"She's PAST—SHE'S PAST THEM, SHE'S THROUGH!!!"
Commentator Matsushita slammed the table in excitement, his gaze fixed on that streak of crimson light blazing across the track as he let out a thrilled shout.
"Even five Triple Crown-level Uma Musume couldn't hold her back!"
"Goddamn it! What else, what else is left to stop her from taking the Triple Crown?!"
The veins in his neck bulged with exhilaration.
Knowing full well he'd face consequences after this broadcast, Matsushita simply stopped holding back. Even crude language that should never be uttered on air spilled out in the heat of the moment.
His partner, commentator Kimura, made no move to stop him. On the contrary, he abandoned any pretense of proper commentary altogether, simply roaring with unrestrained laughter.
That wild, liberating laughter sounded as if he were releasing years of pent-up frustration in one go.
Like Matsushita, Kimura had long accepted that he'd be out of a job after this Japanese Derby. Yet he felt not a shred of fear, for he too saw the future—the looming decline of European horse racing's authority.
The thought that he might witness this moment with his own eyes made all those years of a stifling, unfulfilling career feel worth it.
"Un… unbelievable…"
"They actually did it… Dream and C.B.!"
Shiragawa had even forgotten to breathe, just staring dumbfounded at that searing crimson light on the track—sharp as a blade, cleanly slicing through the formation of Triple Crown Uma Musume.
She had never imagined witnessing such a scene. The pressure exerted by five Triple Crown-level competitors was overwhelmingly heavy.
Even though Shiragawa believed Dream Weaver and the others would fight with everything they had for the win, she never dared to fantasize about such an utterly dominant, crushing victory.
A dozen elite European Uma Musume, five Triple Crown-level champions—their supposedly impenetrable defensive line had been torn apart like paper before Dream Weaver and Mr. C.B., utterly incapable of halting their charge.
To seize victory so magnificently even under such intense pressure and pursuit… Shiragawa felt that from now on, there was truly nothing left to fear.
Could the European racing world possibly muster a lineup stronger than this?!
"They won, they really won!"
Her cheeks flushed with excitement. Unconsciously clenching her fists, Shiragawa began murmuring to herself.
"You're too incredible, Dream!"
"Just like this, win the final Kikuka Sho and become our Triple Crown winner!"
"Hahahahaha! They tore right through them, tore right through! Weren't you always so fond of targeting our runners before? Always so eager to snatch our Triple Crowns away?!"
"Let's see what you can possibly do to stop Dream now! Dream, she'll definitely cut you all down, just like this!"
Just as Shiragawa was lost in her stunned mutterings, the overwhelming wave of cheers from all sides and the vibrations trembling through the floor snapped her back to reality.
She looked down instinctively, realizing the very floorboards were shaking from the thunderous roar of the crowd.
Listening to these earth-shaking cheers, watching the sea of crimson banners that seemed to fill the entire Tokyo Racecourse, Shiragawa could no longer restrain the surge of emotion in her chest. She threw her head back and cheered joyously.
Beside her, the usually mature and composed Symboli Rudolf unconsciously allowed a smile to touch her lips.
Her fists were clenched tight as she kept whispering under her breath.
"We won, we actually won! Even five Triple Crown-level Uma Musume couldn't stop us!"
Though she had comforted Shiragawa before the race, Rudolf had secretly braced herself for failure from the very start.
Unlike other less-confident spectators, Rudolf, with her privileged upbringing, understood better than anyone the sheer power a Triple Crown-level Uma Musume possessed.
The oppressive force of five combined 'Zones' wasn't something just anyone could withstand.
Rudolf wasn't afraid of losing. But in her original plans, she had thought perhaps only next year, when she herself could take to the track, would there be a chance to defeat such a lineup.
Yet Rudolf could never have imagined that Dream Weaver and Mr. C.B. would claim victory in the Japanese Derby so decisively, so brilliantly.
The surprise delivered by her comrades left Rudolf almost beside herself.
Still, she managed to suppress the overwhelming excitement, refraining from cheering out loud like Shiragawa. Instead, she cleared her mind and began analyzing the race she had just witnessed.
"To think Mr. C.B. awakened her Zone so quickly… and judging by her performance, this definitely isn't some last-minute breakthrough. This is polished strength!"
"Always acting so casual and undisciplined normally, but she's been secretly working hard all along, hasn't she?"
Rudolf unconsciously stroked her chin, narrowing her eyes in thought.
"With the synergy they showed today, if they keep honing it over the next few months, by the time of the Kikuka Sho, they'll undoubtedly deliver a performance even more dazzling than today's."
"As for the European Racing Association… it'll be terribly hard for them to reinforce their side any further. Any Triple Crown Uma Musume with even a shred of competitive spirit would never agree to such a thing."
"Even if they're given several more months to lobby, gathering more participants will be next to impossible!"
After a long pause, Rudolf finally spoke, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"Could it be… we might actually seize the Triple Crown this very year?!"
A sudden turmoil stirred within Rudolf's heart.
She had prepared for a long, drawn-out struggle when she broke with the Symboli family.
In her original plan, successfully rebelling and seizing leadership of the Symboli household itself required careful, long-term strategy.
Defeating the European racing establishment would need an even more protracted and meticulous campaign.
But before her split from the family, she never could have imagined seeing results this quickly. It had only been a little over a year since she left the Symboli estate.
Yet in just that year, they had defeated Triple Crown contenders from around the world, made their names known globally, and backed the European racing world into a corner, forcing them to exhaust their resources.
And now, they had shattered the defensive line formed by five Triple Crown Uma Musume working in concert, utterly crushing European racing's prestige and hurling its authority to the ground.
And the very spark that accelerated this entire plan… was simply Rudolf, during a selection race, witnessing an Uma Musume who, for the sake of a friend, dared to speak out defiantly against a European trainer.
Before meeting Dream, Rudolf never dreamed she could advance so far, so fast.
In just over a year, thwarting the European racing world's interference twice in a row… it all sounded like a fantasy.
Yet this scene was undeniably real before her eyes. That was why Rudolf's heart was now in disarray.
Gazing at that streaking crimson radiance on the track, she unconsciously whispered the other's name.
"Dream…"
Even Rudolf herself couldn't be sure just how many complex emotions were packed into that one whispered syllable.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.