The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

"She was a promising racehorse girl, but she lost her chance because of a momentary lapse in judgment. I can't just turn a blind eye to something like this."

She looked at the trickling stream at her feet and said in a somewhat dazed tone.

"We have stepped onto the same field and felt the opponent's desire to win."

"On that track forged by fire and iron, we, driven by our fighting spirit and ambition to seize glory, are both rivals and friends in a sense."

Chizuru Haibara gazed at Xiuxingmeng, and she saw many emotions in Xiuxingmeng's eyes that she could not understand.

"The world inside the arena is something that those of us outside the arena can only ever have a partial understanding of."

"Just as I can't understand why you were able to defeat the Golden Master head-on, a trainer is ultimately just a trainer and can't truly step onto the racetrack for a racehorse girl."

"but--"

She suddenly laughed and patted Xiu Xingmeng on the shoulder.

"I believe you won't make the wrong choice, after all, you've led us all to where we are today."

After being patted, Xiu Xingmeng emerged from her slightly dazed state and pointed to herself in surprise as she responded.

"Why did you do so many willful things?"

Looking at the somewhat incredulous Xiu Xingmeng, Haibara Chizuru smiled and pinched her cheek.

"But it's precisely these many whimsical things that brought us together."

"If you hadn't said those things during your debut match, Kasamatsu Tresen wouldn't be the way he is today."

Upon hearing Haibara Chizuru's words, Xiuxing Meng seemed to remember something and said...

"Because I bear your expectations."

She looked up into Chizuru Haibara's eyes and spoke earnestly, word by word.

"I will win the Japanese derby."

"I believe you."

No reason is needed this time.

Chizuru Haibara silently added the second half of the sentence in her mind.

Just as the two were smiling at each other, a cry of surprise suddenly came from downstream of the stream.

"I'll go check it out first. Who knows what trouble that guy Gold Ship might cause this time."

Xiu Xingmeng stood up somewhat helplessly, nodded to Haibara Chizuru, and then walked towards the direction of the sound.

As Chizuru Haibara watched Hideyuki Seimei's departing figure, she couldn't help but sigh.

Xiu Xingmeng is very good. She carries the expectations of everyone in Kasamatsu and the hopes of all the local Teresa. She almost single-handedly made it to the Japanese derby.

However, Chizuru Haibara sometimes wonders if this is putting too much pressure on Hoshino.

The expectations that the horse racing girls like to talk about seem more like a responsibility to Chizuru Haibara, and as Hideyuki has come this far, it's as if she's constantly adding weight to her own shoulders, carrying the hopes of everyone.

"Too mature."

Chizuru Haibara frowned, looking at Hoshino's retreating figure and muttering to herself.

Other female racehorses at this age pursue victory either out of competitiveness or to meet the expectations of others.

Their minds are still immature, and they often feel lost due to the pressure from their opponents on the field. This is when the trainers need to guide and support them.

But Xiu Xingmeng was different; she seemed to have her own goals from a very early age and took the initiative to shoulder everyone's expectations.

From Kasamatsu's races to local races, and even Central Treisen's, the more victories Hidehoshi Yume achieved, the greater the expectations placed upon her became.

Unbeknownst to many, she has become a heroine in the media, shouldering the dreams and hopes of all local racehorse girls, determined to single-handedly sever the monopoly of the prestigious families in the horse racing world and defeat the lofty tyrant, the Golden Master.

If we were to represent the Japanese horse racing scene at that time in a chart, one half would undoubtedly be that proud Golden Master from a prestigious family, while the other half would be the current Embroidered Dream.

Despite bearing such immense pressure, Xiu Xingmeng did not become discouraged by her stagnant basic abilities. Instead, she even comforted and encouraged her cowardly trainer under the pressure of a formidable enemy.

"You're just a child yourself."

Chizuru Haibara silently recited in her heart.

This trip gave her inspiration, and Haibara Chizuru has made up her mind to find a way to relieve the pressure on Hidehoshi Yume during the long break between the end of the Japanese Derby and the Chrysanthemum Appreciation.

Chapter 105 The Road of Miles

Xiu Xingmeng followed the sound downstream, but before she could see the golden boat, she suddenly saw Oguri Roman standing alone in front of her, looking somewhat hesitant for some reason.

She seemed to have spotted Xiu Xingmeng long ago, waving from afar.

Xiu Xingmeng only spoke after she walked up to Xiao Li Luoman.

"What happened up ahead? I can hear the movement of the golden ship even from that far away."

Oguri Roman's eyes darted around, and his tone was hesitant.

"No, I don't know."

"But the Golden Ship has always been like this. Last year, when it was helping Xiyuan Pasture harvest rice, it was running around everywhere and making a fuss."

Seeing that Oguri Roman's condition was obviously off, Xiu Xingmeng gave her a suspicious look before responding.

"While that's true, I still feel there's a risk in leaving her alone."

This applies to both the Golden Ship itself and to nature.

"Then let's go together, we can chat at the same time."

"Besides, Lingyin and the others are there too, so nothing will happen."

Seeing that she couldn't stop Xiu Xingmeng, Xiao Li Luoman immediately changed her strategy. She walked beside Xiu Xingmeng, seemingly trying to distract her by chatting with her.

But she wasn't the kind of smooth-talking horse racer. Oguri Roman, who had grown up watching Oguri Hats' races and superhero tokusatsu films on TV, was momentarily at a loss for words.

Xiu Xingmeng seemed to sense her hesitation and took the initiative to speak.

"I remember you went to the cherry blossom viewing in April, right?"

"Yeah, didn't Oguri Hat miss the registration deadline before and therefore couldn't participate in the Classic Triple Crown Tournament?"

“I was thinking that since you went to the Triple Crown Classic, I would try the Mare Triple Crown.”

As he spoke, Oguri Roman scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"But I still couldn't beat that racehorse girl called the Lady. I'm not as good as you, able to beat a racehorse girl as good as the Golden Master as soon as you get to the center."

A noblewoman?

Xiu Xingmeng pondered for a moment and remembered that she had heard the name mentioned by the horse racer from Central Treisen when she was in Tokyo.

She is said to be a racehorse from a prestigious family. Unlike the Gold Master, who focuses on the Arc de Triomphe, she seems to have set her sights on the Triple Crown for mares, so she has never competed against Embroidered Star Dream.

However, from the other racehorse girls, Hideyuki also learned that the noblewoman was actually a powerful racehorse girl who was no less skilled than the Golden Master.

She is known in the horse racing world for her unimaginable strength. Legend has it that she can crush a huge iron ball into a small piece. Before Xiuxingmeng came to the center, many people were looking forward to her fighting against the Golden Master.

Although Xiu Xingmeng thought the rumor of squeezing the iron ball into smaller size was too exaggerated, she still knew from it how terrifying the noblewoman's power was.

It's quite understandable that Oguri Roman lost to a noblewoman at the cherry blossom viewing.

Xiu Xingmeng has been focusing her attention on the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby lately, so she didn't specifically ask Oguri Roman about it beforehand.

She silently calculated the time in her mind. The Japanese Oak Tournament had already ended. She figured that Oguri Roman still wouldn't be able to win against the noblewoman.

Seemingly having guessed Xiu Xingmeng's thoughts, Oguri Roman said with a self-deprecating wry smile.

"I didn't win the Japan Oak Championship either, and I don't see any hope for the upcoming Autumn Flower Championship. Am I being too arrogant to challenge G1 now?"

Looking at Oguri Roman, who seemed somewhat dejected, Xiu Xingmeng recalled the image of Oguri Roman running in her memory.

After considering it for a while, he slowly spoke.

"When you chose to participate in the Triple Crown for mares, did Kitahara say anything to you?"

When Xiu Xingmeng suddenly asked such a question, Xiao Li Luoman was stunned for a moment before answering.

"Kitahara seemed to be somewhat opposed at the time, but after hearing me say that I was participating in the Mare Triple Crown in order to catch up with Oguri and you, he reluctantly agreed."

Is there... something wrong?

Seeing that Oguri Roman had already noticed something, Xiu Xingmeng nodded and spoke.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you? Unlike when we ran mud races in Kasamatsu, the races in the central region are generally longer than those in the local areas."

"Even the Kasamatsu Chrysanthemum Sho, one of the two crowns of Kasamatsu, is only 2,600 meters high, which is 400 meters lower than the real Chuo Chrysanthemum Sho."

Seeing that Oguri Roman seemed to understand somewhat, Xiu Xingmeng pondered for a while before finally speaking up.

“I don’t think you’re suited for the Triple Crown for mares. You’re better suited for short-distance or mile-long races, having run in Kasamatsu.”

"It is precisely because of various maladjustments and strong opponents that you have suffered repeated defeats in the central government."

Upon hearing Embroidery Dream's words, Oguri Roman couldn't help but recall his two Triple Crown victories as a mare.

She won third place in her first cherry blossom appreciation competition and made it to the winners' stage, which is why she was able to muster the courage to participate in the Japan Oak Competition despite the strong pressure from the wealthy ladies.

However, the results of the Japan Oak Championship dealt a heavy blow to Oguri Roman. She suffered a crushing defeat in this competition, only managing to achieve twelfth place.

She thought she had been completely defeated by the noblewoman, but after hearing Xiu Xingmeng speak, she finally realized what was going on.

But she quickly realized there was a problem.

"But if Kitahara already knew, why didn't he stop me from participating in the Mare Triple Crown?"

"Perhaps it's because he's someone who has witnessed miracles firsthand, so he has more faith in the power that racehorses can unleash on the track."

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Xiu Xingmeng's eyes, causing her to squint slightly due to the glare.

She and Oguri Hat had chatted a few times in Central Tressen and she had heard Oguri Hat recount the scene at the Arima Memorial.

Having witnessed the beautiful ending of such a miracle, Kitahara subconsciously believed that miracles could happen on the racetrack, so he respected Oguri Roman's wish to pay tribute to Oguri by participating in the Mares Triple Crown.

This is also why he had the opposite opinion from Chizuru Haibara before. Even though Chizuru Haibara had subtly told him that Saiki Yume hadn't gotten stronger for a long time, Kitahara still believed in the possibility of Saiki Yume herself.

"The little chestnut hat shines in both middle-distance and mile races."

Xiu Xingmeng turned her head and whispered to Xiao Li Luoman beside her.

"How about we try the G2 Racecourse Championship in September?"

"After winning it, we can go to the G1 Mile Championship, which is also where Oguri Hat once achieved glory, right?"

Seeing that Oguri Roman was a little stunned, Xiu Xingmeng smiled and said again.

"I'm here to run the classic triple crown race in the middle distance, with half of the brilliance of the Oguri hat on my back."

"Go run the mile championship and carry the other half of Little Chestnut's glory."

"Together, we are Kasamatsu's pride."

Seeing Xiu Xingmeng extend her fist towards him, Oguri Roman lightly bumped fists with hers and said something.

"The Man-Horse Championship in September and the Mile Championship in November? Then you have no excuse to be late. You have to come to the event."

"Watch me win the game with my own eyes."

Chapter 106 One Hundred Years Later

Faced with Oguri Roman's words, Xiu Xingmeng was momentarily at a loss for words, and she herself was unsure whether she could accept the promise.

Xiu Xingmeng generally won't easily agree to things that are impossible for her.

But now, how is she supposed to respond to Oguri Roman after saying those words?

Xiu Xingmeng was lucky. Just as she was struggling with how to respond properly, a strong call came from ahead.

Looking up, they discovered that the person who had come was actually the Golden Ship.

Before Xiu Xingmeng and the others could even look for her, she had already come over on her own.

Oguri Roman's horse ears twitched slightly, clearly startled. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded to Xiu Xingmeng and said...

"The golden ship you're looking for has arrived. I'm going to find Lingyin and the others now."

After saying that, he ran away in a flash.

It seems that saying those words was also something that made Oguri Roman feel embarrassed.

Now that a third person had suddenly appeared besides herself and Xiu Xingmeng, she could no longer contain her shyness and simply made an excuse to slip away.

Golden Ship held his head in his hands, watching Oguri Roman slip past him, then turned to Xiu Xingmeng and asked.