The day of the Teio Sho.
It was the typical rainy season weather, with a light drizzle since morning, and the temperature was predicted to rise steadily, as is common in early summer.
The Teio Sho, in which Urara was running, was scheduled for after 8 p.m. Also, the Ohi Racecourse is by the sea, so there would probably be some wind, so it wouldn't be too hot. However, the humidity meant a muggy heat was unavoidable.
But, my Urara is always full of energy, regardless of whether it's hot or cold. For an old guy like me, her vitality is dazzling.
However, Urara seemed a little off today. It wasn't that she lacked energy; she was still smiling as usual. But every now and then, she would shiver.
I put my hand on her forehead, and her temperature was normal; she didn't seem to have a cold. She wasn't coughing, nor did she seem to be cold. But it also didn't look like she was trembling with fighting spirit; it seemed a little different.
If I had to describe it, I'd say she was excited. Excited for the race today, and trying to suppress that excitement, but failing from time to time... something like that.
To put it another way, her fighting spirit was bare. It wasn't a desire to win the race or to perform in a winning performance; it seemed that her desire to beat Smart Falcon had grown stronger.
"Urara, come here."
"Hmm? What is it, Trainer?"
There was still time before the race started. In fact, it was just past noon. Since the Teio Sho was taking place, Urara was excused from her classes for an official leave of absence. Since the morning, I had been letting her warm up slowly, bit by bit.
Rice and King also took an official leave of absence in the afternoon to support their teammate and joined us. They were doing a great job supporting her, stretching with Urara, and running alongside her for a light run whenever the rain stopped.
Even with Rice and King's support, Urara didn't show any signs of calming down. So, I beckoned her over, placed my hand on her head, and ruffled her hair.
"Whoa! What's wrong, Trainer?"
"Hmm? Your face is a little tenser than usual, Urara."
Saying that, I moved my hand and kneaded Urara's horse ears with my fingers. Urara let out a playful giggle.
"It's natural to be nervous before a race, and it's good that you want to beat Smart Falcon. But if you're this tense now, you'll be tired before the race even starts."
It was better than when she didn't get nervous at all and just enjoyed the race, but being constantly tense would wear her out mentally. So, I told Urara to relax, and she smiled shyly.
"Hehe... Yeah, you're right! I was like, 'grrr!'"
Urara made a scowling face, wrinkling her brow. I couldn't help but laugh at her expression and moved my hands down to pull on her cheeks. Hmm, they feel like mochi.
Urara giggled, looking ticklish, and her tail wagged. King, who would normally say something, just smiled wryly and said nothing, and Rice just looked at me and Urara with a warm smile.
We've done all we can, and King passed the baton so well with her victory in the Takarazuka Kinen. All that's left is to prepare thoroughly and let Urara run the race.
The question is whether she can win against Smart Falcon in a middle-distance race, even in her best condition and after being trained as much as possible... But I believe that Urara will win. At this point, all I can do is believe in Urara and cheer for her as she runs.
And well... all I have to do is help the unusually tense Urara relax and send her to the race in perfect mental condition.
The weather wasn't great today, but it wasn't so bad that it affected public transportation. Even if we were to leave a little early, the race was scheduled for after 8 p.m., so I also had to be careful about when to let her eat dinner.
The Teio Sho is a G1 race for seniors only, and if it's a full gate, 16 horse girls will be running.
In turf races, there are so many strong horse girls these days that many avoid running in G1s and aim for G2s and G3s, but in dirt races, there are so few stakes races that they naturally have a full gate.
From what I've seen in the news, the focus seems to be on a one-on-one showdown between Urara and Smart Falcon.
One is a two-time G1 winner and the most popular horse girl in the current dirt racing world.
The other is a three-time G1 winner and the most powerful horse girl in the current dirt racing world.
Such catchy phrases were used in various news reports, and the Teio Sho, where these G1 horse girls clash, was getting a lot of attention from the public, which is unusual for a dirt race.
...Maybe we should leave a little earlier than planned. If we take the train, the Ohi Racecourse is right next to the nearest station, but we're going by car today, so it would be bad if there was a traffic jam.
The reason we're going by car is that if we were to take the train, it would be a little... no, it would be incredibly troublesome, to be honest.
Since King won the Takarazuka Kinen and completed G1 victories in all distances, and Urara is running in the Teio Sho, interview requests have been pouring in these past few days.
I've answered interviews from famous media outlets that URA and Tracen Academy told me to, but I've been turning down other TV stations, newspapers, and magazine reporters for now. I don't have enough time to deal with all the interview requests.
I was politely declining them, as if to say, "What are you doing before Urara's important race?" But if they would just give up, I wouldn't have any trouble... it seems King's G1 sweep in all distances had a huge impact.
Reporters would approach us the moment we stepped out of the Tracen Academy, so we decided to travel by a car borrowed from the Tracen Academy instead of by train. They might follow us by car, but there's nothing we can do against such determined reporters.
For the past few days, I've been climbing over the wall to get to and from work, not using the front or back gates, but if the neighbors see me, they might call the police, so I'll probably have to accept the interviews after Urara's race is over.
Some reporters even go to other horse girls who aren't on our team and interview them about Urara and King's daily lives or what kind of people they are. So, my colleagues who don't get along with me have been complaining, "You're causing trouble for my horse girls."
So, I checked Urara's condition inside the Tracen Academy, gave her an early dinner, and then drove to the Ohi Racecourse.
We arrived at the Ohi Racecourse and parked the car in the staff parking lot. I narrowed my eyes at the murmuring sounds coming from the surroundings.
It was just before 7 p.m., but a lot of people had already gathered around the Ohi Racecourse.
(Wow... I wonder how many tens of thousands of people are here today...)
Today was a weekday, and people usually have school or work. Despite that, I could tell from the parking lot that a large number of people had gathered around the Ohi Racecourse.
The Ohi Racecourse has a capacity of a little over 60,000 people. It's a very large racecourse for a dirt-only one, but it was clear that they were limiting admissions.
Despite dirt racing being less popular than turf racing, so many people have gathered here, and it makes me happy and proud to think that Urara will be running in front of them.
As I was thinking that and taking Urara's luggage out of the car, I heard footsteps approaching. I was thinking I didn't want to get caught by reporters before the race, but then Urara let out a surprised gasp.
Wondering what was going on, I looked up and saw that it wasn't a reporter. Three horse girls in casual clothes were running toward us.
(Wait... could these girls be...?)
Looking at their faces, I had a hunch.
"I'm so glad we came by car instead of the train and found you!"
"We wouldn't have found you if you had taken the train."
"I wish we could've found Sulayem too..."
Rice and King looked confused by the three who stopped running and spoke with a wry smile. Well, it made sense since Rice and King didn't know them.
To be honest, I never expected to see these three in a place like this.
"Duo-chan... Tenyu-chan... and Schatz-chan too..."
Looking at the three of them, Urara muttered in a daze.
They were Duo Talicah and Feudal Tenure, who had competed with Urara in maiden races and retired after an injury. And Kinder Schatz, who had come in second in the maiden race that Urara won for the first time but then retired.
"It's been a while, Urara-chan."
"Wow... You haven't changed much in height, but your aura is different."
"Of course it is. She's a G1 horse girl, you know?"
The three of them said this and laughed, looking a little happy. As for Urara, she was confused and bewildered... and then her face broke into a blossoming smile.
"Whoa! What's going on? What are you all doing here?"
Urara hugged the three of them, looking truly happy. The three of them smiled wryly as they held the charging Urara.
"Whoa!? So powerful!?"
"As expected of a G1 horse girl... It's a bit of a shock..."
"Of course you'd lose in strength. We've been retired for a long time."
Urara hugged them with a full-blown smile, wagging her tail and twitching her horse ears. I smiled wryly at the sight of Urara. Well... I understand how she feels.
"We came straight here from school, but they're already limiting admissions..."
"I was so surprised... I didn't know dirt racing was so popular now."
Duo Talicah and Feudal Tenure said this with a wry smile. Following them, Kinder Schatz smiled faintly.
"We came to cheer on Urara-chan. Well... I also came to cheer on Sulayem. She said she was going to retire with me, but she ended up changing her mind and kept running... She said she wanted to beat Urara-chan."
The three of them no longer had the unique aura of horse girls who are still competing in races. I felt a little sad about it, but I was also happy that even after retiring from racing and leaving the Tracen Academy, they came to cheer on Urara.
"Thank you, all three of you, for coming all this way for Urara."
When I said that, the three of them looked at me in a puzzled way.
"...Huh? Urara's trainer, did your aura change?"
"Or was that your face? Not in terms of features, but in terms of aura..."
"I remember you sweating profusely while running with Urara-chan in the middle of summer..."
"Hey, that's harsh."
I'm past my growth spurt, and my face doesn't change much at this age. I thought that and smiled wryly, but the three of them just tilted their heads.
"A-anyway, we came because we wanted to cheer on Urara-chan! Even though we couldn't get in!"
"We were cheering for her on TV, but... you know... right?"
They seemed to have decided to ignore me, as Duo Talicah and Feudal Tenure looked at each other and smiled wryly.
"We wondered if we would be a bother..."
"We thought maybe you'd already forgotten us, but we wanted to see your face..."
"I also wanted to see Urara-chan and Sulayem. And then I met these two..."
They seemed to have been worried that they would be a nuisance before the race or that Urara wouldn't even remember them. But I remembered them perfectly, and Urara also recognized their faces and names from a distance.
Urara hugged each of them one by one, twitching her horse ears and wagging her tail. Her smile was different from her usual innocent one; it was tinged with a little sadness.
"I'm so... so happy... Thank you, everyone."
At her voice and smile, which conveyed her true joy, the three of them looked away awkwardly.
"Ugh... I didn't expect you to just remember us and welcome us this much."
"What should I do... I feel like I want to run now."
"Why would you? I know how you feel, but..."
Watching Urara and the three of them interact, I felt a warm feeling in my heart.
"Onii-sama, Urara-chan, it's almost time..."
Oh, Rice called out to me apologetically. We arrived early to have plenty of time, but it seemed like it was time to get going.
I was about to say that it was time to go when Duo Talicah and the others' eyes widened.
"Whoa! R-Rice Shower-san!? And King Halo-san too!?"
"It's the real Rice Shower-san! The G1 six-time winner!"
"K-King Halo-san! Congratulations on your G1 sweep in all distances!"
They were so friendly with Urara, but their reactions to Rice and King were completely different. Rice was surprised by their reaction, her horse ears perked up, and King puffed out her chest as if to say, "Call my name more."
"Huh? Rice Shower?"
"King Halo?"
"Ah! Haru Urara!"
"It's been a year, Onii-sama!"
And well, when you call out their names so loudly, the horse girl fans around you are bound to notice... Wait? We're not at the Hanshin Racecourse, so why is someone yelling in an Osaka dialect?
"Whoa! I-I'm sorry! I was just so surprised!"
"Ugh... leave this to us and go on ahead!"
"What's with that death-flag line...?"
Duo Talicah and the others apologized frantically, but I couldn't help but laugh. And when I looked at Urara, she was also laughing happily.
"Then, I'm off!"
Urara waved to Duo Talicah and the others with a smile. The three of them also smiled.
"Good luck! We'll be cheering you on from here!"
"I'm going to boast to my school tomorrow that we once beat the G1 three-time winner, Haru Urara!"
Duo Talicah and Feudal Tenure said that, and only Kinder Schatz smiled wryly.
"The only time I was ranked higher than Urara-chan was in our debut race, so it's hard to say I beat her... Yeah. I'm proud of the fact that I lost to Urara-chan. So, please win today too?"
"—Yeah!"
To each of their words of encouragement, Urara responded with a spirited "Yeah!"
We entered the Ohi Racecourse and sent Urara to the waiting room. Then, I headed to the paddock with Rice and King, and again, there were so many spectators today.
The capacity of the racecourse meant there weren't as many spectators as at the Takarazuka Kinen, but since the racecourse was smaller, it didn't feel much different from last time. In fact, there were so many people trying to see the paddock that it was packed.
Dirt racing is less popular than turf racing. That still holds true today, but the recent trend is that although it's less popular than turf racing, its popularity is steadily increasing.
In countries where dirt racing is mainstream, it might be different, but in Japan, it's understandable that it's less popular than turf racing. While local series are mostly on dirt, in the Twinkle Series, perhaps due to the lack of races and stakes races, there are few horse girls who specialize in dirt.
Many of the horse girls who enter the Tracen Academy each year specialize in turf racing, and the only ones who go into dirt racing are those who are not good at turf courses, like Urara.
And even after they work hard and continue to run in dirt races, when they try to enter stakes races, including G1s, horse girls who can run both turf and dirt and are also fast, like Meek and Oguri Cap, come in and dominate the top places.
It seems that this used to be quite common. In fact, Urara lost to Oguri Cap for that reason...
However, recently, there have been several horse girls like Urara and Smart Falcon who specialize in dirt, who have defeated strong competitors like Oguri Cap who run on turf but also enter dirt races, and who have created exciting races while competing for G1s, thus popularizing dirt racing.
In any sport, the presence of a star player is huge. In my previous life, I knew people who didn't know the rules of baseball but knew who Ichiro was.
In this world, where horse girl racing is a national pastime, Urara and Smart Falcon, who have won multiple times in dirt G1s despite the lower popularity of the sport and are seen as rivals by the public, are running together. It seems that when these two run, a lot of people gather.
Speaking of Urara's popularity, the person in charge of her merchandise told me that sales were so good that the factory couldn't keep up. Well, it's a happy problem, so I just laughed it off.
That's why, perhaps, there are many horse girl fans everywhere discussing their predictions for today's Teio Sho.
"Who do you think will win today, Haru Urara or Smart Falcon?"
"Hmm..."
"I think Smart Falcon will win, but I want Haru Urara to win... maybe?"
"I don't know what you're trying to say, but I completely understand."
I wanted to retort, "Which one is it?" But when I eavesdropped, it seemed that Smart Falcon was still considered the stronger one in terms of ability.
Their past record is 1 win and 3 losses... Also, Smart Falcon has beaten Oguri Cap and Taiki Shuttle, so I guess it's a reasonable prediction.
However, I was happy that there were fans who wanted Urara to win.
Listening to the conversations around me, I moved to the front row of the paddock, and the introduction of the horse girls began.
"Gate 2, Stall 4, Haru Urara"
Urara was running in Stall 4 today. It's a starting position close to the inner gate, so you could say she's lucky compared to the outer gate.
She was wearing her cute racing outfit and smiling as usual... wasn't she?
"Go, Haru Urara--"
"Cheer on--"
The spectators who saw Urara in her racing outfit stopped their cheers.
(Urara... seriously...)
Perhaps it was because she was wearing her racing outfit, or perhaps the conversation with Duo Talicah and the others had an effect. The current Urara had a presence that took your breath away.
Urara, with an aura no less than the one King had when she ran in the Takarazuka Kinen, was smiling as usual. But because of the aura she was wearing, there was a mysterious charm that seemed to be somewhere between a girl and a woman, different from her usual innocent smile.
The spectators were in awe of Urara's aura, but Urara herself just blinked and tilted her head at the frozen crowd. Her usual gesture broke the spell on the spectators, and they started cheering loudly.
"Ah... I apologize. Gate 3, Stall 5, Sulayem."
Following Urara was Sulayem. The announcer seemed to have been taken aback by Urara's aura as well, as he called out Sulayem's name in a flustered voice.
Sulayem... seems to be in good shape, and her body looks well-tuned. I was a little worried about her being overworked when I saw her last, but it seems she's rested and prepared.
Sulayem seemed to have noticed me, as she gave me a small smile and a challenging look. Haha, your opponent isn't me, it's Urara.
"Gate 5, Stall 9, Smart Falcon."
The introductions at the paddock continued, and it was finally Smart Falcon's turn.
Smart Falcon was wearing her usual cute racing outfit that looked like an idol's. I thought she would be smiling as usual and cheering on the crowd as usual. But I was wrong.
Her mouth moved as if she were about to say something, but she closed it without saying anything. And since her expression was a smile, the spectators who saw it looked confused.
"Is Smart Falcon... okay?"
"Is she in bad shape...?"
"She's so different from usual that it's hard to react..."
She would usually be yelling, "Call me Farl-ko!" but she was quiet today.
(She doesn't seem to be in bad shape physically... And her body... it's perfect.)
Like Urara, Smart Falcon had a strong presence. However, because of the strange feeling about her, the spectators' reactions were mixed.
And I checked Smart Falcon's legs and nodded to myself. She was perfectly tuned, just as I had expected. In fact, her tuning was so good that it was a little unsettling. Look at the development of her hindquarters.
I'm sure her trainer also prepared her perfectly for the middle-distance Teio Sho. Smart Falcon's body was so perfectly tuned that it was obvious just by looking at her.
At least, her physical condition was perfect.
"Trainer."
Urara came close to me, leaning over the paddock fence. Her expression was already serious.
"Urara... Smart Falcon is strong today."
"Yeah."
Nodding at my words, Urara looked at Smart Falcon. Smart Falcon was also looking this way, and their eyes met.
Urara and Smart Falcon exchanged a silent gaze. I couldn't read all the emotions in it.
But Smart Falcon was the first to look away, and she left the paddock with a strained smile.
The fifth confrontation with Smart Falcon—the curtain rises on the Teio Sho.
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