Chapter 4: The Debut Year, Standing There Like a Lackey
1:00 PM, at the entrance of Chukyo Racecourse.
Stardust Mirage, holding a shopping bag, had already changed into a brand new pair of running shoes. She stood at the racecourse entrance, looking up.
Although Chukyo Racecourse couldn't be considered one of Japan's top racecourses, its proximity to Nagoya City and direct management by the Japan Racing Association meant its facilities and events were quite good. At the very least, it was fully capable of hosting G1-level races.
In this world of horse girls, nothing was more anticipated during leisure time than coming here to watch an enjoyable, exciting, and visually pleasing horse girl race.
Just standing at the entrance, Stardust Mirage could feel the vibrant atmosphere created by the tens of thousands of horse girl enthusiasts drawn to today's Chukyo debut race on this weekend.
A large part of them were probably here for Tokai Teio.
"I must earn the prize money here, at least top five…"
Looking at Chukyo Racecourse, thinking of the famous races in her memory and the thrilling prize amounts one after another, Stardust Mirage secretly set a goal for herself.
At the very least, she needed to stop her family from worrying about financial problems. She would strive to win 10 million yen!
With this thought, she submitted her entry form and headed to the interview area guided by the staff. Rumor had it there was an interview session before the race could start – needless to say, it was obvious which horse girl was the reason for this special treatment of a debut race.
As soon as she arrived at the interview site, Stardust Mirage's first glance fell upon the most conspicuous figure in the crowd: Tokai Teio, whom she had met this morning.
Seeing Stardust Mirage arrive, Teio enthusiastically turned around and waved vigorously, signaling her to come quickly and sit beside her. The other horse girls and reporters also cast curious glances, wanting to see who deserved such special treatment from this debutante genius.
"This…"
In such an environment, Stardust Mirage couldn't outright refuse Teio's good intentions. She could only brace herself, go over, sit down next to Tokai Teio, and officially begin this press interview.
"Tokai Teio, today is your official debut race. Regarding your upcoming racing career, do you have any goals or aspirations?"
"Of course, it's the undefeated triple crown!!!"
"Teio, according to currently gathered data, you are the number one favorite in popularity for this debut race. Our newspaper conducted two surveys, and both indicated the highest probability of you winning this debut race. What are your thoughts?"
"I will run with all my might! Thank you for everyone's support!"
"Do you consider any opponents in this race worthy of your attention? Or anyone who poses a threat to you winning first place?"
"I think everyone will run desperately to win first place, so they all deserve attention!"
"…"
In Stardust Mirage's view, this interview was pure torture.
She sat next to the immensely popular Tokai Teio, her entire body stiff, practically having to abandon all thought.
Because even though everyone's cameras and video recorders were aimed in their direction, not a single reporter wanted to ask her how she felt.
Nominally an interview event for all debutante horse girls, the focus landed entirely on Tokai Teio, the genius everyone watched. Stardust Mirage wished she could become invisible, just to sit more comfortably.
She understood this situation perfectly; after all, the media didn't need comments from unknowns to fill their reports. Even as a foil for Teio, there was no place for a country bumpkin horse girl like her.
Soon, the interview reached its final moments.
Stardust Mirage, who hadn't spoken a single word, finally let out a huge sigh of relief. She stood up, hung the blue number plate marked '7' on herself, then went to the center of the venue. Standing at the edge, she took a group photo with the thirteen other horse girls.
"What a genius… I'll show her later!"
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Amidst the frantic flashing of camera shutters from various media outlets, Stardust Mirage faintly heard the gritted-teeth complaint of some horse girl beside her. But before she could even identify who said it, the interview officially concluded.
Reporters gradually filed out the door. Tokai Teio finally dropped her professional smile and walked over to Stardust Mirage.
"Don't mind them too much. They simply don't understand why we run."
Teio wore a bright smile on her face. She stood on her tiptoes, patted Stardust Mirage's shoulder, and comforted her with feigned maturity.
"I'm fine, really." Stardust Mirage shook her head.
"Eh? Stardust Mirage, you have such a good mentality."
Tokai Teio's words might sound sarcastic to the average person, but Stardust Mirage didn't misunderstand. Having watched the anime and played the games in her previous life, she knew this child was the most genuine type and wouldn't have such intentions.
"Today is our debut race. It seems the unresolved race from this morning will finally have a winner. I'm so looking forward to it!"
The two naturally walked shoulder to shoulder towards the racecourse. Teio lively circled around Stardust Mirage, tilting her head to bring up the earlier matter.
"I'll do my best."
Stardust Mirage naturally knew why she mentioned it and answered with a smile.
Looking forward to it…?
Indeed, even for her sister's sake, she had to run with all her might. Although she lacked confidence in beating Tokai Teio here, just placing in the top five counted as a victory in a horse girl race. Furthermore, second place not only offered sufficient prize money but also accumulated points to advance to the next level of graded stakes races.
So, she would use these two feet to earn all of this!
"Tokai Teio, Miss Tokai Teio?" A voice came from behind, interrupting their conversation.
"The TV station people want a special interview with you. If you have time, please come over." They turned to look; it was the staff member who had received the horse girls at the entrance earlier. He also saw Teio turn around and quickly waved towards them.
"I'll go then. See you on the track!" Teio bid farewell excitedly and ran off towards them.
"Oh, see you then!" Watching Teio obediently run to the staff member and get a hat plastered with sponsor logos put on her head, Stardust Mirage didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She could only wave at her and continue towards the racecourse.
It seemed everyone had their own difficulties. For a popular horse girl like Tokai Teio, even her debut race offered no peace, with interviews one after another. Who knew if it would affect her warm-up preparations later.
But ultimately, Teio's goals didn't conflict with her own. Even if Teio took first place, she only needed second. There was no need for any ill intentions, hoping Teio would perform poorly due to insufficient preparation.
"Alright, the goal is the prize money for second place in the debut race. Do your best, Stardust Mirage!"
The sound of her self-encouragement echoed in the empty corridor.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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