The harsh white light from the television program almost illuminated the entire room. The man sitting on the sofa narrowed his eyes, silently listening to the voices coming from the TV.
"The annual Triple Crown series is about to begin. What surprises will the Uma Musume running in this year's Satsuki Sho have in store for us?"
"Professor Takagi, what are your thoughts?"
After the smooth-talking female host finished, she turned her gaze to the grey-haired Professor Takagi beside her.
The expert, specially invited for the program, didn't keep the audience in suspense. Clearing his throat lightly, he addressed the viewers seriously.
"This year's Satsuki Sho might be the most exciting one in recent years."
"Oh, how so?"
The host chimed in appropriately. Professor Takagi nodded at her and continued.
"This Satsuki Sho has attracted many overseas Uma Musume to participate. From what I understand, each of them is a rising star who has garnered significant attention in their home regions. Many were even selected by European scouts from a young age and have received world-class training early on."
"In other words, many of them are essentially Triple Crown contenders in their own countries."
The host's mouth fell open in surprise upon hearing this. She immediately raised her microphone and said.
"With so many contenders gathered in one place, doesn't that mean—"
"Exactly! This Satsuki Sho has effectively become the proving ground for who is the strongest Uma Musume of this generation!"
Professor Takagi interrupted the host, spreading his arms wide and declaring to the television audience.
"The Uma Musume who wins this Satsuki Sho will instantly become the pinnacle of this generation!"
The host was momentarily stunned into silence by this barrage of information, but her professional instincts kicked in, prompting her to ask the most crucial question for the audience at that moment.
"Then... can our country's Uma Musume secure a place among them?"
Hearing this, Takagi retracted his earlier excitement, sat back in his chair, stroked his beard, and fell into deep thought for so long that the host almost suspected a broadcast malfunction and was about to change the subject before he finally spoke.
"It's difficult."
He closed his eyes and shook his head somewhat heavily.
"Our country has two Uma Musume participating in this Satsuki Sho: one is Mr. C.B., and the other is Dream Weaver."
"Mr. C.B. goes without saying. As an Uma Musume who was spotted early by a European trainer and taken to a club for professional training, her natural talent is undeniable."
"According to information leaked from the club at the time, her performance in training races was also top-notch. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she could have undoubtedly become the second locally-born Triple Crown Uma Musume after Shinzan."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh, his tone heavy.
"What a pity, what a pity. For some reason, she actually had a conflict with the club and angrily withdrew from the training camp."
"You must understand, competition among Uma Musume is like rowing a boat against the current—if you fall behind one step, you fall behind step by step."
"While she was wasting her time after leaving the camp, the other Triple Crown contenders from different regions were seizing every second to train hard!"
"No matter how exceptional her innate talent, being cut off from the world's top-tier training system ultimately dooms her to a fate of mediocrity..."
Seeing Professor Takagi's dejected sigh, the host seemed infected by his mood. Gripping her microphone tightly, she said unwillingly.
"Is there really no hope at all?!"
"What about the other participant, Dream Weaver? Rumors say she displayed strength far surpassing others in the Tracen Academy freshman selection races months ago. Surely after months of training, she must have some chance to compete against the other Triple Crown contenders!"
Unexpectedly, her words drew a scornful laugh from Professor Takagi. He looked at the host with weary eyes and gently shook his head.
"You're not a professional, after all. You don't understand what European training standards truly represent."
"Moreover, as you well know, reporters' favorite tactic is sensationalism to attract attention. Even if Dream Weaver possessed strong ability during her freshman period, it couldn't possibly be as exaggerated as they made it out to be."
"When she rejected the invitation from Europe, she actively refused the opportunity to reach a higher level."
Hearing his words, the host weakly lowered her microphone and muttered to herself.
"But didn't she just win the Kyodo Tsushin Hai and earn a spot in the Satsuki Sho? With her performance on the track that day, surely she can still carve out a sliver of hope among those other Triple Crown contenders?"
Takagi shook his head again upon hearing this, ruthlessly shattering the host's last vestige of fantasy.
"It's no use. The level of domestic Graded races and the Triple Crown are worlds apart. Even the best performances in those domestic races prove nothing."
"After all... most Uma Musume who stay in Japan to compete in these Graded races are simply those who failed the selection process back then..."
The host's face stiffened immediately. As a fan of Uma Musume races, while she lacked Professor Takagi's specialized knowledge, she still hoped to see her country's Uma Musume achieve glorious results in a race like the Satsuki Sho.
But Takagi's words were hard to refute. The gap between Uma Musume who stayed for domestic Graded races and those selected by Europe was just that vast.
Dream Weaver winning the Kyodo Tsushin Hai to qualify for the Satsuki Sho offered her no real advantage in the upcoming competition against the Triple Crown contenders.
Thinking this, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
Fortunately, as a professional host who had fought her way through numerous applicants to reach the studio, even though her emotions were stirred, she could still instinctively steer the conversation forward.
Soon, under the host's guidance, this rather heavy topic was smoothly transitioned away from, and Professor Takagi began analyzing and evaluating the potential contenders expected to win this year's Satsuki Sho.
"In my opinion, the Uma Musume most likely to win this Satsuki Sho should be—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the television screen suddenly went dark. The man sitting on the sofa, listening to the program, looked up and immediately saw a face contorted with anger.
"How can you have the nerve to watch this nonsense at a time like this?!"
Richard snapped the room lights on and roared at the man.
"Haven't I already told you?! That Dream Weaver is absolutely not as simple as you all think! Relying on just these few Triple Crown contenders is far too risky! The Association must exert greater force to completely crush her!"
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.