...
To prepare for the Satsuki Sho, Tokai Teio began more than a month of special training.
In the rest room.
Lucian sat behind the desk, brows slightly furrowed, reviewing a thick stack of training reports and data analysis files.
Twin Turbo, however, hovered beside him, chattering nonstop from left and right.
"Trainer, I want to enter the Satsuki Sho too! I want to face off against Teio!!"
Lucian's fingertips paused on the keyboard. He lifted his head from the pile of papers and sighed helplessly. "I'm not the organizer of the Satsuki Sho—do you think I can pull strings to let you in?"
"Then how many races do I still need to win to qualify!!" Twin Turbo waved her little fists, her twin tails swinging cheerfully with her movements.
Lucian's gaze lingered on her for a moment. Then he turned sideways, deftly pulling up the recording of Twin Turbo's last race on the computer.
"You were grinning so happily at the start—love smiling? But by the end your running form was all messed up, dropping from first place to... never mind."
"Th-That's because I didn't activate my jet yet." Twin Turbo's cheeks flushed slightly, as if poked in a sore spot. She straightened her back and retorted immediately, though her voice clearly lacked conviction.
"Excuses again?" Lucian pointed with his Great Desolate Prison Sky Finger, and Twin Turbo instantly shut her chattering little mouth.
Her small hands clenched tightly in front of her, expression deeply aggrieved.
"Look at this Daitaku Helios." Lucian switched to another angle. "She's also a 'big escape' runner, but this time she changed her strategy and still finished fifth."
Lucian took a sip of tea and continued gently. "And look at you... after finishing, you just flopped right at the finish line. You didn't even have the energy to finish the race properly—how are you going to activate your jet? How are you going to face off against Teio?"
"Then what should I do... I really want to duel Teio." Twin Turbo hung her head, toes unconsciously scuffing the floor, muttering unhappily.
"What to do? Good question!"
Lucian extended his wicked hands and firmly pinched Twin Turbo's smooth, bouncy cheeks, kneading them left and right until her face twisted into all sorts of comical shapes. "Stop having so many meetings with Tannhauser, and do more endurance training for me—got it?"
Twin Turbo struggled in pain, finally breaking free from Lucian's clutches. She immediately puffed up indignantly. "But Tannhauser is the one who still has meetings! Trainer, why only scold me and not her!? Unfair!"
"She doesn't compare herself to Teio all the time. And Tannhauser's private training is only more, not less." Lucian withdrew his hands and leaned back in his chair.
If Tannhauser messed up, he should punish her too—tease when it's time to tease. Was he supposed to fear her just because her dad was the Chairwoman?
"Got it, got it! Hmph, I'm going to train right now!" Twin Turbo tossed out those words and rushed out of the rest room like a gust of wind, leaving Lucian with a stubborn back view.
...
March's Satsuki Sho arrived as scheduled.
As the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho was the key stage to test young horse girls' potential.
Tokai Teio—undefeated since debut, with an outstanding record—naturally became the focus of this race.
The "undefeated" title temporarily rested on her shoulders, while the honor of the "Triple Crown" awaited her to claim it personally.
For this first battle, Tokai Teio still felt some tension.
But when she stepped out of the entrance tunnel and faced the roaring cheers of the crowd, the tightness in her chest melted like ice and snow, turning into surging heat that coursed through her limbs.
Tokai Teio suddenly raised her head and, under the gaze of thousands, performed her signature Emperor Step. As the dance slowed, Tokai Teio greeted the audience in all directions.
...
"Oooh! There it is—the Emperor Step!" Twin Turbo pointed at the turf, turning to face Nice Nature and the others. "I'll show it to you guys later too."
Nice Nature: "Actually, I don't really want to see it that much."
"Hmph hmph, then I have to make Nice Nature watch even more."
...
"Teio-san, do your best!!!"
"Teio-san!! You must achieve five consecutive wins!"
On the other side, Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond had mixed into the "Dream" group. Kitasan Black stood on tiptoe, hands cupped around her mouth, shouting with all her might.
Unlike much deviation from the anime, Kitasan Black was ultimately conquered by Tokai Teio's strength.
Satono Diamond idolized Mejiro McQueen, Kitasan Black idolized Tokai Teio. And since Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen were both rivals and friends, this legacy passed down to the two later ones as well.
"This scene really feels like Spe-chan back then." Lucian gazed at the racetrack, his relaxed expression tinged with a hint of reminiscence.
"Like me, Trainer-san..." Special Week heard this and gently traced the collar of her school uniform, speaking softly.
"Yeah." Lucian withdrew his gaze and looked at Special Week.
Among this year's trio, only Silence Suzuka still clung to that autumn Tenno Sho. Special Week hadn't signed up for any races, nor had Seiun Sky.
He didn't point it out, nor did he force anything.
Some growth didn't need loud proof.
...
The race began, and the horse girls started smoothly from the gates.
The roar of the crowd filled Tokai Teio's ears, yet her heart was unusually clear. "The first crown starts right here!"
Though this was a G1 race, overall it didn't have too many dramatic ups and downs.
The pace remained steady throughout—no major fluctuations. Tokai Teio maintained an excellent position, following the leading pack with a precise differential running style.
Halfway through, she still held the delicate balance of differential running, her gaze locked on the leaders ahead, eyes flowing with calm calculation.
"Going too fast consumes stamina and leads to collapse; too late and you lose the initiative... this speed is the safest choice right now."
This composure gradually eased her taut nerves—she even had the leisure to listen to the cheers from the stands.
So this is what it feels like to be anticipated by so many people...
Tokai Teio took a deep breath, her muscles suddenly erupting with searing power. "Now!"
In the crucial final straight sprint, Tokai Teio broke away from the clustered pack with her outstanding closing speed and rhythm control.
One horse in absolute dominance, casting the rest of her generation's newcomers into shadow!
"Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio takes the lead—the gap to second is still widening!"
"Genius! When it comes to late-race bursts, she's a true genius horse girl!"
...
After the race ended, the "Dream" horse girls swarmed toward the exit tunnel to find Tokai Teio.
Lucian was about to follow when he noticed Mejiro McQueen still in place from the corner of his eye. "McQueen? What are you still watching?"
"Torena-san..." Mejiro McQueen slowly came back to herself. Meeting Lucian's gaze, she gently shook her head, tone tinged with emotion. "I just feel Teio has improved so quickly."
"Under my... uh, education, a rapid leap in strength is perfectly normal, right?" Lucian half-joked, a trace of pride in his voice.
"It's clearly Teio-san's own talent that's amazing... but Torena-san's role is indeed very important too."
Lucian chuckled lightly. "Don't worry—I'll still put my heart into assisting McQueen."
"Assisting and such..." Mejiro McQueen averted her eyes.
She recalled Lucian's words—how he would strive to fulfill his duty as a proper knight's attendant. That promise still remained etched in her heart.
"Speaking of which, it's unusual for McQueen not to be the first to greet Teio. You two usually seem pretty close."
"Wh-Who's close to her!?" Mejiro McQueen immediately retorted, cheeks puffing out slightly. "She still has a ton of my embarrassing photos and refuses to delete them desuwa."
Lucian feigned seriousness. "Oh~ Then I'll tell her later that McQueen hates her."
"N-No, that's not it either..." Mejiro McQueen froze, then realized she'd been teased again. "Torena-san!?"
She wasn't really angry—but she had to pretend to be, so she could legitimately perform the folding technique on Lucian.
Lucian coughed dryly and quickly changed the subject. "Ahem... McQueen, you actually really want to race against Teio on the track, right? Be honest with Trainer."
"Mm... Teio is very strong. Maybe one day we will face off." Mejiro McQueen was silent for a moment before nodding, speaking frankly.
"Competition within the same team is still such a headache." Lucian sighed, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "But I hope when that day comes, neither of you asks me 'who do you want to win more'."
Mejiro McQueen was about to retort when a sudden thought flashed through her mind—if that day really came, who would Lucian want to win more? She swallowed the words on her tongue and silently tucked the question away in her heart.
...