Seeing that the two horse girls seemed to know each other—and perhaps shared a special relationship—the three young women politely excused themselves, every inch the proper ladies.
If they hadn't been quite so enthusiastic at the start, Sirius Symboli's impression of them might have risen even higher.
Compared to the last time she'd seen her, Symboli Rudolf had grown even thinner. Since the other girl was still, in the end, her junior by family standing, Sirius couldn't help but feel a pang of concern.
But the moment she remembered how Rudolf had looked utterly devoid of any sense of crisis just now, her irritation flared right back up. She snapped, "Rudolf, you—"
Before she could finish, a childish, slightly listless voice cut in.
"N-no fighting."
Only then did Sirius notice the child standing behind Rudolf.
The little girl was clutching the hem of Rudolf's clothes, looking miserable, clearly not quite recovered from airsickness. Even so, her intentions were obviously good. She didn't want to see her elders arguing, so she gathered her courage and spoke up.
"This kid is… Tokai Teio?"
Sirius quickly recalled the girl's name, and her expression softened. As an elder, there was no way she was going to pick a fight with a child—much less start quarreling with a certain Miss Rudolf in front of one.
Though Tokai Teio herself didn't realize it, she had performed perfectly as a buffer.
Forcibly swallowing her own frustration, Sirius asked, "Rudolf, Teio's still just a kid. Why'd you bring her all the way out here?"
Teio immediately stepped in to shield Rudolf, insisting that she herself had stubbornly demanded to come watch the race in person—and declaring that she was Seiun Ryoka's loyal fan.
Since Teio had said as much, what else could Sirius do? Even if she wasn't entirely convinced, she had to take the words at face value. Besides, Seiun Ryoka probably really was Tokai Teio's idol.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Seiun Ryoka had already become all of Japan's idol.
There wasn't a single Japanese person left who hadn't heard her name. Even people with nothing to do with horse racing knew of the legendary horse girl, and sincerely thought of her as Japan's pride.
At that thought, Sirius's tone softened considerably as she brought up the matter they were both most concerned about.
"Rudolf. You look awfully calm. Did you find a way to settle it once and for all?"
Perhaps because Tokai Teio had been so protective of Rudolf, Sirius still looked faintly unconvinced. Rudolf, in turn, could only feel helpless. And when Sirius showed just how much she cared about this issue, Rudolf felt even more helpless still.
Spreading her hands, Symboli Rudolf gave an answer so lacking in spirit it was almost pathetic.
"To be honest, I have no confidence at all. At this point, all I can do is take it one step at a time."
"Even after you rallied all the major houses and dismantled the JRA to rebuild it from the ground up?" Sirius asked, dissatisfied. If Rudolf failed, then all their efforts would have been for nothing. Worse, they'd have borne the misunderstanding and the blame for nothing as well.
Taking the names JRA—Japan Racing Association—and NAR—National Association of Racing, the local circuit—Rudolf had created JNAR, the Japan National Racing Association.
Because the very name had changed so fundamentally, many people saw it as an unprovoked concession from Central to the local circuit, and had no small number of complaints about it.
The main issue was simple: NAR didn't really have much of anything worth boasting about. To name only the most obvious example, the entire NAR calendar had just one GI-level race all year—the Tokyo Daishoten—and that was a dirt race, something that simply couldn't compare to turf racing.
So how could NAR possibly be allowed to replace the JRA?
Even though the relationship between NAR and JNAR was more or less the same as the old one between NAR and JRA, people still couldn't shake the sense that something about it felt wrong.
Lowering her eyes, Rudolf neither defended nor denied it.
"This is a stigma I have no choice but to bear."
Maybe it also had something to do with Oguri Cap's refusal to run in the restructured Kikuka Sho, instead choosing to go for the Autumn Tenno Sho instead.
Right now, Symboli Rudolf looked dispirited—almost fragile. There was nothing remotely imperial about her.
All at once, Sirius thought of a word:
Soft.
At this moment, Rudolf really did suit her childhood nickname, Luna, perfectly.
When she was little, Luna had been a little menace—chasing after her mother's tail and driving her grandfather into a rage more than once.
Who could have imagined that after entering the Dream Trophy series, she would instead grow softer and softer like this? It was honestly surprising.
Looking at her now, Sirius felt irritable—but there was nothing she could do, so all she could do was stew in her own frustration.
She knew, after all, that Rudolf had already tried incredibly hard.
This girl had borne enormous pressure, staking the honor and reputation of the title Emperor itself to force through a purge of the former JRA leadership. Apart from a tiny handful who were genuinely clean, practically every last one of them had ended up facing prison time. It was probably the gravest scandal Japan had seen since entering the modern era.
With her own actions, Symboli Rudolf was pursuing her dream:
To create a world where every horse girl could be happy.
Granted, the opportunity for all this had been given to her by Seiun Ryoka—and admittedly, every great family involved, Rudolf included, had motives that were not entirely pure.
Besides, what angered Sirius more than anything was her own powerlessness. She felt that if only she herself had been more useful, Seiun Ryoka's situation might not still be at such a dead end.
Instead, Rudolf was the one who consoled her.
"Come on, Sirius. Be a little more optimistic. What we're about to witness is a miracle unlike anything that's ever happened before—a miracle that will make the whole world look at Japanese horse girls. Pulling a long face now won't do."
A dual Triple Crown champion.
What dazzling glory.
And after all, Seiun Ryoka had already run so many middle-distance races, even taking the King George with ease. Maybe the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe—the race Japan had long yearned for—would become hers as well.
What they were about to witness was an unprecedented miracle, and quite possibly the only one of its kind there would ever be again.
So, yes. Pulling a long face wouldn't do at all.
A faint smile rested on Symboli Rudolf's lips, gentle and serene, like moonlight suspended in the night sky.
When she appeared at the Hilton Hotel, every horse girl present fell silent.
None of them had expected the famous Emperor herself to show up at a time like this, and as one, their gazes turned toward Seiun Ryoka.
Agnes Tachyon alone was the exception. Her eyes had never left Ryoka to begin with.
Noticing the subtle tension in the air, Rudolf greeted the girls warmly, even tossing in a small joke.
"So this is what it feels like to pay homage to the Emperor? My heart's pounding so hard I can hardly stand it."
"Galloping across continents." "Unbeaten." "Winning most races by wide margins."
Those titles and praises had all fused together in the end, giving rise to a single honorific:
The Emperor.
A British newspaper had been the first to use it. Soon after, French and American papers picked it up, and before long, even the Japanese press had begun quoting it.
Rudolf's own era of glory had only ended a few years ago, but just as one undefeated Triple Crown could bury the legacy of a thousand ordinary ones, Ryoka's lavish record had dimmed the brilliance of Rudolf's own achievements.
After all, Rudolf's overseas campaign had ended in defeat, and a great many racing fans abroad didn't even know whether she had really been all that formidable.
But the moment the subject turned to Seiun Ryoka, everything changed.
In their eyes, Japan's one and only Emperor was none other than:
Seiun Ryoka.
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