Whatever emotions were swirling inside Offside Trap, Terizumi Shinji no longer had the energy to guess at them.
By the time they stepped into Sandown Racecourse, it was already the day of the Eclipse Stakes.
Outside, a great many racing fans had already gathered, waiting to enter and watch the races. Inside, the participating horse girls were each making their final tactical adjustments, simply waiting for the crowd to fill the stands before the parade and warm-up would begin.
Shinji and Offside Trap had already finished laying out their strategy based on the information they had gathered on their opponents, so the two of them seemed unusually relaxed now, standing quietly side by side. There was excitement in the horse girl's eyes, certainly, but just as much calm.
The Eclipse Stakes was naturally one of Europe's major races, but there were not many runners in this field who could genuinely threaten Offside Trap. As things stood, Crocodile Red was the only one.
Turning his head, Shinji looked toward Crocodile Red, who was still in heated discussion with her trainer out on the infield. She was a tall horse girl, imposing by nature, and there was something about her presence that fit her name perfectly.
"She's probably very strong."
At Shinji's remark, Offside Trap glanced down at her own comparatively slender arms and legs, but said nothing.
Neither of them was worried.
Setting aside the fact that, once the final stretch opened up, there should not even be any collisions to speak of, Shinji also felt that even if Crocodile Red really did crash into Offside Trap head-on, it was far from certain who would come out on top.
His gaze shifted toward the entrance, where spectators were already starting to pour in. The stewards had begun maintaining order and directing the flow of people.
Following staff instructions, Shinji and Offside Trap headed for the underground passageway.
The noise from the grandstands was growing louder and louder. Even before the horse girls had properly appeared, the crowd was already exploding into cheers at the sight of a glimpse of a back or a passing silhouette.
By the time they entered the tunnel, Shinji and Offside Trap could still hear that same overwhelming roar, as though they were standing right out on the turf.
Then Shinji's eyes drifted backward—
and landed on the two horse girls following behind them.
At a glance, both he and Offside Trap recognized them as the same two girls who had tracked down their hotel—and even their room number—the other night.
Even though the media had been the ones to break the story, and the photographs had not come from those two, nor had they leaked anything else afterward, that did not mean Shinji and Offside Trap had any particular affection for them now. So when Little Star's face lit up with obvious delight, Offside Trap merely set her face and said nothing.
"Senior Offside Trap! Mr. Terizumi—"
The shift in attitude was immediate enough that Shinji finally understood how someone could laugh from sheer speechlessness. He glanced at Strange Gleam, whose face was stiff with embarrassment, and let out a short laugh.
"Mm."
Offside Trap's reply could not even be called cold. It was less an attitude than a total absence of one.
Watching the girl puff up in displeasure, Shinji lightly patted her head twice. Her ears twitched, then stood straight up, and her mood visibly improved.
"Remember this later—don't rush. You have more than enough room and time."
At Shinji's reminder, Offside Trap nodded.
She had long since stopped making the kinds of mistakes Shinji was warning her against, but he still patiently reminded her, and she still listened just as patiently.
What a good relationship they had.
Watching them, Strange Gleam could not help feeling a little envious. The ease between trainer and horse girl was obvious even in tiny gestures like these, and it only made her regret that night at the hotel more deeply. Along with that regret came a faint, growing resentment toward her friend.
"Well... good luck in your races."
Since they had run into each other anyway, Shinji did not stint on the encouragement.
The two horse girls in front of him were hardly famous. When he had gathered information on the field, they were the sort of entrants for whom a quick review of past races was basically enough—nothing that warranted deep analysis.
Offside Trap nodded seriously, then continued deeper into the tunnel. The other two hurried after her, and the sight made Shinji shake his head helplessly.
Fans really were troublesome. Good fans, bad fans—once they got too extreme, they all became difficult in the same way.
Leaving the tunnel behind, Shinji made his way toward the stands. Before he fully turned away, he cast one last look toward the starting gates, set out on the far side of the course, where a large group of staff were already preparing everything.
He rubbed the pad of his thumb against his forefinger.
Do your best, Little Yue...
At the head of the tunnel, Offside Trap stood without yielding her place. Behind her, Little Star and Strange Gleam followed close enough to keep up, but not so close that they dared crowd her.
Crocodile Red—who had defeated El Condor Pasa earlier in the year—was staring at Offside Trap with a look full of wariness and defiance. In the lead-up to this race, nearly every prediction had leaned heavily in Offside Trap's favor.
And Crocodile Red did not like that one bit.
As far as she was concerned, she was still one of Europe's elite horse girls. In a race like the Eclipse Stakes, she absolutely had a chance to win.
Her fierce stare made Offside Trap's ears twitch. She turned and looked back at her. Crocodile Red made no effort to conceal her hostility, but Offside Trap merely swept a calm glance over her, then withdrew her gaze.
From Crocodile Red's perspective, Offside Trap was the challenge she had to conquer—the opponent she fully believed she could beat.
From Offside Trap's perspective, Crocodile Red was simply one more entrant in the field—one more horse girl she would defeat.
In that instant, she felt as though she understood Silence Suzuka a little better.
This "pride" born of victory and strength—it was not blind arrogance, nor was it looking down on others.
It was simply what remained after a horse girl won race after race and came to truly believe in her own ability.
Behind her, Little Star's cheeks had gone scarlet. She had seen the way Offside Trap had coolly dismissed Crocodile Red, and that domineering glance was enough to make her heart pound even harder.
How cool could this horse girl possibly get?
"All participating horse girls may now enter in order."
At the steward's call, Offside Trap stepped forward.
Behind her were the rivals she would face in this race.
Ahead of her, in the stands, were more than a few people cheering for her.
Those foreign supporters were shouting just as passionately as anyone else, their excitement and encouragement every bit as fierce. That made Offside Trap smile.
Not because the crowd's support had moved her all that deeply, though.
It was because, right at the very front of the stands, she saw that man—
lightly waving an Offside Trap cheering flag he had no idea managed to buy somewhere, wearing a warm, gentle smile.
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
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 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 45
Honkai: Schicksal Media 53
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 30
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