Staring at the message on the screen, Tokai Teio fell into a long silence.
At first, the message had been sent by her fans and friends…
They said they'd seen it in some random group chat.
It wasn't like the friend wanted to shove this "trash" into Teio's face—she just wanted to warn her.
You've got a number-one anti-fan!
How much do they have to hate you to fantasize up something like this?
So—
When Teio saw it…
"What's wrong, Teio?" Mayano Top Gun, still awake beside her, looked over curiously. Even someone as dense as her could tell Teio's expression was off.
Tokai Teio forced out a smile. "Nothing. I'm very happy right now."
As if she really were as calm as her expression—long and gentle like grass.
Then—
She walked into the shower stall.
"Yada yada yada yada yada!"
"I don't want this! At least wait until ten years after I'm dead!"
Mayano Top Gun calmly rolled over, ready to sleep.
She treated the little girl's whining like it didn't exist.
Who had said it again? Some mature senior horse girl, maybe—she'd said adults needed a bit of dignity in their world.
The little-grown-up Mayano Top Gun decided to give Teio that dignity.
But honestly—
Tokai Teio was pretty angry.
It was just that, paired with her soft, sweet looks and her not-at-all-intimidating "huff," it came off more like she was pouting and acting cute.
She vented her emotions.
Tokai Teio finally steadied herself.
"Teio… absolutely won't lose!"
"At least!"
"Absolutely! Until I've taken the undefeated Triple Crown, I won't lose to any of you! The Gold family aiming for a second Triple Crown—Gold Ship, that 'noble-blood' lady, that overpowered monster horse girl, all of them…"
"Carrying the name Teio, I will not lose!!!"
Staring at her face reflected in the mirror, Tokai Teio murmured to herself.
Like some psychological manifestation, that sharp confidence surged through her heart again.
Her presence felt like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Tokai Teio thought—
She didn't reject any challenge.
Climbing the peak, ascending the throne called the "Classic Triple Crown," meant stepping over heaps of corpses—feeding on other people's frustration and grief.
If you didn't have that headlong, unstoppable momentum—
There was no way you could win the Classic Triple Crown.
As she thought…
An idea suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Should she…
enter the debut race six days from now?
Smash this doubt head-on?
Make everyone submit, completely convinced!
Once the thought formed, Teio couldn't decide right away.
So she called the most important person to her—
"The Emperor," Symboli Rudolf.
The moment the dial tone turned into a clear connection—
Tokai Teio's voice went syrup-sweet.
"President~"
"What's wrong, Teio?" Symboli Rudolf's voice carried a hint of fatigue.
Recently, she'd been busy with matters concerning Orfevre—another potential Classic Triple Crown contender after the "Great Shock."
Rumor had it the final leg, the Kikuka Sho, had already sold nearly seventy thousand tickets.
Orfevre had crushing popularity—support ratings at a shocking 58.28%!
Almost half the audience wanted to witness another world-conquering feat.
So as student council president, Symboli Rudolf had been communicating nonstop with the JRA—
trying to deliver a Kikuka Sho worthy of being an answer sheet.
Tokai Teio briefly explained what had happened.
"…So that's what it was." Symboli Rudolf couldn't help laughing.
It really was like kids bickering, she thought.
The Emperor, long used to high office, judged rationally:
"Think about it. Across all of Tokyo, how many horse girls can actually beat you? You can count them on one hand—Lady, Gold Ship… those types."
"Lady's debut race is already over."
"And Gold Ship's debut race is next spring, not the end of this year."
"So no one can beat you."
Unless some unbelievably strong, totally unknown country bumpkin crawled out of some backwater corner and kicked Tokai Teio like she was roadside trash.
Do you really think that's possible?
Do you really think something like that will happen?
That kind of bumpkin…
would have to be Oguri Cap level!
The ash-gray Cinderella who single-handedly saved an entire bubble-economy era!
And Oguri Cap would have something to say too:
Who do you think you are, trying to rub shoulders with me?
By rights, a horse girl of your level doesn't get to "huff" at me!
In the end, Symboli Rudolf encouraged her:
"If you want to race in the debut race six days from now, then do it."
"Yay!" Teio's voice stayed sweet as ever.
But Symboli Rudolf still kept a trace of caution.
The race wasn't over yet—no popping champagne.
She quickly came up with a plan.
"But…"
"You still can't let your guard down."
Symboli Rudolf chose her words.
"How about this, Teio. Are you free tomorrow? I'll arrange a few horse girls to spar with you. Lady, who just finished her debut race, seems like she wants to keep raising her level."
"The two of you can treat each other as opponents—both of you will gain experience."
Tokai Teio froze.
"Huh…? I'm free tomorrow."
"Then tomorrow. I'll contact Lady," Symboli Rudolf said.
After a bit more talking, the Emperor hung up.
As her fingertips rubbed across the screen…
Sitting in her redwood chair, Symboli Rudolf suddenly remembered the "civilian" horse girl she'd run into that night.
She didn't know the girl's name.
She only remembered that silhouette—
and for some reason, it resurfaced now.
Symboli Rudolf shook her head.
But even she, based on the strength that girl had shown that night, wouldn't be able to beat Tokai Teio.
Unless her strength skyrocketed in a very short time.
If Tokai Teio knew what her beloved president was thinking right now, she'd definitely yell:
"Holy crap, that's insane!"
Symboli Rudolf cut off the wandering thoughts and promptly found Lady's contact info.
...
...
At the same time, on the other side—
Events wove together like a net, threading onward toward a fated ending already written.
A white-haired girl crouched on a tatami mat.
Fuuka Shirayuki stared at the registration restrictions on the screen in utter disbelief.
"Holy—!"
What kind of era is this?
An era of "who's your dad," "who's your family," "who's got power"?
You're strong?
So what?
Being strong doesn't mean jack!
In this world, you make it by background and family!
And you, a country bumpkin, still want to climb upward?
For no reason at all, that line popped into Fuuka Shirayuki's mind…
But at least the JRA still gave common-born horse girls a way out:
You could enter their pre-debut races, prove your strength, and then—naturally—qualify for Tokyo's newcomer debut race.
It was just a bit like nesting dolls.
And besides—
Time didn't allow Fuuka Shirayuki to take that route.
In other words—
If she wanted to duel Tokai Teio in the debut race six days from now,
then right now, she either had to become a Tokyo Tracen student—
or find a senior to write her a recommendation letter.
…So in the end, horse girls really were bloodline creatures?
Do they all turn into families and conglomerates?
Are horse girls really this dark?
Apologize to love and dreams, you bastard!
Then…
Fuuka Shirayuki thought,
Tomorrow, she should go out and take a look at Central Tracen Academy.
She'd heard it was dazzling and extravagant—more splendid than Versailles.
And the horse girls there were Japan's strongest—each with their own elite pedigree:
Mejiro, Gold, Brave bloodlines, American exchange students…
None of them would be ordinary.
Compared to them, Fuuka Shirayuki was a complete and total country bumpkin.
But her eyes held a determined light.
Even if she was a bumpkin crawling out of some forgotten corner,
she would still rise with hot-blooded determination—
and become the number one horse girl in the world!
Some chairman, personally driving a road roller to fix the lawn because of budget deficits: "?"
"Do you even hear what you're saying, little sis?"
Fuuka Shirayuki pulled her thoughts back.
If all else failed…
Tomorrow she'd show them what she could do at Tracen!
A god only needed to reveal a sliver of talent—
and those people would hurry to offer recommendation letters,
begging her to race in the debut race six days from now!
-------
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