"Another record broken! A year after Mejiro McQueen set a new record, it has been broken again by Mejiro McQueen and Mihono Bourbon."
"This spring's Tenno Sho tournament was the first match for both of these Umamusumes after their injuries. What courage and strength that shows..."
The commentator Misato Akasaka excitedly held the microphone and gave her commentary, which also stirred up the emotions of the surrounding audience.
Mihono Bourbon stared blankly at the scoreboard displaying the new record.
Although her face didn't show much expression, her slightly trembling eyes told a story of her inner turmoil.
"Bourbon, you broke the record! I will continue to work hard!"
Rice Shower still shouted towards Mihono Bourbon with her small frame. Although she lost to Mihono Bourbon this time in terms of time, there was no regret on her face.
Instead, her face was full of tears of joy.
"I broke the record..."
Mihono Bourbon repeated the sentence softly before slowly turning her head toward Rice Shower, a rare and incredibly moving smile appearing on her usually expressionless face.
--
After the Winning Live, where Mejiro McQueen, Mihono Bourbon, and Nice Nature formed the center, Mejiro McQueen finally met Sakura Baimu and the others.
"Wow, that's amazing, Miss McQueen!" Satono Diamond exclaimed excitedly to Mejiro McQueen, her eyes sparkling.
"Miss McQueen is really amazing! Four consecutive wins, this record will probably never be surpassed." Kitasan Black expressed her sincere admiration.
Mejiro McQueen listened to the praise from her two juniors, gave them a faint smile, but said nothing.
She looked at Sakura Baimu, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a somewhat serious tone.
"I almost lost to Bourbon. In fact, until the results were announced, I wasn't confident that I could beat Bourbon."
"Trainer-san, what is that? How did Bourbon manage to climb back to first place after dropping to fifth?"
Sakura Baimu listened to Mejiro McQueen's words, placed her hand on her shoulder, and explained softly.
"Mihono Bourbon's strength is not as great as yours, but she stepped into that 'Zone' that only a few Umamusumes who have forged legends can enter before you and Teio. This is what you and Teio lack."
Upon hearing this, Tokai Teio also fell into deep thought. "Speaking of which, the president also told me that as long as you haven't mastered the 'Zone,' you're not yet part of their group of Umamusume."
"That's right, but as you've also noticed, the conditions for activating the Zone are extremely demanding, and it's not without its costs. The Zone can indeed rapidly increase the strength of Umamusumes, but it's not absolute," Sakura Baimu laughed. "The Zone is originally unbreakable, but McQueen, you've twice defeated Umamusumes who used the Zone with your pure strength alone, which is quite remarkable."
"But I'm finding it increasingly difficult. Rice Shower last time, Bourbon this time... If there's a next time, I can't guarantee I can beat them again…" Mejiro McQueen said softly, head down.
Hearing this, Tokai Teio reached out and patted Mejiro McQueen hard on the back. After seeing that Mejiro McQueen was startled and angry at her action, she smiled and spoke.
"This isn't the McQueen I know. The McQueen I know is very confident and firmly believes she is the most powerful Umamusume!"
"Well... of course!" Mejiro McQueen blushed upon hearing this and quickly put away her insecure expression.
"Hehe, it seems you're a bit lacking in confidence now that I beat you before, McQueen. Looks like you'll have to run alongside me, the undefeated triple crown champion, when we get back. No need to thank me then." Tokai Teio grinned at Mejiro McQueen.
"Wh...what? I don't need your help." Mejiro McQueen turned her head to the side, her cheeks turning even redder.
"Oh my, McQueen, are you shy?" Tokai Teio leaned over and teased.
"No...no! How could that be! Besides, Teio, you're not a triple crown winner." Mejiro McQueen blushed and raised her voice a few decibels. "If we're talking about triple crown winners, Nature-san is the real triple crown winner!"
There's a saying that goes, "Nobody remembers the second or third place unless you stay in third place all the time."
"Alright, alright, you two." Sakura Baimu almost lost her temper when she heard their conversation. In order to maintain her dignity as a trainer, which didn't actually exist, she didn't laugh out loud.
She pushed the two Umamusumes who started bickering as soon as they got together and urged them on.
"Hurry back to Tokyo. You two have the Takarazuka Kinen coming up, and Kita-chan and Dia-chan's debut competition is also coming up soon. We don't have time to waste. I'm going to make up a training plan for you two for the Takarazuka Kinen Tournament tomorrow. There's no time to waste."
...
At the same time, having just reunited with her teammates from Canopus and was preparing to head back, Nice Nature suddenly sneezed.
She rubbed her nose, feeling suddenly offended.
--
The five members of TCB took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo that night. Mejiro McQueen was picked up by her family's car at the station as soon as she got off the Shinkansen.
After bowing deeply to Sakura Baimu and the others, the old butler led Mejiro McQueen toward Mejiro's residence.
In the car, after hesitating for a moment, the old butler suddenly spoke.
"Miss."
"What's wrong?" Mejiro McQueen sat there resting with her eyes closed.
"Your trainer looks somewhat familiar to me."
"It's probably just your imagination; she's been on TV several times." lMcQueen didn't that care much.
"Is it really just my imagination..." the old butler murmured, unable to find the source of that familiarity in his memory for a moment.
--
After escorting Teio, Satono Diamond, and Kitasan Black back to the dormitory, Sakura Baimu began walking towards her own home.
After returning home, she quickly changed into her running clothes, grabbed her notebook, timer, and other training essentials, and started walking towards Tracen Academy.
Today, Sakura Baimu wasn't going for a run; instead, she was going to use this evening to plan a commemorative trip to Takarazuka with Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen.
"Neither Teio nor McQueen had participated in the Takarazuka Kinen race before. The difficulty of this race lies in the two sharp uphill sections before the finish line. Although the height is only half that of Kyoto Racecourse, the slope is twice as steep, which presents a new challenge for the two of them..."
Sakura Baimu murmured softly as she entered Tracen Academy and arrived at the racetrack.