Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 555 The Queen of Autumn
A week after the Emperor's autumn viewing ended, the streets and alleys of Japan were still immersed in the competition.

Video replays, winners' stage, special programs... traces of this competition can be seen everywhere.

At Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, a giant electronic screen plays the story of breaking through the rain every day, while neon lights next to it form the words "Queen of Autumn," flashing in the night sky.

At the entrance of a convenience store in Shibuya, employees wearing aprons excitedly promote merchandise printed with festival patterns to every passerby.

The exterior of the Ginza Building also has screens that play the entire game almost continuously.

Whenever slow-motion footage of the Northern Henjong crossing the finish line is broadcast, many pedestrians on the street will unconsciously stop and cheer, waving their arms in anticipation and excitement.

Compared to these, apart from the Emperor's autumn appreciation posters that haven't been taken down yet, the building where the URA Association is located doesn't seem to have much publicity.

That day, after a meeting ended and a wave of reporters left, the Emperor of the East Sea arrived at a lounge. He breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly reached into his pocket with a smile.

"Oh, right, McQueen, this is for you."

Standing beside the East Sea Emperor was none other than Megumi McQueen, who had just attended the meeting and dealt with reporters with her.

While pouring water next to the water dispenser, McQueen heard his friend's words and looked over curiously:
"What...wait? This...wasn't it supposed to still be in production?"

In Megumi McQueen's view, the East Sea Emperor held two palm-sized dolls in his hands.

The doll's appearance was none other than the currently renowned Northern Black Steed.

The two Northern Black Horse dolls are exactly the same, both wearing G1 victory outfits, and hanging diagonally on the outfits is a sash with the words "Emperor's Autumn Appreciation Victory" written on it.

"It's already in mass production. You didn't fall asleep during the meeting, did you?"

Having made a joke that wasn't too big or too small, the Emperor of the East Sea walked over, handed a doll to Megumi McQueen, took a glass of warm water from him, thanked him, and took a sip of water.
"These two are samples. They were originally supposed to be one for each person attending the meeting, but I saw there were extras, so I just grabbed one, hehe."

"You're like a little kid..."

With a wry smile, McQueen shook his head, took a sip of water, and walked towards the window.

Looking down, one could see that the billboards and streetlights nearby were all adorned with posters of the Emperor enjoying the autumn scenery, many of which featured the Northern Genko (a famous horse in Japanese folklore).

Looking at those posters, Megumi McQueen couldn't help but smile:
"The era known as the Northern Black Horse..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Emperor of the East Sea, who had also walked over, curled the corners of his lips, but his words carried a hint of complaint:
"The times...sigh, this commentary was a bit too exaggerated. Although the scene wasn't entirely incomprehensible, it was still...ultimately too exaggerated."

"This is the first year of the Year of the Horse, and it's already being praised to this extent. Doesn't it put any pressure on people at all?"

Listening to the complaints, Megumi McQueen nodded slightly, but when she glanced at her friend beside her out of the corner of her eye, her smile widened unconsciously.

Indeed, the fact that it has gained its current reputation in the first year of the Year of the Horse is a huge pressure not only for Northern Black Horse, but for any female racehorse.

The Shining Series is exciting but also brutal; things can change in an instant, and victory or defeat can happen in the blink of an eye.

Just like this autumn appreciation event by the Emperor, if it were to happen again, it's hard to say how it would end.

Due to the rain, all the athletes were slower than usual.

For example, the previous third wave had a time of 34.2, but this time the Northern Black Horse only managed 37.9.

She crossed the finish line right after, as did the other racehorses, though the slowest of them all still finished in 37.6 seconds.

The most impressive runner, Manle, even clocked 37.1 seconds, almost a second faster than the Northern Black Horse.

The reasons why they were able to win the championship even though the competition ended so long ago and they were so slow have been analyzed.

The key is the inner path. It's not surprising that the inner path is shorter than the outer path, which is common knowledge. And it's also common knowledge that the inner path is quite physically demanding in the rain.

However, for the Northern Black Steed, physical strength is its greatest advantage.

This meant that the other competitors didn't consider the muddy inner road section from the start, allowing the Northern Black Horse to seize this advantageous position as soon as it entered the straight from the bend, thus getting closer to the finish line than its rivals.

Furthermore, being in first place alone meant he received the least interference, making his victory a natural outcome.

Therefore, if we were to do it all over again, and the weather happened to be a little earlier, it would be extremely difficult for the Northern Black Horse to win.

Of course, luck, or rather, the ability to make timely and decisive use of the weather, is part of one's skill.

The problem is that the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen, two heavyweight G1 races, are coming up one after another. Even titles like "Queen of Autumn" and "Synonym of an Era" are coming. It's hard to say whether Genko Kitakata can handle it.

However, in that brief glance, McQueen clearly saw that his friend's mouth was practically stretched to the sky, so there was no need to bring it up and spoil the mood.

Moreover, if she were still as carefree and playful as she was back then, that would be one thing, but the current Emperor of the East Sea has long since shed that childishness and even frivolity. His experience and knowledge are no less than hers, so there is no need to worry that she will be blinded by love.

So those complaints were actually just heartfelt joy and relief for the younger generation who used to follow behind and are now shining brightly.

As if hearing her thoughts, the Emperor of the East Sea feigned complaints for a while before gradually revealing a serious expression.

Quite abruptly, his gaze, which had been fixed on the window, lifted, and he looked out into the distance towards the Eastern Sea Empire:
"So, what's next for the arrangements for the day after tomorrow?"

"Yeah, this lineup was completely unexpected last year."

Not surprised by his friend's change of topic, Megumi McQueen gradually became serious and nodded, saying:

"The outbreak in France, the postponement in Ireland, the Night-blooming Flower in Germany, and the dazzling and frosty California in the United States..."

"The Japan Cup...it seems like it's been a while since we've had such a star-studded lineup."

“The Australian athletes don’t seem interested, but they are definitely more focused on their sprint races.”

They responded in perfect unison, and then the Emperor of the East Sea suddenly smiled again:
"So, I was wrong before."

Megumi McQueen was taken aback: "What...did I say something wrong?"

"When the Emperor was enjoying the autumn scenery, didn't I say we should just treat it as a memorial for Arima?"

Smiling, the Emperor of the East Sea's eyes were full of anticipation:
"Now it seems that's not the case at all."

"Putting aside Arima Kinen, the level of excitement in this year's Japan Cup is... absolutely no less than that of Tenshu."

……

While the outside world was buzzing about the Northern Black Horse, on the night the Emperor of the East Sea and Megumi McQueen were discussing how to entertain overseas athletes, in the office of Yasui Makoto and others.

The campus was no longer bustling with daytime noise, but the offices were brightly lit.

With a slightly twisted smile, Alice was mixing a potion at her dedicated research table.

Across from him, Yasui Makoto looked serious as he organized horse racing girl files on his computer screen.

Next to Yasui Makoto, Kita Genkoto rested his chin on the table, tilted his head back, and stared at Yasui Makoto with a resentful look.

(End of this chapter)