Obey Your Master was very confident in the conditions she had proposed.
Since Golden Crown Eagle who had injured Tracen Academy Umamusume was now hospitalized, the reason why Maruzensky was still at Tracen Academy in the middle of the night was self-evident.
She was simply doing the same thing as herself:
Waiting for Mejiro Sakura.
Sure enough, Maruzensky's expression showed a moment of astonishment upon hearing Obey Your Master's words.
Then, her expression turned playful.
"Are you lying to me?"
"No."
"Prove it to me."
Obey Your Master smiled, took out her phone, and showed Maruzensky a photo of Mejiro Sakura from a previous match, where her face was not clearly visible.
"The Umamusume you've been curious about, is that her? Golden Crown Eagle has seen her face, so I found this Umamusume."
Maruzensky took Obey Your Master's phone, looked at it for a while, and then smiled.
She handed the phone back to Obey Your Master. "You truly are an investigation maniac, Obey Your Master. No Umamusume can escape your investigation."
"Satisfied now? Come on, if you win, I'll tell you her identity."
"Deal~"
Maruzensky spoke leisurely, then pointed to her blue uniform and said with a smile.
"But not now, I didn't wear my tracksuit. Tomorrow."
"Tch."
Obey Your Master immediately withdrew her Zone, scoffed dismissively, and left the track.
--
The next day, in the afternoon.
The Umamusumes at Tracen Academy were all wondering if they would have a chance to see someone like they had the day before.
During a showdown between retired legends, a blonde, sultry-looking American Umamusume walked into the middle of the track.
She took the microphone from Air Groove, pointed directly at Team Rigil, and loudly proclaimed.
"Hotrod, I want to race you."
Last night, Maruzensky refused her challenge, citing her lack of athletic attire, which fueled Obey Your Master's anger.
She couldn't wait until tonight, so she decided to challenge Maruzensky directly in front of all the Umamusumes.
Although Maruzensky retired a long time ago, almost every Umamusume in Tracen Academy knew her name.
Her fame was practically on par with the Emperor.
Furthermore, she, along with Mr. CB and Symboli Rudolf—the three Umamusumes representing the pinnacle of Tracen Academy—were always together.
Therefore, Maruzensky's popularity within Tracen Academy was unparalleled.
The Umamusumes of Tracen Academy erupted in chaos when they heard that Maruzensky had been challenged.
Countless Umamusumes buzzed with discussion, some curious about the identity of this audacious American Umamusume.
"Maruzensky won't accept, will she? I heard she hasn't dated anyone in ages."
"Maruzensky wouldn't be interested in just anyone; the skill gap is too big."
Just as many Umamusumes were speculating that Maruzensky wouldn't accept the challenge, they heard Maruzensky, who had taken the microphone, smile and nod.
"I accept your challenge, Obey Your Master."
A resounding boom.
Now all the Umamusumes were in an uproar.
Many hadn't met Obey Your Master, but they'd heard of her.
This was the American Umamusume who had won the Japan Cup.
In the era of the two strongest Ashimo Umamusumes, she was the one who defeated them.
Obey Your Master versus Maruzensky—this was undoubtedly the strongest match in a long time.
Not only them, but even Tamamo Cross, who had retired and wasn't particularly interested in matches, became interested in this race.
"This is interesting, Obey Your Master versus Maruzensky..."
Tamamo Cross said with a smile, then turned to look at Oguri Cap behind her.
"Hey, Oguri, do you think Obey Your Master can beat Maruzensky..."
Tamamo Cross stopped mid-sentence.
Because she realized...
Oguri Cap, who was usually a voracious eater, was unusually refusing to eat anything today.
Not only that, but her delicate, snow-white face was filled with sorrow.
There were even tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Oguri! What's wrong!" Tamamo Cross exclaimed in shock.
"The buffet restaurant I frequented closed down," Oguri Cap said sadly. "I was a regular customer, supporting their business. Why did it still close down?!"
After saying this, Oguri Cap fell into deep sorrow again.
She showed absolutely no interest in the upcoming match between Obey Your Master and Maruzensky.
Those around Oguri Cap, upon hearing her words, all looked as if they had been struck by lightning.
Almost everyone was internally screaming at the same time:
"Tamamo Cross, hurry up and complain!!!"
Tamamo Cross didn't disappoint, shouting back:
"It's because you frequented this place that it went out of business!!!"
Something had happened before.
All the buffet restaurants around Tracen Academy put up signs saying "No Big Eaters Allowed."
These signs even featured Umamusume images—
Daiki Shuttle, Special Week, and Oguri Cap.
These restaurants were later reported, fined, and forced to remove the rule.
Unsurprisingly, after a while, these restaurants inexplicably went out of business.
Of course, there were also some buffet owners who wanted to use the fame of these three legendary Umamusumes to attract customers.
Later, they all discovered that, due to the frequent visits of big eaters, their businesses were simply not making ends meet.
Ultimately, they either changed their business strategy or all packed up and ran away.
--
After accepting Obey Your Master's challenge, Maruzensky changed into her sportswear and then went to the track.
"Turf, 2400m."
"Another Japan Cup distance, huh? Lately, most races seem to be following the Japan Cup format!"
"Now, Obey Your Master and Maruzensky have entered the gate."
"The winner of the Japan Cup faces the undefeated Hotrod. What will the final result be? Let's wait and see."
"Race—start!"
At the start of the race, Maruzensky and Obey Your Master simultaneously burst through the gate.
"As expected, being the strongest leading Umamusume, Maruzensky naturally chose to run in Front from the start."
"However, while she pulled ahead of Obey Your Master in the opening, the gap wasn't significant, and afterward it was only about two lengths."
A small number of newcomer Umamusumes who noticed Maruzensky hadn't gained a significant advantage in the opening showed deep regret.
However, most Umamusumes showed no concern whatsoever.
Symboli Rudolf looked at Maruzensky, who was running a short distance ahead of Obey Your Master in the arena, and shook her head with a smile.
"Maruzen is starting again."