The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

She remembered that in this scenario, she was supposed to be adopted by an elderly couple and live in the countryside, so why would Saddler Suzune ask such a question?

"You smell like someone from the big city, who wouldn't notice?"

Minamino Sumire shrugged and waved her hand, looking helpless, as if Xiu Xingmeng had asked some idiotic question.

Upon hearing her say that, Xiu Xingmeng subconsciously pulled up her collar and sniffed, but apart from a faint earthy smell, there was nothing else.

"Why would you so naturally interpret it as a smell?! You're usually so smart, why are you suddenly acting like a fool?"

Seeing Xiuxingmeng's comical behavior, Nanye Jin burst out laughing, and the surrounding racehorse girls also raised their lips. It seemed to be an interesting thing to watch this racehorse girl, who was almost invincible in the local racetrack, suffer a setback.

Xiu Xingmeng saw that not only did these people not work, but they even had the nerve to mock her. Several swastikas immediately appeared on her forehead. She rushed over and grabbed the most flamboyant one, Nan Yejin, pulling her face so that the laughter turned into strange cries.

After letting go, Xiu Xingmeng looked at Nan Ye Jin's face, which was covered in mud, and smugly hummed twice before speaking.

"Whose smells stronger now?"

Minamino Sumire touched her face in disbelief and, finding her makeup ruined, she was so angry that she immediately stood up and pinched it back.

"This makeup was so carefully done, and you ruined it!"

"The strangest people are those who wear makeup even though they know they're going out to work!"

Not to be outdone, Xiu Xingmeng continued to pinch Nan Yejin's cheeks, and the two of them started playfully teasing each other in the rice paddy.

"Oh, what a wonderful battle!"

"Those of you with Uma Musume no Asobi's dynamic vision must have witnessed a spectacular battle!"

The golden ship, which had appeared out of nowhere, lowered its voice and spoke in a pretentious manner.

"I don't want to see anything...."

Watching Xiuxingmeng frolicking in the rice paddy like a child, Oguri Roman closed his eyes in anguish.

The radiant dream she held in her heart—a dream that would lead everyone in Kasamatsu Tresen to revitalize the region—had somehow shattered into a pile of fragments.

Oguri Roman really didn't want to watch Xiuxing Meng, who was fooling around with Minamino Sumire while making strange noises.

Unbeknownst to Xiu Xingmeng, a dream she had been cherishing was quietly shattered.

Just then, as if sensing something, Anzai Suzune patted Oguri Roman on the shoulder in perfect unison.

"I understand, we all understand."

She also misses the time when Xiu Xingmeng stood behind her and boasted about how amazing she was from the window.

"Roman is one thing, but Lingyin, what are you pretending for?! Weren't you the one who started this in the first place?!"

After noticing the two people's movements, Xiu Xingmeng questioned them sharply. She would never forget the despair of being betrayed when Lingyin started reciting haiku after she sought her help.

Seeing the suspicious look in Oguri Roman's eyes, Anzai Suzune tapped her head and stuck out her tongue.

"Hey."

Chapter 75 Local and Central Government, Haneda and Derby

"War, war has never changed."

"The second field war caused by Xiuxingmeng and Minamino Jin was also known as the One-Day War in history."

"Under the great Golden Ship's declaration that he wanted me to join him, I became increasingly out of control."

"The ultimate result was that all the horse girls present fell into a quagmire from which they could not escape."

"Guwa——"

On the path by the field, Golden Ship's somber narration was interrupted by Xiu Xingmeng's chop to the neck.

"There's no such setting."

After putting away her hand knife, Xiu Xingmeng looked at the dirty golden ship and said helplessly.

"Even the true history was concealed by a visible hand, and in the end, no one knew the truth about that war."

"This is a side of the dark world of Uma Musume Pretty Derby."

To everyone's surprise, the golden ship remained unrepentant and even uttered its concluding remarks while hiding from Xiu Xingmeng, its words filled with veiled irony.

As the one being metaphorically represented, Xiu Xingmeng silently twitched the corners of her mouth, speechless.

She then fell silent and followed the others to Xiyuan Mucao's home.

Strolling along a country path with several racehorse girls, with golden boats waving branches in front of them and mud left from their work on their hands, Xiu Xingmeng, experiencing such a scene for the first time, was taken aback as she looked at her companions' backs.

This was the first time she had ever been to someone's home with their classmates like this.

Although she had formed a friendship with Narita and the others in the script world, due to the pressure of the main quest, Xiu Xingmeng didn't have the time to go and play with them.

However, the beginning of this script mission was exceptionally easy for Xiu Xingmeng, who inherited the familiar reality. The real difficulties were yet to come, and she had plenty of time to fool around with her friends.

Realizing this, Xiu Xingmeng suddenly realized that this period of time might be unexpectedly precious.

"What are you thinking about?"

Noticing that Xiu Xingmeng was in a daze, Nan Ye Jin poked her arm and asked.

Although they were just joking around, it doesn't mean their relationship is bad. On the contrary, the exceptionally clever Minamino Sumire always manages to notice something is wrong with Xiuxingmeng at times like these.

Having her thoughts interrupted, Xiu Xingmeng turned her head and said to Nan Yejin.

"Why did you dye your hair blonde? Do you like the color?"

Upon hearing this, Minamino Sumire subconsciously twirled a strand of hair in response.

"It's nothing, I just think it looks good. Don't all the models and celebrities in magazines like to dye their hair this color?"

Minamino Sumire spoke casually, but Xiu Xingmeng somehow knew what she was thinking.

Xiu Xingmeng remembered that Minamino Sumire had once told her that she needed to learn to integrate into the group while living in Kasamatsu, which is why she didn't feel sad about Oguri Roman's failure and acted the same way in front of everyone.

The same goes for her blonde hair; dyeing it this color represents Minamino Sumire's approach to the so-called mainstream during her period of confusion when she gave up on becoming a racehorse girl.

"Your original brown hair was quite nice, wasn't it?"

Xiu Xingmeng watched as the ends of Nan Yejin's hair gradually faded to brown. She hadn't dyed her hair in a long time, and the last time she went out with everyone was just an excuse.

Upon hearing what Xiu Xingmeng said, Nan Yejin blushed and subconsciously covered herself with her hair.

"Like a country girl."

"Hey, you finally said a couple of nice things, why are you backing down now?"

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Minamino Sumire revealed a dead fish-like expression and nudged Xiu Xingmeng's waist with her elbow in annoyance.

"Isn't being a country girl great? There's no need to change yourself to follow the fashion trends of city people."

"Aren't we aiming to reach the central government? When you become a star there, everyone will want to dye their hair brown like you."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could such a thing be possible?"

Nan Ye Jin nudged Xiu Xingmeng with her elbow in annoyance, but for some reason, the blush on her face did not disappear.

"Among us, only you and Oguri Roman can make it to the center. Have you decided on the schedule for the upcoming matches?"

She suddenly spoke as if deliberately changing the subject.

Xiu Xingmeng, seeing her companions playing around ahead and not noticing Nan Ye Jin's strange behavior, thought for a moment before speaking.

"The Gifu Gold Cup in October, the Kasamatsu Memorial in November, and the Shihachi Memorial in December."

"This is the schedule for this year's events that Chizuru and Kitahara have discussed and decided upon."

"They are still considering whether to go to the Kasamatsu Grand Prix next March. If they don't go, they will probably have to compete in the central competition."

Minamino Sumire listened quietly with her hands behind her back, kicking pebbles at her feet, until Xiuxingmeng finished speaking before asking a question.

Is there anything special about the Kasamatsu Grand Prize?

"It's said to be the core event of the Kasamatsu Spring Tournament. If we win, we can participate in the Haneda Cup."

"But I can't participate anyway. The Haneda Cup was deliberately set on the same day as the Japanese Derby, as if the local area is deliberately competing with the central government."

"Besides, that's all in the past. Local governments are no longer qualified to confront the central government."

"Mainly, Kitahara wanted me to start with the Satsuki Sho and participate in the classic Triple Crown tournament, but Chizuru felt it would be better to participate directly in the Japanese Derby, so we were at an impasse."

Hearing the names of Satsuki Sho, the Triple Crown, and the Japanese Derby being uttered one after another by Hidehoshi Yume, Minamino Sumire couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

At this time last year, she would never have imagined that she would be so close to these top competitions, and that some people around her would even consider participating.

"You're such a distant goal. I probably won't be able to catch up with you in my entire life."

Minamino Sumire lowered her head, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

Xiu Xing dreamt that her words were inappropriate and wanted to say something to comfort her, but before she could speak, Nan Ye Jin continued.

"You're saying the Haneda Cup is specifically designed to pit Japan against Germany, right?"

She turned to the side and smiled at Xiu Xingmeng.

"Then I'll just go and participate in the Haneda Cup. When you win the Japanese Derby, I'll also win the Haneda Cup."

"Don't let me...don't let everyone down, local hero?"

As she spoke, Minamino Sumire extended her fist towards Xiuxingmeng. Looking at Minamino Sumire, whose face and hair were covered in mud and whose clothes were wrinkled from being soaked in mud, Xiuxingmeng felt that she was more charming at this moment than when she had carefully dressed up when they first met.

Xiu Xingmeng raised her fist and exchanged fist bumps with Nan Yejin.

"I'll show you."

The two exchanged a smile, and before they could speak again, Kobayashi Kaze, who was walking ahead, turned around and waved to them.

"You two hurry up! What are you doing? It's not like we're on a date. What if the food gets cold if we get back to Grandpa Xiyuan's house late!"

Seeing the racehorse girls calling out to them, Xiu Xingmeng and Nan Ye Jin responded and quickly walked to their companion's side.

Chapter Seventy-Six: New Year

October, Gifu Gold Cup.

November, Kasamatsu Memorial.

In December, the teacher passed away in commemoration.

Time passed quietly in one competition after another, and before they knew it, Xiuxingmeng had stayed in this small Kasamatsu Tressen until New Year's Day.

Fate is a strange thing. I was thinking about transferring schools on my very first day in Kasamatsu, but I never expected to stay here for so long and meet so many people.

Xiu Xingmeng gazed at the torii gate before her, which was illuminated by the night lights. The bright surface reflected a crimson glow, as if welcoming the New Year.

"What are you thinking about now?"

Familiar words came from beside her ear, and Xiu Xingmeng felt a tap on her waist. She turned around and saw that the person was indeed Nan Yejin.

Minamino Sumire tilted her head slightly, and a golden glint occasionally flowed through her brown hair as it swayed. Her crimson sleeves shone even more brightly under the light, and Xiu Xingmeng could imagine how she would look when she waved them, like flying fireworks.

Xiu Xingmeng was slightly taken aback by the sight of this classical beauty. She remembered that when she first met Nan Yejin, she was dressed like a hot girl. It just goes to show that time really can change a lot of things.

"What are you looking at? You didn't want the old kimono that everyone said they'd find for you to wear."

It seemed that Xiu Xing had been in a daze for too long, Nan Ye Jin complained somewhat unhappily, her cheeks also turning rosy in the lamplight.

"These clothes are too troublesome to wear! Combat suits are much more convenient."

Just then, the voice of the Golden Ship suddenly came from behind the two of them. She was wearing a down jacket that was a little too big and her cheeks were flushed. After playing around for several months, she had completely integrated into the place and no longer looked like a young lady at first glance, like she did at Kasamatsu Racecourse.

Seeing the two people turn their gazes towards her, she giggled and then put her hands on her hips, making a V-sign.

"We're not Super Saiyan O, why would we need to wear combat suits?"

Seeing that Golden Ship's face was red from the cold, Xiu Xingmeng took off her scarf and wrapped it around her.

Haibara Chizuru also came over after hearing the sound. She put her arm around Xiuxingmeng's shoulder and asked casually.

"Actually, there's something I've wanted to know for a long time..."

Why do you always censor a word when you're using a meme?

After exchanging a glance with Golden Ship, Xiu Xingmeng looked at Haibara Chizuru with a strange expression and said...

"Of course, it's a tribute to the legendary gag manga Silver O."

"Chizuru-nee, weren't you always in your room watching cartoons? How come you didn't even know this?"

Watching them sing in unison, Chizuru Haibara felt her status as a seasoned anime enthusiast was being questioned, and she snorted coldly before speaking.

"Hmph, when I was repairing the foundation for tomorrow's sturd, burning myself out and shedding tears, you weren't even born yet!"