Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

"Understood," Bourbon replied immediately, putting down his knife and fork.

"Okay, Grandma, stop teasing her, or she'll really run away!"

As Megumi Ryan watched the Stardust Illusion tense up, he could only stand up helplessly and interrupt the increasingly tense atmosphere.

"Huh?"

Stardust Illusion paused for a moment, looking at White Ryan with suspicion, trying to determine if this was a delaying tactic.

"I'm sorry, Grandma really enjoys joking with guests like that." Ryan bowed awkwardly to the Stardust Illusion, apologizing on behalf of Lady Megumi.

"Haha, at least the first half wasn't a joke." Lady Meguro suddenly dropped her dignified expression and burst into laughter.

“My judgment is never wrong. Young lady, your descendants will surely shine brightly. So, how about considering marrying into the family? McQueen is a very lovely boy, and Ryan is very popular with everyone.”

"Then let's forget about it, Lady Mejiro."

Seeing that the other party had lost its previous unyielding aura, Stardust Illusion breathed a sigh of relief and quickly refused:

"What I want is to be able to run freely on the track. I don't have any intention of thinking about these things yet—regardless of gender."

"What a pity." Lady Meguro shook her head, but did not insist any further.

She walked straight into the restaurant and sat down in the previously empty head seat. Lady Meguro glanced at Miura Nami, who was still staring at her intently, with a look of interest.

"And this one? I remember his name is Miura Bourbon, right? His lead in the previous race left a deep impression on me. How about he marry into Ryan's family?"

"Grandma! Stop joking like that, or I'll really tell Sister Gaofeng!" Megumi Ryan protested loudly, his expression one of utter helplessness.

"Alright, alright, let's get straight to the point." Lady Megumi quickly waved her hand to indicate her surrender. "Stardust Illusion, what do you think of McQueen?"

"Is this really the main point?"

Seemingly because the other party's attitude had improved, Stardust Illusion was no longer as reserved as before and immediately began to question them.

The topic seems to have changed, but it still comes down to asking yourself what you think of McQueen. You're looking up information at Mejiro matchmaking agency, right?

"What I mean is, what do you think of McQueen's performance in the last competition?"

Lady Meguro seemed to realize that the other party had misunderstood her meaning, so she continued:

“She lost to you last time, right? She didn’t even make it into the top three. Although she didn’t show it at the time, she’s been quite bothered by it afterwards.”

“Metsubou McQueen…” Stardust Illusion became serious when the topic of the competition came up, recalling the events of the match as she answered:

"It seems that she lost her composure at the beginning of the race because she encountered a distance she was not good at and a runaway tactic at the same time, and thus missed the opportunity to sprint and had no chance to compete for the win."

“That’s right.” Lady Meguro tapped the table with her folding fan in agreement. “McQueen is too focused on the honor of the Meguro family. He’s only thinking about dominating long-distance races and has neglected many things that he shouldn’t have.”

"Ah, is McQueen trying to achieve the Mejiro family's three generations of domination?"

Stardust Illusion vaguely remembered this incident; after Megure McQueen's debut, many news outlets brought it up and reported on it.

Megumi Asama and Megumi Titan both once dominated the Ultron Prize, and Megumi McQueen has shown exceptional long-distance racing talent from the very beginning, so it's not surprising that he would be looking forward to this.

"That's right. Asama and Titan are both her older sisters. The outside world comparing the three of them probably puts a lot of pressure on this child."

Lady Megumi sighed softly and looked at the Stardust Illusion, saying:

"She's probably stuck in a rut right now, locking herself in the house and not going out. If possible, could you please help persuade McQueen?"

Looking at Lady Megumi's face, which showed a hint of weakness and worry, Stardust Illusion had a headache.

Megumi McQueen, the racehorse girl, was destined to shine in the upcoming races. Not only did she take first place in two consecutive races, but she also achieved a three-generation reign and a consecutive reign in the Tenno Spring. She can be said to be a well-deserved long-distance champion.

But now he's become withdrawn because he ran a training match with himself that wasn't publicly announced.

It would be a real shame if McQueen's confidence was completely shattered by her own escape strategy, causing her to miss out on those achievements.

Moreover, Lady Meguro seemed quite worried about her...

Thinking of this, the Stardust Illusion raised its head again and nodded to Meguro Ryan and Lady Meguro, who were looking at it expectantly:

"Although I don't know what I can do, it would be a real shame if McQueen really gave up - I'm looking forward to competing with this rival in her area of ​​expertise."

"So you've agreed to help persuade her?" Lady Meguro pressed.

"Okay, let me give it a try."

“Alright, Ryan, take her to McQueen’s bedroom.” Lady Mejiro smiled with satisfaction, then gestured for Ryan, who was standing to the side, to lead the Stardust Illusion out of the dining room and towards the room atop the castle.

After being on guard for half a day, Miura Bourbon did not receive any escape signal. She watched the departing Stardust Illusion, then stood up and followed it, leaving only Lady Meguro and a large group of servants in the dining room.

"Stardust Illusion... Oguri Hat 2.0?"

Watching the departing figure of the Stardust Illusion, Lady Megumi's previously worried expression vanished without a trace.

"Madam, is this alright?"

The elderly servant standing behind Lady Meguro bent down and asked in a low voice.

The old woman's eyes gleamed with cunning. With a flick of her right hand, she opened her folding fan, shielding her eyes from view, and chuckled to herself.

"In my opinion, she is not some second-generation Oguri Hat... Her learning talent and the temperament that she was born with are similar to that monster, but they are actually completely different."

"As long as Stardust Illusion doesn't suffer any injuries or accidents, she will definitely be able to reach the top of Uma Musume... She has this kind of talent, a genius that is one in a million."

"Let McQueen and her get along well. Although I don't force the children to be together, I can still play matchmaker."

"McQueen's charm is hard to resist, and Stardust Illusion will soon experience the child's adorable appearance."

Haha, I'm really looking forward to it.

Chapter Sixty-Four: Stumbling upon someone taking a bath is a classic plot point.

Meguro Ryan brought the Stardust Illusion and Miura Bourbon to the third floor of the castle.

By now, darkness was beginning to fall. The hazy moonlight streamed through the windows onto the stone bricks in front of them, making the castle appear even more ancient and solemn.

"McQueen's room is here."

Ryan stopped in front of an elegant door and said this, her voice echoing in the quiet corridor.

Stardust Illusion turned its head to look. The door was made of hard oak, with delicate patterns carved on the frame. These patterns, though weathered by time, were still clearly visible, as if telling an ancient story.

"Why don't you go in and talk to McQueen first? I'll take Bourbon to the lounge to change his clothes and rest for a while."

Ryan placed a somewhat antique-looking brass key into Stardust Illusion's hand, then waved his hand.

Speaking of changing clothes, Stardust Illusion suddenly remembered that he and Bourbon were wearing sportswear that had been covered in mud and dust from a day of training, which was completely out of place in the castle in front of them.

"Hey, I need to change my clothes too. It wouldn't be good to get something in the room dirty, would it?" she quickly called out to Ryan, who was about to leave.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's more important for McQueen to see the real you." Ryan waved his hand with a bright smile. "What racehorse girl would complain about the dust from training? Bye-bye!"

Watching Ryan take Bourbon away and the two of them disappear quickly from his sight, Stardust Illusion's eyes twitched a few times, feeling as if he had been tricked.

But... there is no doubt that they do not want McQueen to become discouraged.

Thinking of this, Stardust Illusion knocked on the door, but after waiting for a long time, it did not hear any response.

Is she asleep?

Stardust Illusion thought this, but when she looked at her watch, she realized it was only a little past seven o'clock at night, which was obviously not the time for a racehorse girl to sleep.

That is, as Lady Meguro said, she is still depressed and therefore unwilling to communicate with outsiders?

What should we do? Should we wait? Or...?

Stardust Illusion shifted its gaze to the key that Ryan had handed it to it.

Normally, it would be very impolite for the host to open the door and enter without responding, but both Mrs. Mejiro and Ryan asked me to persuade McQueen to get over the influence of the competition.

So all I can do is go in and take a look? I'll apologize again if I offend anyone...

Stardust Illusion twisted the key and gently pushed open the door, revealing an elegant room before her.

The first impression upon entering was that the room was incredibly large, even more luxurious than an average person's entire residence. The furnishings were both magnificent and exuded a princess-like atmosphere, with exquisite oil paintings on the walls depicting a portrait of Megumi McQueen as a child.

In the center of the room stood a large bed, its sheets and pillowcases adorned with various sweet cake patterns, and a purple bedspread gently draped over it. Beside the bed sat a pair of exquisitely crafted dolls, representing the Mejiro family's elders: Mejiro Asama and Mejiro Titan.

Although no one was in sight yet, Stardust Illusion could smell the faint scent of roses filling the entire room.

But where did McQueen go?

Not in bed, not at the desk, and not by the window...

As she was thinking this, she suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the partitioned area on the left side of the room.

"Did I disturb you?"

Stardust Illusion stood at the door and asked again, but still received no response. The rustling sound that could still be heard stopped just then.

She followed the sound into the room, then turned around—the sound had come from the door leading to the bathroom inside the room.

Wait, the bathroom?

Looking closely, she could even see the faint silhouette of a person behind the decorative glass on the door. The rustling sound she had just heard was the sound of water coming from inside the room.

The Stardust Illusion instantly realized its current situation and quickly turned around and walked outside.

However, at that moment, the bathroom door was pushed open, and a figure with long, light purple hair walked out, muttering something as she went, seemingly talking to herself:

McQueen was only wrapped in a thin bathrobe, her hair still wet, clearly having just taken a shower. As she combed her hair, she muttered to herself, "What's going on? This can't be. How come it's increased again? I was trying to control it... Hmm?"

Halfway through his sentence, McQueen realized there were other people in the room and looked up, his face full of confusion.

"...Stardust illusion?"

Confused, she asked, then realized what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, her face quickly flushing red.

“Stardust Illusion?!” McQueen exclaimed, frantically wrapping her bathrobe tightly around herself, her voice trembling slightly.

"What's going on? What are you doing here... No, you didn't hear anything... No, that's not right either! Get out! Anyway, get out of here!!!"

Stardust Illusion, who had been stunned for a long time, finally snapped out of her daze and immediately apologized: "Ah, I'm sorry! I knocked on the door for a long time and no one answered, so—anyway, I'll go out first! I'll explain this later!"

Damn it, Lady Meguro is lying to me again!!!

Stardust Illusion stumbled toward the door, cursing under its breath.

Stardust Illusion couldn't detect any sign of despondency in McQueen's current state.