"Platinum… is far stronger than I expected."
"But… this year's competition is absurdly tough."
After marveling at the power of his transformed self—Platinum—Lin Anran immediately turned his thoughts to the challenges ahead.
The Irregular Triple Crown! A legendary feat widely considered impossible for any horse girl to achieve, rumored to be even harder than an Undefeated Triple Crown!
In the decades of Japan's horse girl racing history, only Symboli Rudolf had ever accomplished it—a true one-in-a-million miracle. And the Irregular Triple Crown? It made an undefeated run look like child's play!
So even if Platinum was no ordinary horse girl… preparation was key.
Had Platinum chosen to challenge the Irregular Triple Crown in an average year, her chances would've been solid.
But this year's lineup? It included a monster that had all of Japan's attention—Agnes Tachyon!
Just recently, in the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho, Agnes Tachyon had dominated with overwhelming force. She was already hailed as the sole favorite to sweep the entire series!
Not only that, but most of the other horse girls challenging the Classic Triple Crown had already been crushed—whether in the Satsuki Sho or earlier races—by Agnes Tachyon's effortless supremacy. The gap in strength was unreal.
So even though only the first leg was over, all of Japan was already buzzing with anticipation—would Agnes match Symboli Rudolf's legendary Undefeated Triple Crown?
Nobody believed any dark horse could shake Agnes Tachyon's dominance. Barring some freak accident, she was guaranteed to become the second undefeated Triple Crown winner!
And Platinum, aiming for the Irregular Triple Crown? She'd have to face this generation's strongest—possibly the strongest in Japanese history—super-monster, Agnes Tachyon!
That was why, even after realizing Platinum's extraordinary potential, Lin Anran still felt a flicker of unease about the challenge ahead.
But there was good news—the next race in the Triple Crown series was the second leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown: the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks)!
"If I recall, the main opponent in the Oaks is… that genius from the Mejiro family, Mejiro Dober?"
Facing Mejiro Dober first, then clashing with the monster Agnes in the Japanese Derby? That gave him some time to prepare!
Letting out a relieved sigh, Lin Anran turned to the computer on his desk, ready to check the post-race reactions to Platinum's debut.
He pulled up the official racing site—and immediately froze at the headlines staring back at him.
--+--
—"SHOCKER: G1-Level Daiwa Scarlet Crushed by Mysterious Dark Horse?!"
—"A New Monster Emerges! Platinum Stages Miraculous Comeback, Wins by 10 Lengths!"
—"Unbelievable! Is This the Next Generation's King After Agnes Tachyon?!"
—"Tokai Teio's Injury Recovery? Spotted Without Bandages, Moving Freely on Campus!"
—"Tokai Teio Reveals in Interview: 'Young, Handsome Doctor at Tracen' Treating Me—Possible Return for Takarazuka Kinen & Autumn Tenno Sho!'"
Every single trending headline… was somehow related to him?!
A few were about his work as a doctor, while others covered Platinum's race.
Different identities, but same scheming young man!
Clicking through in disbelief, Lin Anran realized the Platinum vs. Daiwa Scarlet debut race had exploded in popularity.
Countless articles and highlight reels had racked up millions of views and tens of thousands of shares in just a day.
The sheer attention took him aback—but he quickly pieced together why.
Daiwa Scarlet, as Agnes Tachyon's prized junior, was already a household name thanks to her stellar performances in Tracen's training races, always placing top two. Her reputation far surpassed that of an ordinary rookie or even a graded stakes-level horse girl.
Most saw her as a future G1 champion.
But even her losing wouldn't normally draw this much buzz—except the race itself was pure spectacle.
#1 Favorite, Perfect Start (Front-Runner) Daiwa Scarlet
vs.
Dead Last, Terrible Start (Closer) Platinum!
First place vs. last place! The lead horse versus the trailer! That insane contrast, plus Platinum's jaw-dropping rally, had created this level of hype.
All these factors combined had turned a simple debut race into something rivaling G1 events in popularity!
As the race's star and winner, Platinum had instantly gone viral!
Lin Anran's face lit up with pure glee.
Platinum's fame meant more fans—and more future profits!
And as for his doctor persona? Tokai Teio had publicly endorsed him—no wonder he'd already had patients today!
The black-hearted, money-grubbing young man grinned. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
--+--
Meanwhile, at the training grounds…
A brown-haired, red-eyed girl in an oversized white coat stood silently, her sharp gaze fixed on Daiwa Scarlet's sprint drills.
This was Agnes Tachyon—the undisputed monster of this era, a force of nature at the peak of her dominance!
Noticing her presence, Daiwa Scarlet slowed and approached.
"Tachyon-senpai, did you need something?"
Ever-polite, Scarlet tilted her head slightly in question.
Agnes Tachyon's lips parted, her voice cool but firm.
"I saw the news and replay of your debut race yesterday."
"After a race that intense, you should be resting. Overtraining leads to injuries."
That single sentence made the prideful Scarlet flush with shame.
"I… I know. Next time, I won't lose to Platinum!"
Agnes Tachyon didn't react, simply continuing in that same detached tone.
"You ran well. That Platinum girl is just strong."
"Honestly? Even if she'd debuted this year, she might've taken the Fillies' Triple Crown."
"Heh… interesting little thing. Wonder where she crawled out from."
With that, she pulled a small vial from her coat sleeve and handed it to Scarlet.
Agnes Tachyon, for all her racing genius, cared far more about research than competition. Her lab churned out all sorts of bizarre concoctions—recovery tonics, muscle relaxants, you name it. Not that she usually shared them.
But Daiwa Scarlet? She was one of the few Agnes bothered with.
As Scarlet took the vial, the older girl stuffed her hands back into her pockets and turned away.
Left alone, Scarlet stood frozen, Agnes' words echoing in her mind.
Was that… comfort?
And that evaluation of Platinum—
"Tch… 'could've won the Fillies' Triple Crown'?"
"But—she didn't mention the Classic Triple Crown at all."
"Does that mean… Agnes-senpai is still completely confident she'd crush even someone like Platinum?!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, it may change.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
p@treon.com/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.