Hearing that answer, Sirius Symboli instinctively let out a sigh of relief.
But almost immediately, her ears shot upright again.
She had suddenly realized something very important:
Xingyun Liuge had never run in the Central circuit before, so how did she know about the major Central races?
Those two races she had just mentioned were both G1 events held before the classic season. Regional horse girls ordinarily had no contact with them at all. Yet Xingyun Liuge had brought them up so casually, so naturally. Did that mean she had already been considering a return to Japan and had looked into Central's calendar in advance?
If her tail had not been soaked and heavy with water, Sirius Symboli would probably have started wagging it on the spot from sheer excitement.
Of course, she seemed to have forgotten that Xingyun Liuge had just laid out an even more detailed schedule for Cuihe—a complete glory road from debut race all the way to G1.
If one followed Sirius's line of reasoning, would that not mean Xingyun Liuge intended to transfer to Britain together with Cuihe?
Well, no—because due to certain special historical circumstances, Cuihe was, at present, a "root-and-branch proper" British horse girl. She might very well make it all the way to retirement without encountering any upheaval at all.
Unlike Sirius Symboli, Maruzensky thought farther and more broadly.
Watching Xingyun Liuge, she felt something was off.
That did not seem like the sort of thing a horse girl about to prepare for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes ought to be considering.
There was still about a month left, yes—but the King George was a major race open to horse girls classic age and above.
In other words, Xingyun Liuge would not just be facing rivals from her own generation. She would also be up against mature older horse girls from Britain, the Commonwealth, and mainland Europe—veterans already in their senior years.
In that race, her classic-year opponents were not the main concern at all. The true threat would come from the older, battle-hardened seniors.
Of course, the back waves of the Yangtze do push the front waves onward. Xingyun Liuge, as a younger challenger, absolutely had the power to smash those seniors into the beach.
But after witnessing the Epsom Derby, Maruzensky suspected those older, battle-seasoned racers might well bring out some very special tactics.
She felt Xingyun Liuge was being a little too bold, and that worried her.
And so, once the communal bath was over, Maruzensky quietly followed Xingyun Liuge—who, as always, preferred to stay apart from the crowd in a room of her own—and called out just before the girl closed the door.
"Yo, hello, little Xingyun."
A proper, courteous smile rested on Maruzensky's face. Her looks and figure were first-rate, utterly captivating. Most people would never guess that this beautiful girl was already a seasoned racer who had been competing in the Dream Trophy for years—a veteran horse girl jokingly nicknamed "Showa Water."
Though, to be fair, it was still the Showa era.
According to the fixed course of history, Showa would come to an end next year, in 1989, and the heroes of the Heisei era would begin taking the stage one after another.
Xingyun Liuge, however, knew absolutely nothing about that. The only thing she knew was a certain famous line:
"The first knight to step into the Heisei era was Kuuga."
Looking at the graceful, dazzling Maruzensky, Xingyun Liuge teased,
"Could it be that Maruzensky-senpai also finds the night too long and sleep impossible?"
"Also?"
Maruzensky blinked, then smiled even more brightly.
"Speaking of which, I've recently been troubled by the fact that I can't join the girls' gatherings of the new generation. So if little Xingyun happens to have time—and interest—that would be perfect."
Xingyun Liuge immediately and enthusiastically opened the door, inviting her in for a chat.
The two of them sat down on the bed without ceremony. After all, for a girls' late-night talk, a relaxed setting that soothed both body and mind was practically mandatory.
Maruzensky was not shy in the slightest. She simply lay down on the bed, apparently oblivious to how eye-catching her splendid figure was.
Then again, if there were no supportive undergarments gathering everything together, even towering mountains would flatten into mere hills when lying on their back.
Which meant that if, even in that position, the curves still looked obvious and natural, then the girl in question was hiding a truly enormous treasure chest.
Maruzensky's tone was gentle to the point of sweetness, like that of a mature, dependable mother—one who made you want to tell her all your troubles.
She suspected Xingyun Liuge might have learned something from the hosts of tonight's banquet, or perhaps had received some kind of conditional invitation.
And that was why Xingyun Liuge had started thinking about the younger girls.
She was trying to clear her head that way—using such thoughts to distance herself from noise and worry.
That was why Maruzensky had come over of her own accord.
She wanted Xingyun Liuge's friendship and goodwill.
Though her own family senior was Nijinsky, Maruzensky had always been a Japanese horse girl. Her friends were in Japan; her junior horse girls, in the familial sense, were there too.
So the one she most wanted to help right now was Rudolf Symboli, not Nijinsky.
Turning onto her side, Maruzensky perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be "a range when viewed head-on, a peak when seen from the side." Pressing a hand over her chest, she spoke with the utmost sincerity and friendliness:
"If this is about life troubles, I'd be happy to listen That's part of a senior's duty too, you know"
Rippling light seemed to flow through her eyes, making one think of the beauties of spring. If one could draw clear spring water from such a scene, it would surely wash away worldly worries and leave mind and soul perfectly at ease.
Looking at her like that, Xingyun Liuge's fingers positively itched.
A famous line from the internet suddenly flashed through her mind:
Woman, you are playing with fire.
Maruzensky had decided Xingyun Liuge was troubled, so she had come up with a pretext to pry for information—and to comfort her while she was at it.
Was this maternal instinct overflowing, or was she trying to steal a march on everyone else?
In works of fiction from any country, realizing someone is troubled and then stepping in to help solve it is probably one of the easiest ways to raise that person's favorability.
This woman was seriously something.
Unfortunately for her, Xingyun Liuge just gave her a teasing look, lifted a brow, and deliberately put on a delighted expression.
"Maruzensky-senpai really is thoughtful. I do have a few worries."
Hearing that, Maruzensky smiled. This was exactly what she had come for. If Xingyun Liuge was willing to talk, that was the best possible outcome.
But what the girl said next left her utterly dumbfounded.
"Well, before the Epsom Derby, I had originally planned to register for the Princess of Wales's Stakes, which is coming up very soon. But considering that racing back-to-back would probably scare off a lot of horse girls and would also make the reporters focus too heavily on that, I had no choice but to give up that G1. I didn't want to waste public attention."
"But there's no way I can just sit idle, so I made a new plan. Next comes the Commonwealth Cup in late June, then the Eclipse Stakes in early July, then the July Cup a week later, then the Grand Prix de Paris the week after that, and after that I'll come back to Britain for the King George. That should make for a very fulfilling July!"
Listening to Xingyun Liuge's schedule, Maruzensky's tail practically went rigid.
?
Was Xingyun Liuge planning to race herself to death in a gauntlet of high-intensity events?
And besides—speaking of late June, why not go back to Japan for the Takarazuka Kinen?
The prize money there was even higher.
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 165)
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 (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
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 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
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 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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