Narita Brian's eyes were still clouded with worry as she looked toward Fuchu Racecourse, now finally in sight. Even from outside the venue, she could already see the turf within, where the machines were still at work making the final preparations for the Autumn Tenno Sho.
She looked as though she wanted to say something, then stopped herself. Brian had originally wanted to try persuading Terazumi Shinji one last time, but once she considered the time, she understood there was no room left to turn things around. The only point at which anything might still have changed had been last night. After that, whether Shinji explained himself or not, Offside Trap was probably never going to see what few fans she had left in the stands today.
Her gaze shifted to the trainer still speaking quietly to Offside Trap, and yesterday's attempt to talk him down replayed vividly in her mind. No matter how thoroughly she had laid out the stakes, the man had merely humored her. She could tell that was all it was—humoring. Afterward, he absolutely would not change anything.
She felt sorry for Offside Trap. In truth, Narita Brian did not really understand the meaning behind Shinji's choices, just as she had never truly understood why he refused to let Offside Trap receive the blessing of the Three Goddesses.
That was, beyond question, the fastest way to increase a horse girl's strength. You might choose not to rely on the Three Goddesses' blessing, but that did not mean you could deny the power it brought horse girls.
Taking a deep breath, Brian followed behind Shinji and Offside Trap as they stepped into Fuchu Racecourse. Even though there was still some time before the race began, an oppressive atmosphere had already begun to spread.
Shinji and Offside Trap slowly made their way to the edge of the turf. Quite a few horse girls were already inside, observing today's track conditions. With a single sweep of his eyes, Shinji spotted the Mejiro team, along with Nishizaki Ryu and Tōjō Hana.
"Trainer?" Offside Trap asked softly, seeing Shinji studying the people on the field. "Are we going in?"
"Yeah."
He stepped onto the turf first. The moment his foot touched it, he felt that something was off.
The grass underfoot had clearly been reworked. Unlike JURA's usual timing, the track had been leveled unusually early this time, leaving far less mud beneath the surface.
This is good news for inside-lane runners, especially frontrunners and leaders...
Shinji crouched, grabbed a handful of turf from the inside lane, then stamped the ground hard. The soil underneath was firm and tightly packed; the feedback was excellent.
Narita Brian had clearly noticed the same thing. The way her expression darkened showed that a horse girl seasoned by many major races fully understood which runner this track would favor most.
"The condition of the course is good today. Once the gates open, just go straight for the head of the senko pack."
Offside Trap nodded seriously at Shinji's instruction. Beads of sweat had begun to appear on her forehead, and Shinji knew it was nerves.
Even if she had already steeled herself last night, facing another G1 challenge still inevitably threw her heart into disorder.
That was perfectly normal. Shinji did not dwell on it and instead began walking toward the home stretch.
Fuchu's stretch had given birth to countless miracles. Too many famous scenes had unfolded on that long straight. It was a track overflowing with possibility, and even Shinji found his breathing quickening when he stood upon its grass.
He did not possess the ability to compete alongside these girls himself, but simply standing there made him feel an urge to measure himself against someone.
"You're here."
Tōjō Hana had also arrived at the home stretch by now. Behind her were El Condor Pasa, Hishi Amazon, and Air Groove, all of whom would be running in this year's Autumn Tenno Sho.
"Yeah, I'm here."
His gaze settled on the woman's face. Usually stern, she now looked unusually grave.
"Silence Suzuka is in excellent condition. I ran into them just now."
"And where are they?"
"They've already gone to the underground passage."
Shinji nodded in understanding. That kind of behavior only came from extreme confidence. After taking only a brief look at the course, they had gone straight to wait for their opponents to arrive.
Tōjō Hana noticed that Shinji's expression had not changed in the slightest and found herself mildly intrigued. Then her gaze shifted to Narita Brian.
Since Rigil had three runners in this Autumn Tenno Sho, including a highly anticipated newcomer, Hana had already told all of Rigil's members in the group chat yesterday to attend the race if possible.
When she had not seen Brian this morning, she assumed the horse girl had decided not to come. She had never expected her to appear at Shinji's side instead.
A strange feeling stirred in her chest, but rather than dwell on it, Hana casually asked, "Got any plans?"
"What kind of plans?"
"Don't play dumb." Tōjō Hana knew very well that although Shinji often wore a harmless expression, his head was always full of schemes. She shot him a mildly reproachful glance. "Silence Suzuka. She's in excellent form, and this distance is right in her strike zone. She's the biggest threat."
"That isn't necessarily true. Didn't Air Groove crush Silence Suzuka in last year's Autumn Tenno Sho?"
Hana shot him an annoyed look. This man clearly knew Air Groove already had a poor opinion of him and had also lost to Silence Suzuka at the Takarazuka Kinen, yet he still deliberately chose to provoke her.
Sure enough, Air Groove, who until now had merely been holding in her anger and refusing to look at Shinji, immediately turned a blazing glare on him.
Shinji watched Offside Trap step in front of him as though shielding him, amusement flickering in his eyes, and only then continued, "So what, you're planning to do what Europe does? Tactical coordination after the gates open, working together mid-race, that kind of thing?"
"If Silence Suzuka were that easy to target, life would be much simpler. You make it sound easy..."
Tōjō Hana pushed up her glasses with a headache. A horse girl she had once placed such hopes in was now, under someone else's guidance, beginning to look like the strongest in Japan. The feeling sat badly with her.
Even if that someone was Nishizaki Ryu.
"Fair enough."
A horse girl who burst out of the gates and immediately ran a great escape really was hard to neutralize through tactics. Ordinary front-runners could be disrupted by forcing the pace against them, but trying to challenge Silence Suzuka in the very area where she excelled might well throw oneself into chaos before it affected her at all, leaving you spent halfway through the race.
Shinji shrugged. After only a short exchange, neither side had revealed anything resembling a concrete plan, which made it clear enough that Tōjō Hana had already placed Offside Trap on the list of opponents worth guarding against. That was enough to kill his interest in continuing the conversation. The two of them were not going to say anything genuinely useful to each other. If they wanted to trade small talk, they could always do it after the race over a casual gathering.
His eyes shifted toward Mejiro Palmer nearby. Under Palmer's direction, the two Mejiro runners were carrying out their final tactical preparations in complete seriousness. Since Mejiro Bright had already raced against Offside Trap, Shinji knew the Mejiro family would have understood Offside Trap's level from that race.
Then the giant screen lit up, and the surrounding sound system began playing the promotional footage for the Autumn Tenno Sho. Silence Suzuka dominated nearly thirty percent of the video, and as the crowd gradually streamed into the stands, cheers were already erupting early in anticipation.
"All right, time to go."
There was no longer any point remaining on the turf. The shape of this race was already quite clear; once the gates opened, the unfolding would not be especially complicated. Looking out toward the increasingly crowded stands, Shinji exchanged a glance with Narita Brian.
The Student Council vice president still carried visible concern, though she hid it each time Offside Trap looked her way, unwilling to make her worry more.
She really did care for Offside Trap.
"The rest of the road, you'll have to walk on your own."
Pointing toward the underground passage, Shinji began giving his final instructions.
"When you warm up, stay focused. Make sure you get your body fully loosened up, understood?"
"Yes!"
The reply came strong and clear. Shinji patted Offside Trap lightly on the head.
"In a G1 race, those famous girls are going to account for most of the fans in the stands. So no matter what happens, keep your mind on the race. You haven't forgotten what you told me your goal was, have you?"
"No."
Offside Trap shook her head. She knew only one thing: she wanted to win this race. She wanted to become number one.
And that was enough.
"Take this later."
He handed her a seed-like object. Narita Brian's eyes showed some doubt, but Shinji paid it no attention, simply letting Offside Trap take it and swallow it.
Offside Trap did not ask what it was. Her trust in Shinji had already become absolute.
Shinji said no more. If he delayed much longer in getting to the stands, he might not even secure a decent place to watch from—after all, he did not have another runner who could reserve a good spot for him in advance.
"Good luck, Little Yue."
Those were Shinji's final words.
Watching his back as he left, Offside Trap gave no reply.
No oath, however passionate or sincere, could compare to the reality of the final result. Offside Trap had already made up her mind to win this race.
This was the end point of all her old regrets and all her dreams.
Before she could chase even higher and farther goals, it was time for her to bring everything to a final close.
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 (Chapter116)
"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 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
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 80
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 74
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 48
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 50
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 47
Uma Musume: From Beginner 42
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