"The champion of this year's Satsuki Sho! Is the widely anticipated Symboli Rudolf!! She rightfully became the champion!! This is our Emperor!!"
The commentator's passionate voice infected all the spectators, who enthusiastically cheered her name.
"Emperor! Emperor!!"
The raised finger symbolized the Emperor truly taking a firm step towards the Triple Crown achievement, following in the footsteps of her predecessors, having at least achieved one-third of it.
The meaning of this finger was extremely significant; it ignited the passion of the crowd.
Because the Emperor, in this posture, declared her reign over the world—
Waves of sound rose and fell, and the entire venue was engulfed by such momentum. This feeling, even from outside the screen, could make people feel the excitement.
The moment the Emperor won the championship, Kazuo couldn't help but spring up from his seat. The atmosphere on site was enough to shock everyone, and everything before him was so exhilarating.
"This is a G1 major Horse Racing event..."
If becoming a Trainer was a phased goal before, then now he had undoubtedly found another goal.
Perhaps not necessarily the Triple Crown, but he must bring Xiao Hai Wan to the G1 champion stage.
At this moment, he made the promise he had made in his heart before becoming a Trainer.
On the other side, Daijin was also staring at her phone screen in shock, watching Symboli Rudolf win in the cheers of the crowd, claiming the Heavy Prize crown.
Besides envy, she herself was lost in fantasy.
No one can refuse the temptation of victory, especially in a nationally watched Heavy Prize race... If one day, she could also win the championship!
She yearned, she imagined, but there was a prerequisite before her, and that was—
All Uma Musume participating in a race need their Trainer to lead them... Without one, they cannot participate in the competition.
However, the person who came to mind as her potential Trainer... Her gaze unconsciously turned to the other side, where Kazuo was already lost in self-move and hadn't noticed Daijin scrutinizing him.
"...This idiot..."
Perhaps feeling that she was fantasizing a bit too much, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
.
"Hoo-hoo...hoo..."
Staring blankly at everything before her, even though she got second place, she felt no joy at all... She had lost to Symboli Rudolf once again, and it wasn't even a close match like the Yayoi Sho... it was a complete defeat.
Even a quarter-horse length difference was a complete defeat in her eyes.
The cheers from the crowd were no longer audible, as if the whole sky had collapsed.
Before the race, she had been self-hypnotizing that none of this mattered, all she wanted was revenge, even if it meant her career.
However, after witnessing Symboli Rudolf's true strength, the unwillingness in her heart was ignited and exploded in an instant.
She lied to herself that she didn't care about this championship, but she was less than a quarter-horse length away from first place... In a unit that could be measured by such subtle numbers, could she really not care?
Obviously not—
"...Damn it!"
She lowered her head, wanting to leave, just wanting to escape from everything.
A loser, as long as she wasn't first place, she was a loser.
As long as she hadn't beaten the Emperor, she was a loser—
Bizen Nishiki just wanted to escape at this moment.
But—
"Oh my! What happened!? The referee team raised the deliberation sign!? The freeze-frame here should be fine, Contestant Symboli Rudolf undoubtedly won the championship, so what exactly are they deliberating?"
The commentator's voice seemed to pull everyone from their revelry into a low point, and the heat of the entire venue quieted down a lot in an instant.
Everyone nervously stared at the several people discussing at the referee's stand. If a reasonable ruling truly emerged, the worst result could even be a change in the champion's ranking... "Everyone, please rest assured, the news from the director here is not to deliberate Contestant Symboli Rudolf's championship qualification, but to deliberate whether Contestant Bizen Nishiki's actions before that constituted a malicious foul."
When they first heard that Contestant Symboli Rudolf's championship qualification was not an issue, everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. But the commentator's words made the atmosphere on site heavy again.
That's right, earlier they had been somewhat carried away by the Emperor's dominant victory.
But now, calming down and recalling everything that had happened earlier.
Everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze to Bizen Nishiki.
She lowered her head, only daring to stare at her shoelaces.
Even without looking up, she could feel various gazes, such as pressure, suspicion, confusion, and resentment.
If her actions just now were confirmed, it wouldn't even be as simple as a suspension—
Ending her career was the biggest price she had previously set for herself.
"The referee team is reviewing with the video VAR team, please be patient and wait for the result..."
Even with the commentator saying this, the whispers in the venue directed all the blame towards Bizen Nishiki.
"...She almost ruined the Emperor's Triple Crown!?"
"Thinking about it, I did feel something was off just now!? It seemed like she was going for the body? Is that reasonable contact!?"
"...It can't be that kind of person... Bizen Nishiki... How could it be..."
"Unbelievable..."
This was like a fuse; if the frame-by-frame animation was released, this explosive would detonate in an instant.
And she herself would even become a rat in the street... As if falling into an ice cellar, all the blood in her body seemed to freeze.
"..."
As if seeing her own end, the girl closed her eyes in despair.
"Please wait!!"
Unexpectedly, Symboli Rudolf had walked to the side of the track at some point and snatched the microphone from the host:
"I am Contestant Number 10, Symboli Rudolf, and I want to confirm something—Contestant Bizen Nishiki did not maliciously foul me."
What?
She had expected to be kicked while she was down, but Symboli Rudolf's words left her stunned.
"I was right next to her at the time, so I saw it very clearly—"
"Miss Bizen Nishiki, it was an accidental loss of speed and balance that almost caused her to collide with me, but it was just an accident."
"Um... but Contestant Symboli Rudolf, the referee team's opinion is—"
"If the person involved clarifies, shouldn't even the judging panel take their statement into consideration?"
Symboli Rudolf's words left the judges stunned.
They exchanged strange glances, then whispered to each other. In a moment, they nodded and issued their command.
"Based on the testimony of the party involved and the intervention of video review, the verdict is that Contestant Bizen Nishiki did not commit malicious fouling. However, due to her overly dangerous actions, an additional three-month suspension has been decided."
Although there was no malicious foul, an additional three-month suspension was added—
That statement and action seemed rather thought-provoking.
As the saying goes, 'see through it but don't say it.' Here, considering that Symboli Rudolf herself didn't mind, they made a lenient decision, turning a blind eye.
And with the judging panel's affirmation, the cheers from the entire venue were ignited once again.
Everyone loudly shouted the Emperor's name, but when Symboli Rudolf wanted to turn around to look for Bizen Nishiki, she had already disappeared into the contestant's passageway.
P.S.:
I previously saw someone say that the Emperor wasn't particularly important here, but I want to clarify something about that.
There's still one chapter of an extra story about the Emperor in the first volume that hasn't been written. That extra story will tell how Kazuo and the Emperor met.
Furthermore, as the only race chapter in the early part of the second volume, I've put a lot of effort into writing this race, primarily to portray the Emperor's image in her youth. Because the Emperor actually plays a very important role in this story.
That is, chasing and being chased.
She chases Chiaki, the Emperor chases the Emperor, and the protagonist's team is also chasing their Triple Crown dream.
(2) The Emperor is actually a long thread that runs through the plot of the first year. Her path to the Triple Crown will affect many people, not just the protagonist's team, other academies, and even the people within the academy. To write the Triple Crown race, I consulted various materials, including the racehorses that appeared in the race, race times, order, * *, track, etc., all written after thorough research.
(3) The Emperor's transformation: Although she appears calm in daily life now, in a real race, she will display the aggression of an Emperor, a monarch. However, the Emperor at the time of the anime had already become more reserved. This is a transformation, and as for what happened in between, I can only say it's related to the protagonist, and I cannot reveal it here.
So, the Emperor's storyline must be written now. And it's a Triple Crown storyline that cannot be glossed over.
(4) In the protagonist's first year of leading the team, the only major race they can participate in is the Asahi Hai in the second half of the year. Who will be the person who sets an example and goal for the protagonist this year? The Emperor's Triple Crown journey is necessary.
This is like Kunimitsu Tezuka in Prince of Tennis. He is very strong, but this strength must also be shown, because in competitive sports, such strong competitors will eventually meet in a match. (Arima Kinen)
(5) I intend to write this book for at least two million words, in the style of a light novel, volume by volume. So, this is also an ensemble drama.
Of course, the protagonist is still Kazuo and the team's growth; this core will never change, but growth also requires external forces and various stimuli. For competitive sports, teammates and opponents are all such factors. And this volume is currently just a race chapter in the first half, not the core chapter of this volume. The truly exciting chapters are always the feeling brought by the culmination after building up to the very end of each volume.
At least, that's what I believe.
------------------------------
"Behind the scenes, there's a world of exclusive content waiting for you on Patreon. Get early access, to see the latest chapters!!! That's where it all happens 🚀.
👉 Check it out: [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]"