That day, Sakura Baimu announced some news to the members of TCB.
"Dia-chan's debut race has been decided. It will be before Teio and McQueen's Takarazuka Kinen, in the Kyoto 2000 Meter middle-distance race, clockwise."
Sakura Baimu said this, then looked at Satono Diamond and smiled.
"Dia-chan is lucky; she's number 6 in gate 6."
Mejiro McQueen was puzzled. "Why do you say she's lucky? Isn't number 6 in gate 6 a perfectly normal position? Is there anything special about it?"
"What do you know? It's an auspicious number," Sakura Baimu laughed.
Mejiro McQueen's beautiful purple eyes instantly turned into dead fish eyes. She felt that taking Sakura Baimu's words seriously was simply asking for trouble.
"To be honest, while I initially thought Dia-chan might receive some attention upon her debut, I never expected it to be this outrageous. It really exceeded my expectations."
Sakura Baimu said this while tossing a stack of newspapers onto the table. Everyone turned to look at them.
Then, the three Umamusumes, except for Mejiro McQueen and Satono Diamond, all gasped in unison.
The newspapers displayed the following words in bold:
[Debut Showdown with 50,000 Viewers: Satono Clan VS Leuker Clan]
"5...50,000, what…?" Smart Falcon gasped, covering her mouth in surprise, then looked at Sakura Baimu, unable to comprehend the information in the newspaper.
It wasn't that she couldn't read, but rather that the content of the newspaper was beyond her comprehension, making it hard to believe.
"The most anticipated contestants in this debut competition are Dia-chan from the Satono Clan and Leukerbad from the Leuker Clan. Before their debut, their combined popularity was already 50,000," Sakura Baimu spoke.
Even Mejiro McQueen was somewhat moved by her words, though she didn't exclaim like Tokai Teio or Smart Falcon.
"Fifty… fifty thousand?"
Kitasan Black was unable to fully grasp the number. After all, she had just debuted and didn't yet understand what this level of popularity truly represented.
"Kita-chan, you should know that since their debut, Umamusume racers have had to start from lower-level tournaments and work their way up to gain popularity fans to qualify for higher-level competitions."
"Yes," Kitasan Black nodded.
"G-level tournaments are called 'high-stakes tournaments.' The lowest level, G3, requires around 1,000 popularity points to participate, while the first match of the classic Triple Crown Tournament, the Satsuki Sho, requires around 4,500."
"Furthermore, the most demanding tournament is the Japan Cup, where Umamusume players from both domestic and international competitions compete. At least 25,000 popularity fans are needed to qualify. If you can achieve that many popularity fans within a year, you'll basically be eligible for the year-end Arima Kinen vote."
"This time, Leukerbad already had 25,000 popularity fans before her debut, while Dia-chan had slightly fewer, around 24,000. If we disregard the preliminary rounds and only consider popularity points, Dia-chan and Leukerbad already qualified for the Japan Cup before their debut."
"So, Kita-chan, do you now understand how terrifying that number is?"
Sakura Baimu asked with a smile, looking at Kitasan Black, whose mouth was already agape in astonishment.
"Little... Dia-chan, you're amazing~~!"
Kitasan Black and Tokai Teio both stared wide-eyed at Satono Diamond, who stood there elegantly, and exclaimed in amazement.
"Ah~~ Falco is so envious~♪"
Smart Falcon was also looking at the newspaper with envy. She was currently the only senior member in TCB, but her popularity wasn't even half as high as Satono Diamond's before her debut.
Satono Diamond's delicate face flushed slightly as she listened to her teammates' surprised exclamations.
"Actually, it's not that impressive, not as good as Miss McQueen's debut competition..."
"Huh—?"
Tokai Teio immediately looked at Mejiro McQueen who was completely unconcerned, and drew out the last syllable.
"Was McQueen this big back then?"
"Not really." Mejiro McQueen tossed her elegant purple hair, feigning indifference.
Sakura Baimu observed Mejiro McQueen's expression. She knew that this haughty young lady actually wanted to show off, but to maintain her image, she had to feign indifference.
So, she went along with Mejiro McQueen's plan and played the role of flatterer.
"When McQueen debuted, her popularity was probably about 30% higher than Dia-chan's."
"30%... 30%?!"
The other members were simultaneously shocked.
Smart Falcon quickly calculated the popularity, her orange eyes widening instantly.
"24,000 plus 30%... that's over 30,000?!"
"Wow, McQueen was this amazing back then? I didn't realize~" Tokai Teio teased.
"As an Umamusume of the Mejiro family, Miss McQueen is very popular. In fact, every Umamusume in the Mejiro family debuts with great fanfare, possessing popularity that's in no way inferior to mine," Satono Diamond spoke enviously.
This statement which everyone else would agree with, was suddenly met with objection from Mejiro McQueen.
"That's not necessarily true."
"Huh?" Satono Diamond exclaimed in surprise. "Am I mistaken?"
"Not all Mejiro family Umamusumes debut with great fanfare. It's more accurate to say that only Mejiro Umamusumes who debut in Tokyo receive attention," Mejiro McQueen added.
"Hmph." Sakura Baimu suddenly smiled knowingly, a hint of mischief in her azure eyes.
"There's a Umamusume from the Mejiro clan who didn't debut from Tokyo?"
"It's no use telling you. You weren't even a trainee when Sakura debuted, so of course you wouldn't know."
"Sakura..."
Sakura Baimu stroked her smooth chin, repeating the name with a look of keen interest.
Seeing Sakura Baimu's expression, Mejiro McQueen assumed it was because she hadn't heard of Mejiro Sakura before and said to her with extreme disdain.
"Don't underestimate her just because you haven't heard of her. Although she's from a rural area, she possesses strength comparable to Umamusume from Central!"
"Wow, that's impressive. I'd really like to meet her sometime..." Sakura Baimu laughed.
"You're just dreaming. Sakura stopped running. Besides, she's not like you, Trainer-san. She's much more mature, serious, and beautiful than you. Even if I had the chance, I wouldn't let you mess with Sakura!"
Mejiro McQueen adopted a fiercely protective stance, determined not to let Sakura Baimu persecute her sister, who was nowhere to be found.
"McQueen, I was just saying, isn't it possible that you're romanticizing your memories of her? In reality, she might be nothing like what you describe."
Sakura Baimu was amused by Mejiro McQueen's goofy expression. She wanted to remind her not to embarrass herself anymore, or she would be embarrassed later.
Unexpectedly, Sakura Baimu's reminder was misunderstood by Mejiro McQueen again.
She assumed Sakura Baimu was being sarcastic because she hadn't heard of Mejiro Sakura and therefore thought she wasn't very good.
"Impossible! Trainer-san, don't judge others by your own standards!"
Ha, you know I'm judging others by my own standards.
Sakura Baimu couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Mejiro McQueen asked, puzzled.
"Nothing." Sakura Baimu forced a smile, but her face showed she was trying not to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"There's a pig, I won't say who."