After hearing Oguri Cap's heartfelt words in the cafeteria, Kitahara spent quite some time calming himself.
He knew Oguri Cap's past.
He wasn't from an exceptional racing bloodline and was a famously slow gray horse. His right leg naturally bent outward; he couldn't even stand properly. Moreover, due to his humble background, she didn't receive enough nutrition and only reached a normal horse's size by the age of two.
Some believed his bloodline wasn't bad—his father's record was mediocre, but her grandfather was the American champion horse "Native Dancer," winner of numerous top races, the first gray horse to reach the top of horse racing, and had even appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
However, Oguri Cap's father's record was ordinary, and his offspring were unremarkable. So overall, his bloodline couldn't be considered outstanding.
Even as a horse girl, Oguri Cap faced bloodline discrimination, and her leg issues persisted. Previously, Kitahara had only considered her potential performance but hadn't thought about what her childhood experience might have done to her psychologically.
For most people, ordinary things aren't cherished.
But just as a blind person longs for light or a deaf person longs for sound, Cap, who couldn't even stand due to her leg condition, simply longed to be able to run.
Perhaps, in the past, Kitahara had only thought about recruiting her for her potential to win races. That was too narrow-minded—no different from doing nothing.
To truly be an excellent trainer, one should not only master professional skills but also communicate sincerely with the horse girls. Only then could both trainer and horse girl grow together.
Especially as a person who had crossed over from another world, even without a "system" or other lucky gimmicks, Kitahara realized he could do more than just help outstanding horse girls win races—perhaps he could do even more for them…
With this in mind, after breakfast, he left the cafeteria with Cap amidst the astonished eyes of the chefs and began asking her about herself.
"So, Oguri Cap, what do you usually do every day?"
"You're about to join Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, where most of your time will be spent training and racing. Before that, how do you usually spend your days?"
Following Kitahara, Oguri Cap looked around Kasamatsu Tracen Academy with a curious expression, glancing left and right.
Hearing Kitahara's question, she slightly lifted her head, rested a finger on her chin, eyes rolled upward, blinking, and thought for a moment.
"…Run, relax, then run again."
After pondering, she gave a simple yet reasonable answer.
"So basically, you just run every day," Kitahara thought. Pure and simple life… but it wasn't surprising. No matter the setting, Oguri Cap's character was always straightforward.
Nodding silently, Kitahara said, "So, apart from running today, you probably don't have anything else to do, right?"
Oguri Cap rested her finger on her chin again, thought for a moment, and shook her head.
"Yes, nothing else… oh, does eating count as something?"
"Then nothing else it is."
Ignoring her "rice-eating obsession," Kitahara continued:
"Since your mother entrusted you to me and you love running, I think we can get a head start on understanding the things you'll encounter after enrolling."
"The things I'll encounter after enrolling?" Oguri Cap repeated, puzzled.
"All the training and races," Kitahara nodded. "I, as your trainer, will analyze race arrangements, but your thoughts as a participating horse girl are very important too."
"So, you should understand some basics, making it easier for us to communicate later."
Kitahara noticed Oguri Cap didn't fully understand and was struggling to follow. Her eyes seemed to spin like incense coils, yet she still nodded at the end.
"Yes, that's right. Mom said if I don't understand something, I should listen to my trainer. So, I'll listen to you."
Kitahara's spirit lifted. "Good. Let's go to my office. There are some teaching tools there; it'll be easier to explain."
Unlike the previous office visit, this time the office was empty. Only Kitahara and Oguri Cap were inside.
For training preparation, the trainer's office was equipped with many teaching tools. Kitahara intended to first explain horse girl races to Oguri Cap.
There were a few movable blackboards to aid the explanation.
"First, look at this map." Pulling a blackboard in front of his desk, Kitahara had Oguri Cap sit on his chair and drew the outline of the Neon Four Islands, marking over a dozen points. Then he began his explanation.
"You know, Tracen Academy trains horse girls like you. The stage for them to shine is the 'Twinkle Series,' which Tracen Academy hosts."
"The Central has its own series, organized by Central Tracen Academy. Local areas have their own series, organized by local Tracen Academies."
"There are 15 local racetracks. Debut races for horse girls like you are held at these tracks—for example, your debut will be at Kasamatsu Track. If you perform well, you may go to Nagoya Track."
"I think, for you, Oguri Cap, going to Nagoya…"
Kitahara suddenly paused.
"Snore…"
Oguri Cap, sitting on the office chair, had fallen asleep without Kitahara noticing. Her nose bubbled slightly, looking completely at peace.
Seeing this, Kitahara was both exasperated and amused. He also noticed horse girls, like real horses, could sleep while standing upright.
"Hey, Cap, am I boring you?"
After repeated attempts, Cap groggily woke up.
"…Ah? What's up? Is it time to eat?" She still looked half-asleep.
Kitahara pressed his forehead, feeling defeated.
"…Really, aren't you supposed to be aiming to become a remarkable horse girl? You need to pay attention to basic knowledge like the Twinkle Series."
"And not just for races. After you start school, this knowledge will be tested."
Kitahara spoke earnestly, but Oguri Cap still looked a bit dazed and apologetic.
"Twinkle… test… sorry, Trainer, I… it's a bit hard to understand what you're saying…"
Kitahara sighed, knowing Cap's talent well. He didn't think she was a poor student.
"Perhaps, for a special talent like Oguri Cap, a rigid, textbook approach isn't suitable."
He considered his approach. "In games and anime, Cap isn't the type suited for traditional learning. Maybe it's better to let her run on the track, spark her internal drive for racing, and then explain the basic rules simply."