After gathering once again in Kasamatsu, it was only natural for everyone to ask about each other's recent circumstances.
Previously, through phone calls and video chats, Oguri Cap and Belno Light had already learned about Fujimasa March's plans for the second half of the year.
At that time, she had said that after discussing it with her trainer, she wanted to transfer to the Central circuit—just like Oguri Cap and Kitahara—and compete in higher-level races.
And now, just as she had said, she had successfully transferred to the Central Tracen Academy and had even won a graded race.
"The Unicorn Stakes, G3. It was just last month."
Walking slowly along the riverside park road, holding a cup of normal-sized honey special drink, Fujimasa March's smile carried both confidence and fighting spirit.
"It should've been around the time you and Light went to Europe. I calculated it—my race was almost exactly that same week."
She had already learned over the phone about her two friends going to Europe.
"Oh! March, that's amazing! Winning a G3 graded race is really impressive!"
Even though she was holding two quadruple-honey drinks and hadn't had time to drink them yet, Oguri Cap hurriedly freed her mouth to praise her sincerely.
"I've also run in a lot of graded races—opponents in the Central circuit are all really strong."
"Honestly, I kind of don't want to hear that from a horse girl who's 16-for-16, undefeated, and a dual crown winner."
March replied with a touch of emotion, rubbing her forehead.
"How should I put it… even in a small place like Kasamatsu, you're already famous to everyone."
"Didn't the shop owner just recognize you when we bought the drinks?"
That was a little incident when buying the drinks.
At first, the shop owner had simply handed over the two huge cups out of professional habit, but then recognized Oguri Cap and even asked for her autograph.
"Really? I didn't even understand how I got recognized."
Oguri Cap looked a little puzzled.
"Isn't it obvious? Like I just said—you're really famous now."
With a complex look in her eyes, mixed with admiration and memories, Fujimasa March sighed.
"Whether it's the Satsuki Sho, the Japan Derby, or any other race—"
"As long as you're in it, whether here in Kasamatsu or elsewhere, the reports just keep coming nonstop, like it's a festival."
"Like tomorrow's Meitetsu Cup you're going to run in—media all over Nagoya are promoting it with a hundred percent enthusiasm."
"If you didn't know better, you'd think it was the final Classic Triple Crown race, the Kikuka Sho, about to begin."
"Of course, you probably don't know any of that. I'm guessing your mind is completely on racing."
Seeing Oguri Cap look just as confused as she expected, March couldn't help laughing, her tone turning teasing.
"That's why I said—if I didn't know you're always this scatterbrained, being praised by such a strong and famous horse girl would make me think you were joking."
"I didn't mean it like that. I really think you're amazing, March."
Oguri Cap explained earnestly.
"Because Kitahara always tells me that even though I've won a lot and haven't lost an official race yet, strong opponents will always exist."
"And during regular training, I don't always beat Creek and the others either."
"And when I went to Europe, I joined an exchange race. I gave it everything, but still ended up losing."
"So what I mean is—being able to win races, especially graded races, is really an amazing thing."
"So that's how it is…"
Fujimasa March froze, murmuring,
"Your trainer really is incredible… having a reputation on par with yours, yet still being so cautious…"
She was genuinely surprised—and also felt a subtle sense of unease.
Back when they were still in Kasamatsu, she and Oguri Cap had entered Kasamatsu Tracen Academy together. At that time, whether at school or on the track, most people initially had higher expectations for her.
Even after Oguri Cap gradually won many races, there were still plenty of voices saying that she was a worthy rival to Oguri Cap.
Those voices no longer existed.
Yes, she had won a G3, but aside from that, her results in the Central circuit were fairly ordinary.
Comparing the two now, no one would deliberately put her and Oguri Cap side by side anymore.
That contrast was one of the reasons she felt surprised and uneasy.
Watching with her own eyes as a former rival gradually pulled farther ahead, while she herself could only chase that retreating figure—the feeling was complicated and subtle.
Another reason lay in Oguri Cap's mindset—or rather, in how her trainer had taught her.
March had once thought that a horse girl like Oguri Cap, with such a brilliant record and fame, would inevitably grow proud of her achievements, and perhaps even change greatly in how she spoke and behaved.
Especially since they were both horse girls who had transferred from the local circuit to the Central one.
After entering Central Tracen Academy, March had seen many horse girls similar to herself and Oguri Cap.
Most of them couldn't achieve much in the Central circuit, crowded with powerful competitors. Quite a few, after transferring, were unable to bear the intense races, stricter training, and psychological gap, and ended up quietly returning to where they came from.
Someone like Oguri Cap—who not only made it from local to Central, but also displayed overwhelming dominance there—was truly an anomaly among anomalies.
That kind of achievement, just as Oguri Cap said, meant that simply winning was already amazing—but it also meant that once many horse girls won a Central-level graded race, they became easily arrogant.
March understood why those horse girls became proud. After all, it was undeniable proof of achievement, something rare and precious.
But having met a horse girl who truly had the right to be proud—and having faced that terrifying existence head-on on the racetrack—she knew very well that no matter how others behaved, she herself had absolutely no right to be proud until she could at least see that person's back.
Yet she hadn't expected that the one who should have been the most proud hadn't changed at all—still as natural, careless, and familiar as ever.
And still gluttonous.
"Mm… it's empty already."
Shaking the extra-large cup that had somehow been drained, Oguri Cap showed an expression of regret and longing. She glanced toward the drink shop far behind them, then at her friends, hesitating.
"Um… I kind of want to go back and buy two more cups. Does anyone else want some?"
"Pfft—no need. If you want more, I'll go back with you."
Seeing her friend exactly as always, Fujimasa March burst out laughing.
Norn Ace and the others also laughed cheerfully, saying they could go along too.
Brand New Bright, however, smiled wryly and tried to stop her.
"Don't drink that much, Oguri."
She pointed back the way they came.
"Aunt White Narubi and the others are already making lunch, right?"
"If you drink too much and can't eat later, Auntie will be sad."
"Though… for you, that might not really happen."
"That's true… Oh, right! Then let's all go to my house for lunch!"
Suddenly smiling brightly, Oguri Cap held one empty bottle in each hand and drew a huge circle with her arms.
"Mom came back from Tokyo to Kasamatsu specifically to move houses. The new place is pretty big."
She drew another big circle.
"And there's a super huge 'Cap-Zilla' that a fan sent us."
"I wanted to tell you when we first met today, but then I saw those huge honey drinks and forgot."
"Let's all go see that together!"
"Super huge… 'Cap-Zilla'?"
March and the others looked puzzled.
"What's that? Oh right, speaking of 'Cap-Zilla'…"
Norn Ace first looked confused, then grew rather smug.
"Oguri, don't you have those 'cute monster' plushies?"
"I've collected the entire series!"
"Even the limited-edition collector versions!"
"Every time they go on sale, I specifically go to Tokyo to line up. I've got the full set at home—when are you coming to see them?"
Before Oguri Cap could respond, the other two friends jokingly complained.
"Wow, that's so unfair, Norn. You never even let us see those plushies usually."
"Yeah, yeah—so only Oguri gets to see them? That's way too biased!"
Faced with Rudy Lemmon and Mini the Lady's complaints, Norn Ace grew irritated.
"Hey, every time you come to my place and see those plushies, you can't stop yourselves from trying to sneak one away!"
Hands on her hips and glaring, she continued,
"We agreed to line up together to buy Oguri's plushies, but most of the time I was the only one who went."
"And you know limited collector editions don't allow proxy purchases. If you don't go, there's nothing I can do!"
Hearing that, Rudy Lemmon and Mini the Lady could only scratch their heads awkwardly.
"Well… it couldn't be helped—we were traveling around with our trainers for races."
"Same here… Anyway, let's stop this. Let's go hang out at Oguri's place. And didn't Oguri say her team is going to the hot springs this afternoon? We should go together."
This reunion had been meant for chatting and sightseeing together anyway, and once the idea of visiting Oguri Cap's new home came up, the horse girls walked on, laughing and chatting.
Along the way, Oguri Cap grew curious about the plushie talk.
After asking, she finally realized that her friends had all become her fans—watching every race she ran, sometimes even in person, and buying plenty of plush merchandise.
On the surface, it seemed that only Norn Ace, Rudy Lemmon, and Mini the Lady were like hardcore fans who stayed up overnight lining up for collector editions.
But in reality, Fujimasa March was the same.
She looked indifferent to the topic, but Norn Ace bluntly revealed that after going to Tokyo, March took advantage of the location and frequently visited merchandise shops and crane games, collecting many Oguri Cap plushies as well.
That revelation made March's pretty face flush red repeatedly, while the others teased her mercilessly.
And beyond plushies, Norn Ace casually mentioned that her friends had become who they were today largely because of Oguri Cap.
Though they all came from Kasamatsu and had different levels of achievement in racing, they now understood that even at Central Tracen Academy—and even worldwide—Oguri Cap was a top-tier genius.
And precisely because of that, they hoped to follow in their friend's footsteps, striving to make every race one without regrets, and to make the fans who loved them and loved horse girls happy.
That was why Fujimasa March had gone to the Central circuit like Oguri Cap, seeking a broader stage.
Norn Ace and the others didn't have that level of ability, but under their trainers' guidance, they were now traveling to racecourses beyond Kasamatsu, hoping to face more opponents and perform better.
The atmosphere at Kasamatsu Academy itself had also changed.
With such an outstanding classmate and senpai as Oguri Cap, the once-prevalent lax attitude on campus had been steadily disappearing. The half-hearted approach to races and training was gradually replaced by seriousness and effort.
"You could almost say that you changed Kasamatsu—no, even the entire horse girl world of Japan."
When she said this, Norn Ace no longer sounded relaxed or joking, but extremely serious.
"Of course, you probably don't feel it yourself. With your personality, aside from training and racing, nothing else really seems worth noticing."
"Oh, that's not entirely true—there's also eating. Hehe."
Returning to a light, teasing tone, she continued,
"But anyway, more and more local horse girls are heading to the Central circuit, the atmosphere of effort in places like Kasamatsu Academy is getting stronger, and there are so many changes."
"When you think about it carefully, they're all connected to you, Oguri."
After that, the topic returned once more to plushies and leisure.
Yet amid the cheerful atmosphere, Oguri Cap wore a slightly dazed expression, unusually deep in thought.
When the horse girls arrived at Oguri Cap's new home, there was still some time before lunch. Many members of the Eisei Team were there, and just introducing everyone took quite a while.
In particular, when March and the others met Maruzensky, they instantly became very reserved. Maruzensky herself spent quite some effort getting them to relax.
For Oguri Cap and her group, Maruzensky was a powerful, famous, high-status senpai—but they mainly just felt her strength.
After training together for so long, they had long since come to see Maruzensky simply as a senpai and a friend.
But for March and the others, it was different. Normally, let alone interacting with a horse girl of Maruzensky's caliber, even seeing her was usually through television.
Combined with their ingrained reverence, it was only natural for them to be cautious and careful upon meeting her in person.
Because of these small interruptions, no one really noticed Oguri Cap's unusual contemplative mood—especially since, at mealtime, she once again displayed her astonishing appetite, drawing attention away.
It wasn't until the afternoon trip to the hot springs, when her mother White Narubi was changing into a yukata in the dressing room, that she noticed something off about her daughter.
"What's wrong, Oguri-chan? Is something troubling you?"
Deliberately staying at the back of the group heading to the women's baths and signaling her daughter to stay with her, White Narubi spoke softly and gently.
"Are you unhappy with training lately, or is there something wrong with tomorrow's race?"
"Ah… probably not those. I think…"
Faced with her mother's concern, Oguri Cap hesitated, scratched her head, and thought for a while. She first explained what she had heard from her friends today, then said uncertainly:
"I don't really know what's going on with me."
"But after hearing what March and the others said, I felt like… maybe I need to work even harder, and perform even better in races."
"So I wanted to properly ask Kitahara for advice, to see if there's a way to do even better in tomorrow's race, but…"
She scratched her head again.
"Before coming here, I told Kitahara that I hoped he'd get a good rest today."
"So now I don't know what's going on with me, or whether I should even go ask him…"
(End of Chapter)