When Kitahara saw the situation at the front of the classroom, he quickly recognized who those noisy little horse girls were.
The one sitting cross-legged on the roof, muttering about "receiving cosmic signals," was none other than Gold Ship.
This girl, even in the parallel world, had a peculiar idea — she believed the "Ship" in her name meant "Spaceship." She thought she could receive signals from the universe and might even be an alien horse girl herself.
It seemed that in this world too, she held the same delusion.
The two smaller horse girls in front of the classroom — one wearing a mask and one tugging at the teacher's pant leg — were Orfevre and Just A Way.
Kitahara had previously asked Maruzensky to check which kindergarten Gold Ship was attending but hadn't investigated the details himself. Now that he found these two here as well, he couldn't help but be stunned.
Because in the future of another world, they were incredibly famous.
Orfevre's career record: 21 starts, 12 wins, 6 second places, including 2 overseas wins in 4 races. Among her victories were the Japanese Triple Crown, two Arima Kinens, and the Takarazuka Kinen. As for runner-up finishes — two of them were in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
[using He because they are talking about the racehorse]
Even though he only came second in the Arc, it was by the slightest of margins, and many fans believed the loss was largely due to a last-minute jockey change — replacing Ikezoe Kenichi, who knew her temperament well, with Christophe Soumillon. Otherwise, he might well have won.
A racehorse with such overwhelming strength naturally earned a thunderous reputation. But just as famous as his power was the "eccentric personality" shared by the entire Gold family.
For Orfevre, that eccentricity was simple — he had a bad temper.
Outside of races, he would often make a scene in the paddock, try to bite other horses, or crash into barriers.
During races, he hated having other horses ahead of him; once her temper flared, he'd run wildly, bump into others, or even veer sideways. After winning, he once threw her jockey Kenichi off her back — and even tried to attack him afterward!
Such behavior was practically routine for Orfevre.
With her tremendous power and his signature fiery temper, fans gave him nicknames like "The Rampaging Shogun" and "The Furious Triple Crown Horse." But his most famous title remained — "The Golden Tyrant."
[His French name, Orfevre, also translates to "goldsmith," a reference to his sire, Stay Gold, and his dam, Oriental Art.]
This was vividly reflected in his horse girl counterpart.
In the source material, Orfevre's design was that of a blonde beauty wearing a mask — the mask acted like a "seal." When she wore it, she could speak and behave normally; once she removed it, it was as if the "seal" was broken, and her tyrannical personality would emerge.
Almost like she had a dual personality.
Compared to this "problem child" of the Golden family, the other little horse girl — the quiet Just A Way — seemed much more well-behaved.
Her strength, however, was top-tier. In her career, she ran 22 races with 6 wins and 6 seconds. On paper, that might not seem dazzling among top horses, but her real-world counterpart was the first Japanese horse to achieve the No.1 world ranking in 2014 with a rating of 130 points.
That rating was given by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) based on a global points system.
Before 2004, the system's standards had been biased toward the UK, France, and Ireland, so it wasn't very comprehensive.
But after being renamed the World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) and further adjusted in 2013, it became far more globally representative.
In another timeline, Japan's top five horses by rating were:
El Condor Pasa – 134
Deep Impact – 129
Just A Way – 130
A Shin Hikari-129
Orfevre – 125
[Equinox: 135]
So, Just A Way's strength was not only among the best in Japan's history but among the best in the world.
Seeing two horse girls who would one day become world-class champions made Kitahara freeze for a good while — and when he finally snapped out of it, things got even stranger.
"Big sister, you're so pretty! Can you play with me?"
"Eh? Little one, are you talking to me?"
"Waaah! A-Tong, do you not like me anymore? Boohoo, I'm so sad! I'm going to run away from home!"
"Goldie, stop messing around—ah! Goldie, don't run! The roof is dangerous! Come down right now!"
"...Why are there such dumb teachers in the world? How could you think you can chase a horse girl on foot? Even if she's little, she's still a horse girl."
In Kitahara's dumbfounded gaze, the previously shy Just A Way suddenly lit up, ran over with sparkling eyes, and hugged Oguri Cap's thigh tightly.
That seemed to upset Gold Ship, who covered her eyes dramatically and bolted off across the rooftop at full speed.
The teacher in front of the classroom, probably still new to the job, panicked and tried to run after her — only to be stopped by the masked Orfevre, who looked at her with pure disdain.
Orfevre rolled her eyes, grabbed the teacher's pant leg with one hand, and reached toward the back of her head with the other.
"To chase a horse girl, of course you need another horse girl. Let me—eh?"
Suddenly, Kitahara grabbed her hand before she could remove her mask. She blinked in surprise, seeing his wry smile.
"If you're thinking of taking off that mask to chase Gold Ship, maybe don't…"
Seeing her intention, Kitahara had a bad feeling and tried to talk her down. He then looked toward Oguri Cap.
"Oguri, could you—"
He meant to ask her to chase Gold Ship, but Oguri was already affectionately patting Just A Way's head.
"Aww, this child's so well-behaved and cute! Just like little Oguri! Eh?"
Her ears twitched as she looked at Kitahara in confusion. "Did you say something just now?"
"...Nothing. You two just keep playing."
Sighing helplessly, Kitahara thought to himself:
"Looks like even in this world, Just A Way's a gray-horse fan… and Gold Ship really likes her too.What is this, childhood besties in training?"
Historically, Gold Ship wasn't as ill-tempered as her family but was still eccentric and intimidating — her tall frame often scared other horses.
Yet, in front of the calm and gentle Just A Way, she became unusually docile, while Just A Way showed great fondness toward her.
And since Oguri Cap was gray, Kitahara couldn't help but feel this world's versions fit that rumor perfectly.
"Maruzensky, could you chase after that little horse girl?" he asked after letting Oguri stay with Just A Way. "That's Gold Ship. From how fast she was moving on the roof, I think only you or Oguri could catch her…"
Before he could finish, Maruzensky nodded — but someone else was not happy.
"Hey! Who are you calling slow, old man?!"
Orfevre slapped away his hand with a loud smack, glaring up at him.
"Sure, Goldie's fast, but she's not the only one here who can catch her!"
She jabbed her finger toward Maruzensky and Oguri Cap.
"I can too! And so can A-Tong!"
Then she pointed toward another classroom.
"Donna and Ver can do it too!"
"So tell me, old man, who are you underestimating?!"
Arms crossed, head tilted arrogantly, her purple eyes rolled so far up they almost flipped.
"I didn't underestimate anyone, you little—"
For a moment, Kitahara realized this must've been exactly how Ikezoe Kenichi felt dealing with Orfevre — utterly helpless.
At the same time, he was surprised.
He hadn't meant to insult anyone — he knew Orfevre and Just A Way were both fast — he'd just wanted the quickest option.
But what shocked him was this: this kindergarten was apparently packed with prodigies.
The "Donna" and "Ver" Orfevre mentioned — one was a Triple Tiara winner, two-time Japan Cup champion, twice Horse of the Year, with seven G1 wins. The other, though less victorious, had narrowly lost to her six times.
[Gentildonna and Verxina]
"What the hell… I know this kindergarten's supposed to be the best in Tokyo, but this is ridiculous. How many legends are in one place?"
Even so, Kitahara quickly gathered himself.
Maybe, he thought, he should visit more often when he had time… and perhaps stop by Special Week's elementary school too.
But he soon cleared his thoughts and turned back to the sulking Orfevre.
"I really wasn't looking down on anyone," he said seriously. "I believe all of you — you, A-Tong, Donna, Ver, and Goldie — you're all amazing horse girls.
One day, each of you will achieve glory that will astonish the entire world."
"Now that's better."
Orfevre nodded with mock seriousness, crossing her arms and patting his leg like an adult. Then she raised her thumb proudly.
"Follow me. I'll lead you to Goldie."
"Goldie? But she's already—"
Kitahara looked up instinctively and realized — Gold Ship was gone.
Maruzensky sighed, covering her forehead.
"She's fast. I just saw her a second ago."
Then she chuckled softly. "As expected of Stay Gold's little sisters… such speed… cough, I mean, such energy."
She'd originally wanted to say "such troublesome personalities," but changed her wording since Orfevre was right there.
"Oh, you know big sis Stay Gold? Then I'll definitely help you."
At the mention of Stay Gold, Orfevre actually looked afraid for a moment, muttering to herself.
"I only said I'd spank Goldie's butt to scare her. But if big-sis finds out she's been naughty again, she'll hang her upside down for sure… maybe even me too.
No time to talk, let's go. Goldie always hides in the same few spots when she 'runs away.' I'll take you there."
"Hey, A-Tong, wanna come?"
Despite her age, she spoke with an oddly mature tone, and after giving her little speech, she shoved her hands in her pockets and swaggered off toward one side of the kindergarten.
"Eh? You're going to find Goldie? I'll come too!"
Hearing her, Just A Way — still playing "head pats" with Oguri Cap — quickly took Oguri's hand.
"Big sister, let's play hide-and-seek with Goldie! But she's really bad at hiding — she always picks the same places."
"Hide-and-seek? Um… Kitahara?"
Being pulled along, Oguri tilted her head questioningly at him.
"You go with them," Kitahara said after a brief pause. "Maruzensky, you too — keep an eye on them."
"I'll stay here and explain things to the teacher," he added, glancing at the still-frozen woman who looked like her brain had just crashed.
Once Oguri and the others headed off deeper into the kindergarten, Kitahara approached the teacher.
"Hello," he said with a wry smile. "Sorry for the confusion earlier — I didn't have time to introduce myself."
"I'm Kitahara Jo, a trainer from Central Tracen Academy."
"The two with me earlier — one was Maruzensky, vice president of Central's student council, and the other was my trainee horse girl, Oguri Cap."
"We came here today to talk with Gold Ship's guardians about a potential training collaboration."
After briefly explaining his purpose for being there, Kitahara patiently waited for a while.
He could more or less tell that the teacher before him was actually quite dedicated to her job—just lacking in experience. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caused such a chaotic scene earlier, nor would she have instinctively tried to run after a horse girl.
Adding to that, the Golden family's personality wasn't exactly easy for anyone to handle, so he was giving the teacher a moment to collect herself.
"—Aaaaah! I'm so sorry! You're Mr.—no, Kitahara-Senpai, right?! I—I'm Junko Hosoe! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Finally snapping back to reality, the flustered female teacher let out a startled squeal, hurriedly bowed, and introduced herself in a panic before hastily explaining,
"I'm actually here at this kindergarten for community service! I'm still a student at the Trainer Academy!"
"This is part of our social activity coursework—we come to horse girl kindergartens and elementary schools to interact and communicate with the girls. It's supposed to help with our future careers as trainers!"
After the rushed explanation, her eyes suddenly brightened. She leaned forward and grabbed Kitahara's hand tightly.
"I—I wanted to become a trainer because of the TV anime! Trainers looked so cool! And later, after seeing the amazing results you and Naiase-Senpai achieved, I… huh?"
She finally noticed Kitahara's strange expression and froze in confusion.
"W-Was I too enthusiastic? I'm so sorry, Kitahara-Senpai, I—um—you're my idol! I was so focused on taking care of the little horse girls that I didn't notice you earlier. I'm really, truly sorry!"
She bowed again in apology.
…This kindergarten really was a gathering place for unbelievable people, wasn't it?
Kitahara knew exactly who Junko Hosoe was—but he absolutely didn't expect to meet her here of all places.
In another world, she was a jockey of the Japan Racing Association, a classmate of Yuichi Fukunaga and Ryuji Wada—part of the so-called "Flower Class of the 12th Generation." After graduating, she debuted alongside Yukiko Makihara and Makoto Tamura.
She was quite capable too—the first Japanese female jockey to win a race overseas.
Later, after suffering an injury, she retired from riding and became a horse racing commentator, often appearing as a guest analyst during major races.
That famous "12.1 billion-yen high-kick" performance by Gold Ship during the Takarazuka Kinen? She was the one screaming in the commentary booth—both in real life and in the anime adaptation.
Having already met quite a few "unexpected" people at this kindergarten, Kitahara quickly recovered from his surprise upon realizing that this "teacher" was Junko Hosoe herself.
"You're too polite, Ms. Hosoe."
Smiling, Kitahara nodded. "I believe I've already explained why I'm here."
"Vice Presidenr Maruzensky and Oguri Cap should've already found Gold Ship by now, so I'm planning to head over there and take a look."
"You still have to look after these kids, right? Then I'll excuse myself."
He simply wanted to inform her of the situation—after all, even if she was only a temporary teacher, she still had responsibilities. Leaving without saying anything would've been rude.
"Ah, I see! Okay then, Kitahara-Senpai, please go ahead—I'll handle things here!"
She spoke nervously but suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right! The principal told me about your visit earlier and mentioned some arrangements."
"The original plan was that after school, I'd bring little Gold Ship over to you—her grandfather would come to pick her up at the same time."
"That way, you could talk directly with her guardian."
"Except…"
She gave a wry smile. "That child's personality… sigh. Anyway, when I told her about it, she seemed very unwilling. She agreed at first, but the moment I turned around, she ran upstairs while I wasn't looking."
"That was my negligence… sigh…"
She sighed twice in a row, visibly deflated.
"The Gold family's horse girls really do have… unique personalities," Kitahara said sympathetically, knowing full well how eccentric Gold Ship could be. Then he added, "So, Gold Ship's grandfather must be Mr. Takatoshi Imanami, right?"
Since Kitahara hadn't specifically researched this kindergarten's staff, he hadn't realized Hosoe, Ittoku Ogon, and Imanami were all connected to it.
But he did know Gold Ship's background thoroughly—and in this timeline, her grandfather was indeed Takatoshi Imanami.
In another world, Imanami was Gold Ship's stableman, and the person she was closest to.
Gold Ship's odd behavior was, in fact, a sign of high intelligence. Most horses' intellects equated to that of a three- or four-year-old human, but Gold Ship's was comparable to that of a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Her mischief was basically childlike playfulness.
Imanami was the first to realize this—he once said that Gold Ship just wanted to play with people and other horses. If no one played with her, she'd get grumpy. That's why he always took the time to humor her.
Because of that patience, Gold Ship could get angry with others but never with Imanami.
"Yes, that's right—Mr. Takatoshi Imanami!" Hosoe confirmed eagerly. "He's an excellent technician—been in the business for thirty or forty years."
"I wanted to wait for him so that he could bring little Gold Ship to meet you, because she only behaves herself in front of him."
"But I got too impatient and told her about it before he arrived, which is probably why she threw a tantrum…"
"That wasn't a tantrum," came a calm, elderly voice from a distance.
"That little one just wanted to do something attention-grabbing to make sure Chief Trainer Kitahara would notice her."
Both Kitahara and Hosoe froze for a second, then quickly turned toward the voice.
From the kindergarten gate walked an elderly man wearing a black cap and jacket, hands clasped behind his back.
He looked to be in his fifties—some wrinkles but not many, with short, graying hair and stubble. His demeanor was vigorous and full of life.
"Hello, Mr. Imanami. I'm Kitahara Jo—pleased to meet you," Kitahara greeted politely.
"Mr. Imanami! Little Gold Ship ran off again…" Hosoe added.
Imanami chuckled warmly. "It's all right, Junko. I know where she is—no need to worry. Just take care of the other kids."
He nodded to Hosoe, then smiled and gestured to Kitahara. "Chief Kitahara, let's go find our little Gold Ship."
Hosoe immediately responded with a "Yes!" while Kitahara nodded and followed.
Imanami wasted no time. After glancing around briefly, he began walking in a particular direction.
That surprised Kitahara, because the direction he chose was completely different from where Gold Ship and Oguri Cap had gone earlier.
"Uh, Mr. Imanami, I think Gold Ship went that way…" Kitahara said, pointing.
"That way, huh? Heh…"
Still walking slowly with his hands behind his back, Imanami smiled confidently. "Don't worry, Chief Kitahara. How should I put this…"
He paused for a moment.
"I know all the Gold family's children well—but the one I know best is little Gold Ship."
"Strange, isn't it? It's like I was born understanding what that child is thinking, whether I see her or not."
"So, even though I haven't seen her yet, something tells me—she's exactly where I think she is."
He tapped his temple and smiled, indicating his intuition.
…So your "communication" with Gold Ship is really through psychic signals, huh? Was she just "receiving transmission" from you earlier?
Kitahara didn't know whether to laugh or cry. At this point, he was starting to believe the two might genuinely share a telepathic bond.
"All right then, I'll follow your lead."
He nodded and, after thinking a bit, decided to explain his purpose further.
"The kindergarten principal and the Central Academy must've already mentioned why I'm here, but I'll clarify again…"
He concisely summarized the situation regarding Tamamo Cross, the research on gray-haired bloodlines, and Oguri Cap's upcoming training. Then, sincerely, he said:
"According to our team's discussions, these training plans would progress much more smoothly with Gold Ship's help."
"She's still young, of course, so I'll need your permission first as her guardian."
"What do you think?"
"I've got no objections," Imanami said immediately. Then, after a thoughtful pause, he continued:
"I may not be a trainer, but after decades of work, I've met plenty of them."
"Your uncle, and his peers—Eito Naise, Yoshitaka Dino, Ryuko Yubara—I've met them all."
"And among the newer generation—you, your teammates Komiyama and Taro Yuzuhara, and Eito's daughter—I've been keeping an eye on you all as well."
"So even if I'm not a trainer, I know what truly matters."
"Researching bloodlines isn't new—it's been done before. But those studies only ever tried to label which bloodlines were 'fast' or 'slow.'"
A hint of ridicule crossed his face. "But tell me—what bloodline is fast, really? Those fools studied for decades and learned nothing."
"They used to claim gray-haired bloodlines couldn't run fast—that's their so-called research."
"And yet, your Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross are both gray, one the strongest of her generation, the other the best among older horses. How do they explain that?"
"Besides, I firmly believe Gold Ship will become an outstanding horse girl as well. She's also gray. Are you saying all my years of experience are wrong? That I can't tell?"
"So yes—those kinds of conclusions only come from fools."
Shaking his head, he sighed, then looked at Kitahara with anticipation.
"But your research is different, Chief Kitahara. I've read much of your team's work."
"On the surface, it sounds similar to past studies—but the essence is entirely different."
"For example, your purpose in studying bloodlines isn't to rank them by superiority, but to find ways for every lineage to fully realize its potential. That's the right way—that's the future for horse girls."
"So, I strongly agree with your approach."
Realizing he had gone on a tangent, he chuckled and tapped his forehead apologetically.
"Ah, sorry, I got carried away. Please don't mind my rambling, Chief Kitahara."
Kitahara shook his head respectfully. "No, please—just call me Kitahara. There's no need for 'Chief.'"
He smiled. "Your insights show how much you care about the horse girls—your thoughts are clear and forward-looking."
"I feel the same. If our work with Gold Ship, Tamamo Cross, and Oguri Cap produces results, we might finally understand how to unlock the full potential of all horse girls."
"I look forward to that day."
"So do I," Imanami replied cheerfully. "Now then, let's hurry and find that little rascal."
Kitahara had thought that with how well both of them knew Gold Ship, neither he nor Imanami would be surprised by her antics.
But he was wrong. The only one truly unbothered by her chaos was the old man himself.
When they finally found Gold Ship, Kitahara was completely dumbfounded.
The girl had somehow buried herself entirely in the dirt—only her hat and two twitching ears sticking out above the ground.
"...Little Gold Ship, what are you…"
After staring for a long moment at the "buried Gold Ship," Kitahara finally managed to ask.
But before he could finish, a muffled voice came from beneath the soil.
"I'm not Gold Ship. I'm a carrot. Why are you talking to a carrot? You're weird."
"…You're the weird one! Since when do carrots talk?" Kitahara retorted reflexively, already falling into her nonsense.
"Oh, right. Carrots can't talk…"
Mumbling dully, the "buried Gold Ship" suddenly exploded from the ground, shaking off the dirt, and shouted furiously,
"Ugh! You're awful! Tricking a minor horse girl into speaking while she's pretending to be a carrot! I'm going to report you to the URA Association!"
Not satisfied even after yelling that, she grumbled for a few seconds—then, with a sudden leap, swung both legs toward him midair.
"Before I report you, take this kick first!"
(End of chapter)