Miho Dormitory, nighttime.
"Seiun Sky, I saw you today, you know. You and that trainer of yours."
As soon as she returned to the dorm, Sakura Laurel wanted to chat with Seiun Sky, her tone casual but curious.
"Oh? I told you, didn't I? I'm challenging the Tenno Sho Spring, so naturally I'd check out my future opponents." Seiun Sky kicked off her casual shoes and changed into athletic shoes without breaking stride.
"So you weren't joking?"
Seiun Sky smiled without responding, her silence an answer enough. She wasn't joking anymore. Though she didn't have any notable achievements yet, if Hayato said there was an eighty percent chance of victory, then it really wasn't a joke.
Eighty percent chance? It was pretty funny, actually.
After a while, Sakura Laurel asked again, "I heard your trainer is really, really amazing?"
Recently, she'd heard quite a bit about Hayato, especially the escape runner tactics. It had spread throughout the entire school, the gossip impossible to avoid.
Combined with the new monthly magazine, it gave her some understanding of who Hayato was as a trainer. He seemed to be someone with plenty of experience, not comparable to those ordinary trainers who just followed textbooks.
"Yeah, that guy really isn't just a trainer who talks big. He's got real skills, and he even gave you a high evaluation." She'd already changed into athletic pants, her movements efficient.
Her purpose was obvious. Back to her old ways.
"His evaluation of me? Wait, he shouldn't even know me, right?"
For Sakura Laurel, whose fate had always been rough, she really couldn't figure out why Hayato would have that kind of evaluation of her when they'd never met.
"It's true, though." Seiun Sky finally grabbed her athletic jacket, and the movements in her hands stopped. "He said you're even stronger than Narita Brian and Mayano Top Gun who were at the Hanshin track today."
"Huh?" Sakura Laurel's eyes suddenly widened, her beautiful cherry blossom pupils appearing cherry-red under the lights.
Seiun Sky didn't want to say more. She opened the room door and glanced outside, looking like she was up to something shady, checking for witnesses.
"Wait, it's already night. Where are you going?" Only now did Sakura Laurel notice that Seiun Sky had already changed into her clothes and shoes, ready for training.
This scene felt familiar, like déjà vu from previous nights.
"Do you even need to ask? Of course, I'm going to make up for today's training."
After confirming Hishi Amazon wasn't around, Seiun Sky walked out openly, no longer bothering to hide.
There were actually many horse girls who snuck out of the dorms. The dorm leader didn't necessarily care about everything, but there were exceptions. It was best not to get caught red-handed.
"T-training? W-wait, I'm coming too."
Having just watched the race between Mayano Top Gun and Narita Brian, she now really wanted to throw herself into training as well, the fire still burning in her chest.
Seeing Seiun Sky being so bold, Sakura Laurel grabbed a jacket without hesitation and walked outside, following close behind. With her lack of experience sneaking out, she wanted to follow Seiun Sky's lead and learn the ropes.
Who knew that not long after they walked outside, a low voice rang out from behind. "Stop. You're wearing athletic clothes, where do you think you're going?"
Just from the voice alone, they knew it was Miho's dorm leader, Hishi Amazon.
Sakura Laurel broke out in a cold sweat, her body going rigid. What should they do? Would honestly confessing and admitting their mistake work?
Beside her, Seiun Sky didn't seem panicked at all. She shouted loudly, "I'm Sakura Laurel, not Seiun Sky! Seiun Sky is sleeping in the dorm!"
As soon as she said that, she ran off without looking back.
"Eh?"
But I'm right here tho?
"Hey!" Hishi Amazon wanted to chase Seiun Sky, startling Sakura Laurel who also started running on instinct.
"I'm not Sakura Laurel, I'm Seiun Sky!"
The two quickly running horse girls soon disappeared into the night, their footsteps fading.
Feeling like she couldn't catch up, Hishi Amazon stopped, her breath coming heavy. "I'll deal with you two later."
—
After sneaking out, Seiun Sky began simulating Hayato's training methods, trying to replicate what he'd shown her.
There was no way to do basic stat training without equipment, so Seiun Sky could only do skill awakening training.
Just as she was about to start running, she saw Sakura Laurel running over out of breath. "Sei, Seiun Sky, wh-what do we do? I think we got caught sneaking out."
"Why did you come?" Seiun Sky felt a bit dejected seeing her standing there panting. If Sakura Laurel also ran here, that meant they really did get caught sneaking out together.
Remembering Hishi Amazon's look, she couldn't help but shudder. That big sis seemed pretty scary when angry.
She advised Sakura Laurel, "It's not curfew time yet, so it doesn't count as sneaking out. If you're scared, just go back."
"Th-then what about you?"
"Me? I don't really care." Seiun Sky shrugged, unbothered.
This wasn't her first time doing this. She'd long since gotten used to the consequences.
"Eh? Wh-why?"
"Because I'm the slacker horse girl, Seiun Sky."
—
In the trainer's office, Hayato organized the upcoming training plans, along with the skills they needed to learn next, spreading papers across his desk.
There were many skills he wanted to develop but hadn't found the method for yet, the research was taking longer than expected.
Like the escape runner's exclusive skill, Escape Artist.
He'd discovered that many horse girls who chose to be escape runners would naturally awaken it. Silence Suzuka not awakening, it was probably just a matter of time, her instincts already pointing that way.
If he could research it earlier, that would be even better for their training efficiency.
For this, he'd looked at quite a few other horse girls' training methods, cross-referencing everything he could find.
In the end, Hayato came to a conclusion.
Escape Artist could only be obtained by horse girls with high front-running awareness, and it required a certain amount of pressure from opponents pushing them forward.
Having Seiun Sky compete with her for the leading position might trigger the awakening, but unfortunately, Seiun Sky had other training to do and couldn't waste time on this experiment.
Oguri Cap wouldn't work either. Having her run one race was already great. Her food consciousness was too strong as an eater, Hayato didn't want to trouble Oguri Cap with extra work.
However, there was one horse girl who fit the role perfectly as a training partner, Ines Fujin. She was often called a genius, even if her time in the spotlight burned fast after the Derby.
Ines Fujin was currently in a state of studying while working part-time. Spending a bit of money should be enough to hire her for training sessions.
There was also Yukino Bijin. Yukino Bijin had already retired and seemed quite free these days.
After organizing and planning everything, he looked at the clock on the wall, squinting at the numbers.
"It's already past three?"
At this hour, he didn't plan on going back to his place to sleep. Hayato yawned and lay his head down on the desk, too tired to move.