The moment Urushihara Tōru finished speaking, he suddenly sensed… no, not one, but several gazes.
Yet when he looked in the direction the feeling came from, there was nothing there at all.
Was it just his imagination?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a voice unlike any inner voice he had heard before suddenly rang out.
[Through friendship training with Smart Falcon, Haru Urara's attributes have increased.]
What?
[Haru Urara's Speed has increased!]
[Haru Urara's Power has increased!]
[Haru Urara has learned the skill "Concentration."]
["Concentration": The horse girl's focus improves, making her better at starts.]
Urushihara Tōru's brain froze completely for a full three seconds.
What the hell—a cheat!?
Wait, no, hold on, man.
So you're not just some ordinary mind-reading system after all?
He had always thought his cheat was nothing more than a passive skill that let him read horse girls' thoughts. True, it had helped him plenty, but at the end of the day, he had viewed it as just an information-gathering support ability.
And now it was suddenly telling him this thing could raise a horse girl's stats? It could let a horse girl learn skills?
What was this, some kind of game system!?
Urushihara Tōru screamed internally.
Wait. Calm down. Let him sort this out properly.
Judging from that message just now, the trigger condition seemed to be "friendship training."
In other words, Urara and Smart Falcon had run a mock race together, some kind of bond had formed between them, and that bond had then been converted into increased attributes for Urara?
Wasn't this just the classic setup from raising sims?
No, no—there was a problem here.
If the system had a function this overpowered, then why had it never triggered before?
He and Urara had already been training together for so many days!
Did that mean the trigger condition was not normal training, but interaction with other horse girls specifically?
Or perhaps…
Urushihara Tōru suddenly thought of another possibility.
Could it be that, because Urara had always been alone before this and did not really have horse-girl friends, she simply had never had any opportunity to trigger "friendship training" at all?
Had all those bright, sunny smiles Urara showed every day actually been something she put on just to comfort herself?
That thought made his feelings turn strangely complicated.
Only now did Urushihara Tōru realize that, as her trainer, he had never once paid attention to how Urara's relationships at school were!
That was a complete failure on his part as a trainer.
With that somewhat heavy feeling in his chest, Urushihara Tōru walked over to where Urara was resting and, as casually as he could manage, asked carefully,
"Urara."
"What is it, Trainer?"
Urara blinked her round eyes up at him.
"Come to think of it, I never asked—how are things between you and your friends?"
"Friends…?"
Urara thought for a bit, then asked timidly,
"Trainer, do you mean Little Saint, Little Aoi, Little Te, and Little Grass?"
Huh?
So not only did she have friends, she had more than one?
Wait, hold on.
There were cases like that sometimes, weren't there?
The sort where people treated stuffed animals, toys, or even invisible air as their friends.
"Y-Yeah, them. How do you get along with them?"
"Really well! Especially after they heard Urara finally got her own trainer, they even held a little celebration for Urara!"
"What? Something like that happened and nobody told me?"
Urushihara Tōru's eyes widened.
"I wanted to celebrate properly for my Urara too."
"Eh? Trainer wanted to come too?"
Urara panicked a little.
"That's not it, Trainer. It's not that Urara didn't want to invite you. It was just that everyone there was a horse-girl friend, so nobody thought Trainer would want to come. Next time…"
"Alright, alright. I'm just teasing you."
The moment he heard they were actual horse-girl friends, Urushihara Tōru finally relaxed. Then he said casually,
"Next time—when you win your debut race—I'll treat everyone. Bring your horse-girl friends too and introduce them to me."
"Mm-hm…"
Urara nodded, then suddenly seemed to think of something and carefully added,
"Um, Trainer… Little Te and the others are all horse girls who already have trainers."
"Oh, what is that little head of yours even thinking? Do you seriously think I'd need to use you as bait to poach horse girls?"
Putting on a mock-stern face, Urushihara Tōru lightly tapped Urara on the forehead, then smiled.
"I just want to thank your friends for taking care of my Urara."
"My Urara…"
Urara repeated the words to herself and then suddenly giggled.
Now that the "Urara has no friends" theory had been disproven, Urushihara Tōru could not help grumbling inwardly again.
Come on, come on—this is such an important function, so couldn't you have given me an instruction manual a little earlier!?
At least explain clearly how this friendship training thing triggers!
But fine, fine. Complaining now was useless.
What mattered was that he now knew this function existed.
From here on, all he had to do was reproduce whatever conditions triggered friendship training.
And then, if he let Urara do friendship training with more horse girls, wouldn't her attributes just keep rising?
No, wait—before that, the system had never said it could only work once per horse girl pair, had it?
At that thought, Urushihara Tōru turned toward Smart Falcon, who was saying goodbye to Urara, and toward Kurokawa Ayaka standing nearby.
"Um, Senpai."
"Hm? What is it, genius boy?"
Kurokawa Ayaka raised a brow, curiosity written on her face.
"Could we… race one more time?"
"Huh?"
Kurokawa Ayaka's expression instantly turned strange.
She looked at Urushihara Tōru, then at Urara, who was sticking so close to him she practically looked like a puppy, and her face clearly said, What kind of nonsense are you talking about?
"You serious?"
"Completely."
Urushihara Tōru nodded, his tone utterly sincere.
"I'm begging you, Senpai. Do me this favor."
"…"
Kurokawa Ayaka fell silent for a moment.
She truly could not understand the thought process of this horse-girl idiot.
He had just lost that badly, so why on earth did he want to run it again?
Did he want his horse girl to suffer another blow?
Was he some old-school, last-century fossil who believed in frustration-based education?
Still, looking at the earnest expression on Urushihara Tōru's face, Kurokawa Ayaka eventually let out a sigh.
"Fine, fine. It's just another run anyway."
She turned to Smart Falcon.
"Falcon-chan, how's your rest going? Got enough stamina left for one more?"
"Of course!"
Smart Falcon raised her hand with full energy, her eyes sparkling.
"As a horse-girl idol, Falcon-chan is always ready to show everyone her most dazzling self anytime, anywhere!"
"Then what about you, Urara? You okay too?"
Kurokawa Ayaka looked at the pink-haired horse girl beside Urushihara Tōru, then sighed and added,
"This guy may be smart, but maybe because he's too smart, his brain sometimes misfires. Urara, don't listen to every single thing this horse-girl idiot says, okay?"
"Hey, hey, hey—what are you saying in front of someone else's horse girl!?"
Urushihara Tōru shot Kurokawa Ayaka a glare.
What did she mean, too smart so his brain misfires sometimes? He was perfectly normal.
Urara, meanwhile, nodded and smiled brightly.
"It's okay, because Trainer is my trainer."
Smitten by how adorable Urara looked, Kurokawa Ayaka could not help swooping in and hugging her.
"Ahhh, how is this little one so cute? Letting a horse-girl idiot like him steal her away is such a waste. So, Urara—how about coming with big sis over to our team instead? There are tons and tons of cute horse girls like Falcon-chan there. You could make so many new friends."
After finally wriggling free from Kurokawa Ayaka's embrace, Urara answered seriously, though with visible difficulty,
"I'm sorry, but I already have a trainer. So…"
"You—don't push your luck just because I've been letting things slide. My Urara isn't someone an A-rank team can hope to deserve!"
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, Urushihara Tōru stepped in and rescued his horse girl from the overly touchy gyaru.
Kurokawa Ayaka clicked her tongue in annoyance and muttered,
"This counts as one dinner you owe me."
"Three dinners, no problem!"
Thanks to the activation of friendship training, Urushihara Tōru was in a remarkably generous mood.
Kurokawa Ayaka said nothing. She just made an OK sign with her fingers, clapped her hands, and motioned for the two horse girls to return to the starting line.
Meanwhile, now that Urara had finally made it back to her trainer's side, she nervously tugged at his sleeve.
"Trainer… we're really running again?"
There was a trace of confusion in those pink eyes.
Running is fun… but if it makes Trainer disappointed… then maybe it isn't quite so fun anymore…
"Urara."
Urushihara Tōru crouched down until his eyes were level with hers.
Then he reached out and gently took both of her hands in his own.
"Trust me."
"Trainer…?"
"This time, it'll definitely be different."
Urushihara Tōru's gaze was incredibly serious.
"So trust me. Trust in the me who believes in you."
This was the second time he had said something like that.
The first had been in the chairwoman's office, when he was trying to convince Akiyama Yayoi to allow him and Urara to sign a contract.
And this time, it was for the sake of making Urara believe in him.
"…Okay!"
Urara nodded hard, and the fighting spirit returned to her eyes.
Urara doesn't know why Trainer is this confident, but… if Trainer says it'll be different, then it really will be different!
Because Trainer is Urara's trainer!
Hearing that inner voice, Urushihara Tōru could not help the slight rise of his lips.
Good.
Now let him see whether this newly unlocked function was really as useful as it seemed.
…
After a quick reset, Urara and Smart Falcon stood at the starting line once again.
Still dirt, 800 meters. Still good track conditions.
"Ready?"
Kurokawa Ayaka raised the signal flag again.
"Anytime!"
Smart Falcon answered confidently.
"Urara's ready too!"
The pink-haired horse girl drew in a deep breath and focused every bit of her attention at her feet.
Focus… focus… trust Trainer, trust the self that Trainer believes in…
Urushihara Tōru noticed that Urara looked different now than she had before.
If one looked closely, one could see that Urara's pretty cherry-blossom eyes had narrowed to a tiny point, her ears were standing straight up, and her whole body seemed drawn tight like an arrow ready to be loosed.
So this was the effect of the Concentration skill?
"Set—"
Kurokawa Ayaka drew out the word.
"Go!"
The instant the signal flag dropped, the two figures shot forward together.
And in that same instant, Urushihara Tōru's eyes widened.
He saw it—
Urara's start was completely different from before!
Though she still was not a match for Smart Falcon's explosive burst, Urara's reaction off the line was obviously much quicker this time.
More importantly, her acceleration curve had become far smoother.
That movement, that posture—there was even a faint rhythm to it that overlapped with Smart Falcon's beside her.
"Oh?"
Standing next to Urushihara Tōru, Kurokawa Ayaka also noticed the change and let out a small, surprised sound.
"That start… was way better than before."
Urushihara Tōru did not answer. All of his focus was on the track.
The opening phase ended.
And the gap between Urara and Smart Falcon was—
Half a length.
Only half a length.
Just half a length!
The first time, Urara had already been nearly a full length behind during the starting phase.
And now that gap had been cut exactly in half!
"This…!"
Kurokawa Ayaka's expression became extremely complicated.
Realistically speaking, of course she was not going to believe that Urara had made some enormous leap forward in the few minutes she had rested.
But then how was she supposed to explain what she was seeing?
Could it be… a flying start?
A flying start meant beginning just before the starter gave the signal, betting that one's body would move faster than the official signal could be completed.
No, impossible.
With Urara's simple, straightforward nature, there was no way she would do something like that.
In that case, the only possible explanation was—
"Could it be…"
Kurokawa Ayaka muttered to herself.
"That child really learned something from the race just now? From a single race?"
Out on the track, the race entered the early-positioning phase.
Smart Falcon had clearly noticed the change in Urara too.
Surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, but it was quickly replaced by excitement.
"Now this is interesting!"
The chestnut-haired horse girl smiled brightly and drove her legs harder, accelerating again.
She was a front-running type who preferred to stay ahead early. Maintaining the lead in the opening stage was simply the natural tactic for her.
Besides, that first race had already given her a clear read on this horse girl named Urara.
That pink-haired horse girl worked very hard, yes—but her ability had also clearly been a little regrettable.
Smart Falcon genuinely liked Urara's personality and did want to be friends with her.
But a race was not child's play.
Sorry, Urara.
After the race was over, Falcon-chan would comfort you properly.
And yet—
"What!?"
Smart Falcon's eyes widened.
She was accelerating. She was pulling away.
But Urara was not being left farther and farther behind like she had the first time.
That pink-haired horse girl was sticking to her like a little puppy with its teeth sunk into its prey, refusing to let go.
One length.
One and a half lengths.
Two lengths.
The speed at which the gap widened was far slower than before.
"This girl…!"
The smile on Smart Falcon's face faltered.
Could it be that Urara had actually been hiding her strength in the previous race?
Hiding it to the point of deliberately losing by seven lengths? Why would anyone do that?
And if that was true, then what level was her real strength supposed to be?
Behind her, Urara had no idea what Smart Falcon was thinking.
She only stole a quick glance toward her trainer, who was waiting at the finish line.
Then her face filled with resolve.
Because I'm Trainer's Urara!
The final corner.
Smart Falcon once again adopted that exaggerated posture, practically flattening herself against the rail.
The astonishing acceleration let her instantly widen the distance from Urara.
Three lengths.
Four lengths—no, it wasn't growing anymore!
"She's catching up!?"
Kurokawa Ayaka's voice was full of disbelief.
Urara had begun her sprint too.
The pink-haired horse girl clenched her teeth and ran with every bit of strength she had.
Her expression was even more serious than before, and her cherry-blossom eyes burned with fighting spirit like fire!
Four lengths.
Three and a half lengths.
The gap was shrinking!
Though the ceiling of Urara's sprint speed still was not as high as Smart Falcon's, Urara's sprint lasted longer and carried farther!
This was the advantage brought by her Grit attribute!
The finish line loomed directly ahead.
Smart Falcon still crossed it first.
Right behind her came Urara, running with everything she had.
"Three lengths…"
Kurokawa Ayaka stared at the stopwatch in her hand, her expression utterly tangled.
"From seven lengths down to three… how is that even possible…"
Even with Smart Falcon hiding part of her strength, she was still operating at a level good enough to win a debut race.
With the level Urara had just shown, if she were allowed to run the same debut race five times, then with some luck, she might win one of them.
Do not think that level was poor.
By the standard of her previous race, even if Urara were allowed to run a debut race ten times, she would not have a single chance of winning even once.
That was how cruel the world of horse girls was.
Kurokawa Ayaka lifted her head and looked toward Urushihara Tōru.
That young trainer wore a faint smile on his face, as though everything had gone exactly as he expected.
"Hey, genius boy."
"Hm?"
"What exactly did you do to that child?"
"Nothing at all."
Urushihara Tōru shrugged, his tone light.
"I just believed in her."
"…"
Kurokawa Ayaka had no answer to that.
At that moment, she felt as if she finally understood a little of why people called him the Appraising Eye.
Someone who could see what other people could not.
Someone who could believe in possibilities other people did not dare believe in.
A trainer like that really was something extraordinary.
And over on the other side of the track, Smart Falcon, having just crossed the finish line, was also staring in astonishment.
"What was that just now…"
She looked at Urara, who was still breathing heavily, her eyes full of disbelief.
From the way Urara had moved in the last sprint phase, Falcon-chan had confirmed one thing.
Urara had not held back in the first race.
Rather—
"Urara, just now… did you get stronger?"
"Eh? Did Urara get stronger?"
The pink-haired horse girl blinked, confusion on her face.
Urara just did what Trainer said and trusted Trainer… so how did that make Urara stronger?
She tilted her head and thought for a bit.
Then, as if she had figured it out, she broke into a bright smile.
"It must be because of Trainer!"
"Trainer?"
"Yeah! Because Trainer said it would be different, so it really was different!"
As she said that, Urara ran toward Urushihara Tōru.
Like a little puppy that had found its owner, she pressed herself against his side and looked up at him.
"Trainer, Trainer—how did Urara run this time?"
"Very well."
Urushihara Tōru reached out and gently rubbed her head.
"You improved by a lot compared to before."
"Really!? That's great!"
Urara beamed, her pink eyes curving into crescents.
So happy… Trainer praised Urara…
And Urara really does feel like she got a tiny bit stronger…
This must definitely be because of Trainer…
Feeling the warmth of her trainer's hand, an indescribably strange feeling welled up inside Urara.
She could not put it into words, but it filled her with deep reassurance.
It felt as though, as long as Trainer was with her, no matter what difficulty came, she would be able to overcome it.
This, surely, was the power of the bond between her and her trainer.
Urara believed that with all her heart.
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