The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

The cheers and applause of the crowd echoed across the Tokyo Racecourse, the sheer volume of their voices seemingly capable of shaking the entire stadium.

Xiu Xingmeng stood in front of the crowd and heard her name called for the first time amidst their cheers.

The joy of having one's efforts recognized and encouraged filled her entire being in that instant, and the reward for victory materialized clearly in the cheers, telling Xiu Xingmeng a tangible reality.

You are the winner of this competition; you are the brightest star on this stage.

"If the arena is like a battlefield, then this moment of victory is perhaps the triumphal arch that welcomes glory."

"To bring such glory from just one debut race, I can only imagine what it's like when those legendary female horses win the Triple Crown..."

Xiu Xingmeng raised her head and murmured to herself as she looked at the audience that occupied half of the sky and seemed to be connected as one.

"However, since I've been given such expectations, I have to respond."

Thinking of this, Xiu Xingmeng's expression, which had been somewhat bewildered by the shock, turned into a smile. She waved her hands and responded to the audience who had given her their expectations.

"You're amazing! You look about my age, but you're so much stronger!"

Suddenly, a sweet voice came from beside Xiu Xingmeng. She turned around and saw that it was indeed the Emperor of the East Sea.

At this moment, the East Sea Emperor's cheeks were flushed from the race, and her face was covered with traces of sweat or rain, but her eyes were still as bright as the sun, as if the defeat had never existed.

Before Xiu Xingmeng could reply, the petite horse girl started chattering away around her.

"I haven't seen you in Treson before? Are you a freshman this year? Hey, do you have a coach yet? Want to join my team? We can train together then!"

A barrage of questions came crashing down on Xiu Xingmeng, their positive tone devoid of any discouragement or disappointment leaving her somewhat dazed.

For Xiu Xingmeng, the East Sea Emperor was initially an unreachable white crescent moon on the field, but later became a formidable opponent.

In her mind, the person who had put immense pressure on her and was her first opponent in life should have a personality as bright as the moon hanging high in the sky, just like her posture on the field.

Unexpectedly, the first conversation shattered Xiu Xingmeng's idealized image of her.

"Oh, so he's still just a child."

"I still feel like I'm at the age where I love sweets."

"Your gaze is a bit rude..."

As if sensing Xiu Xingmeng's inner thoughts, the East Sea Emperor's eyes sharpened.

Xiu Xingmeng coughed and pretended not to hear, then stretched out her hand and spoke to the Emperor of the East Sea.

"My name is Xiu Xingmeng, and I'm Ma Niang, who just enrolled in Teresen High School this year. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, I am the Emperor of the East Sea, a genius racehorse girl destined for an undefeated triple crown!"

Emperor Wan Que of the East Sea was unaware that the topic had been diverted. After taking Xiu Xingmeng's hand, he straightened his chest and began to introduce himself.

"He's still just a kid."

Xiu Xingmeng couldn't help but think to herself, but when she saw the East Sea Emperor's eyes sharpen again, she immediately made an excuse and ran back to the contestant's passage.

"Hmm, I never thought she was the type to give such a formal introduction. Is it just my imagination?"

The Emperor of the East Sea tilted his head in confusion as he watched Xiu Xingmeng's departing figure.

However, her doubts quickly dissipated, as there were still people cheering her on in the audience. Although she didn't win the championship this time, the East Sea Emperor still responded enthusiastically to their cheers.

Back in the contestants' room, Xiu Xingmeng changed her clothes, folded them, and put them in her backpack, muttering to herself.

"How perceptive. Are all kids like this? Although I don't dislike her."

Suddenly, the phone in her backpack lit up. Xiu Xingmeng picked it up, glanced at the notification, and her expression changed drastically. Without bothering to pack anything, she stuffed all her belongings into her backpack and ran out of the contestants' room.

She cursed under her breath as she ran toward the exit.

"Damn it, we've rewound too many times. All our attention was focused on winning the match. I almost forgot that we need to pay the medical bills after the match today."

At this moment, Xiu Xingmeng felt incredibly grateful to her past self who had set up a bunch of reminders and memos.

But as she ran quickly toward the exit, a tall figure leaned against the wall and called out to her.

"Aren't we going to prepare the stage for victory?"

How could she possibly have the time for that?! Without even having the energy to answer, Xiu Xingmeng hugged her backpack and ran past her with her head down.

"Aren't you going to take the bonus? The medical expenses are such a huge burden, it would make things much easier for you."

The tall racehorse girl didn't move, but with just one sentence, she stopped the anxious Xiu Xingmeng.

"Who are you? How do you know about me?"

Upon hearing this, the racehorse girl approached Xiu Xingmeng, smiling as she pulled out a stack of envelopes from the file in her hand and handed them to Xiu Xingmeng.

“I am Rudolf Symbol, the student council president of Treson College.”

Xiu Xingmeng frowned as she took the envelope. Its heavy weight made her somewhat suspicious. She looked up at Rudolf's symbol, and after seeing her smile and nod in acknowledgment, she opened it directly.

Looking at the stacks of medical bills in the envelope—enough to keep her mother in the hospital for a long time—Xiu Xingmeng remained silent for a while before asking a question.

"I don't remember the rewards for the debut battle being this much, right?"

Rudolf responded with a light laugh.

"And there's also the subsidy that Treson Academy provides for struggling horse girls. You haven't been here long enough to know about it, have you?"

“I don’t recall ever applying for such a subsidy.”

Xiu Xingmeng counted the money in the envelope, took out the prize money for the debut battle, and handed the envelope to Rudolf.

"But thank you anyway for helping me collect the prize money."

Looking at the envelope being handed back to him, Rudolf raised an eyebrow and asked, puzzled.

"I'll help you with the paperwork. This money is very important to you right now, isn't it?"

But Xiu Xingmeng shook her head and handed the envelope over again.

"I will earn the money to cover my medical expenses by winning other competitions."

"There are still many horse girls in dire straits with no solutions. The subsidies can't be unlimited, so let's leave them for them."

After saying that, Xiu Xingmeng bowed to Rudolf's symbol to express her gratitude, then ran towards the exit with her black backpack that she had used for several years.

Rudolf murmured to himself as he watched the receding figure.

"Is it pride..."

"Or is it... simply that you don't want to be helped by others..."

Chapter Ten: Hope

In the pristine white room filled with the smell of disinfectant, Xiu Xingmeng held her mother's hand and carefully examined her face.

She looked to be around thirty years old, with long, light blue hair, and her droopy ears lay limply on the pillow. She was quite pretty; if it weren't for her overly thin cheeks and the wrinkles around her eyes, people would believe she was in her twenties.

Xiu Xingmeng stroked her mother's hands. Those hands, so delicate, were covered in calluses. Slowly, her thoughts drifted back to the past.

For Xiu Xingmeng, this is her second life.

In her previous life, she lived in an orphanage from the time she could remember. Thanks to society, this abandoned child still had a chance to survive. However, resources in the orphanage were scarce, and one had to give something before one could receive something.

For Xiu Xingmeng, there is no such thing as unconditional love in this world.

Even after entering the workforce, this self-reliant style continued.

Growing up in this environment, Xiu Xingmeng also developed the habit of talking to herself and having a tendency to overthink. She once read that not liking to ask for help and talking to herself are signs of loneliness and low self-esteem.

Xiu Xingmeng neither agreed nor disagreed, but she had no intention of changing anything. Years of solitude had become etched into her life, and if she were to change it, what would fill the void that would be left behind?

If nothing unexpected happens, she will probably spend her life with loneliness.

On an otherwise ordinary day, when Xiu Xingmeng woke up from her dream, what appeared before her eyes was not the familiar ceiling, but a small patch of sky.

She struggled to move her limbs, and when the tiny, tender hand appeared before her eyes, she instinctively let out a cry—the cry of an infant.

Looking at the gray sky in front of her, Xiu Xingmeng's hand quickly touched the boundary. The clear tactile sensation of paper came from her hand. It was a cardboard box.

Is that why the sky is so small?

Xiu Xingmeng has forgotten what she was thinking back then; it was probably just the despair one would feel after waking up and discovering that they have been reborn as an abandoned baby.

The only thing she clearly remembered was her mother, who suddenly filled the sky and blinked at her.

Xiu Xingmeng looked at her mother's face and slowly and gently smoothed her hair.

She will never forget that day when she was enveloped in warmth, and her mother whispered to her with her smiling eyes.

“Mom has been dreaming a lot lately that you will become the brightest star on the field in the future.”

A dream woven from stars—that's the meaning of "Embroidered Star Dream".

On that day, Xiu Xingmeng understood for the first time what unconditional love meant.

"I will definitely let you see it..."

Xiu Xingmeng looked down at her mother, hugged her mother's hands tightly, and silently made a vow in her heart.

Until the end of her care period, Xiu Xingmeng sat quietly by her mother's bedside, holding her mother's hands.

The summer evening breeze lifted the ribbon in the girl's hair. Xiu Xingmeng walked out of the hospital, looked up at the starry night sky, and silently recited in her heart.

"system."

With a thought, a semi-transparent blue screen reappeared in Xiu Xingmeng's eyes.

On the shopping mall interface, after ignoring all the dazzling array of items, Xiu Xingmeng once again clicked on the icon at the top of the redemption list.

【Gem of Hope】

[Description: A gem that sparkles with seven colors and has magical power to make people's wishes come true.]

Note: "The power of love can change the world"—Three ordinary horse girls

Exchange requirements: 100000 SP + Triple Crown Certificate

On the tram that brought her to the hospital, Xiu Xingmeng had already searched through the mall's catalog. For her mother, who had fallen into a coma and whose illness even the doctors couldn't diagnose, this might be the only hope to save her.

Looking at the huge amount of SP required for the exchange and the stringent requirements to become a Triple Crown Horse Girl, Xiu Xingmeng glanced at the SP points she had.

4500 SP means that I only need to accumulate 95,500 more points. Compared to a hospital where there is no hope, such a precise goal is more motivating.

After confirming the distance to SP, Xiu Xingmeng silently recited another sentence in her mind.

"panel."

【Horse Racing Girl Raising System - Panel】

Character: Celestial Weave

Speed: D [New Star Rating]

Endurance: D [New Star Rating]

Strength: E [Entrance Level]

Root quality: D [New star rating]

Intelligence: D [New Star Rating]

Adaptable to: Grassland (A) and Muddy (C)

Domain: Unawakened

Skill: Concentration (Blue)

Tokyo Swift (Purple)

[Effect: A story of a red streak of light echoes through the rain at Tokyo Racecourse. Endurance is slightly increased during rainy races, and speed is slightly increased during races at Tokyo Racecourse. If both Tokyo Racecourse and Rainy Day effects are combined, both will receive a significant boost.]

Looking at the panel that had changed significantly compared to before, Xiu Xingmeng nodded slightly. She believed that even if she went to run OP competitions right now, she would still have a chance to win a trophy.

If we add the bonus from new skills...

Recalling the feeling of perfectly triggering the Tokyo Swifts, it was as if I had inexhaustible energy and light steps; that was a power that completely surpassed my current stage.

"Snapped."

Xiu Xingmeng patted her cheeks, trying to banish such daydreams from her mind.

Instead of hoping for a lucky, perfect skill trigger, it's better to steadily improve your attributes to an A-level that allows you to compete for trophies in G1.

She let out a soft breath and thought to herself.

The conditions for saving the mother are clear: 95,500 SP points and upgrading her attributes to A-rank.