Only One Year Left—I'll Become a Legendary Uma Musume!

No, no. This line of thinking was far too bizarre. Dwelling on it would only lead to increasingly absurd conclusions.

For instance, things like running being entirely pointless—or that every kind of Uma Musume competition was somehow a Derby.

Or worse yet—love itself was a Derby!

Why am I even thinking about these useless things? Brain, I command you—stop thinking nonsense!

Twilight Song rose abruptly from the bed, snapped the newspaper shut, folded it neatly, and promptly tossed it into the wastebasket.

Ah, newspaper from Japan, may you rest well and dream sweetly in this foreign land.

Why foreign land?

Twilight Song had always possessed a strange quirk—even before transmigrating. She'd often buy something at her departure point specifically to discard it once she reached her destination.

Like buying green tea in Shijiazhuang, only to discard it in Hankou Station or something like that.

This time, the target of her strange habit was the somewhat meticulous yet still not-so-serious newspaper.

And the journey?

From Mejiro estate in Japan to her own family residence in New York, USA.

It was only right before departing that Twilight Song fully grasped the details of her current background.

Although the Mejiro family was famous as a prestigious household of Uma Musume, it didn't mean that every family member was an Uma Musume.

In fact, many weren't Uma Musume at all, and those non-Uma Musume family members generally had more freedom in their lives.

Twilight Song's mother was one such individual—a normal human who'd moved from Japan to America, married, and then gave birth to an Uma Musume daughter named Twilight Song.

Originally, Twilight Song would have grown up participating exclusively in American races.

However, a major incident occurred just one week before her transmigration—precisely one week before the black-haired filly flew to America.

"Twilight Song's" parents had been returning home from the opera when some passing lunatic fired two shots, neatly sending them both to meet the Three Goddesses.

And so, the talented but now orphaned filly, left alone in America, was brought back to Japan to debut.

Honestly, upon hearing this, Twilight Song's expression had grown decidedly strange.

A couple shot dead after returning from the opera, leaving behind a single child—this plot felt suspiciously familiar…

But as a transmigrator, she didn't dwell on it too much. She simply chalked it up as a bizarre coincidence.

The reason she'd returned to America, naturally, was related to this incident—she needed to attend the court hearing.

Two concerned older sisters from the Mejiro family accompanied her.

Ardan-neesan didn't even bother giving a reason, simply stating that she couldn't possibly leave Twilight Song alone at such a time.

As for Ramonu-neesan…

She claimed she had business to handle in America.

Hmph. Business, sure—you're just not honest, Ramonu-neesan…

I hate adults who aren't straightforward!

Twilight Song felt she'd seen right through Mejiro Ramonu. She was simply a tsundere who couldn't communicate her true feelings properly.

At worst, she might resort to drastic measures first, then retreat behind her usual aloof front afterward.

Go ahead, keep being stubbornly tsundere—just wait till you read that diary. Then you'll know your mistake!

Hehehe. Too bad I won't get to see Ramonu-neesan's reaction then…

Thanks to the two elder sisters accompanying her, the court case itself had required no effort at all from Twilight Song, smoothly concluding almost immediately.

Such was the power of the prestigious Mejiro family.

Afterward, the three "Mejiro sisters" spent the remaining days at Twilight Song's American home as if they were merely on vacation.

Still, Twilight Song had expressed the desire to return early to prepare for her race.

However, she was gently dissuaded by Ardan-neesan.

The reason?

Twilight Song took out her little notebook, crossed out the Kyodo News Hai, and wrote down the name of a different American race instead.

As previously mentioned, being an Uma Musume born in America but of Japanese lineage, Twilight Song was technically eligible to compete in races from both countries.

Given this scenario, Ramonu-neesan had unexpectedly brought up an idea that had never even crossed her mind.

Since the Kyodo News Hai wasn't particularly prestigious, nor was there a compelling reason to attend, why not try a race here in America instead?

After careful consideration, Twilight Song found it genuinely reasonable. After all, her only reason for competing in the Kyodo News Hai had been to secure enough fans to qualify for the Yayoi Sho.

But if she won a race in America, perhaps she could jump straight into the Satsuki Sho.

After all, a win abroad—even if minor—carried a certain prestige.

Thus, after weighing everything, Twilight Song truly did choose a race to participate in.

Though, admittedly, the name of this particular race made it hard not to laugh. Coupled with her current identity, it felt even more inexplicably ironic.

But the value was undeniable—after all, it was a prelude to the American Triple Crown.

Twilight Song rose again, taking out her Racing Outfit from the wardrobe. After some hesitation, she dressed carefully before finally stepping out of her room in the American residence.

Meeting the gazes of her two elder sisters downstairs, Twilight Song took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"You've made up your mind? You could lose, you know."

Mejiro Ramonu didn't sound surprised at all. After scrutinizing Twilight Song's posture, she simply issued one last reminder.

The only potential negative consequence of changing the schedule now would be—

What if Twilight Song lost this next race?

Losing here would end any chance she had of claiming the prestigious "undefeated Triple Crown," even if the race wasn't in Japan.

Race records were easy enough to check, after all. At most, she could boast of being undefeated within Japan, but a loss was a loss, undeniable and permanent.

But to Twilight Song, none of that mattered much. As long as she won enough races, being undefeated or not didn't really trouble her.

She nodded calmly, then turned her gaze toward Ardan-neesan.

"Actually, the car's already waiting. Rather, I thought it was very much like you to choose this, Ruka."

Ardan was even less surprised. When registering for the race upon arriving in America, she'd accompanied Twilight Song personally—not Ramonu, despite it being her suggestion.

The reason was simple.

Ardan could sense clearly that Twilight Song valued fame far more than mere victories. In that case, arranging her schedule this way was most logical—

Japanese fans adored watching their homegrown Uma Musume achieve results overseas, even if minor. Any victory abroad was impressive enough.

With that, the upcoming race was perfectly suited for Twilight Song, whether in terms of reputation, prestige, or difficulty level.

Because this was a race that, while meaningful, wasn't excessively important. Prestigious enough, but without a particularly strong field of participants.

And here they were, unexpectedly present in New York, America, just hours before the race began.

Precisely four hours remained.

Twilight Song pulled out her small notebook for one final confirmation.

[Kyodo News Hai] (crossed out)

[Gotham Stakes]