To be personally noticed by Symboli Rudolf and taken straight to the Central circuit?
For the overwhelming majority of horse girls, that was a miracle they would not even dare dream of.
Never mind moving from local to Central—even horse girls who had registered and debuted in Central from the very beginning were not guaranteed a chance to meet Symboli Rudolf, let alone be valued by her.
No normal person could possibly refuse, right?
That was Central.
Forget the prize money alone—even the facilities there were leagues beyond anything the local circuit could offer. More importantly, it was home to the Twinkle Series, the highest level of competition, the kind of stage local horse girls could never reach in their entire lives.
"As the saying goes, a golden-scaled fish is no creature to remain in a pond. Surely both of you can see it, can't you? Those two horse girls are not the sort who should be confined to local dirt tracks. They ought to go to Central and show themselves on a far grander stage. They have the power to set people's blood racing, do they not?"
In Symboli Rudolf's view, even if one considered only the girls themselves, the two trainers ought to let go without hesitation.
At this moment, Symboli Rudolf was not pressuring anyone. She had come to negotiate, not to issue orders.
Even so, the two trainers still felt an immense pressure bearing down on them. This was the aura of someone at the top, something ordinary people simply could not resist.
And yet, Chihaya Yui still stepped forward against that pressure, because there was one extremely important issue that absolutely had to be addressed:
Classic Registration.
Yui had previously written to the Central Student Council, hoping to receive Rudolf's help, but for some reason Central Tracen's student council had never replied. Perhaps the president was simply too busy, handling countless affairs every day, and had not yet seen the letter buried among all the other documents?
Thinking of that possibility, Chihaya Yui raised the matter herself. Her request was very simple:
Give Xingyun Liuge a chance. Let her file supplemental registration documents so she could compete in the Classic Triple Crown.
After hearing Yui's request, Kitahara Jones wavered too.
He had wanted to fight the Tokai Derby together with Oguri Cap, but if Oguri Cap had a chance to go to Central, then of course he should fight for her greatest possible benefit instead.
As for the Tokai Derby…
What was his own dream compared to Oguri Cap's future?
If she could enter the Twinkle Series, then so be it. Giving up the Tokai Derby was a small price to pay.
When the two trainers made that request, Symboli Rudolf raised an eyebrow and let out a quiet sigh.
"I see. So there was something like that as well."
Though she was extremely busy, constantly on the move and always searching for promising talent for Central Tracen, she never neglected her work for even a moment. She was certain she had never seen such a letter. Most likely the JRA staff had simply not yet forwarded correspondence from the local circuit to the student council.
Her tone remained easygoing, and for a moment both trainers thought they might actually have a chance to win an opportunity for their horse girls.
But just then, the student council president's calm voice poured a bucket of cold water over them.
"Then… what are your answers?"
She did not respond to their request about the regulations.
Instead, she asked again what they intended to do.
The two trainers exchanged an instinctive glance.
Suddenly, they had a very bad feeling.
Symboli Rudolf seemed like a refined and mild-mannered horse girl, the sort who ought to be relatively easy to talk to. But someone like that, refusing to answer their request directly…
Did that mean she had no intention of helping them solve the problem at all?
Kitahara Jones was just about to press further, but Symboli Rudolf answered first:
The rules were the rules. If you ran into them, then you ran into them. If something could not be done, then it simply could not be done.
If the rules were changed on the spot for the sake of these two horse girls, then would that not undermine the very foundation of the entire Classic-year system?
Besides, while the Classic Triple Crown certainly had a grand reputation, Central was hardly short of other races. The Twinkle Series was not defined by the Classic Triple Crown alone. Setting the "alternative Triple Crown" aside for the moment, the two girls could just as well aim for the Autumn Triple Crown and the Arima Kinen.
To put it bluntly, horse girls like them would probably earn more prize money and more fans by spending a single year racing in Central than they would by spending an entire lifetime on the local circuit.
And above all—what mattered most?
Obviously, it was their dreams.
Yes, missing the special races of the Classic year was regrettable. But if they could instead stand on a bigger stage and pursue brighter dreams, was that not enough?
If they stayed on the local circuit, at best they would just win a few quasi-graded races. How was that any different from strangling their future?
Belno Light had quietly hidden nearby and listened to the whole conversation. Her scalp was beginning to tingle.
The trainers' request had come from a sense of responsibility toward their horse girls—that was completely understandable.
But Symboli Rudolf's words were the plain truth, the kind of broad, undeniable principle that no one could argue against.
And that was exactly what made things so difficult.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Xingyun Liuge had just finished her live.
She did not even bother properly taking her curtain call. Instead, she leapt straight from the stage into the spectator stands and broke into a run.
She could have gone through backstage.
But the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, and she intended to charge there in exactly one straight line!
Of course, Xingyun Liuge had not forgotten to call for the other party involved.
"Oguri, come with me!"
A hero's power was always active; it was only restricted during races. Janna's power made the wind into Xingyun Liuge's eyes and ears. If she wished, she could hear anything—information just took a little time to travel, that was all.
Oguri Cap had no idea what Xingyun Liuge had thought of, or why she wanted her to come along, but Oguri was a natural airhead and had already decided that Xingyun Liuge was her friend, so of course she did not hesitate in the slightest.
But as soon as she started running, she noticed something strange.
My body feels so light…
It was as though the whole world were at her side, as though every force around her were pushing her forward. Without any effort at all, she burst past her own usual limit.
Tailwind: Any wind direction becomes your ally, granting a 6% increase to movement speed.
And Xingyun Liuge was, quite literally, a horse girl who brought her own wind with her.
Under Belno Light's shocked gaze, Xingyun Liuge and Oguri Cap rushed to the "negotiation scene," instantly becoming the center of attention.
The horse girls from Central curiously watched these two local horse girls whom the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf, had taken an interest in. Some of them had already begun whispering among themselves.
Symboli Rudolf had not expected the two girls to appear so suddenly, but this was not a bad thing.
Her desire to bring them to Central contained no selfish motive whatsoever. If she could negotiate directly with the girls themselves, things would be much simpler.
This time, Symboli Rudolf lavishly praised both their talents. She also took the trainers' concerns into account and promised:
"Although you would be unable to participate in the Classic Triple Crown, you would still be able to stand on a larger stage and chase even brighter dreams. If you could achieve the Autumn Triple Crown, that would already count as entering the true halls of greatness, and the honor would not be much less than that of the Classic Triple Crown. What do you two think?"
Since local horse girls had never realistically been able to prepare Classic Registration in advance anyway, there was no helping the fact that both of them would miss the Classic Triple Crown.
Symboli Rudolf was willing to make a small concession.
She would allow each of them to bring one or two hometown companions along to Tokyo. She could even help coordinate housing.
Of course, whether those "one or two companions" could actually pass the exams for logistics staff—or even the Central Tracen trainer exam—would depend entirely on their own effort and talent.
Symboli Rudolf felt that she was showing more than enough sincerity.
"Indeed. Miss Symboli Rudolf has considered things for us very thoroughly. You could even say you've eliminated all of our worries."
Since Symboli Rudolf had already gone this far, the matter of the Classic Triple Crown was clearly beyond saving.
Xingyun Liuge let out a long breath and thought to herself:
Luckily, I already gave up on the idea of running the Japanese Triple Crown ahead of time. At this point, I feel neither sorrow nor joy.
Symboli Rudolf took Xingyun Liuge's words as agreement, and a faint look of delight rose to her face.
But then Xingyun Liuge placed one hand over her chest and answered with crisp dignity:
"However—I refuse!"
"One of the things I, Xingyun Liuge, like doing most is saying no to people who think too highly of themselves!"
The instant those words fell, the entire venue erupted.
How could anyone refuse the Emperor's invitation?
More importantly—how could she dare be so rude?!
Did she not know that the Emperor was absolute?
Everyone thought Xingyun Liuge had already gone far enough.
But what they did not know was that the words she was about to say next were the truly devastating part.
Her eyes shone fiercely as she spoke.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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