When they took their places on the warm-up field again the next day, even Offside Trap could tell that something was off about Narita Brian.
Brian's expression looked much the same as it had over the past few days, but the aura around her was already nothing like before.
Offside Trap frowned in confusion and shot a glance at Teraizumi Shinji. He gave her no response at all, so she huffily turned her head away. There was no doubt in her mind now that something had happened between Shinji and Brian—her trainer just had no intention of telling her.
But then she remembered how terrible Brian had looked after training the day before. Mimicking the way Shinji would purse his lips, Offside Trap silently mouthed to him:
"Brian felt awful after training yesterday."
"All right, same plan as usual for everyone today. Halo rests. Trap follows the same training menu, though you can add one more cooldown set at the end. Only Brian—your training changes. I'm increasing it a bit."
Shinji's words left Offside Trap staring at him blankly, wondering if she had heard wrong. She had just told him that Brian had reacted terribly to yesterday's workload, yet he was increasing it?
She had been about to say more, but then she suddenly remembered the way Brian had acted toward her yesterday. A horse girl with pride and backbone—no matter how wretched she looked in training, perhaps only reclaiming the results she had always wanted could truly let her make peace with her racing career.
At that thought, Offside Trap understood why both Shinji and Brian felt different today. Her mind drifted back to her own struggles back then. Even with her just-healed tendonitis, even when other trainers said her training was absurdly harsh, almost like abuse, she had still gritted her teeth and persevered.
In the end, it all came down to the strength of a dream. They were all here for the same reason: each of them had a goal they would not abandon.
Having sorted it out in her head, Offside Trap turned away. She did not look at Brian again, because she did not need to. Brian's resolve itself was the best form of concern and encouragement there could be; anything more from her would just be unnecessary clutter.
And Offside Trap herself would continue pushing harder too, to prepare for the next overseas campaign.
At the side of the field, Saint King Halo had also noticed the change in Brian, and it made her want to start training right this instant.
If not for the last shred of reason holding her back, Halo felt she would already be warming up. The road to the Spring Triple Crown was down to this final battle, and it was one she absolutely refused to lose.
Narita Brian followed Shinji silently. Having finished her warm-up, sweat beaded on her forehead as she took the strap herself and fastened the tire around her waist.
Shinji stood beside her, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Brian."
"Yes?"
She lifted her head at once. His expression was so serious that it made her own face grow solemn as well.
"There really are a lot of people waiting for you to succeed again."
Brian froze for a moment, then gave a faint, dismissive smile. She had long since seen through it all. Tojo Hana, her old teammates, the student council, the other girls at the academy… as far as she was concerned, Brian's future success was supposed to lie somewhere beyond racing now—just like her story in the Twinkle Series had already reached a perfect ending.
"I'm serious."
Shinji only gazed steadily into Brian's eyes. Her stare trembled slightly before settling again.
"I understand, Trainer."
Back then, what she had said had already won Shinji's complete approval. Letting her join his team had been the clearest possible proof of that. And neither Tojo Hana nor Hayakawa nor anyone else had tried to deny it.
She and Shinji were both people who had been cast aside. There was no need to dig around now, trying to find extra validation for her.
Her dream. Her will. Brian believed those alone were enough to carry her back toward the place she wanted to stand once more.
And that brief flicker of expectation she had felt just now—she decided it did not matter after all.
She would simply pour in everything she had.
She raised her chin. It was her signal that she was ready. Shinji stepped back two paces and nodded.
"Same as yesterday. On the straight, we'll start with your explosive speed—help you slowly recover the feeling, the method you used to win before…"
…
"Hah… hah… blegh!"
Clutching the railing with all her strength, Narita Brian's eyes were bloodshot. Her other hand gripped the fabric over her chest so tightly that her school uniform was wrinkled into knots.
There was fresh mess on the ground in front of her. Her breathing was ragged, and though her legs trembled violently, they somehow held. Even so, she had to dump part of her body weight onto the railing just to remain standing.
Shinji still wore that same composed expression as he watched her in silence. He had not called a stop. Brian had pushed through to the finish line before vomiting this time, so all he had done was lengthen the interval before the next set by a little.
Brian turned and looked at him. When her trainer met her gaze, he even smiled mildly.
"I'll give you five extra minutes. That means you still have three minutes left to rest."
Hearing that, Offside Trap was struck by a powerful sense of déjà vu.
That was how Shinji had treated her back then too. But as she grew stronger, and as Saint King Halo grew stronger as well, that side of him had appeared less and less.
Now it was Brian's turn.
Brian nodded. She did not argue. Her legs were already weak, but she had made it across the line in the previous set.
"If you'd failed to reach the finish and collapsed halfway, then I could say you had already given everything and truly reached your limit. But right now, you still have something left. You haven't wrung yourself dry yet."
Shinji's tone remained calm, and Brian did not refute him. She had no energy to comment on his words. All she could do was struggle to steady her breathing.
"Don't force your breathing back into place by holding it. That won't help your improvement."
Brian froze at the warning, then could only try to recover naturally—but that was obviously not fast enough.
So she set off again, her breathing still disordered.
"No matter what, get past the finish line at the other end."
Brian had already started moving before Shinji finished speaking. Her speed was far slower now, but there was no trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. He simply watched the back of his struggling trainee.
The tire that had seemed so light before now weighed like a thousand jin. Brian clenched her teeth so hard that she did not even notice the faint metallic taste already spreading in her mouth. Her stride had fallen apart.
Shinji kept running too, because even at his own pace he could now barely keep up behind her for short stretches.
"Keep going. Don't look, don't listen, don't feel—don't listen. Just keep running."
What exactly lay ahead of her, Brian could no longer tell. Her vision had already begun to blur, and she could barely judge how far she had run.
But it didn't matter. She only had to keep running until a wall appeared in front of her and blocked her way.
Then, all at once, her speed rose a fraction.
The moment the system's voice rang in his ear, Shinji's steps faltered, and he came to a stop.
The system panel unfolded before his eyes, and he saw the sight that made him happier than anything since he had begun training Narita Brian.
The Speed stat, which had only ever risen by one or two points at most in each session, suddenly jumped.
A full five points.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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