At the same time, in some quiet corner of Tracen Academy—
The horse girl who had crossed paths with Urushihara Tōru in the library, Rice Shower, was crouching in the grass, repeatedly writing something on the ground with a twig.
It was a secluded patch of lawn that few people ever passed through, shaded by several tall trees. Sunlight could only filter through the gaps in the branches, scattering mottled patterns of light and shadow over the ground.
"Keep your eyes fixed on your opponent… bite down hard on Mihono Bourbon…"
She murmured the words that trainer had said to her, a light flickering in her eyes.
It was a light she had never shown before.
Until now, Rice Shower had never imagined she could defeat that undefeated queen.
Mihono Bourbon was simply too strong.
So strong that the moment she stepped onto the track, it felt as though victory itself had already been decided.
And yet—
"The Kikuka Sho, a long-distance race, is your best stage, isn't it, Rice?"
The words of that trainer with the beautiful smile surfaced in her mind again.
"Rice understands now."
She rose to her feet and brushed the grass clippings from her skirt.
"At the Kikuka Sho, Rice will definitely show that trainer."
Her black ponytail swayed gently in the wind.
And in those violet eyes half-hidden by her bangs, an intensity unlike anything before was burning.
"Rice… will win."
…
By the training grounds, Urushihara Tōru, who was organizing the changes in Urara's stats after triggering friendship training, suddenly shivered violently.
"Trainer, are you not feeling well?"
Urara had just finished another lap and came over to his side, her round eyes fixed on him with concern and worry.
Trainer must be working really hard for Urara these days, right?
"No, I'm perfectly fine."
Urushihara Tōru shook his head, signaling for her not to worry.
Then, almost immediately, he deliberately stiffened his face.
"What's this? Has my Urara already run herself tired? Looking for an excuse to rest?"
"N-No! Not at all! Urara can keep running!"
The pink-haired horse girl hurriedly shook her head, her round eyes blazing with competitive spirit.
"Then keep going. This time, pay attention to the timing of your acceleration at the final corner. Try moving it forward by half a beat compared to before."
"Got it!"
Having half-coaxed and half-tricked Urara into continuing her training, Urushihara Tōru stayed where he was and fell into thought.
Just now, he had once again felt as though something were staring at him.
Strange.
He had sensed the same thing after the mock race with Smart Falcon… and now it was happening again.
Once could be written off as imagination.
But twice? That could not still be just his imagination, could it?
Could it be…
Had that academic-faction family that supposedly had its eye on Urara finally discovered that he had signed a contract with her, and now decided to make a move against him?
Once his thoughts reached that point, Urushihara Tōru—already somewhat high-strung by nature—began carefully scanning the area around him.
The bench by the track—empty.
No one by the water fountain either.
The equipment shed door was closed tight, and nothing about it looked suspicious.
Then where, exactly—
To his surprise, he really did notice something off in one corner of the field.
It was a clump of bushes at the far edge of the training grounds.
The branches and leaves were trembling slightly, even though there was barely any wind today.
More importantly, through the gaps in the leaves, he could just make out something golden flickering.
Blonde hair?
Urushihara Tōru narrowed his eyes.
Pretending not to notice anything, he lowered his head as though he were recording data, all while quietly edging closer in that direction.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Now!
Urushihara Tōru suddenly burst into motion, circled around the side of the bushes, and grabbed the figure hiding there.
"Got you!"
"Eek—!?"
A startled cry rang out.
Only then did Urushihara Tōru get a clear look at who he had caught.
It was a horse girl with blonde hair and blue-green eyes.
Her hair was tied into twin ponytails, now slightly disheveled from being caught so suddenly. Those beautiful jade-colored eyes were full of panic, and several leaves scraped loose by the shrubbery were still stuck to her cheeks.
Her school uniform had also picked up bits of grass and dirt from crouching in the bushes for so long. The hem of her skirt, which should have been neat and tidy, was now wrinkled all over, and even had a snapped twig caught in it.
It had to be said—this horse girl had a remarkably striking figure. Even in the loose academy uniform, her curves were impossible to hide.
But right now, with two snapped-off branches clutched in her hands, she looked nothing close to elegant.
Wait.
This horse girl…
Urushihara Tōru squinted at the blonde girl in front of him.
He knew that face.
Wasn't she the horse girl from the selection race—the one he had rejected?
Triangle… Triangle what was it again?
"Triangle Arrow!?"
"It's Narita Crown! And why are you grabbing me?! Let go already!"
The moment he said her name, Narita Crown jerked free from his hand, backed up two steps, and furiously brushed the grass and leaves off herself, glaring at him all the while.
Damn it! He noticed me! And of all people, it had to be him personally!
"I should be the one asking what you're doing!"
Urushihara Tōru pointed accusingly at Narita Crown, his voice openly suspicious.
"Hiding in the bushes and spying on me and my horse girl while we train—what exactly are you trying to do?"
"W-Who was spying on you!?"
Narita Crown's face went bright red, but she stubbornly shot back anyway.
"I was just passing by!"
"Passing by?"
Urushihara Tōru looked her up and down—the grass-stained uniform, the mysterious twigs in her hands—and snorted.
"Passing by gets you inside a bush? Passing by leaves you looking like that? Passing by has you carrying twigs around? What, did you think those things would somehow hide you?"
"Th-That's…"
Narita Crown choked.
She looked down at the branches in her hands, then at the sorry state of her uniform, and the flush on her face deepened.
Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why did he find me?! I was hiding perfectly!
"Talk. Who sent you?"
Urushihara Tōru stepped closer, his eyes sharp.
"Was it that academic-faction family that had its eye on Urara? Did they send you to keep tabs on me?"
"Huh?"
The unfamiliar term left Narita Crown completely baffled.
"What academic-faction family? What are you even talking about? I have absolutely no idea."
What's an academic-faction family? Is there some horse-girl family at Tracen with that kind of title? I just wanted to see what kind of horse girl he ended up signing, that's all!
Hearing that inner voice, Urushihara Tōru froze slightly.
Wait.
So she had not been sent by that academic-faction family after all?
She had simply… wanted to see what kind of horse girl he had signed?
"You…"
His expression turned rather strange as he spoke the truth he had gleaned from her inner thoughts aloud.
"Don't tell me that because I rejected you, you held a grudge and came all the way here just to see what kind of horse girl I chose instead?"
"I-It's not like that!"
Narita Crown's voice shot up several pitches, her jade eyes full of mortification and anger.
"Who would care about being rejected by some measly G-rank trainer?! I just… I just…"
That's right! I'm the kind of fool who got rejected and still came running over to see what kind of horse girl he picked instead! So what if I did!?
"Just what?"
"Just passing by! I said I was passing by!"
Narita Crown stamped her foot in flustered embarrassment.
"What is wrong with your eyes? You can't even tell what 'passing by' looks like?"
"Does 'passing by' usually involve hiding in a bush this long?"
Urushihara Tōru mercilessly punctured the lie.
For a horse girl who had once wanted to "play horse" with him, he was not about to show her any softness.
What if she mistakenly took kindness as proof that he secretly liked her and then dragged him off into some horrifying horseplay situation?
At Tracen Academy, male trainers especially had to protect themselves!
The moment he remembered all those blood-and-tears cautionary tales passed down among the trainer course by older male students, Urushihara Tōru pressed the attack even harder.
"I noticed those bushes moving a while ago. How long were you actually hiding in there?"
"Th-That was because… because I was looking for something! Right, I was looking for something!"
Narita Crown held up the two branches in her hands, as though this somehow proved her innocence.
"See? I found it!"
"…"
Urushihara Tōru stared blankly at the two utterly ordinary twigs.
That excuse was terrible.
"Oh, whatever."
He waved a hand, too tired to keep arguing with this horse girl who stubbornly refused to back down.
From her inner thoughts, at least, it was clear enough that she was not some spy sent by an academic faction. She was simply a horse girl who had been rejected, felt dissatisfied, and came to secretly observe him…
How to put it…
A tsundere horse girl?
Come on, Narita—tsunderes went out of style ages ago!
"Believe whatever you want. I don't have time to waste arguing with you here."
Urushihara Tōru turned to leave.
"W-Wait!"
Narita Crown stopped him.
"What now?"
"You…"
Narita Crown bit her lip, hesitating.
Damn it. I came here intending to demand why he rejected me in the first place, so how did it turn into this…
"Well? If you've got something to say, say it. My horse girl is waiting for me."
Urushihara Tōru deliberately stressed the words my horse girl.
Unexpectedly, that made the blonde twin-tailed horse girl's expression harden with resolve instead.
"I…"
Narita Crown took a deep breath, lifted her head, and looked directly into Urushihara Tōru's eyes with those beautiful jade irises.
"I want to know what is so special about the horse girl you chose."
"Special?"
Urushihara Tōru raised an eyebrow.
"You mean Urara?"
"So that's the pink-haired horse girl's name…"
Narita Crown looked past him toward Urara, who was still earnestly training on the track.
"I watched a bit, and her ability seems… pretty mediocre, doesn't it?"
More than mediocre, honestly. She's actually quite weak. How could a horse girl like that possibly compare to me?
"What would you know."
Annoyed at hearing someone belittle his Urara, Urushihara Tōru snorted coldly.
"Urara's potential is the kind of thing someone like you—who only sees surface appearances—could never understand."
Do you even understand the value of a character important enough to appear in the anime?
You golden-haired background nobody who probably did not even qualify for a silhouette shot!
"Surface appearances?"
Narita Crown bristled instantly.
"So what, you're saying I have no eye for talent?"
"I didn't say that. You're the one who applied it to yourself."
"You—!"
Narita Crown stamped her feet furiously, both of her golden twin-tails whipping back and forth.
This guy! How dare he say that to me! I'm Narita Crown—the one who personally turned down an S-rank trainer's invitation! Do you even understand what S-rank means? What gives some measly G-rank the right to look down on me like this!?
Hearing that inner voice, and now more or less certain that unless she was deeply unwell she no longer had any plans involving horseplay with him, Urushihara Tōru suddenly thought of something.
Right.
At the moment, he was desperately searching for horse girls who could do friendship training with Urara.
He still did not know whether friendship training had a cooldown period, or whether each individual horse girl could only trigger the effect once.
All he knew was that after yesterday's second mock race, Smart Falcon had not produced any further growth for Urara.
And now, right here in front of him, stood Narita Crown—a capable horse girl who was full of bluster and denial, but whose strength was clearly real.
Wasn't she the perfect subject for testing whether a different horse girl could trigger friendship training again?
"Hey, Triangle Delta."
"I told you it's Narita Crown! Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?"
"Don't worry about insignificant details. You wanted to know what's special about Urara, right?"
Urushihara Tōru's lips curved very slightly.
"Then do this. Race her. Experience it for yourself, and you'll find out."
"Huh?"
Narita Crown blinked.
"You want me… to race that horse girl?"
"What, you scared?"
"Wh-Who's scared!?"
Narita Crown's eyes widened, competitive fire igniting in those jade irises. Even so, her mouth still refused to yield.
"I just don't see why I should have to do what you say! I'm not your horse girl, you know!"
Though if I crush that girl in a race, then I can make this idiot see exactly what kind of outstanding horse girl he let slip through his fingers!
"Well, if you really want me to race that girl, then beg me."
Narita Crown covered her mouth and put on a laugh like some villainous noblewoman in a melodrama.
"Maybe if I'm in a good enough mood, I'll reluctantly agree."
"Do what you want."
Urushihara Tōru shrugged and turned away.
"I was only suggesting it in passing anyway. If you don't want to, then forget it."
"Wait!"
Narita Crown grabbed his arm.
"Who said I didn't want to!?"
Then she let go, lifted her chin, and looked down at him with that lofty, aristocratic attitude again.
"It's only one race. Narita Crown is not so lacking in magnanimity that I couldn't show that much pity."
Just wait. I'll make you see with your own eyes what a colossal mistake you made. And then, even if you cried and begged me to become your horse girl, I… well, I might consider it. Maybe.
With that, Narita Crown strode off toward the track.
Her school uniform, still covered in leaves and bits of grass, looked rather ridiculous under the sun, but the proud, upright confidence in her posture was impossible to miss.
Urushihara Tōru watched her back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Even after all this, she'd still be willing to become his horse girl?
Did she really want horseplay that badly?
Were the horse girls at Tracen Academy all this repressed?
Still, whatever.
Repressed or not, her ability was undeniably real.
And if racing her could trigger friendship training…
Then Urara might just become stronger again.
With that thought, Urushihara Tōru quickened his pace and headed toward the track as well.
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