Terumi Shinji still remembered the morning he first discovered Overtake Trap.
The moment he saw that staggering horse girl among the many runners on the field, he had felt that she was the perfect one for him.
He saw how hard it was for her just to keep her footing. Her soaked clothes were proof enough of the effort she had put in, and the stubborn way she still tried to run a few more steps told him, without the need for any test at all, just how resilient her heart was.
He had not acted rashly.
What Sancho Drum had done to him had left too deep a mark, so he had forced himself to investigate the girl thoroughly before deciding whether to make a move.
Overtake Trap.
A name with no real distinguishing charm, not even one that sounded especially pleasant—just like the girl herself, who at first glance seemed plain and unremarkable.
But three bouts of flexor tendonitis? That was a huge point in her favor.
She was in the middle of her third round of tendon trouble. She should have been patiently focusing on rehabilitation, yet instead she was desperately clinging to training, like a drowning person reaching for the only rope that might save them.
That process was bound to be agonizing. Shinji was certain any doctor who examined and treated her would never permit a horse girl in that condition to keep training.
This had been Overtake Trap's own stubborn decision.
And it was precisely through that decision that Shinji came to understand her even more clearly.
She had probably sensed it herself—she didn't have much time left.
After debuting, she'd shown a bit of upward momentum at first, only for her career to turn into a miserable road with no real highlights.
She was already a seasoned veteran of four years on the circuit, soon to enter the fifth year of her racing life.
She didn't know how much longer this body would hold out.
Or perhaps it had already been emptied of all its potential by one injury after another.
She only wanted to seize that final sliver of opportunity.
And so Shinji made his decision.
On a day that held nothing particularly special, he appeared beside her just as she was beginning her training. The moment she finished warming up and was about to begin in earnest, he spoke.
"This kind of training has no efficiency whatsoever. You have no idea how to maximize the improvements your body can get from training. Your base is this poor, so stop trying to copy the habits of top-tier horse girls right away…"
He could see that the very instant he opened his mouth, her ears had already perked straight up.
She was eager to learn.
That alone pleased him even more.
But the girl did not answer. She simply stopped just before taking her first step, and quietly looked at him.
Shinji had not found that response displeasing in the least.
He spoke enthusiastically, explaining what he knew, adapting the knowledge as he went so that it would suit Overtake Trap specifically.
That day's training should have made her happy.
He had seen the faint upward curve of her lips.
Back then, he had never imagined that afterward, she would refuse his invitation for so long.
As he watched her leave—with those stumbling steps and that hunched back—Shinji pressed his lips together.
It had been a lesson conducted almost entirely in silence.
And yet he was convinced it had been one of the most correct pieces of coaching he would ever give in his entire life as a trainer.
…
His eyes dropped to her tail.
It was swishing so energetically that he nearly laughed.
He understood now what Overtake Trap had meant.
The formal thank-you she should have said back then had only now finally been spoken aloud.
But with all these eyes upon them, perhaps she had also wanted to make up for that lost moment.
Slowly, Shinji withdrew his hand.
The girl, meanwhile, lifted her chin.
Her eyes were filled with dependence and trust—the very look he had always longed to see—so much so that he found himself unconsciously tracing the line of her brows and eyes with his fingertips.
She froze.
Only after Shinji himself came to his senses did he step back.
The microphone was promptly pushed into his hand. The host, standing closest to both Shinji and Overtake Trap, was clearly the sort who excelled at reading the room, and had prepared for this moment well in advance.
"The bond between Overtake Trap and Trainer Terumi Shinji is truly something to envy. A teacher and student like this are surely destined to leave a vivid mark on the history of racing. And now, Trainer Terumi Shinji, please show the fans your determination for this journey!"
The host's excited voice stirred up the grandstands once more, and at the same time it pulled Overtake Trap's wandering thoughts back into place.
She shot Shinji a lingering look.
He pretended not to notice, merely turning to face the crowd before him.
Back on that autumn afternoon after the Tenno Sho, Shinji had not stood with Overtake Trap before a silent grandstand. He had not directly felt that experience.
But now, facing this immense sea of spectators, these dark masses of people—
suddenly, he felt even more for her.
Back then, under a plan he had partially helped orchestrate with such care, she had suffered an especially cruel blow.
Taking a deep breath, as though trying to exhale even the pity in his heart, Shinji raised the microphone.
The crowd fell silent at once.
As Overtake Trap's trainer, Terumi Shinji was wildly popular in Japan now. Overtake Trap's strength had already proved his professional ability, and every one of his bold proclamations—followed by their becoming reality—had earned him the public's trust, even something close to reverence.
It was momentum built through victory.
And as Overtake Trap grew stronger and kept winning, that momentum would only continue to swell.
"The Dubai Sheema Classic will only be the beginning…"
His voice carried low and heavy, and from the front rows Shinji could clearly see the fans' eyes widening.
At a time when people still dared to dream of challenging the world, those words carried tremendous weight.
"She is already a veteran—but she is also still a youth. In just four races, she rose from a nameless figure in her generation to the current number one in Japanese racing…"
He paused.
Beside him, the girl unconsciously straightened her back.
"I believe she can become the best in the world. Winning one race, or even two, would mean nothing. Even a dream like the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe would pale in comparison before the title of world number one… To stand peerless above all others—that is what is truly worth longing for."
The remark was outrageously bold.
The fans needed a moment to react before the cheers began rolling in.
Shinji angled the microphone aside and turned to look at his horse girl.
Seeing her cheeks puffed slightly, he could not help but laugh.
"What? Not happy?"
"Trainer, you're awful. I'm the one doing the running, and yet you set the bar this absurdly high!"
"So you're feeling pressured?"
At his question, Overtake Trap gave a small shake of her head.
She stood right there beside him, her eyes shining so brightly that Shinji gradually began to understand the heart behind them.
"Not really…"
Her hand clenched the hem of her race outfit, then released it. Her voice was calm, though threaded with the slightest tremor, before it steadied once more.
"As long as you're by my side, no matter how difficult the goal is… I won't feel any pressure at all."
Join here to read ahead.
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Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
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Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
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 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
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The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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