...
"Next is Penelope from Australia, known as 'The Wild Daughter of the Grasslands'."
Matikane Tannhauser looked at the densely packed page of notes and recalled: "She's a very lively and enthusiastic horse girl."
"The moment she saw me, she ran over, tilted her head, and asked, 'Are you here to collect stories?' Before I could even answer, she patted her chest and said, 'My story is super exciting—ask anything!'"
Lucian leaned back in his chair with interest, arms crossed in front of him. "So what questions did you ask her?"
"I first recorded the basic information."
Matikane Tannhauser looked at her notebook and listed: "Her skin is wheat-colored. Her winning outfit is a simple tank top and shorts, mainly brown and gold, reminding people of vast grasslands and golden harvest fields... Her build is very sturdy. She looks about the same size as Trainer, but definitely stronger than Trainer."
"You can actually skip that last sentence." Lucian said helplessly. "And then? Any other information?"
"And she showed me her running form..." When Matikane Tannhauser reached this point, a faint trace of shock still lingered in her eyes. "Her stride is incredibly long—like she's leaping while running!"
The lounge was too small; otherwise she would have tried to imitate it.
Her introduction ended there, and the classic Q&A session began again.
Meisho Doto: "Golden Pudding-chan, Red Bull-chan, and Spe-chan-senpai are in danger now!
(●⁰ꈊ⁰● |||)"
Twin Turbo thought seriously, as if conducting a solemn brainstorming session. "Wild Daughter of the Grasslands? Then let's call her... Wheat-chan!"
Nice Nature: "May I ask what connection there is between the two?"
Twin Turbo shook her head. "None."
This time, aside from Twin Turbo, no one asked any completely irrelevant questions.
Perhaps the information was too normal, so they hadn't come up with any spicy remarks yet.
But finally someone asked a normal question.
"Um... Teacher Tannhauser," Tokai Teio, sitting nearby, frowned slightly and steered the topic back on track. "Regarding these opponents' racing styles and preferred track types, did you gather any intelligence on that?"
Lucian felt it was time for him to step up and deliver the real pre-race analysis.
But to his surprise, Matikane Tannhauser nodded.
"Yes, yes!"
"But I'll need the computer. I collected a lot of their race footage, but summarizing it should still be left to Trainer."
Matikane Tannhauser took a USB drive from her pocket and handed it to Lucian.
Lucian immediately checked it on the computer. To his surprise, not only had Matikane Tannhauser collected footage, but she had meticulously organized it by year, race type, track conditions, and more.
"Tantan, this material is excellent!" Lucian exclaimed, praising her generously without holding back.
The other horse girls also got up from their seats and crowded behind Lucian to watch.
But at this moment, Matikane Tannhauser lost her earlier confidence. She stood in place, eyes drifting, voice growing smaller. "Actually... this material isn't my work."
"Not your work?" Lucian raised an eyebrow and looked away from the screen.
"Mhm." Tannhauser's head drooped even lower, almost burying itself in her chest. "Because the footage and detailed data were really hard to collect, so I... I went and asked Chairwoman Akikawa. And then she just sent it all to me directly."
"So that's how it was." Lucian suddenly understood and showed a knowing smile.
Chairwoman Akikawa's real-life racing prototype was Northern Taste, who was Matikane Tannhauser's father.
So people often joked that Matikane Tannhauser was Tracen Academy's "crown prince."
"Alright, everyone back to your seats. It's too crowded here—stop squeezing in!" Lucian watched Haru Urara suddenly dive in front of him, nearly hitting his chin, and smiled helplessly.
...
After regaining control of the situation, Lucian turned on the projector and displayed the materials he and Ines Fujin had collected over the past few days.
Detailed data, illustrated and clear at a glance.
"Although Broye is renowned as Europe's Horse Queen, after Tannhauser's introduction just now, everyone should realize how strong the other opponents are too."
"For example, Astrid." Lucian paused. "Or as you call her, Golden Pudding. She's famous for her stamina and explosive late-race power."
Lucian lightly tapped the remote, and footage of Astrid's race began playing on the projector.
The golden figure maintained a calm stride throughout the long bend, running neck-and-neck with the others.
But once she entered the final straight, every push off the ground seemed to unleash air-tearing power. Her form became a streak of golden lightning, instantly leaving her opponents behind.
"I can tell you with certainty—she has already touched the Zone."
"The reason she earned the title 'Ice Crystal Valkyrie' is because her late-race sprint brings opponents a bone-chilling sense of coercion that makes them shiver uncontrollably."
After speaking, Lucian played an interview clip from a horse girl who had raced against Astrid. "I... I've never felt that kind of speed before. I thought I gave everything I had, but all I could hear was my own increasingly frantic heartbeat... and her light, almost casual breathing that felt like it could freeze everything."
...
"Next is Sergio." Lucian projected several photos of Sergio.
In the photos, Sergio's muscle lines were clearly defined, her expression resolute, exuding explosive power—like an unshakable small mountain.
Lucian looked at her photos and spoke with a helpless tease: "Who actually grabs bull horns and wrestles with the bull for real in bullfighting?"
"So, Spe-chan, during the race, absolutely do not engage in meaningless strength contests with her. Just avoid her edge."
"Her advantages are mostly in the early and mid-race phases, because she knows she can't beat you in the final sprint."
After speaking, Lucian played several clips of Sergio's races.
When the footage ended, he didn't pause at all and immediately switched to the next photo. "Penelope, known as 'The Wild Daughter of the Grasslands.' The 'wild' refers to her running form."
He quickly switched to a few short race videos.
In the videos, Penelope's running form was full of primitive wildness and explosiveness. Her limbs moved in huge arcs, bold and unrestrained, like a cheetah hunting on the grasslands.
And she was surprisingly agile when cornering too.
"With such long strides, she still maintains a high stride frequency... Almost all her wins are crushing victories."
Lucian sighed with admiration, then shifted tone. "But even someone as terrifying as her still loses races... Stamina is the door God closed on her."
"The Japan Cup is a full 2400 meters—middle to long distance. It's not suited for her to sprint the whole way."
"But not suited doesn't mean impossible. This kind of opponent carries huge uncertainty. She might run away, might go for a big lead, might lead early... Disrupting everyone with her own rhythm makes her like a ticking time bomb—a major threat to the entire field."
At this point, Lucian's gaze turned to Twin Turbo. "Just think of her as a turbo pump."
"Huh, me?" Twin Turbo pointed at herself. "Is Trainer praising me?"
"Yes, yes." Lucian smiled and nodded, his eyes full of encouragement and expectation. "Who knows—one day you might grow to be like her, becoming a 'Wild Daughter' on the track that no one can ignore."
...