As the saying goes, luck is also part of one's strength—but compared to luck, Xingyun Liuge preferred raw stats and solid mechanics.
Mechanics were the sort of thing you could only encounter by chance, but stats could be improved gradually through hard work.
So she dragged Fujimasa March, Minami Kaku, Norn Ace, and the others over to serve as her "labor force."
The petite silver-haired girl lightly tapped a riding crop against her palm and declared with full authority,
"Today, we're doing side-by-side running drills."
The next race, the Chukyo Cup, was a near-graded stakes event. Their opponents likely would not be a bunch of scattered scrubs, so if they kept using the same old styles as before, they might suffer for it. That was why she wanted to give the girls some special training.
Xingyun Liuge had originally assumed Norn Ace and her little friends had no real drive, but it turned out the only ones lacking motivation were the other two girls. Norn Ace herself was unexpectedly serious.
But the thing that surprised Xingyun Liuge even more was that this whole group had absolutely no idea what side-by-side running training even was. She had to explain it from the ground up—even though she herself did not really understand it all that deeply either and had just picked it up from watching race footage.
Still, that worked out fine.
These local horse girls were all the type who struggled with theory, but learned much faster through actual practice.
After a round of explanation and demonstration, the girls gradually understood what Xingyun Liuge meant.
Put simply, whether it happened deliberately or purely by coincidence, they might run into this kind of situation in a real race:
Two or more opponents ahead were chasing the frontrunner at full speed, matching each other's stride frequency and position so closely that there was no gap to break through. You had power to spare, but nowhere to use it. Worse still, if the pack from behind caught up, you would be boxed in from all sides and end up losing in frustration.
That exact situation might not happen in the Chukyo Cup.
But there was never any harm in preparing in advance.
Who knew? They might need it.
The more tactical options they had in reserve, the better.
Beyond that, Xingyun Liuge also drilled them on things like cutting quickly to the inside lane to seize position, forcing opponents to remain on the outside and spend more stamina, as well as how to distribute stamina more effectively when you've already lost the inside and are stuck running wide, then launch your finishing burst in the final stretch.
The horse girls were trained until their scalps tingled and they complained bitterly, but even so, they had to admit that Xingyun Liuge's thinking was remarkably farsighted.
One look and you could tell she was a horse girl preparing to go to the Central circuit.
Kitahara Jones scratched the back of his head helplessly and sighed that the younger generation was truly fearsome. Back when he'd raced on the local circuit, he had never thought that far ahead—though, admittedly, he had not managed to win the Tokai Derby in the end either.
Chihaya Yui, meanwhile, was even more overwhelmed. She really had been studying all kinds of race footage in order to qualify as a Central trainer. She just had not expected Xingyun Liuge to have seen it too—nor had she expected the girl to start teaching people before even putting it into actual practice herself.
And the worst part was—
she was teaching it convincingly.
Seriously, who exactly was supposed to be the trainer here?!
By the time they got to drills like adjusting your center of gravity to different track surfaces and how to take a turn in a more energy-efficient way, everyone had gone numb.
No, really—were these advanced racing techniques actually something a bunch of local horse girls like them needed?
Was this Miss Xingyun Liuge perhaps holding some wildly unrealistic expectations of them?
Oguri Cap studied the most seriously, and improved the fastest. Fujimasa March came next.
But unlike Oguri Cap, who trained without a trace of calculation in her mind, the harder Fujimasa March worked, the more clearly she could feel the gap between herself and true geniuses.
Yes, she trained until complete exhaustion every single day, and yes, she could genuinely feel herself improving—
but in front of Oguri Cap and Xingyun Liuge, she felt like a child utterly incapable of anything.
No matter how hard she worked, she simply could not keep up with the speed at which the two of them were growing.
That day after school, Fujimasa March trained until sunset as usual. She was soaked through from head to toe and had to drape a towel over herself to cool down. But the heat trapped in her body could not warm the chill in her heart.
She still could not keep up with Oguri Cap's growth rate.
For the first time, she even began to wonder whether all her effort had any value at all.
If you kept losing forever, then no matter how passionate your heart was, it would stop beating eventually… wouldn't it?
As for Xingyun Liuge?
Fujimasa March had no doubt at all:
Xingyun Liuge would absolutely carve out a place for herself in the Central circuit.
That was no longer a figure an ordinary local horse girl like herself could even hope to look up at.
Just then, she heard a crisp voice.
"Hey. Drink a little water."
Xingyun Liuge had noticed that Fujimasa March's mood was off, so she had deliberately stayed behind.
"Xingyun…-san? Why are you here?"
Seeing someone so unexpected, Fujimasa March was genuinely startled.
Shouldn't their Teacher Xingyun have gone back early to rest already? Why was she still here?
This was, in fact, a misunderstanding.
Xingyun Liuge was not the type to return to the dorm just to rest—she was usually going back to open up simulation battles.
But today, she really had postponed her simulation training and stayed specifically to wait for Fujimasa March.
"The one who should be asking that is me. I told you on the very first day, didn't I? You mustn't force yourself. If you rush, you'll only fail. March, have you forgotten the most important thing I said?"
With both hands on her hips, Xingyun Liuge looked openly displeased.
And strangely enough, even though she was small, there was real pressure in her presence.
Without even realizing it, Fujimasa March seemed to shrink an inch shorter than her. Her ears pressed tightly against her hair, and she looked thoroughly tense.
If an outsider had seen the scene, they would have been too shocked to speak.
How could that model student, so lofty she seemed like a flower on a distant peak, show an expression like this?
It was… just a tiny bit cute.
Of course, what was cute was the contrast.
If Fujimasa March had always been a timid, fragile girl, then this side of her would not have had the same emotional pull.
After a long silence, Fujimasa March finally came back to herself.
How could an ordinary horse girl like her possibly waste Xingyun Liuge's time? Wouldn't that just make her a stumbling block on the path of someone else's growth? That would never do.
Someone like Xingyun Liuge—a truly extraordinary horse girl—should not be wasting her time on her.
So Fujimasa March admitted fault with remarkable honesty and said she would not do it again next time.
Her gaze flickered uneasily, and it was impossible to tell exactly what she was thinking.
Xingyun Liuge let out a helpless little sigh, then took Fujimasa March's hand herself and said,
"March, I feel like there's still more you want to say. If this is a life consultation, I'm happy to listen~"
Her tone was relaxed, and the look in her eyes was full of encouragement, urging Fujimasa March to speak openly.
Looking at Xingyun Liuge like that, Fujimasa March suddenly felt the tight knot inside her collapse all at once, and at last, the words spilled out.
Since her earliest days as a little filly, Fujimasa March had always been an outstanding horse girl.
The scent of the wind rushing toward her made her happy. The joy of victory thrilled her heart. And so she practiced even harder, pouring every free moment she had into training.
That effort brought her more and more victories in return.
Two happy things had come together.
By all rights, they should have created even more dreamlike days.
That was how it was supposed to go.
So why?
Why could she never catch up to Xingyun Liuge—
or even Oguri Cap?
A hazy shimmer of tears flickered in her eyes.
And in that instant, only one thought remained in Xingyun Liuge's mind:
Ah… she's crying. Cute~
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 172)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 116)
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! (Chapter119)
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 66
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 52
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 55
The Way the Umamusume Look at 42
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 40
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 36
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 30
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 26
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 26
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