Before her, Daiwa Scarlet clenched her fists, her breathing heavy and measured.
Daiwa Scarlet was fiercely competitive. More than letting her opponent enjoy herself, she wanted to defeat her. This loss had left a deep mark on her.
"Can I ask whether you're going to challenge the Classic Triple Crown or the Fillies' Triple Crown next year?"
It was obvious that Daiwa Scarlet wanted to get her revenge next year!
Faced with Daiwa Scarlet's question, Platinum's cool, delicate face took on a complicated expression.
In the end, the Assassin Girl calmly revealed her challenge plans.
"No. Not next year. I'm going to challenge this year's Triple Crown races."
Daiwa Scarlet: ???
How was that possible?
The Triple Crown races had already begun this year, and Agnes Tachyon had won the Satsuki Sho in an absolute landslide!
Challenging them now was practically a nightmare-level difficulty. And even if she won, she could only claim two crowns at most, right?
Instead of competing for the full Triple Crown next year, she was going to take part in this year's high-risk, low-reward two-crown challenge?
Daiwa Scarlet, the busty red-haired girl, suddenly narrowed her eyes. Her first thought was that she'd misheard.
As far as Platinum was concerned, she'd completed her debut task and won the Debut Race. That meant she could clock out, didn't it?
Platinum immediately turned around without offering any explanation, making as if to head back the way she'd come and leave.
Before Daiwa Scarlet could press her about the Triple Crown races, she hurriedly called out a warning.
"Platinum, you're going the wrong way. The winner's stage isn't over there."
Platinum stopped after taking just a few steps.
The Kulantta girl, who'd been perfectly composed and unruffled even after winning the race, froze on the spot at those words.
?!!!
Platinum: ??
"Ugh..."
"Wait, there's a winner's stage too?"
"The winner's stage?!"
Platinum's delicate, cool face instantly filled with astonishment. She could no longer maintain her earlier composure.
The winner's stage—?!
For most Uma Musume, stepping onto the stage as the star was the highest honor imaginable.
Only the winning Uma Musume had the right to take center stage. The other high-placing losers served as backup dancers, joining her to put on an exciting musical and dance performance for the fans in the audience.
Uma Musume were idols in their own right, and after winning a race, they were expected to perform. As the winner, Platinum was naturally supposed to take the stage alongside Daiwa Scarlet.
But to Platinum, the news struck like a bolt from the blue. She reacted as though she'd just heard something unbelievable!
Apparently, performing onstage after the race was even harder for her than the race itself.
Special Week onstage, the winner's-stage live performance, an awkward pratfall...
In an instant, the memories came flooding back, and Platinum's petite body stiffened.
She didn't want to recreate that moment when Big General had awkwardly danced onstage and fallen over!!
The white-haired girl then remembered Centaurea from Arknights, who'd once been an Idol Knight!
But she'd strayed down the wrong path and eventually become the assassin known as Platinum in the Mugyuu Alliance.
And Idol Knights... didn't they have to be good at singing and dancing, too?
(Wait, does it line up again??)
She suddenly realized that even though the Platinum she'd transformed into was an assassin from another world, her specialties seemed to fit this world's Uma Musume profession perfectly!
A Kulantta girl who was good at running and had once been an Idol Knight skilled in singing and dancing—was it really so strange for her to have turned into an Uma Musume?
Was she actually just like a real Uma Musume, with no difference at all?
So, this winner's stage... should she go up? Could she?
In an instant, Platinum's panic began to subside.
She hesitated for a moment over whether to go onstage.
It was obvious. An assassin wouldn't care about the honor of winning. All she cared about was clocking in, clocking out, and... money!
Platinum was about to offer some cool but slightly soft-spoken excuse so she could make a quick escape.
"Your fans are sure to increase after this."
"Just you wait. I won't let you become a Superstar so easily!"
Daiwa Scarlet's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of resentment.
The better an Uma Musume was, the more spectators would pay attention to her and be drawn in as fans. You could call her an idol or a celebrity, and it wouldn't be wrong.
Only the brightest star of her generation could be called a Superstar. Before that, the ones who'd reached such heights included Oguri Cap and Tokai Teio. They were all renowned standouts of their generations.
Even now, Daiwa Scarlet didn't take Platinum's claim that she'd challenge this year's Triple Crown seriously. She still saw Platinum as a future rival in next year's Triple Crown races.
"Huh? A star?"
The petite, fair-skinned Miss Heavenly Horse felt her post-work relaxation suddenly freeze. As if she'd thought of something, even her fleeing steps came to a halt.
For this avaricious little horse who raced for prize money and to improve her medical skills so she could treat Uma Musume and make money, the first thing that came to mind when she heard "celebrity" or "star" was...
She could make money! A lot of money!
And it would surely be the easy kind of money, too.
(Oh, right! Uma Musume are basically idols, aren't they?!)
(I remember that Tokai Teio's dorm room in the anime was covered in posters of the Emperor. And the game machines outside were full of chibi dolls of famous Uma Musume!)
(You could say that top Uma Musume are basically idols. They can earn huge amounts in race prize money and sell loads of merchandise thanks to their fans' love for them. They're practically an inexhaustible gold mine!!)
And now, it seemed she could become a gold mine herself—a future idol and Superstar who could keep attracting fans and making them cough up cash?!
For a crooked doctor and Miss Heavenly Horse who'd entered the races to make money, this was... incredibly tempting.
After all, the effort and the rewards were completely out of proportion. With just a little effort, she could get a handsome return. How could Platinum possibly resist?
(If I ran away from the winner's stage and let the audience and fans down...)
(They wouldn't just fail to become fans. They might turn into haters, and then they'd be even less likely to cough up cash for me!)
After pondering for a moment, Miss Heavenly Horse clenched her teeth and finally made a difficult decision.
8. Truly, this world was full of heroes!
That is... she'd go on the winner's stage after all!!
Having made her decision, Platinum—usually lazy and eager to clock out early—chose to motivate herself by painting a rosy picture.
(Sigh, work was easy just now. I finished in only a few minutes without breaking a sweat.)
(If I just work a little overtime now, I'll definitely make a lot of money in the future. I might as well put in a little extra time~)
(Compared to staying in America and waiting for Big Red, Bully, and Dahlia to make their debuts and win races so they can give me a cut of the prize money, I'll definitely make more money—and have an easier time—by racing myself!)
Back when she'd watched Big Red, Bully, and the others in their Training Races, they'd seemed pretty impressive and full of energy. She'd thought they were all promising young talents.
But Big Red, who'd repeatedly achieved the best results in their internal Training Races, had made her debut under the name Secretariat and placed a mere fourth...
That had convinced Platinum that, since she could beat a formidable competitor like Daiwa Scarlet, coming to Japan to make her debut and challenge the Triple Crown of Transformation was absolutely the best choice!
So, since she had such a bright future ahead of her, she might as well work a little overtime, gain more fans, and make them cough up more cash!
"All right, let's go to the winner's stage..."
The Miss Heavenly Horse who'd made her decision had a resolute look on her cool face, resigned to the pull of money and her first stint of overtime.
Platinum, who'd been forced to work overtime after her first day on the job, set off on her strong legs and followed Daiwa Scarlet.
"She was so talented, a serious contender in any generation, yet she lost her very first Debut Race?"
"This world really is full of heroes! Platinum, what a Platinum!"
In the stands, Tokai Teio couldn't help smacking her knees, even though her legs—only recently treated by Doctor Lin—hadn't fully recovered yet.
The petite girl's eyes shone with surprise and excitement.
Tokai Teio, who'd won the Undefeated Two Crowns and was hailed as the Emperor's Heir, felt her legs trembling. It wasn't fear making them shake, but the surging, intense fighting spirit that had been roused within her! Even just watching the race had done it!
Without a doubt, Daiwa Scarlet hadn't performed poorly. That super dark horse was simply too good.
If such an outstanding Uma Musume were a student at Tracen Academy, Tokai Teio didn't think she'd have failed to notice her.
Daiwa Scarlet was already a famous rising star at Tracen. How could Platinum, who'd beaten even her, have gone unnoticed at the academy?
"So, is Platinum a student at another Uma Musume school...?"
Tokai Teio wondered aloud.
But before that...
"I should enjoy watching Platinum's winner's-stage performance."
Some time later!
A large crowd had gathered beneath the winner's stage, all waiting for the super dark horse who'd surpassed Daiwa Scarlet to make her entrance.
Even Vodka and Tokai Teio were happy to join the audience and enjoy the mysterious, petite Platinum's first performance onstage.
Under the eager gazes of the many spectators, the winner's stage began its opening countdown!
The next second, the lights onstage... almost all went out at once!
The only remaining light took the shape of a pure white heavenly horse, appearing at the very center of the dark stage, as though announcing that the one about to appear would rule the racetrack!
A dazzling, powerful, and captivating white girl like a heavenly horse—that was what all the spectators below agreed on!
In an instant, the many spectators who'd been drawn in by Platinum's astonishing performance, along with Vodka and Tokai Teio, all held their breath.
"She's coming—"
The next moment, the crisp sound of "tap," "tap," "tap" rang out, growing louder with every step.
Just a few seconds later, a petite, silvery-white figure emerged from the backstage passage and stepped onto the winner's stage!
Her expression was just as calm and languid as it had been when she stepped onto the racetrack. The only makeup on her pretty face was a light touch applied by the makeup artist backstage.
After Platinum took the stage first, Daiwa Scarlet, in second place, and the other Uma Musume, in third, followed her up.
Her small, cherry-red lips parted, and her cool voice, touched with the faintest trace of helplessness, instantly filled the venue, reaching the ears of countless spectators.
"Uma dacchi (Uma Musume!)"
"Umapyoi, umapyoi (Uma Dance! Uma Dance!)"
"Suki dacchi, umapoi (I like you!)(Like a horse!)"
Platinum's voice lacked the sweetness, gentleness, and demureness that other Uma Musume usually brought to this song. It wasn't soft and sugary, either.
Not only that, Miss Heavenly Horse's voice was as languid as ever, even as she sang lyrics that were practically a confession. It was a striking contrast to her imposing presence on the racetrack as she raced after her rivals and hunted them down.
As the music continued, the white-haired girl's movements were a little stiff, but she managed to keep up with Daiwa Scarlet's steps beside her.
In fact... she even seemed to be getting better, her movements gradually shifting from awkward to somewhat practiced.
Even Platinum herself felt a little surprised.
Backstage, she'd hurriedly searched for the available songs, dance moves, and lyrics, then watched a few and practiced for a little while.
There was no way she could have been given much time to prepare, so she'd gone from knowing nothing to being somewhat ready.
But somehow... she was getting into the groove?!
(Ugh... It seemed Centaurea really did have a talent for singing and dancing, just as you'd expect from an Idol Knight.)
Before you continue