After morning training ended, Xingyun Liuge was dragged off by Chihaya Yui for a crash course in theory.
"Horse girls' running styles can generally be divided into four types: frontrunner, pace chaser, stalker, and closer."
A frontrunner bursts to the very front right after the race begins, then stays in the lead the entire way, suppressing the field from start to finish. That demands tremendous acceleration—without explosive early speed, you cannot secure first place off the break, and if you cannot hold first, the whole strategy falls apart.
At the same time, frontrunning places extremely high demands on stamina. If your stamina is lacking, it is very easy to slow down in the latter stages and lose everything at the last moment.
It was a very flashy style—
but not necessarily one that produced results.
Plenty of horse girls ran in that spectacular fashion only to finish out of the placings, meaning they failed even to make the top five.
A pace chaser stays toward the front half of the pack in the early stages, then gradually accelerates through the middle and latter portions while maintaining steady rhythm, waiting for the right moment to make a move. This was considered the standard strategy, but it also had the advantage of flexibility and strong adaptability.
This style emphasized balance and consistency in the horse girl's overall abilities, which was why most horse girls could choose it.
A stalker conserves stamina in the early stages and remains toward the back half of the pack, then launches a comeback in the final stretch through acceleration.
This style was somewhat similar to pace chasing, but its requirements were much higher. A horse girl using it needed enough stamina and finishing speed, but also enough intelligence to judge the best moment to accelerate and choose the right breakthrough lane.
Misjudge the timing, or pick the wrong line, and the result would be total defeat.
A closer stayed at the very tail of the pack for the entire race, only going all-out in the final stage and using overwhelming burst speed to overtake everyone at once.
That style demanded extremely high stamina, finishing speed, and power. Moreover, because it required breaking through the entire field from behind, a horse girl who used it also needed a certain degree of resistance to interference.
If she ran into a horse girl drifting across lanes, it could easily cause an accident.
"So, Luka, which style do you think suits you best?"
Because the two of them had become close so quickly—and because Xingyun Liuge had said she liked listening to songs—Chihaya Yui had given her a nickname. Her personal recommendation was either pace chaser or stalker.
Pace chasing was the universal option anyone could use.
As for stalking, that was Chihaya Yui's recommendation based on Xingyun Liuge's actual abilities.
In daily training, Xingyun Liuge had shown solid stamina, explosive power, and strong finishing speed. Most importantly, she was smart and observant. She had more than enough ability to dominate the local circuit. In fact, Chihaya Yui had already started considering whether Xingyun Liuge might someday head to the Central circuit and give those blueblood young ladies a little Cinderella-style shock.
And as for why she was not recommending the closer style?
That could not be helped. Xingyun Liuge's build leaned toward the petite side. If she ran into horse girls drifting across lanes—or simply got trapped in a tightly packed field—she would probably struggle to force her way through.
If Xingyun Liuge had not insisted that she had already reached full physical maturity, Chihaya Yui would have thought she was still just a young filly who had not fully developed yet.
The truth was that Xingyun Liuge had not fully matured yet.
That was just a small lie she had spun in order to get onto the track as soon as possible. After all, there was no actual method in this world to determine whether a horse girl had fully matured or not, and besides—
her Ghost had long since grown impatient.
In any case, race first. Everything else could wait.
Personally, Xingyun Liuge leaned toward stalker and closer, because those two styles fit Darkness Rise best. But after considering Chihaya Yui's advice, she decided stalking would probably be better.
Of course, she could still beat ordinary horse girls through sheer raw ability alone.
That said, the local circuit was not without its own monsters.
She had seen Oguri Cap, who ranked among the stronger simulation opponents, and she had also seen another gray horse girl who constantly radiated an aura of keep away from me—Fujimasa March.
For the record, Eclipse and Secretariat were both in the category of godlike monsters.
"Speaking of which, is the debut race still not decided yet?"
After wiping off her sweat, Xingyun Liuge casually tossed her towel aside.
Chihaya Yui's attitude remained extremely cautious.
"The nearest debut race is next week, but I still think it would be better to wait a little longer."
According to the information she had gathered, Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap would both be entering next week's debut race. On top of that, there would also be Crown Author and Minami Kaku. They were all strong racers on the local circuit, and all of them had been training for years.
Take Fujimasa March, for example—she had been training since childhood. Even the chairwoman valued her highly. She was practically Kasamatsu Tracen's star.
And Xingyun Liuge?
It was hard to imagine that this horse girl had still been in a wheelchair not that long ago…
So Chihaya Yui leaned toward one strategy:
Avoid the matchup.
Every horse girl only got one debut race, and only the winner could debut successfully. If she lost, then she would have to enter the maiden races afterward and fight for another chance—where again, only first place could earn a debut.
There were not many debut races on the local circuit, so it was unavoidable that the strongest girls ended up crowding into the same one.
In response, Xingyun Liuge could only tilt her head slightly and ask:
Lie low for now and avoid the sharp edge?
Me? Avoidingtheirsharp edge?
Go ahead—bring me peak-condition Oguri Cap first.
If it was the Oguri Cap of this period, Xingyun Liuge felt absolutely no pressure at all.
Do not underestimate all the sweat she had shed inside the Realm of Death.
And besides, Fujimasa March was entering this debut race too, which only made it even more worth joining.
That horse girl was always radiating an air of keep strangers away, and she liked glaring at people too. It was scary, okay? Was that really how one was supposed to treat a little filly?
Xingyun Liuge had only happened to pass by quietly once before, without disturbing her training at all, and suddenly she had gotten glared at, challenged, and told:
"So you stayed in your dorm all this time because you hadn't found a satisfactory opponent yet? My goal is the Tokai Derby—to become the strongest horse girl in the Tokai region. If you have a goal worth running toward, then come settle it with me at the Tokai Derby."
It had been their first time meeting, right?
Who said something like that the instant they met?
Was she not worried about scaring the baby?
So Xingyun Liuge had arrived at a simple conclusion:
If she wanted to decide a winner that badly, then why wait? Better to settle it in the debut race.
She wanted to know what kind of expression that proud horse girl would make after suffering the blow of a failed debut.
And besides…
She was, in fact, a little annoyed.
They were all gray horse girls, so why were Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap the ones getting all the attention, while she herself remained completely unknown?
Because she used to be in a wheelchair, and because she had been secretly undergoing special training inside the Realm of Death?
If it was the latter, Xingyun Liuge really had no way to explain it. She had seven hours of tireless special training every day—why would she bother running outside? But she obviously could not say that out loud…
If it was the former, then sorry, but she was going to use the debut race to prove one thing:
Who exactly was the number one horse girl at Kasamatsu Tracen?
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
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