Lady's Secret looked at Rudolf Symbol with undisguised interest, openly approving of this act of self-exposure. In her eyes, only by facing one's own weaknesses and shortcomings head-on could one truly improve, could one say something capable of moving another person's heart.
Had Rudolf Symbol failed to do that, Lady's Secret would have looked down on this so-called Emperor instead.
Rudolf drew in a deep breath. She knew that what she was about to say was a gamble. Once spoken, there would be no taking it back. If she did not do this… no. Doing it alone would still mean nothing. If she failed, Xingyun Liuge would never trust her again. She would throw herself into another camp entirely and become a storm raging over Japan.
So Rudolf could only win. She could not lose, and she absolutely could not waver.
Otherwise, the future of Japan's horse girls would be cast beneath a thick shadow named Xingyun Liuge. Even the enthusiasm of the racing fans would suffer a devastating blow.
"The current Japanese racing industry and its rules do indeed have many serious flaws," Rudolf said, her voice steady, "so many that they forced an outstanding horse girl to set out overseas far too early, while another outstanding horse girl was barred from the Flash series entirely, diminishing even that stage by her absence."
"I was once rigid and stubborn. I believed rules were absolute, that everyone had to obey them without exception. I never stopped to think whether those rules had kept pace with the times."
Her gaze locked onto Xingyun Liuge.
These were the very same words she had once spoken to Xingyun Liuge and Oguri Cap at Chukyo Racecourse. And now, looking back on them, she felt nothing but regret. She had to correct that mistake with her own hands.
If nothing else, there had already been Haiseiko before Xingyun Liuge and Oguri Cap, the one they called the Monster of the Regions. As Emperor, Rudolf should have corrected the JRA's errors in time, should have guided Japanese racing toward a brighter future.
Instead, she had only marveled at Haiseiko's strength and then forgotten the flaws in the rules. It was only when a brand-new "monster" appeared—one who had even defeated Rudolf herself—that she finally grasped the seriousness of the problem.
That was undeniably wrong.
Rudolf Symbol bent deeply at the waist.
"Xingyun, I have to apologize to you. All of this was my fault. I am truly, sincerely sorry. And I do not dare hope you will forgive me. I only ask that you think a little more carefully before deciding."
"I will change the JRA. I will correct the flaws in the rules. I will give Japan's horse girls a brighter future, so…"
So what?
Did she really think she could persuade Xingyun Liuge to choose Japan with nothing but elegant words?
That would be sincerity in name only.
Xingyun Liuge had gone abroad precisely because of the JRA's rigidity and stagnation. Yes, the JRA had finally shown signs of bowing its head—but the crack had already formed. How could promises not yet made real possibly move the very person they had slighted?
Rudolf asked herself honestly:
If it were the old, high-spirited you, would you forgive a JRA like this?
The answer was no.
Only one phrase surfaced in her mind:
If you repay resentment with virtue, then how do you repay virtue?
And so Rudolf fell silent for a long while, unable to force out another word.
"..."
Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo were not close to Rudolf Symbol. They did not know exactly how she had offended Xingyun Liuge. But they did know the immediate reason why Xingyun had gone overseas, and because of that, no matter how kind-hearted they were, no matter how sincere or stirring Rudolf's words sounded, they simply could not speak on her behalf.
Using unfair rules to prevent a horse girl from entering the Classic series?
That meant she could only race against older girls.
But how many horse girls truly had the power to defeat their seniors?
Was that not practically the same as forcibly ending a horse girl's career?
This was no small grievance. It was a deep and irreconcilable wrong.
No one could make the choice for Xingyun Liuge—not even her trainer, Chihaya Yui.
"Recognizing your mistakes and changing is a good thing," Xingyun Liuge said, lowering her eyes. At a glance, it made her seem arrogant, because she had accepted Rudolf Symbol's bow and apology without bowing in return. In a strictly hierarchical society like Japan, that alone would be condemned as grossly disrespectful.
And not only that—she had responded with open criticism, all but stating that Rudolf's words were just pretty talk and nothing more.
"But that only means something after the change has already happened."
"At the restaurant, I believe I already told you what should be done to change the current situation, didn't I?"
Her tone sharpened.
"If you still remember it, and if you truly are prepared to throw your whole self into the great cause of opening the path to a better future, then raise your head."
"Show me your actions."
Her voice carried such stern force that Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo were both left at a loss.
Who exactly was Japan's "Emperor" here, and who was still only a horse girl in her Classic year?
This had completely turned the hierarchy upside down.
Lady's Secret and Mom's Command exchanged a glance, and both saw delight in the other's eyes.
Yes. This was exactly how it ought to be.
Rudolf Symbol wanting to change the state of Japanese racing was a good thing.
And Xingyun Liuge having an independent sense of right and wrong, having not been too deeply molded by Japanese culture—that was even better.
What they needed was precisely this kind of horse girl, one who could open her eyes and truly see the world.
If Xingyun Liuge had just been a simple stat monster, the sort who could be swayed instantly by overwhelming profit or blazing rhetoric, that would have been the real disaster.
The next day, at Pimlico Race Course.
Rudolf Symbol stood on a high platform, watching Xingyun Liuge train in the distance while simultaneously observing the other horse girls' practice. Her expression was so intent that anyone unaware of the situation might have thought she was the trainer, not the student council president.
Beside her, the executive director dabbed nervously at his sweat with a handkerchief, still shaken by the previous night's so-called welcoming banquet. All he could do was heap praise on Rudolf in the hope that she would try even harder.
Though he was the JRA's nominal third-in-command, someone of great rank and authority, he had no right to "advise" this Emperor. If word ever got out that he had shown Rudolf Symbol disrespect, the Symbol family would not even need to intervene—her enraged fans would tear him apart first.
And besides, this was America. The flag flying outside was the Stars and Stripes.
Here, he had even less power to act. All he could do was rely on Rudolf Symbol. Under those circumstances, how could he possibly afford to offend the Emperor of Japanese racing?
Take last night, for instance. Since the Triple Crown winners had invited only Xingyun Liuge, everyone else was, by definition, an outsider. Not even Rudolf Symbol could simply show up uninvited and act the boorish guest. Even she—and even the Symbol family—could not shoulder that kind of consequence.
Had Rudolf not convinced Xingyun Liuge to let her come along, had she not "debated the gathered legends" at the banquet, the JRA might have lost Xingyun Liuge without even understanding how it happened.
From that perspective, Rudolf Symbol was a hero of Japan. He ought to be singing her praises to the skies.
What he did not know, however, was that the so-called "persuasion," the so-called "battle of words," was all a fiction. It was Xingyun Liuge herself who had told Rudolf to present it that way.
The whole point was to strengthen Rudolf Symbol's image, increase her authority within the board, make everyone trust her even more—
so that later, when the moment came, she could drive a knife straight into the JRA's back.
The JRA, stagnant and hopelessly out of date, had to be swept into the dustbin of history.
What they needed was a new governing body—one that could keep up with the times, one that truly considered the interests of horse girls and trainers alike.
And Rudolf Symbol thought to herself:
Only then will we truly have a chance to recruit Xingyun.
Only then will Japan stand on the same starting line as Britain and America.
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 44
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