"Hm?"
It did not take long for Risen Star to notice that something was different about her. She clenched her fist experimentally, then broke into an excited smile.
Last time, it had been the same. Carrying the frustration of losing to Xingyun Liuge, she had trained with all her might and, through sweat and effort, gained real growth. And now she had successfully reproduced that same "success."
Calling it "last time" was a little funny, though, since it had only been a week ago. To achieve growth twice in such a short span of time—how could that not thrill her?
Risen Star stumbled forward two steps and sighed, "Xingyun really is my lucky star."
Lady's Secret grabbed the back of her collar, stopping her from continuing her training. Risen Star was already utterly spent. If she kept going, there would be only harm and no benefit.
Lady's Secret was fully prepared to drag the little troublemaker back before she did something reckless.
At that moment, the two of them saw three girls entering the racetrack side by side.
Risen Star pointed at Winning Colors, shock plain on her sweat-drenched face. She no longer had the leisure to wipe herself down. All she wanted to know was what on earth was going on.
Why were Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo together with Xingyun Liuge, and chatting with her so cheerfully?
Xingyun Liuge herself had not expected to run into Risen Star here, but the surprise vanished in an instant. She greeted her naturally enough, then openly explained why they had come: the night was long, and none of them felt sleepy, so they had come out for a run.
Risen Star nearly petrified on the spot.
She had only just run herself to exhaustion, and then these people showed up. Had they not perfectly missed the chance to run together with Xingyun Liuge?
Xingyun took one look at Risen Star's stunned expression. Though she did not quite understand it, she did not care much, and instead said the sort of thing most likely to mess with her mentality:
"Since we've run into each other here, why not join us, Risen Star?"
The words had barely left her mouth before Liuge narrowed her eyes and raised a hand to her lips, speaking in a tone so artfully sweet it sounded made for stirring up trouble.
"I was going to say that," she went on, "but looking at your current condition… I guess that won't do. You really should get some proper rest~"
Her voice was light and lively, even carrying a hint of concern, as though she truly cared about Risen Star's well-being.
But was that what Risen Star wanted?
The so-called "Secretariat's Masterpiece" immediately started struggling, insisting that she wanted to run with Xingyun Liuge, only to be "firmly dealt with" by Lady's Secret.
Watching Risen Star get dragged away by Lady's Secret with a fresh lump on her head, Xingyun Liuge smiled and waved, radiating warmth and kindness.
"..."
Winning Colors felt that Liuge seemed a little mean-spirited just then. It did not really feel like she had been worrying about Risen Star so much as deliberately getting inside her head. But she was not entirely sure.
Goodbye Halo, however, thought nothing of the kind. She found Xingyun Liuge gentle and considerate, and thought this version of her was dashing and handsome in a way that made her want to seize Liuge's hand and simply enjoy the moment to her heart's content.
She quickly appraised Xingyun Liuge's hands and came to a swift conclusion: no wonder she was a fully matured horse girl now. Not only had she grown taller than all of them with ease, even the size of her hands had surpassed theirs.
Those long, shapely fingers really did look made for playing the piano.
The moment Goodbye Halo imagined just how nimble Liuge's fingers must be, her tail began wagging excitedly.
She knew it well enough—Xingyun Liuge had played keyboard during her debut race's winner's stage. That meant the flexibility of her fingers was already guaranteed. And then…
What came after that was a realm only open to horse girls after entering their senior years, when one could finally speak freely.
Noticing Goodbye Halo's excitement, Liuge deliberately leaned toward her ear, close enough that their temples might almost brush, and asked softly, "Goodbye, what are you thinking about~? Can you tell me?"
She dragged out the last few words with an unmistakably teasing intimacy, and instantly left Goodbye Halo flushed with embarrassment.
Looking at the girl whose earlobes had turned a charming pink, Xingyun Liuge let out a light, good-natured laugh. Then, entirely ignoring the protesting cries coming from Risen Star, she hooked an arm around each of the two girls at her sides and leisurely savored the sensation of having one on either arm.
Even then, she could not help sighing inwardly: what a pity. Winning Colors' figure really was rather ordinary. Who knew whether she still had room to grow?
Still, whether there was room to grow or not had nothing to do with it—Xingyun Liuge was not about to go easy on anyone in training. She needed to get fully used to her new body. There was no way she would throw a race just because a fellow horse girl happened to be pretty.
Besides, even if she did care about someone, then as long as she kept winning decisively, would that person's eyes not remain fixed on her anyway?
Making your opponent taste the bitterness of defeat—that was the most fitting language a horse girl could use, was it not?
And so, in that late-night training session, Xingyun Liuge once again absolutely demolished both of them.
"I'm done for..." Goodbye Halo lay flat on the ground after the race, utterly motionless, letting out the sort of faint groan one gave when one's soul had already left one's body.
The two of them had already spent the entire day working hard, and then that night they had first run all the way from the hotel to Belmont Park, and after that still had to survive a tense training race. Being so exhausted they did not even want to move a finger was only natural. Goodbye Halo had no energy left to worry about "maintaining a good image in front of Xingyun Liuge."
Winning Colors looked a little better. At least she was still sitting upright.
But honestly, judging by the state of the two girls, they would probably only manage to get back if they leaned on each other and called a cab.
Well, no—that was wrong. They were not some ordinary country girls. There was no need to call a cab. They could just have the family send someone to pick them up.
Thinking that, Xingyun Liuge let out a small sigh.
"What am I supposed to do with you two?"
Then, without ceremony, she hefted one girl onto each shoulder.
After all, she had brought them out here. Naturally, she ought to be the one to bring them back.
The only issue was that the pose was far too strange.
Even the two girls involved found it excruciatingly awkward and tried to get down from Liuge's shoulders.
But once they were up there, how and when it ended was no longer up to them.
At least they were wearing sportswear. If they had been in school uniforms, they would probably have felt too ashamed to ever show their faces again.
Even so, Winning Colors could not hold out until the end. Midway through, she admitted she had recovered a bit of strength and got "off the ride."
Goodbye Halo had originally intended to do the same.
But once Winning Colors got down, Xingyun Liuge shifted her hold. Instead of carrying Goodbye Halo over her shoulder, she changed to a princess carry.
At that close distance, with Xingyun Liuge's profile right before her eyes and the faint scent of sweat in the air, Goodbye Halo found she no longer wanted to say a word.
Resting against Liuge's round, smooth shoulder, the pink-haired girl studied her side profile and thought to herself: This is fine. Yes. This is perfect.
With that thought, another flush bloomed across her face. Her lips curved higher and higher of their own accord, and even her tail would not stay still.
By sheer coincidence, Yui saw the whole thing.
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 150)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
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 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 15
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