The sun dipped toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the Trainer's office.
Double Bell Luster held a stack of freshly printed documents, still warm and smelling of ink. She appeared to be studying them intently, but a closer look revealed a certain emptiness in her gaze.
She wasn't actually reading the files. Instead, she was staring out into the distance, her eyes fixed on the clouds painted a vibrant orange-red by the setting sun.
Or perhaps she wasn't looking at anything at all, simply lost in thought. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the edges of the paper, her grip alternating between tight and loose.
"Hey—Luster! Earth to Luster! You're going to crush those blueprints!"
To Double Bell Luster, the sudden voice was like a clap of thunder. She jumped to her feet instinctively.
The legs of her chair screeched against the floor, a sound so sharp and piercing that both Horse Girls instinctively hunched their shoulders and flattened their ears in pain.
There was no helping it; a Horse Girl's senses were far more acute than a human's. Such a cacophonous noise was pure torture to them. Perhaps only the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard could rival it for the top spot on the "Sounds Horse Girls Hate Most" list.
Double Bell Luster's grip faltered, and the documents nearly slipped from her hands. But she was a seasoned Trainer's Assistant; her first reflex in an emergency was to clutch the materials tight to prevent them from being lost.
In this specific case, it wasn't strictly necessary. These weren't faxes; they were locally printed. If she dropped them, she could just print them again. It wasn't like a fax where she'd have to ask the sender to resend it—an act that often left a bad impression.
However, excellence is found in the details. The way Luster prioritized the safety of the data was further proof that she had the making of a brilliant Trainer herself.
After a long moment, the two finally recovered from the auditory assault. Luster looked up and was immediately greeted by Mini Lady's face looming inches from hers. She let out a startled shriek.
It was terrifying to suddenly see a face that close, even if it belonged to a teammate. When someone is daydreaming, they lose track of their surroundings. Even though Mini Lady was a close friend, Luster hadn't recognized her voice at first.
"Spacing out again? How many times is that today?" Mini Lady was less than sympathetic. She planted her hands on her hips, her tone wildly exaggerated. "Could it be... that Luster is so deeply in love that her soul has drifted off to follow a certain Trainer?"
Mini Lady wore a mischievous smirk, teasing Luster mercilessly. "Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought our reliable logistics lady would have a day like this?"
As she spoke, she tilted her head and leaned in closer, as if trying to savor the girl's embarrassment. It was classic Mini Lady behavior.
However, Mini Lady didn't actually want her joke to be the reality. She knew her best friend, Norn Ace, also liked Fujimaru Ritsuka. Maybe it was because his cooking was amazing, or maybe it was just because he was handsome—whatever the reason, Norn was smitten.
But this meant Norn Ace and Double Bell Luster were now rivals. And with a world-class Horse Girl like Le Glorieux in the mix, the situation was looking exceptionally grim for the local favorites.
First of all, Norn Ace might not be able to beat Double Bell Luster, who had the "work advantage" of being by the Trainer's side. And then there was Glorious, who had literally retired just to chase him.
Mini Lady seriously doubted that even if Oguri Cap suddenly awakened to feelings of love, she could win against Glorious. After all, Glorious occupied a position that was something like a "Childhood Friend from the Skies."
Given that, Norn Ace and Double Bell Luster really ought to join forces to keep Glorious at bay, lest they both end up as "loser heroines."
But if Luster was already head-over-heels, she might not be willing to cooperate. She might say something like, "Defend against the outsider? A girl's love is something she must protect herself, isn't that obvious?"
Mini Lady worried that Luster might be too "lovestruck" to see the strategic advantage of an alliance.
There was also the problem that Mini Lady couldn't represent Norn Ace in a treaty.
Perhaps because Mini Lady had a "criminal record" of being a prankster, Norn Ace refused to give a straight answer no matter how much she was prodded. Even when Mini Lady threatened her with, "Since Norn isn't interested, I'll just go confess to the Trainer myself, that's fine, right?" Norn Ace didn't budge. Instead, she said:
"Then Mini should just go. Let's see if the Trainer thinks you're just joking again."
As they say, what goes around comes around. Because of Mini Lady's mischievous personality, her "credit score" was zero even in front of Norn Ace—at least regarding matters of the heart. In other areas, Norn still trusted her; she just didn't want Mini Lady acting impulsively and making things awkward for Luster and the others.
Unable to pin down Norn Ace's exact thoughts, Mini Lady could only grumble in her head: Norn, your tsundere attitude is going to be the death of you! Why don't you get it? The tsundere trope is so out of style!
Left with no choice, Mini Lady had to look for her own opportunities. Over the past few days, she noticed Luster was spacing out more and more. This time, she'd caught her red-handed.
But Mini Lady didn't have the initiative. She couldn't "expand the advantage" for Norn or forge an alliance with Luster.
Luster, for her part, acted like she always did. Blushing furiously, she panicked and denied the teasing before weakly firing back, "Mini, aren't you supposed to be at training?"
Her gaze wasn't firm, and her tone lacked authority. She looked like the very definition of a "paper tiger."
Skipping training? When she first enrolled, Mini Lady had definitely entertained the thought. But after losing to Oguri Cap and joining Fujimaru Ritsuka's team under Norn Ace's encouragement, she had completed every single training session in full. She and Norn had even been sneaking in extra practice, if only for peace of mind.
While the top three in the regional circuit got prize money, the lion's share always went to the winner. Even if it was just to save up more pocket money, they had to strive for the championship.
So, Mini Lady didn't buy Luster's deflection at all. Instead, she began "criticizing" Luster's own slacking.
Luster found herself unable to argue. Her lips moved, but in the end, she just silently hugged her documents tighter.
Seeing this, Mini Lady dropped the act. The playfulness in her eyes faded, replaced by worry and contemplation.
She lowered her voice. "I say, Luster, hasn't that 'outsider' been getting a bit too arrogant lately? I think even Norn is starting to look a little annoyed..."
She spoke with hidden meaning, her gaze drifting toward the distance. Luster followed her eyes and saw Norn Ace working hard on the far side of the training track.
The pink-haired Horse Girl looked incredibly focused. Every stride was powerful, carrying an air of silent, stubborn determination.
Luster didn't know Norn Ace harbored feelings for Fujimaru Ritsuka, so she was confused by Mini Lady's words. As far as she could tell, there was no conflict between Glorious and Norn Ace.
Mini Lady, however, was thinking: If Luster and Norn could work together—one handling logistics and internal support, the other handling the 'front lines' of competition and distraction—maybe they could actually cause some trouble for that seemingly effortless world champion. Maybe they could intercept her advances during their daily lives!
Alas, Luster completely missed the subtext. She simply assumed Norn Ace's hard work was a sign of her ambition for the future.
"Ah, Norn is entering the Gifu Junior Cup soon, right? Speaking of which, Oguri and El are entering the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun. There's no time for idle chatter."
Mini Lady: "#!"
The girl was incredibly annoyed. She thought: Wait, we just started talking! How is it over already? If you're really in such a rush, why were you just spacing out?!
Even though Mini Lady knew the daydreaming wasn't intentional, she was genuinely irritated. Still, she forced herself to be patient and clapped a hand on Luster's shoulder. "Work, is it? Fine, I'll help you."
Luster looked at the inexplicably "enthusiastic" girl with surprise. "Mini?" Was this the same Mini Lady she knew? Had she undergone a personality transplant?
Luster certainly didn't want to space out. They were leaving for Kawasaki soon. If Oguri Cap won this race, she could move to the Central Racing Association as the Regional Horse of the Year. They would finally let the Central circuit see just how powerful Oguri Cap truly was!
She had every reason to be perfectly focused on her work. And yet, she couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen that evening.
It was that day when the sky was neither fully light nor fully dark. She had wanted to bring something to Fujimaru Ritsuka, but she hadn't expected to see him and Glorious together around the corner.
The afterglow of the sunset slanted through the window at the end of the hall, painting the entire corridor in a warm gold. It looked like a CG from a visual novel—the perfect setting for a private meeting between a hero and heroine.
Fujimaru Ritsuka had his back to her. Just as she was about to call out to him, Glorious appeared.
With a pure, yet slightly mischievous smile, the girl suddenly lunged into his arms, hugging him gently but firmly.
In that moment, Double Bell Luster felt like her breath had stopped.
She didn't know what Glorious had said. She only saw Fujimaru Ritsuka pause for a moment before looking down to say something to the golden-haired girl in his arms. Then, Glorious showed a look of slight surprise, her eyes curving into charming crescents. She let out a clear, bright laugh before saying goodbye to the Trainer. She turned and walked away with a light step, disappearing at the other end of the corridor.
It was as if she had achieved some monumental goal, her mood so high she seemed ready to fly.
Afterward, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to sense Luster's gaze and turned to look her way. Luster had been so frightened she hid immediately, completely unable to face him. She didn't want him to find her, so she ran away.
Ever since, that scene kept popping into her head. Seeing them talking and laughing so happily made her afraid—afraid that Fujimaru Ritsuka and Glorious would end up together.
But she didn't want the Trainer to know about her worries. He was destined for great things; he was going to take them to Central and shock all of Japan. How could she let her personal feelings get in the way of everyone's future?
Furthermore, Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed to have noticed her distress. He had asked her multiple times: "Luster, if you have something on your mind, you must tell me. If you need a life consultation, I'm more than happy to help."
The young man's smile was so warm, so sunny, that Luster almost wanted to throw herself into his arms and accuse him of being heartless.
But she didn't. She just forced a smile and told him not to worry. She had said, "I'm just a little nervous. This is the most important race of the debut year in the regional circuit. Will everything go smoothly?"
Over the past six months, Oguri Cap's record was seven wins in seven starts, all taken with a clear advantage. She had run on both dirt and turf, fully demonstrating her incredible adaptability in both mile and middle-distance races.
The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun was a JpnI-level dirt race, 1600 meters long—a standard mile. It was right in Oguri Cap's comfort zone. Logically, Luster had no reason to worry. Even she felt her excuse was a bit weak.
Right?
Thinking this, Luster's mood grew somber. She patted her cheeks with both hands, trying to force herself to snap out of it.
Mini Lady took the opportunity to snatch the documents from Luster's hands and began flipping through them.
Suddenly, she saw a piece of information that caught her eye. She read it aloud instinctively. "This is... March?!"
Was that Fujimasa March? Was she entering this race too? Had she already moved beyond the Tokai region and onto the national stage? Had that girl really become that strong?
"March?!" Hearing Mini Lady's words, Double Bell Luster was also taken aback. This was the data Fujimaru Ritsuka had compiled, containing all the opponents for the upcoming race. She hadn't had a chance to look at it yet.
But why was Fujimasa March there? This was the highest-level race in the country. Newcomers from all over the regional circuits aimed for this event, using it as a springboard to transfer to Central. People would practically break each other's heads just to get a spot. How had Fujimasa March managed it?
Meanwhile, in another location.
A Horse Girl with long, blue-grey hair turned to look at Fujimaru Ritsuka and said seriously, "Trainer-san, please look after me today as well."
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (122 Chapters – Ongoing)
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