Secretariat found Xingyun Liuge genuinely interesting.
It had been a very, very long time since anyone had dared crack that kind of harmless joke with her.
Ever since she became the student council president of American Central Tracen… no, actually, even before that—by the time she realized it, she had already become a senior figure among American horse girls. Most horse girls, the moment they saw her overwhelming strength and dazzling record, instinctively treated her with the utmost respect.
Not like this little thing in front of her.
She had only won a few races, and yet she actually dared to speak to a senior like Secretariat that way.
In a sense, perhaps she was the most authentically Western spirit among all active horse girls.
A thought surfaced in Secretariat's mind:
This child is fated to belong to the United States.
Otherwise, why would Louisville be hit by sudden torrential rain, forcing the Kentucky Derby to be postponed just long enough for Xingyun Liuge to make it?
Well, to be fair, Secretariat only wanted a reason. What that reason actually was did not matter much to her.
With that thought, she lifted her glass and took a sip of the local Kentucky bourbon. The mellow amber liquid was truly intoxicatingly beautiful.
After the meal, Secretariat took the initiative and said, "Since you're here, why not go experience a little Western flavor first?"
Louisville was currently in the middle of its annual Derby Festival, making this the perfect time to soak in the local folk culture. The local authorities had even partnered with Central Tracen to organize a little side event—something admittedly full of stereotypical American imagery, but one that really did have a bit of Western flair.
The other participating horse girls were all out enjoying the festival atmosphere too. They might even run into some of them in the event.
Secretariat raised her right hand, extended her thumb and index finger, curled the rest, and went, "Bang!"
"?" Both Chihaya Yui and Latifa looked confused. Why had this normally impossibly cool student council president suddenly become so childishly playful? Right now, the most important thing should have been going to familiarize themselves with the track, shouldn't it?
Of course, Secretariat was not deliberately keeping Xingyun Liuge's group from doing that. It was simply that the torrential rain over the past few days meant the Churchill Downs staff were still making the final adjustments to the course.
Since they were already here and had nowhere else to go, going to the Derby Festival seemed the obvious choice.
Seeing Secretariat's hand gesture, Xingyun Liuge suddenly had a bold idea.
Lucian — High Noon.
She thought that look was incredibly cool—fluid, stylish, full of life. Yes, it was a little old-fashioned… but that was fine. Cool was forever.
"Wait just a moment. I'll be right back."
With that, the girl raised her right index finger, her eyes shining brightly.
A short while later, after everyone had waited expectantly, Xingyun Liuge returned dressed head to toe in black, wearing a black cowboy hat and black boots.
"Oh! Very nice~" Secretariat immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "Little Xingyun, you really know your stuff."
This, she felt, was true professionalism.
She even found herself thinking that if little Xingyun were not so tiny, this outfit alone might have charmed quite a few horse girls.
If Latifa had known what Secretariat was thinking, she would have wholeheartedly agreed. Xingyun Liuge did look incredibly dashing like this. She almost wanted to take a picture.
Only Chihaya Yui felt that something was off.
"Koge, where did this outfit come from?"
Xingyun Liuge trained hard every single day. Where on earth had she found the time to prepare something like this? It looked undeniably cool, but there was no way she should have had the opportunity, right?
In response, Xingyun Liuge simply grabbed Chihaya Yui's hand, gave her a playful wink, and said:
"A secret makes a woman, woman."
She was already itching to shoot down the entire field.
In front of a Wild West frontier town set backdrop, two horse girls dressed as cowgirls stood facing each other.
Their revolvers still rested quietly in their holsters, but the air between them was already thick with killing intent.
Both knew that victory and defeat—and even life and death—would be decided in a single instant.
Trash talk? They could have done it, but there was no need. No one knew exactly when the sadistic referee would toss the coin. If they missed the timing for drawing and firing because they were busy talking, it would be over.
Their nerves were stretched to the limit. Sweat slowly ran down their cheeks, but neither of them lifted a hand to wipe it away.
A match was a match.
Whether it was running or a duel, the moment they stepped onto the field, the only thing in their eyes was victory.
There could be no slack, not even for an instant. Even under the blazing sun, even with sweat pouring down, they could not afford a single unnecessary movement.
Then came the crisp ting of a brass coin tossed high into the air.
The gazes of both horse girls sharpened instantly as they drew their guns in a flash.
Two gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. Splashes of brilliant "blood" bloomed at once, and just like in a true gunslinger showdown, victory and defeat were decided in a blink.
Both girls fell, one after the other. One of their cowboy hats even flew off, forcing a support horse girl to sprint out and retrieve it.
The blue-haired girl who hit the ground first still kept her gun up, warily staring at the pink-haired girl opposite her. Only after confirming the "bloodstain" on the other girl's chest did she relax and spring back to her feet.
Though she had fallen first, that had only been to evade the bullet. She had not actually been hit.
Before long, the pink-haired girl climbed up as well.
"What a fast draw, Winning. You really went all out, huh? Well, whatever. No matter how serious I got, I just can't do this sort of thing." Goodbye Halo casually tossed her gun aside and conceded cleanly—though not completely. "Still, Winning, do your best in the Kentucky Derby. The only one who gets to beat you is me!"
Then she muttered under her breath, "Going for the Kentucky Derby… you really do love challenging yourself."
Winning Colors had not caught the muttering. She only gave Goodbye Halo a small nod.
"Even if the track conditions are poor, and even if there's one formidable rival, I will not lose."
"…"
Goodbye Halo felt that Winning Colors truly understood nothing about the human heart. She had gone to all this trouble to invite her out, and Winning Colors had just breezed right past it.
So Goodbye Halo spoke again.
"That Xingyun Liuge girl seems seriously strong. I heard one horse girl even withdrew in advance. Are you really going to be okay?"
Worry was plainly written across the young girl's face. Winning Colors was not even supposed to be the strongest in this Kentucky Derby to begin with, and now a horse girl with an absurdly brilliant record had appeared out of nowhere. It was hard not to worry for her.
Yet Winning Colors remained just as unconcerned as ever.
"We'll know after the race."
"We'll know after the race? Nicely said. Then how about we find out right now?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
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