After crossing the finish line, Oguri Cap ran for a bit longer before finally slowing to a halt. She rested her hands on her knees, gasping for breath. Sweat poured from her brow, quickly leaving damp patches on the dirt beneath her.
Her throat burned with a searing pain, and her legs felt so heavy they hardly seemed to belong to her anymore. Beyond that, a dull ache radiated from every muscle in her body, accompanied by a slight, involuntary tremor. She felt hollowed out, as if every step were treading on soft cotton, her entire being light and airy.
This state of extreme physical exhaustion brought with it a jarring sense of contradiction. Yet, it didn't matter. Both the fatigue and the confusion were swept away by a more surging, more scalding emotion churning in her chest.
I won. I won! Oguri Cap thought.
Despite it being her first away race, and despite facing such a powerful rival, she had won! The entire audience was chanting her name, eagerly waiting for her to ascend the Winning Stage!
Everything was so vivid, so alive, that even the crushing fatigue became part of the trophy. Joy and a sense of accomplishment swelled deep within her, nearly overflowing.
Oguri Cap looked around impatiently, wanting to share her happiness with her reliable Trainer. She quickly locked onto that familiar figure.
Fujimaru Ritsuka stood in the buffer zone, just a few meters from the guardrail, his deep blue eyes watching her with a gentle gaze. He appeared calm, but Oguri could clearly sense the profound approval in his eyes.
This made her even happier. A brilliant, cloudless smile—one so bright it seemed almost too pure—erupted across her face. Her hands tightened around her trophy instinctively; she wanted nothing more than to charge off the track and throw herself into his arms, just like last time.
She wanted to share this heavy, tangible happiness with him.
She could already imagine it: Fujimaru Ritsuka would pat her head and say in that steady, pleasant voice, "Well done. As expected of you, Oguri."
Maybe... he would even promise her a magnificent feast?!
At that thought, Oguri became even more excited. She sprinted directly toward Fujimaru Ritsuka and lunged at him, much to Maruzensky's surprised gaze!
It wasn't that Oguri didn't understand the strength gap and endurance limits between a Horse Girl and an ordinary human; it was because she knew Fujimaru Ritsuka was special. Since he was special, she felt she should be even closer to him, letting him feel the full extent of her gratitude.
She knew how to do nothing but run. At the very least, she wanted to convey these feelings properly.
Feeling his solid chest, Oguri nuzzled against him affectionately, crying out with passion, "Trainer! Trainer, I won! I won, and it's all thanks to you!"
Maruzensky covered her mouth with a light giggle. "Oh my, oh my~"
The scene was touching enough that she could barely suppress the curve of her lips.
Seeing the young girl in his arms so moved, Ritsuka chuckled and offered words of encouragement, kindly stroking the top of her head. After a moment's thought, he pulled a carrot from his bag as a reward.
Soon, the crisp sound of munching filled the air.
Oguri Cap looked at Ritsuka with a face of pure bliss, her expression seemingly asking: Trainer, give me the order. Which race are we entering next?
Her posture and gaze seemed to say: As long as I have the Trainer with me, I am—invincible.
However, Fujimaru Ritsuka gave an awkward smile and gave a small tilt of his chin, signaling for Oguri to look behind her.
Oguri didn't understand what he meant, but she knew he would never tease or trick her in a mean way, so she obediently shifted her gaze.
Ritsuka was pointing toward the tunnel where the athletes withdrew from the track.
Epuranu was there. She was walking away from the noisy stage, a solitary figure. Her normally straight back was now hunched, her reddish-brown ponytail hung limply, and her shoulders were trembling slightly.
And then, Oguri saw it.
Under the lights of the tunnel exit, a single, glistening drop traced a path down Epuranu's cheek before falling into the dust. Then came a second drop, and a third... Epuranu quickly raised her hand and wiped her eyes harshly with the back of her hand, the movement filled with a stubborn, bitter force.
The problem was that such an action could not stop the surging tears.
Epuranu seemed to realize this as well. She quickly lowered her head and broke into a fast walk, disappearing into the shadows of the tunnel so no one could see her face. Only her slightly shaking shoulders bore silent witness to her true emotions.
Standing nearby, Maruzensky noticed Ritsuka's quiet gesture. She instinctively crossed her arms and lowered her gaze.
To Maruzensky, this was simply the way of things. In a race, it was only natural for there to be a single winner. The losers could only withdraw in silence, nursing their bitter frustration. This was a "certainty" that had existed since the dawn of racing and would never vanish, even into the far-flung future.
If one were heartbroken to the extreme, there was no harm in shedding tears. Besides, such a release might actually help the person recover faster.
There was nothing to be said, and nothing to criticize.
If the bitterness was truly unbearable, then one simply had to train harder and pour everything into the moment of "revenge."
This, too, was a facet of the world of Horse Girls.
As she watched this, the smile on Oguri Cap's face froze. The joy of victory was like a balloon pricked by a needle, deflating instantly. In its place came a strange, suffocating sensation that made her chest tighten.
She had won, and she was happy. But... the person who lost was suffering. They were even crying.
Is this really okay?
Oguri didn't know. Her instinct told her it wasn't right, but if that were the case... was she supposed to lose instead?
Though she had never tasted the bitterness of defeat herself, Oguri instinctively recoiled from the word. She wanted to win; she wanted to make her Trainer and her mother proud.
But if she won, while some people would be happy for her, others would be sad and weep because of her?
Oguri Cap fell into a daze of confusion. She felt the problem was too complex for her to solve. As a result, her ears immediately drooped, and her entire demeanor became listless.
She had won, yet she felt unhappy. That was definitely strange, wasn't it?
Seeing Oguri like this, Fujimaru Ritsuka gently patted her back and whispered a few words into her ear.
Oguri's ears immediately perked up. She blinked, a look of surprise washing over her face.
Fujimaru Ritsuka simply nodded to her, offering an encouraging smile.
Maruzensky: "?"
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (80 Chapters – Ongoing)
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