"Mr. Trainer? Are you alright? Is your back feeling any better?"
"It's... mostly fine now—hiss, so sore."
Though Kitano hadn't had the chance to care for Muteki in his previous playthroughs, he knew that raising a child was hard work, especially a horse girl with immense potential. The pressure on the parent was enormous.
But even with this mental preparation, just the "food" aspect alone had him crying for mercy, almost failing the first test.
The reason was simple: Muteki's "I eat continuously" was no joke. From the moment Kitano, Festa, and Gold Ship started cooking, Muteki had seated herself with Oguri Cap, waiting for the dishes to arrive.
However, unlike Oguri, who was ready to dig in as soon as the first dish was served, Muteki promptly stopped her. The little horse girl, unafraid of Oguri's glare, said flatly, "...Where I'm from, it's customary to wait until all the dishes are served and everyone is seated before eating. It's rude otherwise."
"At the very least, the cooks should get the first hot bite. That's basic courtesy."
"...I understand."
Surprisingly, Oguri Cap, who always prioritized eating, didn't seem upset at all. On the contrary, she was very accommodating and accepted Muteki's rule, sitting quietly and waiting.
—Honestly, when Muteki had said that, Kitano, who was busy cooking with Festa and Gold Ship, had felt a warmth spread through his heart. His hands had even moved faster, and he had even attempted a few unfamiliar wok tosses, determined to show off for his daughter.
But when he served the meticulously prepared dishes and they all sat down for lunch, he realized how naive he had been...
Everyone had expected the growing Muteki to have a big appetite, but no one had predicted she could go head-to-head with Oguri Cap!
An ancient saying went, "A horse that can run a thousand li can eat a stone of grain in one meal." Kitano remembered this clearly, especially after becoming a trainer and handling big eaters like Oguri Cap and Special Week. He was convinced that a horse girl's appetite often determined her potential.
Generally, horse girls who excelled at long distances had larger appetites, needing vast amounts of food to store energy. For example, Special Week, who had challenged the 3200-meter Spring Tenno Sho, would consume massive amounts of energy, and her appetite would increase after every race.
But Kitano's daughter was on another level. 3200 meters might have been Special Week's limit, but it was nowhere near Muteki's. This future "Horse King" not only excelled in mile and mid-distance races but had also challenged and won ultra-long-distance races of 5000 and even 8000 meters!
The Mejiro family's super-strong stamina and long-distance genes had mutated in Muteki, creating a "Horse King" whose physical prowess was unmatched. Even now, before she had fully matured, those powerful genes were already at work, urging her to consume energy for her growth.
—This led to a sharp increase in Kitano's cooking pressure after another bottomless pit joined the table.
And, was it his imagination... or did Muteki, while eating Festa's and Gold Ship's cooking, focus most of her attention on the dishes he had personally made? She and Oguri Cap would split his dishes, devour them in no time, and then ask for another plate.
To Kitano's despair, just as he was busy dealing with Muteki and Oguri, another uninvited guest arrived...
"It smells so good! Is that Mr. Trainer cooking?! I can help with some of the prep!"
Yes, appearing out of nowhere, drawn by the scent, was Special Week, the final straw that nearly broke Kitano's back. If not for the small-eater Tamamo Cross and the kind Ardan immediately stepping up to take over the cooking, Kitano might have had to sacrifice some of his lifespan to get through the day.
"But it's great that everything went smoothly, Mr. Trainer. That child seems to really like your cooking," Ardan said to the exhausted Kitano, who had collapsed back into his wheelchair. Her mind replayed the harmonious scene from before, a smile gracing her lips. "Next time, let me help you. I'm sure Muteki would be happy. She ate a bit too much today, didn't she?"
Ardan's words made Kitano nod thoughtfully. Muteki's appetite had indeed surprised him, but besides the fatigue, he was mostly filled with joy. It was a sign of his daughter's excellent stamina and talent. He would never do anything to restrict her appetite. Like Oguri, she needed to eat her fill to perform at her best.
Especially today, Muteki had clearly eaten until she was stuffed, yet she insisted on finishing the last bite of his and Ardan's cooking. This was remarkably similar to Oguri Cap's behavior when she was binge-eating, searching for the flavor she desired.
This further solidified Kitano's belief in his and Ardan's blood connection to Muteki, confirming that she was indeed the fruit of their union.
But... Kitano couldn't cook like this for her every day, or he'd die of exhaustion. In the future, if he wanted to reward her, he could cook a big meal like today's. He was sure she would accept such a reward.
"..." Meanwhile, Mr. C.B. watched Ardan, who had become so close to Kitano so quickly after joining. She then turned her gaze to Muteki on the track, a hint of sourness and anxiety in her heart.
C.B. rarely felt this flustered. Though Muteki had just joined, her initial impression had been very good—all because she had sensed a familiar aura in Muteki, one very similar to Kitano's.
But now, C.B. had a startling thought—this little horse girl from the Mejiro family, wasn't she a bit too much like her trainer?
Not just her experiences, but her eyes, her eyebrows... so many things were similar to Kitano.
Combined with Kitano's recent behavior, a possibility surfaced in C.B.'s mind... but she quickly shook her head. It was against all logic. Not to mention Kitano's physical condition, his age didn't support him having such a grown-up daughter.
But... thinking about all the strange things that had happened to Kitano, she felt her guess wasn't entirely impossible. Otherwise, where did this little horse girl who was so similar to her trainer come from?
"—Mr. Trainer, you just need to do your best. Even if there's something you can't handle, you can leave it to me and Miss Ardan. That's why we're on the team," the ever-perplexed C.B. said, putting aside her thoughts for now and replying with her usual relaxed smile. But this time, she didn't give Kitano and Ardan a chance to connect, instead turning the topic to Muteki. "But... little Muteki's talent is truly amazing. She hasn't even fully matured, yet she can keep up with Oguri Cap and the others in stamina training without any difficulty."
"She could probably race already, right? It's rare to see even an active horse girl with that much stamina."
C.B.'s words successfully shifted Kitano's and Ardan's attention to Muteki on the track. After lunch, they had started their training for the day—stamina.
This was Kitano's idea. He wanted to see how strong the unmatured Muteki's stamina was. He would never blindly trust the race records in his head. He knew that even the most talented horse girl needed training to reach her potential.
Take Gold Ship, for example. Though she shared the Mejiro bloodline, Kitano never neglected her stamina training. Potential, if not unlocked, would never become strength. His job was to use his experience and advantages to help the horse girls avoid detours, reach their historical peaks faster, and then aim even higher.
But slowly... as the horse girls ran more and more laps, the expressions of Kitano, Ardan, and C.B. shifted from casual to serious...
"Phew... that was a good run, but any more would be bad..."
The first to drop out of the stamina test was Silence Suzuka, who wasn't known for her stamina. She had actually outperformed herself today, running several more laps than usual, but she was still no match for the others and was the first to retreat to Kitano's side.
Her withdrawal triggered a chain reaction. Nakayama Festa, who had reached her limit long ago but refused to be the first to quit, saw Suzuka leave and staggered out on the next lap, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for air. "Hah... hah... these guys are monsters... I really can't compete in long distances... dammit..."
"You did great, Festa. You performed very well this time," Kitano said from his wheelchair, handing her a sports drink. He patted her shoulder as she gulped it down. "I didn't think you had the stamina for long-distance races, but it looks like with proper training, you might have a chance in the future."
"...But I still can't compare to these guys." Kitano's praise offered some comfort to the second-to-last finisher, but Festa was mostly filled with anxiety and frustration. She knew she was no match for Gold Ship in stamina, and beating Suzuka was nothing to be proud of since Suzuka wasn't a stamina-focused horse girl.
But what frustrated her most was the talent of the newcomer, the unmatured Muteki...
"What kind of monster is she? She hasn't even started maturing, yet she has more stamina than me. Is her stamina even stronger than Gold Ship's?"
On the track, Muteki's calm and composed breathing created a huge sense of imbalance in Nakayama Festa. This newcomer, with more talent and a better foundation than her, had seemingly come out of nowhere. She had just arrived in Japan and shouldn't have had any formal training. Weren't for-profit horse girl institutions frowned upon in China?
Nakayama Festa wasn't afraid of more talented horse girls—talent didn't equal strength, and the outcome of a race was never certain. But someone like Muteki, who was not only incredibly talented but also worked harder than her, made Festa feel a great sense of threat and fear.
It's one thing to be compared to others, but it's terrifying when the genius in front of you is also more hardworking, more desperate, leaving you no room to breathe.
Slowly, the third casualty emerged. Oguri Cap, not as strong in long distances, quietly dropped out after a long period of exertion. Now, only four remained on the track: Tamamo Cross and Special Week, both winners of the Spring Tenno Sho; Gold Ship, who in Kitano's memory would also win it; and just behind them, the shorter but ever-present figure of Muteki, a striking and astonishing sight.
"What an... unexpected existence."
From a high point overlooking the training ground, Symboli Rudolf had appeared at some point, gazing down like a monarch. Tokai Teio stood by her side, dazzling like a prince.
But at this moment, the "father and son" duo had their eyes fixed on Muteki, the newcomer Kitano had recruited who was already showing her immense talent.
And unlike Rudolf's admiration, Tokai Teio, who had never been interested in joining Kitano's team, had a fiery glint in her eyes as she watched Muteki...
The horse girl who had once been treated like a daughter by Kitano, now, even without her memories, felt a strong, burning desire to compete with Muteki.
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