I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

Ornn hesitated for a moment, and after thoroughly burying his conscience in his stomach, he nodded and said, "Yes, you've improved! As expected of a member of Dolan's team!"

He then walked to the window of the lounge and, together with Oguri-hat, looked at the audience who were steadily pouring into the arena and taking their seats in an orderly fashion.

The Japanese derby is a G1-level event and an important part of the classic trio.

As a G1 race that every Mama Girl can only participate in once, the Japanese Derby is one of the most prestigious events in the country, attracting over 15 spectators to the event this time alone.

"15 men, that's equivalent to 15 divisions,"

Looking at the sea of ​​people in the stadium, Orn couldn't help but sigh, "This doesn't even include the people watching the live stream. If you include those, I'm afraid..."

“There are probably about 100 million people watching online across Japan. My local radio station alone has 12 people watching online at the same time.”

A standard announcer's voice came from behind them, and Fujii Izumi's assistant walked in with a camera.

Orn frowned at the reporter in front of him, then waved towards the door, saying, "Hey, security, kick this guy out..."

Fujii Izumi was completely taken aback by the other party's sudden change of heart. He quickly interrupted, "Wait! Wait! Trainer Orn, I'm not here for an interview! Nor am I here to take photos secretly!! Look, my camera isn't even turned on!! I just came to see Oguri's final outfit!!"

As he spoke, he winked earnestly and said, "Really, believe me!! I vouch for it in my own name!"

Orn sighed and turned to ask, "Then tell me. There are still about fifty minutes before the match starts. Just don't take too long."

"Thank you, thank you. Ahem, Oguri's final outfit is really cool, and it matches her temperament perfectly. Trainer Ornn, which designer did you ask to make it? Could you tell me?"

Fujii Izumi rubbed his hands together, and before Orn could answer, he continued, "Let me guess, is it the [Heavenly Magician] from the Mejiro family? Or the [Rokubu Tenbu no Kōsūsū] from the Symbol family? Or perhaps the [Galaxy-Eyed Sculptor] from the Association?"

Hearing this string of chilling titles, Ornn's toes began to scratch incessantly at the soles of his shoes.

What is all this nonsense?! These people's names sound like they're about to activate a monster effect that banishes the opponent's monsters once per turn!

Ornn was silent for a moment, and after careful consideration, he replied, "Well, out of respect for the creator, I'll refrain from revealing the other party's true identity for now, since that's also the creator's request."

Fujii Izumi nodded somewhat disappointedly, but since the other party was unwilling to reveal their name, he couldn't press the matter further. This was an unwritten rule within the world of creating final battle suits.

"In that case, I won't bother you any longer. I wish you a triumphant return!"

No sooner had the reporter left than the door to the lounge was pushed open again, and a blue-haired woman stepped gracefully into the room, then gave an elegant bow.

She smiled and said, "Hello, Trainer Orn, is this our second meeting?"

Orn hesitated for a moment, then said, "Hello, I remember you are... Mejiro Ardan?"

Meguro Aldan nodded and said, "Yes, I am here to visit you on the orders of the mistress. After the Japanese derby, the mistress would like to invite you to the Meguro main family for a chat. Do you have time?"

"Of course I have no problem with it, but if I remember correctly, we should be opponents in this Japanese derby, right?"

Orn smiled and continued, "According to the rules, contestants are not allowed to go to other contestants' rest rooms before the competition, okay?"

Meguro Ardan replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, that's true according to the rules, but I think Mr. Orn wouldn't report me to the referees, would he?"

As she spoke, she winked playfully at Orn.

Orn sighed, "Alright, no need for those expressions. I'm not that rigid."

Ardan Meguro looked at Oguri's hat behind Orn and said, "As my opponent in this competition, I'm really looking forward to our duel. You're in great form right now."

"See you on the field in half an hour."

After saying this, the girl gracefully placed her hands on her lower abdomen, bowed again, and then drifted away.

The moment the blue-haired horse girl left, Little Chestnut Hat anxiously asked, "Toray! Do you know her? When did you meet?"

Although she wasn't quite sure what caused this anxiety, she wasn't unfamiliar with this feeling. It was like when she saw Shining Brilliant secretly going out for snacks with Fujimasa March in Kasamatsu without inviting her.

The emptiness of being betrayed by a close friend, the hunger pangs, the rumbling of her stomach, the ever-growing, radiant belly, and the food crumbs still lingering at the corners of her mouth...

Oguri Hat had this feeling right now, so she quickly grabbed the trainer's arm and asked, "You...you went to the buffet with her!?"

Orn thought for a moment and said, "No, it's not that exaggerated. To be precise, I only met her once. I did visit the Mejiro family once before... ah."

Only then did he realize that he hadn't told the three horse girls in his team about visiting Megumi Asami.

Little Chestnut Hat stared at Ornn, who had suddenly stopped. Her expression remained blank, but her ears involuntarily snapped back, and her tail began lashing against Ornn's thighs, making a slapping sound.

"Well, anyway, I went with the uncle who gave you the buffet and hot spring tickets last time to visit the matriarch of the Mejiro family. I forgot to tell you about it, sorry,"

"How about we go for a buffet after your match?"

Faced with the ominous aura emanating from Kogurika, whether from hunger or some other dangerous force, Ornn immediately employed a technique of teleportation, emphasizing the word "buffet" in an attempt to evoke fond memories of the past.

This tactic worked perfectly. In Little Chestnut Hat's mind, the logic that "giving away buffet vouchers" equals "feeding herself and her friends" equals "being a good person" was established. She was easily led into a logical trap by the cunning and treacherous Orn.

Its ears, which had been pressed back, straightened up again, and its tail returned to calm, beginning to wag from side to side.

Oguri Hat clenched his fist and said, "Okay, let's go get something to eat after the match!"

Orn patted Little Chestnut Hat's head and laughed, "Hmm, that's good enough."

"Go, the show has begun now, Oguri. In the very end, I want to say that as you run, all you can rely on is your own strong heart."

"Once you step onto the field, you must follow your instincts, and sometimes you even need to put your instincts before your reason, understand?"

"Remember this: in this competition, you'll have to rely more on your instincts, understand?"

Little Chestnut Hat nodded emphatically, then confidently puffed out her chest and replied, "Tolui, I understand! A whole patch of bamboo has already grown on my chest!"

Orn's face contorted into a chrysanthemum-like expression, a mixture of relief and helplessness as he watched his child grow up, only to have it go astray.

".......well,"

Watching the little chestnut hat disappear into the distance through the entrance tunnel, Ornn couldn't help but sigh. This was the third time he had sighed today.

"It seems I need to hire a more reliable tutor for her. How can things continue like this?!"

"The new brilliance is also constantly going against me. If this continues, I'm really going to end up raising a horse with zero intelligence!"

In the commentary booth next to the arena, a green-haired woman held a microphone and said passionately, "The popular players are now entering the arena!!"

"First and foremost, the most popular player in this match!! Sakura Chiyo, who blossomed in the Asahi Cup!! One of the favorites to win this Japanese derby!! Sakura Chiyo!!"

"And Yae Muten, who successfully snatched the championship from Sakura Chiyooh at the Satsuki Sho, defeated her, and etched his name as 'Invincible' into his heart!!"

"Next up is the unattainable beauty from the Mejiro family! A prestigious girl who has never fallen out of the top two in any competition since her debut!! Mejiro Ardan!!"

"In this arena teeming with top competitors, the speed-oriented athlete, the champion of the Hanshin Youth Championship! Shiro Sen Vanguard!!"

As each name was uttered by the commentator, the audience erupted in cheers, the deafening roar echoing like a giant wave, drawing responses from the players themselves.

"It's so lively! This is the kind of atmosphere a real large-scale event should have, isn't it?"

Bai Xianxian smiled and waved to her fans. She looked at Megumi Ardan, who was not far in front of her, and asked, "If I remember correctly, this is Ardan's first time participating in a competition of this level?"

Meguro Ardan nodded and smiled, "Yes, this is indeed my first time participating in this level."

"Speaking of which, your leg injury hasn't fully recovered yet, has it? Will it be able to get you through this match?"

Bai Xianxian stood on tiptoe, shook his head, and said, "Heh, even if I can't, I have to participate. I missed the Satsuki Prize, and I don't want to miss the Japanese Derby."

"If I delay competing with younger colleagues until next year because my leg injury hasn't fully healed, wouldn't that make me even more of a laughingstock?"

She turned to look at Sakura Chiyo and Yae Mutsuki, who were exchanging traditional battle declarations behind her, and said with a wry smile, "Aldan, sometimes I wonder if our school has made a mistake in recruiting students."

"Now there are great inventors, prank masters, monks, feng shui masters, exorcists, two traditional samurai who look like they came from the Warring States period, and even racers, magicians, American iaido masters, robots... It doesn't feel like anyone here is here to run."

Meguro Ardan was taken aback by what she heard, and she couldn't help but shake her head and laugh, "Although everyone seems unreliable most of the time, they are still very dependable, except for Golden Ship... Golden Ship is the same."

"But this is what school should feel like, isn't it?"

"The school...?"

Bai Xianxian stood on tiptoe again and looked around, saying, "Is there still one contestant who hasn't arrived? I don't think I've seen contestant number 18 yet."

Megumi Ardan looked at a golden four-pointed star emerging from the entrance of the passage and said softly, "She'll be here soon."

In the commentary room, after reciting the names of all the contestants like a menu, Misa Akasaka finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer, into the chair.

"Phew, phew, I'm exhausted! I'm always most tired before a competition!"

A woman standing nearby covered her mouth and chuckled, "Meicong, you haven't mentioned all the contestants yet!"

"There's a rather legendary contestant you haven't introduced yet. Ah, look, she's here!"

"Are there any masters?"

Misato Akasaka took a sip of water, squinted at the golden morning star that emerged from the passage, and finally remembered who the other contestant was who hadn't been introduced yet.

She picked up the microphone and concluded, "Following these 17 contestants are rising stars from the region!! The contestant who barely qualified for this competition!! The ace from the Dolan team!!! Oguri Hat!!!"

"Now!! All contestants, please enter the gate in an orderly manner!!"

Chapter 89 Trump Card

"Hey! Hello there! Your final outfit looks great!"

Watching Oguri Hat slowly emerge from the shadows of the passageway, Bai Xianfeng greeted her: "Speaking of which, you didn't seem to attend the press conference before the Japanese derby? Were you feeling unwell?"

Of all the contestants present, she was the most unconventional. So while the other horse girls were looking at Oguri Hat with questions like, "Who is this person?" and "Dolan Squad, where did this expert come from?", White Vanguard had already started to strike up a conversation.

The reason is actually quite simple: she was also quite interested in this contestant number 18.

Besides facing the traps set by reporters, press conferences are also an excellent opportunity to increase one's popularity. Therefore, even though trainers and horse girls dislike those reporters, they will almost always attend interviews.

Not to mention that this is the opponent's first time participating in a G1-level tournament, and their appearance in the final server is a morale-boosting event.

But the other party refused, and Bai Xianxian believed there were only two possibilities.

Alternatively, the final server might be a bit abstract. After all, in pursuit of performance and to match the characteristics of the horse girls, some final servers can look quite ugly at first glance.

Therefore, to avoid being criticized by fans, trainers will temporarily avoid press conferences.

Or perhaps, before the competition, Ma Niang still has some health issues that need to be addressed, just like Bai Xian Xianfeng herself, who declined to attend in order to adjust her condition.

But now it seems the girl's winning outfit isn't ugly at all, but rather quite cool, which naturally eliminates the first possibility. Sure enough, her body must also have...

Oguri Hat pondered for a moment, then gave a third answer with a very serious expression.

"I missed the press conference because I overslept."

Upon hearing this answer, not only was Bai Xian Vanguard stunned, but Megumi Ardan, Yae Muti, and Sakura Chiyo were also taken aback.

Looking at Oguri's very serious and earnest expression, Bai Xianxian was first puzzled, then questioning, and then lost in confusion.

She felt a bit irritated on her scalp, so she reached up and scratched her head through the hood of her competition outfit: 'Really? There are such naturally innocent horse girls?'

'Hiss...but her expression is so sincere, she doesn't seem to be lying, does she?? What's her trainer doing?! She just lets her sleep all day if she wants to?!'

Meguro Ardan gave Oguri apologetic smile, then quickly pushed the shocked White Vanguard towards the gate. Sakura Chiyo shook her head, quickly regaining her composure, and then also ran towards her own gate.

Yae Muti gave Oguri Hat a deep look, nodded, and turned to walk through her gate.

"Um...did I say something wrong?"

Little Chestnut Hat tilted his head to the side, maintaining a 0-0 expression as he walked into the mesh iron gate in front of him.

"All players have now entered the gate!! Who will be the winner of this year's Japanese derby!? Let's wait and see!!"

Misato Akasaka put down her microphone. Unlike commentators at local tournaments, commentators are not allowed to count down before the start of major sporting events.

The sound transmitted through the loudspeaker can affect the contestants' judgment, so the few seconds before the gate opens are the quietest part of the entire competition.

Standing in the gate, Yae Musou looked again at Oguri Hat, three gates away, and couldn't help but recall the words her master had told her before the competition.

[Be careful with the small chestnut hat]

These were his master's exact words. Eightfold Invincible rarely saw his master with such a serious expression.

Although Bai Xian's probing attempt hadn't yielded any results, it did allow Yae Invincible, who was observing from the sidelines, to discern some of Oguri Hat's characteristics.

"A player who relies on their nature...?"

But if a horse girl only relied on her talent to run, Miyazaki Hidetoshi wouldn't have given Yae Muti such a serious look when admonishing her.

The opponent must have some other special qualities. Among the 18 contestants present, only Oguri Hat has the least information, and is someone no one is familiar with.

Yae Invincible withdrew her gaze, clenched her fist, and suppressed her agitated emotions.

"drop."

This is the chime signaling the start of the gate countdown. After that, aside from the constantly changing numbers at the front of each gate, the opening time can only be determined by Ma Niang's internal countdown.

Yae Invincible's heart couldn't help but tighten with tension. The Japanese Derby was a competition that every Uma Musume could only participate in once in her lifetime. Even though she had undergone countless meditation training sessions, suppressing her inner excitement and anticipation was still a difficult task.

It's fair to say that the 18 female horse girls who have entered the arena are among the strongest in the Japanese region. Only those who are truly qualified can participate in this competition and join their battles.

Now, only one champion will be chosen from these 18 people.

Could it be myself? Or...them?