There's Something Wrong With You as a Support Uma Musume

'What a huge stadium… Is this really the kind of crowd you get at sporting events? Is some big star holding a concert here or something!?'

Having just put down her luggage and rushed to the venue, Kagura was struck by the massive building in the distance. Its size far exceeded that of a normal stadium, and the throngs of people packed around it gave her a bit of idol shock.

At least back on Earth, the only events with this kind of attendance that Kagura could think of were memorial concerts for some big celebrity. She hadn't seen many sporting events with such a huge crowd.

Even from the outer perimeter, before getting close, Kagura could already hear people scattered around discussing the same name—Rudolph Symbol. Just from the frequency with which the name was mentioned, it was clear that this huge crowd had gathered for Rudolph Symbol.

"Are all these people… Miss Rudolph's fans?"

To keep Kagura from getting lost in the crowd, Speed Symbol and Toujou Hana were holding onto her tightly. Speed Symbol had originally wanted to just pick Kagura up and carry her, but Kagura had vehemently refused that suggestion.

"Yeah… well, maybe not all of them, but most of them probably are. After all, that rising star who's been attracting attention even before her debut is about to take her first step on her journey today."

Toujou Hana said with a touch of emotion, seeming very confident in Rudolph Symbol's abilities.

Kagura had been wondering how long she'd have to wait in line to squeeze in, but before she could even stand there for long, Speed Symbol and Toujou Hana dragged her away. As she was being pulled along a deserted passageway toward the inside of the venue, Kagura remembered that a big family like the Symbol family must have some privileges. At the very least, they didn't need to squeeze through the main entrance at a time like this.

Walking deeper into the venue along a red-carpeted corridor, Kagura marveled at how good it was to be rich, while also observing the exquisitely decorated backstage area, which was as beautiful as a hotel. She felt like the area behind the stands was more like private rooms in a hotel, where you could even brew a cup of tea and watch the race if you felt like it.

However, to Kagura's surprise, there were already people waiting in the room when they arrived. One of them was Maruzensky, the familiar horse girl she'd met not long ago. And leaning back in a lounge chair some distance away from her was a girl with orange hair, wearing a white dress and a white hat. There was also a cat perched on the girl's hat.

"You're here so fast, Akikawa. Hope we didn't keep you waiting?"

Speed Symbol spoke in a tone like old friends meeting, walking over to the orange-haired girl in a very natural way. She also casually stroked the cat on the girl's head a couple of times, eliciting a comfortable purr from the kitten.

"Not at all! Maruzensky and I just sat down ourselves! Old Symbol, don't just stand there, come and sit down with us."

The little girl's tone and voice were quite memorable to Kagura, with a distinct cadence that reminded her of the old Japanese people she'd seen in some old Japanese dramas from the last century.

Although Kagura didn't know the identity of this little girl, the fact that she could so naturally invite Speed Symbol to sit down suggested that her status was definitely not simple. After all, Maruzensky and Toujou Hana on the other side seemed a little reserved, and only the girl was chatting with Speed Symbol.

While observing, Kagura didn't forget her job. As the others sat down, she quickly used the tea set and tea leaves in the room to brew tea, and handed a cup to everyone.

"Thank you~ The hardworking little girl is cute too, come here and let me give you a hug~"

As she said that, Maruzensky reached out her hand, looking eager to try. Kagura felt like all the horse girls around her especially liked to hug her for no reason, which made her a little depressed. Did she feel that good to hug?

"Don't tease me… Miss Maruzensky, who is that girl chatting with the head of the family over there?"

However, Kagura did have a question she wanted to ask Maruzensky. Taking advantage of passing by Maruzensky after serving the tea, she lowered her voice and asked. After all, Maruzensky was a student at Tracen Academy, and she definitely knew more than a nobody like herself.

"You mean Chairwoman Akikawa? She's the chairwoman of Tracen Academy. Tracen is also concerned about Rudolph's race, so she came along today."

Seeing Kagura lower her voice to ask, Maruzensky also lowered her voice to answer.

'Huh?? Such a small child is actually the chairwoman!?'

Looking at the little girl over there, who was only a little taller than her, Kagura felt a little incredulous.

'Don't think too hard about things in the world of anime… Maybe she looks young but is actually very old… Yes, that must be it.'

Gently grabbing Maruzensky's hand, which had somehow found its way onto her head, and removing it, Kagura was just about to go back to the window to stand by and take a look at the racecourse when the childlike voice full of cadence suddenly stopped her:

"Wait! Little horse girl over there! Could you come here for a moment?"

Turning around, Kagura saw the chairwoman looking at her with a curious expression. Speed Symbol, sitting to her left, smiled and nodded at her, seeming to indicate that she shouldn't be nervous.

"Hello, Chairwoman Akikawa, is there anything you need?"

Walking up to the chairwoman, Kagura asked with a standard work reply, still not knowing what the other party wanted to do.

But the chairwoman didn't speak immediately, just staring at Kagura, as if studying or observing something, making Kagura feel a little uneasy. She subconsciously looked at Speed Symbol, who was still in the same state as before, nodding to signal her not to be nervous.

"Familiar! Little horse girl, you remind me of an old friend, so I couldn't help but look at you for a while."

Kagura's face still maintained a professional smile. Chairwoman Akikawa's words surprised her a little. She didn't know that her face could resemble some old senior.

"Curious! I heard from Maruzensky and Trainer Toujou that you have a lot of talent, is that so?"

"This… I'm sorry, I'm not really sure."

Kagura wasn't sure about her own strength, so she didn't dare to easily agree with such a statement.

"A while ago, this kid ran 1600 meters with me, and used the Great Escape Tactic on the grass to cross the finish line 12 lengths ahead of me… I really tried my best, Akikawa, don't look at me like that, you know I never slack off on training, it's not easy to shake me off. Trainer Toujou saw that kid running the Great Escape a few days ago, you can ask her if you don't believe me."

Before Kagura could finish speaking, Speed Symbol suddenly interjected, and after her understated words fell, the entire room fell into an eerie silence. Kagura felt like the eyes of the entire room were instantly focused on her.

'Head of the family!!'

Feeling the pressure suddenly increase, Kagura tried hard to maintain the professional smile on her face, letting out a silent wail in her heart.

She didn't know what it meant that she could outrun Speed Symbol, that old horse girl, but the others next to her understood. A horse girl who was so young and not yet fully developed, shaking off Speed Symbol and even creating a large gap in a contest with Speed Symbol, who had once been a professional racer, was definitely worth looking forward to, even if Speed Symbol was already old.

"Little sister is amazing… Do you have a trainer training you?"

In the end, it was Maruzensky who took the lead in breaking the silence.

"No, that kid doesn't have a trainer yet, at least I haven't arranged anyone to help her train."

Speed Symbol immediately added.

"Oh…"

There was another small exclamation, and Kagura felt the gazes directed at her become even more fervent.

"Hehe… She's not old enough to stand on the racecourse yet, no need to rush. The purpose of our visit today is not to discuss my maid's talent, right? Don't forget to watch the entrance ceremony, everyone."

Speed Symbol ended the topic at the right time, naturally bringing the theme back to today's race. Like fishing, she had already thrown out the bait. After learning this information, the others present would definitely have some ideas, and this part was up to them to play freely.

This was a message released by her as the head of the Symbol family, and it carried considerable weight. Knowing her old acquaintances at Central Tracen, none of those present could remain indifferent after receiving such news. Telling them this news in advance would save Kagura a lot of trouble if she were to enter the racetrack in the future.

The gazes on her finally lessened, and Kagura, who had been tense the whole time, finally relaxed. She returned to her spot by the window to stand by, while also observing downstairs.

After an entrance ceremony that felt like a fashion show began, the contestants for this race walked up one by one. Kagura felt like it was similar to the trash-talking segment before e-sports matches that her best friend used to watch. Everyone walks up to show off and exchange harsh words.

When that chestnut-haired horse girl who looked very imposing walked up, the whole venue erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and the host also enthusiastically announced her appearance.

—First in popularity, Rudolph Symbol!

The huge cheers from the entire venue almost drowned out Kagura's ears. She once again felt what fanaticism was. Rudolph Symbol's influence far exceeded her imagination. Even though today was her debut race, her first step on the journey, countless fans were looking forward to it.

'Amazing...'

Rudolph Symbol responded to the cheers from the entire venue unhurriedly, and you couldn't see a trace of nervousness on her face. This really made Kagura admire her from the bottom of her heart. She didn't dare to imagine what state she would be in if she were standing there. She would probably have melted away in the gazes and cheers long ago.

"How is it? Isn't Rudolph cool?"

Hearing the voice next to her ear, Kagura felt her head being gently patted. She realized that Maruzensky had come over at some point.

"Miss Rudolph is really amazing. If I were standing there, I'm afraid I would have melted into a puddle of water by now..."

"Yes, yes~ After all, she's someone who has always stood under the spotlight."

"Speaking of which, Miss Maruzensky and Miss Rudolph are classmates, right? Is Miss Maruzensky also preparing to debut and compete?"

"Although we are both in the advanced department, I am older than Rudolph... But as for the competition..."

For some reason, Kagura felt that Maruzensky didn't seem to want to talk about participating in the competition, so she quickly added:

"I was just asking out of curiosity. If it's inconvenient for Miss Maruzensky to reveal it, you don't have to tell me. It's okay! The privacy of professional athletes is also very important!"

"Oh my... Little sister is so understanding, thank you~"

Maruzensky happily hugged Kagura and rubbed against her. Kagura, who was almost drowned in Maruzensky's ample bosom, quickly struggled out to avoid a chest-related tragedy.

'Damn it... This is the enemy of the class!!'

Looking at her own flatlands where she couldn't see even a slight undulation, and then looking up at the undulating mountainous terrain over there, Kagura could only sigh in her heart.

14. Overwhelming Victory

—That little Chairwoman, seems to know me.

As Kagura watched Rudolph Symbol preparing to enter the gate below, she had just taken out her phone to take a photo when she saw words left by Eclipse suddenly appear on her phone.

'Eh? Is that so?'

—You look like me. The so-called old friend that she can associate with you should only be me, unless there have been other horse girls who look similar to me in the past few hundred years.

'Didn't Miss Eclipse say before that not many people know about you...'

—Indeed, not many people know me, but you can still find some if you look. There will always be some knowledgeable people who know. After all, the Chairwoman is the Chairwoman, it's not strange that she knows more, right? And didn't you see that there was a sentence on the wall of their student council when we went to Tracen that day? Do you remember? It's that sentence, Eclipse First, the Rest Nowhere.

Kagura remembered that Rudolph Symbol had mentioned this sentence to her when she took her to visit Tracen. She remembered that Rudolph Symbol's explanation to her at the time was: One horse takes the lead, and all others are left in the dust.

—That sentence was left over from my era. Her explanation is not wrong. Most places explain it that way now. If you haven't specifically studied history, probably no one knows that this sentence actually has another explanation.

'Is this sentence related to Miss Eclipse?'

—Yes, think about it carefully, isn't Eclipse my name? This sentence is how people described me back then... 'When Eclipse appears, all other horses are left in the dark.' Sounds very imposing, right?

Unable to see Eclipse's face, Kagura couldn't guess what kind of expression Eclipse would have on her face right now. She felt that Eclipse herself didn't seem to have that kind of boastful emotion about this sentence. Rather, she felt that she seemed to have a lot of regrets about it.

—After all, my blood flows in your body. Now that the years are long, not many people know me, and even fewer people should be able to recognize that you and I are similar. If people know that you are related to me, it may bring you some small troubles.

'Trouble? Uh... Why? What kind of trouble?'

—It's a trouble that only adults have. It's not a very troublesome big deal. There's no need to understand it now. You'll naturally know when you grow up.

Eclipse didn't seem to plan to explain the specific reasons for this. Kagura couldn't think of what kind of trouble there could be in it. Eclipse had reminded her like this a few days ago, so she didn't ask any further, but silently remembered that she couldn't tell others that she was related to Eclipse in the future.

After Eclipse stopped talking, Kagura's attention returned to the race. Now, the host had finished introducing the conditions of the venue and the contestants. Rudolph Symbol had also entered the gate. From above, she could clearly see the condition of each horse girl. For some reason, Kagura felt that the expressions of the other horse girls seemed to be somewhat fearful and desperate.

'So nervous...'

The noisy audience around her also briefly quieted down. The entire venue was waiting for the sound that announced the start of the race. Infected by the atmosphere on the field, Kagura felt that she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Click!"

In the silence, accompanied by an exceptionally crisp sound of the gate opening, all the horse girls in the gate rushed out like arrows. Rudolph Symbol also steadily ran in the leading group, following the horse girl in the lead.

Rudolph Symbol's performance was very stable and calm. She steadily followed the pace she had trained, following behind the leading horse girl. Kagura could also see that Rudolph Symbol was quite relaxed now, but the other horse girls—the leading horse girl in front of Rudolph Symbol was more like she was running away desperately because she was afraid. The other horse girls around her also seemed to be trying their best to keep up with her rhythm, as if maintaining synchronization with Rudolph Symbol had exhausted all their strength.

"Rudolph Symbol's pace is very steady! She is firmly biting the leading group! The leading group cannot widen the gap any further!!"

Kagura heard the commentary coming from the other side of the venue, as well as the cheers that rang out again below. Many viewers were shouting the same name.

And Rudolph Symbol on the field perfectly interpreted what it meant to be "One horse takes the lead, and all others are left in the dark." Compared to her opponents, who were showing signs of decline, this race had become her one-person show!

Undeniably, that sentence was very suitable to be used on Rudolph Symbol. Her light took away everyone's attention, making all the horse girls behind her pale in comparison.

'Only the first place can debut in the debut race, and the race only allows one first place. Unable to catch up... such a desperate gap, no wonder they would be so disappointed.'

Remembering the disappointment, fear, and despair on the faces of those horse girls in the gate at the beginning, Kagura finally understood why they would show such expressions.

Rudolph Symbol is a monster, an unreasonable monster. The reason the leaders in front could maintain their lead was because Rudolph Symbol was still in the observation phase, temporarily executing her training regimen.

'The young lady's strength is simply overwhelming… This race is already over.'

Kagura sighed and shook her head. The race wasn't even halfway done, but there was no suspense left.

Soon, she heard a couple of muffled "Oysters!" from the track below. By this time, Rudolph Symbol had already navigated the turn and was on the final straight. She seemed to have confirmed that there were no opponents who could challenge her, decisively choosing to break away and accelerate. On the turn before entering the final straight, she burst out of the leading group with lightning speed, overtaking several people in the blink of an eye and creating a gap of several lengths.

"Rudolph Symbol!! Accelerates again on the final straight!! Shaking off the rest of the pack with ease!!"

"Three lengths! Four lengths! Five lengths!!! The gap is still widening! Rudolph Symbol is still accelerating! No horse girl can catch up!!"

"The Triple Crown isn't a dream!! For her, it's an absolute certainty!!"

The commentator's voice was very excited. Kagura felt that this female commentator must also be a fan of Rudolph Symbol. Of course, she thought that with Rudolph Symbol's performance, even if she wasn't a fan, she would be won over now.

This was an overwhelming victory without any suspense. The entire track had become Rudolph Symbol's stage alone.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Rudolph Symbol running in the lead, cheering and applauding for her. Her light was so dazzling that the horse girls chasing behind seemed to be swallowed by darkness, disappearing from sight.

--That hopeless gap… It's a bit like I was back in the day.

Eclipse also left a sigh on the glass in front of Kagura.

"Crossing the finish line!! Rudolph Symbol perfectly demonstrated her formidable strength!! Taking the victory with an overwhelming advantage!!"

There were no highlights in this race, or rather, Rudolph Symbol was the only highlight. She was so dazzling, so bright that Kagura could no longer see anything else clearly. There was no competition in this race, only pure domination. For her, it was just a way to understand what the competition between horse girls was like.

Kagura looked at Rudolph Symbol, who had already crossed the finish line and was waving to the audience, and then looked at the several exhausted and dejected horse girls behind her, and sighed softly.

The other horse girls who participated in this race could only say that they were unlucky. Their important debut race just happened to coincide with this highly anticipated genius.

"Little sister's eyes have been fixed on Rudolph. What do you think? Are you captivated by the handsome Rudolph~"

While saying this, Maruzensky pinched Kagura's cheek.

"Ahaha… Yes, it's as if the entire racetrack is left with only the young lady. She… is so dazzling."