The first thing Kitahara noticed was that Oguri Cap had changed the way she addressed him.
Before, she always just called him "Trainer." It wasn't distant exactly, but her tone was always casual, almost careless.
This time, though, not only was her address more formal, but her expression was serious—like when she sat in the cafeteria, earnestly debating whether to eat ten bowls of rice with toppings or twenty potato cakes.
What surprised Kitahara even more was her perceptiveness.
…So she noticed? I thought I'd hidden my worries well during training these past few days…
He felt a little troubled.
Seeing Kitahara fall silent, Oguri Cap didn't press him. Instead, she tilted her head and continued in her own way:
"Maybe I'm overthinking, but I feel like Kitahara has been really preoccupied with something these last few days." She still called him "Kitahara."
"Kitahara hasn't been doing much else lately, so if something's bothering him, it must be about me."
"I haven't done much either, just run while Kitahara watches me. So what Kitahara's worried about must be my running."
"…Is it that I'm not running well enough?" she finally asked.
When she said those words, Kitahara could clearly see it—Oguri Cap's expression was more serious than ever before.
If her usual seriousness about food rated a "10," then right now, her seriousness was easily a "100."
…So no matter what kind of horse girl it is, when the topic is running, it stirs something instinctive in them.
Kitahara came to that quiet conclusion, then drew a deep breath. He decided to share with Oguri Cap everything he'd been thinking these past few days.
He had always meant to.
From the moment he'd crossed into this world, he realized he had no "cheat system" or simulator, nothing like that. At most, he had some knowledge of future events, some modern concepts, and some training methods.
He'd understood from the start: if he wanted to achieve his dream of becoming an outstanding trainer, he'd have to rely on what he knew from before, his own learning, the horse girl's natural talent, and the cooperation between them.
In other words, he needed to communicate through his professional ability and bring out the horse girl's potential to its fullest—that was the only way they could succeed together.
These last few days, buried in his own worries, he'd lost sight of that. But now, seeing Oguri Cap's sharp intuition and her instinctive passion for running, he knew the best choice was to talk openly with her, with no reservations.
"It's not that you're running badly. After all, your results so far are just from practice…"
He gently dismissed her concern, then began to explain what he'd been wrestling with.
"I see. So my practice results are worse than Fujitasa's. I get it. She really is a very fast horse girl," Oguri Cap said, propping her chin on her hand with a rare "I understand" expression.
"…Hey. Her name is Fujimasa March, not 'Fujitō Something.' Calling her that is really rude," Kitahara said helplessly.
"Oh, Fujita Susumu? Alright, I'll remember it."
But clearly, she didn't.
Then she raised another question:
"Kitahara said training results don't mean everything. What do you mean by that?"
Since he had indeed said it, Kitahara nodded naturally.
"Of course. Running times in training can be useful as reference, but the environment in training and in real races is completely different. Even the smallest detail can change the outcome completely."
"What kinds of differences?" Oguri Cap pressed.
"Well… let me give a few examples."
Kitahara counted on his fingers.
"For training, you're usually running alone, right? But in a race, you're running against others. In training, you can focus only on yourself. But in a race, you can't ignore your opponents—you have to pay attention to their movements, too."
"That means your timing, positioning, pacing—all of it depends on the actual race situation. Get even one of those factors wrong, and it could cost you the whole race."
"And you have to make those judgments instantly, while running at full speed."
"Just thinking about it is enough to see why training results are only a reference."
"Besides opponents, there are other environmental factors too—weather, wind direction, track conditions, and so on. So again: training results matter, but only as reference, nothing more."
Then his words softened, becoming more like reassurance.
"So don't worry about your practice times. I believe in your talent, and I believe in my own ability. You'll definitely become an amazing Uma Musume!"
His voice rose with conviction, but Oguri Cap didn't look swept up in it. Instead, her expression grew calm, even gentle.
"If training results are only a reference… then why has Kitahara been so troubled by them?" she asked suddenly.
Kitahara froze.
Oguri Cap continued, her voice carrying gratitude and encouragement:
"To be Kitahara's Uma Musume, to be guided by you—I'm really happy."
"I haven't remembered much in these few days, but I know Kitahara told me a lot about racing and training."
"Running methods I'd never heard of before, breathing rhythms, sprinting techniques—those are all things you taught me. With them, I know I've gotten faster."
"Kitahara is clearly so capable. Why would you be so troubled? The only reason I can think of… is that I'm still not good enough."
"I don't want you to be troubled because of me. Kitahara, you believe in me, and you believe in yourself. You said I can definitely become an amazing horse girl—so why be troubled at all?"
Hearing that, Kitahara fell silent once more.
And then he realized: really interacting with horse girls was completely different from how he'd imagined it.
In his imagination, he only thought about their results, their natural talents. If reality didn't match expectations, he would just brood about it. He never thought about their own feelings.
But in reality, horse girls did think about those things.
They were living beings—excited to run, proud when they did well, sad when they stumbled.
And they cared about the emotions of those around them. Just like Oguri Cap, quietly noticing his troubles without him saying a word.
"…You're right. I shouldn't be troubled—or rather, I shouldn't be troubled alone."
Kitahara smiled at last.
"I'd only planned to be open with you because honesty seemed best. But now I realize it was absolutely the right choice."
"If I hadn't told you everything, I would've forgotten that a race isn't just mine—it's ours. Even if I still worry after saying it, working through it together is better than me brooding by myself."
"That's right—if we work hard together, you'll definitely become an amazing Uma Musume!"
"Mm. And Kitahara will become an amazing trainer too… Actually, Kitahara's already amazing. You know so much about running," Oguri Cap said seriously.
Kitahara chuckled. "Alright, then for the sake of our future amazing selves, let's do our best in this mock race."
"Mm!" Oguri Cap nodded vigorously.