Hachiman's Perspective
After our whirlwind tour of Paris, we made our way back to our base of operations at Chantilly Academy. I retreated to my room to double-check the training menus I'd planned to start in a few days. Rice was likely doing the same in her own room.
It was currently 3:00 PM. Classes at the academy were likely wrapping up, and the afternoon training sessions would be just beginning. The dorms were quiet; most trainers and Horse Girls were out on the tracks. I wanted to get Rice out there as soon as possible, but impatience is a trainer's worst enemy. I had to focus on clearing our hurdles one by one.
"..."
Still, once the paperwork was done, the boredom started to set in. I wondered what Rice was up to.
Ping.
"Oh? From Rice?"
Rice:
Hello, Big Brother. What are you up to right now?
14:34
Hachiman:
Re-checking the menus. I'm just about done, so I'm free for a bit.
14:34
Rice:
I'm just in my room, too, but I don't really have anything to do...
14:34
Hachiman:
Hmm... want to go check out the training courses? You haven't seen them yet, right?
14:35
Rice:
Is that okay? I don't want to get in anyone's way...
14:36
Hachiman:
I'll ask if we can use a small corner that isn't being used. If they say no, we'll just look around and go somewhere else. I want to try running on it myself, anyway. Also, why are we texting? We're in adjacent rooms. This is weird, right?
14:37
Rice:
Y-you're right! I'm coming over now!
14:37
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in," I called out.
The door creaked open. "Excuse me..." Rice offered a shy smile. "Hehe, it really is a bit strange to be texting when we're neighbors."
"Tell me about it. So, what do you think? Want to head to the course? You'll need to change into your tracksuit."
"Yes! I'd love to! I need to get used to the environment as quickly as I can."
Good girl, I thought. And an earnest one at that.
"Alright. Let's get changed and meet in front of the dorms."
"Got it!"
[In Front of the Dorms]
"There you are," I said as Rice emerged.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Big Brother! Shall we?"
"Yeah, let's take it slow. No reason to rush. By the way, how are you feeling? Any changes in your condition since this morning?"
"I'm fine! No weird aches or pains."
"Really? No lingering jet lag?"
"Umm... maybe just a little? But not much."
"Well, it's all about how it feels to you. We'll probably spend the next two days like this just to be safe."
As we walked, a few students passed by. "Oh, it's the ones from Japan... Hello!"
"Bonjour!"
I blinked. "Oh, uh, hello."
"H-hello!" Rice squeaked, bowing politely.
"They actually greeted us back..." one of the girls whispered. "Looks like they're okay."
"Yeah, just like Carnegie said."
"I didn't expect them to be the ones to initiate the greeting," I noted. "Rice, if we're going to be talking to the locals, maybe we should put a translation app on your phone? It'd make things a lot easier."
"Oh...!" Rice looked like a lightbulb had gone off over her head. "Why didn't I think of that? That would make talking so much simpler!"
"Exactly. You'd even be able to have a real conversation with Carnegie. I'll see if I can set it up for you when we get back."
"Yay!"
[The Training Course]
"So this is the Academy's track... Not bad," I mused. "But look at this grass. It's long. Really long."
"Long?" Rice tilted her head.
"Look at this."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, preserved patch of turf I'd brought from Tokyo Racecourse. Then, I knelt down and plucked a blade of grass from the Chantilly track to hold next to it. The difference was staggering. The French turf was thick, heavy, and significantly taller.
"Because the grass is so long, your hooves might not get a solid grip when you try to push off," I explained. "You have to be conscious of digging in with every step. I'm going to go ask a trainer if we can use a section of the track."
"It's so different..." Rice whispered, staring at the two samples. "Japan and France... it's fascinating."
[A Few Minutes Later]
"Rice, we're good to go. They said we can use the backstretch. Let's head over."
"Okay! Let's go!"
"Let's do a light jog on the way there to get the feel of it," I suggested.
"Understood!" Dash!
We started running. Even for me, the sensation was clear—if you didn't plant your feet firmly, you felt like you were sliding. It wasn't impossible to run on, but my usual stride wouldn't cut it. To run efficiently here, you couldn't just use your toes; you had to engage your entire leg to power through the resistance of the grass.
Nearby, a couple of local Horse Girls stopped to watch us pass.
"Hey, look at that Japanese trainer... he's actually keeping up with her at that speed. That's insane."
"Yeah... he's not even a Horse Girl. How is he moving that fast?"
"You think he's got an engine or something in his shoes?"
"No way. That's impossible... right?"
[The Backstretch]
"I think you noticed it too, halfway through," I said, catching my breath.
"Yeah," Rice nodded, her expression serious. "If I don't dig in, I can't get any speed. But this is a long-distance race... I have to find a way to do this while still saving my stamina."
"Exactly. Our first goal is making sure you can maintain that firm, 'digging' stride for at least 2,000 meters."
"Eh? Why 2,000 meters specifically?"
"Because at Longchamp, where you'll be racing, there's a feature called the 'False Straight'—the Fausse Ligne Droite—just before the final home stretch. It's only about 250 meters long, but if you mistake it for the real finish and start your sprint too early, you won't have anything left for the actual 533-meter home straight. Our first mission is to ensure you reach that point with enough power to spare."
Rice's eyes sharpened with determination. "I understand... I'll do my best, Big Brother!"
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