I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

Upon seeing the newcomer, the chairman blinked, then flicked his fan to cover his face.

"Perfect timing, the person in question is here, let her explain it to you herself."

party?

Shinji Kitahara turned around with a hint of confusion, and his expression froze when he saw who it was.

"...Solar eclipse?"

Recently, for some unknown reason, Eclipse has been spending significantly less time with him, and even when he is with him, he spends more time spacing out, which does seem different from usual.

but......

"...Chairman, April Fool's Day has been over for several days now."

If it were someone else, Shinji Kitahara might not be sure, but Eclipse was someone he had raised since childhood. Although her physical strength and power were outrageous, public opinion couldn't be resolved by speed or fists. After all, she couldn't possibly portray all those who criticized him as "Heaven gives birth to all things to nourish man, but man has nothing to repay Heaven," could she?

—But it's not entirely certain. If the situation really deteriorates to a certain extent, given the logic of eclipse behavior, Shinji Kitahara thinks she might actually do something like that.

Faced with Shinji Kitahara's undisguised suspicion, Eclipse did not get angry. Her face remained calm, and she looked directly at Shinji Kitahara's face. After a moment of silence, she gave her answer.

"I have already signed up for the Satsuki Prize."

Chapter 280: Super Gatekeeper

I signed up for the Satsuki Sho competition.

Upon hearing the Eclipse's statement, Shinji Kitahara paused for a moment, his first thought being whether he had misheard.

And it wasn't just him; in fact, when everyone present first heard Eclipse say that he wanted to sign up for the Satsuki Prize, apart from Akikawa Yayoi who made the suggestion, everyone else was completely dumbfounded.

Although Eclipse usually doesn't talk much and spends most of her time as an invisible person by Kitahara Shinji's side, after spending so much time together, everyone has learned more or less about her.

When they were still getting to know her, other female riders were curious about why she didn't train or participate in races. More than one person talked to her privately about this, trying to get her interested in running, but all of them were unsuccessful.

Over time, people gradually accepted her situation. After all, they wanted the Eclipse competition because they thought it might be better for her, and they didn't intend to force her if she really didn't want to participate.

Furthermore, although her performance in her debut battle was amazing, it had been a long time since her last competition.

Moreover, she only participated in an ordinary G2 match at the time. Although she won, she couldn't make a splash in the elite Treson headquarters.

As a result, few people paid attention to Eclipse's performance as a racehorse girl. Even the racehorses in Shinji Kitahara's team were mostly unaware of Eclipse's strength. Only a very few who had seen Eclipse in action thought that Eclipse must be very powerful, but they didn't know exactly how strong she was.

It was under these circumstances that Akikawa Yayoi presented everyone with a plan.

The principle behind it is not complicated. Simply put, while Shinji Kitahara is busy, they use various forces and methods to create momentum in advance, sowing the seeds of new public opinion. Then, after Shinji Kitahara finishes his mission, they create and ignite a bigger topic to dispel the previous doubts about him.

Although it's easy to explain, it's quite difficult to do.

Because of previous neglect, or even self-inflicted, Shinji Kitahara's bad reputation has been brewing for several days now, spreading not only online and in public opinion within Japan, but also overseas.

Moreover, the new hot topic cannot be something worse, although comparing it to something worse could easily and quickly divert attention from the Shinji Kitahara incident.

Even if we disregard the possibility that this approach might damage the 'positive cognitive environment' that the world has been striving to cultivate, and even if it doesn't damage that environment, this approach can at most alleviate some of his pressure, but it cannot truly solve the problems he faces.

Those who came here to participate in the discussion were all relatively clear-headed, so they quickly realized the key to Akikawa Yayoi's plan, which was how to create that 'new hot topic'.

Faced with everyone's doubts, he did not immediately offer an explanation. Instead, he looked at the eclipse, which had been silent as if it did not exist.

"Request! Miss Eclipse, I would like to request that you participate in the Satsuki Prize competition."

Akikawa Yayoi's words startled everyone present.

What's going on? Weren't we just discussing how to resolve Shinji Kitahara's reputation issue? How did we suddenly get onto the topic of the Eclipse competition?

Moreover, even setting aside this awkward topic shift, the very act of registering for the Satsuki Prize is problematic.

Putting aside the fact that Eclipse has only run a few races and its competitive score is far below the standard for the Satsuki Prize, the preparations for the Satsuki Prize, which is the starting point for the Classic Triple Crown, the highest honor in Japanese horse racing, are extensive.

Therefore, registration for these competitions begins much earlier than for other events. The process of selecting participants and compiling a list is already underway. At this point, the Satsuki Sho competition is not far off, and the list has already been prepared. Even if the Eclipse Sho were to be registered for, she wouldn't be able to participate.

"Chairman, you..."

“Miss Eclipse, this is the best way I can think of right now.”

Faced with the incomprehension of those around her, Akikawa Yayoi offered no explanation, but simply kept her eyes fixed on the eclipse, waiting for her reply, as if all the problems would be solved if she agreed.

But all she received in response was silence.

Eclipse remained seated quietly, staring straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to Akikawa Yayoi's words, simply lost in thought.

Then, after an eerie silence that lasted for an unknown period of time, Eclipse gently turned her head, looked at Akikawa Yayoi, and nodded slightly.

"They agreed."

It's okay if they disagree, but if we get their support, things will be much easier.

"Who are they? What are you talking about?"

Sirius, unable to bear the two's cryptic nature any longer, couldn't help but speak up. However, neither Eclipse nor Akikawa Yayoi, who seemed somewhat shocked after hearing Eclipse's answer, responded to her question.

"I'm sorry! I can't explain this to you in too much detail, but I can assure you that as long as you follow my previous plan, you will definitely be able to solve the problem of the Kitahara trainer."

Although they hadn't figured out the exact principle behind it, everyone acknowledged Akikawa Yayoi's reliability in important matters. After a period of communication and discussion, the group finally decided to trust Akikawa Yayoi and fully support her plan.

Despite agreeing to support the plan, the others still couldn't understand why having Eclipse participate in the Satsuki Prize would solve Kitahara Shinji's problem.

Is this a response to the recent criticisms that Eclipse was ruined by Shinji Kitahara's overtraining? But that doesn't seem like it...

"Do you need any help?"

Although puzzled, Rudolf did not press for answers, but instead began discussing the plan directly.

"At this point, it's too late to register for the Satsuki Prize, right? And I remember you don't have enough points, Miss Eclipse. Although I can't register you directly, the Symbolist family does have some people working at URA who might be able to help you..."

"No need."

Eclipse shook its head.

“I have my channels.”

The specific channel was not mentioned by the solar eclipse, nor were any other people asked.

Although everyone believed the claim that there was a channel for solar eclipse, Sirius on the other side soon raised another question.

"Is there enough time?"

Sirius smacked his lips twice, recalling some of his past experiences.

"As far as I know, those old fogies in URA are incredibly inefficient. There are only a few days left until the Satsuki Prize. Even if you have connections, going through the procedures will probably be troublesome, and you'll also need time to prepare other things. If it's too slow, you can talk to me or Rudolf later, and we might be able to help expedite it..."

"No need, my channels are very fast."

"How fast?"

When asked about Sirius, Eclipse raised five fingers.

Sirius raised an eyebrow: "Five days? That's fast, but the timeframe might be a bit tight..."

Before Sirius could finish speaking, Eclipse bent a finger.

Sirius stopped speaking, and the others around him also noticed something was amiss.

While they were still confused, Eclipse bent down another finger.

"three."

She said that, and then bent her third finger.

Just as she bent her fourth finger, Akikawa Yayoi's phone vibrated.

Akikawa Yayoi opened her phone, read the message, and without hesitation, showed it to everyone.

That was a message from URA, indicating that after unanimous discussion at the top, it was decided to make an exception and grant Ms. Eclipse a spot in the Satsuki Prize competition. Preparations were underway, but the previous list had already been finalized, and it might be necessary for someone to withdraw to allow her to join. However, if Ms. Eclipse requested it, they could try adding another track before the competition...

After the horse girls finished reading this information that completely defied their common sense, they turned to look at the eclipse. The eclipse had already withdrawn its hand and was sitting there silently in a daze, its face still showing that indifferent expression.

After confirming that the Eclipse Society would participate in the Satsuki Sho, the Uma Musume (horse girls) parted ways and began to take charge of their respective parts according to the plan. They also shared the plans and details they had discussed with other people related to Kitahara Shinji.

Moreover, for some reason, although the plan was communicated to others, tacitly, no one mentioned Eclipse's behavior in the chairman's office or her strange 'channels'.

Furthermore, when the horse girls who had family influence in URA inquired about related matters with their family members, the other party either remained silent or gave vague answers, and in short, they could not get any answers.

As for how Eclipse would participate in the competition, Eclipse originally planned to have URA add a new track, but shortly after the plan was announced, someone approached Eclipse and said they wanted to talk to her about the quota.

“Miss Eclipse, I would like to speak with you privately. If things go as I expect, I may choose to withdraw from the competition and give you the spot.”

Neiqia said earnestly.

This wasn't a momentary impulse on Necha's part, nor was it a sign of her becoming insecure again. On the contrary, being able to say such things to the Eclipse was actually a sign of her confidence.

The reason is simple: as a purebred gate horse unlike any other racehorse girl, Necha's strength lies in gatekeeping others, so her perception is relatively strong, and she has a stronger ability to recognize the strength of others than other racehorse girls.

Moreover, because she couldn't control the release and release of her gate technique before, she spent the most time with Eclipse and was the closest to it. It can be said that, apart from Shinji Kitahara, she noticed the most suspicious points about Eclipse.

To put it simply, when she couldn't control her gate techniques properly before, not to mention the ordinary female riders who were traumatized after just one run with her (relatively ordinary), even the top female riders in her team didn't dare to train with her for long periods of time.

Even the universally acknowledged 'Emperor', currently the strongest racehorse girl in Japan, rarely approached her during that period, and would subconsciously react after she revealed her 'aura,' even showing wariness and hostility on several occasions.

But the eclipse, which spent all day with her and even slept in her bed at night, showed absolutely no reaction.

After being trained by Shinji Kitahara, Necha no longer considers herself an ordinary horse girl. She has also come to realize how terrifying her gatekeeper skills are and how strong she is.

But the problem is, the stronger she is, the more abnormal the eclipse seems, right?

In addition, she joined the team relatively early and knew about the situation during the Eclipse debut competition. After watching her later competitions, she already had some doubts in her heart. After hearing the chairman's plan, a terrifying conjecture emerged in her mind.

So she decided to come and ask the eclipse for confirmation.

As for the subsequent verification process, no one except the two parties involved knows what happened.

All the others knew was that Necha submitted a separate training ground trial application to the chairman, then went in with Eclipse. When she came out, she directly submitted a withdrawal application to the chairman, giving the spot to Eclipse.

Don't you feel it's a pity?

Looking at Necha, who had just signed the withdrawal agreement, Eclipse looked slightly puzzled.

"I remember you seemed to value this race a lot, but there's no need for you to withdraw. I can have them add another track..."

"no need."

Although he decided to withdraw from the competition, Neta did not seem to show any frustration on his face; in fact, he even looked a little relieved.

"I'm aware of my own abilities. Even without you, my chances of winning wouldn't have been very high anyway, and there was a possibility of conflict arising from blocking my teammate. Being able to withdraw from this competition is actually a good thing for me..."

After a pause, as if he had thought of something, the corners of Necha's mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Furthermore, Miss Eclipse, as you know, my running style is different from other horse girls. Rather than relying on speed to win, my ability focuses more on interfering with others. Many times, even if I lose, I can still achieve considerable results in terms of interference, making others feel that winning is more painful than losing."

"According to Mr. Kitahara, this is called 'the victory of the gate company'? Anyway, that's the gist of it."

"Moreover, thanks to you, I'm not so obsessed with pursuing victory anymore. After all, I've already won my part, and I no longer need to prove anything with victory."

"Although it may sound a bit harsh, compared to those victories and honors, I actually enjoy the feeling of shutting people down more now. In fact, as long as I shut them down, I'm happier losing than winning."

"While I may not be able to attend this Satsuki Sho, the very fact that you, Eclipse-san, will be there is more valuable than all the skills I currently possess for interfering with my opponents..."

Recalling what he had just witnessed, Necha's lips curled up even more, and even his ears perked up, showing that his joy came from the bottom of his heart.

"Not playing in the game, or even being present, can actually cause them more interference and have a more profound impact."

"This is my 'gate technique'!"

Chapter 281: Just bring them all along.

"Eclipse, are you really going to participate in the Satsuki Sho?"

After leaving the chairman's office and returning to his dormitory, Shinji Kitahara couldn't help but confirm the matter with Eclipse again.

"Ah."

Eclipse gave a blank "hmm" and then spoke.

"What, what's the problem?"

To be honest, Shinji Kitahara is currently dealing with a pregnancy issue. For example, why did Eclipse, who previously disliked participating in competitions, suddenly sign up for the Satsuki Prize this time, and why did she say that participating would solve his problem...?

Furthermore, he clearly remembered that because she had participated in too few competitions, her competition points were far from enough to qualify for the Satsuki Prize, and at this point, the registration period for the Satsuki Prize had already ended. How did she manage to register...?

Despite having many questions in his mind, after a moment of silence, Shinji Kitahara chose to give up asking.

"Want me to help you train? I'm not questioning your ability, but you haven't run in a long time. Even if you don't want to train, a little warm-up before the race would be good..."

"unnecessary."