Secretariat knew something was off. Right away.
She was intimately familiar with Dr. Lin Anran's dedication to his duties. When it came to showing up for work and treating and protecting young foals, Lin Anran's level of care was the most intense Secretariat had ever seen.
After all, the initial case, Sunday Silence, had been expelled from her academy, with no trainer willing to sign her. She was completely written off, the absolute, textbook definition of a 'loser'.
And in the US, famous for its exorbitant medical costs, the level of care required for Uma Musume—incredibly high, extremely precise, where a delay of a single moment could mean the difference between finishing positions—was even more astronomically expensive.
Yet, in Secretariat's memory, after Dr. Lin 'picked up' that injured, petite, dark-haired girl, he not only provided treatment free of charge, but also developed a tailored training plan suited to Sunday Silence's physique.
One could say that Sunday Silence's inspirational transformation into a powerhouse, whose average performance during her Triple Crown run even surpassed that of the much-hyped third-generation 'Big Red' Easy Goer, was, in Secretariat's eyes, undoubtedly heavily influenced by the gentle Dr. Lin.
But even for Sunday Silence, in whom he had invested so much effort, Dr. Lin didn't necessarily attend all of her races.
So for Dr. Lin, who was so devoted to his work and his foals, to 'mysteriously disappear' for several days?
Why on earth?
Sensing that something was very wrong, the tall, curvaceous crimson-haired beauty's chest rose and fell with noticeable agitation.
"Please send me a detailed report of Dr. Lin's leave request," Secretariat addressed the family member who had gathered the information, stating what she needed.
It wasn't long before...
Her phone received a specific record of the dates and durations of Lin Anran's leave over the past few months.
Because Dr. Lin would put up a notice when he took leave, stating when he'd be back, compiling such a record wasn't difficult. One just had to pass by the clinic during his usual morning or afternoon office hours.
As Secretariat looked down at the record, she simultaneously opened her phone and searched the official race website for the competition records of certain top-tier Uma Musume.
Such as [Margaret Nearl], [Sunday Silence], [Flightline], and herself, [Secretariat].
Thus, the clever and paranoid Big Red Monster began her detailed comparative investigation.
"The first leave... that was the day of Nearl's debut race."
"The second leave, that half-day was for Nearl's first graded stakes race."
"The third leave, that half-day was for my GI race."
"The fourth was for one of Sunday Silence's graded stakes races."
"The fifth half-day leave was for Flightline's GI race."
"The sixth..."
Just as expected, Dr. Lin's leave over the past six months was almost entirely for attending their important races.
And Margaret Nearl, being Dr. Lin's blood-related niece from the same family, had every single one of her races attended without fail.
Secretariat's crimson pupils finally locked onto an entry a few lines from the bottom.
Amidst the densely packed list of [Half-Day Leave] and [One-Day Leave] options, there was indeed one line that stood out, completely different in duration.
It was the sole exception.
[Originally scheduled for seven days' leave, returned and reopened clinic on the third day.]
Seeing this, Secretariat immediately checked whether Nearl, Flightline, Ruffian, or Sunday Silence had any races around those few days.
But the result was...
Nothing??
In the week surrounding that time, none of them—all Uma Musume based in the US—had any scheduled races.
"Wait, there's also... [Pegasus]!"
Secretariat suddenly remembered another Uma Musume not in the US, but who had a close relationship with Dr. Lin. She was the first, and so far only, [Exclusive Contract] Uma Musume he had signed after leaving the US.
The world's first Pegasus, Platinum!
"Actually, theoretically, the probability of Dr. Lin visiting Platinum is higher than him just watching our races."
"After all, for race-watching before, he only took a mere half-day or full day off."
"But this originally planned week-long leave, shortened to three days... neither too long nor too short, would be just perfect for a trip to Europe."
If that were the case, it would actually set Secretariat's mind at ease.
After all, Dr. Lin didn't take the full seven days, but only three.
For US-based Uma Musume, three days is long, dangerous. But for an overseas Uma Musume, three days is a bit short.
The round trip from the US to where Platinum is would take a significant amount of time alone, surely leaving Dr. Lin exhausted.
Three days, minus the travel time, with so little time in between, would probably only be enough for a single date, right?
Not to mention, the relationship between Dr. Lin and Platinum might not even be like that, separated as they are with one in Europe and the other in the US.
Thinking this, Secretariat promptly searched for Platinum's race schedule.
But what she saw made the usually unflappable Big Red Legend almost frantic.
"Huh?"
"It's not Platinum...?"
In an instant, Secretariat felt a headache coming on.
If it wasn't Platinum, then things were troublesome.
"If it wasn't for watching races, and it wasn't flying overseas to watch Platinum race..."
"Then where did Dr. Lin go during those three days?"
A full three days was more than enough time for some sneaky, thieving cat to have her way with Dr. Lin and leave nothing behind!
A slight frown creasing her brow, Secretariat felt her heartbeat involuntarily quicken. She had always been known for her steady, unflappable composure.
Some even speculated that Secretariat's heart was physically larger, its blood-pumping capacity far exceeding that of a normal Uma Musume, making her a true 'genetic mutation' of a monster, a being with the potential to surpass the racial limits of Uma Musume.
Even after winning major graded stakes, this Big Red Monster could remain calm and collected, her expression unchanged. But now, she felt more tense and flustered than she did after most of her victories.
"I must... think this through carefully."
"It can't be without a trace. What happened during those three missing days must have left some clue."
Detective Secretariat Mode, activate!
--+--
The next day.
Outside the airport, Australia.
A slender-waisted young woman with long silver-white hair, wearing sunglasses, sat inside a taxi.
Platinum always made a habit of dressing up a bit when traveling. After disembarking and arriving at the Australian airport, she was somewhat surprised to notice...
There were so many people around the airport?
Among them, quite a few seemed to be carrying things mentioning "The Everest", "Platinum", "Winx" and such.
She wasn't too fond of such crowded environments, so without hesitation, she dragged her luggage and gave the taxi driver the address of her destination.
It was a villa area specially arranged by the official racing body, complete with prepared training facilities.
The arrangements and specifications were quite high-class.
This pleased Platinum somewhat. It was, after all, a famously top-tier international event in Australia.
"Hello, visitor from afar."
"Here to watch [The Everest], I take it?"
After pressing the accelerator, the driver struck up a conversation, his tone suggesting he was sure of his assumption.
"Are there a lot of tourists coming specifically for The Everest recently?" Platinum asked curiously, answering his question with one of her own.
The driver immediately nodded, voicing his amazement.
"You wouldn't believe it, miss. The Everest... has always been the [perennial second-place] here in Australia, never quite matching the Melbourne Cup."
"But who would've thought? Because that internationally famous Pegasus, Platinum, entered the race, the attention on The Everest instantly surpassed the Melbourne Cup!"
The Australian local's voice was full of disbelief.
Seeming to think this foreign visitor might not understand the relationship and gap between The Everest and the Melbourne Cup, the driver continued.
"Australia's big, and the racing bodies here aren't a monolith. The folks in Melbourne successfully built up the [Melbourne Cup] brand decades ago, making it the most famous race in Australia, equivalent to the Arc de Triomphe's status in Europe."
"The [Melbourne Cup] is even called the race that stops the nation! The entire country, this huge place, pauses to watch it. It's the number one event."
"Now, Sydney, another major city, has a bit of a rivalry with Melbourne. They didn't want to see the Melbourne Cup hog the national spotlight forever. They wanted to compete."
"So... in recent years, the racing body in Sydney invested heavily to create [The Everest], aiming to rival and even surpass the Melbourne Cup. On top of an already huge prize purse, they adopted a [fund-raising] method to make The Everest even more... intense."
The driver paused there.
This fund-raising wasn't about publicly asking racing fans or Uma Musume supporters for donations.
That would be inefficient and unstable. For a top-tier race with the strict goal of surpassing the Melbourne Cup, the chosen method was...
Raising funds from the participants themselves!
Specifically, it was similar to those European GI international races with only a handful of Uma Musume entrants. They charged a very high entry fee, hundreds of thousands, nearly a million Australian dollars, to purchase a starting gate slot.
And for this single race, they offered over a dozen slots, with all entry fees added directly to the prize pool.
As a result, The Everest's prize money was incredibly, almost unbelievably high, enough to drive any sprint-distance Uma Musume wild.
Generally, both the shortest (sprint) and longest (long-distance) extremes of racing have lower prize money, noticeably less than the mile and middle-distance races, which are the mainstream.
But that already high purse, combined with the all-in funding model, propelled The Everest to the top of not just the sprint division, but placed it among the highest-paying races in the entire world.
Even the famous dirt race, the Dubai World Cup, had a purse comparable to The Everest.
That world-class prize money forced even the proud, elite young ladies of the European and American racing scenes to lower their arrogant heads, with many willing to travel far to take on the challenge. The steep entry fee also deterred less accomplished Uma Musume from entertaining wild fantasies.
And now...
The great Platinum, who had once achieved a double crown in a single day at the Dubai World Cup, was setting her sights on this very Everest!
"Weren't there many outside spectators for previous Everest races?" Platinum pressed further.
She had focused her earlier research on the prize money; that was all she had eyes for.
If it was this high, it should definitely attract plenty of star Uma Musume, so it shouldn't have failed to attract many outside spectators... right?
"Compared to other regular sprint-distance GIs, yes, it had more."
"But the Sydney folks hosting The Everest want to surpass the Melbourne Cup. From the first year until last year, they've never managed it."
"To this day, it's still the [perennial second-place]."
"You see, The Everest is a sprint. It's not like the Dubai World Cup which can invite international superstars from both turf and dirt, from the mainstream middle-distance and mile divisions."
"Sprint distance isn't the world's mainstream racing category. There aren't many world-famous Uma Musume in it, so no matter how high the prize money is, it can only do so much."
The driver laid out the specific gap frankly. Even with its huge purse, The Everest still ranked at best second in Australia.
Because it wasn't a mainstream distance—in fact, it was somewhat niche—it attracted noticeably fewer top Uma Musume and spectators compared to other premier events.
Top-tier superstars like Sea the Stars or Frankel wouldn't specifically challenge a distance they weren't suited to just for the prize money, no matter how high. They wouldn't come.
This was the inherent limitation of the sprint distance. So, in the eyes of many Australians, being the close second to the Melbourne Cup was pretty much The Everest's ceiling.
"Until—Pegasus Platinum! She single-handedly achieved what The Everest couldn't in all these years. The attention, the popularity, have reached levels surpassing the Melbourne Cup!"
"Right now, the whole world is anticipating this legendary turf Pegasus facing off against Australia's two reigning sprint empresses, [Winx] and [Black Caviar]!"
"At this point, the Sydney racing body, probably the whole city, must be incredibly grateful to her."
"Without a doubt, Pegasus Platinum is the most influential legendary superstar ever to grace Australia!"
Hearing this, the silver-haired girl behind the sunglasses turned her head slightly.
She, who had come here to 'explode the money pool' and complete her racing schedule... was actually being thanked like this?
Before she knew it...
The driver was nearing the destination.
After finishing the topics he found interesting—The Everest and Platinum's impact—the driver finally took proper note of the address.
"Huh?"
"This location... it's near The Everest training grounds."
"Most Uma Musume probably won't be accepting outside visitors during this pre-race period. If you're hoping to get close for some star-gazing, the timing isn't great."
Even though Platinum also had features like a tail.
'Uma Musume' is a race, 'Racing Uma Musume' is a specific profession.
It's like among ordinary people, very few become professional trainers. Those who can stand on the world stage aiming for GIs are one in ten thousand.
Therefore, the general public had long since learned to tell the difference between a regular Uma Musume and a Racing Uma Musume.
The silver-haired girl nodded indifferently, indicating she understood.
Then, shortly after...
When the taxi stopped, Platinum got out, retrieved her luggage, and promptly took off her sunglasses. She straightened up, thrust out her modest chest, stretched her slender waist, and in one fluid motion revealed the sharp, cool demeanor of a hunter or assassin.
"Well, thanks."
Platinum waved back at the driver, whose expression changed dramatically, his eyes widening comically, before she turned and walked away.
It took the driver a good moment, frozen like a statue, to finally snap out of it.
"I... I actually had... Pegasus Platinum herself in my cab??"
"An autograph! I didn't get an autograph! I could've bragged to my daughter about that!"
A wail of despair echoed from within the taxi.
--+--
United States.
Secretariat walked down the street, her tall, curvaceous figure moving with a purpose, her cascade of fiery red hair flowing behind her. Her expression was nearly icy.
Her gaze was lowered, fixed on her phone screen.
"To think the highest probability points to... her?"
Secretariat was currently heading towards the clinic she knew best.
On her phone's screen was... a group chat.
It was a group she had created a long time ago, containing several other Racing Uma Musume who held favorable feelings towards a certain unscrupulous young doctor—excluding the doctor himself.
[The Fair Maiden Deserves Only the Strongest]
The group name alone was enough to reveal Secretariat's ambition.
But now, Secretariat was sensing something amiss, and the truth was getting closer!
Lin Anran's only leave of absence exceeding one day, originally scheduled for a week, returning after three...
Now, searching through her old group chat, Secretariat found the answer, recalling a detail she had previously overlooked.
Namely—Sham!!
"That period coincided exactly with the time Sham was receiving treatment from Dr. Lin."
"Back then, because I was short on time and lacked a proper reason, I didn't go to keep an eye on things myself. Instead, I informed the others in the group, having them take turns going to Dr. Lin's clinic to interrupt any chance of Sham having private contact with him."
"Right after we successfully interrupted twice... Dr. Lin requested a week's leave?"
It was highly likely related to Sham!
With this suspicion, a fire seemed to burn in Secretariat's heart. Though she appeared cold and arrogant, she finally arrived at the familiar clinic.
In the next second, she stepped inside.
'Sham managed to get Dr. Lin to take a week off.'
'Then for me... at least two weeks shouldn't be too much to ask, right?'
--+--
T/N: I have to admit this... even though I feel like i've said this a bajillion times. I don't hate this fic, cause it was the fic that basically started my entire 'career' and blueballed me into being an uma musume translator at this point... but dang do I hate translating this fic. Its so stale and long... but i'm not a quitter. There's around 80 chaps remaining. For other fics, this would be done in a day and thats it. Nah for this one, just doing 10 chaps takes me 3 hours.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.