At the thought of that possibility, excitement glimmered in the eyes of Miss Heavenly Horse, who was usually so calm.
Without hesitation, she went to claim this system reward.
From Platinum's perspective, there was nothing she lacked at all!
If she had to name something, she was short on money and healing ability, right?
She only had Primary Healing Ability at the moment. Upgrading to Intermediate Healing Ability would be great! A direct cash payout would be good, too!
In short, either money or improved medical skills would be the best possible reward for the unscrupulous young doctor.
She couldn't think of anything else she might need before transforming. Surely it had to be one of those two... probably?
After Miss Heavenly Horse pressed the claim button, she gazed intently at the system panel before her.
The next moment, the text on the panel changed.
Races Won: Debut Race (five lengths), GIII Stakes (fifteen lengths), GI Stakes Oaks (ten lengths)
Calculating rewards...
Calculating...
Then new text appeared in its place.
Reward: Slight pelvic enhancement
Reward: Slight waist enhancement
Reward: Slight stamina boost from the Kulantta character "Manner Radiant Light"
Note: Continue to receive random rewards from Kulantta characters
?
??
???
Something was wrong! Nine times out of ten, something was very wrong!
Wasn't there some mistake with these rewards?
The petite Miss Heavenly Horse tilted her little head and stared at the system panel in bewilderment, eyes wide.
"?"
She didn't understand. She was utterly astonished!
"These rewards..."
"Is this really reasonable? What good are they?"
"No, are these really the rewards I need? Did the system malfunction and give me the wrong ones?"
There had to be some mistake with these rewards, right?
What was the point of strengthening her waist or pelvis? And why had she gotten a slight stamina boost from Uncle Manner? Shouldn't she have gotten Uncle Manner's ultimate skill, Unshone Glory?
There was no way she'd ever need these strange enhancements...
The system's response appeared a moment later, brief and to the point.
Ding
No error detected. These rewards are the best fit for the host.
Please continue winning races to earn more rewards. You may receive random rewards from members of the Nearl Family.
Please take good care of your body! Good luck!
In that instant, Platinum was utterly bewildered!
Very Important! (Must Read)
Thank you all so much for reading this far!
It's been over a year since I started writing my first Uma Musume novel about Orfevre. Now I'm writing my second one, about Platinum.
I've written quite a few new books, and this one will go on sale tomorrow.
There are fewer and fewer new books in the Uma Musume section, and it's getting harder and harder to write. If you enjoy reading this, I hope you'll support me by subscribing, so we can keep going together.
In fact, my friends have all been urging me to write something easier, like Three of a Kind. There aren't many people reading Uma Musume novels now, but my passion hasn't faded, and I want to write one last book.
So I combined Arknights, the game I've played the longest, with Uma Musume, the game that's made me suffer the most, and started this story about Platinum.
I've completed multiple novels, and I have a million-word outline for this one. If you like the book or trust me as an author, I hope you'll stick around for the journey.
Here's a quick update on tomorrow's release. From now on, chapters will be longer—at least 4,000 words each.
I'll do my best to release a lot when it goes on sale tomorrow—10,000 words in total!
Next month, I'll probably open an uncapped reward campaign and start churning out chapters like crazy. I won't let you down!
Uma Musume novels aren't mainstream, and not many people read them. I hope the book can do as well as possible, but it really isn't easy to write.
I really, really, really need your support for the first-day subscription tomorrow. I'm asking all my dear readers to subscribe on release day. Thank you sincerely in advance.
54. Japanese Derby! It's Just a Little Rain (Please Subscribe! Please Subscribe!)
The system had checked the rewards... and found no errors?
Were these really the rewards she needed most before transforming, back when she'd been an unscrupulous doctor?
Enhanced pelvis, enhanced waist, and a slight stamina boost from her uncle, Manner Radiant Light?
This!!
The delicate face of the young Platinum remained bewildered and innocent.
If she had a choice, she'd much rather have her doctor self gain her uncle Manner's game ultimate, True Gold Slash, or even a boost to her physical abilities!
Would stamina, along with all these strange enhancements, really come in handy?
"I hope the next rewards will be a little more normal."
"And the rewards might be related to Kulantta characters or members of the Nearl Family... That's interesting."
Miss Heavenly Horse couldn't help wondering if she'd draw some familiar, powerful character next time, and what she might get from them!
Could she make her original body as strong as an Uma Musume's, or even stronger?
Would that make the unscrupulous doctor immune to complaints from disgruntled patients?!
"We'll find out soon enough whether the system's rewards are actually useful."
"But for now... I should get ready for the Japanese Derby, which is only a few days away!"
At the thought of her next race, the silver-haired girl felt a flicker of excitement for the first time. Her gaze dipped from the system panel to the long, narrow case she'd just set on the table.
Inside was the bow and arrow, part of her Winning Live Costume and blessed and recognized by the Three Goddesses.
At the upcoming Japanese Derby, she'd wear the bow and quiver as she stepped onto the stage of that prestigious classic race and entered the fray.
Platinum opened the case. Her amber eyes settled on the bow that gave her a sense of security, and her soft, fair hands began to gently caress it.
It was like a warrior who hadn't set foot on the battlefield in ages, polishing her blade in preparation for the next difficult fight.
And for this Platinum Grand Seat of the Mugyuu Alliance, the bow and arrow were her finest weapons.
"I'm finally getting excited..."
"I wonder what the arrow effects will look like after I overtake the other Uma Musume!"
Though she'd already run three races before this, it was only now...
As she prepared to take the bow and arrow onto the stage of the Japanese Derby, she finally felt a little excitement for the race and began to see it as a battle!
Platinum withdrew her gaze from the bow and picked up her phone to put it away. Then she noticed an urgent news alert from URA.
The news seemed plain and simple, but a flicker of surprise crossed Platinum's calm face.
According to the latest forecast, there would be continuous heavy rain on the day of the Japanese Derby, four days from now!
A rare Heavy Track, the Japanese Derby in a downpour... It was coming!!
Who would overcome the terrifying Heavy Track: Platinum, Jungle Pocket, or Black Ship? Stay tuned!
"It's going to rain on race day?"
But even a downpour, even a Heavy Track... nothing could stop a Heavenly Horse from moving forward!
"Agnes Tachyon's formidable rival, Jungle Pocket? The foreign powerhouse, Black Ship?"
"Bring it on!"
And in Miss Heavenly Horse's memories...
She couldn't help recalling something rather subtle.
By now, with her Full Bloom progress at 15%, she'd already awakened her Aura and Uma Musume skills, but she hadn't used any of them.
During the previous race, the Oaks, Platinum had thought that Mejiro Dober, waiting in the rear and gathering strength, was incredibly formidable. She'd assumed Mejiro Dober was only releasing a portion of her Aura, so she'd become wary.
But to the very end, Platinum hadn't sensed Mejiro Dober's Aura growing stronger, nor had she seen her activate a skill and accelerate until she was right beside her.
So—
The bewildered Miss Heavenly Horse had instinctively turned around and looked at Mejiro Dober behind her, striking a Looking Back at the Moon pose.
Even now, Platinum still didn't know just how powerful her Aura was, or what skills she could control.
The Japanese Derby, now just around the corner, would be her perfect stage!
Once she'd finished thinking, Platinum snatched up the bow and arrow and instantly refined them!
The next moment, the unscrupulous young doctor ended his transformation.
"Huh??"
After the transformation ended, Lin Anran lightly touched his abs. The first thing he noticed was that his body had changed quite a bit.
There was no doubt that his body had grown stronger in some ways, though the direction of the improvement didn't seem very useful.
Lin Anran couldn't help mulling it over.
"I'm no ordinary doctor. I specialize in treating Uma Musume."
"The little fillies in this world are so pure and innocent that even when I squeeze money out of them, I feel a little guilty."
"So there's no such thing as patients making trouble."
If everything was already this safe, why did the system insist on giving him these rewards after checking them again and again?
But there was no point dwelling on what he couldn't understand.
The rewards had already arrived... and a stronger body was always a good thing!
Although Lin Anran had really enjoyed skipping through the story before crossing over—
"I hope I can unlock medical skills soon and finish treating my big client, Tachyon! She'll be so moved... she'll definitely give me money of her own accord!"
"Or I could win more races and draw a reward from Uncle Manner or someone else in the Nearl Family."
"Gah, I'm such a Manner fanboy!"
The unscrupulous doctor believed there would always be talented Uma Musume who got injured.
Once Lin Anran successfully completed the Triple Crown of Transformation and improved his medical skills, he'd never run out of little fillies willing to pay him to get their bodies back in shape!
Before then, he first had to win the Japanese Derby, the most challenging and widely anticipated of the classic races!
Before you continue