Umamusume's days are numbered

...No, there are version updates? This broken system can still be maintained?

[Version updated]

[Announcement: This update adds achievements related to the "Citibank Sha Tin Special Tournament". This unlocks the related tournament series in Hong Kong.]

What was updated?

Before Platinum could react, the announcement interface closed automatically, and then the position of Yayoi Prize on the achievement interface moved down, with another announcement popping up in the middle.

[Complete the Citibank Shatin Special Tournament (0/0)] (Winning the tournament will earn you a three-star rating) (150 + 150 carrots reward)

What the heck?

Platinum, flipping it over and over, and this is all the update you've done?

You actually downloaded 1GB of this stuff?

What kind of system is this? It's really unreliable.

However... Platinum pondered while holding Rudolf's symbolic leg.

It seems this system is quite unreliable. Could it be that what we see now is just the main storyline achievements, with more being added in between?

No, wait... In that case, there's never too much carrot...

You know, suppressants are very expensive in stores. So Platinum hardly bought anything from that entire store's wide variety of products; his wallet was practically emptied out by suppressants.

Carrots can only be obtained by completing achievements... Getting 150 more carrots will allow me to last for a while longer, so there's nothing wrong with that, right?

Just by standing on the field and slowly walking around, you can get 150 carrots... Isn't that a good thing?

If it's too bad, I'll just give up the 3-star reward.

Thinking about it this way, wouldn't it be like going on a trip to Hong Kong and getting a free carrot?

Is this a good thing?

Platinum's eyes lit up instantly.

"I'll go, I'll go! Will the school reimburse my travel expenses?"

Rudolf then watched as Platinum's expression changed several times in a few seconds, finally settling on a look of longing as she hugged her leg.

Rudolph's symbol was originally meant to scare Platinum, with a somewhat sarcastic tone. However, seeing how much Platinum wanted to participate in this special match, she was taken aback and began to think it over carefully.

Would it be appropriate to send Platinum?

Perfect!

Putting aside whether Platinum has any achievements, this special tournament wasn't even about competing for first place. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better to just have Big Tree Express parachute in?

Although Platinum has only played two games so far, and the only big prize was the G3 game he won a few days ago... But what is Platinum's status now?

According to the identity document Rudolf symbolized for her, Platinum was a distant relative of the symbol of home!

With a blood relationship, wouldn't Platinum then be qualified to represent itself?

Moreover, the opportunity to race alongside world-class horse champions is incredibly rare. According to the invitation sent by Golden Gun Sixty, the invitees are either retired female racehorses or promising newcomers with whom they have a close relationship. Relatively speaking, the competition will be much less intense.

This is a perfect opportunity for Platinum to learn and broaden his horizons. If he doesn't seize this opportunity, the next time he'll be on the same track as Golden Sixty might be during the Hong Kong expedition, when the competition will be drastically different.

Given Jinqiang Liushi's current condition, it's even uncertain whether we'll see her on the field again. In that case, this opportunity becomes all the more precious.

With this in mind, Rudolf symbolized his decision.

“Since you really want to go, then I’ll give you this invitation.” Rudolph symbolically pushed aside Platinum’s hands, which were still clinging to his legs, and handed the invitation to Platinum. “I’ll write you a letter of introduction later, and give it to Golden Gun Sixty together.”

“If she reads the letter of introduction and the invitation, she will understand what I mean.”

"What? President, you're being biased." The East Sea Emperor's cheeks puffed up. "Since Platinum can go, I want to go too."

"You still have your debut competition to prepare for, right? Platinum just finished a competition, and her schedule is still empty."

Moreover, neither the East Sea Emperor nor Platinum had any idea what they would face on this trip to Hong Kong... Rudolph symbolized in his heart, while the naturally carefree East Sea Emperor felt that this trip to Hong Kong was just a trip for fun and a quick run around, which was extremely easy.

There, they will face the racehorse girls who ruled the previous era.

In other words... if we move the timeline forward a bit, the most intense race in the entire world would have happened between them.

It's hard to say whether it's too early for Platinum, but Rudolf symbolizes certainty that contact with these things is far too early for the Emperor of the East Sea.

"President, you're amazing!" Platinum reached out to take the invitation, but Rudolph symbolically pressed down on Platinum's head and raised the invitation.

"I'm not done yet."

Rudolph symbolizes lowering himself to be level with Platinum, looking directly into Platinum's eyes.

"Platinum, remember this time when you go to the racetrack, you will be facing former world-class racehorse girls."

"It's not shameful to lose to them; what matters is what you can learn from them."

"Don't act impulsively, protect yourself, and don't push yourself too hard. It's not shameful to not finish the race, do you understand?"

With that, Rudolf Symbol stood up again, looking at Alice Digital, who was watching silently from the sidelines, secretly delighted for some reason: "I'll trouble this child to accompany you."

"Hey, wait a minute, what... what... same, ...

“I’m sorry… this is my request,” Rudolf said earnestly, “but I really can’t rest easy about this child.”

"Could you please look after Platinum while you're in Hong Kong? Of course, if you have any difficulties or requests, please don't hesitate to tell me."

"Take care of me?"

Alice Digital covered her mouth with both hands, looking like she was about to faint from being hit by happiness.

"Of course, of course! Thank you so much, President! You are truly the most perfect president in the world!"

"..." Rudolf Symbol couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. She never expected Alice Digital to react this way.

I thought only Platinum would say something like that.

Episode 73 Getting Ready to Depart

"No, no, no—I absolutely disagree!"

Nishizaki Ryu slapped his thigh angrily.

"Great! Great! Great! This is the time to test our results!"

The one clapping excitedly is Alice.

Platinum was sitting in front of the two men, while the three of them looked at each other in the Spica lounge.

Ryu Nishizaki turned around and glared angrily at Alice: "I'm her trainer, I know Platinum's situation better than you do!"

"She has just finished a race. If she were to immediately run races of this caliber without stopping, she wouldn't get proper rest and might even suffer hidden injuries. This is something that female racehorses at this stage absolutely must avoid."

"Isn't Rudolf Symbol the trainer for Platinum?" Alice said calmly with a smile. "Rudolf Symbol has already made the decision, and you still want to resist?"

"Besides, the matches in the past few days were not a burden at all for Platinum. I know Platinum's body much better than you do, and she can handle it."

“And… this is competing against some of the world’s top racehorse girls.” Airihoko clasped her hands together. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…”

"That's precisely why I disagree!" Ryu Nishizaki slammed his hand on the table, almost grinding his teeth to powder. "That's not a race that Platinum can participate in right now."

"I need to have a good talk with Rudolf! With Platinum's current momentum, they'll definitely have enough bounty in a few months. At that point, they won't even need to fight tooth and nail for a spot in the outpost battle; they can just focus on preparing for the Satsuki Prize."

"If you go all the way to Hong Kong, how long will it take to go there and back? How many races will you have to participate in after you come back to accumulate enough prize money? Platinum hasn't even gotten used to the grass in Japan yet, so it's too much to ask him to go straight to the Hong Kong track, isn't it?"

You wouldn't believe it until you heard it. Platinum looked at Nishizaki Ryu with a relieved expression.

You big-eyed rascal, you actually prepared to make me skip the Yayoi Prize.

For me, the Yayoi Prize is much more important than the Satsuki Prize!

You can skip the Satsuki Sho (a high-level scenic spot), but you absolutely cannot skip the Yayoi Sho (another high-level scenic spot).

Fortunately, it was discovered early, and there was still room for correction.

"I can run the race in Hong Kong. I can also run the Yayoi Prize." Then, Shirogane interrupted Nishizaki Ryu.

Well, at worst, it's just a stroll around the track after dinner. Why not take the free lunch?

“I will participate in every match that interests me.”

"If you avoid fighting because of a strong opponent, then there's no point in running any races. What's the point of only running races you're sure to win?"

It's interesting, but it's very subjective anyway. The criteria for this evaluation aren't in Platinum's hands, but in the system's.

Basically, just go for the achievements that give you rewards.

"There's no question of disrupting the plan. Because for me, regardless of whether the prize money is enough, I must participate in the Yayoi Prize."

Bai Jin felt that what he said was quite clear, and that he had basically expressed his thoughts. However, to the other two people present, his words had a completely different meaning from what Bai Jin intended to convey.

"...I see, that's what you mean." After a brief silence, Nishizaki Ryu scratched his head and sat back down in his seat.

Such stubbornness, this spirit of never giving up until hitting a wall... these are precisely the qualities that an excellent racehorse should possess.

Physical defects can be overcome, and technical difficulties can be overcome. But the most precious thing is a heart that thirsts for victory to the extreme.

Not wanting to lose and not being afraid to lose—Bai Jin has achieved the former, but can she achieve the latter?

Despite facing a match they were certain to lose, they gladly went.

It may seem foolish, but it is actually the rarest quality.

Running is not about running to win, but about running for the sake of running... This is a truth that even many veterans of classic and advanced years haven't realized.

"In that case, it would be ungrateful of me to stop you any further," sighed Nishizaki Ryu.

Giving your racehorse girl enough space to develop freely—isn't that exactly the strategy you set for yourself?

"I think you should be able to take care of yourself."

"Remember, always go with the flow. If you encounter something beyond your control, don't force yourself to do it."

Ryu Nishizaki naturally couldn't go with them. Although he really wanted to go to Hong Kong with Platinum, the East Sea Emperor's debut competition was coming up soon, and the other team members also had very busy schedules.

There's no way to extricate myself.

That's why Nishizaki Ryu is so worried.

"And you, is there anything else you want to say to me?" Platinum looked at Alice again, a little smug inside.

Finally, I'm going to have to part ways with Alice... It's just...

So touching!

Recently, he's been forced to practice by being whipped by Alice, and he also has to eat bland, almost tasteless nutritional meals and various supplements. He's living a life that's simply inhuman.

Being able to stay away from Alice was one of the important reasons why Platinum agreed to go to Hong Kong.

Sleeping in late is great! Binge eating is great! Staying up late is great!

Alice, let's see how you manage me in Hong Kong from here.

Alice squinted and looked Platinum up and down, then gently patted Platinum's shoulder, her scarlet eyes filled with warmth.

"Keep it up, practice hard, work hard, and do your best."

As she said this, Alice stretched out her thumb and drew a horizontal line across her neck.

At the same time, Alice's gaze quickly turned cold, and she seemed to become more somber, even the surrounding air seemed to grow colder.

"If you lose, I'll kill you."

"Eek!" Platinum sensed a life-threatening crisis. She wasn't joking; it was real. Her hair stood on end in terror, and she jumped up from her chair, looking at Alice with lingering fear.

Damn it, if he loses, he'll definitely be dragged to Tokyo Bay by Alice.

Bai Qian immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Immediately afterwards, the training room door was violently pushed open. A man with long, jet-black hair and a tall, slender frame—covered in sweat—stood panting against the door.

"Carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, what brings you here?"

"Ha, ha... Platinum, are you going to Hong Kong to participate in that special match?"

After catching his breath, Li Yuelongmen rushed in and grabbed Bai Jin's arm tightly.

"No, you can't go!"

Wait, why is everyone I meet today bringing up the special competition? Platinum's head was practically filled with questions. How come it seems like the whole school knows about this all morning?