The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

Just as she turned around, a trembling hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Ah Meng, how long has it been since you called me 'sister'?"

The Holy King's aura spoke calmly, leaving one unable to discern his meaning.

"It doesn't matter how you handle it."

"I don't understand," Xiu Xingmeng replied casually.

Aside from the initial period after entering the script's world, Xiu Xingmeng, who considered herself mentally older than the Holy King's halo, quietly changed her way of addressing him. After all, it was rather difficult for her to keep calling an elementary school student "sister."

However, this sentence sounds different to the Holy King's Halo.

"So you really were... pretending all along..."

Her voice remained calm, and Xiu Xingmeng could feel the sweat seeping from her palms. Confused, Xiu Xingmeng turned her head, wanting to observe the expression on the Holy King's Halo.

All that could be seen was her bowed head and drooping ears.

"what are you saying?"

"It's talent, of course!"

"You've been pretending to lose to me all along, haven't you!"

Saint King's Halo suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing with dazzling light. In her view, Xiu Xingmeng, whose talent far surpassed her own, must have realized the difference in talent, and therefore no longer regarded her as an older sister.

That's right, just like my mother! In their eyes, I, who have no talent, am nothing more than a clown for their amusement.

Just like that Narita Road! How could the exceptionally talented Xiuxingmeng possibly fall because of mere training?! They lured her here only to mock her once again!

Just because I lack talent, and because I lost for a whole year, I'm not qualified to become a top-class racehorse girl!

"Pretending...to have talent?"

Xiu Xingmeng's expression suddenly became complicated. She never thought that the Holy King's Halo, which she had never been able to defeat, would say such a thing to her.

What talents could she possibly have? If her ceiling wasn't only B-level, would she need to gamble everything on her domain? Would she need to train day and night just to increase her chances of winning?

"Isn't that right?! Your mother is also biased towards you, isn't she?!"

Feeling she had found the right answer, the Holy King's Halo became increasingly excited, and she started shouting to herself, ignoring the other racehorse girls present.

Her mother never told Xiu Xingmeng to give up the race.

"You call this favoritism?!"

Medical repair kits can only relieve physical fatigue, but cannot eliminate mental stress.

After so many days of training, Xiu Xingmeng, whose mind was already exhausted, was struck hard by the Holy King's halo before she could even recover from having her talent exposed.

Forcing herself to not find a trainer and resorting to such foolish, life-or-death training methods—if Yongwu's actions can be called favoritism, then Xiuxingmeng has nothing to say.

She felt a throbbing sensation in her temples, as if someone were hitting her with a hammer.

"Isn't this right?!"

In the eyes of the Holy King's halo, Xiu Xingmeng was just putting on an act. Enraged, she grabbed Xiu Xingmeng by the collar and berated her.

"As a world-class racehorse girl, your mother must have favored you because of your superior talent!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

Xiu Xingmeng's already taut mental pressure finally snapped under the Holy King's halo of words.

"You're the truly talented one, aren't you!"

"Instead of putting pressure on me here, I'd rather train hard."

"Does speaking loudly guarantee a G1 championship?"

Xiuxingmeng, who had already staked everything on the Satsuki Sho, could neither understand nor have the capacity to comprehend the sudden outburst of the Holy King's aura.

After she finished speaking coldly, she forcefully ripped the Saint King's Halo's hand off, having no time to argue with it.

Unexpectedly, even after the Holy King's Halo was released, it still refused to leave. She shouted at Xiu Xingmeng, who was gradually disappearing in front of the water curtain.

"Because I just lack talent! Whether it's top-tier racehorses or the so-called golden generation, I just can't—"

Before she could finish speaking, Xiu Xingmeng turned around and rushed through the water curtain.

To better simulate the competition environment, the lawns on Treson's playground are all made of real grass, so the amount of water needed every day is quite large. Even though Xiu Xingmeng only had to rush through the water curtain for a moment, she was still soaked.

Black hair clung to her face, sweat and water mingled together, indistinguishable from one another, and the gymnastics uniform commonly worn by Tresson clung tightly to Xiu Xingmeng's body because of the moisture.

Dust, dirt, grass clippings—all the debris she picked up during training dissolved into clumps of grime after being washed away by water. To the Holy King's aura, Xiu Xingmeng looked utterly pathetic, a far cry from the image of the genius younger sister she held in her heart.

But Xiu Xingmeng's eyes, those black eyes that seemed to be able to capture one's soul, seemed to be burning with a terrifying heat. The lights on the playground behind Xiu Xingmeng suddenly turned on, causing the Holy King's halo to blur her vision for a moment.

"I tell you."

Xiu Xingmeng grasped the collar of the Holy King's Halo, her eyes burning like fire, yet her tone was as cold as ice.

"The racehorse named Embroidered Star Dream has no talent what you call talent."

The Holy King's halo opened its mouth, and all explanations were burned to ashes by that gaze.

"But she still managed to win the Satsuki Prize!"

"She will use abilities inferior to other popular racehorse girls—"

"Win the Satsuki Prize!"

After speaking, Xiu Xingmeng pushed aside the Holy King's halo and stepped into the water curtain once again.

Suddenly, the Holy King's Aura, feeling utterly powerless, slumped onto the lawn. In her blurred vision, the water curtain transformed into flowing amber under the bright light, and Xiu Xingmeng seemed to be walking towards the light.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Awakening

The day before the opening of the Satsuki Sho.

On the sunny playground, Xiu Xingmeng gulped down water. Sweat from training dripped down her throat, soaking her collar, but that didn't matter. For Xiu Xingmeng right now, the only dry spot on her body was probably her throat.

"Cough...cough cough cough!"

The sudden cough forced Xiu Xingmeng to bend over, placing her hands on her knees. The back of her training uniform was completely soaked, clinging to her skin and outlining the contours of her shoulder blades.

Just then, a hand wearing a black fingerless glove gently patted her back. The pressure was just right, neither aggravating her discomfort nor lacking in irresistible tenderness.

"I've never seen you so disheveled, Xiaomeng."

"It seems like you're under a lot of pressure this time."

A familiar female voice came from behind. Xiu Xingmeng turned around and saw a woman who looked nine-tenths like the Holy King's Halo, but with a more mature figure. Underneath her beige trench coat was a neatly tailored shirt, making her look more like she was going to a business meeting than to visit her daughter.

This person is none other than the champion of the Arc de Triomphe, the undisputed legend, the world-class racehorse girl, Yumai.

"Why are they all here one by one..."

Seeing the culprit who had prevented her from finding a trainer, Xiu Xingmeng showed no anger whatsoever. The argument with the Holy King's Halo had happened several days ago, and she had long since calmed down.

Moreover, things have already progressed to this point, and tomorrow is the Satsuki Sho, so none of this matters anymore.

"Are there any other people besides Huanhuan?"

As Yongwu spoke, she took out a handkerchief from her small leather bag and wiped Xiuxingmeng's sweat.

"Narita Road, my friend. How did you know that Halo had come looking for me?"

Xiu Xingmeng subconsciously turned her head to avoid it.

"The whole of Treson knows about this. It was Okita who called me back."

Xiu Xingmeng was speechless. It was only natural that the commotion she and the Holy King's Halo had caused on the playground a few days ago would have spread throughout Treson.

However, she really didn't expect that Yuma would come over because of this. Could that Okita trainer be a very gossipy person?

Seemingly sensing Xiu Xingmeng's thoughts, Yongwu chuckled and said.

"Don't criticize others in your heart, I asked them to do this."

"That did involve asking a lot of people for help."

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to train now."

Xiu Xingmeng nodded, indicating that she understood, and then turned to continue her training.

"It doesn't matter if it's one day off, right?"

"We've already reached the limit, haven't we?"

But the moment Xiu Xingmeng turned her head away, Yong Wu's shocking words drew her attention back.

She looked at Xiaoxiao Yongwu with some surprise and asked with narrowed eyes.

"You knew this all along?"

"After all, Mom is a world-class racehorse girl; she has that kind of discernment."

Yongwu's smile was like a mask that prevented others from knowing her emotions; no matter how hard Ren Xiuxingmeng looked, she couldn't discern the meaning behind those words.

"very curious?"

"Let's chat then. Do you know that coffee shop near Treson? Mom's a VIP there."

As she spoke, she took out a small, dark gold card from her bag and waved it at Xiu Xingmeng.

Just as Yongwu had said, Xiuxingmeng's stats had reached their limit, and no amount of training would improve them. So she only hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Afterwards, Xiu Xingmeng left Treson Academy with Yongwu and arrived at the coffee shop that Yongwu had mentioned.

This is a cozy coffee shop with lush green vines entwining the bronze signboard, and abundant bouquets and potted plants serving as decorations on the windowsills. As Yongwu pushed open the door, the clear sound of wind chimes rang out, and a middle-aged woman in a brown apron greeted her with a smile.

"Oh my, it's been a long time."

"Come on, you were here just a few months ago."

Watching the two chatting so happily, a hint of doubt flickered in Xiu Xingmeng's eyes. But before she could ask, Yongwu answered herself.

“Although my mother competes in Europe, she used to be an exchange student in Tressen, and this coffee shop was already there back then.”

"With your abilities, why would you need to come to Treson?"

"Don't underestimate this place. If she didn't have real skills, why would I let Huanhuan and you study here?"

"Really? I thought it was because none of us had any talent."

As they spoke, the two arrived at a table by the window. Yongwu did not answer Xiuxingmeng's pointed question, but instead snapped her fingers, winked at the shop manager, and then spoke to her.

"what do you want to drink?"

"An iced Americano is fine."

Yongwu avoided the topic, but Xiuxingmeng wasn't annoyed and calmly placed her order.

"Still as mature as before."

Yongwu smiled, but for some reason, Xiuxingmeng always felt that there were emotions hidden in her eyes that she couldn't understand.

"Perhaps compared to someone whose housework is unbelievably bad."

After taking the iced coffee from the store manager, Xiu Xingmeng took a sip and said in a calm tone.

Upon hearing this, Yongwu froze for a moment as she stirred her cappuccino with a spoon.

"I thought you weren't angry anymore."

"I'm not angry."

Xiu Xingmeng put down her coffee without changing her expression.

"Then what about this series of ironies?"

Yuu drew out her words, making it impossible for anyone to guess that she was actually a world-class racehorse girl.

"Even if I'm just being blunt."

"You're so straightforward, that's something you haven't changed at all."

"Stop rambling. You didn't bring me here just to say this, did you?"

Are you in a hurry?

"I just don't want to waste time."

"Too……"

Yongwu's tone gradually calmed down, and she gently tapped the rim of the coffee cup with one finger, the porcelain making a crisp sound.