"On your marks—" Air Groove waved the flag in her hand as the three racers assumed their starting positions. "Go!"
The grass rustled as a light breeze drummed across the field.
Taiki Shuttle shot ahead, taking a half-length lead over Special Week and Seiun Sky.
This was her specialty—a short-distance track.
After all, just last year, Taiki Shuttle had claimed victory in both the Mile Championship and the Sprint Championship, two prestigious G1 races.
"So fast!"
Special Week and Seiun Sky inwardly gasped, their expressions turning serious as they fixed their eyes on the figure ahead. Lowering their centers of gravity, they pursued relentlessly.
This wasn't the middle-distance race they were accustomed to, so their timing for conserving energy and sprinting wasn't precise. Their only choice was to stick closely behind Taiki Shuttle.
The three maintained a tight formation with minimal gaps between them—until about 100 meters before the slope, when Taiki Shuttle suddenly surged forward.
She seemed to have entered her own rhythm, hitting her comfort zone. Though her stride and pace increased, she appeared almost weightless, as if about to take flight.
This sudden burst instantly shattered the stalemate, allowing her to enter the slope ahead of the others.
Outside the railing, Lucian observed carefully, sensing the shift in Taiki Shuttle's rhythm.
"Incredible!" Haru Urara's cheers abruptly stopped as she couldn't help but marvel at Taiki Shuttle's speed.
"Those who compete in G1 races and win championships are far from ordinary horse girls," Lucian remarked.
In lower-tier races, some horse girls would often cry "Muri~ muri~" (Impossible~ impossible~) when overtaken just before the finish line. But such things never happened in G1-level competitions.
...
The race continued fiercely as Seiun Sky and Special Week entered the slope one after the other.
Yet, they felt that Taiki Shuttle's lead was insurmountable—and the gap only seemed to widen.
"Maintaining the same speed on a slope? How is that even possible...?"
Seiun Sky began doubting herself.
Special Week, trapped in the same predicament, anxiously searched for a way to turn the tables.
"Clop-clop— clop-clop—"
The rapid sound of hooves was like frenzied raindrops pounding in their hearts. Almost simultaneously, both recalled Lucian's guidance from the previous day.
Seiun Sky was the first to observe Taiki Shuttle's stride, mimicking it carefully and syncing her rhythm to match.
Special Week followed suit.
Driven by sheer determination, the two steadily closed the gap between them and Taiki Shuttle on the slope.
"Not bad at all!" Feeling the renewed pressure from behind, Taiki Shuttle didn't dare slack off, sprinting forward at full speed.
Once past the slope, the finish line came into view.
Seiun Sky and Special Week chased desperately from behind, but their earlier deficit was too great to overcome.
In the end, they lost by less than a length.
...
After resting, Taiki Shuttle walked over to Special Week and Seiun Sky. "Amazing! You two were really impressive!"
Special Week and Seiun Sky were still catching their breath.
The shorter the race, the more it tested their explosiveness, lactate tolerance, and speed.
This single run left them feeling more exhausted than a 2000-meter race.
Still, it also proved that Special Week and Seiun Sky were now capable of facing G1-level horse girls.
"How do you feel?" Lucian approached with Haru Urara and Silence Suzuka in tow.
"Trainer, I think I understand what you were trying to show us with your silly act yesterday," Seiun Sky said with a deadpan expression, though her tone was playful.
Special Week, following Seiun Sky's lead, quickly adjusted her words. "I... I learned a lot from Taiki... Taiki-senpai."
"That's good. I suppose Suzu-chan and Urara-chan understand now too?"
Lucian deftly shifted the focus.
Instantly, all eyes turned to Silence Suzuka.
Too embarrassed to meet their gazes, Silence Suzuka averted her eyes, one hand gripping her other arm nervously.
Seiun Sky wasn't pleased.
Had her home been stolen in the time it took to finish one race? Before the race, Lucian hadn't called Silence Suzuka "Suzu-chan" like that.
Haru Urara answered honestly, "I get it now! It's all about the 'clop-clop' rhythm, right?"
"Ah, right." Lucian nodded, accidentally meeting Seiun Sky's resentful stare. He rubbed his nose, pretending not to notice.
If looks could kiss, this wouldn't be a peck—it'd be a full-on drain.
Just then, Toujou Hana approached. "I hope this hasn't shaken your confidence."
"Of course not. Given another chance, they'll definitely win next time," Lucian replied, both defending and encouraging Seiun Sky and Special Week.
"Good. I look forward to the next simulation race—and to seeing what benefits you can bring me, Ryo-kun." Deep down, Toujou Hana held high expectations for Lucian.
After Toujou Hana left, Taiki Shuttle turned to Lucian.
The usually straightforward girl now seemed oddly hesitant—likely due to the lingering effect of being called "Taiki-chan."
"Trainer Lucian, does your promise before the race still stand?"
"Of course." Lucian mimicked Taiki Shuttle's tone. "You can come this weekend—with Grass Wonder."
Taiki Shuttle smiled, then tilted her head in confusion. "Grass-chan?"
"Yeah. This is Spe-chan's celebration party. I already invited Grass Wonder earlier."
When he mentioned "celebration party," Lucian subtly glanced at Seiun Sky.
His unspoken care for her was conveyed in that fleeting look. Seiun Sky seemed to sense it too, responding with a faint smile, which put Lucian at ease.
"OK~ I can't believe Grass-chan was sneaking treats behind my back!"
"Ah... well, just come with her when the time comes."
What did she mean by "sneaking treats"?
Lucian suddenly felt he'd misjudged Haru Urara and Dextrous Bailey. This habit of misusing words was far more widespread than he thought.
...
After the simulation race and some additional training, Lucian dismissed everyone for the day.
Special Week and Silence Suzuka had plans to eat out and were in a hurry to shower, so they left the lounge first.
On the way, Special Week asked curiously, "Suzuka, why weren't you very supportive of me joining this simulation race earlier?"
"Because... I was afraid you might start disliking running."
Silence Suzuka's concern was understandable. After all, their opponent was a G1-level horse girl—she worried Special Week's spirit might be crushed.
"Thanks for worrying about me, Suzuka. But it's just a simulation race. Even if I lost, I wouldn't mind."
Special Week's mindset had developed a slight problem.
If simulation races were no different from regular training, Lucian wouldn't have arranged this one specially.
Since winning the Yayoi Sho, her confidence had soared—to the point of becoming somewhat complacent.
Leaving aside tonight's feast, Special Week had been indulging in late-night snacks every evening recently.
Silence Suzuka couldn't dissuade her, and Lucian hadn't noticed either.
"Oh, right, Suzuka... why did the trainer call you 'Suzu-chan' earlier?"
"It's noth—" Silence Suzuka, flustered by the topic, initially tried to brush it off—but then she paused.
Strange.
Why was Spe-chan so concerned about this too?