While Sakuraba Ryo was busy pushing forward Nishikino Academy's internationalization project, things on the Central side were anything but peaceful.
After Oguri Cap's bizarre post-race confession following the Derby, another Umamusume had now left everyone stunned with her own post-race remarks.
That Umamusume was none other than Tamamo Cross, the winner of the Takarazuka Kinen.
Right there at the Takarazuka Kinen venue, she openly blasted the entire crowd.
"From what I can see, Central's Umamusume are all pathetically weak!"
"Are the only real runners in this world the Umamusume from the Regional Circuit?!"
"You've all disappointed me!"
The moment those contemptuous words toward Central's Umamusume left her mouth, it was like tossing a lit match into a powder keg. Public opinion exploded, and the uproar spread across the venue like wildfire.
"What the hell? Since when does a G1 winner get to look down on Central's Umamusume?!"
"Exactly. Isn't that contradictory? She's part of Central too, isn't she...?"
"Who the hell is 'part of Central' with you? Tamamo Cross is Hokkaido's pride!"
"Oh, shut up already. Since when does some nobody from NAR get to bark?"
"You're the one who should shut it. I thought one of JRA's lapdogs had actually managed to beat Tamamo!"
In an instant, trolling, insults, and faction wars flooded the comment sections of every major outlet.
Tamamo Cross herself was shoved straight into the center of the storm.
Not that she cared in the slightest.
And after that incident, nearly the whole country's attention turned toward her.
People started digging into Tamamo Cross as an Umamusume. More than that, they wanted to know what gave her the confidence to say something like that in the first place.
It did not take long for them to find what stood behind her: an academy called Nishikino Academy.
And when they started investigating Nishikino Academy, what they found only left them even more confused.
What did they mean it had been on the verge of bankruptcy last year, and by this year had already become one of Hokkaido's elite academies?
What?
There had to be a powerful backer behind this.
But who exactly was responsible for Nishikino Academy's meteoric rise?
Opinions were all over the place, and for the time being, no one had a definitive answer.
But one thing was certain: Nishikino Academy had now officially entered the public eye...
...
"Nishikino Academy..."
Sitting in Tracen Academy's student council office, Symboli Rudolf looked at the intelligence report spread out before her, her expression conflicted.
Who would have thought that after Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross would go on to claim another victory in such an important race on Central turf?
Even now, Sakuraba Ryo's words from that day still echoed in Symboli Rudolf's ears.
"So it's 'disrespecting the Regional Circuit,' is it..."
As she looked at Nishikino Academy's name on the report, she absentmindedly traced circles over it with her fingertip.
The JRA side of the Umamusume Association was already pressuring her, demanding that she suppress the momentum surrounding this whole matter.
After all, as Tracen Academy's student council president, Symboli Rudolf held enormous authority. In the entire academy, probably only Chairwoman Akikawa ranked above her.
At the very least, if she wanted to, she could absolutely snuff out the momentum behind all this.
But Symboli Rudolf chose not to.
"If I step in and suppress the rise of a Regional Academy, wouldn't that only make Tracen Academy look incompetent?"
Even though Oguri Cap's astonishing talent and Tamamo Cross's provocative victory had shaken Central one after another, deep down, she still believed they were no more than sparks in the wilderness—bright, perhaps, but not enough to start a prairie fire.
The training system, research support, competitive environment, and resource network Tracen Academy had built over the course of a century were not things that could be easily shaken by one or two geniuses, or by a Regional Academy that had suddenly risen to prominence.
She acknowledged Sakuraba Ryo's eye for talent and his methods, and she recognized the resilience hidden within regional Umamusume who had never been fully discovered.
But none of that was enough to shake her belief in the iron law that Central stood at the summit.
In her view, Regional Academies might occasionally produce one or two prodigies capable of breaking through the clouds, but they could never build a systematic, sustainable pipeline of top-tier talent.
Without rigorous talent development. Without deep institutional foundations.
A brief moment in the spotlight looked far more like a fortunate exception than a true new normal capable of rewriting the balance of power.
Tamamo Cross's remarks, more than a genuine challenge, felt to her like a one-sided outburst born from indignation. And that very emotion only made the invisible yet undeniable gulf between the regional circuit and Central stand out even more sharply.
What truly concerned her was not whether the regional circuit could produce another one or two Oguri Caps.
It was whether there was a replicable path behind that success. Whether it could truly be shaped into a system powerful enough to contend with Central as a whole.
Nishikino Academy's rise had been too fast, too abrupt. Perhaps there really was a mysterious hand behind it.
But could miracles continue forever?
When the hype died down, what would actually remain?
So even as public opinion surged and the Association leaned on her, she chose to hold her ground and do nothing.
This was not out of respect for the regional circuit, nor out of fear.
It was a kind of composure born from absolute confidence—confidence so strong it bordered on arrogance.
She believed Central's foundation was more than enough to absorb this noise.
She believed time would prove that true strength never needed to be demonstrated by suppressing others.
The potential of the Regional Circuit?
Perhaps it existed.
But to call it a threat?
It still fell far, far short.
The future might belong to you.
But the present belongs to Central!
While Symboli Rudolf was considering how to handle Nishikino Academy, Sakuraba Ryo was, just as he had hoped, using this same stretch of time to announce that Nishikino Academy's international class was now accepting outside applicants.
Before long, the academy principal sent over a compiled list of student applications.
That had been Sakuraba's own instruction. He wanted to personally review the roster for the international class.
He had never started this international class to make money in the first place, and to avoid tragedies like Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross happening again, Sakuraba felt that this time he absolutely had to choose the incoming Umamusume carefully.
This time, he was determined to select the weakest batch possible!
Sakuraba deliberately avoided the gray-haired overseas Umamusume on the application list.
Goddammit, there was no way he was admitting any gray-haired Umamusume this time!
Once bitten, twice shy!
If they started producing results again, he'd be the one left suffering!
So he specifically chose the ones who looked completely average.
Then, suddenly, one name on the list caught his eye...
"Sunday Silence?"
"Doesn't sound strong at all. Feels more like the name of some quiet, bookish literary girl. Not bad. Approved!"
Black hair. Golden eyes. A thick streak of white dyed into the bangs over her forehead. She looked quiet and completely harmless.
Most importantly, she was not gray-haired!
She fit Sakuraba's selection criteria perfectly!
"Heh heh. Then you'll be one of the first students admitted!"
In an excellent mood, Sakuraba stamped the application list with his approval seal.
Surely this one couldn't possibly blow up in his face too, right~?
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T/N: yes... this ummm sunday silence is def garbage... yes... haha...ha...ha (LOOKED IT UP AND SUNDAY SILENCE IS A YEAR YOUNGER THAN OGURI?? WDYM OGURI WAS 1985 AND SUNDAY SILENCE WAS 1986)