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

Of course, she could no longer criticize her most beloved child. In fact, her final outburst even amazed her. This was an unprecedented achievement for an emperor, which could be said to have surpassed perfection.

But she was not satisfied.

Rudolph, the symbol of the racehorse revered as the Emperor and holding the legendary title of undefeated triple crown + seven crown, is dissatisfied with the final sprint.

The emperor's outburst was impeccable, but what about the other one?

Stardust Illusion: From the very beginning, Rudolf noticed that she seemed to lack the will to win.

At the time, Rudolf simply believed that the racehorse girl had never experienced a real race, which was why she acted that way.

But in the final competition, she hesitated.

In such an intense race, no complicated thoughts should exist. Both the Emperor and the Stardust Illusion were completely focused on the race, but... why did they hesitate?

“Stardust illusion…she’s still confused about why she’s running,” Rudolf said, sharing his thoughts.

"Confused?" QiGao repeated in surprise, "She ran to that level, even using Oguri Hat's running style, is that really something a confused racehorse girl could do?!"

"I can't be wrong. I hope this defeat will truly wake her up. A racehorse girl of that caliber shouldn't have ended up like this."

Rudolf sighed. Even with only the gas tank beside her, she didn't speak as formally as usual.

However, that doesn't mean Rudolph will give up on his plan to recruit Stardust Illusion into Central Academy. It's not surprising that an untrained racehorse girl would have all sorts of problems; the important thing is how to educate her.

She was just... disappointed with the outcome of that match.

"One horse leads the way, all others fall silent... Stardust illusion, if you understand this principle, how far can you go?"

------------------

"Ouch... I can't move an inch...!" Stardust Illusion, whose muscles were being massaged by the staff, gasped in pain and complained.

At this moment, Stardust Illusion is lying on a massage bed in the athletes' lounge, where a masseur arranged by the racetrack is helping to relax his muscles and relieve the fatigue brought on by the race.

"However, at least we got second place, so we can get the bounty."

She lay on the bed, silently reflecting on her feelings.

Her contest with the legendary racehorse girl, Donghai Diwang, ultimately ended in defeat for her.

The Stardust Illusion was indeed difficult to accept at first, but fortunately it has gradually eased up now.

Everything will be the same as before. Next, I'll choose some high-reward matches without too many strong opponents and earn enough bounty.

There's no need to go all out like we did today, fighting like madmen to win first place.

Oh right, I think I heard a system notification in my head when I finished running it, so I'll take this opportunity to check it out!

[Host detected to have finished the debut battle in second place, reward 57 PT.]

[Training templates and career missions officially unlocked!]

[Training Template: Any training the host undertakes in any race can be templated, increasing certain numerical attributes based on the training content and results.]

[Career Mission: A mission that requires the host to participate in a race and achieve a certain ranking. Completing the career mission will earn corresponding rewards.]

【下一阶段生涯任务：第2年1月27日 G3级赛事京都牝马特别战，要求名次：前2】

[Task Reward: Random attribute boost of 10-50 points, Panacea x1.]

[Host's self-created skill detected. Effect: During the mid-game when locked in a stalemate with the opponent, speed can be increased for a short period of time.]

Should we name and enter the name into the system?

"Ah, is that it?" Stardust Illusion recalled his two instances of forcibly surpassing the Emperor's footwork as if shrinking the earth, and suddenly realized.

By combining Oguri Hat's skills, her own experience, and the high stability provided by the system panel, she was able to use that move to gain the upper hand. She never expected that the system would actually recognize that move.

"Let's call it Shrinking Earth."

[Skill: Shrinking the Earth has been recorded in the system; the host has acquired the skill: Shrinking the Earth.]

Emperor of the East Sea...

Recalling the scene during the competition, Stardust Illusion couldn't help but recall the determined expression on the East Sea Emperor's face during the final sprint.

It's over, it's already over.

In less than two minutes, the game felt like a dream.

[Emperor of the East Sea! Emperor of the East Sea! Emperor of the East Sea—Runner No. 2, Emperor of the East Sea, one move!!!]

The narrator's voice seemed to be shouting in the Stardust Illusion's ears once again.

The current emperor of the East Sea should still be receiving cheers from all the spectators.

If I could go even faster, accelerate once more, what would the outcome of the race be?

At this moment, standing in the field...

The masseuse silently stopped what she was doing.

Before her, the racehorse who had won second place was staring blankly at the wall facing the racetrack, her face already streaked with tears, seemingly unaware of it.

But the game is indeed over.

Having written this far, I wonder if readers can accept that the protagonist lost his debut battle?

This was actually hinted at from the beginning.

Even the title of the volume, "Debut," is off-topic, and the earlier plot has consistently emphasized the protagonist's lack of will to win.

I'm still worried that you readers might feel it's a bit too cruel to the protagonist.

However, I personally feel that in a sports-themed, action-packed story, the protagonist who initially looks down on the sport definitely needs to experience a defeat before he can learn his lesson; this is a classic trope in storylines.

Many works are written this way: at the beginning, it says things like, "I hate mahjong, swimming, running, American football," and then after actually playing them once, it discovers that its advantages aren't that great, and only after being defeated does it begin to truly develop a desire to win.

I think Stardust Illusion's psychological journey should also follow this pattern, which is why Chapter Ten focuses on depicting her losing the match, trying to deceive and comfort herself, but ultimately shedding tears out of resentment.

From this point on, Stardust Illusion truly became a runner, with the awareness to win, and was qualified to compete on the same stage as other racehorse girls who were running desperately.

After all, it's impossible for everyone else to be an "unyielding emperor," a "true man," a "runner from another dimension," or a "general," while the protagonist is left with nothing but system activation, right? Winning solely through the system's hard work and training is just too unexciting.

Therefore, the main function of my system here is to raise the protagonist's potential, which means that [training effects won't disappear], [the protagonist won't be tormented by injuries], and [stable skill learning effects], ensuring that there won't be a situation where the protagonist's peak level is fixed and can't be improved no matter how much training is done. Overall, it still depends on one's own training and breakthroughs; that's about it.

There won't be any instances where the system directly adds points to the main character until they become invincible. I hope everyone can accept this style.

Chapter Eleven: Huang Shiren's Attack

Clang.

"good afternoon!"

The lounge door was slammed open from the outside, and a small head peeked in through the door frame, looking at the Stardust Illusion.

Your adorable little panda suddenly appeared.jpg

"May I come inside?"

Before the emperor could answer, he burst in with a broad smile.

She had changed into a brand new performance outfit, which was both smart and playful, making her look even cuter.

"Your Majesty... don't wait until you're already inside to ask."

Stardust Illusion, who had just fallen asleep, reluctantly opened its eyes and looked at the racehorse girl in front of it, who had surpassed it, with mixed feelings.

"I'm sorry."

The emperor offered a half-hearted apology, then sat down on the edge of the bed, his eyes sparkling as if they could shine.

Is she going to brag to me about her victory?

Stardust Illusion sat on the bed tidying up his clothes, feeling his limbs, which were now mostly normal, but secretly groaned inwardly.

Having already lost the race, they still come looking for me. Is the Emperor of the East Sea here to deliver the ultimate insult to the victor?!

"That one!" the emperor exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the Stardust Illusion's left hand. "What's with that footwork? Can you tell me?"

"...Huh?"

"That's the one! The one you surpassed me on!"

The emperor, not understanding what he meant by the stardust illusion before him, quickly stood up from his chair.

She struck an exaggerated running pose, raising one leg straight up high before slamming it to the ground—

She was referring to shrinking the earth.

Although the emperor's movements were actually quite unorthodox, Stardust Illusion suddenly realized what was happening, but what followed was helplessness.

She knew about the emperor's naturally outgoing personality from her previous life, but this was just too much! How could someone who had only known her for a day and had only just sparred with her ask for advice on how to run?

"That running technique is amazing! It disappears in a flash and then appears ahead. I've never seen anyone use it in the academy. Could it be an illusion you came up with yourself?"

When the topic of running came up, the Emperor of the East Sea seemed very excited, his ears twitching incessantly. He circled the Stardust Illusion Bed, turning left and right, his eyes filled with boundless curiosity.

For her, winning the debut battle should have been an easy task, but she was almost defeated by this new friend she had only met that morning. It was only through a burst of determination and an unexpected third sprint that she managed to barely retain her champion status.

The emperor was not ashamed of this; on the contrary, she was delighted to have encountered such a powerful opponent. For the first time, the Donghai emperor, who had been the object of many people's high hopes since childhood, felt her fighting spirit burning fiercely in the competition.

Stardust Illusion, the racehorse girl who twice surpassed him in speed—the Emperor couldn't wait to know everything about this formidable rival!

Stardust Illusion looked at the emperor before her, her gaze gradually shifting from curiosity to a more aggressive intent, and she quickly spoke:

"That running technique was something I came up with randomly when I was working in my hometown. I call it 'shrinking the earth'—it's something I could teach to an emperor like you, but I don't think it's suitable for your legs."

As Stardust Illusion spoke, he shifted his gaze to the legs of the East Sea Emperor.

These are a pair of straight, long, and beautiful legs, with streamlined muscles tightly supporting the bones, and a hint of the lingering heat from the competition still visible beneath the fair skin...

"Stardust illusion?"