Although he had long known she was exceptionally gifted—especially in terms of flexibility—wasn't this a bit too much? Just how flexible could a body even be…?
Under Kitahara's surprised gaze, Oguri Cap was stretching her shoulders.
Her movement was simple: both arms raised, making a chest-expansion pose, her elbows pulling backward again and again.
But—the range of that pull was far too exaggerated.
For an average person, a chest-expansion stretch might allow the elbows to move just slightly behind the back, roughly in line with the spine and maybe ten degrees further.
Oguri Cap's elbows, however, seemed to fold backward unnaturally, pulled so close together that the distance between them was no more than a fist's width. Looking from the side, it seemed that if her elbows moved just a little closer, the points could almost touch each other.
While she was doing this stretch, Oguri Cap noticed that Kitahara hadn't responded to her question. Tilting her head, she revealed a puzzled expression.
"Trainer, why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong?"
Startled by her unbelievable flexibility, Kitahara answered without thinking.
"...Ah, no, nothing's wrong. I just didn't expect your body to be so flexible."
At that moment, Oguri Cap changed her stretch. She pulled her right arm across her chest with her left, stretching toward her left side.
"Flexible? Trainer, you mean me? And… what does flexibility mean?" she asked, looking even more confused.
"Of course I mean you. Who else is here besides you?"
Finding it amusing, Kitahara suddenly thought back to how, in the office, his dry lectures about racing and training had nearly put her to sleep. Maybe this was the chance to explain knowledge using concrete examples instead.
So, he continued along the topic of "flexibility."
"Flexibility refers to how much movement your limbs, joints, and torso can achieve. The wider the range of motion, the greater your flexibility. For example, just look at what you're doing now."
Oguri Cap had bent backward like she was doing a backbend, her hands braced against her lower back, her upper body arched like a bow, as if trying to fold herself backward completely.
"You see? You can bend your waist this far, but not every horse girl can do that. In fact, even among the very best, flexibility like yours is rare."
"Oh… I think I understand a little," Oguri Cap said after straightening, nodding, then tilting her head again. "But what's the use of having good flexibility?"
Kitahara laughed.
"The uses are many. To put it simply: with good flexibility, you can adapt to different race distances, and to different track conditions."
"Not only that, but a flexible body can also give you greater explosive power. Your instantaneous acceleration will far surpass most other horse girls."
This evaluation wasn't just based on the world's professional knowledge. Kitahara also drew upon the other world's experience with Oguri Cap's real-life counterpart and her setting in the game/anime.
In that world, Oguri Cap had proven capable of running across almost all race types: her 800m debut, the 1600m Pegasus Stakes, the 1800m Mainichi Ōkan, the 2000m Tenno Sho (Autumn), the 2400m Japan Cup, the 2500m Arima Kinen. Victories across such a wide variety of tracks were proof of her remarkable adaptability.
As for explosiveness, Oguri Cap was famous for her makiashi—her finishing sprint in the final few hundred meters. More than once, she had seized victory in top-tier races purely through that sudden burst of speed.
She even possessed what was said to be unique—her "double burst." Around 200 meters before the finish line, she could accelerate again, as if she had saved strength for a second sprint.
In the game, this ability was designed as her "unique skill," known to players as her "ultimate."
"Triumphant Pulse"
Effect: When among the front runners in the last 200m, she can find an opening, making it easier to break through.
Trigger condition: Position ≥ 2, ≤ 5, within top 50%, remaining distance between 199–201m.
Usually, most horse girls would unleash all their strength during the final corner, entering the last stretch in full sprint.
Oguri Cap, however, was special. Thanks to her Unique Skill, she could accelerate again, securing her win with overwhelming momentum.
Before, Kitahara had only thought of these as race records, game mechanics, and anime lore. But seeing Oguri Cap's extraordinary flexibility firsthand, he finally understood: her wide adaptability and her ability for a second burst largely came from this astonishing physical trait.
"So that's it. Flexibility is like treating the whole body as a spring. The greater the flexibility, the more the body can stretch, store, and release force. At the same time, the broader the range of adaptability."
While explaining to Oguri Cap, Kitahara himself also had a sudden moment of clarity.
But he quickly realized—although Oguri Cap's physical talent was extraordinary, her grasp of theory was… honestly, lacking.
"Hmm… I didn't really understand that." She admitted honestly.
Kitahara had already been struck once before by her lack of academic comprehension, so by now he was immune. Instead of disappointment, he just chuckled.
"That's fine. I think you learn better from actual combat and then hearing the explanation afterward. It'll be clearer that way."
Saying this, he began walking toward the other end of the track, waving his stopwatch.
"Alright then, let's start with a run. From your warmup just now, I'd say you're ready."
Oguri Cap immediately brightened.
"Yes! I'm ready—anytime!"
She dropped into a starting stance.
As he walked away, Kitahara glanced back at her posture—and was taken aback.
…Just like in the other world. Compared to most horse girls, her body was lowered far too much…
As Kitahara thought, Oguri Cap's starting position was unusually low, so much that one might wonder whether her legs could even push off properly. But considering her flexibility, it was probably fine. Plus, that posture would greatly reduce wind resistance…
Thinking this over, Kitahara raised his arm and voice.
"Let's start with 800 meters. Oguri Cap, see that marker down there? That's the 800m finish line. When I wave from there, you start from this flagpole."
Oguri Cap glanced at the marker Kitahara pointed out, then at the flagpole beside her.
She didn't reply—but her expression suddenly shifted. The usual air of clumsy innocence vanished, replaced by a sharp, focused intensity.
It was as if she weren't standing on a training track, but on a battlefield—ready for war.
Too far away, Kitahara didn't notice her change in expression. He just walked up to the 800m marker, looked down at his stopwatch.
…Fujimasa's 800m training record, the best was 51.7 seconds?
Confirming the time, he cleared the stopwatch memory, looked back at the starting line, took a deep breath.
As he swung his arm down, he pressed the start button.
"Now then… show me, Oguri Cap. Show me your speed."