"I-I need to… I need to…"
Tamamo Cross tugged at her hair, staring unblinkingly at the projection. The race in front of her had looped twelve times already, and she still didn't have the faintest idea what to do.
"It's fine. If you can't figure it out, don't force it for now." Takayama Gamu closed the simulation file. This kind of outcome was exactly what he'd expected.
Horse girls without trainers often ran on instinct. Being able to independently analyze tactics was something only a very small minority could do.
"Trainer Gamu… I don't know what to do." Tamamo Cross lowered her head in frustration, a helpless emptiness filling her chest.
When it came to sprinting, Tamamo Cross had always lived by one rule: "Find a gap and blast through with everything you've got!"
But right now, the horse girls running ahead of her were top-tier runners—the kind who could compete in the Kikuka Sho. Even without deliberately targeting her, they formed a subtle, almost unconscious coordination, locking down the inside line like an impassable mountain range.
So this is what a G1-level race is like?
Completely different from a conditions race—among them, there was no such thing as a "gap." If Tamamo Cross wanted to pass them, she could only do it from the outside, crushing through with absolute speed.
Above each horse girl's head in the projection, her current speed and remaining stamina were displayed in real time. Takayama Gamu had adjusted their speeds down to the average G3-level horse girl—then thoughtfully prepared their running habits and late-kick speeds on the side.
Tamamo Cross had already tried multiple times, attempting outside-line overtakes at different points. After all her attempts, the best simulated result she'd achieved was fourth.
Even though, in the simulation, her late-kick speed was higher than theirs…
"I have no idea how to win."
"That's not a problem," Takayama Gamu said with a reassuring smile. "You just need time to learn some knowledge."
"It's like rocks. Ordinary people only see their color and shape—but to a geologist, a rock's age and the environment that formed it are visible."
"I'll teach you how to win. You can count on that."
"I—I'll study properly!" Tamamo Cross blurted out.
Tamamo Cross: Motivation MAX!
"Good. Then I'll walk you through a few races where a stalking-style runner wins." Takayama Gamu opened race footage Paal had gathered online and began explaining in detail.
"The front-runner is leading by five lengths. Look here—this is the difference in late-kick speed. A pure last-three-furlong sprint won't catch her, so this runner chooses to accelerate earlier…"
"Watch carefully—these pace-pressers are wary of each other. Their auras are colliding, eroding speed. This horse girl seizes the moment, cuts in from a wider outside line, reducing the impact of their pressure…"
"Now look here…"
"And here…"
Time reached nine o'clock. Tamamo Cross had practically drowned in an ocean of knowledge. Since the dorm locked its doors at ten, Takayama Gamu packed some materials he'd compiled into a bag and handed it to her.
"It's getting late. Read these when you can, but don't let it affect your rest. Your body recovers when you sleep."
"Yes, Trainer Gamu." Tamamo Cross stood at the door, her head aching slightly from absorbing too much information in too short a time. Realizing just how lacking she still was, she swore to herself:
I'm going to understand all of it!!
"I'll definitely learn it!"
"It's fine. Take it slow. If you don't get something, you can email me anytime," Takayama Gamu said. Seeing her burning determination made him genuinely pleased—no one could dislike a horse girl striving for victory.
He was starting to like being a trainer, even if only a little.
That's what Gamu thought.
"Um… Trainer Gamu… can we add each other on LINE?" Tamamo Cross asked.
Her right toe tapped lightly against the floor. Her ponytail swished uncontrollably from side to side. She turned her face slightly away; a blush crept up from her cute neck to her cheeks, striking under the moonlight.
"I just thought… LINE would be more convenient…"
Tamamo Cross wasn't thinking anything extra—she really only meant that LINE was convenient.
But asking a trainer for LINE first… that was exactly the kind of thing those love-brained horse girls did in Agnes Digital's short stories!!
What do I do?! Trainer Gamu isn't saying anything—does he think I'm being rude?!
"Tamamo Cross," Takayama Gamu said, tilting his head and thinking for a moment.
"What's LINE?"
"…Eh?"
...
"Lil' Tama?" Oguri Cap looked at Tamamo Cross. Her face was kind of red.
Did you eat something spicy?
"I'm fine." Tamamo Cross was holding her phone, remotely coaching Takayama Gamu on how to use LINE, introducing him to common social apps and video sites. Gamu felt like some caveman who'd grown straight out of the ground—clueless about the internet.
"Thank you, Tamamo Cross (´ᴗ`ʃƪ)"
"It's really great having you help me. I'll be counting on you from now on as well."
"Gah!!"
Tamamo Cross hugged her phone to her chest, a feeling of indescribable excitement swelling up inside her, and she hurriedly typed back:
"It's okay, Trainer Gamu! And online you can talk more casually, you don't have to be so formal…"
Oguri Cap watched Tamamo Cross rolling around on the bed, then shifted her gaze to the bag Tamamo Cross had brought in.
No smell of food.
It looked like… books?
So thick…
Just looking at them made Oguri Cap sleepy.
"Lil' Tama, aren't you going to read?"
Tamamo Cross wasn't like Oguri Cap—she was an honors student in theory exams, and before lights-out she usually read for a bit.
"Oh right!!" Tamamo Cross suddenly realized something.
If she kept chatting with Trainer Gamu, she'd definitely leave him with the bad impression that she was addicted to her phone!!
She'd literally said on the way out that she would study properly… and then the moment she got back she was playing on her phone…
No, Tamamo Cross! That's not okay!!
Putting her phone down, Tamamo Cross pulled out the materials Takayama Gamu had given her.
"Classic Race Analysis for the Stalking Style (1)"
Tonight, she'd read at least thirty pages!
Seeing Tamamo Cross return to her usual study state—no, a study state far more intense than before—Oguri Cap peeked at the content.
A picture book?
That word popped into her head.
The materials were mostly illustrations analyzing different horse girls, with very little of the kind of text that made you sleepy. It felt like a simple, easy-to-understand picture book made for kids.
And since Tamamo Cross was the one holding it, the feeling was even stronger.
"Lil' Tama… can I read it too?"
"I'll have to ask Trainer Gamu first. He compiled this…"
-------
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