Pegasus? I'm actually a doctor!

Vodka, usually so carefree, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Daiwa Scarlet nodded as well. While she often disagreed with Vodka's words due to their naturally clashing personalities, they were in complete agreement when it came to praising and evaluating Platinum, without the slightest hint of objection.

Compared to the top horse racing academies in Europe and America, Tracen Academy hadn't yet produced many world-class Uma Musume, falling short by more than just a little.

However, within Japan, it was in a league of its own, leaving the second-place school far behind by an astonishing margin.

This was a qualitative leap in areas such as educational resources, the average skill level of trainers, training environments, and the strength of the Uma Musume themselves.

Normally, even exceptionally talented individuals needed to be in an academy worthy of them to rapidly improve. Conversely, poor educational resources would hold them back, slowing their progress.

After all, talent determined the ceiling, but reaching that ceiling required persistent effort, formidable rivals, and an excellent training environment.

For example, if Vodka hadn't had Daiwa Scarlet as a strong rival in training races, her improvement would undoubtedly have been slower. This was the excellent environment and caliber of opponents that Tracen Academy provided.

Yet, Platinum's name didn't appear in any of Japan's renowned academies!

It was even less likely that she came from a prestigious lineage; if she had, her family would have long since publicized it to bring them fame. Take, for instance, the Uma Musume from the Mejiro family, who were often immensely popular from the moment they debuted.

Without attending a top school or having a prestigious background, how could Platinum's achievements be described as merely "inspirational"?

Under such circumstances, Platinum's ability to grow stronger with each race was something they had never heard of!

Or perhaps, had Platinum undergone some unknown, terrifying training?

Or had she clashed with incredibly fearsome rivals beyond normal comprehension?

It was… unlikely, wasn't it?

Even if there were some incredibly strong retired Uma Musume, they were retired. There was no way their abilities could surpass those of current GI champion Uma Musume.

Utterly perplexed, Daiwa Scarlet immediately abandoned that line of thought.

Beside her, Vodka suddenly smiled as if recalling something.

"Akagi, I really envy you..."

"Huh?"

Daiwa Scarlet turned her head, looking at Vodka, with whom she usually didn't get along.

"Five lengths."

"?"

"You were the opponent who lost to Platinum by the smallest margin in her first four races."

"???"

Daiwa Scarlet's smile froze, her expression becoming incredibly complex.

In terms of results, it was indeed true.

In her debut race, Platinum beat Daiwa Scarlet by five lengths. A week later, facing a senior in a GIII stakes race, she won by fifteen or sixteen lengths. In the Oaks held half a month later, she defeated Looking Back at the Moon by ten lengths!

And in the Japanese Derby, one of the six classic GI races, Platinum won by a full fourteen lengths!

In all other races, she achieved "double-digit length victories," with the sole exception of her debut against Daiwa Scarlet, where she only won by a single digit, or rather, a mere "five lengths."

Just a month ago, after her defeat, she had been filled with frustration, wondering why she had lost so badly – a whole five lengths! Had she not been trying hard enough recently?

But after only a month, even she herself felt… it was unbelievable. How could she have only lost to Platinum by five lengths?

The contrast in this change was simply too stark.

Vodka, meanwhile, was looking down at her phone and continued, "I just found some comments. Someone was marveling and said:"

"[Daiwa Scarlet is definitely a future Triple Crown contender. Even strong Uma Musume like Jungle Pocket and Mejiro Dober were left far behind, yet Daiwa Scarlet only lost to Platinum by a mere five lengths!]"

"[We can look forward to Daiwa Scarlet potentially defeating Platinum in the future, as she only lost by five lengths!]"

Hearing this, Daiwa Scarlet's breathing quickened, her ample chest heaving. She quickly raised her hand and made an "X" gesture, signaling for Vodka to stop.

She couldn't quite figure out whether she should be happy, angry, or relieved…

But no one knew better than Daiwa Scarlet that she simply didn't possess the strength to match Platinum's performance in the classic races!

She was so weak that Platinum hadn't even needed to use her full power!!

What struck Daiwa Scarlet even more suddenly was…

(In the future, if Platinum completely dominates Japan with no rivals!)

(Won't the situation become like this…)

A scene formed in the young Uma Musume Daiwa Scarlet's mind.

One after another, genius Uma Musume were effortlessly "cut down" by the Heavenly Horse Platinum.

Then, all of Japan looked up to her with anticipation.

"Go, the monster who was initially closest to the Heavenly Horse! Let us witness your true full power after reaching your peak!"

"Tokai Teio, who we placed so much hope in, fell before Platinum…"

"You're the only one left. Will you win?"

"The most prestigious, the phantom powerhouse Daiwa Scarlet, who only lost by five horse lengths, she definitely hid her strength."

"The absolute strongest, and the loneliness born from it, what taught her love is..."

The key point is, this isn't just wishful thinking; the possibility is actually quite high!

Perhaps Daiwa Scarlet will become some kind of "phantom Uma Musume" because of this.

Daiwa Scarlet couldn't help but feel a shiver, her legs trembling slightly.

Did she beat Platinum?

Can some monster come and put the Heavenly Horse in its place? I don't want to be entrusted with such high hopes!

"Waaah... Let's start extra training."

"Otherwise, next time I face Platinum, I might lose by more than five horse lengths!"

Daiwa Scarlet was forced to regain her fighting spirit for extra training!

The next day.

Inside Tracen Academy, it had become incredibly lively.

Countless young Uma Musume were discussing the just-concluded Japanese Derby with their friends, classmates, or trainers.

This scene wasn't just happening within Tracen Academy; countless people across Japan had watched that stunning, history-making Derby battle!

And in one of the infirmaries!

Lin Anran, the doctor, was frowning slightly, his expression extremely subtle, as if facing a difficult situation.

However, the young Uma Musume in front of him was not injured at all, yet she was closely related to this black-hearted youth.

"Doctor, I suspect I've been having hallucinations lately. I was in the Derby yesterday, and I was overtaken by that detestable Heavenly Horse, and shot!"

"My trainer told me this is a psychological scar, that it's my hallucination! What do you think?"

The black-hearted doctor sighed.

"First of all, I'm a doctor, not a psychologist."

"Secondly, you're the fifth Uma Musume to come to me with this question today. Next!"

It's better to get off work early and claim the race rewards.

What rewards will Uncle or other Kulanttas get this time?

[PS: Thank you everyone for your votes and tips, thank you very much! Here's the update, a little late, sorry.]

60. Star of Kaido! Manner's Vacation, Factor Inheritance?!

More than ten minutes later!

"Finally, no one's here..."

Lin Anran let out a deep sigh, feeling a bit enraged.

Damn it! Why are all these young Uma Musume who were demoralized by the Derby coming to find him?

In just an hour or two, he'd already seen nearly ten Uma Musume who were hit hard. Was the impact of that surpassing special move that significant?

The key point is, he's not even a psychologist, so he can't charge them like one. He's been comforting them for free for half the day.

But as soon as he thought of the Japanese Derby prize money, Lin Anran immediately regained his composure.

"Alright, no need to dwell on these unimportant matters."

"Now, I should prepare to claim..."

After muttering to himself, Lin Anran casually picked up the tea on the table.

The label on this cup of tea read:

[Fragrant Sticky Lemon Tea, Warm, No Sugar]

Lin Anran drank the delicious fragrant sticky lemon tea, put it down, and was about to activate his system rewards when.

Suddenly, his phone on the table rang with a notification sound.

The black-hearted young doctor's attention was immediately drawn, and he looked over.

Upon looking, he noticed that his social media app was pushing messages, showing that there were already several unread messages.

"Which weakling is it this time?"

Lin Anran quickly logged into his social media app and opened his account to check...

Soon, Lin Anran saw several messages, each from Dahlia and Secretariat.

Lin Anran clicked into Dahlia's messages first.

[Dahlia: Doctor Lin, I won my debut race!]

[Dahlia: Right now, I'm preparing for a stakes race, taking a step towards becoming the "strongest."]

The content was incredibly brief, seemingly just a status update.

[Dahlia: Oh, and remember Star of Kaido? The one who got injured during her trip to America and you treated her? Her debut race was successful recently too.]

[Dahlia: Even though that opponent is strong, I won't lose for the sake of our promise!]

[Dahlia: Please be prepared~]

After reading the text message, which also included the name of another Uma Musume, Lin Anran didn't pay it much mind.

He thought about it for another second in his mind before recalling.

"Star of Kaido... Ah, she's the daughter of that Arc de Triomphe champion, Kaido City."

Kaido City, a Chinese Uma Musume, then studied and trained in Japan. She wasn't favored and only attended a regular Uma Musume school, failing to get into Tracen Academy.

Later, she even faced the situation of her school shutting down. Kaido City then moved to Europe to debut, and her record was consistently poor.

However, she ultimately won the Arc de Triomphe, the most prestigious grass race in the world, on a heavy track under the rain! She shocked the world!

It's worth mentioning that the calculation method for an Uma Musume's identity, or "nationality," is usually based on their debut race location or training grounds.

Therefore, Kaido City and her daughter Star of Kaido, who debuted in Europe, are both considered European Uma Musume, while Platinum is considered a Japanese Uma Musume.

It's unknown how many Japanese viewers lamented, wondering why Kaido City didn't debut in Japan, or why she didn't enter Tracen Academy back then... If that were the case, wouldn't a Japanese Uma Musume have won the Arc de Triomphe?