[At first, we noticed the local horse girl Oguri Cap because she was scouted by the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf.]
[Back then the media—including myself—were too foolish to see the strength of this "monster." Doubts and criticism went public, and she was subjected to unprecedented slander.]
[But we foolish ones were conquered by one race after another.]
[The Pegasus Stakes, the Daily Hai, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the Mainichi Ōkan, the Tenno Sho (Autumn), the Neon Cup, the Arima Kinen…]
[Oguri Cap's classic scenes are too many to count. We never imagined that a horse girl who symbolized an entire era would appear before us like this.]
[Today is Oguri Cap's retirement ceremony. On behalf of myself and Tokyo TV, I apologize for our early doubts of Oguri Cap… and I offer the highest respect to this horse girl who now stands as a king!]
Oguri Cap and Rokuhira Ginjiro's joint retirement ceremony began shortly after the winner's stage.
A large pack of reporters had been waiting there early.
Unlike the local-media crowd at Stardust Mirage's interview before, here you could grab anyone at random and they'd surely be a star reporter or anchor of a major network.
Now they all had only one purpose: to record everything about the moment the greatest horse girl of our day announced her retirement.
After the two separated briefly, Stardust Mirage stood quietly in an unnoticed corner and waited.
She and Rokuhira had agreed that once the press conference ended, he would take her and Oguri out for all-you-can-eat yakiniku to celebrate the victory in this race.
When the host's opening remarks ended, the elderly Rokuhira Ginjiro and Oguri Cap—still in her racing kit—walked onto the dais.
No sooner had they sat down than camera flashes strobed from the floor. The reporters couldn't wait to start asking:
"May I ask Oguri Cap and Mr. Rokuhira—what are your thoughts on this victory?"
The first reporter opened with a relatively ordinary question to get the interview rolling.
"All the competitors gave their all, and Oguri did not betray the expectations of each supporter. In the end, she presented a satisfactory answer sheet."
The old man's reply was steady as a rock; you couldn't see a trace of the person who, before the race, had told Stardust with pride: "In this race, all the big names will be supporting cast to Oguri Cap."
"How do Mr. Rokuhira and Oguri Cap feel about this decision to retire?"
Another reporter stepped in, steering toward the theme of the day: the double retirement ceremony.
"I feel I have no regrets left on the professional circuit, so I'm retiring—and will focus my efforts on the upcoming Dream Cup."
Oguri Cap answered earnestly.
The "Dream Cup" she spoke of was unique to this world, blessed by the Three Goddesses.
There, every horse girl who participates is restored by divine power to peak condition and also granted equal physical parameters, so that competitors from different eras can run and contest again.
As for eligibility to participate, one must apply and be approved by Central Tracen Academy; this is one reason Central far outstrips the regions.
"Everyone can see I'm the only trainer in my sixties still working in Central. I'm retiring now because I've raised Oguri to a form I'm satisfied with. Honestly… I'm very gratified."
Rokuhira took the topic and sighed.
"Some believe that once Oguri Cap retires, many colors will drain from our races. What do you two think?"
A reporter now posed a slightly sharper question.
"Of course not. There's never been any lack of runners who stir the heart in horse racing. Even if Oguri Cap no longer runs in open competition, new strong ones will emerge—just like Rudolf back in the day."
To prevent Oguri from saying something off-message, the old man intercepted the question and answered with perfect propriety.
But among the crowd, a reporter affiliated with the Central Racing Association suddenly spoke up:
"Oguri Cap's run today was unforgettable—starting the acceleration from 800m to go, in particular; that powerful closing kick reminds me of another horse girl…
Could I ask you to comment on Tokai Teio, the genius who debuted at the end of this year and is already 2-for-2? After all, she also possesses a powerful closing kick."
Rokuhira cast a meaningful glance at this reporter.
Experienced as he was, he could see that the man was deliberately bringing up Tokai Teio, seeking to ride the tremendous heat of Oguri and Rokuhira's dual retirement to promote the Central Association's ace card.
However, this played right into Rokuhira and Oguri's hands.
"Tokai Teio is indeed a very promising newcomer. Her body is very supple—somewhat like Oguri's—and that lets her exhibit very strong cornering control and a ferocious final spurt."
The old man glanced at the horse girl standing in the corner. He laughed boldly.
[Let us two retirees give you a hand, then.]
Thinking so, he lifted the mic and went on:
"But geniuses are never destined to be alone. Tokai Teio has already met her destined rival. On that point, I can promise you… next year will not be peaceful."
"What do you mean? Teio's rival?
Who is it—Mejiro's new mid-distance prospect? Or the heir to the Hanaiki clan and Tenma line?"
The JRA reporter pressed.
Even though he didn't get the praise he wanted, he felt that if he could just keep steering the topic onto Teio, he could achieve the goal of riding the heat. All he needed was to keep developing it.
"Hahahahaha! Teio's rival has already introduced herself to everyone. But since you've asked this far…"
"I'll tell you."
Rokuhira unleashed his signature wild laugh.
But as he spoke, Stardust Mirage—standing in the corner and assuming none of this had anything to do with her, just waiting to go eat yakiniku after—suddenly jolted.
By now, of course, she knew exactly what the old man was going to say—
"Haha, it's this horse girl… Stardust Mirage! Come say hello to everyone!"
Without giving Stardust a second to react, the old man pointed straight at her in front of all the reporters.
People automatically opened a channel along his pointing finger, revealing a brown-haired horse girl in casual shorts, at a loss what to do—
And the named Stardust Mirage had gone blank from the sudden shock. Her hands and feet were stiff.
She could only look at Rokuhira waving her over and—right foot with right hand, left with left—shuffle forward stiffly.
[This is Stardust Mirage?]
[Stardust Mirage is Tokai Teio's rival?]
[Really her? She looks like a newbie.]
Questions flew through every reporter's head. But most important of all…
"So who on earth is Stardust Mirage?!"
Ransacking their memories of the Central horse girl list turned up no such entry. The JRA reporter couldn't help shouting.
Everyone looked at each other. They hadn't figured out who this sudden horse girl was either.
On the outermost fringe of the crowd, a very young-looking reporter timidly raised his hand and said carefully:
"I think… I know who she is…"
"And you are?" The JRA reporter frowned.
"I'm a reporter with Nagoya TV. My name is—"
"Never mind your name. If you know, say it!" Hearing he was just from Nagoya TV, the JRA man cut off the self-intro and demanded he get to the point.
Under the stares of his seniors, the reporter swallowed and explained:
"…Stardust Mirage seems to be a horse girl who won a non-winners race at Chukyo yesterday to complete her debut. Her current record is 1 win in 2 starts.
Because she declared in a local media interview afterward that she would defeat Tokai Teio on the Classic Triple Crown stage, it was reported this morning. Our station's racing news also ran it."
…
Silence fell for a moment.
The JRA reporter looked at the Nagoya reporter, then turned to the still-stiff Stardust Mirage, incredulous.
Then his expression shifted. He hurried the mic to Rokuhira:
"In your view, what exactly qualifies this horse girl to be Tokai Teio's rival?
Please don't misunderstand—I have no prejudice against Ms. Stardust Mirage. But in fact, Tokai Teio is now 2-for-2 and beginning to enter Classic-grade graded stakes.
Meanwhile, this Stardust Mirage has even lost her debut. Frankly, whether she can even make the Classic Triple Crown alongside Tokai Teio is uncertain, isn't it?"
"Because she's strong."
Oguri Cap answered directly, but did not elaborate.
She seemed to think what she said was self-evident, requiring no more words.
"Let it go, old man…"
Stardust Mirage tugged lightly at Rokuhira's coat hem and whispered.
She didn't want her affairs to overshadow the two's important retirement ceremony.
But the old man ignored her plea and answered squarely:
"I believe she's entirely qualified to say so. Stardust Mirage… she's the greatest obstacle to Teio's goal of an undefeated Triple Crown."
Seeing colleagues scribbling madly, the JRA reporter clenched his teeth.
He had intended to use this opportunity to promote Tokai Teio yet again—who would have thought Rokuhira would frame Teio as this Stardust Mirage's rival? Wouldn't that make Teio look like she was riding a local horse girl's coattails?!
No. Absolutely not… If that news got out and backfired, he would be fired for sure!
Thinking this, the reporter threw away decorum and argued:
"But Tokai Teio is publicly acknowledged as Central's genius, called the 'Second Emperor'! She inherits the strength of the 'Emperor' Symboli Rudolf—how could some local horse girl be compared to Tokai Teio?!"
Rokuhira and Oguri exchanged a look and both smiled.
Oguri took the mic, locked her eyes on the questioner, and said:
"Remember my next words verbatim when you file your reports—"
"You said my closing kick impressed you, didn't you?"
Predatory aura glinted in Oguri's eyes, enveloping the reporter.
He had never felt the pressure exuded by a top horse girl before; now his legs trembled as he barely remained standing, and he nodded.
"But that run—I learned it from Stardust Mirage."
"If you watch the replay, you'll see that back more than half a month ago, in her first debut race, Stardust Mirage nearly beat Tokai Teio with that very running style."
Oguri's decisive first spurt in Arima Kinen—the one that sealed the race—was learned from her?!
Whispers spread among the reporters.
They could tell this was no offhand bluff; race replays can't be faked.
But… how could a just-debuted horse girl possess a running method that could help a runner who leads an era like Oguri Cap?
Was this why they believed Stardust Mirage could be Tokai Teio's rival?!
In the past two weeks, to prepare for Arima Kinen and break her limits in this race, Oguri had focused on training and hadn't had much time to chat with Stardust. Their harmonious moments were mostly mealtimes together.
But that didn't mean Oguri didn't regard her as a companion.
In Oguri's eyes, anyone willing to eat heartily with her every day and train seriously alongside her was already a friend.
And now was exactly when she should do something for a friend—
Oguri kept her eyes locked on the incredulous JRA reporter and continued:
"You also said—Tokai Teio is called the 'Second Emperor' and an 'undefeated genius'; that people believe she can inherit President Rudolf's glory, so Stardust Mirage can't compare, right?"
"Right." The JRA reporter gritted.
His mind was blank, but he knew at least this: he could not let today become a one-man farce starring himself. He had to drag in that overreaching local horse girl!
"Very well. I'll tell you something now."
Oguri swept her gaze over the room, then continued:
"Stardust Mirage… I, Oguri Cap, announce that she will inherit all my glory as 'Oguri Cap II' and run in the races to come."
"Now I ask you, Mr. JRA Reporter—"
Oguri's voice exploded like thunder, scaring the reporter into falling to the floor. Neither Oguri nor Rokuhira intended to let the man, who so casually looked down on others, off the hook. Oguri pressed on:
"—Does 'Oguri Cap II' Stardust Mirage have the qualifications to be 'Second Emperor' Tokai Teio's rival?"
That bomb finally drove every reporter fully insane!
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