In the backstage...
"Ah, it's Hayahide and Halo-chan!" Seeing Hayato's group, Winning Ticket's face lit up as she shouted excitedly.
Rather than catching up with Biwa Hayahide first, she practically bounced over to King Halo. "Did you watch my race just now? Was I amazing?"
"Mm, you did well." King Halo's presence was equally strong, refusing to be overshadowed. "But I won't lose either. Let's compete in the Triple Crown races."
"Mm-hmm! Now I can finally participate in the Derby! You absolutely have to come too!"
"You do know you need to place in the top four at the Satsuki Sho to participate in the Japanese Derby, right?" Narita Taishin sighed softly, a familiar exasperation in her voice.
Whenever the Derby was mentioned, Winning Ticket's thoughts would get jumbled.
"Winning Ticket, do you know why you won?" Hayato asked casually, his tone conversational.
"Hehehe~" Winning Ticket scratched her head with a goofy smile, looking genuinely puzzled. "I surprised myself, too. I actually set a new Yayoi Sho record."
"I don't know why either. Seeing Taishin gaining on me, a sudden surge of power ran through my whole body… Like something inside me had ignited."
"Opponents can bring out unknown strength. Taishin taught me that."
As expected, Winning Ticket didn't know she'd awakened her ultimate skill.
The only one to blame was Narita Taishin for running alongside Winning Ticket. If she'd directly overtaken Winning Ticket instead of matching pace, this skill wouldn't have awakened at all.
The New Big Three Heisei ultimate skills all awakened during the Classic Triple Crown route. This was becoming troublesome for Hayato, adding variables he hadn't accounted for.
Listening to Winning Ticket's explanation, Narita Taishin lowered her gaze to the ground, her expression thoughtful.
"Even though I lost… I still feel that satisfaction of having run a good race."
Biwa Hayahide's eyes flickered with envy.
"Seriously, you two are so clever. I wish I could've raced with you too… I'm so jealous."
"Don't worry, you can all run together at the Satsuki Sho." Hayato's voice carried reassurance.
"Next time, I absolutely won't lose." Narita Taishin's fist clenched, her competitive spirit flaring back to life.
"Count me in, too."
King Halo squared her shoulders, letting her presence fill the space around her. Every movement carried the poise and confidence of a first-class Uma Musume, leaving no doubt that she was ready to face anyone.
Biwa Hayahide nodded firmly. "Mm, I'll definitely participate in the Satsuki Sho too. Then all four of us can run together."
"Oh, all four of us together!" Winning Ticket's face broke into an unprecedented happy smile, genuine joy radiating from her.
----
On the other side Nakayama race course.
"Boss, another serving please."
On the red chair, Oguri Cap sat with practiced calm, her belly already noticeably larger. Oil residue remained on her mouth, evidence of her feast.
On the table before her, over a hundred plates had already been stacked into a precarious tower.
The owner's face darkened as he held the menu, making notes with increasingly aggressive strokes. "There've been a lot of gray-haired ones lately, causing trouble. What's your name?"
Oguri Cap's gaze drifted downward, avoiding eye contact. "Tama... I'm Tamamo Cross."
Not recognizing the great Oguri Cap's name could only be called his bad luck as a shop owner.
Just as Oguri Cap was thinking about whether to pay extra as compensation, the owner had already grabbed her collar and physically thrown her out onto the street.
She landed with an undignified thump.
Afterward, she saw a new sign appear at the entrance: "Tamamo Cross - Entry Prohibited."
"I'm sorry, Tama-chan..." Her conscience hurt so much. The guilt was real.
Lately, Oguri Cap's food intake hadn't continued increasing uncontrollably. Right now, she had that rare feeling of actually being full, her stomach satisfied.
From this, she deduced that Hayato's training was helping regulate her appetite somehow.
Before, even without training she'd felt hungry all the time. Now it was different, strange. She felt full of power during training, and after training, her belly felt genuinely satisfied instead of bottomless. She didn't understand the principle behind it. In any case, she just wanted to train now.
After a few days at Yayoi Sho Nakayama Race Course....
Tamamo Cross and Super Creek came to visit again on the training field, and this time they brought Inari One along too.
They didn't say anything at first, just stood there watching from the sidelines. Tamamo Cross even pulled out some food and started munching on it while spectating, her eyes glinting mischievously as she clearly tried to tempt Oguri Cap.
Oguri Cap's eyes kept drifting toward her now and then, following the movement of food to her mouth. This only made Tamamo Cross even more smug, her satisfaction practically radiating off her.
During break time, Oguri Cap walked over and plopped down next to Tamamo Cross. At a speed that left Tamamo Cross completely stunned, Oguri Cap rapidly devoured the food before Tamamo Cross could even react.
"Thanks for coming to see me, Tama-chan." Oguri Cap patted her shoulder, genuinely touched. "And for bringing all this food too. What a good buddy."
"Huh?" Tamamo Cross's face slowly contorted as realization set in. "I didn't come here to be your food delivery service!"
Super Creek moved closer to Hayato, her voice quiet but curious. "Trainer Hayato, are you really going to let Oguri Cap run in the Dream Cup at the end of the year?"
Hayato pulled up Oguri Cap's current stats in his vision and nodded, genuine satisfaction settling in his chest. Her recovery had been incredibly fast, almost miraculous. In just one month, her speed had broken through 500.
At this point, Oguri Cap could run a GI without any issues whatsoever.
"Yeah, the Dream Cup only happens once every five years. If we miss it, that's another five years of waiting." Hayato glanced toward where Oguri Cap was still grinning at the furious Tamamo Cross. "But don't worry, I'm only letting her race because I'm certain her body can handle it. I wouldn't risk her health otherwise."
Super Creek could see it too, the evidence right there. Oguri Cap's complexion looked so much better compared to a few months ago, her energy levels completely transformed.
That's why they'd stopped opposing Oguri Cap training. The results spoke for themselves.
"If that's the case, then I'm entering too." Tamamo Cross declared, her voice cutting through the conversation.
"Eh? Tama, you're running, too?" Oguri Cap's ears perked up.
---
Ahem, there's another work you might like, you can check it out on my profile. At least it's more relaxing for me without having to look for information and match it according to horse racing information so that I don't make mistakes. XD
I Have the Ability of an NTR Protagonist in a Comic World
(This isn't about NTR. It's just giving his abilities for a survival game.) When Hayato woke up, the world was wrong. Hoshino Ai from Oshi no Ko, Ryou Fujibayashi and Kyou Fujibayashi from Clannad, Yukino Yukinoshita from Oregairu. Tachibana Hina and Tachibana Rui from Domestic na Kanojo, Sakurajima Mai from Bunny Girl Senpai... What no one expected was the sudden appearance of a death-game survival in this mixed comic world. And at the very beginning, he obtained a superpower— [Time Stop].