Nenfu didn't hold back in singing her praises.
Shunkawa Tazuna nodded in full agreement with such an incredibly high appraisal.
But the Green Demon's tone shifted, turning solemn.
"But that's assuming... we don't suffer injuries like the ones we did."
"I hope she won't be brought down by fractures or other injuries!"
Some time later.
The once-cool, dazzling, and powerful silver-white Pegasus emerged from the Winner's Stage corridor, looking dazed and drenched in sweat.
That wretched Winner's Stage was finally over!
(Wait, why am I the only one here?)
(Do you get punished for winning by so many lengths?)
Platinum almost instinctively assumed she had triggered some kind of penalty mechanism.
Otherwise, why had they made her perform onstage all by herself?
The one small consolation was that Centaurea had played the Idol Knight in the original story, and had a natural talent and instinct for singing and dancing.
She had gained some experience from performing on the Winner's Stage after the previous two or three races, which made it possible for her to get through this solo performance without a hitch.
What pleased Platinum somewhat was that there were twice as many spectators beneath the stage this time as there had been at the Oaks. She seemed to have gained a whole lot more fans!
(Next up is... the interview, right?)
Platinum, who was gradually getting used to all this, headed backstage again.
As soon as she arrived, she saw several excited, enthusiastic URA staff members.
Soon, Platinum took the interview question selection sheet and lowered her head to prepare for the upcoming interview!
But when she saw one of the questions, she suddenly froze, then her eyes lit up as if she'd thought of an amusing answer.
This one! I'll take this one!
Besides, she wasn't a student at Tracen Academy. What did she have to fear?
A little while later, the staff began the live interview, following the questions Platinum had selected.
"Hello, Platinum. Congratulations on winning the Japanese Derby and achieving the great feat of becoming a Triple Crown of Transformation winner."
"Our first question is: what are your hopes and ambitions for international races?"
Holding the microphone, Platinum got into character, then spoke earnestly and formally about her aspirations for overseas races.
"My goal is to win an international GI in Europe or America! I'll accomplish what the great Emperor could not!"
The silver-haired girl's voice brimmed with emotion as she spoke in a solemn, resolute tone.
"That year, at the St. Louis Rey Handicap, Symboli Rudolf went overseas to compete against American Uma Musume. In a field of fewer than ten runners, she suffered a crushing defeat and finished sixth."
With countless people across Japan watching, and a certain Emperor staring in shock and gritting her teeth!
(No! You can't...)
The dark chapter of her career, buried for years since her retirement and never brought up by anyone, had been dragged into the open by that wretched Pegasus in front of the entire nation!
On the live broadcast's big screen, Platinum abruptly changed her tone.
"When I saw Symboli Rudolf slumped in a chair, sobbing uncontrollably, I knew I'd never forget that sight. At that moment, I thought: if I could become an Uma Musume, I'd win everything."
Somewhere in the world, the heart of a certain Tracen student council president shattered.
"Now that the chance to avenge the Emperor is right before me, I have to consider whether this might be my one and only chance."
"I believe Symboli Rudolf played an indispensable role in restoring Japanese Uma Musume to their former position of dominance."
"It is our duty to restore the glory of Japanese Uma Musume!"
59. Shocking the Emperor for a Hundred Years! The Pegasus Has Turned the World Upside Down and Bullied the Emperor!
A few minutes earlier, in a private car on its way back to Tracen Academy.
Symboli Rudolf, the student council president, had just watched the entire Japanese Derby alongside several other student council members, including her most beloved junior, Tokai Teio.
Now she and Tokai Teio, Chimei Representative, and Air Groove were on their way back to school.
Even Symboli Rudolf, whose temperament had grown calmer and more composed since her retirement, had to admit that Platinum's Dominant Victory by a full fourteen lengths had left her stunned.
She couldn't help wondering whether Platinum might have gone on to an even more terrifying winning streak by a dozen or more lengths if she hadn't used Looking Back at the Moon in the Oaks and had instead kept accelerating at full speed...
Whatever the case, one thing was certain: the legendary Triple Crown of Transformation, said to be impossible for anyone to achieve after its first winner, now had a challenger from the new generation—perhaps even its only challenger!
"Platinum... what an interesting and adorable little filly."
The more Symboli Rudolf thought about the race that had just ended and the silver-haired girl's performance on the Winner's Stage, the more her lips curled into a smile. She wanted more and more to recruit Platinum into Tracen Academy—and onto the student council.
Then, all of a sudden...
The petite Tokai Teio, seated beside Symboli Rudolf, held out her phone with a slightly surprised look.
"President, Platinum just gave an interview after the race. Want to watch?"
"An interview? Sure, let's take a look."
Symboli Rudolf nodded without hesitation.
A few seconds later, Platinum's voice came from the phone.
"That year, at the St. Louis Rey Handicap, Symboli Rudolf went overseas..."
The moment she heard the first half of the sentence, the smile on Symboli Rudolf's face froze.
In an instant, the quick-witted Emperor realized something was wrong.
A moment ago: Hee-hee.
Now: No more hee-hee.
After winning the Japanese Derby by a huge margin, Platinum was now the focus of the entire country. This interview would definitely trend and become famous.
It was over. She was being publicly grilled on a live broadcast!
(Oh, no! Anything but that!!!)
"When I saw Symboli Rudolf slumped in a chair, sobbing uncontrollably..."
The interview continued, and Platinum's determined words kept reaching Symboli Rudolf's ears.
"I have to consider whether this might be my one and only..."
"It is our duty to restore the glory of Japanese Uma Musume!!"
There was only one thought in Symboli Rudolf's mind...
(Damn you, Tamamo... You can't do this!)
A student council president who had been retired for years, Symboli Rudolf had never dreamed that she'd be publicly humiliated again after retiring!
Without a doubt, there'd be a flood of heated discussion today. The clever Symboli Rudolf could already imagine the headlines.
—The Real Reasons Behind Symboli Rudolf's Failed Overseas Campaign.
—Serious Question: When the Pegasus Talks About "Japanese Uma Musume's Former Dominance," Does She Mean the Emperor's Overseas Record of Zero Wins?
—An Objective Analysis, No Hype: Is the Emperor Overrated? I Think Tachyon, Teio, and Platinum Should Be Considered Japan's Strongest Uma Musume!
—Symboli Rudolf and the Gap Between Her and the World's Top Uma Musume!
Symboli Rudolf's spine, which had stayed straight her entire life, finally snapped.
(It's over. I'm really going to die of embarrassment...)
The Emperor's breathing grew ragged, and her whole body flushed red.
In the row of seats across from her, the fellow student council member Air Groove and the long-absent Chimei Representative had also heard Platinum's interview answers.
Both student council members' lips twitched upward. They turned toward the side windows and covered their faces with their hands.
Chimei Representative and Air Groove seemed to have thought of something amusing.
They were professionals. No matter how funny it was, they wouldn't laugh!
Unless they couldn't hold it in...
The petite Tokai Teio wasn't sitting with Chimei Representative and Air Groove. She was seated beside Symboli Rudolf.
So Tokai Teio didn't notice anything. She'd always only cared about races, getting stronger, and her idol, Symboli Rudolf. She hadn't seen the other two seniors trying to stifle their laughter.
In Teio's eyes, Symboli Rudolf's face had turned bright red, her ample chest rising and falling as her breathing grew labored.
Was she... so happy or excited that she'd blushed?
(That makes sense. Platinum might become Japan's strongest Uma Musume!)
(No wonder the president's so happy she's blushing. A once-in-a-generation genius just praised her on a live broadcast in front of the whole country!)
(I've never seen the president blush like this before...)
Tokai Teio lowered her head in thought, as if she'd made up her mind.
No! She had to prove that she was the president's number-one fan!
She absolutely couldn't fall to second place. She couldn't let the president think that the little Pegasus was her cutest junior!
The young Miss Teio didn't know...
Sometimes, a person blushed not because they were shy, but because they were so furious they were about to snap.
(All right! After the Takarazuka Kinen is over!)
(I'll recreate this too! I have to make sure the president remembers me!)
She would memorize her speech and surprise the president!
At a training field at Tracen Academy.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka were rivals who constantly trained and competed against each other in Training Races around campus.
Daiwa Scarlet had always regarded Vodka as her archenemy, the opponent she would have to give her all to defeat over the course of her career.
But after unexpectedly stumbling in the Debut Race last month... Daiwa Scarlet's horizons had suddenly expanded.
Vodka?
No. Her archenemy, the opponent she'd need to defeat in the future, had to be that Pegasus!
As for Vodka, she'd be the necessary stepping stone, a whetstone to sharpen herself against before facing the Pegasus.
Now, they had finished their daily training and were sitting together on a bench beside the field to rest.
The two of them had watched the Japanese Derby, and both looked deeply shaken—utterly stunned!
"Fourteen lengths...!"
"She's already won the Triple Crown of Transformation. She went from an unknown to a household name in just one week!"
"In a single week, she went from a newcomer Uma Musume, a low-level GIII stakes runner, to a young GI double-crown champion!"
Neither Daiwa Scarlet nor Vodka could keep their emotions in check. They couldn't help exclaiming in amazement.
"She's so strong! Where on earth did this monster train?!"
"Even Tracen Academy would have a hard time producing a monster like her, wouldn't it?"
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