Uma Musume no Nama no Nichijou (Horse Girl), First and foremost

"Cross the finish line!!!!"

Just as the two racehorses finished their race, the other racehorses began to catch up.

Golden Victory and Sakura Star King immediately noticed the close-up of the facial expressions of the two horse girls on the field.

Panting, his movements became less exaggerated and terrifying than before, but he didn't immediately display any particular attitude.

This peritoneal appearance made Golden Victory frown.

"Tsk, this is a close match..."

Deep down, she hoped her horse girl would win the race, but she didn't know what would actually happen.

If it were her in a situation where the other person was running for their life on the line, and she also had to run for her life on the line...

Well, there's no comparison. She's naturally a bit behind other racehorses of her caliber in racing, and her tactics, which focus on momentum and skill, make her a completely different tactical situation from almost all other racehorses.

As for whether this match can be decided, Pure White Horse Girl can only offer "I don't know" as her best answer.

Without any prior announcement, official footage and high-speed action cameras captured the crucial moment as the race crossed the finish line.

That scene ultimately foreshadowed the outcome of the match.

"Let's congratulate racehorse number two, Tamamo Cross, on winning this Takarazuka Memorial Race by a mere neck's margin!!!"

Neck...

After seeing the scores on the panel and the results announced by the announcer, Pure White Horse Girl finally broke into a relaxed smile, and the teeth marks she had made from biting her lip due to tension slowly regained their color.

Ultimately, she still really hoped that Tamamo Cross would win this match.

Just as the audience was about to cheer, and some people actually did cheer, the announcement of the match result was not yet over:

"Congratulations to Tamamo Cross for winning all three races of the Spring Triple Crown and becoming a Triple Crown racehorse girl! Her name will be recorded in the history of Japanese racehorse girls forever!"

"There's more! There's more!!!"

His breathing became rapid, yet he seemed to have lost his mind and didn't finish his explanation. Instead, he raised his breath again, as if he wanted to tear his heart out.

Upon hearing this information, many female racehorses, especially those from prestigious racehorses other than the Golden Family, immediately frowned.

No way...

"Congratulations to the Golden Family! Golden Victory became the first Triple Crown winner in Japanese horse racing history, and Tamamo Cross became the second Triple Crown winner to achieve this honor, completing a back-to-back Spring Triple Crown victories!!!"

Instantly, the entire audience, having witnessed two historic events and digested this shocking information, fell into an uncontrollable state of jubilation.

Chapter 249 It's Your Turn

Cheers! Screams!

That was another explosion as the audience had reached their limit.

Just like how racehorses can surpass their limits through their domain state at crucial moments on the racetrack, the spectators who watch the race and learn the results can also surpass their limits in this exciting moment!

The noise and the excitement were so intense that the spectators were even worried that the Hanshin Racecourse might be ruined by them.

Even though there were quite a few noblewomen who were somewhat embarrassed by the news, they only made up a tiny minority. In fact, most of the noblewomen cheered loudly along with the rest of the group.

Interestingly, even though Golden Victory's ears twitched slightly and his voice was almost deaf, he could still see the presence of many of his teammates.

"Tsk tsk, you skipped training but came to watch the game and didn't even say anything, huh? We'll remember that."

Cherry Blossom Star King: "..."

It was tough on them too. As their trainer, Golden Victory directly ordered them to obediently do what they were supposed to do, and anyone who dared to come and watch the match would have to go back and have their training volume doubled.

"Um, sister, you..."

Before Sakura Star King could even offer any advice, the pure white horse girl pouted and started to complain:

"If they come to watch the game every time they win one or two G1 matches, the team will fall apart. They definitely need to be kept under strict supervision. If they really want to celebrate, they can do it in the later matches."

Winning will become a habit of support, and the more competitions they participate in, the more their active female riders will be worn down.

It's not that watching the game is a waste of time, but similar debriefing work happens in their regular team training, so it's unnecessary.

If we lose... the negative impact of witnessing it in person will undoubtedly outweigh the positive ones.

The main point is... Golden Victory believes there's no need to put that kind of pressure on those who are going to participate in the competition, nor is it necessary to put that kind of pressure on those who haven't participated yet.

It's no longer a question of whether or not we have confidence; it's a question of whether or not it's necessary.

"Hmm, but I guess it's okay for Victory Sister to do it occasionally, right?"

"Occasionally... we just use up their leave quota."

After thinking about it, I decided not to be so heartless. The main reason is that even after Pure White Horse Girl warned me like that, some people still came to watch the game with a rebellious attitude, which means that Golden Victory's approach definitely needs to be adjusted.

The cheers continued, but Golden Victory wisely shifted the topic elsewhere.

Is it mainly because she herself doesn't feel anything about such a reputation?

Putting aside the fact that they were already mentally prepared, compared to Tamamo Cross winning the Triple Crown Uma Musume title, the fact that she and the Golden Family behind her achieved consecutive victories is really meaningless to Golden Victory.

After the thought crossed her mind, the pure white horse girl immediately made a joke to the Sakura Star King next to her:

"Wow, this commentator is really... not working anymore, huh?"

Upon hearing this news, Golden Victory couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.

After all, even if the world has more or less vindicated the Takarazuka Memorial Race in their hearts, it is a different matter to say it out loud, or even through the mouth of a race commentator.

It's an official endorsement to some extent, and the kind of endorsement that's hard to back out of afterward.

Just like back then, if it weren't for the fact that the Horse Girls Association had absolute control in that era, and all public opinion was pointing to Sakura Victory's death and that her death was inextricably linked to the winning Pure White Horse Girl.

The problem is that right after the race ended, there was another commentator just like the one we're talking about now, who excitedly shouted that the first Spring Triple Crown winner in Japanese horse racing history had been born.

It was fun, but the official's subsequent attempt to retract the match result was a waste of a lot of resources.

Upon hearing Golden Victory's sarcastic remark, Sakura Star King's face broke into a relieved smile:

"It's hard to say... Maybe this time, my dear sister, you can regain your former honor through this coincidence."

"Oh, you make it sound so easy. To be honest, we haven't reached an agreement with the Sakura family yet."

Firstly, compared to personal honor and achievements, Pure White Horse Girl cares more about the impact of her aura and skills on the times and the development of her companions.

Secondly... When it comes to winning or losing, Golden Victory has her own pride. For her, winning is winning, and losing is losing. There's no need to draw so-called official conclusions from other people.

Perhaps, there was also a tiny bit of personal motive involved...

Seeing Golden Victory's seemingly carefree and indifferent appearance, Sakura Star King bit his lip slightly.

Perhaps the two have been spending some time together, or perhaps she had already gained some understanding of this "opponent that the older sister desperately wanted to defeat" even earlier.

When she called out "Victory Sister," she probably had already imagined meeting Golden Victory in her mind.

"Then, Sister Victory, do your best to win it."

Golden Victory: "Huh?"

"What's right is right, and we can't continue to be wrong."

"Moreover, the fact that my sister continues to receive this honor after her death makes me feel that it is a burden and a humiliation for her."

"Besides, I'm already a member of the Golden Family. You may not want this honor, but it's still very necessary for the operation of the entire family."

"After all, if I dwell on the past, my sister will probably call me an idiot and a fool..."

Upon hearing this, for some reason, Golden Victory suddenly realized that he did indeed seem to be distinctly different from the atmosphere of the entire arena.

While others were moving into a new era, Kim Seung-ri believed himself to be one of the best, constantly striving forward with vision and perspective beyond the ordinary, until he had surpassed everyone else.

Looking back, however, it seems that there are still some aspects of what she did that were not so advanced; on the contrary, they could even be described as outdated.

You said it one minute and then went back on your word the next, huh? Typical Golden Victory.

Looking at the racehorse girl who had already received cheers from countless people before even waving at the racetrack, the pure white horse girl seemed to see the ghost that existed in the Takarazuka Memorial.

"Hey, if I care about this, I won't be able to freely decide the outcome of my own match, right?"

Stubbornly uttering a word, he tacitly agreed to Sakura Star King's plan, while inwardly bidding farewell to that figure from the past.

Farewell, cherry blossoms in victory...

Off the track, cheers continued unabated. Most of the female racehorses who had finished their races did not show much resentment because of their defeat or the victory of others.

Including Meguro Dylan and Golden City, these two racehorse girls, they actually seem to be...

He seemed relieved.

How should I put it...?

Perhaps it was because of this competition that they subconsciously felt they shouldn't be competing for the victory?

That's what they thought, but a few subtle glances still drifted toward the tall horse girl standing next to Tamamo Cross.

The Japanese emperor did not seem to have any particular reaction after the results were announced. She simply walked towards Tamamo Cross with the same serious posture as during the competition.

Compared to Tamamo Cross, who already seemed exhausted, the Japanese Emperor's momentum was undiminished, giving the horse girls present the illusion that this was not the Japanese Emperor's retirement race, but rather the last race in Tamamo Cross's horse girl career.

Tamamo Cross: "..."

The two locked eyes, and even though the match was over, the intense tension seemed to linger.

From the moment the participants for the Takarazuka Memorial were selected, to the competition on the field, until the moment the winner was decided.

All of this ultimately boils down to one sentence:

"congratulations."

After saying this, his serious expression softened considerably, and he seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden.

Instead, Tamamo Cross looked a little embarrassed on her tired face.

"Hey, I'm very grateful, but I don't know why, I just feel like I couldn't completely beat you. Sorry."

After she said those words of apology, the Japanese emperor, her adversary, understood what she meant.

"It's nothing more than the application of tactics. Perhaps I should say that I lacked self-awareness, but now that I think about it, it doesn't seem necessary."

Could someone who disregarded everything have truly won against this racehorse girl?