Right after the entrance ceremony ended, an application to join a training team was delivered to Rudolf Symboli's office.
Holding the thin letter in one hand, she pressed the other to her forehead, utterly baffled.
Why would a freshman pick a trainer and apply to join a team on the very first day of school? Rudolf had heard nothing about any of the incoming students having especially close ties to one of the academy's trainers.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Air Groove, by contrast, seemed pleased. "A horse girl with a clear goal and a trainer she's already set her heart on. That kind of enthusiasm is exactly what we want."
In her eyes, a girl who chose her trainer before even the freshman mock races must have been deeply satisfied with that choice, and the trainer in question must have accepted her as well.
That kind of mutual commitment ought to be encouraged, not overcomplicated. They should just stamp the form and be done with it.
But Rudolf Symboli, who always insisted on seeing the bigger picture, didn't agree so easily. To her, this felt too impulsive. If they let girls choose so casually, only for both sides to realize later that the match was a bad one, it would lead to a whole chain of trouble.
"Air Groove, this isn't something we should treat lightly," Rudolf said. "Their feelings matter, yes. But our role is to serve as a safeguard."
What she didn't say aloud was the real source of her concern:
The trainer in question was Wada.
Air Groove, seated beside her, tapped her fingers against the desk, clearly unconvinced. "But if you rely only on test data and objective metrics, then for the more emotional horse girls, that becomes its own kind of cruelty. We've always upheld freedom of choice. You can't start doubting Trainer Wada just because Lady happens to be exceptionally gifted."
Wada's team, aside from Opera O, had never produced a truly famous representative horse girl.
That was true.
But that didn't mean Wada lacked ability.
The horse girls who had retired from his team all said the same thing: Wada was an excellent trainer. He'd just had terrible luck, and most of the girls who came to him had started from the bottom.
Even so, he had still managed to raise them into graded-race level horse girls. For that alone, they were grateful.
Even those who had long since graduated from the academy still made a point of gathering once or twice a year to visit him.
Rudolf pressed the tip of her pen lightly to her brow, then shook her head. "You're right. I don't know when I started thinking that way…"
She had always believed she was changing, but only now did she realize exactly how.
"Thank you, Air Groove."
Air Groove blinked, puzzled for a moment, then understood what Rudolf meant. She straightened the files in her hands and said, "No need. Honestly, you should give yourself a break too. You've carried that grand vision on your shoulders for too many years. It might be time you started thinking about a successor."
"A successor…?"
Rudolf repeated the word softly, tapping her pen against the desk after Air Groove had already left the office.
She remained seated there until noon.
"Good morning, Senpai."
Lady was already in the training room, dressed in her red training outfit, gripping a heavy spring-loaded hand gripper. Every squeeze made it let out a shrill metallic squeak.
Dyna stiffened.
The visual impact was overwhelming. She did not believe, even for a second, that she could compress that thing.
"Morning… Lady. You're training this early already?"
Lady set the gripper down on the table with a heavy clang and replied matter-of-factly, "Not exactly. Trainer Wada hasn't finished arranging my program yet, so for now I'm just doing whatever occurs to me."
Wada, meanwhile, was in an absurdly good mood.
Watching Lady move, he was already thinking about how to design her training plan. He'd seen her entrance data. In this year's freshman class, her speed and power both ranked first. What she needed now was not raw conditioning, but refinement—technique, racecraft, tactical guidance.
And once that was in place, they'd need to choose the right debut course and begin adapting her to it.
Wada didn't want to fail a single horse girl who chose him—least of all one with Lady's monstrous talent and obvious capacity to create miracles.
Dyna, meanwhile, had only just finished dealing with the morning report from Changsakura at the new branch shop.
The original store in Tokyo had stalled badly after Changsakura left, and Dyna would need to find time to recruit someone new soon. She still had the Japanese Derby to prepare for. There was no way she could leave the entire store in Oguri Cap's hands and expect her not to collapse from overwork.
This time, she'd decided to recruit online and sort through applications at night once she got home. She wanted to hire another horse girl if possible, though if the applicant pool was too small, she might have to lower her standards.
"Dyna, you look exhausted," Kiryuuin's elderly mare—Kiryūin? No, it was Kirei Jun? No—Kiryūin wasn't here. It was Kiseki? No. It was Kirei Jun? Actually, it was Kiretsu?
No—sitting off to the side with a little snack in hand was Kirei Jun?
No—Kisaki?
No. It was Kirei Jyun?
No.
It was Kirei Jun's grandmotherly horse girl, Kiretsu?
No.
It was Kiretsu?
She finally just laughed at herself for overthinking and looked over as Kirei Jun—no, Kirei… no—Kirei was not the name—
Then the voice came again, cheerful and slow:
"Dyna, you really do look worn out~"
It was Kirei Jun?
No.
It was Kirei Jun's teammate, Kiretsu?
No.
It was Kirei Jyun?
No.
It was Kisaira?
No—
It was Kirei Jun?
Dyna gave up trying to mentally untangle the name and just recognized the speaker as Kiryūin's elderly, gentle teammate—Kis?
She had a snack in hand and a distinctly grandmotherly tone.
Dyna waved it off, but a yawn interrupted her before she could answer. Once it passed, she said, "No, no, it's fine. The store's just been a little draining lately. Once I finish hiring staff in the next couple of days, I can focus on training again."
"I see~ Well, good luck. But take care of yourself too, okay?"
Dyna smiled. "Mm-hm. Thanks."
She had only come today to change into her training shoes. Since she still didn't know how to fit racing plates, that was all she could use.
And honestly, she wasn't good at choosing sports gear anyway. It was far easier when someone knowledgeable picked it out for her.
Recently, the long-distance G1 Emperor's Prize (Spring) had produced a mild upset. The seventh favorite, Admire Grouse? No—Mangetsu Chōai?
In the story she was called Many Affections—won, defeating the third favorite, Eishin Flash, and claiming her first G1.
Afterward, both the mare and her trainer announced that their target for the year would be the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, with a prep race beforehand.
As for Eishin Flash, she would continue targeting domestic G1s. Most fans, however, already believed she had burned through the better part of her potential in that now-legendary Japanese Derby. Winning another G1, in their eyes, would be extraordinarily difficult.
A week after the Emperor's Prize, the NHK Mile Cup—the championship for classic-aged milers—would be run. Dyna, however, had no interest in paying attention to it.
She was preparing for something bigger.
The Japanese Derby.
"Trainer, can I train together with Senpai today?" Lady asked suddenly, her eyes burning as she looked at Dyna.
Wada saw no reason to object. "Of course. You can train with Dyna for now. Once it's mid-month—or after the Derby—I'll have your own training plan properly arranged."
"Thank you, Trainer."
Lady smiled.
And Dyna broke out in goosebumps.
Because Wada's current program for her was almost entirely strength training.
Which happened to be Lady's specialty.
Being watched like that by a junior was definitely going to get her laughed at.
Kiseki—no, the grandmotherly mare at the side—raised her hand too. "I'll help Dyna too~"
At that, Dyna knew this was officially the worst-case scenario.
Out on the training grounds, she stared at the plan sheet in disbelief.
Brick breaking.
How exactly was this supposed to build strength?
She slowly lowered the sheet and looked at the neatly stacked tiles Kirei—no, the elderly mare—had arranged in front of her. Her fingertips were already throbbing in anticipation.
"This is a traditional Tracen strength exercise? I thought those were usually… done on the dirt course?"
She still hoped someone would laugh and tell her this was a joke.
Instead, the mare beside her set her stance, drew back one hand, and brought it down in a vertical chop.
Wham.
The tiles cracked cleanly in two.
"Oh, my strength is actually pretty weak~ so this is the best I can manage," she said mildly, dusting her hand off. Then she pointed to the much taller stack nearby. "If it were Lady, she could probably smash that whole pile in one go."
As if on cue, Lady picked up a single roof tile from another stack and casually snapped it in half between her fingers.
"Huh. So flimsy? I'm still not convinced this really counts as strength training…"
In her hands, it looked as easy as breaking a biscuit.
But by then the arrow was already on the string. Since Dyna had agreed to do the training, she had to at least try it.
She copied the stance she'd just seen, took a deep breath, and brought her hand down hard.
Crack!
For a second, she thought maybe the tiles had been weakened for practice.
Then the shockwave traveled straight up her arm and through her whole body. It nearly felt like her hand had shattered on impact. Even her tail twitched in ripples.
But she refused to cry out. She only jerked her hand back and shook it frantically in silence.
A few fractures had appeared in the top bricks.
So technically… she had done some damage.
Lady turned away and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"It hurts… Are all the horse girls at Tracen made of steel?!"
"Your form wasn't even right. But yes, physically you are quite weak," Lady said bluntly. She separated out the cracked tiles and set them aside. "For now, just try to break these in one strike."
Training continued all through the morning.
By lunch, Dyna felt sore everywhere. They had only really trained her hands and arms, but somehow fatigue had spread through her entire body. It was a strange sensation. It even overwhelmed the pain in her palms.
Lady had gone to get lunch for her.
When Dyna saw the tray, her stomach twitched.
"That much…?"
The food stacked on it was even more than what she'd been eating lately. Yet Lady's own tray held only a very normal amount.
Lady nodded calmly. "I asked in advance how much you usually eat, Senpai. So I took this much for you. As for me, I only eat this much."
"Horse girls really are… amazing," Dyna muttered.
Then she sat down and devoured the whole meal.
Once she finished, she pressed her hands together and let out a satisfied breath.
"Thank you for the meal~"
She was about to return her dishes when she realized the place she expected the return counter to be was empty.
Apparently they had moved it.
Since she didn't know where the new one was, she had no choice but to wait for the others to finish and go together.
Horse girls came and went through the cafeteria. While waiting, Dyna let her attention drift around the room, idly scanning for familiar faces—future rivals, perhaps, or at least girls she might one day greet before a race.
Then she spotted them.
"Dona-senpai~! Look, look, I was amazing, right?"
"Yes, yes, you were amazing."
Deep Impact sat there, calmly stroking the head of the girl pressed against her side.
That girl was Marcellina.
And the way Marcellina leaned on her—utterly trusting, utterly delighted—made her look like a tiny dog basking in her favorite person's affection.
This was Marcellina, the very first horse girl Deep Impact had personally guided as a training assistant.
Fresh off her Oka Sho victory, Marcellina's strength was already beyond question.
And yet in front of Deep Impact, she was wagging with delight like a happy little puppy.
Dyna stared for a long moment.
The aura around Deep Impact was so overwhelming that even the ever-steady Sea the Stars had once remarked on it. The moment Dyna saw her, she understood why.
That was a true giant.
An undefeated Triple Crown winner.
A seven-G1 legend.
And, according to rumor, the person Rudolf Symboli had already chosen as her eventual successor in the student council.
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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