Offside Trap had thought July would be unbearable.
Yet before she knew it, the days had slipped by. It was not until mid-August that she suddenly realized just how much time had already passed.
Power now surged through her body. She was certain she had improved tremendously. Compared with the helpless weakness she had felt at the Takarazuka Kinen—when she had already felt outmatched before even stepping onto the track—this body now gave her abundant confidence.
"Little Yue's condition is getting better and better. That training video caused quite a stir around the academy, you know~"
Sakura Laurel took a small sip of the coffee in front of her. It was obvious she did not particularly like the taste, but she also did not want to waste it, so she swallowed it down with visible reluctance.
"If our generation can produce one more G1 horse girl, that should be a good thing, right...?"
Sakura Super O was combing through her wildly sticking-up hair. She had only woken up around noon, so in order to make it to this meal, she had not had time to tidy herself up at all. At one point, she had even tried to blame it on her roommate, Offside Trap.
Looking at the encouraging gazes from the two horse girls in front of her, Offside Trap felt her heart grow warm.
After the Takarazuka Kinen, she had thought she and G1 races were truly finished with each other. But after a month of hellish training, she felt that she might finally have found hope again.
"How are your legs?"
Compared with Sakura Laurel and Sakura Super O, Narita Brian cared much more about Offside Trap's physical condition. As the vice president of the student council, Narita Brian knew better than most just how brutal Offside Trap's training had been over the past month.
Putting herself in her place, Narita Brian felt she might not even have been able to endure such oppressive training.
"If anything feels wrong, tell your trainer right away. He must have his reasons, but the person who understands your body best is still you." As she spoke, Narita Brian glanced instinctively to the side. Realizing that imposing figure was absent, she continued, "When early September comes around, should we arrange an inheritance?"
Inheritance was essentially a prayer to the Three Goddesses, one that often brought blessings and gifts from them. And because Offside Trap had missed her chance earlier this year in April due to injury, she still had one opportunity left.
Under normal circumstances, a horse girl could receive such an inheritance only once a year. That alone showed how precious it was.
At those words, Sakura Laurel's smile faded somewhat. Having grown dissatisfied with the Three Goddesses because of her own past, and having fought her way out of hardship through sheer determination, she did not believe that so-called inheritance was all that effective.
The horse girls who shone brilliantly after "receiving inheritance" were all girls who had already possessed outstanding talent and relentless effort. Even without inheritance, they would still have walked onto their own legendary roads.
"No need."
Offside Trap's refusal took Narita Brian somewhat by surprise. Sakura Laurel, on the other hand, gave an approving blink, her smile deepening.
"My legs haven't shown anything unusual so far. And my trainer has already told me to pay extra attention."
At Offside Trap's calm answer, Narita Brian nodded, as though she believed her.
But when she turned and met Polaris's eyes, both horse girls saw the same gravity in each other's gaze.
Especially Polaris. As someone who had once been forced to leave the track she loved because of tendonitis, she could more keenly sense whether Offside Trap was still haunted by the possibility of injury returning.
"Come on, this is Little Yue's rare day off. Why are we talking about such heavy stuff?"
Fuji Kiseki grumbled in dissatisfaction. She liked lively atmospheres to begin with, but the mood at the table was only growing more and more oppressive. Those cruel old memories ought to stay buried in the past. A reunion among classmates was not meant to turn into a session of collective lamenting.
Offside Trap chimed in, and the conversation shifted elsewhere.
As she unconsciously rolled her calf, the faint stiffness and dull ache there made her frown for an instant before her expression relaxed again.
She was not worried.
Because during yesterday's training, her trainer had already noticed the problem without her ever saying a word.
If it was him, then he would definitely find a way.
…
[You really can be that ruthless?!]
Then tell me—isn't this the best option right now?
[But still... it really does come off as excessively heartless.]
It's not like I can't cure it. I just don't have enough Emotion Energy right now. So unless you want to lower the prices so I can actually afford it...
Lying on his bed beneath the dingy white ceiling, Terazumi Shinji argued with the system as their voices echoed through his mind.
*[Well...]
The system's hesitation made Shinji let out a cold laugh. Then he pulled the curtains tight, blotting out the last trace of light in the room.
In the darkness, he coughed twice.
So let me confirm this—the medicine in the shop is absolutely reliable, right?
[That much I can guarantee.]
The system's assurance made Shinji take a deep breath.
Then exchange it. Forty tablets to start with.
[…Purchased 40 painkillers.
Effect: For the current day, the user will not feel pain caused by the injury, and the worsening of the condition will be reduced. The ingredients cannot be detected.
Total cost: 40 Emotion Energy.]
[Host: Terazumi Shinji
Emotion Energy: 900
Horse Girl: Offside Trap
PT: 360
Attribute Points: 50
Inventory: Painkillers ×40]
Looking at the medicine bottle now resting quietly in his inventory, Shinji let out a sigh.
After yesterday's training, the status panel's Recently Recovered from Serious Illness had very clearly changed into a pale warning of Tendonitis.
The negative effects brought on by the high-pressure training made Shinji decisively cancel Offside Trap's training for today.
In fact, he had begun preparing for the injury's recurrence back when he first decided on the demonic training regimen. He just had not expected it to come this quickly, before he had finished saving enough Emotion Energy.
Or rather, the real issue was that he had not been given much time.
Considering Offside Trap's need for improvement, he still had to balance spending Emotion Energy on immediate combat strength such as runes.
A perfect cure costs me twenty-five hundred. If I buy it outright now, then there's no guarantee for September's race—and that race decides whether she can compete in the Autumn Tenno Sho.
The system did not argue.
Using painkillers to drag them through this period of Emotion Energy shortage really was the best solution.
Once I have enough to spare, I'll cure it properly.
It did not feel like a particularly praiseworthy decision, but the system tacitly accepted it. Then it opened Offside Trap's status panel.
[Horse Girl: Offside Trap
Condition: Excellent
Popularity: 7493
System Blessing: None
PT (used only to purchase skills): 74
Attribute Points: 33
Five Stats:
Speed 627 +46 (970)
Stamina 578 +2 (926)
Power 703 +27 (1015)
Guts 758 +8 (1132)
Wisdom 473 +7 (993)
Running Style Aptitude: Front E / Pace B / Late B / End D
Distance Aptitude: 1800m–2300m
Track Aptitude: Turf A / Dirt D
Skills:
Unyielding Wings Yearning for the Deep Sky (Unique), Lv. 3
[When horse girls near the front become locked in a melee on the final straight, and she has not yet entered a placing battle, speed increases and she is more likely to secure a good route.]
Level 1 Counterclockwise (Green)
[Slightly better at counterclockwise tracks.]
Lightning Stride (Yellow)
[When positioned near the back in mid-race, slightly less likely to be boxed in.]
Straightaway Adept (Yellow)
[Slightly increases speed on straight sections.]
Position Sense (Yellow)
[Slightly easier to secure a good line in the early stages of a race.]
Calm Under Pressure (Blue)
[When boxed in during mid-race, recovers a small amount of stamina.]
Domain: Unawakened
Runes:
(Territory Lord) (Groundkeeper) Otherworldly Flowing Shadow
[On good ground, for every 100 points in any attribute, all stats +1; on non-good ground, all stats +10%.]
(Speed +10, Stamina +2, Inspiration +17)
(Personal Driver) (Territory Lord) Variable-Distance Supercar
[During a race: within 800m, Power +5%; from 800m–1400m, Wisdom +5%; from 1400m–2000m, Speed +5%; from 2000m–2600m, Stamina +5%; above 2600m, Guts +5%.]
(Speed +9, Guts +8, Willpower +6)
Rune Crest
(Speed +7, Power +7, Wisdom +7)
Territory Lord (2):
[The horse girl's five core attributes gain a locked lower bound; in real terms, they can no longer decline.]
Nobility (1):
[All attributes +5%. Can adapt to races of any pace and display most of her true ability.] (Inactive)
(Note: Nobility is aloof and prideful, and its bond has unique properties. Once Nobility is activated, the horse girl cannot enjoy its effects together with other bonds. She must choose either Nobility or the other bonds—one or the other.)
Special Status: Tendonitis
Equipped Gear: Propulsion Horseshoes (Horse Girl Speed +20, Power +20)
Better suited to Power and Guts training.]
This was the result of Terazumi Shinji's efforts over the past month and a half.
Improved attributes. Stockpiled Emotion Energy. Even Attribute Points and PT had grown by a respectable amount.
The target was the Kyoto Daishoten in late September, and Shinji could already see the hope of victory.
After all, he had no intention of saving the Attribute Points and PT on his own panel for some future horse girl.
Only by raising Offside Trap up first could he regain a chance to obtain new resources.
[That's only because Offside Trap's previous situation left her with enough pent-up negative emotions. Otherwise you'd still be scraping and saving...]
Then guess why I chose her as my horse girl in the first place.
Once again, the system failed to argue Shinji down. It gave a tsundere little huff and fell silent.
Shinji looked toward the tightly drawn curtains. Outside, the sunlight was at its brightest. He was quite sure that if the curtains had been even a little thinner, he would never have been able to sleep soundly through his afternoon nap.
As he thought through tomorrow's training plan for Offside Trap, he let drowsiness overtake him.
Then he drifted off to sleep.
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 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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