How long did it take to walk from the underground tunnel to the awards podium?
In the past, Offside Trap had thought it would only take two or three short minutes.
Now, she knew exactly how long that road could feel.
Her steps were slow. It was not because she wanted to savor anything in this deserted underground passage, but because a sudden impulse had seized her—to let herself sink into this quiet for a little while longer.
It was not that she rejected the passion outside.
She simply needed this moment to steady herself.
In the stands, every fan's gaze was fixed on the exit of the underground tunnel. They held their breath and focused, waiting for even the faintest glimpse of that crimson racing outfit to appear around the corner.
They were all ready to greet Japan's new queen with the loudest cheers they could give.
Shinji stood at the side of the exit. Beside him, King Halo and Narita Brian watched the tunnel with unconcealed envy. Their emotions were not quite the same, but both of them were undeniably envious of this victory.
Tap, tap, tap…
At last, footsteps rang out.
Her figure appeared at the exit, and the grandstand erupted. Yet Offside Trap's eyes were only on her trainer.
He had already praised her plenty just now, but somehow, she felt she could never hear it enough.
She walked to his side. The JURA officials and the academy leadership were already crowding in around her, every face beaming with satisfaction and delight. The sight inevitably reminded her of how they had all behaved after the Japan Cup interview.
So in the end, all of that had finally become the past.
From here on, she would be the kind of racer these people relied on, the kind they pinned their hopes on.
"Offside Trap, congratulations. You are Japan's first Autumn Triple Crown horse girl."
She recognized the little person speaking.
It was Akikawa Yayoi, representing the academy board, waving her folding fan and excitedly talking about next year's prospects. Of course Offside Trap was going overseas next year, but not for the sake of the people standing in front of her. So after Akikawa Yayoi finished her impassioned little speech, Offside Trap gave only a light, perfunctory, "Mm."
Akikawa Yayoi did not seem embarrassed in the slightest. Instead, she turned toward the person beside her—Symboli Rudolf.
The student council president no longer had the imposing air she once did. Since the Japan Cup interview, the strain on her had only grown, and after the Arima Kinen, it had reached a new height.
Her gaze flickered toward Narita Brian. The now nominal vice president avoided her eyes, and Rudolf's expression dimmed.
Then Rudolf slowly extended a trembling hand toward Offside Trap.
That hand, once symbolic of the student council's authority, was shaking, and for the first time, genuine surprise crossed Offside Trap's face.
She had heard that even a national idol like Oguri Cap had never forced the student council to back down like this.
Yet she had done it.
"Congratulations. You and your trainer are truly exceptional."
There was no reluctance in Rudolf's voice.
She meant it.
She had watched Shinji struggle his way forward from the very bottom, step by step, and watched Offside Trap, under his guidance, claim the glory of the Autumn Triple Crown. Master and trainee had completed each other. They shared the same conviction, the same resolve to never stop moving forward.
She had not lost unfairly.
Nor, perhaps, had she really lost at all.
A faint light returned to her eyes. When Offside Trap took that outstretched hand, the corners of Rudolf's mouth lifted slightly, and for a moment she almost looked like her old self again. Her voice remained gentle, even carrying a trace of expectation.
"You have to do your best next year too. I believe you can become the best in the world."
Such a distant dream.
And yet, hearing Symboli Rudolf say it with such certainty and faith made that unreachable dream seem just a little closer.
Shinji watched the changes in Rudolf's expression. The words he had originally wanted to say never left his mouth.
From the beginning, he had never denied how much Rudolf cared for the horse girls in the academy. The principle of "horse girls first" had genuinely benefited many of them.
The only reason she had become his enemy was because he was a trainer.
With that thought, he looked away. When Rudolf turned to extend her hand to him, the council president took a breath and still held it there.
"Let's leave it at this. Not a clean slate, exactly, but… considering everything before, let's call this a pause."
If he were being honest, their ledger was probably too tangled to ever settle clearly. But from his perspective, Shinji had no interest in reconciling with Symboli Rudolf just like that. The hardship he had endured, the treatment Offside Trap had suffered from the Autumn Tenno Sho through the Japan Cup—Rudolf bore responsibility for all of it.
Refusing her here, in front of everyone, would do as a small punishment.
Rudolf said nothing.
She slowly withdrew her hand and watched as, under Shinji's encouragement, Offside Trap stepped up onto the champion's platform.
The crowd in front of the podium was celebrating the dream she had finally made real. With JURA and Akikawa Yayoi's approval, Shinji took the bouquet and the Arima Kinen medal and walked slowly toward his horse girl.
Joy burst from Offside Trap's eyes. She had never expected her trainer to be the one to place the flowers and medal on her after this race.
His face looked a little fuller now than it had in her memories, no longer quite as gaunt, and that made her smile brighten even more.
She had not let her trainer worry in vain.
Through her own effort, she had earned him the standing he had today.
Countless reporters surged forward. Camera flashes lit the scene without pause, recording this moment that was certain to be written into history. The horse girl who had risen against all odds, and the trainer she trusted, had finally reached this stage after enduring one hardship after another.
After the JURA leadership and Akikawa Yayoi finished taking their photos with Offside Trap, the impatient reporters could hold back no longer. Microphones were thrust toward her from every direction.
"Offside Trap, how do you view next year's overseas campaign?"
"How would you evaluate this year's Arima Kinen?"
"Do you have confidence in next year's challenges?"
"You've finally become Japan's number one. How do you feel right now?"
The questions came one after another.
Offside Trap accepted one of the microphones, and at last the clamoring reporters quieted down. Every eye fixed on her face, waiting for her answer.
For a moment, she seemed dazed. Her focused gaze wavered, then firmly steadied again.
She leaned toward the microphone, and the air in the venue tightened.
"I think… today is the only day I'm Japan's number one."
Below the podium, praise was still pouring in. Offside Trap turned to Shinji with a silly, happy grin.
She had noticed one reporter holding a photograph. In it, she was caught the instant she crossed the finish line, chin lifted proudly, while the horse girls behind her were still crouched low in their final desperate drive.
Bow to the New Queen.
That was the caption the reporter had given the shot, and Offside Trap found that she rather liked it.
So after that pause, she spoke again.
"Tomorrow… I'll start over with the heart of a challenger."
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)
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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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