Chapter 24: A Public Confession to Tokai Teio?!
Soon after, Stardust Mirage arrived at the press conference prepared by the racecourse.
This was also the first time she came here as the main interviewee.
Looking at the reporters below—some carrying cameras, others holding voice recorders or sketchpads, eagerly waiting—a hint of novelty shone in Stardust Mirage's eyes.
This was just a post-race interview for a small, non-winning-level race. The reporters present were only from some local newspapers and TV stations in the Nagoya metropolitan area, completely different in scale from the coverage of Tokai Teio's previous interview.
At this moment, she felt both somewhat emotional and a little joyful. Stardust Mirage truly felt the honor that victory could bring.
As Stardust Mirage took her seat, the beer-bellied man she had just spoken with also stood frowning in the corner, utterly puzzled by her refusal.
She had said: [You'll understand after hearing the interview.]
Could it be that Stardust Mirage would do something outrageous during the interview?
"Miss Stardust Mirage, we heard that you missed the winner's stage due to exhaustion from your 'runaway' run. Will this affect your upcoming races?" A reporter immediately began questioning as soon as she sat down.
"It shouldn't have much impact. I was just momentarily drained. Look, I'm almost fully recovered now," Stardust Mirage smiled, flexing her arm in a strongman pose to show she was fine.
"This race result was unexpected. You won by a full 10 lengths using a front-running 'runaway' strategy from start to finish. Was this planned in advance?" another reporter asked.
"Someone told me to choose the running style that feels most comfortable—so after stepping onto the track, I ran according to my instincts, and that was the result," Stardust Mirage answered flawlessly. After all, saying she had planned to run a full 'runaway' from the start might sound disrespectful to the other horse girls.
"However, I must say... leading from the front felt really good. I might use this style more often in the future."
"Use it more often? Do you mean regular front-running or the 'runaway' style?" the reporter pressed.
"Both. I'll keep running by feel," Stardust Mirage stated.
The room immediately filled with the rustling sound of frantic note-taking. Clearly, the reporters unanimously considered her statement about "using the 'runaway' style more in the future" to be the key point.
"We know this is your second race. In your debut race, you narrowly lost to Tokai Teio and placed second. What are your thoughts on her?" asked a reporter followed by a cameraman.
Stardust Mirage didn't answer immediately. Instead, she showed an excited smile and turned to look at the beer-bellied man in the corner, as if trying to convey a message with her eyes.
When the beer-bellied man saw her fiery eyes and connected them to the intense competition between Stardust Mirage and Tokai Teio, a flash of insight struck him.
He knew what Stardust Mirage intended to do!
No, he had to stop her. If she really said something like that, there would be no way to control the fallout—
"In my debut race half a month ago, I lost to Tokai Teio. I lost to her strength and her will to win," Stardust Mirage directly grabbed the microphone, speaking with a beaming smile.
Looking at these reporters, she knew clearly that now was the moment Old Man Musaka had mentioned.
Ever since meeting Tokai Teio, she could finally convey her feelings through the media!
"I've heard a saying: when one person meets another, a wonderful reaction can occur, potentially changing the world..."
"I think that's what happened at Nakayama Racecourse that day. A meeting between her and me—Stardust Mirage and Tokai Teio."
"It was Teio who taught me there what it means to crave victory... so I want to repay her!"
"Tokai Teio's goal is the undefeated Triple Crown, right?"
Stardust Mirage, as if burning with blazing flames behind her, glared at all the media present with beast-like eyes.
Her passionate demeanor made everyone present feel the air grow heavy, as if even breathing required great effort.
"Then my goal is also the Triple Crown. I will give my all, and defeating her will be my way of repaying her."
"—Victory starts today!"
Holy crap?! What is this horse girl saying?
This declaration was like dropping a bombshell in the interview room. Everyone stared speechlessly at the horse girl at the center of the venue.
Faced with Stardust Mirage's proclamation, the beer-bellied man's expression was as strange as everyone else's.
His mouth slightly agape, for a moment he didn't even know how to position his hands and feet, his brain instinctively spinning—
What did she say?
Challenge for the Triple Crown, defeat Tokai Teio head-on there?!
No wonder Stardust Mirage had said they should decide after the press conference. The beer-bellied man didn't dare imagine how much trouble he would have been if he had finalized their deal, only to hear Stardust Mirage's explosive statement immediately after—
Challenging Tokai Teio in the Triple Crown was equivalent to declaring war directly on the Central racing association!
No, no, what am I thinking?
The biggest problem now is, where does she get the confidence that she can even qualify for the Triple Crown races?
You need to understand, last year over 7,000 horse girls in Japan reached the classic level. Among them, only about 10 per year manage to qualify for all three G1 races of the [Satsuki Sho], [Japanese Derby], and [Kikuka Sho] within the same year.
Qualifying for each of these three races requires earning points in advance, and more importantly, each horse girl gets only one chance in her lifetime to challenge the Triple Crown.
The beer-bellied man had always hoped to cultivate Chukyo's own [Oguri Cap]. But Oguri Cap failed to qualify for the Triple Crown challenge.
And now, this horse girl who just participated in a non-Graded race to complete her debut, Stardust Mirage, is talking as if she's already qualified for all three Triple Crown races?!
Does she even know how many people would mock her once these words were reported by the media?
Thinking of this, the beer-bellied man cleared his throat and stepped forward, preparing to approach the stage.
It was no longer about promotion.
If he didn't stop the media from reporting this, he didn't dare imagine how many people would laugh at Stardust Mirage as the fool who challenged the Central association's genius, especially if she failed to qualify later.
However, it wasn't just the beer-bellied man who realized this.
All the media personnel present were thrilled by this statement. In their line of work, they weren't afraid of people saying foolish things; they were afraid of a lack of sensational material.
Everyone here was a professional with some understanding of horse girl races. They could certainly see that Stardust Mirage had shown considerable skill in her two races.
But ultimately, she was just a local horse girl. She probably had no idea about the power of the Central-level competitors, right?
Now this Stardust Mirage was publicly challenging Tokai Teio, specifically in the Triple Crown?
At least they had their headline for tomorrow!
Thinking this, the crowd immediately pressed closer, eager to continue the interview.
But contrary to their expectations, after finishing her speech, Stardust Mirage ignored the approaching beer-bellied man and the crowd of media personnel. She simply stood up, bowed to indicate the end, turned around, and left the venue without looking back.
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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