In the second group, Rice Shower looked up at the Horse Girls from the central division.
Tall and sturdy, both competitors were nearly 1.8 meters tall.
This was quite tall among the generally shorter Horse Girls. She had to stretch her arms to barely touch the top of their heads.
"Rice Shower-san! It's our race today!"
Special Week clenched her small fists and said excitedly.
"Although we've trained together in the team before, a race is still the best!"
Back in her hometown, there were no other Horse Girls around. She could only run by herself in the fields.
After coming to Tracen, she could finally run to her heart's content with her companions.
"Y-yes..." Rice Shower responded nervously.
After leaving Special Week, her gaze swept quickly through the crowd. Finally, she saw the figure she had been longing for.
"Onii-sama!"
Seeing him, her eyes lit up and she called out happily.
She quickened her pace and ran to his side.
"Rice has been waiting for you, Onii-sama!"
"Sorry for the wait," he said, patting her head. "So, are you nervous?"
"I was a little nervous before," she said, leaning into his hand and closing her eyes happily. "But I'm not nervous anymore."
"That's good."
He let go of her hand.
"Give it your all in this race, Rice Shower."
"Yes! Rice will bring victory to you, Onii-sama!"
Since Shirayuki-san had failed, then victory could only be achieved by her.
She had to prove to him that she was better than Shirayuki. What the other could do, she could do. What the other couldn't do, she could also do.
She was a better little sister than Shirayuki, a little sister who could make him happier!
Looking at the tall Horse Girls from the central division, she mustered her courage and issued a challenge.
Perhaps noticing her determined gaze, the two Horse Girls turned their heads. At the same time, their trainer came to their side.
"In this race, just follow your training. Tactics, running style, countermeasures—I've already taught you everything you need to know."
"Is it really okay?" the two of them asked. Their expressions looked a little hesitant.
"Trainer, our opponent is such a small child..."
"On the racetrack, no one cares about your height, build, or age," the trainer with a rugged, angular face said. "When they step onto this turf, they have only one identity: your enemy. And what you need to do is to do your best to defeat them."
With that, the trainer even took out a notice.
"This year, we are launching a full-scale offensive in Europe. The races there are not as gentle as here in the central division. If you want to make a name for yourselves, you must cast aside your sympathy and use your bodies, your advantages, to make your opponents submit!"
Looking at their trainer's serious expression, the two Horse Girls finally nodded. "Yes."
"Chiya."
After Rice Shower left, Kiryuuin Aoi, who had just finished chatting with the other trainers, came over.
"I heard that this year's competition is much harder than previous years."
"Why?"
"It seems the conditions have been relaxed or something. They were also very vague about it."
Chiya was confused.
"In any case, the challenges we face seem to be greater."
"I see..."
Aoi looked at the track. "By the way, Chiya, that child, Rice Shower, seems to be your favorite Horse Girl?"
"She's the one I'm currently focusing on training."
"Did you ask her to call you 'Onii-sama'?"
"No, she wanted to call me that herself."
Aoi let out a "harrumph."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking, do you have a fetish for being called 'brother'?"
"Of course not!" he flatly denied.
"Really?" Aoi leaned on the railing, her eyes glancing at him. "Would you dislike it if I called you brother?"
"No... aren't we the same age?"
"I'm a year younger than you."
"It's better not to. If anyone heard, I'd die of social embarrassment."
Being called "brother" by a female colleague... just thinking about it made him feel like he couldn't face his coworkers.
"Just kidding." Seeing his troubled expression, Aoi smiled. "As expected, the relationship between a Horse Girl and her trainer is something other trainers can't compare to."
"Well... it depends on the situation."
Aoi's ears twitched slightly. Seeing his inattentive reply, she turned to the track.
"Depends on the situation, huh..."
Meanwhile, the four Horse Girls entered the starting gate one by one.
Rice Shower quietly psyched herself up.
This race was crucial for her. It was a race to prove her strength and her determination.
She absolutely could not lose.
Just as she was focusing on the track, the Horse Girl beside her cast a glance at her. After a period of internal struggle, her gaze finally became firm.
The racetrack is a battlefield. It's either you die or I die.
There is only one winner, and the losers are left as corpses.
Here, there is no room for sentiment.
The lights flickered. With a clang, the gate opened, and the four Horse Girls shot out at the same time. Special Week took the lead, with Rice Shower following closely behind in a good position. The two Horse Girls from the central division were in third and fourth place.
"No, she's too fast..."
Aoi frowned.
She had specifically told Special Week not to push too hard at the start, otherwise she would run out of stamina later on. Obviously, the other girl had already forgotten her words.
She still had too little race experience.
Compared to her, the last two Horse Girls were much calmer.
They were not affected by the pace of the others at all.
Chiya observed the track.
The education within the central division was much more realistic and cruel than at Tracen Academy. But the real racetrack was just that cruel. A race was not just about physique, but also about intelligence, strategy, and mentality.
Soon, the race reached the middle stage. As they passed the second turn, the two Horse Girls at the back suddenly made a move.
They did something incredible.
They ran to Rice Shower's side and pressed against her.
"What?!"
Aoi was shocked by their actions. She saw Rice Shower being heavily bumped by one of them, nearly losing her balance.
"Dirty move!"
"No, it's not a dirty move," he said, knowing what they were up to. He gripped the railing. "That's normal closing in and contact..."
There had been a similar case a few years ago. In the Japan Cup, an opponent had used their physical advantage to push other Horse Girls to the back, and this action was also judged as a normal jostling for position.
Using one's physical advantage to weaken an opponent's stamina was also a type of tactic.
After being bumped twice, a pained expression appeared on Rice Shower's face.
She was no match for the two of them in a direct confrontation. Her stamina was being rapidly consumed. Large beads of sweat flowed down, and her breathing became rapid and heavy.
Generally speaking, Japanese races are more gentle, without such intense physical contact. In contrast, European races are much harsher. Pushing and shoving between Horse Girls are commonplace.
Could it be that the central division had decided to follow the European model in the future?
He seemed to be vaguely understanding the purpose of this rookie trainer exchange meet.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (62 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (70 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (86 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (68 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (60 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (84 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (53 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it