Margaret! Dahlia's Text Message!
After the brief silence, lively chatter erupted throughout the vast cafeteria.
"Which Uma Musume do you admire and like the most?!"
"Heavenly Horse is actually going to challenge the Triple Crown of Transformation, hailed as a feat no one will ever repeat?"
"If she's aiming for the Triple Crown of Transformation, then the one she admires must be Senior Kurifuji, the previous winner, right?"
"But back in Senior Kurifuji's day, there were several months between the Oaks and the Derby. That made it much easier, didn't it?"
"Maybe she admires Triple Crown Uma Musume like the Emperor or Senior Chimei Representative?"
Amid the endless chatter in the cafeteria...
The interviewer followed up when Platinum didn't immediately answer.
"You can also choose to answer with the opponent you most want to defeat, or the Uma Musume who left the deepest impression on you."
The petite, silvery-white Heavenly Horse lowered her head slightly.
First of all, she really didn't have any Uma Musume she admired.
As for Uma Musume she liked...
At the moment, Platinum hadn't met many Uma Musume.
The two she'd had the most contact with were the wealthy patrons she'd treated as a heartless doctor before transforming: Tokai Teio and Agnes Tachyon.
But she definitely couldn't reveal anything, so those weren't suitable answers. That left the later question.
"I'll answer the later question. No Uma Musume has ever left a deep impression on me."
"As for my challengers in the upcoming Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho, my answer is..."
"—Leave now, and no one will get hurt."
The cold-hearted assassin delivered her frigid warning.
In the Oaks that had just ended, no Uma Musume had visibly fallen ill or suffered a fracture.
But after the race, more than one competitor had burst into tears, and some had even booked appointments with therapists on the spot.
Who said a magical attack didn't count as an attack?
The blow from Looking Back at the Moon seemed to have been just a tiny bit too much.
No one would find such a cold, overbearing answer strange.
Some Uma Musume had said before a race that they'd run to the ends of the earth.
History was full of arrogant Uma Musume.
But arrogance required backing it up.
And Miss Heavenly Horse had exactly that!
"As for the one who left the deepest impression..."
That last question sent her into a rare moment of deep thought.
As she'd said, aside from the wealthy patron Uma Musume she could milk for money, she had no impression of anyone else.
She'd been in this world for too short a time to think of anyone...
Instead, the terrifying monster who could use Great Desolate Starfall came to mind.
The fearsome being teased as Pantheon—Margaret Pantson, the Unbreakable Spear!
Her real name was Margaret Linguang. In Arknights, she was a girl of the Kulantta race, just like Platinum, who she'd transformed into. She was a warrior known as the Radiant Knight!
Platinum was skilled with a bow, while Linguang was a knight and warrior. Though they were of the same race, they were worlds apart.
And when the heartless young man played the mobile game, he used Radiant Knight Nearl even more often than Platinum. She was incredibly strong in the game!
(I = Kulantta = Heavenly Horse = Uma Musume)
(Linguang = Kulantta = Heavenly Horse = Uma Musume)
So in theory, Linguang could count as an Uma Musume too!
If no Uma Musume in this world had left a deep impression on her, then she'd name an "Uma Musume" from another world!
"She's a monster who truly deserves to be called a Heavenly Horse. Her name is Pan..."
Under the gaze of countless elite Uma Musume in Japan and spectators from around the world, Platinum, the Heavenly Horse whose name had spread far and wide, calmly gave the name.
"Radiant Knight Margaret Linguang!"
Perhaps it was her imagination, but as she spoke that name, she felt a faint stirring in her flat chest.
It was as though even her petite body could sense the strength of that "other Heavenly Horse."
It seemed no one knew the Radiant Knight's strength better than she did!
When she finished speaking, the staff member in front of her froze. No matter how they thought about it, they couldn't recall an Uma Musume by that name.
Were they simply ignorant?
But if even the monster who'd won the Oaks with the haughty poise of Looking Back at the Moon praised her as worthy of the same title as herself, she couldn't possibly be an ordinary Uma Musume!
One thing was certain: those words would stir up another huge discussion!
"Too bad—"
"Unless something unexpected happens, she won't come to Japan to compete..."
Meanwhile, in the Tracen cafeteria.
The place was more lively than ever, with one discussion after another ringing out.
"Linguang? I've never heard of her. Is she strong?"
"Linguang does sound more like a foreign surname. None of Japan's famous Uma Musume families have that name."
"So she's a foreign monster. That explains it!"
At another table, Agnes Tachyon was thinking with keen interest.
As a scientist skilled in research and endowed with exceptional powers of observation, Agnes Tachyon had only been surprised for a moment when she heard Platinum planned to challenge the Japanese Derby and even the Triple Crown of Transformation...
She'd quickly regained her composure.
After all, a monster capable of performing Looking Back at the Moon in the Oaks was certainly qualified to challenge the Undefeated Triple Crown, or even the Triple Crown of Transformation.
But now, after hearing the name Platinum had mentioned and the praise she'd heaped upon her...
Agnes Tachyon was plunged into deep confusion and thought.
"Margaret Linguang?"
"The Radiant Knight?"
"A foreign Uma Musume who won't come to Japan?"
Agnes Tachyon couldn't even be bothered to eat anymore. She began going over all the information she'd collected and studied, trying to find anything about this foreign Uma Musume.
Agnes Tachyon's records were filled with information on thousands upon thousands of foreign Uma Musume. Some hadn't even debuted yet and were still unknown, but Agnes Tachyon had already determined that they might have considerable potential.
But nowhere in those records...
Was there any mention of Margaret Linguang!
"Interesting—"
"I wonder what the connection is between Platinum and this Radiant Knight Nearl?"
The crazy young scientist smiled with interest.
"I'll gather the information again when I get back!"
Back in his room, after taking some time to rest!
The heartless young doctor sat upright on the bed, deep in thought.
"To win the Oaks so beautifully!"
"Platinum's potential and strength are absolutely terrifying, without a doubt! Coming to Japan was definitely the right choice!"
"With the ultimate Experienced Battles in the Japanese Derby just a week away, it seems the odds won't..."
Before he could finish thinking aloud.
Lin Anran's phone rang. A text message had come in from Minnow Dahlia.
He opened it and saw...
Minnow Dahlia: Dr. Lin, I've made it to Europe. I've also met some nice friends here.
Minnow Dahlia: One of them is a cute, delicate little thing named Lintailai. She's in such poor health!
Minnow Dahlia: I think she might be interested in you, Dr. Lin.
Lin Anran's reply: I never break my promises, and I never turn down a request!
Minnow Dahlia: I think she might be interested in you, Dr. Lin.
The heartless young doctor stared at the message, a thoughtful look on his face.
Lintailai?
He'd never heard of that Uma Musume...
Puzzled, Lin Anran immediately opened his computer and searched.
Soon, the search results showed exactly what he'd expected.
Lintailai: 1 start, 1 win
The webpage also noted that the name of this Uma Musume meant "inconspicuous" in Arabic.
That one win was obviously from her Debut Race. She was only a little better than the minnow Big Red, who'd managed to debut after two tries and had a record of one win from two starts.
In other words—another minnow!
From her record to her name, she was utterly inconspicuous.
And birds of a feather flock together!
If she could be friends with Minnow Dahlia, she couldn't be all that impressive. Dahlia hadn't said that the little filly named Lintailai was especially strong, after all.
So that made another minnow!
Lin Anran sighed. The heartless young doctor couldn't help grumbling.
"How come all the overseas minnows who take an interest in me are like this?"
That minnow Lintailai probably wouldn't win many races either. There was no need to pay her much attention.
Fortunately, his work in Japan was finally beginning to show signs of success.
As a doctor, he'd already finished treating Tokai Teio and earned Agnes Tachyon's trust. He'd soon begin treating her over the long term.
Both of those geniuses had once been hailed as potential Undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume. Now they'd both become patrons in Lin Anran's eyes.
As for his racing schedule and challenge to the Triple Crown of Transformation... those were going exceptionally well too.
So his plan to improve his medical skills after completing the Triple Crown of Transformation and milk the Japanese Uma Musume for money was already halfway to success! That was what he needed to focus on!
"Minnow Dahlia can't even give me any money for making friends..."
Before you continue