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

The Gotham Stakes.

This wasn't exactly a well-known race—at least, within the Uma Musume world, it remained relatively obscure.

If it weren't for Twilight Song's memories from her previous life giving the name "Gotham" a strangely familiar feeling, she probably wouldn't have paid it any special attention either.

Though, now that she thought about it, Gotham's real-world equivalent was New York, so that made perfect sense.

Of course, despite being somewhat unknown, the Gotham Stakes still drew a sizable audience.

Why?

Simple. Even though it was only a Grade 3 (G3) race, the winner automatically qualified for the American Triple Crown.

In other words, it was essentially America's version of the Yayoi Sho!

That's why, although the race itself was niche, the number of spectators was still quite respectable.

They weren't here just to watch the Gotham Stakes—

They were here to catch a glimpse of the future Triple Crown hopefuls!

---

Ardan sat anxiously in the front row of the stands, worry creeping onto her face for the first time since arriving.

Even as a G1-winning Uma Musume herself, Ardan had only competed in Japan. American races were inherently more challenging—and worse yet…

This race was on dirt.

If internationally accepted horse racing tracks were usually turf or soft dirt, then Japan's concrete-hard turf courses were undeniably unique.

While concrete-based turf allowed for incredible speed, it was useless as a preparation for American dirt courses, something most Uma Musume found difficult to adapt to.

Having never seen Twilight Song race on dirt, Ardan's anxiety grew naturally.

However, Ramonu-neesan beside her seemed utterly calm. She glanced over at Ardan, gently steadying her sister's restless hand with her own.

"Don't worry so much, Ardan. Ruka adapts to dirt just as easily as turf—you already know that."

Otherwise, neither of them would've encouraged Twilight Song to compete here in the first place.

"I can't help it, Ramonu-neesan. You should understand exactly how I feel…"

Isn't this exactly how you felt when I debuted and took on those important races back then?

Mejiro Ramonu didn't answer directly. Instead, she changed the topic.

"Do you know why I encouraged her to enter the Gotham Stakes?"

"Because… this is the qualifier for those three races."

Ramonu didn't even wait for Ardan to reply before offering her own answer.

Hearing this, the blue-haired Uma Musume at her side suddenly stood up, disbelief flashing across her face amid the cheering crowd welcoming the racers onto the track.

"You mean you actually expect Ruka to try for the American Triple Crown? Have you lost your mind?!"

Those were three dirt races—all within a single month!

But Ramonu remained unwavering, calmly meeting her sister's eyes before turning her gaze to the track.

"Don't tell me you haven't felt it, Ardan. That girl is desperate."

Desperate enough to pursue the most incredible results in the shortest possible time…

Ramonu couldn't fully understand Twilight Song's motivations, but she was sure of one thing: This was indeed one of the fastest routes to her goal.

As a Legendary Uma Musume herself, Ramonu could confidently gauge Twilight Song's potential. She knew she was capable of rising to such a challenge.

However, more importantly…

Winning this race didn't automatically mean she'd have to compete in the American Triple Crown itself.

Ramonu simply wanted Twilight Song to have another option available to her when the time came.

But of course, she would never admit that openly.

After all, this was simply her responsibility—as both an elder sister and head of the Mejiro family.

---

Twilight Song walked calmly down the darkened tunnel, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu—similar to when she'd exited the racetrack after her debut race.

Only this time, she was accompanied by several chatty American Uma Musume.

Hmm…

She silently thanked her transmigration for enabling her to effortlessly understand every word the other racers were saying. Her English had never been better!

She cursed her transmigration for allowing her to clearly hear every whispered comment the others made about her.

What a mixed blessing.

But, to her surprise, Twilight Song found herself in quite a pleasant mood.

After all, she didn't really know any of these Uma Musume personally. In other words, she could treat them entirely as strangers, without worrying about carefully maintaining distance.

The chatter around her was noisy, but refreshingly different from the cautious, tense atmosphere of the past month at the Mejiro estate.

In short—it was much more relaxed.

What did she need to do next?

Just step out, race, and win. Easy enough.

Twilight Song had indeed considered how losing the Gotham Stakes might negatively impact her carefully laid plans—but there was a straightforward solution:

She simply needed to win. Nothing complicated about it.

With that thought, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, awaiting her entrance cue.

[Remaining Lifespan: 314 days, 11 hours, and exactly 35 seconds]

[Available Stat Points: 412]

Despite accumulating a healthy number of points, lately, the system had revealed an irritating flaw she'd only just noticed:

She could assign stat points—but couldn't actually see her own status screen!

Frustrated and slightly irritated, she naturally wouldn't continue blindly investing everything in Speed.

Put 200 points into Speed, then evenly distribute the rest.

But even so, in casual training races, Twilight Song had managed to keep pace with—even outperform—the currently semi-retired Mejiro Ramonu.

This served as a decent, if unofficial, way to gauge her progress.

It wasn't precise, but it was reassuring enough.

When Twilight Song found herself alone in the tunnel, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped confidently forward.

Her moment to shine had finally arrived.

"And now, entering the field, is today's dark horse contestant!"

"Yes indeed, Twilight Song—born here in America but debuted in Japan—is a complete wildcard in today's race! Will her unexpected presence shake things up?"

"My instincts say yes! Although we have very few race records to reference, my gut tells me this will be a thrilling event!"

"Oh, and here she is! Wow, what boldness and confidence she exudes—and isn't this the very first time we've seen Twilight Song's official Racing Outfit?"

Stepping onto the track, Twilight Song gracefully turned around once, then flashed a faint yet captivating smile.

This place, these racers, the cheering audience—all of it entirely unfamiliar to her.

But, apologies in advance, fellow racers and dear spectators:

That guaranteed spot in your Triple Crown series?

I'm taking it.