Fresh off the race, Stardust Phantom was in the locker room on the phone.
"Stardust, I heard—you won, right? Congratulations!"
Her sister's voice brimmed with joy.
Plainly, she hadn't fully believed Stardust would win; she'd only hidden her worry.
"There's nothing to brag about," Stardust said gravely. "I've already fallen behind her."
"Her?" Her sister froze, then realized.
"Tokai Teio?"
"Mm. Teio."
"Ah…"
Her sister was at a loss. She'd learned horsegirl basics these days, including the tiers.
She also knew just how vast the gap was between a superstar like "Emperor the Second" and her own sister.
But as a sister, she could only cheer her on:
"It's fine, Stardust. You're both one-win horsegirls now—the gap isn't that big. Keep running and I'll support you to surpass Tokai Teio!"
"With Sis cheering, I'll keep winning until I beat her."
Stardust genuinely respected her. After all, when she'd first crossed into this world and wanted to quit on life, Sis had cared for her.
…Still, her sister on the bed grimaced privately.
She says it so matter-of-factly—does she really think she can beat that megastar?
What will I say if she loses…
She hurried to change the subject:
"Right—didn't you say you're entering Central's Tracen Academy? When do you leave? And your next race?"
"Early next year for school. Next race is January 27: G3 Kyoto Himba Tokubetsu," Stardust answered.
"Eh? You can enter a G3 straight away?"
"My registration will be transferred to Central Tracen this year, so I can enter Classics next year as a Central horsegirl."
It was something she'd learned recently—she could skip some Open races and go straight to G3.
"So, a month away? Then you'd better push hard. A Classic G3 right off the bat—the competition won't be easy."
Her sister seized the chance to deflate any arrogance.
But Stardust Phantom's mind flashed to the roaring crowd as she hit the wire.
That sight—people celebrating her victory—once tasted, she would never give it up.
She said:
"Let's make a promise, Sis.
"No matter the opponent, I will never take anyone lightly. I'll run all-out in every race—and keep winning, like today!"
——————————————————
Inside the track, none of them knew the ripple effects had begun.
Chukyo's final maiden of the year—a wire-to-wire win!
Within minutes, the news spread across Nagoya's horsegirl fan circles.
"Hey, Sato, weren't you there? A big escape! Your favorite!"
"A high-quality maiden is rare. Two great races in one month—Chukyo might be heating up!"
"Wasn't it her last time too? Lost to Teio by half a length."
"Only half a length to Teio? So… this Stardust Phantom is Local, right? That strong?"
"A Local runner with that command of the pace… reminds me of a certain monster about to run her retirement."
In Japan there are many racecourses. Based on size and prize money, races are Local or Central.
Among Central, the big four are Tokyo, Kyoto, Hanshin, and Nakayama.
They host nearly all Classic G1s.
Chukyo, straddling Nagoya and Toyoake, sits awkwardly between Local and Central.
It allows both Local and Central entries; it's barely Central.
But because its popularity's lukewarm, it hasn't landed a G1.
Only the locals keep coming for hometown pride—breeding a robust fan base.
It's awkward. Everyone dreams of boosting popularity to earn a G1—an obsession.
The track manager even swallowed pride to visit the Emperor.
Yes, he knew it was presumptuous.
But to punch up, sometimes you need that insensibility.
His Teio-debut hype had worked decently—pulling new viewers to Chukyo in December.
But Teio belongs to Central; she couldn't do much ongoing promotion. She was a rare elite spawn.
If not for that bonus, a mere year-end maiden wouldn't merit such attention.
With a dramatic ten-length front-running win, Stardust Phantom's name spread like wildfire.
Remember, in a world blessed by the Three Goddesses, nearly everyone watches. Among heavy fans, even more so.
Everyone knows luck plays a part—but a gate-to-wire, double-digit win is never a fluke.
In other words, Stardust Phantom's hard power crushed the field.
Soon, in Chukyo's network center—
Staff updating the official site were buzzing about the uploaded replay.
"That Stardust Phantom is something else—even the giant lost."
"I heard that giant—Daita Tiantong—steamrolls others in training locally. Some said she might be scouted by Central… Yet she only matched Stardust for seconds out of the gate before being dropped."
"She ran like a gale, blowing everyone away."
"With that strength, a Classic campaign seems inevitable. Great—another banner for Chukyo!"
"I don't think she's from Chukyo's academy. From the countryside…"
"So what? She debuted here. Who'll complain if we call her 'from Chukyo'?"
"Didn't she just lose by half a length to Teio? Add today's ten-length escape—two highlight reels in one month. Are our replays spiking?"
Before he finished, everyone snapped to and checked the numbers.
Online popularity is a vital leg now. If they could pop online, it'd help Chukyo massively.
And this replay… could go big.
"It's up! Tons more views!"
The staffer pulled back to show the dashboard.
"Seriously… in half an hour, thousands of views? Even her race with Teio has a thousand more!"
The network manager bolted for the track manager's office.
He knew how long that beer-bellied boss had worried about popularity!
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