I only have one year to live, so I must become a legendary horse girl!

Xingmu resisted at first. She trembled, and then tried to flee from Gotham Carol as if she was terrified, but...

How can one stop such unconscious behavior, or deal with the unreasonable conquest of the devil?

In the end, Xingmu's big hand was still firmly grasped by Gotham Carol's small hand. In a corner of the park under the bright spring sunshine, where there were few people but there were still a few pairs of eyes in the distance, the dazed Xingmu was pulled hard by Gotham Carol. Although there was some distance between them, they were almost close together.

Of course, when they were about to get close to each other, although their shoulders were very close, there was still a lot of empty space between them.

And Xingmu seemed to be pulled out of the haze of the Oaks Competition by the sudden attack of Gotham Carol. She finally raised her head and looked at Gotham Carol who was smiling at her.

"Need I say it again? It's a beautiful day today."

"I hope your mood is as good as the weather."

Didn’t you just say it without asking me?!

Of course, such words were not spoken out loud, and Xingmu just nodded silently. Although it would have been better to take the initiative to say something when faced with such an effort to find a topic - Xingmu certainly understood such things. She just didn't have much experience in horse racing, but that didn't mean she was a complete child in life.

It's just that knowing is one thing, but being able to do it is another... She was now regretting and wondering why she had impulsively invited Gotham Carol to meet this morning. With her mind so completely confused, it wasn't that she didn't want to say something, but she simply didn't know what to say...

"I'm sorry, Miss Carol, it was obviously me... Uh-huh?"

"Shh, now, listen to me, understand."

Xingmu obviously wanted to apologize for being so confused that she couldn't say anything to start the conversation, but what she didn't expect was that Gotham Carol actually reached out and covered her lips, preventing her from blurting out the apology.

Now, do you want to listen to her...?

"Xingmu loves the arena and the competition, right?"

However, the topic that followed Gotham Carol was a topic that left her completely confused.

She loves the track and competitions...? Of course, otherwise, she wouldn't have become a horse girl...

She didn't become a horse racing girl because she was talented, but because she wanted to become a horse racing girl, so she tried her best to make use of her innate talent.

"Well, let me tell you a story. Long ago, before I became famous, I had a serious illness."

A long time ago, before Gotham Carol became famous... How long ago? Back when Gotham Carol didn't exist, back when the Arc de Triomphe on a rainy day didn't even happen.

Honestly, if we ask Gotham Carol to recall his state of mind at that time, it would be hard not to draw a clear conclusion, right?

"At that time, I felt so miserable that I almost wanted to give up. If I just didn't feel anything, it wouldn't be so painful, right?"

"Is it a surprise?"

Xingmu was silent for a long time. She looked at the petite horse girl beside her and for a moment she really didn't expect that there would be such a secret.

The person beside me is the most honored Uma Musume of this era, yet she has such a weak moment...

No matter how you look at it, wanting to give up your life because of pain is strange, right?

"You think so too. So, looking back now, I can understand a very simple truth. No matter what, if you give up after falling, then there will be no future, no more things that could have been possible, right?"

Gotham Carol lightly grasped the palm of Xingmu's hand, pressed his fingers between the delicate tiger's mouth, and then suddenly leaned closer so that his cheek filled the other's field of vision.

Don't get me wrong, this is what the trainer's book says, and it's a way to make the pony girl more focused and unable to avoid the topic.

It’s not that she has any unexpected or inappropriate thoughts about the younger generation!

She was afraid of something like this happening...

After all, she already lived in a very delicate environment where everyone was watching each other. If this delicate balance completely collapsed, she couldn't even imagine what would happen suddenly...

However, no matter how afraid she is of such a thing, facing the helpless Xingmu at this moment, no matter how bad the situation is, she will still do such a thing firmly and seriously, right?

Gotham Carol, maybe he is just such a hopeless idiot who can't take his eyes off and can't bear to hurt anyone who needs help...

Well, anyway, after Donna finishes the Autumn Flower Awards, her interactions with Gotham Ode and Apricot Eyes will probably be in the distant future, right?

So it's probably safe.

perhaps.

Xingmu did not give an answer immediately, but she looked carefully at the horse girl in front of her, looking at the horse girl in front of her who was repeating the words that she already knew, or rather, the words that many people had told her and she had seen many times.

For some reason, something that I already knew very well, when I heard it again from the mouth of this person in front of me, it seemed unexpectedly convincing... Is it because the other person is an accomplished Umamusume senior?

Or is it because she is the opponent I want to defeat in the end?

Xingmu didn't know that her mood was inexplicable and she didn't know how to explain it. She could only fall into deep hesitation and confusion, not knowing how to free herself.

However, there was one thing she wanted an answer to, and she wanted the answer now...!

"Then, if I pull myself together, what if my ultimate goal is to defeat you?"

"Huh? How dare you say that, little one? Defeat Donna first, right? I'm very confident in my child."

Gotham Carol raised her hand and tapped the little head of Xingmu, but in the end she still gave a specific answer.

"A challenge? I'm never afraid of a challenge. If you can defeat me, why not give it a try?"

"But if you lose to me, don't be so upset, okay?"

After all, Xingmu had been enlightened by the Gotham Carol.

Should be reborn in the next moment.

Chapter 218: Strong! Big!

Of course, cheering up is not such a simple and easy thing, but at least, Gotham Carol saw a spark of hope in the almond eyes that were almost half dead and decadent just now.

However, for some reason, Gotham Carol always feels that the smile on Almond Eyes’ face is a little malicious... Is it an illusion?

Gotham Carol couldn't tell, but Xingmu didn't give her time to think - she cheered up and wouldn't give the person in front of her too many opportunities to figure everything out. She took the initiative to hold Gotham Carol's hand and walked out of the park, and then they walked in the bustling city as if they were on good terms, looking at everything around them.

Such a change surprised Gotham Carol, but since it was a good thing, there was nothing to say, so she chose to follow Xingmu's temperament.

Come to think of it, although she was very resistant to shopping with other horse girls at the beginning, she surprisingly didn't have much resistance now... Is it because she has had so many experiences of walking around with all kinds of horse girls?

Gotham Carol felt that his narrow brain was unlikely to find the answer to this question in his lifetime, so he could only give up thinking about it and indulge in the softness of Almond Eyes Lala's little hand.

Although I always feel like something is weird and I seem to have forgotten something, but never mind, as long as the result is good, it doesn’t matter. Even if something really happened, I will leave it to worry about it in the future, haha.

Xingmu took Gotham Carol for a long walk. It was actually still very early in the morning when the two of them set out, but when they said goodbye for the last time, the sun, which had circled in the sky, was already approaching the west mountain.

And Gotham Carol also waved and looked at Xingmu as they walked towards their respective platforms.

However, just as she was about to turn around and leave, Xingmu in the distance shouted her name loudly, and then called out at a volume that could be heard by everyone around, and even as loud as possible.

"Gotham Carol! I will definitely defeat you. Donna can't stop me!!!"

Gotham Carol did not respond to this. She just waved, turned around and walked on her way home.

You are so brave, little guy... Very good, if you think so, then try to do it. I don’t mind facing your challenge, even again and again.

However, on the way back, Gotham Carol was actually thinking about another thing related to Xingmu that was not so closely related.

Although Xingmu said that she didn't have a trainer, considering her position, she shouldn't be left alone, right?

After all, Ura is now being attacked fiercely by the international community represented by the Mejiro family, the symbolic family, and even the Secretariat. Xingmu is almost the most important lever for them to achieve results and turn things around. If Gotham Anthem were Ura's manager, she might be able to tolerate Xingmu refusing the trainer's request on her own will, but at least she should arrange relevant assistance and training plans, right?

In other words, no matter how you think about it, it is very puzzling that Xingmu came to him the first time he collapsed?

Gotham Carol thought deeply, and when she realized something, she called the Secretariat directly.

Obviously, even though there was a considerable time difference, Gotham Carol's call was still unobstructed. The Secretariat didn't even let Gotham Carol wait for a few seconds before answering the call directly.

"What's wrong, Miss Carol? I just got up and was washing up. Your call is really unexpected."

"Um...oh, there's a time difference? Ahem. Anyway, I want to ask you something, Ms. Secretariat. It's something that I'm very concerned about but can't figure out."

Maybe if I go back and look up some information now, I can get the answer myself, but asking directly is actually a faster result. However, Gotham Carol really forgot about the time difference.

In short, after coming to her senses, in order not to delay Secretariat's washing, Gotham Carol directly told Secretariat what she had just seen and Xingmu's mental state.

After all, she's just a big idiot, and she doesn't really understand the overall structure of ura. But the Secretariat is different, she should know it quite clearly.

After all, this guy must have made a lot of secret plans to deal with Ura, right?

However, after Secretariat quietly listened to everything Gotham Carol said, her first reaction was to let out a long sigh.

Then, the first sentence made Gotham Carol sitting on the tram a little nervous.

"You guys, you're really hitting hard."

In fact, the Secretariat has always been paying attention to Gotham Carol's competition. Although she has no direct contact with the contestant Xingmu, based on her years of experience and knowledge, she can roughly guess what kind of personality this person has. It can only be said that Gotham Carol's hands are really not as white as they look, but are extremely black.

It allows the pony to fly easily!

Secretariat actually had some psychological expectations. Rather, she had encountered similar situations before. Of course, not as a trainer, but as a teammate, and had listened to the other party's complaints. However, she didn't have any other response at the time, hmm...

She chose to drag that teammate along and keep running until she no longer had time to think about such things...

Anyway, it's quite interesting to know why Xingmu had such a reaction.

"Ms. Carol, before you answer this question, how about you answer a question for me?"

"Huh? Ah, go ahead and ask. I'm listening."

Secretariat raised the corner of her mouth. She had actually guessed the answer that Gotham Carol would have, but she just wanted to hear it.

"Ms. Carol, what do you think of your level as a trainer, especially compared to Japanese trainers?"

"What kind of question is this? No, is this even necessary...?"

Not to mention that it wasn't very long since she obtained the trainer qualification. Just looking at the content she has been exposed to, her level shouldn't be very high, right?

Indeed, the overall performance of the Eternal Beat team is not bad - the only debuted team, Mamusu Donna, has already shown the momentum to challenge for the triple crown, but!

But Gotham Carol actually felt that she didn't help Donna enough, because Donna was very self-disciplined in her training and she didn't need to interfere too much in this regard. She only needed to be responsible for making plans.

Besides training, he might be better than many other trainers in tactical planning...?

But the battle plan for Sakura Sho was developed together with her by a legendary trainer like Brave Dancer, and the Oak Competition was also a plan she finalized based on Sakura Sho's experience and feelings. So no matter how you look at it, her level as a trainer is actually not high enough to be called excellent, right?

At least that's what Gotham Carol thinks until this moment.

"Well... I'm not a bad trainer, but I'm not so good that I can say I'm the best, right? After all, most of the time it's Brave Dancer who helps me train the others."

"So you really think so, Miss Carol. It's surprising. As a non-Uma Musume, you're not so crazy."

Secretariat uttered something teasing. She was clearly not surprised at all, or rather, she had already guessed this outcome. Gotham Carol could certainly hear the hidden meaning in Secretariat's words, but...

Isn't this the truth?

There is nothing to be embarrassed about in admitting the facts, nor is it that he is no longer arrogant, but Gotham Carol does not yet feel that he has reached an unchallengeable level as a trainer.

Apart from anything else, the brave dancer is too awesome!

"It's the truth, why is it so hard to admit it?"

"So, what if I said the opposite of what you think is true, Miss Carol?"

"How are you supposed to deal with this?"

How should I respond...? What do you mean? Wait, I don't understand what you're saying, Secretariat. It's the exact opposite of what I thought. Could it be that I'm considered quite capable among the trainers? But that's just weird, isn't it?

She's only been a trainer for less than a year...!?

It's possible to be the first among the newcomers, but with so many veteran trainers, eh...?

"You seem quite confused, but this is the answer to the question you came to me with, Miss Carol."

"As the strongest of the trainers close to Anmu, currently free in all of Japan, and the opponent and demon king she's destined to defeat, it's understandable that they would develop a special dependency, right?"

"This kind of culture seems to be particularly popular among young people these days?"

What misunderstandings do you have about young people... An enemy is an enemy, and it should just be an enemy!

Of course, Gotham Carol also felt unsure about such an idea. After all, this world was this world, and her ideas were considered heresy in this world. She might have to endure the torture of brainwashing in the Pony Middle Ages until she became fanatical about the relationship with her nemesis.

"Anyway, first of all, you are very important to Miss Xingmu. You might even appear in her dreams every day. Then, there is another more realistic matter that you don't know about."

"That means the level of trainers around the world is really poor."

Gotham Carol could hear the helplessness of the Secretariat, and as the other party spoke, she also clearly understood why the situation had turned out like this.

Simply put—

The entire horse racing community, especially the trainers, is still at a simple stage, solely responsible for tactics and training. Even though the sport has been developing for so many years, the tactics for short races of two to three thousand meters haven't been systematized yet?!

On the one hand, there are trainers with experience and ability in this area who hide such things, and on the other hand, it is very simple, although many trainers have tried to let their players implement tactics on the battlefield.

but…

There are very few horse girls who can do this and adapt to reality.