"Peak of horses, defying the world, with Legend, there is heaven!"
This was the scene Mejiro McQueen saw as soon as she opened the training room door.
Gold Legend had one foot on the table and one on a chair, one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the ground, looking utterly arrogant. Gold Ship frowned beside her, while the other three little ones watched.
I opened the door and saw my wife acting crazy, what should I do? Waiting online, it's urgent.
"No good, Oba-chan. You don't have that aura."
Gold Ship clamored.
"Then what should I do? I don't understand what you mean by 'aura'."
Gold Legend jumped back to the ground, then casually sat on a chair, looking like an old man lounging.
"...What happened?"
McQueen, unable to accept the current situation, strategically moved to Teio's side and inquired.
"I don't know, I just got here too."
Teio also looked confused, but judging by her ears and tail, it was obvious she was enjoying herself and eager to try.
"Big Sister came over today and immediately started asking if there was any way to boost her mood, preferably to an elevated state."
Vodka, who had been idling nearby, leaned over to explain.
"Then Golshi immediately said that relying on fighting spirit was enough, and those two started acting like this."
Daiwa Scarlet, who also leaned in, added.
"?" x2 McQueen and Teio tilted their heads in incomprehension.
"Then, Oba-chan, can you think of any memorable actions or lines?"
Gold Ship was saying absurd things with a straight face, making it unclear whether she was intentionally stirring trouble or being sincere.
"Hmm..." Gold Legend jumped up.
"How about this? In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" The signature move of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
"Oh, nice Oba-chan, but it's not exciting without a sailor suit." Gold Ship pulled out a camera from somewhere and said while taking pictures.
"Then, behold, my transformation!"
"Cool! Do another one!"
"You can also become light!"
..."They've completely forgotten their original purpose, haven't they?"
McQueen stared blankly at the two members of the Gold Family who had gone wild.
"That move is pretty good! Legend, how about you teach me?"
"That's really cool, Big Sister."
"Sister Legend, teach me too."
The trio, including Teio, ignored the complaining McQueen and joined them.
"..."
I often feel out of place because I'm not chuunibyou enough!
McQueen, who was also very curious, was conflicted due to the honor of her family.
After playing around for a while, the topic returned to normal.
"So, I want to find my state and let myself feel some passion."
Because Rudolf's words were still echoing in her ears, Gold Legend did not explain the domain and her current situation in detail, only generally telling them what she was lacking.
"So, do you guys have any ideas?"
Gold Legend looked at them hopefully.
"...Even if you say that, we can't help you. It's not easy to suddenly generate heightened emotions or anything," Teio said, spreading her hands helplessly.
"Excellent Uma Musume naturally enter a state of excitement during a race. Legend, have you tried that?" McQueen suggested.
"Ah, no, I haven't. These past few days, I tried running alongside seniors, but it had no effect. Besides, I haven't entered the state you described during training races, McQueen."
That's right. Since being released from jail, Gold Legend had tried various so-called elevated emotions to open the door to her domain, including running alongside others, the Debt Method (taught by Dog Bro), and even self-hypnosis. Unfortunately, while these emotions affected her state somewhat, the actual effect was not as substantial as the method Oguri Cap taught her; they were merely better than nothing.
"So what exactly does 'finding that key' mean? Die, riddle-speaker!"
Gold Legend, having selectively ignored the first half of her id's sentence, gave up on herself.
"Key?"
"No, it's nothing." Gold Legend waved her hand and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, McQueen, you came quite late today. Is something going on?"
"...Isn't the Derby coming up soon? I went to see Ryan."
"Ah, speaking of which, how was your debut race, McQueen?"
Seeing McQueen's somewhat complicated expression, the thoughtful Teio immediately changed the topic.
"That goes without saying! I am the representative of the Mejiro Family!"
McQueen said with a look of pride.
"Huh? McQueen, you debuted?"
Why didn't I know?
Gold Legend looked utterly bewildered.
"I was hoping Legend would come cheer me on, but I only saw Gold Ship."
McQueen looked at Gold Legend with a resentful gaze.
"..." Gold Legend tried to use her eyes to get Gold Ship to explain.
"Oh, I sense someone calling in the universe! Who is calling the fleet!"
Gold Ship immediately bolted out of the training room.
"Ahem, back to the Derby. McQueen, are you going to watch? How about we all go together? It's a good chance to see the world."
Survival instinct attempted to save Legend's fate.
"Huh? Can we? Won't that delay training?" McQueen was pleasantly surprised.
"Don't worry, the Trainer will agree."
"You can get the Trainer to agree?" Teio grasped the key point. She was very invested in the classic three crowns and had originally planned to ask the Trainer for leave that day. Hearing Gold Legend's suggestion, she hesitated slightly.
"I will make the Trainer agree."
Gold Legend said confidently... After training, Gold Legend spoke with the Trainer privately. The two had a frank discussion, and eventually, the Trainer agreed to the vacation under Gold Legend's friendly persuasion.
"Damn it! How can I face the people of Jiangdong!"
The Trainer said indignantly after the discussion.
"Alright, alright. I'll cover your next two drinking parties."
Gold Legend, feeling a bit embarrassed, offered compensation.
"How can a great man accept such charity! Wouldn't that be like being kept! Especially by a minor!"
"...Just tell me if you want it or not?"
"Where should the bill be sent?"
"Just give it to me."
"Deal!"
Just like that, a timeline where no one got hurt was achieved... "Is this the Derby? It's really bustling."
May 27th, Tokyo, Japanese Derby.
Gold Legend brought all the members of Spica to the Tokyo Racecourse.
"Hmph, of course. Even among the classic three crowns, the Derby is the most eye-catching."
Teio, who understood the Triple Crown best, introduced this proudly.
"Only the luckiest horse can win the Derby."
The Japanese Derby is the race with the most entries; in the earliest days, there were even 30 Uma Musume participating. The number of entries gradually decreased later. To win among the vast crowd of Uma Musume, a certain amount of luck is required.
"Still, there are so many people at this Derby."
"It seems to be because Senior Oguri Cap has become a national idol, attracting many people who don't usually pay attention to Uma Musume."
The honor student Daiwa Scarlet had clearly done her homework and explained to everyone.
"When I participate in the Derby in the future, there will definitely be this many people—no, even more!"
Teio's competitive spirit was ignited.
"Alright, let's disperse here. It's free activity time now."
Clapping her hands, Gold Legend gave the instruction as the leader.
"I'm going to grab the best spot first!"
Teio immediately rushed toward the spectator stands; it was clear she was very excited.
"Vodka and I will head over too."
Daiwa Scarlet pulled Vodka and walked toward Teio.
Gold Legend looked toward McQueen.
"...I'm going to see Ryan first. Please excuse me, Legend-san."
McQueen walked gracefully toward the backstage area.
As for Gold Ship, she was already on the stands selling yakisoba as a vendor.
"Great, I'm the only one left again. Being busy is good."
Even in her disappointment, Gold Legend did not forget to make a joke.
"The Derby that only the luckiest Uma Musume can win?"
Gold Legend gazed at the racetrack and muttered to herself.
"Rather than saying 'the luckiest Uma Musume wins the Japanese Derby,' it's more accurate to say—the Uma Musume who burns up her luck wins the Japanese Derby."
A dignified voice came from behind her.
Gold Legend turned her head to look—it was Symboli Rudolf.
It made sense; it wasn't surprising that a high-level event like the Derby would attract the Student Council.
"Greetings, President."
"Ah, greetings, Legend-san."
The two Uma Musume greeted each other.
"President, what did you mean just now?"
Gold Legend asked curiously, recalling Rudolf's previous words.
"Since Japan introduced the Graded System, excluding this year's Derby, more than half of the Derby Uma Musume have been plagued by injuries," the President explained, her expression calm but her words tinged with regret. "Many Uma Musume were forced to rest or even retire due to injuries after the Derby, and even those who could continue racing were significantly weaker than before. That's why I say, rather than the luckiest Uma Musume becoming the Derby winner, it is that they burned up their luck to attain the position of Derby winner."
Speaking of which, Teio is one of them too.
Gold Legend thought.
"Would you like to come to the Student Council's special seats? Consider it my thanks for looking after Teio," Rudolf said with a smile, extending an invitation to Gold Legend.
"...Should I go call Teio and the others over?"
"Teio would probably prefer to feel the atmosphere of the Derby up close."
Recalling her first meeting with Teio, Rudolf showed a doting father's smile.
"So, what is your answer, Legend-san?"
"It would be my honor."
...Following Rudolf to the exclusive seating area of the Tracen Student Council, Gold Legend looked around curiously.
"This is not the best viewing position for the race itself, but the field of view is the widest, suitable for watching the overall situation."
Rudolf introduced calmly.
"President, you're here. Hello, Legend-san."
Air Groove greeted Rudolf, nodded to Gold Legend, and seemed unsurprised by Gold Legend's arrival.
"Wow, you're here too, junior?" A familiar Osaka accent caught Gold Legend's attention.
"Tamamo-senpai, Oguri, you two came as well." Gold Legend turned and saw two familiar figures.
"Eeek, Legend-chan only sees little Tamamo and little Oguri Cap—totally missed Big Sister here."
A soft pressure came from behind.
"My bad—could you get off me, Sister Maruzensky?"
Gold Legend answered with dead-fish eyes.
"So you're the rookie Rudolf has her eye on? Hi, I'm Mr. CB—just call me Senmei."
The dashing, handsome Uma Musume greeted Gold Legend.
"Hey, Little pony, you made it too," the Dorm Head called over.
"Oh, so you're the promising newbie? I'm Amazon—come duel me sometime!" the other Dorm Head chimed in.
"Honestly, Brian, come say hello too."
The Emperor gave her Student Council a helpless shake of the head and beckoned the last member over.
"…I'm Narita Brian. Hello."
Brian, a stalk of grass between her lips, offered the greeting.
"Is the whole Student Council here now?"
After exchanging hellos, Gold Legend asked Rudolf curiously.
"After all, this Derby has the largest crowd in history."
Rudolf explained with a sigh.
"Largest?"
"196,971 people—thanks to Oguri Cap," Air Groove added, rubbing her brow.
Gold Legend glanced at Oguri Cap, who waved while slurping yakisoba she'd bought from Gold Ship.
"All right, the race is about to start—take your seats."
Without letting Gold Legend ask more, the Emperor gave the order… One by one the Uma Musume entered the gates as the announcer introduced the runners.
"Who do you think will win?"
Rudolf suddenly asked Gold Legend.
How should I know?
Gold Legend was speechless; she only recognized two of the racers below—Mejiro Ryan and Ines Fujin.
Still, to save Rudolf's face, she answered offhand, "Ines Fujin."
"I thought you'd pick the top favorite, Mejiro Ryan," Rudolf said with a smile.
"Why? Ines Fujin is a Front Runner—do you really think a Front Runner can take the Derby?" Air Groove asked in disbelief.
After all, no Front Runner had won the Derby in fifteen years.
"If I had to say… intuition?"
Gold Legend vaguely recalled that Ines Fujin was a Derby winner.
In her past life she'd never pulled Ines Fujin's card, so the memory was hazy.
"Intuition, huh? I'll be watching," Rudolf said, settling in as the race began.
Ines Fujin shot to the lead.
"Once you're in front, a Front Runner's only enemy is herself," Maruzensky commented, giving Gold Legend a lesson even while watching.
"Over the Derby distance, a Front Runner is under huge pressure—it's a high-speed war of attrition," Air Groove explained.
"Can she really hold this pace?"
Tamamo Cross watched the track with worry.
Ines Fujin kept setting the pace, leading by two or three lengths at the midway point.
"This is brutal!" Narita Brian frowned.
The blistering tempo Ines Fujin set was rare even for a Derby.
"At this speed, will they have anything left for the stretch?"
Air Groove asked anxiously.
"The straight at Fuchu—Tokyo Racecourse—is 526 meters; that's where the race will be decided," Rudolf judged.
Gold Legend stayed silent, captivated by the scene on the track.
"So dazzling…"
She murmured as she watched the girls battling it out.
"Here it comes," Oguri Cap said.
The field hit the final straight.
"White Dacheng—the Satsuki winner that year—has been chasing Ines Fujin the whole way; at this pace he must be spent," Narita Brian said, watching White Dacheng grit his teeth behind Ines.
"Mejiro Ryan's launching her move,"
Tamamo Cross warned, eyes on the rear.
"From the outside on the straight—impressive," Senmei Representative, a closer herself, admired.
"Looks like the winner will be one of those two—rumor has it they're roommates,"
Rudolf said, delighted.
"They're from our Mihono dorm," Amazon declared proudly.
"But Ines Fujin is clearly fading—the race looks over," Narita Brian said, regretful.
"Not necessarily," Gold Legend pointed. "Look!"
On the track, Ines Fujin shook off her pursuer.
"That's—"
The Emperor rose, stunned.
"Zone," Oguri Cap added.
"It's decided," Gold Legend said.
"The winner—Ines Fujin!"
The commentator's voice rang out in excitement, and the stands erupted in deafening cheers.
Two hundred thousand spectators chanted in perfect unison.
Ines! Ines! they shouted.
From this race on, every winner will probably get a call like that—though I wonder how many Horse Girls will ever earn that honor, Fuji Kiseki said with a smile as she watched the frenzy on the track.
Yes… Rudolf answered, staring blankly at the record flashing on the giant screen.
A new record, Oguri Cap added, expression unchanged.
Truly, every era brings forth its own geniuses, Rudolf sighed.
Gold Legend stood transfixed, gazing at Ines Fujin's spent figure.
For a long while, she said nothing.
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.