For all the smug satisfaction Offside Trap had felt a moment ago, that was how mortified she felt now.
When the wavy-haired hostess stepped up in front of her and held out the microphone, Offside Trap still hadn't realized just how awkward the upcoming interview was going to be.
It wasn't until all the reporters had finished preparing themselves, and the hostess finally threw out the first question, that Offside Trap learned a painful truth:
Interviews were not fixed things. Depending on the circumstances, they could absolutely pivot into very special lines of questioning.
And just moments ago, she had done something so obvious it was bound to explode into public discussion—and line up perfectly with the biggest gossip story making the rounds lately.
"So, Offside Trap," the hostess asked with a smile, "what exactly is your current relationship with Trainer Terizumi Shinji?"
She clearly caught the way Offside Trap's face turned scarlet the instant the translation reached her, so she grinned mischievously and added,
"You two seem awfully close. Could it be that you've already become lovers?"
This was a worldwide live broadcast.
Offside Trap practically wanted to bury her face in her chest on the spot.
In the end, all she could do was clamp her eyes shut, let her ears droop, and shake her head.
That was her answer.
The reporters all looked visibly disappointed, while beside her, Terizumi Shinji's expression shifted ever so slightly. At the same time, the system prompt rang in his head.
[Negative Emotion +100]
[Negative Emotion +60]
"Oh?" the hostess said immediately, catching the change in his face. "It looks like Trainer Terizumi has something he wants to say?"
Her instincts were sharp. Shinji had barely reacted at all, yet she had spotted it right away. He could only sigh inwardly and take the microphone she offered.
From the corner of his eye, he could feel the scorching intensity of a gaze burning into the side of his face.
He didn't look back.
He was afraid that if he met those eyes, the girl beside him would spiral even further.
Or perhaps, if he was being honest, he was just afraid that if he looked at her, he'd be dragged right back into the memory of that fleeting, dragonfly-light kiss from earlier—the one he hadn't even had time to react to before it had already stirred up a storm inside him.
"It's an honor that my horse girl and I have received so much affection from everyone," he said. "But I do hope everyone can focus a bit more on her performance in races…"
He glanced at Offside Trap, then added in a half-teasing tone,
"…because she's practically too embarrassed to speak right now."
The hostess and reporters all sobered a little at that.
They didn't want the whole interview to turn into a solo act from Terizumi Shinji, after all. An eight-length demolition like this was absolutely the kind of race that would leave a bold mark in Eclipse Stakes history.
Besides, though his words were a reminder, the teasing edge in them didn't annoy anyone.
So the hostess handed the microphone back to the still-flustered Offside Trap.
"In this race, we saw you choose a front-running strategy," she said. "That isn't the style you're usually known for, and yet you still produced a breathtaking performance. So how did you decide on that approach for the Eclipse Stakes? Was this something you and your trainer determined before the race based on the field, or was it more of an in-the-moment decision guided by your own instincts during the race?"
Offside Trap raised her head at last, her eyes turning thoughtful.
"I'd say the bigger factor was the pre-race planning," she answered. "Before the race, we already expected there probably wouldn't be anyone really fighting hard for the lead, so based on my own gate break, and taking the character of the stretch into account, I decided I'd contest the front."
"And once you'd settled on that strategy, were you at all worried about being caught in the stretch?"
"Not at all. I believed I could beat my opponents. They were strong, but I had absolute confidence in my finishing burst."
The confidence in her voice, and the faintly provocative curve of her smile, actually made the hostess pause for a beat before nodding in admiration.
"Then let me ask about another moment," she continued. "Around the third and fourth turns, Crocodile Red—arguably the biggest threat to you in this race—had already begun to accelerate. Did that make you anxious at all? After all, she won the Isfahan Stakes earlier this year by beating Aguila. Once she clearly showed that she was moving into her finishing drive, how did you handle that?"
"Honestly? It was fine," Offside Trap said. "Just from the way she started accelerating, I could tell she still hadn't gone all out. And from that position, even if she'd immediately posed a threat to my lead, I still would've had no problem entering the 600-meter marker alongside her. So I didn't really do anything special. I just let it play out naturally. I wasn't worried or anxious."
She said it calmly.
But the reporters' eyes lit up at once.
It had the flavor of trash talk, just enough that they were already mentally drafting headlines. The shy, blushing Offside Trap when questioned about romance; her dismissal of Crocodile Red as no real threat; the tactical planning behind the Eclipse Stakes.
Several reporters were so excited they were practically trembling.
"And finally," the hostess said, "we noticed that by the 200-meter mark, you had already completely secured the advantage, and by the final 100 meters, the victory was essentially decided. Yet you still chose to keep accelerating all the way through the line. Was that because you were deliberately chasing a race record? Or aiming for the biggest winning margin in Eclipse Stakes history?"
At that question, the grandstand fell quiet.
Everyone had noticed it.
Offside Trap absolutely had made a different choice in those final 200 meters. She could have gone for the safer finish—but she didn't.
Of course, there were simple explanations for it. She might have been afraid of being caught and simply went all out. Or perhaps one of the hostess's suggested reasons was true.
But the Offside Trap people knew from the past wasn't the kind of horse girl who chased records or margins for their own sake.
"About that…" Offside Trap said.
Her expression softened.
"I think what I really want to say is that being able to stand here and run a performance like that… I truly owe it to my trainer. My trainer has done so much for me. I used to be tormented by injury, and I didn't have enough talent either."
Terizumi Shinji's eyes widened sharply.
By now, he understood exactly what she was doing.
"It was my trainer who adjusted me, bit by bit," Offside Trap went on, "until I could finally stand on the winner's podium of the Eclipse Stakes."
Across the stands, quite a few fans lowered their heads.
They had once disliked Terizumi Shinji. They had wondered whether he was holding Offside Trap back.
But when they looked up again, what they saw was the girl standing there beside him, smiling radiantly.
The picture in front of them was harmonious.
Beautiful, even.
"I think…" Offside Trap said, her voice quiet but steady, "that was my gift to him. If he'd known beforehand that I was planning to do it, he probably would've tried to stop me. But I still wanted to—I had to. He is the only reason I could become the Offside Trap I am today."
Her words left the fans silent for a heartbeat.
Then the silence deepened further.
Because no one could miss the sincerity in her eyes.
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
MYGO Beauties 80
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 70
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 60
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 45
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 70
Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried! 36
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