"Ah, that woman is an absolute nightmare."
After exchanging all the information they'd gathered with the utmost seriousness, Agnes Tachyon returned to her room. She didn't even glance at her roommate, Daiwa Scarlet, and instead simply threw herself onto the bed.
Her ears drooped flat against her head, and her tail didn't move an inch.
Much as Tachyon admired Seiun Ryoka's total focus when it came to racing, and believed every horse girl ought to learn from her, the moment something she deeply cared about came up, she found herself unable to stay composed.
She really, really wanted to know who that song had been meant for.
Tachyon couldn't help thinking, If Ryoka's heart really does belong to some other horse girl, won't she pull some stunt on the next winner's stage?
For example, after winning the St Leger, she might sing a love song in full view of the crowd and confess to that special someone—someone who perhaps hadn't even revealed herself yet.
Or perhaps she'd even run the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for that person's sake.
Thinking that far, Tachyon shook her head and let out a bitter laugh.
"I really ought to learn from Ryoka."
For a horse girl, victory on the track was what mattered most. Why she wanted to win, or what she intended to do afterward, was secondary.
What truly mattered was her unwavering devotion to running—and the moment she stood bathed in glory.
Tachyon sighed deeply.
"Looks like I still have a long way to go."
Naturally, she meant as a horse girl. Not in any other sense.
Seeing Agnes Tachyon lying there sighing over and over, Daiwa Scarlet—who had been paying very close attention—finally edged closer.
"Senpai, what's wrong? Did the discussion not go well?"
If that was the case, then it really was bad. They'd spent so much time preparing for the St Leger, doing all sorts of research for it. If none of it proved helpful...
Scarlet's nerves started to wobble. Still, she tried to calm herself down.
It's okay. Even if it doesn't help, letting Lady Seiun know how hard we worked still has value.
Tachyon, of course, had no intention of giving out the wrong impression. She caught the worry in Scarlet's voice immediately, sat up at once, and fixed her uncertain junior with a serious gaze.
"Daiwa. In your eyes, what exactly is the British St Leger?"
The British St Leger?
Why, it was the oldest Classic race in the world—the final leg of the British Triple Crown.
For Classic-year horse girls chasing Triple Crown glory, it was the last stop. At the same time, it was also a new beginning.
For British horse girls, once they ran this race, it essentially meant they were done with their nation's Classic-only events. From then on, they were expected to focus fully on open-age racing. After this race, their main rivals would no longer be their fellow Classic-year peers, but the older, seasoned veterans.
Scarlet answered just that, then continued:
"The St Leger's total distance gets adjusted from time to time—sometimes even changed back and forth—but this year's course has already been finalized at just over 2,900 meters. If you look down at Doncaster Racecourse from above, the track kind of looks like a triangle."
The St Leger course could be broken down into: a long straight, a small bend, another long straight, a sweeping bend, and then one final long straight.
"The first straight is uphill, so most horse girls keep the pace steady to conserve stamina. The second straight is gentler, and you can pick up speed there—but it's almost entirely against the wind. If you haven't managed your stamina properly, that's where you plant the seeds for a late-race collapse. The first half of the final straight is relatively flat too, but close to the finish, it rises uphill again. All in all, it's an extremely demanding race when it comes to stamina."
And three weeks after the St Leger came the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Not only was that the "Arc" the Japanese horse girls and racing fans dreamed about—the prestigious summit of the racing world in their eyes—it was also the highest-paying race in all of Europe.
Any horse girl with a real chance of running in the Arc wouldn't waste time or energy on the St Leger.
Chasing the British Triple Crown? Even if it wasn't a guaranteed win, why bother when the Arc carried even more prestige and was the defining race for claiming the title of Europe's Horse Queen?
Saying that, Daiwa Scarlet clenched her neat little fists, her face shining with pure admiration.
"The others just don't understand the value of the Classic Triple Crown. All they care about is prize money. That kind of money really does corrupt horse girls—and their fans too."
She fiercely criticized those horse girls who had abandoned Triple Crown glory, but soon her tone softened, overflowing with admiration.
"Not like Lady Seiun. She's genuinely chasing glory. Chasing dreams. She—"
"Yeah, yeah, yes, fine, I get it."
Agnes Tachyon raised a hand without hesitation and cut Scarlet off, looking faintly alarmed by the sort of dangerous aura only an obsessive fan could radiate.
Moderate idol worship might stimulate the economy. Fanaticism was another matter entirely.
Tachyon very much wanted to say, Daiwa, I'm a little worried about you.
Surely Scarlet wasn't going to turn into some strange woman... right?
She grumbled inwardly, Come to think of it, when Sirius Symbol was booking the hotel, Daiwa was unusually enthusiastic about it. In the end, she successfully snagged the room right next door to Seiun Ryoka's. That wasn't luck, was it?
Sirius Symbol was the carefree sort, with her head full of plans to keep Seiun Ryoka in Japan. She'd probably be delighted to see things turn out this way.
Agnes Tachyon took a deep breath. Her headache only got worse.
That very night, at Doncaster Racecourse—
The course was close to the Hilton where they were staying, making the trip back and forth extremely convenient. Even if training ran late, it wouldn't be a problem. Agnes Tachyon loved that. It meant she could spend even more time studying Seiun Ryoka... and brooding over the issue of her song choices.
Most of the others seemed to feel the same way.
With the exception of one princess and a certain mysterious young lady of royal blood.
To this day, Tachyon still had no idea what exactly Elizabeth's status within the British royal family was, but she didn't care. She had zero interest in Elizabeth, so she considered it irrelevant.
She made a passing remark to that effect—then immediately lifted her camera and started snapping picture after picture of Seiun Ryoka.
She loved Ryoka's dashing form. Someday, she wanted to meet her head-on on the racetrack and settle things there.
And while she was at it, she wanted to kick everyone else out of the picture too.
Forest Treasure. Fast Flame. Man City Tea Time.
Though, to be fair, Man City Tea Time had some merit. Just not very much.
As far as Agnes Tachyon was concerned, the matter of Domains alone was already enough to occupy her for a lifetime. Where would she even find the time to study anything else?
"But before that..."
Narrowing her eyes, Agnes Tachyon stared at the inexplicable new "meal buddy" who had popped up out of nowhere.
And in her view, that ridiculously good eater needed to be kicked out too.
join here to read ahead.
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