After crossing the finish line, Rudolph Symboli stood proudly amidst the cheers of the crowd, raising her right hand and holding up four fingers, signaling her four victories.
At the same time, she also completed her revenge against Katsuragi Ace, washing away the shame of her defeat at the Japan Cup.
Her mood instantly brightened, and her previous gloom and anger vanished.
Katsuragi Ace, on the other hand, felt a sense of regret at not being able to achieve a perfect ending.
She had given her all in her final sprint, but Rudolph Symboli still defeated her head-on with powerful momentum…
There was nothing more to say; she calmly accepted her result.
“Congratulations, Rudolf, you’ve already won four G1 races, as expected of you.”
After the cheers of the crowd gradually faded, she walked over to Rudolph Symboli and said with a smile,
“I am completely convinced of your victory; your strength is undoubtedly superior to mine.”
“I’m sure you’ll become even stronger next year when you enter the senior division and complete your full development. Times really are changing.”
“Thank you, Katsuragi Ace.”
Rudolph Symboli also turned around and looked at her directly, saying,
“Competing with you has made me more mature. I will continue to move forward with this valuable experience.”
The two smiled at each other, and the atmosphere was surprisingly good.
Chitose Meiji, not far away, watched silently, but did not approach.
Due to unexpected circumstances, she once again failed to directly confront them, and once again fell behind the two.
Leaving aside Katsuragi Ace, who had announced her retirement, Rudolph Symboli had already defeated her twice in a row.
The two defeats in the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen inevitably caused people’s opinions to change.
And indeed, people’s attention gradually shifted and converged on Rudolph Symboli.
Now, no one would compare her strength to Rudolph Symboli’s; the conclusion was already obvious, wasn’t it?
Her era had completely ended, and future senior races would inevitably be dominated by the Emperor, while the Classic division had the terrifying and despair-inducing Polaris Glare.
People’s attention is always limited, and focusing on powerful Horse Girl is the mainstream.
And what about her, Chitose Meiji?
She was merely a remnant abandoned by the era, unable to advance further.
Realizing this, Chitose Meiji gradually closed her eyes and clenched her fists.
She could not let go; she could not accept such an outcome.
She had already decided earlier that she would never leave the stage in a poor state.
She could still run, and she could still fight.
Even if the outcome of her and Rudolph Symboli’s contest had already been decided in people’s minds, even if continuing to run might only leave her covered in scars…
The path she had chosen would still not change.
“I will confront Rudolph Symboli head-on, as a challenger, in next year’s Autumn Tenno Sho.”
Clearly, the battle between the two Triple Crown Horse Girls, their grievances, was not yet over.
————
“Hmm? Polaris, what are you doing?”
“Sending a congratulatory message to Rudolph Symboli.”
At the Y country estate, Polaris Glacier’s fingers moved across her phone screen, and soon the message was successfully sent.
Thoughts surged in her mind, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face:
“The result was not unexpected; it was Rudolph Symboli’s victory.”
After experiencing one failure, she had undoubtedly become stronger.
Next year, she would be able to participate in senior races as a Classic Horse Girl, and the time for her to compete against her on the track was drawing closer.
The closest race among them should be the Yasuda Kinen, but considering Rudolph Symboli doesn't usually run mile races, she probably wouldn't participate.
Then there was the Takarazuka Kinen, the decisive race in the first half of the year, a 2200-meter middle-distance race that Rudolph Symboli would certainly not miss.
After that would be the Autumn Tenno Sho, the Japan Cup, and the Arima Kinen.
Looking at it this way, there were actually quite a few races where they could compete. Now, it was just a matter of patiently waiting.
At the same time, she also had to become stronger, both to experience greater speed and for future races.
Thinking this, she put down her phone and turned to look at Yuu Mai, her eyes consciously gathering frost.
“Um… Polaris…?”
Yuu Mai, on her side, only saw the Polaris Glacier release a chill after sending the message, then turn her head to stare at her, looking full of fighting spirit.
In response to her puzzled words, the Polaris Glacier moved closer, took her hand, and smiled:
“Yuu Mai, I wasn’t satisfied with our last parallel run. Let’s continue this afternoon. I won’t let you refuse.”
“……”
Seeing this, Yuu Mai slightly opened her mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.
She vaguely felt herself trapped in a swamp, unable to escape, because it had already frozen into deep ice.
A moment later, she nodded slightly and smiled, saying,
“I understand. I’ll run parallel with you, Polaris, but only once a day at most, okay? My stamina isn’t as good as yours.”
By running parallel, she could also get exercise, and in fact, she was very willing to be with Polaris.
It was just that the other party’s intense emotions, seemingly ice but actually fire, were truly a bit much for her to handle.
Therefore, setting limits was necessary; once a day was enough, no more.
“Mhm, thank you, Yuu Mai. It’s truly my luck to have a friend and rival like you.”
With her goal achieved, Polaris Glacier’s smile immediately brightened.
Once a day, although she still felt it might not be enough, at least she could experience the joy of being chased once every day.
After that, she hoped that Yuu Mai’s stamina would improve through multiple parallel runs, and then gradually increase the daily frequency.
That afternoon, the two ran parallel again, still over a 1000-meter course.
Polaris Glacier was once again pushed to her limit, and there was only a 3-centimeter nose difference when they crossed the finish line.
Yuu Mai, learning from her previous experience, started accelerating earlier, but unfortunately, it was still just a little short.
But was that really the case?
On the training ground, she supported her knees, panting, and frowned slightly, denying it in her heart:
“No, it wasn’t just a little short; Polaris got faster at the very last moment.”
At that time, she had felt it: she had already surpassed the other party, but in just an instant, the other party suddenly leaped forward and overtook her as if teleporting.
What was that…
Polaris Glacier, on her side, was looking up at the sky, her breathing exceptionally rapid.
On her back-turned face, frost had abnormally condensed, almost covering her entire left cheek.
However, it did not last long, fading after only a few breaths.
She was actually a bit bewildered herself, not knowing how she had managed to overtake her at that moment.
She had simply been single-mindedly thinking that she couldn’t lose, couldn’t fall behind others, and had moved her legs as much as possible, wanting to go faster.
After a moment to compose herself, she turned around to look at Yuu Mai, saying unexpectedly calmly,
“Yuu Mai, let’s stop here for today. I’m going back to my room.”
With that, she jogged away.
“Polaris?”
Yuu Mai was a bit puzzled by this, feeling that the other party was a little strange, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange.
The atmosphere? The demeanor? The aura around her?
It seemed to be all of the above.
————
Back in her room, Polaris Glacier walked purposefully to the full-length mirror.
With a slight focus, text appeared on the mirror as if in response to her:
“Domain: Ice and Snow Kingdom Lv.6”
“→ Domain: Polaris Dominator Lv.1”
“Description: Forbidden Territory! In the final straight, self-stamina recovers, acceleration increases, speed rises. If another Horse Girl’s domain is released, targeted speed absorption occurs.”
“(Hidden: When surpassed, self-acceleration will greatly increase, and the body will leap forward a short distance.)”
“Inherent Skill: Cold Current Lv.3”
“→ Inherent Skill: Cold Current Lv.4”
“Description: Gradually breaking through limits! Self-speed increases after every complete turn in the race.”
Both speed-related abilities had been upgraded, so it was not difficult to understand how she could overtake Yuu Mai at the last moment.
But this also meant that even Yuu Mai’s speed in the final straight was no longer faster than her own.
If that was the case, could she still feel that burning heat approaching from behind, could she still enjoy the pleasure of being chased?
This question was answered during the parallel run the next afternoon:
“No, she couldn’t.”
After entering the final straight and releasing her domain, her speed far surpassed before; Yuu Mai could no longer catch up.
The other party’s proud, monster-like final kick was directly suppressed.
She could no longer feel that approaching heat.
She should have been happy to become stronger, but now Polaris Glacier only felt a mixture of helplessness and disappointment in her heart.
She might need some time to properly digest this fact.
December 25th, Christmas Day.
Polaris Glacier did not go anywhere that day, just stayed in her room, lying on her side on the bed and scrolling through race videos of Horse Girl on her phone.
In her azure eyes, fixed on the screen, the light was somewhat dim, as if she wasn’t paying attention.
She would just watch briefly, and if she didn’t find any strong Horse Girl, she would move on to the next, continuing this pattern.
“Knock knock knock, Young Miss, are you asleep already?”
Suddenly, the Head Maid’s voice came from outside the door.
Polaris Glacier’s ears twitched on her head. She put down her phone and got out of bed with a puzzled expression, walking towards the room door.
It was already almost ten at night, and she wondered what the other party wanted.
Opening the door, she saw the Head Maid with a gentle smile on her face, asking with concern,
“Young Miss, your complexion hasn’t been very good these past two days. If there’s something bothering you, would you mind telling me so I can share your burden?”
As one of the people who spent the most time with the Young Miss in her daily life, she could immediately notice any emotional changes in the Young Miss.
If it was just for a short time, it would be fine, but since yesterday evening, the Young Miss had been depressed, and her spirits were always scattered.
This couldn't help but make her worried.
Since the Young Miss seemed to have no plans today, she thought of taking the opportunity to understand the situation.
Hearing this, Polaris Glacier lowered her gaze and thought for a moment. She first let the other party into the room, then very straightforwardly stated the reason for her low spirits.
There was really nothing to hide from the Head Maid.
The other party was one of the people she trusted most, and had taken care of her for so long in her daily life.
“It’s like this…”
Polaris Glacier explained the cause and effect as concisely as possible, roughly summarizing it as:
“I got stronger, my former rivals who could give me pressure are no longer able to, and I feel bored.”
The Head Maid listened, blinking thoughtfully, and an indescribable meaning gradually appeared in her eyes as she looked at her Young Miss.
“Um… if there are no rivals, will the Young Miss stop running?”
After a while, the Head Maid tentatively spoke.
“No, I will still continue to run, and I will continue to participate in races.”
After venting her feelings, Polaris Glacier felt much of the gloom in her heart dissipate. She nodded naturally and replied,
“It’s just still a bit of a shame. I could have run more happily.”
She hadn’t expected that after only two parallel runs with Yuu Mai, that joy would leave her…
Even now, she found it somewhat hard to let go.
And the Head Maid, after understanding the situation, was also a bit exasperated.
It turned out the Young Miss wasn’t really in trouble at all, just temporarily down.
Now that she had spoken about it, it was probably fine.