A victory, an undeniable victory, as if it were only natural.
The cheers of the audience echoed through Hanshin Racecourse, as if to break through the gloom of the rainy day, wave after wave of sound.
On the turf, Polaris Glacier's expression was calm, her breathing not at all hurried.
Turning around, she smiled, and waved to the audience as usual.
Actually, she had thought about whether or not to strike a victory pose, such as holding up one finger to signify her first win.
It was just that the race itself had no twists and turns, and her emotions had no fluctuations, so she felt it was unnecessary.
Bathed in cheers, a perfectly timed Polaris Glare's chilling aura suddenly surged from deep within her brain.
Polaris Glacier blinked, feeling as if the raindrops continuously falling around her had become clearer and more transparent.
The gasps of the Horse Girl who had crossed the finish line much later also entered her ears with greater detail.
Following that, a warm current surged from deep within her heart, slowly passing through all the meridians and muscles of her body, finally converging in her lungs and legs.
A sense of liberation, similar to when she entered the final straight, surged up a bit, and she clenched her empty left hand slightly, feeling her strength grow stronger.
“Is this the boost after a G1 race? Not bad.”
Thinking this, Polaris Glacier’s smile deepened slightly.
When the cheers of the audience showed signs of subsiding, she turned and headed towards the athlete's passage.
“Congratulations, Young Lady, you won beautifully, like a solo performance.”
In the lounge, Head Maid and Kumi Trainer offered their congratulations.
“Thank you. Thanks to your help, I can move forward with all my heart.”
At 8 PM, on the stage inside Hanshin Racecourse.
Under the illumination of multiple stage lights, amidst the audience's renewed enthusiastic cheers.
Polaris Glacier performed the winner's exclusive show, bringing a perfect end to today's race.
The next morning, in the Student Council office.
“Polaris Glare once again demonstrates overwhelming strength, the current six crowns are already within her grasp, unstoppable…”
Maruzensky was still sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, muttering softly:
“It's really exaggerated, but Polaris’s performance would indeed make people think that.”
Saying that, she turned her head to look at Rudolph Symboli, who was standing with her back to the window:
“Rudolf, what do you think?”
“What do I think…”
Rudolph Symboli turned around and said with a smile:
“Isn’t this great? With Polaris, the Twinkle Series has become even more popular.”
“Walking on the street, you can occasionally hear everyone discussing it.”
“It’s truly—prospering.”
In the afternoon, after a day of classes.
Accompanied by Kumi Trainer, Polaris Glacier began her training as usual.
Due to the tight race schedule, her training was much lighter than before, mainly focusing on steady-paced jogging.
“Young Lady, the Kentucky Derby in M Country is a dirt race. Do you need to do some adaptive training?”
Seeing her Young Lady about to run past her, Kumi Trainer decisively asked.
“A dirt race?”
Upon hearing this, Polaris Glacier also remembered that the information she had read before indeed indicated that the Kentucky Derby was a dirt race.
“I understand. Then let's change the training ground.”
She had always run on turf, and suddenly switching to dirt might indeed lead to discomfort.
If possible, it was better to avoid it.
However, despite thinking so, the actual process was not very smooth.
Polaris Glacier… unexpectedly disliked dirt very much…
She intensely disliked the mud and sand that splattered when she stepped down and exerted force, and even more disliked the feeling of it sticking to her clothes and skin.
She hadn't even finished one lap before she had to stop due to the strong negative emotions in her heart.
“This is terrible…”
While using a tissue to wipe away the mud and sand from the ends of her hair, Polaris Glacier let out a disgusted whisper.
Kumi Trainer also hesitated upon seeing this. She had never seen her Young Lady express such strong aversion so clearly.
In this state, let alone adaptation, just the psychological feeling would be difficult to overcome.
After thinking for a moment, she timidly ventured to ask:
“Young Lady, should we remove the Kentucky Derby from the race schedule?”
“Remove…”
Polaris Glacier exhaled lightly and suddenly closed her eyes.
She knew what Kumi Trainer meant, and she herself very much wanted to accept this suggestion.
But…
She, who considered herself strong, could not change her goal because of a small unexpected event.
If she disliked the splashing mud and sand, couldn't she just solidify it on the ground?
Yes, just solidify the mud and sand on the ground, with her chilling aura!
Opening her eyes again, she looked at Kumi Trainer and said:
“I’ll try one more time. If it still doesn't work, then we’ll discuss it further.”
After speaking, frost condensed in her eyes, and she consciously released layers of Polaris Glare's chilling aura around her body.
She lowered her head to look at her feet, narrowing her eyes slightly:
“I can't let my aura disperse; I have to concentrate it, concentrate it on my feet, and freeze the area I'm about to step on.”
This was her first time controlling her aura with such focus, but fortunately, the process was smooth.
A solid layer of ice clearly condensed on the surface of the mud beneath her feet, strong enough to support her weight and footwork.
“Good, this should work.”
Looking up ahead, Polaris Glacier concentrated, took a step, and started running.
Just as she had thought, as long as she froze and solidified the corresponding small area before her feet landed, there would be no more mud and sand splattering.
It just consumed a lot of mental energy, requiring constant high concentration.
By stepping on ice all the way, she soon completed a lap smoothly.
Kumi Trainer watched silently, opening her mouth slightly, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.
Fortunately, she had already developed resistance to her Young Lady's peculiarities, which was why she didn't exclaim in surprise.
As expected of the Young Lady, she easily accomplished things other Horse Girl couldn't.
Just watching it, it felt like common sense was being overturned.
“No need to cancel the arrangement, just continue like this.”
Polaris Glacier visibly relaxed, turning her head to confirm.
After this aura concentration, she also thought of some things.
During a race, could she gather the Polaris Glare's chilling aura that would naturally spread backward?
Concentrating the efficiency of stamina consumption all at once, abandoning the characteristic of overall interference, and instead specifically targeting a certain competitor…
This was clearly a good idea. She would make a note of it and try it out someday when she was interested.
It was just a bit unfair to the Horse Girl who might be targeted. Being interfered with by concentrated Polaris Glare's chilling aura would basically mean losing the qualification to compete for victory.