"Don't dodge, Teio! Charge straight at me—head-on!"
"Mo-kiiiii~!"
On the track field, Eternal Meteor was riding the "Little Gold Ship," a two-wheeled scooter she'd "borrowed" from Gold Ship, chasing Tokai Teio across the grounds.
"Stop running away—turn around and face me!"
"Then put the cleaver down first!"
Teio couldn't help glancing back. The blade in Eternal Meteor's right hand kept flashing under the sun—like it was about to stab Teio right in the butt. Teio clamped her tail down and sprinted harder, voice shaking like she was about to cry.
"Why did it turn into this?!"
"Nice volume. I'm speeding up."
"NOOOOO!!!"
One Day Earlier
"Huh? You want me to train Tokai Teio's anti-interference?"
Eternal Meteor hugged the stack of study materials to her chest, pointed at herself with disbelief, and seriously wondered if Trainer Nishizaki had a fever.
"Please. Teio's debut race is coming up. I watched your race closely—I'm scared Teio might run into a horse girl who uses hoofbeats to disrupt others."
Watching Nishizaki clasp his hands and sway as he begged, Eternal Meteor started wondering if she'd eaten undercooked wild-mushroom hotpot.
"You know what Teio's dream is, right?"
"An undefeated Triple Crown."
No hesitation—she answered instantly.
"Then… what about me?"
Silence.
More silence.
Nishizaki seemed to realize something. His face went stiff, and he asked carefully:
"Also… Triple Crown?"
"Exactly. So right now you're basically asking me to hand my advantage to my opponent. Crystal clear?"
"…Crystal clear."
With that confirmation, Nishizaki's heart sank. He turned away, head down, gave her a weak wave, and started to leave.
"Why are you in such a hurry? I never said I wouldn't do it."
One sentence—his mood snapped 180 degrees. He spun around and ran back.
"You worked that hard compiling my materials. How could I refuse? Do you really think I'm the kind of person who's completely cold-blooded for the sake of winning?"
Eternal Meteor hefted the thick stack of notes. The dense handwriting screamed how much effort it had taken.
"Still—my training is strict. Once we start, you don't get to regret it."
"No problem. When we're done, I'll treat you to yakiniku."
"Just don't end up washing dishes to pay for it again."
"…That was an accident."
Back to the Present: Cleaver Training (??)
Eternal Meteor shook her head at Teio's pure panic and felt disappointed.
Afraid of a cleaver? What kind of fighting spirit was that?
X's voice in her head couldn't resist.
"This is an Uma Musume set. You're in the wrong genre."
Seriously—imagine it: someone riding a 70–80 km/h scooter, waving a cleaver that shines with ominous light, wearing an excited grin, yelling at you not to run.
If you aren't scared, you're the abnormal one.
"Look—President!"
"Where?!"
Teio whipped her head around to search—completely ignoring the grim reaper closing in behind her.
Then cold, icy sensation brushed her tail.
Teio shuddered from head to toe.
Realizing she'd been tricked, she surged forward—
but the scooter's motor sound was gone.
She looked back and saw the Little Gold Ship abandoned on the ground.
"Hah! It ran out of power! Bleh bleh bleh—wait, where'd Eternal Meteor go?!"
Teio was halfway through making faces on the ground before she realized something crucial:
The scooter was there… but the cleaver and Eternal Meteor weren't.
Then—
"In the mood to find me? …Haa"
A whisper breathed into her ear—so close Teio could hear the exhale. Eternal Meteor even blew lightly against her ear.
That feather-light puff slid across Teio's whole body like a blade.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Now Eternal Meteor got hit by the scream.
She clapped her hands over her ears and shouted:
"Stop—STOP—today's training ends here!"
Only then did Teio clamp her mouth shut. Her eyes were watery, like tears could spill at any moment.
She'd genuinely been terrified.
"Alright, alright. If someone saw you like this, they'd think I'm bullying a kid."
"You are bullying her."
"I'm not a kid!"
"Okay, okay—I'll buy you a honey special."
Eternal Meteor ignored X's jab and focused on calming Teio down. She honestly hadn't expected a horse girl to be this timid—if she'd known, she would've used a different method.
After buying the honey drink, Teio stabilized. The two of them walked side by side, sipping quietly.
Why This Training Matters
Eternal Meteor suddenly asked:
"Do you know why I'm training you like this?"
She wanted Teio to understand what scenario this was meant for.
"To… stop getting scared by other horse girls?"
"Exactly. In real races, your opponent won't only use hoofbeats. Their expression, movements, and pressure—those can all become weapons to attack your rhythm."
Teio lowered her head, thinking.
Eternal Meteor smiled—she liked kids who actually think after a question. Without resisting, she reached out and ruffled Teio's hair, then continued:
"If you're on the track and you see a late-charging runner behind you, flailing like she's drunk, trying to ram you, stomping her hooves to tell you to move—what do you do?"
Teio wanted to answer move aside, but today's "training" flashed through her mind. She reconsidered and answered:
"…I don't move."
"Right. Remember this: nobody who's racing you is a stupid idiot who ignores the rules. All that noise is just there to break your tempo."
Eternal Meteor nodded, satisfied, and reluctantly let go of Teio's fluffy ear.
"So to make sure you can ignore that in real races… we're training again tomorrow."
"Okaaay~"
Watching Teio hop away, Eternal Meteor returned to the track and did extra laps—planning to squeeze in more before dinner.
The Real Reason She Cares
X finally asked what it had been holding in all afternoon:
"So why are you taking this so seriously? 'Repaying the trainer' feels like an excuse at this point. You know she'll be a major rival, right?"
Eternal Meteor was already on her third lap when she stopped and thought.
"I don't know."
Then, after a pause:
"My rational side is screaming at me to stop… but my emotional side keeps pushing me to do it anyway."
"Is it because Rudolf takes care of her and you want to repay Rudolf? Because Teio's cute? Or because you just want to raise a strong opponent?"
Eternal Meteor shook her head, rejecting each explanation.
"…I do know why. But I'm also desperately denying it."
She looked up at the lonely moon—isolated in the sky under the city's light pollution—and gave a small, self-mocking laugh.
"I just want to do something that gives me positive feelings… something that proves I'm still needed by someone."
She exhaled.
"X… I think you're right. My head—or maybe my heart—really is kind of messed up."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 60)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 60)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 64)
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