"Six… six years? Can she still compete after such a long time?"
Tokai Teio, along with Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, were simultaneously shocked and found the penalty incomprehensible.
Mejiro McQueen shrugged, then shook her head, her tone filled with an inexpressible regret.
"So, if she couldn't race, there was no need for her to enroll. For an Horse Girl, being unable to run can be said to be even crueler than taking her life."
"Actually… going overseas to debut isn't impossible. She could wait until the suspension period in Japan passes, then come back to compete," Tokai Teio suggested.
"She only participated in one G1 Race, so it's unlikely foreign teams would be interested in her."
"She could pay her way out."
"Where would she get that much money…"
"Isn't she from the Mejiro Family? Can't they even afford the funds for her to debut overseas?"
"Sakura is also a Mejiro Horse Girl, but she's from a very distant branch of the Mejiro Family. I also said she was a local Horse Girl from the beginning and wasn't in Tokyo. If Sakura hadn't performed exceptionally well locally, she wouldn't have been able to come to Central to compete."
"I see…"
Tokai Teio sighed, as if feeling very regretful, a heavy stone pressing in her heart, and continued to ask:
"Since McQueen, you said you had a good relationship with your sister, why didn't your family help her with money? You all knew she didn't foul intentionally, right?"
"…"
Unexpectedly, Mejiro McQueen, who usually wore a confident smile, heard Tokai Teio's question and her expression suddenly turned gloomy.
"This was… my mistake. My sister had been staying at my house after she came to Tokyo. However, the Spring Tenno Sho is the most important race for the Mejiro Family. Even if they can't win, the Mejiro Family will not tolerate anyone defiling this race…"
"And Sakura… she fouled in her first Tenno Sho and was even suspended. Grandmother was furious and directly expelled her from the Mejiro Family. Although Grandmother is stern, she rarely gets angry. That day, it was the first time I saw her so angry… I was too scared at the time and didn't dare to speak up and plead for Sakura."
Mejiro McQueen grew more and more despondent, enveloped by a thick cloud of negative emotions.
Tokai Teio, seeing Mejiro McQueen like this for the first time, quickly comforted her:
"McQueen, even if you didn't plead for your sister, it's not your fault. Shouldn't the culprit be the Japan Horse Racing Association? It has nothing to do with you, McQueen…"
"No, Teio, you don't understand."
Mejiro McQueen slowly raised her head and looked at Tokai Teio.
She made several attempts to speak, but ultimately did not say the rest of her words.
"In short, this is my fault. So, I will become the strongest Horse Girl and engrave my name forever in the history of the Spring Tenno Sho."
"By the way, McQueen, do you know where your sister is now?"
Mejiro McQueen shook her head.
"Perhaps she went back to her hometown? Perhaps she's already in love, married, and had children? I don't know. The year she was suspended was the same year I enrolled. Four years have passed since then, and I haven't seen her again."
"Miss McQueen, I don't think you need to be too discouraged."
Satono Diamond suddenly spoke at this moment.
"Miss McQueen, you are the first person to achieve consecutive victories in the Spring Tenno Sho. Not only that, but you also achieved a three-peat. If your sister, who is far away in her hometown, hears about this, she will surely be very relieved."
"That's right, she'll definitely be proud of me."
Mejiro McQueen smiled back at Satono Diamond when she heard her words.
"Speaking of which, Sakura Bakushin O's suspension actually helped me a lot. I never realized how serious veering could be. Ever since that incident, I've been extremely careful in every race. That's why I still don't have any foul records to this day."
"Hoho, it seems you've also inherited 'Big Sister's Will,' McQueen," Tokai Teio teased with a laugh.
"In any case, my next goal is to continue dominating the Spring Tenno Sho. If Teio wants to break my winning streak, she's welcome to try. At least in the Spring Tenno Sho, I'm confident I won't lose to anyone," Mejiro McQueen said with a smile.
"Oh? Then I'm afraid you'll cry if you lose, McQueen, so I'll be magnanimous and not compete with you for the Spring Tenno Sho champion. I'll see you at the Autumn Tenno Sho!"
Tokai Teio put her hands on her hips, tilted her head back, and declared.
"Hey! Are you chickening out and deliberately choosing the mid-distance Autumn Tenno Sho?" Mejiro McQueen scoffed.
"Pfft—"
Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond couldn't help but burst out laughing when they saw Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen start bickering again.
"By the way, the senior we asked for directions today told me that our Trainer-san is a very strange person. But I found that besides setting overly high goals, she seems quite nice,"
Satono Diamond tapped her chin with her finger, asking in confusion.
"Ah? Her, well…"
Mejiro McQueen's eyes immediately turned into dead fish eyes when Satono Diamond mentioned Sakura Bakushin O.
"She has many strange quirks. She often forces you to eat many strange things."
"Like nutritional drinks, little cakes, and such. The little cakes taste quite good, but she gives too many, and eating too many makes you gain weight very easily."
Tokai Teio also shivered and hugged her arms when she heard them mention Sakura Bakushin O.
"I'm telling you, Trainer-san often makes us drink a very! Very! Very unpalatable dark green liquid. It looks similar to regular aojiru, but it's unpalatable to an unimaginable degree…"
"Uh? Can't you refuse?" Kitasan Black asked, puzzled.
"No!!" Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen shouted simultaneously.
"She says that thing helps restore stamina, and it actually works quite well…" Mejiro McQueen's face also turned a bit green, "But that stuff is just too unpalatable… Taiyaki with yellow mustard tastes better than that."
"Uh…"
Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond felt a bead of sweat on their foreheads seeing Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen's expressions, which changed at the mention of the "juice."
They also started to get scared.
"Actually, you don't need to be that scared," Tokai Teio laughed awkwardly twice, "Most of the time, Trainer-san will give you another little cake."
"That sounds okay, maybe if you eat it with the cake…"
"No, she watches you finish the aojiru before letting you eat the cake."
Kitasan Black & Satono Diamond: "???"
--
At the same time, Sakura Bakushin O, who had just left Chairwoman Akikawa's office, suddenly covered her mouth and sneezed several times in a row.
She rubbed her nose, looked up at the sky, and muttered to herself.
"Strange, did I catch a cold?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a system prompt interface suddenly popped up in front of Sakura Bakushin O's eyes again.
Achievement Achieved: Prevent Mejiro McQueen's Demotion Reward: 1991 System Points
--
--
Fun fact: The first major race champion to be penalized and demoted for veering in history was Mejiro McQueen at the 1991 Autumn Tenno Sho.