Goodbye Halo and Winning Colors turned around almost at the same time, and their first reaction was identical:
Whose kid is this?
A horse girl this tiny had to be an undebuted little filly, right? So cute~
Goodbye Halo all but sprinted a hundred meters in an instant and appeared right in front of Xingyun Liuge, intending to scoop the little filly up high in the air for fun.
What kind of expression would such a cute little thing make?
Just imagining it was enough to make her eager.
Then Goodbye Halo discovered something terrifying.
She could not lift her at all.
"..."
The pink-haired girl's face changed. She retreated even faster than she had come, then put on a completely innocent expression and introduced herself as if nothing had happened.
"Ahem. Hello there, nice to meet you. I'm Goodbye Halo, and this is Winning Colors. You're here to experience a bit of Western flavor too?"
There was no way she could possibly admit that she had mistaken a petite horse girl for a little filly and tried to pick her up. Better to pretend nothing had happened.
"Nice to meet you. So you're Xingyun Liuge. I've watched your races."
The tall blue-haired girl had blue-violet eyes blazing with battle spirit, as if to say:
Exactly what I was hoping for. Please show me what you can do.
Unlike Goodbye Halo, whose target was the Kentucky Oaks, Winning Colors had her sights set on the Kentucky Derby. Since the strongest rival had appeared right in front of her, of course she wanted to take the chance to observe her opponent's abilities from every angle.
Breakaway front-running, stalking, late-charge pursuit—Xingyun Liuge had already used three completely different tactics.
So what kind of strategy would she use in the Kentucky Derby?
Winning Colors did not know, which only made her want a closer look.
With the track still under maintenance, she had been worrying over how to find an opportunity like this elsewhere.
And now Xingyun Liuge had delivered herself straight to her.
Why would she ever refuse?
"Eh?" Goodbye Halo glanced at Winning Colors—both her dear friend and her fiercest rival—and for a moment did not know what to say.
Seriously? You're being this serious?
Then again, if it were her, and she happened to run into a major rival for the Kentucky Oaks at a time like this, she would absolutely try every trick in the book to arrange a training match, even if it was some form of practice unrelated to racing.
But then again, was a cowboy duel really unrelated to running?
Of course not.
If they could force Xingyun Liuge into going all out, then they would naturally get a chance to study her footwork and explosiveness. That might become valuable reference material for the Kentucky Derby.
And if they could do it a few more times, they might uncover even more details.
With that thought, Goodbye Halo clasped her hands together, her face bright and carefree.
"So you really are Xingyun Liuge? I'm your fan! I've watched your races, and I was totally blown away. I just adore you."
"Sorry, your outfit is different from usual, so I didn't recognize you at first. Could I get your autograph?"
She scampered forward with light little steps, seized Xingyun Liuge's hand, and shook it enthusiastically, her indigo eyes sparkling with apparent sincerity.
In reality, what she was thinking was:
Plan successful!
Goodbye Halo herself would not be running in the Kentucky Derby, but she wanted the Americans to keep the honor in America. More importantly, Winning Colors was her friend, so naturally she wanted to help her out.
Her thought process was simple:
Build Xingyun Liuge up, flatter her, lower her guard, and then get her to reveal everything right here.
That way, Winning Colors would be able to study her far more thoroughly.
"?"
Though Goodbye Halo's attitude was warm and friendly, her words made Xingyun Liuge think of a distant afternoon long ago:
"The story of nine Lee Sins and one ball."
"I'll prove who the world's number one jungler is."
"Ming-san, may every meeting be a reunion after long parting."
In short, it was all so absurd she almost burst out laughing.
But her championship dream was not about to be kicked to pieces by a fan, and in any case, Goodbye Halo was not running in the Kentucky Derby.
Winning Colors, meanwhile, found the whole thing rather odd. Was this really the Goodbye Halo she knew?
So she asked bluntly, "Goodbye, I've never heard you say that before. And you—"
"Ahaha! Really now, Winning, don't tell me you're planning to expose me in front of my idol? No, no, that won't do. Absolutely not. Hahaha."
Goodbye Halo clapped a hand over Winning Colors' mouth, practically breaking into a sweat.
She was kindly helping Winning Colors scout the enemy here. Was this really the thanks she got? Not only no gratitude, but an attempt to blow her cover too? What kind of nonsense was that?
After much back-and-forth, Goodbye Halo finally succeeded in persuading Winning Colors to take the lead and face Xingyun Liuge first.
Xingyun Liuge, naturally, had no objections.
The last thing she feared was being studied by others. If they did not do that, she would only find things dull.
"I'll be using two guns. Is that all right?"
The gentle, scholarly-looking referee smiled warmly.
"Of course. Little Western towns have always been full of fast-draw experts and dual-wielders."
Utter nonsense delivered with a straight face? That hardly mattered. This was not live-ammunition marksmanship, after all. Wanting to have a little extra fun at a festival was perfectly reasonable.
But looking at the black-haired girl with her soft smile and refined demeanor, Xingyun Liuge could only think:
Buckpasser, you're too shameless!
She still remembered perfectly well how the woman had tagged her in that simulated race. Sadly, Buckpasser was an older legend, long since retired, so Xingyun Liuge had no chance to "beat up the senior"—ah, no, to humbly seek her guidance and learn from her.
Buckpasser said nothing. She merely smiled faintly, then flicked her pale thumb.
Ding!
The brass coin flew high into the air, meaning only one thing:
The match had begun.
Girl, draw.
The signal came far too suddenly. Goodbye Halo had not reacted at all. The ears atop her head twitched, and she yelped instinctively before fumbling for her gun.
"Bang! Bang!"
She fired two shots in one frantic burst, then immediately made an evasive move. She had assumed Xingyun Liuge would return two shots, then dive for cover and wait for another opening.
But what happened was nothing like she expected.
Xingyun Liuge slid forward—Relentless Pursuit.
With effortless grace, she twisted her body. One bullet passed in front of her, the other behind. Then she turned squarely back and fired twice.
The first shot struck Goodbye Halo in the wrist and sent her gun flying.
The second hit her in the waist, the force knocking her flat onto the ground and leaving her unable to rise again.
Victory and defeat had been decided.
One shot as a warning.
One shot to "end it."
That was Xingyun Liuge's version of mercy.
What Xingyun Liuge did not know was that, at that very moment, a short-haired ash-gray horse girl had just gotten off a plane in Louisville.
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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