With the track conditions suddenly changing, there was no way the horse girls could beat Xingyun Liuge anymore. Just adapting to the altered footing would take them several precious seconds, never mind finding their balance again and putting power back into their strides.
The trainers were baffled by the awkward, uneven rhythm in their runners' steps. Only the girls on the track knew what kind of bizarre situation they had just been dragged into.
Winning Colors' expression shifted slightly. She had thought she'd already grasped some of Xingyun Liuge's methods, but then the girl had pulled out yet another brand-new trick that was almost impossible to answer. It was enough to make anyone's head ache.
Having won with ease, Xingyun Liuge turned back to the two horse girls, planted her hands on her hips, and declared,
"I don't only have one or two tricks up my sleeve, you know. Go ahead and target me all you want. I'll naturally repay you with surprises~"
To Xingyun Liuge herself, this endless stream of new skills was naturally a delightful surprise.
To the horse girls who wanted to beat her, though, it was a flat-out jump scare.
Because this really was beyond unreasonable.
After parting with the two of them, Xingyun Liuge went to meet the newly arrived Oguri Cap. When she heard that this naturally airheaded horse girl had come all this way specifically to watch her race, Xingyun happily waved her over and beckoned for her to lower her head a little.
Oguri Cap didn't understand why, but she obediently bent forward anyway.
Then she felt a warm, gentle touch.
Xingyun Liuge began stroking the top of her head with soft, reassuring movements.
"There, there. Good girl."
Oguri Cap froze for a moment.
Then a touched blush spread across her fair cheeks.
Inwardly, she thought, Xingyun… she's just like a kind mother.
The way Xingyun patted her head reminded Oguri of her own mother, White Gem. Her gentle mother had always taken care of her just like this.
For a moment, she even forgot all about Rudolf Symbol's invitation to an all-you-can-eat buffet. She just wanted to savor this instant and wished it could stretch on forever.
Watching the reunion between old friends, Rudolf Symbol folded her arms and couldn't help curling her lips into a smile.
She had thought Xingyun Liuge was the sort of horse girl whose sharp edges were always exposed, someone who had to take everything to the bitter end.
Now, though, it seemed the girl had a gentle side after all.
Then she heard Xingyun challenge Oguri Cap to a race.
"Oguri, after all this time apart, just how much have you grown? Let me see it properly!"
The moment the topic turned to running, Oguri lit up.
"Just what I wanted! KitaHara already told me about the special nature of American dirt tracks. This is the perfect chance to test it out. Ah, right—KitaHara's mock exam scores were excellent. He should be able to get his Central trainer's license this year. And then there's Glory…"
Oguri Cap didn't forget to bring up her trainer and her good friend Shinzan Glory while they talked. Her tone and expression were full of delight; she was genuinely happy about how much the two of them had grown.
Xingyun Liuge, meanwhile, tugged Chihaya Yui over and began bragging with a thoroughly smug expression—about how her figure was better, how she'd learned massage, how she could stay unfailingly devoted… it was absurdly over the top.
It was so exaggerated that even Chihaya Yui herself got embarrassed.
So she wrapped her arms around Xingyun Liuge from the side and gently tried to talk her down.
"I know your stamina's incredible, and even if you ran another lap you'd be fine, Xiaoge. But Oguri only just arrived. She hasn't adapted to the track yet, and she might not even be over the dizziness from traveling. Let's not race today. Let's all just have a meal together."
Whether it was life at Central Tracen, the experience of touring Britain and America, or dreams for the future, they could talk about all of it over food.
And so, one unlucky buffet restaurant was forced to confront the terror that was Oguri Cap's appetite.
During the meal, Oguri actually wanted to invite Xingyun Liuge back to Japan to race. But the atmosphere in Japan felt strangely delicate right now. She thought about it for ages and still couldn't figure out how to bring it up, so in the end she had no choice but to let it go.
The American Triple Crown would end in June. The final leg of the British Triple Crown wouldn't come until September, leaving nearly three months of empty space in between. Oguri Cap figured she could always wait until June to raise the matter. It wouldn't make much difference.
If the JRA executive who had been left out of this dinner knew what Oguri was thinking, he would probably have burst into tears on the spot and begged her for help.
Wait until June?
Before he'd even arrived in America, the JRA had already looked like it was on the verge of collapse. How could they possibly hold out until June? By then, there might not even be a foundation left where the JRA building used to stand.
But what choice did he have?
All he could do was pin his hopes on the horse girls.
Try something off the table?
If he dared pull a stunt like that, the American horse girls would probably laugh in his face. That was the absolute worst possible move—one that would only shove Xingyun Liuge farther away.
And so, amid the girls' cheerful laughter and the JRA executives' trembling anxiety, the next morning arrived right on schedule.
The time difference still hit Oguri Cap hard, but the excitement of reuniting with Xingyun Liuge had completely blown that away. She got up early and, without needing anyone to tell her, began her morning training.
The salty sea breeze, the calls of seagulls, the feel of foreign earth under her feet—everything gave her a new and unusual thrill. She, too, wanted to follow Xingyun Liuge's example and attempt a tour of her own someday, one unlike anything she had ever known.
Just as Oguri was immersing herself in her morning run, her ears twitched twice.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Instinctively, she tilted her head, trying to catch sight of whoever it was from the corner of her eye.
She didn't speak any English at all. If she ran into an American horse girl here, things would get awkward fast.
"Oguri Cap, you're still as serious and hardworking as ever."
The voice spoke in Japanese—more than that, in a familiar hometown accent.
"March."
Joy stirred inside Oguri Cap.
There was a saying: meeting an old friend in a foreign land was one of life's great blessings. She really did feel happy.
But almost at once, she sensed that something about Fujimasa March had changed.
"You feel completely different. You've gotten a lot stronger."
Fujimasa March had been one of Oguri's very first rivals. Sensing how much stronger the other girl had become, Oguri's happiness immediately transformed into excitement. Her body unconsciously entered a kind of warrior's tremor.
A slight but unmistakable thrill ran through her nerves.
Oguri Cap longed to run shoulder to shoulder with the strong. She longed to seize victory.
Once their eyes met, battle was inevitable.
Neither horse girl slowed. They read the blazing fighting spirit in each other's eyes, and with the fewest possible words, arranged a race.
"We'll use that marker over there as the turning point," Fujimasa March said. "Then race back to the hotel from here. Let's see who gets there first."
She had long known that she was no match for the two grey horse girls of their generation. But now she could feel strength overflowing through her body, and she couldn't wait to challenge Oguri Cap.
Oguri's face lit up with pure excitement.
"Perfect. Just what I wanted."
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 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 139)
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 (Chapter171)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter100)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter184)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 168
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 156
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 105
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 185
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 160
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 150
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 76
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 97
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 116
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 75
Uma Musume: I Want All 93
I Can Copy Unique Skills 79
Summoning an Evil God, but the 55
Supernatural Multiverse 75
My Harem Is Indescribable 68
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 70
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 69
Still playing traditional Honk 49
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 53
What Should I Do After Switchi 42
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 50
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 38
Transmigrated as Sukuna 35
Checking In in Demon Slayer 40
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 55
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