"There's still more to go. Who is on the other side of senior C.B?"
Teio energetically hopped to the other side of Mr C.B's case to see who it was.
"Shinzan?"
"Ah… Senior Shinzan is also here, yes?"
"Senior Shinzan? Is she your senior mama?"
"Yes, she was the president before me. I wonder where she is right now. Maybe I should ask Speed about it."
"Talking about Speed Symboli, she is also here."
"Ah! Of course she is… So where is Sirius? We didn't miss her, did we? I thought this hall of fame goes by order of older to newer. Is she perhaps much older than me in this world?"
"...probably."
The young man stayed quiet. He isn't that well-versed when it comes to Sirius Symboli's history, but he knows about her disastrous overseas expedition. He doesn't have the heart or the cover-up to tell Rudolf of Sirius's fate.
"Then let's go to the next section, shall we?"
The quartet enters the oldest section of the hall of fame. They can feel the ancient's air of this section. The trio tried their best to look for Sirius Symboli, but they couldn't find her case anywhere. What they did find was someone else.
"Tokino Minoru? Do you know anyone by the name, Prez?"
"It's mama, Teio. Also, I heard of her before, but her era is before even Senior Shinzan. I never met her, nor do I know what she is doing right now."
"I didn't manage to find Sirius Symboli. Did something happen to her in this world?"
"...dear."
"Most likely. Either that, or she is completely different in this world. Her personality wouldn't allow her not to be inside the JRA Hall of Fame. Especially if Rudolf is amongst them."
"Should I… look what happened to her on the internet?"
"Maybe later. Let's continue our tour first, shall we?"
The quartet continues walking and enters the next section, where there's more Wall of Fame than Hall of Fame. Amazing horses from different eras are engraved on a plaque, along with their stories, pictures, lineages, and descriptions.
"Special Week… Rice Shower… Stay Gold… Silence Suzuka… Ah… Palmer and Ryan are also here. Why are they here and not with me on that part of the Hall of Fame?"
"The fact that they didn't put their race records can only indicate that they're a good horse, but not great."
"That's…"
"These horses were one in a ten thousand, while the parts before were one in a hundred thousand. That's simply just how it is in a competition, McQueen. There are three places on the podium, but there might as well be one. If you're not first, then you're last."
His words… It's similar to the book…
"I see… How? Palmer and Ryan are powerful umamusumes. How can they be second and third place in this world?"
"Their active years overlap with yours. The reason they're second and third is because of you, McQueen."
"Me…?"
"Indeed. The first enters the Hall of Fame, the second and third are just plaques on the wall to be passed by."
"But that doesn't mean they are nothing!!! Compared to the rest that ran alongside us!! Surely Palmer and Ryan will be remembered more than them!!"
"Yes, but not more than you. When people start forgetting about you, Palmer and Ryan will have been completely wiped from history. That is the fate of the second and third."
"Is there no way for us to be remembered together? I don't want their hard work to be ignored!"
"...make them the antagonists of your story."
"What?"
"Joker is remembered because he is the iconic villain of Batman. Lex Luthor to Superman. Kindness to me. Red Skull to Captain America. Salad to an American."
"No! No! They're my family!! I will never bare my fangs against them!! What are you thinking?!?!"
"...If you find another way, please tell me."
"..."
The room went silent, and the atmosphere thickened. The young man was a well of knowledge for these girls. For even him to genuinely not know something and give up is extremely rare. He always has an answer, or he would go to the end of the earth to find it. He figured out how to dissect the time-travelling machine from the future, and yet, he gave up on this one problem. That alone tells the girls just how insurmountable the mountains in front of them are.
"I'm not saying it's impossible. I'm just saying that the resources you need to invest to make that a reality are simply far too much to be worth it, in my opinion."
"It's not for me. I will prove you wrong, Papa."
"That's my girl!! As long as it doesn't disturb your own effort to be the strongest, then do as you please. Come here and let me kiss you."
*SSMMOOCCH*
The young man pulled McQueen to him and gave her a big, wet kiss on her cheek.
"Mou~~!!! Stop!! You're embarrassing me!!"
"Hey!! I want one too!! I will prove you wrong on… something, Papa!!"
"Please prove me wrong in thinking that your brain will never acquire a single wrinkle, Teio."
"I don't know what that means, but I know it's rude!!!"
"Sigh… If you weren't a cutie, I would have sacked you. Come here!!"
*Smooch*
"Hehehehe~~~"
"Do you want some too, Mama?"
"Eh?!"
"You look jealous. Come here!!"
*Smooch*
"Ehe~~ We are in public, honey. Let's do more when we are home, okay?"
"Hey!! Not fair!! Mama is stealing Papa!!"
"Hahaha!! Alright~~ Alright~~ I'll do it to you too. How about we continue upstairs, shall we? There's a simulation where you can feel how it is to ride a racehorse."
"Alright!!! Let's go!!"
The family proceeds to climb a flight of stairs, walk past rooms and hallways full of pictures of racehorses before entering the room where the JRA keeps the simulation device.
"Me first!! Me first!!"
"There are two, Teio. We can both use it."
The selfish Monarch was so excited that she didn't register the second machine, even though they were next to each other. With the help of the staff, the daughters sit down on the racehorse simulation before the machine starts. The mechanical horses move up and down, tilt side to side, tilt back and forth, and combine all of the above.
"Can these go any wilder?"
"Fufufu~~ She is a feisty girl, is she? She fit the name of Tokai Teio, considering how the horse was. You have a good naming sense, Mister."
"Ahahaha… Thank you. This is the limit of the machine, considering that kids also ride this, I assume."
"Yes. We apologize for not being able to fulfill the girl's wish, but the safety of our visitors is number one."
"No need to apologize. Teio, if you want to test the real one, then how about we visit a farm tomorrow?"
"Eh?! We can!?!?! Let's go!!"
"Tomorrow!!"