Registering for the debut race went incredibly smoothly. The staff didn't suspect a thing about the combination of a Trainer who looked sickly and a taciturn Horse Girl. The staff member who registered them was even very concerned about his health and suggested he should go see a doctor.
"If I could control two bodies simultaneously, my main body wouldn't have to look so sickly." Because he couldn't spare more energy to control Nanami's body, he could only set its behavior mode to look like a power-saving mode.
"We're supposed to train, but I have no idea where to start. And besides, what can you possibly train in just two days?" Nanami had a headache. Training in the game was as simple as moving a finger, but in reality, he had no clue what kind of training an athlete normally focuses on.
[Task: Learning]: Still worried about your grades? Don't worry, this system guarantees teaching and mastery, with a 100% satisfaction rate!
[Requirement]: Enter the panel system for remedial lessons and pass the exam.
[Reward]: None
(Remedial lessons are available... but don't think about rewards. It's a free benefit lesson, what more do you want?)
"Don't be so considerate in a place like this, geez!"
Due to being overly agitated, Dust White looked as if she had suddenly fainted, while Nanami, in contrast, looked like a dying man startlingly sitting up in his sickbed.
"Good thing no one saw that." Nanami steadied Dust White, picked her up on his back, and quietly made his escape.
The two days passed incredibly quickly. Nanami immersed himself in a sea of books, cramming basic Trainer knowledge.
Dust White, meanwhile, accompanied Oguri Cap and the others in their training, taking the opportunity to secretly learn a bit from Kitahara's experience. Although Kitahara's level of unreliability was still somewhat high, given the current situation, Nanami couldn't find a better Trainer to learn from anytime soon.
"Miss Dust White's movements and stamina are truly astonishing." Kitahara, riding his little scooter, followed the three Horse Girls during their daily training. Although Dust White didn't have legs as supple as Oguri Cap's, her aesthetically pleasing movements made Kitahara realize that the Horse Girl before him was no ordinary individual either. "What a shame she already has a Trainer."
"Sorry, Kitahara speaks without thinking." The nearby Belno Light glared at Kitahara, then turned to apologize to Dust White.
"It's fine. The Trainer meant well." Dust White's ears drooped. Indeed, her main body was still cramming knowledge, so what Kitahara said wasn't entirely wrong.
"Little White's stamina is really good, and her movements are very precise." Oguri Cap slowed down to run beside Dust White and spoke. "I can't make my movements that precise."
"Good stamina..." Dust White placed a hand on her chest, feeling the constantly beating heart.
[Heart of Desire] was a kind of special buff-like existence. Over these two days, it had been continuously strengthening Dust White's heart. However, the corresponding rise in her physical functions brought a series of chain reactions: her food consumption increased, and the constant, slight reinforcement told Dust White one thing, if she couldn't gain control over the power of [Heart of Desire] soon, the heart would instead become a ticking time bomb for her health.
"The heart... is amazing." Just as the group sat down to rest, Oguri Cap suddenly pressed her ear against Dust White's chest, carefully listening to the sound of her heartbeat.
"Oguri Cap-san." Belno Light no longer had the energy to complain. "That's very pervy, you know."
However, Dust White showed no sign of aversion. She simply placed her hand on Oguri Cap's head and began playing with her other ear.
"It feels strange." Oguri Cap twitched her ear. "But I don't dislike it. Not at all. Even though we haven't known each other long, it feels like Little White and I have been good friends for a long time."
"Is that so?" Dust White closed her eyes to rest. She didn't know the relationship between this world she was in and the world from the game. So she stopped thinking about these questions. "You can lean on me a bit longer, Oguri Cap."
On the day of the race, Dust White stood in the fast lane, touched her increasingly powerfully throbbing heart, lowered her head, and shifted her focus to Nanami.
In the stands, Nanami looked bored, sitting on his chair, watching the track and the participating competitors.
"Next up, the third favorite, Dust White. With her beautiful features and graceful movements, let's wait and see if she can achieve good results!" Following the commentator's excited tone, Dust White stepped onto the stage. Like an elegant young lady, she bowed gracefully, offering a smile to Oguri Cap who had come to watch the race.
Seeing Oguri Cap nod at her, Dust White shifted her gaze and walked into the starting gate.
Kasamatsu Racecourse, 1000 meters, dirt track.
[Now Playing: Through Patches of Violet - "Mili"] The panel that usually occupied her vision was now as clean as her wallet. Only a scrolling message indicated that the music playing in her ears wasn't a fake.
She could sense the joyful or nervous emotions of the Horse Girls around her, but strangely, she herself had no thoughts at all.
"Wait, what's going on?" Dust White fell into a strange state. She felt herself gradually losing control of her body. In a place she couldn't see, the entry for [Temperance] slowly shattered. The body's most primitive, suppressed desires were released.
[Indulgence]: All Temperance is for the day when one can indulge freely. The beast within one's heart will not disappear through suppression.
"They're off! What's that? Gate number three, Dust White, is that a bad start?" The commentator's voice rang out.
Oguri Cap watched the gate with concern. This situation already counted as a major delay.
Nanami was covered in cold sweat. He tried his utmost to suppress the rampaging [Temperance].
"Wait, Dust White has charged out! What speed is that? Starting to sprint already? Sprinting all the way from the starting line?" The commentator's voice carried a hint of shock. "That posture, like a beast hunting... doesn't she worry at all about running out of stamina in the latter half?"
Nanami could now only guide Dust White to vent her suppressed inner self in the right direction.
Yes, Dust White burst out of the gate at high speed, like a white meteor, directly catching up to the back of the pack. Then, with undiminished momentum, she sliced through the opponents ahead like a hot knife through butter.
"Can Dust White really go this far? This form..." Kitahara stared blankly at the flying white figure, then turned to Oguri Cap, his tone somewhat strained. "You really picked yourself a formidable opponent, didn't you?"
"That's... the Gray Horse Girl next to Oguri Cap. Damn it, are the Horse Girls around her monsters too?" On the other side of the stands, Fujimasa March, who had followed Oguri Cap to the racecourse, watched Dust White's form, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
However, the pressure faced by the Horse Girls on the track was something those sitting in the stands couldn't possibly imagine.
"Muri!!! (Impossible!!!)"
Snow Mountain Flyer, in second-to-last place, closed her eyes, lowered her posture, and began a reckless acceleration. She really didn't want to face the predatory aura coming from behind anymore.
"Dust White..." Nanami lowered his head and bit his lip. He struggled, trying to fight against Dust White's bodily instincts. Only now did he understand why this panel, which always spoke in half-truths, had been so kind as to shove the core-level ability [Temperance] at him.
"Why does it feel like the whole world is blocking me?" The leader, Yusha Bikkuri, felt her breathing becoming increasingly difficult, as if someone was choking her neck.
The next second, that snow-white figure overtook her from the side. Yusha Bikkuri would never forget those light pink eyes, reflecting a mad, ravenous desire to tear everything apart.
"Is that person really someone who should appear in a place like ours?" A bitter, helpless smile appeared at the corner of Yusha Bikkuri's mouth. She didn't have the courage to face a real monster.
Dust White completely abandoned her usual precise movements, leaving only the most primitive instincts roaring wildly. With a sprinting form even more powerful than Oguri Cap's, she crossed the finish line with an absolute advantage.
"First place, Dust White!!! This is truly indescribable." The man in the commentator's booth was also shocked by this wild display. He could no longer find words to describe the scene he had witnessed. He only hoped the cameras had recorded the entire process completely. He had a premonition that this would be the prelude to a great era.
Nanami rushed up. Almost the moment Dust White began to slow down, he ran to her side and caught her as she seemed on the verge of collapse. At that moment, Oguri Cap and the others also gathered around.
Nanami froze, his brain spinning at high speed, preparing to play two roles.
"The two were silent. Dust White raised her eyelids, smiled at the people surrounding them, and then held Nanami's hand. "Trainer, we succeeded."
"Mm, rest now." Nanami nodded, picked up the Dust White who had closed her eyes, and said to Oguri Cap and the others, "Sorry, we need to do some post-race cool-down first."
"You're Little White's Trainer, right?" Oguri Cap took a step forward.
"Yes."
"She's a good kid, treat her well." Kitahara remained silent for a long time, finally only managing to say this sentence, but it was clear he was somewhat displeased with Nanami.
"I understand." Nanami nodded and began to communicate with the staff who had gathered around.
Dust White looked back and silently made a V-sign at Oguri Cap and her group.
"Ah, my acting skills have improved again." Nanami, playing two roles, thought happily while dealing with the staff.