"As promised, you won't refuse me, right?"
That icy yet smiling query from the Big Red Monster, Secretariat, successfully made the clinic's unscrupulous young doctor freeze for a moment.
But soon, his expression turned peculiar.
Because!
—Nearl would never lose!
No, it wasn't just Nearl.
A certain lazy Platinum, who'd fought through twenty or thirty battles and retired beautifully with a fifty-length lead without even reaching her peak, would also join this Dirt Dream Cup.
And what's more, she'd participate with the attitude of "if it's not cheating, then is it even trying?", unleashing the legendary [Future Self] to summon the phantom Pegasus, Peak Platinum, into the fray!
Faced with two such Pegasus, along with Big Red's childhood idol and senior, the first-generation Big Red Monster, Man o' War...
Could Secretariat, this Big Red, still maintain such soaring fighting spirit and absolute confidence in herself?
Big Red, you...
"Of course."
"Have my words to you ever been false?"
Lin Anran immediately nodded, agreeing to Secretariat's pressing question. This made the stunning and imposing red-haired beauty smile even more deeply.
"Please wait and see, Dr. Lin."
"Beauties are only fit for the strong!"
In Secretariat's eyes, in the view of this era's most top-tier, peerless Uma Musume, a beauty in her own right... this highly popular Dr. Lin Anran, whom many elite Uma Musume clung to shamelessly—showing up at his door unharmed, just a little tired...
Without a doubt, Lin Anran was a beauty in the eyes of the Uma Musume!
Even if her opponents included both the idol she'd worshipped since childhood, Man o' War, and the Radiant Knight, Nearl, who had once defeated her—far from making Secretariat fearful, it only ignited her fighting spirit all the more.
Secretariat would never admit defeat easily!!
The championship, she would take.
Lin Anran, she would take too.
--+--
Day Five.
Ten days left until the Dream Cup countdown.
A rather complicated situation had emerged within Lin Anran's clinic.
Namely—fewer visitors, yet more visitors.
And it wasn't even a case of fewer familiar faces and more strangers.
To be precise... the few little fillies who were extremely close to him, close enough to share a bed, were currently nowhere to be seen.
But aside from them, the number of Uma Musume Lin Anran knew and recognized was steadily increasing.
From Europe, Galileo and Treve had appeared one after another. It was even said that Sea the Stars would be coming soon.
From Japan, the little fillies Lin Anran had known during his time at Japan's Central Tracen Academy were becoming more and more numerous these past few days.
For example—
"Dr. Lin, long time no see!!"
This was Tokai Teio, the Japanese unbeaten dual-crown Uma Musume who had suffered three fractures and been utterly won over twice by Lin Anran!
The petite, cute, and quite lively girl beamed with joy, waving at Lin Anran from the clinic entrance.
"Finally, I get to see Dr. Lin!"
"It's really been too long!"
The smile on Tokai Teio's face was proof enough of her current delight.
For Tokai Teio, there were only two people who could make her feel both respect and a sense of security.
One was her childhood idol, Symboli Rudolf. The other was the young doctor before her. The sense of security he brought was simply overwhelming.
After all, back when she'd suffered her second fracture, renowned Uma Musume doctors in Japan had repeatedly diagnosed her and confirmed she would need several months to recover.
Such a long recovery period—even if she could return smoothly, she'd still need additional time for rehabilitation before resuming normal training.
Who knew how long it would take to get back to race condition?
For Uma Musume, whose careers typically average around three years, that would undoubtedly slash away a significant chunk of their professional lifespan.
That nightmare scenario persisted until—a young man arrived at Tracen Academy.
The arrival of the Uma Musume doctor, Lin Anran!!
And after Lin Anran left Japan, it wasn't just a blow to many Japanese fillies; even the student council and Tracen's higher-ups—the Green Demon, Hayakawa Tazuna, and Akikawa Yayoi—felt regretful.
Not only that, shortly after Lin Anran's departure, the fillies at Tracen Academy should have gradually calmed their longing for him, given their busy daily training and the practice races and official races they needed to prepare for.
But soon, within just a few days, more than one graded-stakes-winning Uma Musume got injured during races and, without Lin Anran, had no choice but to seek out other school doctors.
Most of these cases then evolved into situations similar to Tokai Teio's before she met Lin Anran—requiring long recuperation, or even risking incomplete recovery that would greatly impact their careers.
This filled not only Tokai Teio but many graded-stakes Uma Musume with a sense of crisis.
The days when, even with injuries or fractures, Lin Anran could treat them and have them recovered in about a month... were gone forever!
So before long, Tracen Academy specifically contacted him to ask for his clinic's location and obtained the address.
From then on, whenever Japanese Uma Musume faced difficult treatments or needed long recovery periods, many would choose to cross the ocean to the United States to seek Lin Anran's help.
That was why Lin Anran wasn't the least bit surprised by the steady stream of Japanese Uma Musume coming his way.
From time to time, he'd see Japanese Uma Musume arriving on crutches, limping along.
"In a way, it's better if you don't see me."
The handsome black-haired young man smiled slightly, waving back at Tokai Teio in greeting.
As an Uma Musume doctor, and one renowned for his exceptional skill in treating serious conditions, even fractures...
Unless they were extremely close, like with Secretariat, Flightline, and Sham, or had a publicly known exclusive contract like Platinum, or were his [Niece from the Nearl family] Margaret.
Other than that, when Japanese Uma Musume usually saw a doctor like him, especially one who had traveled thousands of miles across borders to find her…
Well, most of the time, it meant she was leaning on a crutch, with fairly serious injuries to her legs.
Seeing him was, conversely, not a good thing at all.
A struggling student wouldn't be thrilled to see a stern homeroom teacher!
"Dr. Lin isn't some stern, unlikable figure for Uma Musume, you know."
"At Tracen, after Dr. Lin left, Tokai Teio heard countless expressions of regret."
Tokai Teio still wore her signature bright and lively smile, though she seemed noticeably more mature than before. After all, she was now…
Already retired!
Even when she first started receiving treatment from Lin Anran, Tokai Teio had already entered her older mare years.
By the time of the Takarazuka Kinen, where she and Agnes Tachyon challenged Pegasus Platinum, forming the smallest field in Japanese G1 history with only three Uma Musume entered—an utterly absurd race—Tokai Teio was already in her second year as an older mare.
Not to mention now, another year had passed.
Tokai Teio, being more than a year older than Platinum, had already retired naturally, just as Pegasus Platinum herself had achieved a glorious finale as a seasoned veteran.
"I, along with the President, Miss Hayakawa, the Chairman… too many to count, in short, countless Japanese Uma Musume came to watch the Dream Cup."
"Since we're here, we had to come see Dr. Lin."
"After all, I was Dr. Lin's first patient in Japan, and he helped me a great deal."
Tokai Teio's eyes were as bright as ever, as expected of an Uma Musume called Japan's beloved superstar, she expressed her gratitude in that utterly endearing voice of hers.
This made Lin Anran pause for a moment, before he maintained his gentle smile and nodded in response.
"I'm grateful for Teio's care, and so many others', during my time in Japan."
Tokai Teio then sat down in the chair opposite Lin Anran, her expression turning curious, as if she couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question she had been dying to know.
"Dr. Lin, did Platinum… receive a Dream Cup invitation?"
"Is she going to participate in the Dream Cup?!"
—Pegasus Platinum, fifty lengths, a glorious finale.
This was already etched into the history of Uma Musume racing as a classic, iconic moment.
The sheer shock, the widespread circulation, the profound impact—it was universally acknowledged, considered to have surpassed Man o' War's legendary hundred-length victory.
Beating some no-name Uma Musume whose name you can't even find, and defeating a world-renowned, European-famous, globally acclaimed prodigy like Galileo… those aren't even in the same league!
Not to mention, right before that fifty-length retirement race, Platinum had also won a dirt race by a huge margin, and just the race before that, she had decisively defeated the legendary Uma Musume Flightline, which must have taken a lot out of her.
Two races in one day, her stamina drained by a legendary Uma Musume, and she still managed to win by fifty lengths? It undeniably surpassed Man o' War's hundred-length legend, becoming… a mythical, timeless spectacle the world would remember!
The whole world knew Pegasus Platinum had just retired!
Neither Platinum nor Nearl had made any public appearances or revealed anything on social media, showing off an invitation or anything.
Nearl was a given; even if Secretariat didn't get an invitation, Nearl would absolutely receive one—that was the consensus among all spectators.
Tokai Teio remembered very clearly, from data she had checked just a few days ago, that the Uma Musume with the shortest career ever recorded in the American Hall of Fame still needed four or five races.
And even among Uma Musume capable of entering the American Hall of Fame, many still failed to qualify for the Dream Cup!
And Platinum, until her retirement, had only run a mere two dirt races, with one of them not even in the US, but all the way in Dubai, a place overlooked by many dirt racing enthusiasts.
Even if Platinum ran another dirt race now, it would be too late; the Dream Cup had already sent out invitations and finalized its lineup!
So, some spectators who had only seen Platinum run one dirt race were a bit worried she wouldn't rank within the top twenty in dirt racing history, and thus wouldn't receive the Three Goddesses' Dream Cup invitation.
As for Tokai Teio, being a turf Uma Musume who knew nothing about dirt, she just felt Platinum probably would get the invitation, but she wasn't confident enough to be sure.
Regarding that mysterious Pegasus, Tokai Teio figured asking Dr. Lin would most likely yield an answer.
After all!
Many Japanese Uma Musume, even famous European and American ones, knew that Lin Anran was the only human ever to have held an exclusive contract with Platinum.
Besides Lin Anran, there simply was no second; Platinum never even had a trainer!
And now, Lin Anran was running a clinic in the US, and Pegasus Platinum had retired in the US. They were in the same place, and they were very familiar with each other, so he should know something, right?
"Dream Cup invitation?"
"Yes, she has one."
Lin Anran nodded without hesitation.
Then, the handsome but black-hearted young doctor continued.
"It's the Dream Cup. It would be a shame not to go, wouldn't it?"
This final answer made Tokai Teio pleasantly surprised, and she nodded vigorously.
"So Platinum… she'll become the first Japanese Uma Musume in history to participate in the Dream Cup!"
"An unprecedented lineup, a showdown of so many legendary Uma Musume—I hope Platinum can win!!"
After her exclamation, Tokai Teio turned her attention back to the young doctor before her.
"Dr. Lin, can I ask one last question? Many Uma Musume at Tracen asked me to."
"Are you planning to stay in the US and run your clinic permanently? Any plans to change that in the future?!"
Countless Japanese Uma Musume were reluctant to see this black-hearted young doctor leave.
But even knowing Lin Anran's address, the distance between Japan and America was just too great. Without a serious enough injury or illness, there was no reason to take so many days off to travel to the US.
So, the best scenario would naturally be for Lin Anran to return to Tracen Academy someday.
Even as she asked the question, Tokai Teio didn't dare hold even a sliver of expectation in her heart; she knew the higher the hopes, the greater the fall.
In terms of healing ability, Lin Anran could take a fracture that would normally take a year or more to heal and shorten it to just a month, almost like "miraculous recovery for Uma Musume," directly saving at least a significant portion of an Uma Musume's career.
He might even save the entire career of an Uma Musume!
A doctor capable of such feats was already a legend among Uma Musume. Lin Anran's reputation had spread even in the world-class Uma Musume circles of America and Europe.
Therefore, Tokai Teio had heard from some Japanese Uma Musume who traveled to the United States for treatment under Dr. Lin that during their sessions, they'd encountered more than one or two famous, well-bred elite Uma Musume from Europe and America—girls who, like them, had come from afar specifically to see Dr. Lin.
With such medical skill and a reputation that kept spreading, it was no wonder countless top-tier families who nurtured champion Uma Musume would be falling over themselves, willing to pay any price to secure Dr. Lin as their exclusive family physician.
Besides that, there were surely world-class Uma Musume—monsters like Flightline and Secretariat—who would extend invitations as well.
Or perhaps those prestigious European and American racing schools, ones that even surpassed the Tokai Teio Academy, would make offers with conditions far better than what Tokai Teio could provide…
All of this happening to Lin Anran should have been a given!
So, successfully inviting Dr. Lin back to Tokai Teio Academy… by any measure, the chances seemed incredibly slim.
"I'll consider it."
The next moment, the dark-haired young doctor pondered briefly, then gave a slight nod, his expression serious and without a hint of insincerity.
This wasn't some act—it was genuine.
Because, in his view—
'Putting everything else aside, those Japanese fillies really do shell out the gold.'
After all, if the injury was even moderately serious, the importance of a doctor would skyrocket, and the treatment fees would never be low.
Take Tokai Teio, for example. When she received treatment for her fracture, aside from the hefty medical fee, there was also a certain percentage of the prize money from her next G1 race.
One had to realize—the prize money for second and third place in Japanese G1 races was higher than the winner's purse in most European and American G1s!
Heck, even the prize money for Japanese G2 races could leave European and American G1s in the dust.
Faced with the astronomical prize money in Japan and Dubai, the shrewd young doctor could only say…
'Magnificent. No further words needed.'
And now, Platinum had already retired. After the Dream Cup, The Radiant Knight, Nearl, probably wouldn't have any races left in America.
So returning to Japan in the future—why not?
In Lin Anran's plans, Platinum could slowly 'resurrect,' make occasional comebacks now and then, and school the future world champions.
As for The Radiant Knight, after the Dream Cup, she'd surely run out of dirt track rivals, but… retiring in her classic year seemed a bit of a waste.
So… she could switch to turf!
The Pegasus Platinum had already proven herself a dual-surface queen. Once the Dream Cup was over, it should be Nearl's turn to show off her talent on the neighboring turf tracks.
And places like Japan, Europe, and Dubai—either the prize money was sky-high, or they were conveniently close.
Looking at it that way, he really could spend some more time at Tracen Academy, couldn't he?
Lin Anran, deep in thought, nodded slightly to indicate the possibility.
This left Tokai Teio utterly stunned. It took her a good few seconds before she finally snapped out of it.
"R-really??"
The lively, adorable Teio immediately broke into a joyful smile, clapping her hands.
But what she didn't know was—
The one coming to Japan wouldn't be just Lin Anran.
There was also… The Radiant Knight, Margaret Nearl!
Though Tokai Teio had retired, a certain crimson queen was still active.
And there were also genius fillies like the Golden Tyrant, Orfevre, and Equinox!
Good news: a Pegasus might soon grace the turf races.
Bad news: this Pegasus wasn't Platinum, and she took her races even more seriously than Platinum did!
--+--
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
The fourteenth day.
The final moments—right before the Dream Cup.
On the training field, the dashing, tall golden-haired knight stood gazing at the setting sun in the sky.
"It's finally about to begin…"
Nearl felt an intense excitement for the next day's Dream Cup.
Without delay, she prepared to continue her training—even though the race was tomorrow!
Because—Nearl, just like Platinum, was in the condition of [Dream Cup · Future Self]. Her body could still achieve terrifying improvements on top of its existing foundation.
To master her future-enhanced form to the utmost degree, Nearl would never spare any effort in training.
During this period, she had drastically cut back on the clinic hours she used to keep, training instead from day till night.
And now, even on the day before the race, Nearl intended to train well into the evening—without a trace of slacking!
But the very next moment, Nearl heard her phone ring—it was on a bench just beside the outer track.
She walked over, picked up the phone, and glanced at the screen. Her pupils contracted sharply.
The caller ID showed nothing.
No phone number, no name or contact—a complete blank, yet the call had come through.
It was almost… like something out of a ghost story.
A prank? Or something else?
After a moment of stunned confusion, the golden-haired girl pressed answer.
"Hello, Margaret."
It was an ethereal, gentle woman's voice. For some reason, the instant Nearl heard it, her eyes almost instinctively began to glow with a golden light.
"My name is—Godolphin Arabian."
--+--
T/N: Classroom of the Elite Fanfic Up!
--+--
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.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.