"Holy crap…!"
The instant Oguri Cap charged past the finish line, Suluo's pupils shook like an earthquake. His mind was left with only that single thought.
How?
How the hell did Oguri win?!
Wasn't Yaeno Muteki—winner of the Satsuki Sho—supposed to be terrifying?
Wasn't Mejiro Ardan the gifted young lady from a prestigious bloodline?
Didn't Sakura Chiyono O even win a GⅠ in her maiden year?
And yet none of these monsters managed to stop Oguri Cap—the girl who came up from the countryside?!
Why?!
Could it be… the Central horse girls are actually all useless?!
Suluo couldn't understand it.
"March… wasn't Oguri already stuck in the worst possible position? How did she win?"
He turned to ask Fujimasa March, who was also still frozen in shock.
"Maybe…" March said slowly, "it's simply because Oguri is… really strong."
That positioning during the race was disadvantageous no matter how you looked at it.
And yet Oguri Cap won through it.
So what else could March even say?
Stats.
It had to be the stats.
Something was wrong with the stats!
Hearing March's answer, Suluo felt zero comfort.
Huh?
What do you mean "stats"?
You're telling me a horse girl from the sticks has higher stats than Central horse girls?
NO—!!!
I refuse to accept that—!
The more Oguri won, the more it made Suluo's decision to invest in her back then look absolutely insane.
Two hundred million…
That was two hundred million in prize money!
How could this be?!
How could it be like this?!
"Suluo… your smile is really ugly right now," Norn Ace said beside him, her mouth twitching.
She knew he was smiling because Oguri won, but… wasn't this smile a little too twisted?
"Suluo, don't get too worked up. I know you're happy, but 'too much joy brings sorrow,' you know?"
"Do I look happy to you?!"
"Yeah. So happy you've even got tears in your eyes."
"I… I… heh… heh… HAAAHHH—!"
A certain investor let out a foul, incomprehensible howl right there in the VIP stands.
On the other side of the VIP section, Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky watched Oguri Cap standing at the very center of the track, basking in the crowd's cheers—both of them feeling a little wistful.
"After Mr. Suluo's guidance… Oguri Cap really awakened her Domain," Rudolf murmured.
Rudolf had imagined Suluo came to Central to improve Oguri's strength…
But she hadn't expected the improvement to be this huge.
She'd watched Oguri's races before. Back then, Oguri clearly didn't have a Domain.
But what Oguri displayed in the Derby today was unmistakably Domain-level.
If something changed Oguri Cap, Rudolf could only think of one person.
Suluo.
And yet, even for the "Emperor," the boost Suluo brought Oguri exceeded expectations.
To learn Domain in such a short time…
"Mr. Suluo… just how many surprises can you still bring me?"
"Really… you should join Central."
"I absolutely can't let you go…"
At that thought, the curve of Rudolf's lips rose despite herself.
Meanwhile, Maruzensky's feelings were… complicated.
She was happy Central had gained another formidable competitor—
but the junior she'd been cheering for hadn't won the Derby.
That sting of regret still lingered.
I should go comfort that girl properly.
—
Elsewhere, Sparkling Bright (Kira Kira Hikaru) was gripping Kitahara by the collar and shaking him like a ragdoll.
"Mr. Kitahara! Mr. Kitahara! Oguri won!"
"Oguri won the Japan Derby!"
"A Kasamatsu horse girl… became a Derby winner!"
She was so happy she could barely breathe.
She'd endured humiliation after humiliation, building wealth in Tokyo—just to support Oguri Cap.
And under her relentless "operations," nearly a quarter of the shopping district near Central Tracen had become her assets…
She'd worked that hard to repay Suluo's investment, for Oguri's sake—
all so she could see this moment: Oguri Cap taking first place.
"Uh… hey, miss," someone in the crowd couldn't help but warn, "the person you're holding… is about to die…"
Only then did Sparkling Bright realize Kitahara in her hands had already been shaken dizzy into unconsciousness.
"Mr. Kitahara—!!"
She hugged the fainted trainer and wailed.
Now that was the true definition of "too much joy brings sorrow."
—
On the track, Oguri Cap had barely stepped off the course when she was immediately surrounded by reporters, packed in tight.
"Miss Oguri Cap! Congratulations on winning the Japan Derby! What are your thoughts?!"
My thoughts?
Oguri blinked at the microphone shoved toward her.
Um…
There were too many people she wanted to thank…
Mom. Bright. Kitahara. Everyone in Kasamatsu…
And…
Suluo.
Too many. So many that even Oguri hesitated.
Then…
I won't thank anyone first.
Instead, I'll say what I most want to say right now.
"…What I want to say is…"
She took the microphone from the reporter and spoke her honest feelings.
"The place beside that guy—I won't yield it to anyone."
"…Huh?"
The reporters around her let out baffled noises.
What did that mean?!
Is this year's Derby winner… kind of off?!
Is that even a proper post-race comment?!
The crowd in the stands burst into laughter at Oguri's bluntness.
"People say love is a Derby, but… that's way too direct!"
"Ohhh, nice reaction! This year's Derby horse girl romance?! I'm cheering you on!"
While everyone laughed and gossiped, there was only one person in the stands who understood what Oguri's words truly meant.
"Hmph…"
"Bold of you…"
Tamamo Cross stared at that figure, surrounded by the press.
Oguri Cap's statement was an answer to what Tamamo had said to her.
He doesn't need you at his side.
And Oguri's reply was:
The spot by that guy won't be given to anyone else.
"…Heh."
Tamamo Cross smiled.
"If you can do it—then come take it with your own hands."
She turned and walked away, leaving the track behind.
The Derby was over. She had no reason to stay.
And more importantly…
She now knew what she wanted to do next.
"The place beside Suluo won't be given to anyone else, huh?"
"That line… should've been mine."
"The one who stands beside him…"
"…should be me."
With that resolve, Tamamo Cross disappeared into the shadows at the exit.
....
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