve great results. Go for it, Teio!"
The handsome black-haired young man smiled and immediately said something that shocked Tokai Teio.
And the latter part about Platinum didn't make Teio feel disappointed or regretful.
'Eh? Dr. Lin… thinks I'm that amazing in his eyes?'
'He actually put me on par with that Pegasus? He fancies me the most?!'
She had only achieved a mere Undefeated Double Crown… To outside spectators and most Uma Musume, that might seem like an outstanding achievement, but what if the comparison was Irregular Quadruple Crown Platinum?
Just the numbers 2 and 4 represented a double difference!
With such a noticeable gap in achievements, being held in such high regard by the gentle, handsome young doctor she had always valued made Tokai Teio incredibly excited.
Even though Tokai Teio was an active, highly competitive little filly, her breathing quickened slightly as she felt the captivating scent emanating from Lin Anran, and her thoughts began to wander.
'Could it be… Dr. Lin kinda likes me?'
But soon, the somewhat shy Tokai Teio immediately dismissed the thought.
'N-no, can't think like that. Maybe he just simply favors Japanese Uma Musume.'
The dazed, petite Uma Musume's cheeks unconsciously flushed with a faint blush.
Lin Anran, smooth and practiced in delivering compliments, had said similar words of praise countless times.
Even before coming to Japan, he had praised the yet-to-debut Secretariat, Sea the Stars, Sunday Silence, and more like this.
The black-hearted young doctor didn't notice the change in Tokai Teio's expression. Instead, he raised his head to look ahead, as if he had seen something.
"Is she here…"
"Galileo?"
--+--
A short while later.
An exquisitely beautiful black-haired Uma Musume stepped out of the car, a slight smile curling her lips.
If she had a task panel visible, it would probably show something like this…
[Main Quest: Revenge against Platinum, Win the Japan Cup]
[Side Quest: Help Little Sister, Investigate Potential 'Thieving Cats']
'Finally here, Tracen Academy in Japan.'
She turned her head and first saw Tokai Teio and Lin Anran.
The black-haired beauty known as Galileo didn't initially look at her Japan Cup rival, Tokai Teio, but instead focused intently on the black-hearted young doctor beside the petite filly.
As an Uma Musume, one would typically notice fellow Uma Musume and rivals first.
As for some unfamiliar guy, he'd usually be ignored—probably just staff or a trainer unrelated to her, someone she wouldn't have any contact or connection with.
But…
The moment Galileo saw that black-haired young doctor, she felt a… peculiar sensation.
Quick-witted and sharp-minded, upon seeing Lin Anran's white coat, she immediately thought of something.
'According to Little Star, Dr. Lin is a handsome, black-haired young doctor with excellent medical skills.'
'Some time ago, it was said he perfectly cured an Uma Musume suffering from tendonitis, causing quite a stir even in Europe.'
'Since Tracen is welcoming me, they must have sent their best to receive me.'
Extremely skilled doctors were mostly middle-aged or elderly—either lacking lush hair or silver-haired. It was rare to find one so young.
This young man in a white coat, perfectly matching Little Star's description, was obviously who he was.
'So this is the legendary Dr. Lin? He does look gentle and handsome.'
'Following Little Star's request, I'll just spare a little time from now on…'
As the black-haired beauty approached, her excellent Uma Musume sense of smell seemed to catch a scent when she got close to Lin Anran.
Instantly, her beautiful eyes widened in confusion at the inexplicably captivating fragrance.
It was a scent Galileo found unfamiliar yet somehow faintly recognizable, puzzling her.
Caught in the moment, she didn't realize that this was similar to the initial reactions of other Uma Musume she'd socialized with in Europe.
In other words, it was like a succubus encountering the Succubus King, whose charm was no less than her own!
More importantly, it wasn't mutual attraction.
Because a certain black-hearted young doctor wasn't an Uma Musume; he wasn't affected by that Horse Mint nonsense!
But Galileo, as an Uma Musume, felt an almost instinctive closeness to the black-hearted young doctor, just like the Japanese fillies did when they met Lin Anran.
Even on the exquisite face of this overseas Uma Musume, a world-class racer in her own right, a slight blush appeared, ripples of surprise and wonder spreading.
'No wonder Little Star had such a good impression of him…'
Galileo began to admit that her little sister had good taste.
Initially, she had been puzzled. That Dr. Lin wasn't a trainer, so he shouldn't necessarily be targeted by any 'thieving cat' Uma Musume, right?
After all, as a doctor, wasn't he just supposed to stay in the infirmary, waiting for Uma Musume who were unwell, sick, or injured to come to him?
As a doctor, he had high-contact interactions with various Uma Musume, unlike a trainer who only frequently interacted with a few. The probability of being liked by an Uma Musume should be very low.
But now… Galileo's stereotype of Uma Musume doctors was shattered.
'So Little Star's worries weren't misplaced. She asked the right person!'
'Her love will be defended by her dear older sister~'
The black-haired beauty regained her elegance. She smiled lightly and spoke to Tokai Teio and Lin Anran before her.
"Good day!"
"I am Galileo. May I ask, you two are…"
The young doctor before her nodded slightly and offered words of welcome.
"I'm Lin Anran. Miss Galileo can just call me Dr. Lin."
"I've heard Miss Galileo's name mentioned quite often by Little Star. Truly, meeting you is better than just hearing the name."
That was a lie—!
Because, during their time together in America, Sea the Stars hadn't mentioned Galileo at all.
But Lin Anran didn't care about that. It wasn't important.
Anyway, as long as the money-bag little filly before him was happy, making small talk didn't cost anything.
"No need for formalities, Dr. Lin. Just call me by my name."
"I've long heard of your great reputation. You're even more impressive than I imagined."
Rather than speaking with Tokai Teio, her future training partner, Galileo chose to talk with Dr. Lin first.
After all…
It's all for her little sister's mission!
"Let me introduce you. This is Tokai Teio, Japan's Undefeated Double Crown winner."
"From now on, I'll be responsible for Galileo's physical check-ups, and Tokai Teio will train alongside you."
"On the way, we'll give you a tour of Tracen's campus. Feel free to ask any questions!"
"Mm, thank you, Dr. Lin. I might not think of questions right away. Could I add your contact info and ask online later?"
"Of course…"
Meanwhile, the petite Tokai Teio stood there dumbfounded.
She vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right?
Wait, wasn't she supposed to be Galileo's rival + training partner? Didn't Galileo come for the Japan Cup?
Why was Galileo completely focused on talking to Dr. Lin?
Dr. Lin… actually knew Galileo's sister? And they were hitting it off so well?
Tokai Teio, who hadn't managed to get a word in, simply followed behind Lin Anran and Galileo as they walked into Tracen Academy.
'Then what am I… here for?'
Something seems… off?
--+--
The next day!
Student Dormitory Building, Tracen Academy.
A room had been prepared specifically for overseas Uma Musume like Galileo.
But actually, she could have chosen to stay outside the campus. However, Galileo hadn't forgotten the mission that brought her here.
[Main Quest: Revenge against Platinum, Win the Japan Cup]
[Main Quest: Help Little Sister, Investigate Potential 'Thieving Cats']
Yes, a certain side quest had been promoted to a main quest.
For no other reason than her sisterly love for her little sister.
Since Dr. Lin's charm was unexpectedly strong, the probability of 'thieving cats' existing had greatly increased. She needed to invest more energy and effort into this…
Thus, upgrading the originally side quest of contacting Dr. Lin and investigating 'thieving cats' to a main quest was perfectly reasonable, right?
For these two main quests, to win the Japan Cup and help her little sister, staying within Tracen was definitely the most convenient.
"Alright, time to head to the training track for a warm-up!"
"After warming up, it'll be time to face that Phantom Uma Musume!"
As she muttered about the coming battle, the lazy yet uniquely charming black-haired Uma Musume's aura instantly transformed into… an astonishingly intense presence!
It was as if the coquettish beauty from the harem had suddenly become an iron-willed female general gripping her sword!
That extreme seriousness completely overshadowed the laziness. The lesson Platinum had taught her in the British Epsom Derby meant the current Galileo would not be careless again.
Even if this wasn't an official race, just a training match…
"Daiwa Scarlet shouldn't be underestimated. I must take this seriously!"
"Now, let's go!"
--+--
[DaiwaScarlet: Platinum, want to come watch my training match against Galileo?]
[DaiwaScarlet: I'm… going to give it my all!]
The silver-haired Uma Musume who received the text message was just entering Tracen Academy.
The Pegasus, Platinum, lazily stretched and headed towards the training field Daiwa Scarlet had indicated.
'Hmm, today isn't a work day.'
'Then I'll go watch the training match!'
Previously, Platinum had often seen in the news how Daiwa Scarlet was dubbed by the outside world as "Phantom Mile Queen," "Phantom Pegasus," and similar titles.
It had piqued Platinum's interest.
Daiwa Scarlet VS Galileo!
What would… the outcome be?
…
A few minutes later, Platinum found the training field.
Upon entering, she was immediately noticed by several pairs of eyes.
On the grassy training field stood two Uma Musume in training outfits: Daiwa Scarlet and Galileo.
At the very edge of the grass track stood several Uma Musume familiar to Platinum, like Tokai Teio, Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Mejiro Dober.
The petite Tokai Teio was acting as a temporary referee, preparing to record the match for this training race which lacked starting gates or proper finish line equipment.
"Platinum, you're here?"
"Perfect timing. The race is about to start!"
Platinum immediately walked over to the "spectator area."
The silver-haired Pegasus watched with interest as the tension on the field grew.
--+--
"On your marks!"
Hearing Tokai Teio's voice, both Galileo and Daiwa Scarlet became extremely focused.
'Bearing the honor of the Sea family, I cannot lose!'
The current Sea family viewed Daiwa Scarlet as a formidable enemy, taking this very seriously.
On Daiwa Scarlet's face was a mix of nervousness and excited smile.
'Losing to Platinum by five lengths last time… was brutal. This time, I'll show Platinum my growth right before her eyes!'
The next instant, Tokai Teio fired the starter's pistol.
"Begin!!"
'The legend of the Phantom ends here!'
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.