Even close to noon, the wooded paths of Tracen Academy still carried a lingering coolness.
Part of that came from the changing season, but Terazumi Shinji could not help thinking from time to time that Tazuna Hayakawa's care for the campus environment had been exceptional. Only because she had put so much thought into it could the academy have become what it was today.
"What are you feeling?"
He turned to look at Offside Trap, who had been walking beside him with her head lowered the whole time. Ever since early that morning, Shinji had been lurking around Spica's training grounds, waiting for her to appear. It had not been an enjoyable process. He had no habit of snooping into other people's training content or analyzing other horse girls' data.
Just as Silence Suzuka had never really regarded Offside Trap as worth noticing, Shinji likewise did not put the other rivals in his sights.
That was not a mistake.
It would only become a mistake if he lost.
And Shinji was just as confident that he would be the one who won.
As someone who was always learning and improving, Shinji had gleaned a great deal from the Kyoto Daishoten. Until then, the system's abilities and the enhancements it granted horse girls had never truly been tested in competition. To Shinji, they had not yet been something concrete, visual, or measurable.
But now, he was beginning to understand what those numbers really meant—and how strong the runes truly were.
"What am I feeling?"
Offside Trap looked at him blankly. She had no idea what sort of feeling he meant.
"Yes. Whatever comes to mind, say it."
Shinji watched her pale, delicate face. She had only just enjoyed a victory yesterday that should have been enough to keep her happy for three whole days, yet because of him, she now looked nothing like someone riding the high of a major win.
Still, Shinji did not regret it.
Offside Trap was walking a road that defied common sense and rebelled against fate itself. She was not a genius. Unlike those naturally gifted prodigies, who could afford to weigh options and consider their many paths, she could only keep her head down and work.
On that road, she could not allow herself the slightest slackening.
And that hardship was something Offside Trap was always going to have to endure.
She lowered her head and began to think.
Her mind replayed everything that had happened earlier. There had been the looks the other girls at Spica had given her. In truth, those looks had not been much different from Silence Suzuka's own. Beneath the overwhelming halo surrounding Suzuka, everyone had ignored the fact that the opponents in the Kyoto Daishoten had included G1 winners from both the old and new generations.
Offside Trap was not one to boast, but based on the strength Special Week had shown so far, she was confident she could beat her.
Then she suddenly lifted her head and met Shinji's half-smiling gaze. There was always something about his eyes—once she looked into them, it became very hard to pull away.
"From the moment I won that race onward, any horse girl could potentially beat me," she said at last. "So I can never let my guard down. I have to respect every one of my opponents…"
She hesitated for a moment, but seeing that there was no one else around, she went on.
"I don't want to lose. I won't lose. I only want to win. I want to win every single race."
"I want to become number one. First in races, first in Japan… first in the world."
Her clear, decisive voice echoed through the trees, and the smile on Shinji's face deepened.
He could see the seriousness in her eyes. That only made him more certain that she had finally confronted her own heart and made her choice.
Once, she had only been a warrior rebelling against the injustice of fate.
Now, she had stepped onto the road she truly wanted to walk, and she would continue down it with stubborn, unwavering resolve.
Shinji reached out. In Offside Trap's slightly startled gaze, he gently patted her on the head. Her upright ears twitched, and he saw her tail begin wagging faster and faster.
"Make sure you eat properly at lunch. Now that you've decided on your path, you need to be even more disciplined."
"Understood."
At last Shinji came to a stop, and Offside Trap stopped with him.
"Trainer?"
"I've got something else to take care of," Shinji said with a smile.
"Oh…"
There was a little disappointment in her voice, but she also knew that if Shinji was busy, she should not get in the way.
The smile she had just begun to show faded again, and she walked off, glancing back every few steps.
Shinji watched until her figure disappeared from sight. Only then did he turn and head toward his office.
…
When he stepped inside, Bugu Wenhui had just returned as well. The effort from her morning work had left her uniform damp with sweat, outlining the curves of her figure.
"Huh? Why're you back so early today?"
"Since I gave her the day off, I just wandered around for a bit this morning."
"Oh, right."
Bugu Wenhui tapped herself on the head and stuck out her tongue in a deliberately cute gesture.
"Look at my memory. I completely forgot today was supposed to be a rest day."
"No need to explain."
Shinji rolled his eyes. She had clearly already classified him as the type of trainer who would work someone half to death as long as they did not literally collapse, so her first assumption had naturally been that he would still be drilling Offside Trap mercilessly today.
Bugu Wenhui did not bother defending herself. She simply sat back down and stretched wide.
There was no way Shinji was not going to look, so he stole a few glances from the corner of his eye and thoroughly enjoyed the view.
"Oh, right, Shinji."
"Hm?"
"Sansho Drum's almost back."
"Mm."
Meeting Bugu Wenhui's probing gaze, Shinji nodded calmly.
Perhaps because he had now fully grasped Offside Trap's current strength, even the sense of betrayal that had once clung to him so stubbornly no longer felt impossible to face. The blades that had once cut him so deeply no longer had the power to wound him.
Bugu Wenhui seemed to notice that too, and there was obvious delight in her expression. She had always worried Shinji would never recover from what Sansho Drum had done. But now it seemed that, to a large extent, his new trainee had eased the knot that had been lodged in his heart.
"She'll probably come looking for you when she gets back. I was worried before, but looking at you now, I guess I don't need to be anymore."
That was exactly why Bugu Wenhui had brought it up now. She had wanted to warn him in advance and give him time to prepare himself. She had even been ready to go with him if he had not yet gotten over it.
"Thanks. Hopefully she doesn't come looking for me… but even if she does, I can handle it."
The way Shinji smiled at that made Bugu Wenhui look as though she had seen once again the boy he had been when they first met. Back then, he had worn exactly that same warm, spirited smile, and it had struck her instantly, making her think that she absolutely had to take good care of this little junior who had been assigned to her side.
Humming lightly under her breath, she looked thoroughly pleased.
Seeing how happy she seemed because of him, Shinji could not help smiling too. He had always remembered her kindness toward him, just as he remembered Nishizaki Ryu's and Tōjō Hana's. One day, when he was in a better position, he fully intended to repay the care they had shown him, especially during his lowest point.
He leaned back, folding his arms behind his head, and shifted his attention back to the system.
System, pull up Offside Trap's new rune options.
Ever since the race ended, the system had already informed him that a new set of runes had been refreshed for Offside Trap. Before, he had been dissatisfied with the five runes currently on her page, but had been too reluctant to spend the emotional energy needed to reroll them.
Now, finally, it was time for him to make a move again.
[(Superstar) Chosen by Destiny
Before the race begins, randomly obtain one rune [with three minor runes attached] {does not count toward bond totals}; during the final corner, increases Intelligence by 10% of Endurance — 1200 emotional energy
(Earthkeeper) (Reviver) Wave-Treading Legs
On heavy ground, runs as though on flat earth; on slightly heavy ground, as though on high-speed terrain; on good ground, flies across the surface — 800 emotional energy]
(Aristocrat) (Reviver) (Abyssal Bard) Might Makes Right
During a race, when interfered with by other opponents through things such as positioning battles or pace disruption, the horse girl will compare all stats against the opponent. If all stats are higher, she will drain 5% of the opponent's maximum stamina, once per opponent. {When the all-stat comparison occurs, her all stats receive a 5% correction} — 1200 emotional energy
(Gambler) (Mystic) Tragic Heroine
After suffering a defeat, overall ability increases by 2%; winning one race reduces the current boost by 80% [the boost can stack over consecutive losses; "losses" count across the horse girl's career, while "wins" only count from the time this rune is acquired onward] — 600 emotional energy
(Vital Domain Lord) (Abyssal Bard) The Mockery of Preservation
During a race, every opponent's stat that is lower than the horse girl's corresponding stat is reduced by 50 points; if there exists an opponent whose every stat is higher than hers, that opponent's every stat is reduced by 5% {bonuses from items, equipment, other runes, system blessings, and similar effects count in the judgment} — 1600 emotional energy]
A moment ago, Shinji had still been feeling rather pleased with himself for having saved up nearly fourteen hundred emotional energy.
Then he saw the price tag on The Mockery of Preservation, and he went blank.
It was the most expensive rune he had seen in the system so far. He could not help coveting it, but at the same time he let out a pained sigh.
The effect was undeniably powerful.
He just needed to save up a little more money.
The system's mocking laugh came right on cue, and Shinji had every reason to suspect that the system was skimming from the budget somewhere, which was why he was always so strapped for resources.
With another long sigh, Shinji exited the system space and opened his eyes again.
Thinking of Offside Trap's pale, lovely face, he remembered the way she always looked at him with admiration. Yet thanks to the malign influence of the system, he had no choice but to keep extending his claws toward his own trainee.
(System: And that's somehow my fault?)
Far away in the cafeteria, Offside Trap was energetically eating a carefully planned but thoroughly unappetizing meal.
Then, for no reason at all, a sudden chill ran down her spine.
She choked, hurriedly gulped down several large mouthfuls of water, and only then managed to recover.
Staring out the window, she scratched her head.
What… was that feeling just now?
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 115)
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 (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
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 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
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 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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