Commentators, out of professional habit, generally went to verify the race replay to confirm the final results of the relay. The spectators on site, however, had long since been unable to contain their cheers and joy.
Outside the safety barriers, the crowd—who had endured the scorching summer afternoon sun to watch the entire relay—showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, they seemed almost overly energized, trying to surge onto the track.
If not for Akikawa Yayoi's well-arranged staff and the sturdy temporary barriers, they probably would have rushed onto the course already.
Even without actually breaking through, their desperate pushing forward, waving arms, and animated gestures fully revealed the excitement in their hearts.
Shouting meaningful or meaningless names and cries of excitement, waving banners, small flags, flowers, and ribbons—what stirred them to such fervor was naturally the unexpectedly thrilling spectacle of the entire relay race.
Against this backdrop of clamor, the horse girls who continued jogging slowly along the track afterward appeared almost calm, no longer showing the all-out intensity they had moments before.
"Haah… this really feels… I've never felt this refreshed before!"
The only one still brimming with excitement was the naturally lively Tokai Teio.
"Looks like we ran first? Maybe… maybe not… but no matter what, that was an amazing race!"
"Right? You know, um… hey, hey, your name is—uh—"
Turning happily toward the person beside her, she suddenly became awkward and started stumbling over her words.
"…Brian. Narita Brian."
Beside her, Narita Brian was walking slowly while wiping her cheeks.
Sweat rolled down along the contours of her face, gathering at her chin before dripping off.
Her entire body was drenched. Her tight-fitting T-shirt and shorts were almost completely soaked, the clinging fabric emphasizing her toned physique even more.
She had given absolutely everything in the final sprint, and right now, she honestly didn't feel like talking much.
After crossing the finish line with all her strength, just like Tokai Teio, she didn't know who had finished first. All she felt was an unprecedented exhaustion.
But noticing that Tokai Teio hadn't remembered her name, she hesitated for a moment before quietly adding,
"'Narita' like Narita Airport.
"Ahhh yes, yes, yes! Brian—I remember! Brian-chan, right!"
Using an affectionate nickname, Tokai Teio covered up her embarrassment.
In truth, she hadn't really remembered Narita Brian's name. During their time training together, she hadn't paid much attention to her.
Aside from her trainer, Symboli Rudolf, and the one she cared about most—Mejiro McQueen—she was only really familiar with the currently famous Oguri Cap.
"Um, um, hahaha, I really couldn't tell! You're usually always on your own—I never thought you'd be this strong!"
After covering for herself, she hurriedly extended her hand, smiling as she changed the subject.
"If we get the chance, let's have another race like this someday! Hehehe!"
"Uh… sure, but…"
Out of courtesy, Narita Brian shook Tokai Teio's hand, then looked at her cheerful face and gently shook her head.
"Next time… I might not perform as well as I did today."
"Huh? How could that be…?"
Tokai Teio froze. "Brian-chan, you ran amazingly! During the final sprint, I felt like I couldn't catch up to you several times!"
She wasn't exaggerating—Tokai Teio was the type who always spoke her mind.
"This…"
Narita Brian hesitated.
Just as Tokai Teio didn't really understand her, she didn't know Tokai Teio very well either.
In her impression, this slightly older senior had outstanding talent, was always bursting with energy, and faced everyone and everything with confidence and openness.
Completely different from herself.
Her own reluctance to approach others didn't seem intentional either. It was more that horse girls of the same age and class seemed to harbor an inexplicable fear of her, always keeping their distance.
Over time, she lost the desire to reach out to others altogether.
Now, aside from Oguri Roman, she really wasn't close with anyone.
For the same reason, even though she felt Tokai Teio was very outgoing, she had never taken the initiative to approach her, so there was no real understanding between them.
Her hesitation now was over whether she should tell Tokai Teio what she was thinking.
However, Tokai Teio clearly misunderstood.
"I'm not lying! I really think you're strong, Brian-chan!"
She widened her eyes at Narita Brian, stopped her cool-down jog, put one hand on her hip, clenched the other into a fist, and hooked her thumb toward her chest.
"To be honest, I've always believed that once I debut, I'll become a famous horse girl like the President!"
"An undefeated record and the Triple Crown—that's been my goal all along!"
"Undefeated Triple Crown…" Narita Brian's pupils widened slightly.
"Yep!"
Tokai Teio nodded vigorously, confidence practically overflowing from her slightly childish face.
"I'll definitely do it!"
"And I always thought that among the horse girls who haven't debuted yet—especially those around my age—only McQueen was strong enough to be worth noting…"
"Of course, she's still no match for me!"
"I just mean compared to the others, McQueen really is impressive."
"But I never expected you, Brian-chan, to be this strong too!"
She spoke bluntly, weaving arrogance and praise together without a hint of embarrassment.
"Oh, right—and not just you, Brian-chan. Rice—"
Narita Brian hesitated.
"Rice…"
Then hesitated again and added, "And Mihono Bourbon."
"Ah, right! Rice Shower and Mihono Bourbon!"
Tokai Teio looked embarrassed now, but also impressed.
"You're amazing, Brian-chan! How did you know I was about to mention those two?"
…Probably because Oguri-senpai also isn't very good with names.
Internally sighing, Narita Brian said nothing aloud.
"Anyway," Tokai Teio resumed her grin, "Rice Shower and Bourbon are both amazing and worked really hard too!"
"Thinking about it now, I feel like I was a bit too full of myself before."
"There are always outstanding horse girls out there—I just didn't pay attention."
"If I really want to become an undefeated Triple Crown horse girl, I'll have to keep working even harder!"
"But of course, I'll definitely—definitely—make that dream come true!"
"So, Brian-chan, let's work hard together!"
Once again, Tokai Teio smiled and extended her hand.
After a few breaths—
"Yes. Let's work hard together."
Suddenly, Narita Brian curved her lips into a smile and slowly reached out. Then she froze and touched her lips.
The twig she always held in her mouth was gone—probably dropped during one of the sprints.
She withdrew her hand, rummaged through the pocket of her soaked running shorts, and pulled out a fresh green twig, glistening with sweat.
After rubbing the base a bit, she placed it between her teeth.
"And not just work hard—we must work hard together."
With the twig bobbing as she smiled again, she said,
"If we raced again right now, I probably wouldn't perform as well as I did just now."
"After all, you're still my senior. I have a lot of shortcomings in training and fundamentals."
"Keeping up with you earlier was only possible because I gave it everything I had."
"And the reason I could do that was because I suddenly thought… maybe my sister was watching this race."
"Your sister…?"
Brian's sister was… uh… damn, can't remember…
Momentarily distracted by her words and realizing she couldn't recall the sister's name, Tokai Teio scratched her head.
"H-haha, I see… that's really nice…"
"Yes. She'll definitely see it."
Not noticing Tokai Teio's awkwardness, Narita Brian suddenly grew a little excited.
"Because my dream is also to win the Triple Crown."
"Or maybe… not just the Triple Crown."
"No matter the race, I just want to run with everything I have and keep winning—fiercely."
"That's the promise my sister and I made."
"A promise with your sister…"
Staring at Narita Brian's suddenly radiant expression, Tokai Teio felt her own spirit lift.
"In that case, Brian-chan, your dream is the same as mine."
"Winning all the time—that's being undefeated."
"And then winning the Triple Crown too."
"That's exactly the same as me!"
"And since your dream comes from a promise with your sister…"
"Then my dream comes from a promise with the President!"
Still holding Narita Brian's hand, Tokai Teio beamed with energy.
"Even though the President doesn't actually know about this promise—it's one I made on my own."
"But I will absolutely fulfill it!"
As she declared this, Tokai Teio suddenly lit up, eyes sparkling.
"Ah—! President—! Over here! Over here!"
She broke free from Narita Brian's hand and ran over, then leaped forward, throwing herself into the arms of the approaching Symboli Rudolf like a child seeing a parent.
"How was it, how was it?! I did great just now, right? President, did you see it? I worked super hard in the final sprint!"
She chattered excitedly, just like a little kid showing off.
At that moment, the commentator's voice broke through the crowd's noise over the loudspeakers.
"The replay review is complete. The final winners of this Summer Relay are—"
"Mejiro Ramonu, Tamamo Cross, and Tokai Teio! Let's congratulate them!"
Instantly, Tokai Teio became even more excited.
"Yayyyyy! P-President! Did you hear that?! I won! I won!"
Shouting happily, she suddenly hopped back, planting one hand on her hip.
This time, her other hand formed a V-sign of victory.
"Then let this victory become the beginning of my undefeated Triple Crown career!"
Winking playfully at her idol, her eyes brimmed with confidence and anticipation.
"President, I can do it, right?!"
"Right?!"
"You have to watch me—watch me all the way until that day!"
Symboli Rudolf had come to check on Tokai Teio and the others' physical condition, accompanied by her longtime partner, Maruzensky.
Compared to the first two legs, the final leg hadn't been especially fast—slower even than most graded races.
But the intensity of the race was undeniable, and for horse girls whose bodies hadn't fully matured yet, the burden was heavy.
With her extensive racing and management experience, Symboli Rudolf knew this well.
At the moment, Kitahara and Akikawa Yayoi were checking on Oguri Cap and the others. Rudolf had taken responsibility for this side, bringing Maruzensky along.
And since cars couldn't easily traverse the beach or grass, the fastest way to get here was for horse girls like them to run over.
Seeing from afar that Tokai Teio and Narita Benevolence were chatting casually, and that Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, and Mihono Bourbon all seemed fine, she had quickly relaxed.
Now, hearing Tokai Teio's childlike boasting, she was about to smile and offer some encouragement when something stirred in her mind.
She felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
Glancing unconsciously at Maruzensky beside her and seeing the same thoughtful look on her face, Symboli Rudolf suddenly remembered.
Ah… it was after my Japan Derby win…
She remembered standing before reporters after winning that race, flashes going off nonstop, answering questions—much like this moment.
After responding to a few interviews, Maruzensky had come over to congratulate her.
She remembered replying, "If you'd competed in the Japan Derby, the outcome would've been hard to predict."
That wasn't false modesty. Maruzensky was nearly her equal. If they hadn't belonged to different generations—if Maruzensky hadn't already retired during Rudolf's classic year—everything might have been different.
After that, a clever little kid had squeezed out from the crowd of reporters.
That might've been when she first felt an inexplicable fondness for that child.
The familiar crescent-moon-shaped white bangs—she had them too. Because of them, she'd once had the childhood nickname "Luna."
"Luna" meant "moon," though no one had called her that in years.
She also remembered being impressed by the child's agility—out of the corner of her eye, she'd seen her dart left and right through the crowd and pop out instantly.
And perhaps most of all, it was the deep, genuine confidence in her eyes.
She'd even thought vaguely then: If I ever have a child, maybe they'll be like this.
Perhaps because of that inexplicable fondness, she stopped the staff from ushering the child away.
"I—I want to become a horse girl who's strong and cool like Emperor-san!"
That was what the child had blurted out in one breath.
Maruzensky had found it amusing and responded somewhat seriously, talking about "talent, effort, and luck."
As for herself, she'd felt that this child would probably achieve what she said.
So she'd walked over, squatted down, and replied earnestly.
"In that case… first, you'll need to enroll at Tracen Academy."
"Can you tell me your name?"
After that…
Symboli Rudolf smiled. Just like back then, she leaned down to meet Tokai Teio's confident, expectant gaze, crouched, and gently placed her hand on those familiar crescent-moon-shaped white bangs.
"You want me to watch the day you become a strong and cool horse girl?"
Visibly, Tokai Teio's eyes widened, excitement and joy overflowing instantly.
Seeing this, Symboli Rudolf's smile deepened as she nodded firmly.
"Yes. I'll remember."
(End of Chapter)