During the training race, both Kitahara and Shibasaki were sweating for their horse girls.
Granted, losing heart before the race even began was a terrible thing, and a trainer who believed her horse girl could not win was unqualified in every possible sense. But after witnessing Xingyun Liuge's strength, the two trainers had only one thought:
If it was Xingyun Liuge, then she could probably win graded races with ease!
More than that—she might even be able to succeed the Emperor and become a queen of her era!
That was how outrageous they felt Xingyun Liuge's strength was.
A brief flash of brilliance?
That was obviously impossible.
After all, Xingyun Liuge had casually strung together three straight wins.
If not for the fact that her race schedule had already gone beyond the kind of battle-hardened path ordinary horse girls could endure, she might have built up an even more terrifying winning streak!
And her next target was the Junior Crown?
How could that possibly be enough? A horse girl like her could absolutely finish in the top two of the Tokai Derby with ease!
This was already the two trainers' extremely "optimistic" outlook. What they hoped for was that their horse girls could at least learn something from this training race, then work together with them to find some possibility of defeating Xingyun Liuge at the Tokai Derby.
That was also the direct reason they had accepted this challenge.
Competing with Xingyun Liuge was a long-term project—they had to keep their eyes on the bigger picture.
But no matter how they imagined it, they had never expected Xingyun Liuge's growth to crush even their highest expectations.
She had not chosen a frontrunner strategy, but a stalking one instead?
That was a perfectly reasonable choice—simply expanding her tactical arsenal.
But why had Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap suddenly slowed down?
Both of those horse girls were excellent. There was no way they would make the kind of mistake that caused them to fade in a race.
So that left only one possible answer:
In just a few short weeks, Xingyun Liuge had grasped some kind of special technique, and it was precisely that power which had caused the two girls to lose speed.
Belno Light's ears drooped as she worried for her friend.
"Oguri…"
What exactly had happened to Oguri Cap and the others? How had they suddenly slowed down like that?
Belno was a horse girl too, but she had not been out on the track herself. There was no way for her to truly feel what the racers had experienced firsthand.
Being able to do nothing but watch was agonizing.
She wanted to help Oguri Cap.
After the training race, the two pairs of horse girls and trainers went off to review the race and search for whatever slim chance of victory might exist.
Xingyun Liuge, meanwhile, sauntered over to Chihaya Yui with her tail swaying lightly behind her, looking completely at ease.
Yui expertly reached out and patted her on the head.
"You were amazing, Luka. It feels like you could win the Tokai Derby easily… no, if it's you, then even Central graded races would definitely be easy!"
Chihaya Yui truly believed that.
And precisely because she believed it, she had started to doubt her own importance.
Yes, she had drawn up a whole set of training plans for Xingyun Liuge—but looking back on it now, did any of those plans really matter?
Xingyun Liuge was simply too strong. So strong it almost felt like she was leveling up just by eating and drinking, to the point that she gave off the impression of a fully automatic horse girl.
Yui was only a rookie.
Could someone like her really bear the responsibility of being this girl's trainer?
The only thing she felt she had truly contributed was teaching Xingyun Liuge how to exert force more effectively on Kasamatsu Racecourse.
Other than that, it felt like she had accomplished nothing at all.
Noticing that Yui's mood was off, Xingyun Liuge took hold of her hand, gently pulling that slender, pale hand away from her head and clasping it in both of her own.
Then, feigning confusion, she asked,
"The Central circuit? That kind of thing doesn't really matter either way. As long as I can run freely, I'm happy."
Then the girl smiled brightly.
"Didn't you say it yourself before, Yui? Your goal is to win the Tokai Derby. That's my goal too. Other than that, I don't feel like there's much to think about, right?"
That really had been Yui's goal.
But that had been a decision she made before knowing Xingyun Liuge's true strength.
Now, she wanted to change her mind.
A horse girl as incredible as Xingyun Liuge had no business staying in a little place like Kasamatsu.
She should stand on a bigger stage and shine to her heart's content!
The Central circuit was where Xingyun Liuge belonged.
Even if Yui herself was still just a complete rookie and had not yet qualified as a Central trainer…
Compared with her own personal wishes, what Yui wanted more was to let Xingyun Liuge bloom in full brilliance.
That, in Yui's eyes, was what she truly ought to do as Xingyun Liuge's trainer.
If it was Xingyun Liuge, then even the Classic Triple Crown would be no—no, Xingyun Liuge could absolutely achieve the same great feat as the Emperor and win an undefeated Triple Crown!
She might even be able to take on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!
By the time she reached that point in her thoughts, Chihaya Yui's eyes had grown resolute.
"If it's you, Luka, then you'll definitely win the Tokai Derby easily. So I think we should set our sights on something even greater."
Using the undefeated Triple Crown Emperor as an example, Chihaya Yui tried to inspire Xingyun Liuge—ideally enough to awaken her competitive spirit.
After repeated persuasion, she finally managed to spark Xingyun Liuge's interest in the Classic Triple Crown.
But what Yui had not expected was that Xingyun Liuge did not immediately respond with some grand declaration.
Instead, she asked:
"If I go to the Central circuit, will you come with me too, Yui?"
To be trusted that deeply by her own horse girl naturally made Chihaya Yui happy.
But what was impossible was impossible.
The Central rules were extremely strict.
All she could promise was this:
"Once I pass the Central exam, I'll come join you right away, Luka. How does that sound? I passed the regional trainer exam on my first try, after all, so you can trust me when it comes to exams."
Chihaya Yui was not lying.
She was completely sincere.
But whether things would actually go that smoothly… that was much harder to say.
The Central rules were strict, and the exam was notoriously difficult. Plenty of excellent regional trainers had been shut out of the Central circuit simply because they could not achieve the necessary scores.
"I see."
Xingyun Liuge smiled, narrowing her eyes.
"Then let's wait until you pass, and go together after that. That way, you'll feel more pressure—but also more motivation, right?"
"!"
Seeing just how much Xingyun Liuge valued her, Chihaya Yui was deeply moved.
But a horse girl's golden years were an uncertain thing—no one knew how long they would last. And the Classic Triple Crown was a special honor that each generation could challenge only once.
Yui did not want Xingyun Liuge to waste her prime years because of her.
It was already February now.
There were only two months left until the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho.
If they did not hurry, then everything would be over.
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 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
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