As Trainer Okino's voice fell, Special Week and Silence Suzuka looked toward Myriad Dreams in unison, their eyes filled with obvious concern.
Feeling their worry, Myriad Dreams let out a soft sigh, but her tone remained exceptionally firm.
"I will win."
She knew that if she didn't offer repeated assurances, this group of friends who cared for her would likely keep their hearts in their throats.
At that moment, Gold Ship suddenly slapped her hard on the back from behind, laughing loudly.
"Good! That's more like an Uma Musume of our Gold family!"
Myriad Dreams stumbled from the impact and retorted helplessly, "I've told you, my last name isn't Gold!"
The amusing interaction between the two instantly lightened the atmosphere in the training room, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing this, Trainer Okino also showed a gratified smile and continued.
"Confidence is a good thing, but to ensure nothing goes wrong, Suzuka—"
Silence Suzuka nodded slightly, quietly waiting for instructions.
"Suzuka is the best at short distances and the 'Great Escape' strategy in our team. Dreams-chan, follow her for special training over the next few days."
Myriad Dreams nodded earnestly: "No problem."
After dismissing, the members of Spica changed into their training gear and headed to the track.
Silence Suzuka walked up to Myriad Dreams, her voice soft yet steady.
"Dreams-chan, to help you adapt to the rhythm as quickly as possible, I'll start the sprint directly. Please follow closely behind me and observe my stride and tempo carefully."
Myriad Dreams took a deep breath and got into her starting position.
In an instant, Suzuka shot out like an arrow from a bow, and Myriad Dreams hurried to keep up.
Suzuka's running posture was kept extremely low, every movement bursting with power and beauty.
With the help of the system's auxiliary analysis, Myriad Dreams quickly captured the essence of the movements and began to mimic the running form with decent accuracy.
In the end, both completed the 1000-meter training with an astonishing time of 57.3 seconds.
Watching their smooth and rapid strides from the sidelines, Special Week's eyes widened in surprise.
She clenched her fists, silently cheering herself on.
After all, on the stage of next year's Classic races, she would likely face Myriad Dreams head-on.
"Scarlet-san, let's train too!" Special Week shouted, her blood boiling with excitement.
"Alright!" Daiwa Scarlet was equally pumped.
The two Uma Musume shared a smile and stepped onto the track side-by-side to begin today's pace-matching training.
In the evening after training, the setting sun dyed the sky a warm orange-red.
Looking at her teammates around her, drenched in sweat yet still full of energy, Myriad Dreams suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Everyone! Dinner's on me tonight. How about we go for BBQ?"
This sentence was like lighting a fuse, instantly drawing a burst of cheers.
"YES!!"
Myriad Dreams had the confidence to make such a proposal for a reason— after winning three consecutive Graded races, her prize money was indeed quite substantial.
However, as everyone sat around the table at the BBQ restaurant and watched the mountain of empty plates piling up in front of Special Week, Myriad Dreams began to realize things might not be so simple.
She had just put a few slices of grilled meat into her own bowl when she looked up to see that the stack of plates in front of Special Week was already taller than the girl herself.
Special Week was eating happily, and noticing Myriad Dreams staring at her, she asked with concern.
"Dreams-chan, why aren't you eating? Is there not enough?"
Myriad Dreams managed a forced smile: "No... it's nothing..."
As the meat on the grill disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, Myriad Dreams felt her heart drumming as she watched her friends feast.
When the bill finally arrived, she looked at the balance displayed on her phone and took a sharp breath.
A single meal had wiped out two-thirds of her prize money.
"I guess I still underestimated the appetite of an Uma Musume..." she shook her head helplessly, looking at her companions behind her, each rubbing their satisfied bellies.
Only Silence Suzuka maintained her elegant posture, forming a sharp contrast with the other members who were too full to even walk.