When Belno Light talked about the "race outfit modification technology," no one, including Kitahara, quite understood. However, the less Kitahara understood, the clearer it was to him how reliable this Horse Girl was.
It was an obvious fact: she had gradually grown from a local Horse Girl in Kasamatsu, and her knowledge and grasp of the subject of technical research assistant had reached a very high level.
When fields are vastly different, the technical content she discussed had a theoretical "barrier," and it was perfectly normal for an outsider not to understand.
At this time, all he had to do was trust Light. With this mindset, the training for the Japanese Derby continued, and the race day was getting closer. Accordingly, the strength of the three Horse Girls from Eisei Team preparing to compete was visibly improving.
He had assumed that this day-after-day training would continue until the Japanese Derby, but he didn't expect Symboli Rudolf to bring a Horse Girl to the training ground a week before the race.
The arrangement for that day was "wind tunnel training." The training from the previous period had yielded some results, and now was the time for more detailed adjustments.
It was difficult for conventional training methods to achieve the instantaneous and comprehensive data collection provided by the wind tunnel equipment. Therefore, in addition to daily use of this equipment to assist training, a significant amount of time was spent on targeted application at the end of almost every training phase.
During this training process, generally, all members of the team would be in the warehouse where the equipment was installed. The warehouse had long been converted into a comprehensive training venue integrating training, office, and rest areas, allowing all procedures to be completed there.
Thus, the arrival of Symboli Rudolf and her companion was a surprise to the Eisei Team.
"Oh? Rudolf? What brings you here today? Are you finished with the student council matters?"
Maruzensky was the first to notice the student council president. Her ears twitched, she looked towards the warehouse entrance, showed a surprised expression, and then smilingly walked towards the entrance to greet her.
"CB and I are currently busy with the Team Union Department's matters, so the usual student council affairs have been piled onto you."
"The number of trainees in Central is also increasing, and the affairs are getting more complicated."
"Why don't you take some time to consider expanding the student council staff?"
Facing the suggestion from her friend and colleague, Symboli Rudolf smiled helplessly.
"Things aren't that easy to finish. The reason I've come here now is because I have something to discuss with Kitahara."
Looking inside the warehouse, her gaze swept over the surprised faces of Kitahara and the others. She stared at the five rows of wind tunnel equipment for a moment, a hint of awe in her eyes. She then looked back at Maruzensky and pondered.
"As for increasing the student council staff, as you mentioned, I am considering it, but let's talk about that later."
"Is Kitahara available right now? If he's busy with training, Sirius Symboli and I can wait."
The Horse Girl who came with Symboli Rudolf was indeed Sirius Symboli. At that moment, like Symboli Rudolf, she was also looking around the warehouse with curious eyes.
"No problem at all. The current training is mainly for data collection. Oguri Cap and the others can continue running in the equipment, and the collection work can be done by anyone."
Maruzensky said with a smile as she walked towards Kitahara, adding casually, "I'll call him for you... By the way, do Ramonu and I need to listen in, or is this something you want to discuss with Kitahara alone?" She paused slightly, turning her head to ask.
"It seems you are already very familiar with the Eisei Team's training. Right now, I'd say you look less like the Vice President of the Student Council and more like an Eisei Horse Girl."
Symboli Rudolf said jokingly, but nodded without hesitation. "You and Ramonu come along too. This matter is quite important, and I need your opinions."
Maruzensky's expression immediately became somewhat serious.
She knew Symboli Rudolf's personality well. This legend, who had already left an irreplaceable mark in Horse Girl history, had seen too many storms. She rarely used words like "important" and usually maintained a calm demeanor.
The fact that she was now using the phrase "quite important" suggested that even Rudolf was feeling a little uncertain.
Thinking this, Maruzensky showed a slight smile, and, like Symboli Rudolf just a moment ago, she also spoke in a joking manner:
"It really does look that way. I mean the fact that I've been looking like an Eisei Horse Girl lately."
"And you know..." She held up one finger and tapped her lower lip, a look of anticipation flashing in her eyes. "Kitahara once said that perhaps in the future, there might still be races for me to participate in."
"If that happens, I might genuinely have to compete as an 'Eisei Horse Girl.'"
Maruzensky finished and walked into the warehouse with a smile, while Symboli Rudolf and Sirius Symboli were both simultaneously surprised.
"Rudolf, when did Maruzensky start joking as much as you do?"
Slightly frowning, Sirius Symboli was somewhat confused. "A race Maruzensky can participate in... How could that be? Is she talking about an exhibition race? With her personality, she wouldn't be interested in that."
"...Maruzensky is joking? That's not funny at all."
Symboli Rudolf shook her head, but her eyes were thoughtful. "An exhibition race, I don't think Maruzensky would participate..."
She could somewhat guess what Maruzensky was thinking.
She had heard her friend mention a long time ago that the Chief Trainer of the Eisei Team had said that perhaps when more and more Horse Girls mastered the Domain, specialized races for Horse Girls of that caliber would continuously emerge.
Initially, she only treated this statement as a fantasy.
She knew Maruzensky's regret: being a powerful Horse Girl capable of dominating a generation, yet being unable to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime Japanese Derby, which determined the peak of her generation. If this had happened to her, she too would have regretted it for the rest of her life.
But she didn't think that races created for Domain Horse Girls would appear.
The reason was simple: such Horse Girls were too powerful and too rare to appear.
Taking herself and Maruzensky as examples, their Honkakuka (True Potential Manifestation) had long ended. However, during the races in that Honkakuka period, they were fortunate enough to master the Domain, a blessing from the Goddess.
This meant that unlike most Horse Girls, they could still display a dominating strength on the track even many years after retirement.
To put it frankly, most of the Horse Girls active in the Twinkle Series races in recent years have achieved extremely brilliant results, but if they were to compete on the same stage, she, Maruzensky, or CB, Katsuragi Ace, Mejiro Ramonu, would still easily win.
This was not about seniority or experience; after all, Maruzensky only participated in eight races while active, which was less than half the number of races for some juniors who took a "veteran" training approach. Yet, if they can win, they will win.
This was entirely the strength gained after "truly mastering the Domain" under the power of the Three Goddesses—it was just that powerful.
And regrettably, such Horse Girls were very few now, only a scarce twenty or thirty in all of Japan, and only about a hundred or so worldwide.
With such a small number, if they were to compete according to the Shining Star Series, the champion, or even the top few places, would be obvious; you just had to look at who among the participants was a Domain-level Horse Girl.
Symboli Rudolf was not an emotional Horse Girl. She clearly understood the negative impact that such a situation would have on the entire Horse Girl industry.
Humans still dominated this world, and unlike Horse Girls, who would single-mindedly love running, humans were prone to "craving novelty." Over the years, she had long understood this point.
So, in any competition, if the champions were just those few familiar figures, people would initially be excited by scenes like "consecutive wins," but after a while, they would feel bored.
Boredom would lead to a decline in enthusiasm, and even more so to a decline in support and a shift in attention. Over time, the development of the Horse Girl industry would gradually decline.
Symboli Rudolf had discussed this prediction with many high-ranking industry officials and was very sure of its possibility. She felt helpless about human nature and bored with this tendency to crave novelty.
But as the Student Council President of Central Training Academy, she had to recognize and accept this possibility and, in order to avoid it and create more opportunities for more Horse Girls, find ways to prevent such a thing from happening.
It was not just her; Horse Girls of her caliber shared the same view. They all learned about the potential developments in the Horse Girl world through different channels, and some of them she had personally explained.
This was the most crucial reason why, despite being top-tier Horse Girls, they, along with the URA of various countries and other informed parties, minimized the existence of the Domain.
However, she now realized that this minimization, or perhaps concealment, might change before long.
Because the man walking towards them had actually discovered a way for all Horse Girls to master the Domain.
If all Horse Girls could master the Domain, all the previous limitations would cease to exist. No matter how strong the Domain level was, as long as hundreds or thousands of Domain-level Horse Girls appeared and specialized "Domain-level" races were set up, all Horse Girls could find the stage they desired.
Thinking this, Symboli Rudolf didn't know whether she was explaining to Sirius Symboli or merely talking to herself. She murmured:
"I think what Maruzensky meant was the new races that might appear in the future."
"...New races?"
Sirius Symboli was stunned. She only knew the general situation of the Eisei Team and that Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu were assisting its development under the arrangement of Director Akikawa Yayoi, but she didn't know the specifics of the training, especially the part about the "Domain."
This wasn't because Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky were hiding it from her; it was simply because after returning to Japan, her races weren't going well, and she had been uninterested in matters outside of her own training and competition.
So, after a moment of shock, she became even more confused.
"What new races? Rudolf, do you have a new idea? Or has Director Akikawa's idea started to take shape?"
Sirius Symboli was aware that Akikawa Yayoi had been trying to push the idea of a new race, the "Dream Cup." This was no secret at the URA Association or the board level; anyone with a decent relationship with the relevant personnel would have heard about it.
However, she wasn't too optimistic about such matters.
"I remember you weren't particularly in favor of Director Akikawa's idea before, were you?"
Pinching her chin, she tilted her head to look at her friend. "You said, I think, that the Director's idea was good, but many conditions were not yet mature, and various parties weren't very enthusiastic about making it happen."
"What are you thinking today? Bringing me to meet this Chief Kitahara and suddenly talking about new races."
"...I did say that the conditions were not mature."
Symboli Rudolf nodded in agreement, then shook her head. "But perhaps, the times are about to change, Sirius..."
Leaving a bewildering remark for Sirius Symboli, she put on a smile and walked forward.
"It's been a while since we last met. Maruzensky and Ramonu say that your training here is going smoothly, Kitahara?" Extending her hand to Kitahara, Symboli Rudolf smiled.
Kitahara had walked over with Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu. Seeing Symboli Rudolf extend her hand, he raised his hand to shake it, also smiling:
"It's going well... Maruzensky said President Rudolf was looking for me? How about we talk in the office space over there?"
Having interacted with Symboli Rudolf for quite some time, Kitahara was already familiar with her authoritarian, serious work style and her friendly, easygoing personality in private. In daily conversations, he usually called her by name without much reserve.
He figured that since she had visited in person, it must be something important, so he used a more formal address and arranged for the conversation to take place in the office space specially partitioned off near the warehouse door.
Symboli Rudolf did not object, but once in the office, her demeanor was not as serious as it was during her usual work.
"First, let me introduce you. This is Sirius Symboli. She's from the Symboli family, like me. She debuted a little later than me and is currently active in the Twinkle Series races."
Hearing this, Kitahara smiled.
"Hello, I am Kitahara, the trainer for the Eisei Team. It is a pleasure to meet you."
He knew about Sirius Symboli's situation, including her overseas expedition to Europe, and her participation in last year's Mainichi Okan and Tenno Sho (Autumn) upon her return. He knew all this.
However, when he first met Maruzensky around the New Year, he learned that Sirius Symboli was very dissatisfied with her overseas expedition and her results upon returning, and those results were indeed disappointing. So, he deliberately omitted mentioning them.
Yet, he thought his greeting was too formal and official, and that Sirius Symboli might also respond with formality. To his surprise, the Horse Girl actively reached out, grabbed his arm without minding his surprised gaze, shook his hand, and seemed very warm and cheerful.
"This is my first time meeting Chief Kitahara, but I heard your name a long time ago."
She smiled brightly. "Whether it's your assigned Horse Girls or the Horse Girls in your team, their results in the past few months have been quite excellent. If I were to compete against them, I would probably have a big headache."
"With this level of strength, an overseas expedition would definitely be successful!"
As soon as she said this, Kitahara couldn't help but speculate.
Overseas expedition? Did Symboli Rudolf have a response to that plan?
He immediately thought of the plan he had submitted earlier and couldn't help but look at Symboli Rudolf.
"...You're still so straightforward. This is not the way to discuss such an important matter..."
This remark was clearly addressed to Sirius Symboli. Symboli Rudolf rubbed her forehead with a slight headache while saying it, then her mouth twitched, and she gave Kitahara a bitter smile.
"I apologize, Sirius... that's just her personality. But what she said is more or less the case."
"Regarding the Eisei Team's battle plans for the second half of the year and the next year, the opinions of the board and the student council are that we hope you can lead the team on an overseas expedition."
"This is not only the view of Director Akikawa and me, but also the URA Association attaches great importance to this."
"Currently, the Eisei Team's Horse Girls are the most likely to achieve results in an overseas expedition. If you are going to pursue this route, you need to prepare in advance."
As she spoke, she looked at Sirius Symboli.
"That's also why I brought Sirius along."
"She just returned from Europe last year and knows the situation there best."
"If Eisei decides to go abroad later, you can discuss the relevant matters with her."
"I see, so the attitude of the board, the student council, and the URA is an overseas expedition...?"
Kitahara showed a clear expression, then immediately fell into thought.
He was not going to refuse, nor was he going to dwell on anything. He had considered the overseas expedition for a long time and had confirmed the idea with Oguri Cap and the others, receiving their approval.
With the school and the association sharing the same attitude, all arrangements needed to be adjusted according to the current situation.
For example, he had originally planned for the team to investigate the overseas situation internally, and then continuously communicate and learn from people and Horse Girls who knew about it. With the assistance of Sirius Symboli, many things could be accelerated.
Seeing Kitahara lost in thought, Symboli Rudolf also pondered.
"I know that Eisei's primary task right now is to prepare for the Japanese Derby. If you were a single trainer, I wouldn't have brought this up so early."
"A person's energy is limited. It's a bit much to start considering an overseas expedition while preparing for a race as important as the Japanese Derby."
"Fortunately, the Eisei Team has enough staff. I believe you, Kitahara, can spare some time to arrange this matter."
"It's still late May. The earliest the overseas expedition would begin is the start of next year, which seems like more than half a year away, but in reality, it's not much time at all."
"The Japanese Derby, Takarazuka Kinen, Takamatsunomiya Kinen, Kikuka Sho (St. Leger), Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen—these are the races Eisei can hardly miss, and they are all major G1 races. They will inherently require a lot of time for preparation, so the time and energy left for arranging the overseas expedition are actually limited."
"And Sirius, myself, and our seniors Speed Symboli and Bamboo Take, those of us with experience abroad, have a consensus: with a short adaptation period, it's difficult to achieve any results on foreign tracks."
"Therefore, I came at this point in time to discuss this matter."
At this point, she paused, looked at Sirius Symboli, then at Mejiro Ramonu and Maruzensky, and continued:
"Furthermore, Sirius's next race is scheduled for August, so she has plenty of time until then."
"I can also squeeze in some time to come to Eisei more often."
"Ramonu and Maruzensky were already assigned to Eisei."
"Thus, Sirius is a Japanese Derby Horse Girl, I am a 'Triple Crown' winner, and Ramonu is a 'Triple Tiara' winner for fillies."
"Although Maruzensky couldn't participate in the 'Classic Triple Crown,' both the public and Horse Girls of our level know that if she had been able to participate that year, Japan would have had one more 'Triple Crown Horse Girl' or even an 'Undefeated Triple Crown Horse Girl.'"
"With the assistance of the four of us, the time and energy you, Kitahara, allocate to races like the Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho can be completely compensated."
While deep in thought, Kitahara did not miss Symboli Rudolf's words.
Most of her initial remarks, regarding time arrangement, race situations, or the prerequisites for an overseas expedition, were things he had considered and were not surprising.
What surprised him was the last part of the arrangement.
"...Wait, what do you mean by this..."
From Symboli Rudolf's arrangement for the four Horse Girls, including herself, he sensed an unusual attitude.
"You... are you hoping for Oguri Cap and the others to achieve the Classic Triple Crown?"
"This..."
He almost said things like "Is this appropriate?" or "Aren't you being a bit biased?" But seeing the calm eyes of Symboli Rudolf and Sirius Symboli, and the surprised yet understanding expressions of Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu, he immediately felt that the attitude of the four Horse Girls, regardless of when they learned about it, was as he guessed.
Facing Kitahara's question, Symboli Rudolf smiled and pondered for a moment, not answering directly but asking in return:
"Do you lack confidence? Or do you think Oguri Cap and the others are not adequately prepared for the upcoming Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho?"
"Or, let me rephrase that: how certain are they to win, what are the possibilities of them losing, and what preparations is Eisei making now?"
Hearing this, Kitahara was silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.
"Maruzensky and Ramonu should have told you about this already."
Scanning Rudolf and the other two Horse Girls, seeing them exchange glances and only smiling without speaking, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Alright, it seems you want a report?"
"Well, if I have to say it, for Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Mejiro Ardan, I can be sure that, at least in this Japanese Derby, apart from each other, no other opponents pose any threat."
He spoke with rare confidence, then continued:
"Perhaps this sounds like boasting, but it is the truth."
"From their perspective, although they haven't participated in many Central-level major races compared to other Horse Girls, the time for preparation, racing, and recovery for those major races has been used for foundational training."
"Under long-term foundational training, their abilities in all aspects have no significant weaknesses, and the various data collected by our team proves that almost all of their physical indicators are at the forefront of the average level."
"In terms of race experience, the public might not understand the significance of the 'wind tunnel equipment,' and the training approach of 'data modeling' might not seem useful, but..."
Pausing for a moment, he smiled. "Let's put it this way: if a piece of training equipment worth tens of millions can't simulate real-race situations, wouldn't that money be wasted?"
After asking rhetorically, he affirmed, "Therefore, whether it's the past data analysis or the recently updated content, it's enough to ensure that Oguri Cap and the others are not lacking in practical training improvements."
He was about to continue speaking, but Sirius Symboli cried out in surprise.
"Equipment worth tens of millions? You serious?"
She blurted out in English, pointing outside the office with a look of astonishment. "That? Those five tubes? Tens of millions? Incredible!
It wasn't just her; aside from Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu, whose expressions were relatively normal as they already knew the price of the wind tunnel equipment, even Symboli Rudolf, who had a rough idea that Kitahara spared no expense for training, was surprised.
"Tens of millions... Maruzensky, Ramonu, you didn't tell me it was this much..." she said with a wry smile.
As the Student Council President, she was aware of most of the academy's affairs, but it was inappropriate to inquire about the internal details of trainers and Horse Girls' arrangements. Thus, she had only heard her two friends briefly mention Eisei's equipment situation and truly did not know the detailed price.
"Well... you didn't ask, Rudolf."
Seeming to find Rudolf and Sirius Symboli's current expressions and attitudes amusing, Maruzensky said with a smile, "Anyway, you're not paying for this, nor is it from the academy's budget, so I didn't go into detail."
"And you know..."
Her eyes darted around, and she continued with a smile, "It's not just the equipment itself that costs tens of millions. These pieces of equipment require regular maintenance, averaging tens of thousands [of yen] in maintenance fees daily."
"The daily expenses for various nutrition, diet, conditioning, equipment adjustments, and so on, are also not low. At least at this stage, no other trainer or Horse Girl's daily expenditure is at this level."
"The average daily training cost for the five of them is equivalent to what most Horse Girls spend in one or two weeks."
"In other words, while Oguri Cap and the others appear to run and eat like other Horse Girls every day, they are actually spending money, you know."
As if gaining more interest the more she spoke, and seemingly to compensate for the "oversight" of not explaining these details to Rudolf earlier, Maruzensky took over Kitahara's "report" from just now and continued with a laugh:
"Maybe I've been at Eisei for so long that I've gotten used to this level of spending, and I didn't elaborate on it before."
"Now, speaking of it, I really agree with one of Kitahara's philosophies, which is that money is only money when it is spent; otherwise, it's just paper."
"With the support from Kawawan Enterprise, Seishin Company, and the Mejiro family, as well as some investment from Chief Naise, the training results of Oguri Cap and the others—which is the fundamental ability improvement Kitahara just mentioned—are actually much faster than they appear."
"Because this investment has been gradually implemented over the few months since Eisei came to Central, their performance in the previous few races didn't seem so overwhelmingly dominant."
"Oh, right, this also includes the attempts to experiment with the Domain. If it weren't for pursuing this ability, Eisei's previous races likely would have been won by a big margin."
"Now..."
She smiled and took a few steps towards Mejiro Ramonu, patting the latter's shoulder. "Kitahara, Ramonu, and I have trained Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Ardan in the ability to actively enter the Domain."
"Once the Japanese Derby comes, as Kitahara said, apart from the competition among the three of them, it will be difficult for any other variables to emerge."
"What else... oh, I remember."
She thought for a moment and continued:
"There's also Light, that child. She is absolutely a genius overlooked by the outside world."
"I haven't had a chance to tell you this, Rudolf, but she actually discovered a way to improve the 'race outfit' and genuinely improved the 'race outfit shoes.'"
She couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "This is truly something no one before had ever thought of, not even someone like Kitahara, who seems to know everything."
"We all once believed that the conditions for the 'race outfit' provided by the Three Goddesses were unchangeable, but in fact, those conditions are merely the lower limit of the 'race outfit.'"
"As long as the style isn't changed, parts like the material, wristbands, belts, shoes, and so on, can all be improved."
"Eisei has already adjusted the race outfit shoes for Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Ardan. Through wind tunnel tests, the new shoes can give them a performance improvement of 3% to 8%."
"That level of improvement may not sound like much, but you, Rudolf, definitely know what that means."
Maruzensky's eyes focused, and her expression became expectant and solemn.
"It's not just the shoes; all the advantages over other Horse Girls—which I just mentioned and Kitahara brought up—are roughly in this range of improvement. You can calculate what these improvements mean."
"I didn't detail these things to you before, not just because I got used to Eisei's methods and somewhat forgot that your concept of training, and that of other Horse Girls, is still the traditional kind."
"More importantly, I was afraid that if I organized all this detailed content into a report for you, you wouldn't be able to finish reading it in a few weeks."
Under the somewhat blank gaze of Symboli Rudolf and the completely bewildered expression of Sirius Symboli, Maruzensky put her palms together and indicated a thickness of dozens of centimeters.
"The data analysis and detailed explanations Eisei has on Oguri Cap and the others—simply put together—would be a report this thick, five entire copies. You wouldn't be able to read them all in a few weeks."
"I just thought it would be better not to give you extra work."
"However, if I really have to summarize it simply, there are two pieces of data that demonstrate this very well."
She composed herself and spoke two figures.
"1 second, and 1.7 seconds."
"Without entering the Domain, and considering all weather and track conditions and the data of all currently active Horse Girls, in races from 1200 meters to 2400 meters, their finishing time can maintain an average gap of 1 second against any opponent."
"When entering the Domain, this time will increase to about 1.7 seconds."
"Now, without reading those reports, Rudolf and Sirius, you definitely know what this means."
She spoke without any questioning tone and was certain that Symboli Rudolf and Sirius Symboli knew what these two figures meant.
"...If it's the average finishing speed, a gap of 1 second..."
With a blank and stunned look, Symboli Rudolf muttered to herself.
"That's... a gap of over 15 meters, a lead of more than 6 lengths..."
And like her, Sirius Symboli was also utterly confused, saying:
"If it's about 1.7 seconds, that's... more than 10 lengths, a big margin..."
She suddenly cried out in astonishment, "What's the Fxxx! Really?! Serious?!"
After blurting out a few English phrases, she said in disbelief, "I admit that Oguri Cap and the others are absolutely top-tier in this generation, but... an average lead of 1.7 seconds?! Maruzensky, are you serious?!"
She couldn't help but be so surprised.
As a senior, she was still actively racing.
Even if Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Mejiro Ardan focused on the classic route this year, they would definitely participate in the Japan Cup and Arima Kinen.
Coupled with Tamamo Cross and Inari One taking the Senior route, this meant she was very likely to encounter Horse Girls from the Eisei Team, such as Oguri Cap, in later races.
So, if their strength truly allowed them to achieve such a lead, as Maruzensky said, she wouldn't need to consider competing when she met these juniors later; she would just be running alongside them.
However, facing her question, not only Maruzensky but also Mejiro Ramonu nodded with a calm expression.
"It sounds very discouraging for you, Sirius."
She spoke with a mixture of sigh and interest, "But that's the fact."
"Maruzensky's description just now was, 'considering all weather and track conditions and the data of all currently active Horse Girls,' and 'in races from 1200 meters to 2400 meters,' 'any opponent,' and that definitely includes you."
"The data collection and analysis of the Eisei Team are unimaginable for trainers and Horse Girls without close access. The outside world probably hasn't noticed that instruments have been installed on all Central racecourses in Japan."
"This doesn't violate the URA Association's regulations; it's just that the cost of instrument wear and tear is something that most trainers or teams cannot afford."
"The Eisei Team can afford this cost, and in return, they have data models for ninety-nine percent of the currently active Central G1-level Horse Girls."
"That's the modeling Kitahara just talked about."
"Combined with various instruments and equipment, they have simulated no less than ten thousand races in the past month or so, and the 1 second and 1.7 seconds discussed just now are the results of these simulations."
She suddenly sighed. "Alas, as a Mejiro family Horse Girl, I used to think I had seen everything."
"But Chief Kitahara's training method... well, okay, no need to be embarrassed, I really haven't seen it."
"And you know..."
Suddenly smiling, she looked at Kitahara. "Chief Kitahara also said that this data modeling is only a preliminary setup, and there is still plenty of room for improvement in the future."
"It's just that to reach that step, it will only cost a little more money."
"Of course, that's 'a little' in Chief Kitahara's terms."
"In any case, Rudolf, you might be busy and haven't had time to constantly follow what's happening here. Sirius, if you follow along and learn more later, you will understand that what I, Maruzensky, and Chief Kitahara are saying is all true."
"To put it bluntly, to consistently beat Oguri Cap and the others now, in Japan, perhaps only Domain-level... well, let me be direct: currently, apart from each other, only us old-timers can do it."
"At least in practice races, Maruzensky and I can still gain a certain advantage and avoid being too disgraced."
"So, Rudolf, I can probably guess your thoughts, and Maruzensky probably can too."
She finally looked at the silently contemplating Symboli Rudolf and said, "Your vision is always long-term, and you always consider the well-being of all Horse Girls. That's why we respect you wholeheartedly."
"We are not surprised at all that you would prioritize Oguri Cap and the others."
"What you are thinking is likely that you hope they can achieve the best or unprecedented results, travel overseas next year, fulfill the unfulfilled wishes you, Sirius, and our seniors had, and pave a new path for all Horse Girls in Japan."
"Am I right?"
Facing Mejiro Ramonu's inquiry, Symboli Rudolf remained silent. After a long pause, her eyes suddenly focused, and she spoke decisively.
"Next, I will push aside other commitments and stay at Eisei until the Japanese Derby is over."
After saying this, she specifically looked at Kitahara. Kitahara had remained calm and silent since Maruzensky took over. Looking at this trainer who completely exceeded her expectations, or always exceeded them, she said solemnly:
"You don't need to worry about any criticism from the outside world regarding this action of mine, nor do you need to worry about what they say."
"Ramonu is right. I'm never fixated on short-term gains. I've always hoped that all Horse Girls can have a better future."
"You and your team, you are talents that I... no, that the entire Horse Girl industry has never seen before. Your upcoming victories are extremely important, and their value is unimaginable to ordinary people."
"I want you to win. For that, I don't care about the means, nor do I care what others say."
"If anyone has something to say, or tries to approach you with something to say, send them to me."
"I will give them an explanation they cannot refuse."
After declaring this like a manifesto, she returned to her initial statement.
"Staying at Eisei next, I will find out exactly what kind of training is being conducted here."
"I will also do my utmost to ensure that your upcoming training and races are not disturbed by anything, and I will meet any requirements immediately."
After saying all this in one breath, she suddenly looked at the utterly astonished Sirius Symboli beside her, and with a weary gesture, she rubbed her forehead, shook her head, and sighed.
"Alas, originally, I only intended for Sirius to stay here more often and for me to come over whenever possible to arrange the overseas expedition."
"Now it seems..."
She couldn't help but give a bitter smile. "It seems that even without the two of us, you, Kitahara, could still come up with an excellent plan for the overseas expedition."
She looked at Kitahara, and Sirius Symboli did the same.
"...I actually don't feel like saying much. I feel like the training here really doesn't need me to say anything..."
Looking at Kitahara, Sirius Symboli also rubbed her forehead and sighed like Rudolf. "Although I still find it hard to believe, but... I feel that Maruzensky and Ramonu wouldn't lie to me."
"Well... a junior who leads me by over 1 second, what else can I say..."
The sighs of the two Horse Girls made Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu smile, and Kitahara also showed a slight smile.
"I do have plans for the expedition."
Admitting it without reservation, Kitahara pondered. "But I originally thought that after the Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho are over, I would try to establish contact with Europe and America around the time of the Japan Cup."
"Now with Sirius's assistance, I think..."
He thought again. "Perhaps we can take a trip to Europe after the Japanese Derby."
"The Japanese Derby is at the end of May. After it ends, it will be summer, which usually has few races and is time for the academy's training camp."
"So, an overseas training camp in Europe shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"At that time, I will have to rely on you, Sirius, as someone familiar with the situation, to help with the arrangements."
"Of course, all of this will definitely be after the Japanese Derby."
(End of this chapter)