In the VIP viewing lounge of Nakayama Racecourse, Anthony, the European head of operations in Japan, swirled his champagne as he lounged on a sofa by the window, speaking casually over his shoulder.
"Still obsessing over that Uma Musume? Have you been to the track so much it's fraying your nerves? Should I request some extended leave for you to unwind?"
Behind him, Richard—who had applied countless times to alter the plan without ever receiving a response—stood with a dark expression.
At this point, his only hope was that the Triple Crown contenders would crush Dream Weaver as planned.
Seeing Richard so tense, Anthony scoffed lightly, then walked over, slung an arm around his shoulders, and guided him to sit together on the sofa.
"Relax, relax. It'll be fine."
"Even if she's uniquely gifted enough to surpass those Triple Crown contenders, there's also a European prodigy on the field."
"She's officially begun training in 'Zone,' and she's already achieved preliminary results."
"With her here, it's no problem. You know the gap between a Zone-user and an ordinary Uma Musume, right? Even if she hasn't fully reached that realm yet, just this bit of progress is enough for her to outperform all the others."
Anthony was referring to Star Dancer.
As outsiders to the track, they didn't truly understand what Zone was, simplistically viewing it as a technique to enhance an Uma Musume's abilities.
In his view, with European training backing her, and having accessed Zone training earlier than her peers from other regions, Star Dancer could easily crush everyone.
"An Uma Musume from Europe…"
Hearing this, Richard's brow smoothed slightly. In his mind, European Uma Musume Racing stood above the rest of the world, and Uma Musume from Europe should be similarly superior.
Seeing Richard relax a bit, Anthony laughed heartily and patted him on the back, then pointed at the Uma Musume on the track, commenting one by one.
"That Uma Musume, I remember her. She worked incredibly hard to become a Triple Crown candidate, but with her potential, this is her limit. She doesn't have what it takes to stand out among the other top contenders."
"And her—she's actually my favorite. Maintained an undefeated record all through training camp, comes from a prominent family with plenty of influence. She's practically the perfect representative!"
Richard nodded along half-heartedly to Anthony's commentary.
At his level, Triple Crown candidates from other regions hardly mattered to him, so their backgrounds and stories were of little concern.
Anthony, brimming with enthusiasm, continued evaluating every Uma Musume within sight.
Completely absorbed in his excitement, he failed to notice that the very Uma Musume he was commenting on had all, as if by some unspoken agreement, stopped in their tracks and turned to stare in the same direction.
Standing outside the arena, he could never have imagined that the Triple Crown contenders he placed such high hopes on were, at this rare moment, visibly rattled.
Right then, the final Uma Musume emerged from the competitor's tunnel.
She wore a majestic black cavalry-style racing uniform, a blood-red cape flapping sharply behind her like a blade, piercing the nerves of every Uma Musume present.
Fleeting crimson flashes in those dark, seemingly all-devouring eyes made everyone instinctively clench their fists.
Only by doing so could they barely suppress their instinct to retreat.
The pride of being a Triple Crown contender and their bodies' intuition for danger were now warring fiercely within them.
And all this inner turmoil was triggered merely by this Uma Musume's entrance?!
"The opening race of the Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho, is about to begin!"
"All competitors, please take your positions!"
Just as the Triple Crown contenders were thrown into high alert by Dream Weaver's appearance, the announcement from outside the track pulled them back from their inner chaos.
As one, they took a deep, steadying breath, cast a look of indescribable complexity toward Dream Weaver, then clenched their fists and walked toward their assigned starting gates.
"Really spooked them, didn't she?"
Mr. C.B. remarked lightly, watching the grave-faced Triple Crown candidates.
As teammates, they naturally trained together, and even now, Mr. C.B. would never forget the shock she felt the first time she stepped onto the track with Dream Weaver.
The usually gentle Dream Weaver, once she entered the arena, was like a completely different person.
She became as sharp and exposed as a blood-stained demon blade, making every Uma Musume sharing the track with her tremble with fear.
Having sparred with Dream Weaver many times, Mr. C.B. had grown somewhat accustomed to it, but these Triple Crown contenders were facing her edge for the first time.
Under such an awe-inspiring presence, simply maintaining their composure was an achievement in itself.
"But if they think this is all she's got, they're sorely mistaken."
Thinking of Dream Weaver's usual performance in training races, Mr. C.B. shook her head, feeling a pang of pity for these Uma Musume aiming to compete with her for the Satsuki Sho title.
They were opponents, yes, but confronting such a gap… it was hard not to feel sorry for them.
She glanced at that glaring crimson figure in the rainy mist, waved at Dream Weaver, and then headed toward her own starting gate.
"Just how does she train… Even for a genius, this level is downright absurd…"
Walking away, Mr. C.B. couldn't help but mutter to herself.
Having trained alongside Dream Weaver for months, Mr. C.B. knew better than anyone that Dream Weaver had already far surpassed the level of the Satsuki Sho.
She recalled her earlier worries that Dream Weaver might feel pressured by the encirclement of so many competitors.
Now, it seemed more likely Dream Weaver would overwhelm them.
Dream Weaver gave a slight nod to Mr. C.B., then turned and walked toward her own gate.
This wasn't her first Satsuki Sho, but it was undoubtedly the strongest she had ever been for it.
Before, limited by her attributes, her capabilities during the Satsuki Sho were at best on par with mid-tier Uma Musume, requiring the aid of skills and items to even have a shot at the title.
But now, with her Speed and Guts completely shattered past their limits, aided by three items boosting training efficiency, Dream Weaver felt her raw attributes alone were enough to overpower every Uma Musume here.
Yet that alone wasn't sufficient. She would seize victory with a margin even more brilliant, more staggering.
Only then would she truly be striking a fatal blow against the absolute authority of European horseracing.
Dream Weaver lifted her head, squinting at the gloomy sky before her as if gazing upon this world long suppressed by European racing, and whispered,
"I will tear open the sky beneath these shackles."
"Starting… now!"
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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.