Holding a "Youth Version Japan Cup" wasn't actually that difficult—at least not on Japan's side.
As for participants, there was naturally no shortage of horse girls.
Even under the current mindset, where many trainers and parents remained conservative about debuting and competing, there were still plenty willing to take part in races.
Especially after the relay race featuring Tokai Teio and the others set a precedent, the number of horse girls eager to showcase their strength and talent was quite considerable.
Interestingly, whether they were approached by Kitahara and readily agreed, or came forward on their own to inquire or even submit applications to join, most of these horse girls were exceptionally famous geniuses in parallel worlds.
At first, Kitahara thought it might just be a coincidence, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed inevitable.
To perform outstandingly in one's career, one must have strong ambition.
No matter how well-prepared a race is, unexpected risks always exist.
This holds true whether in the most advanced regions of this world or even in future worlds.
If someone wants results but also wants zero risk, hesitating and overthinking everything, they've already lost in terms of mindset.
It's easy to imagine that horse girls with such a mentality might hesitate for even a split second during intense moments—like the early positioning battles or the final sprint.
And in horse girl racing, a single moment of hesitation is enough to decide victory or defeat.
With the numbers secured, quality was also not a concern.
In fact, just having Tokai Teio—who won the first Japan Cup after it was upgraded to an international G1 in a parallel world—already guaranteed a baseline level of quality.
Not to mention that among her contemporaries, there were several other equally capable competitors.
It's true that after Symboli Rudolf won the Japan Cup in 1985, the next six editions were all won by foreign competitors.
However, starting from Tokai Teio, three consecutive Japan Cups were won by Japanese horse girls.
The 1993 Japan Cup winner, Legacy World, was from the same generation as Tokai Teio.
The 1994 Japan Cup winner, Marvelous Crown, was only one year younger than her.
If arranged deliberately, having these three horse girls participate in the "Youth Version Japan Cup" would undoubtedly secure a certain baseline win rate for Japan.
However, the development, race condition, and experience of competitors differed between the two worlds. To truly organize such a race would require extensive preparation.
Moreover, to officially host this event, cooperation would be needed from Brave, the European Tracen Academy, and later Seattle Slew, as well as academies from the United States.
Discussions on this front had already begun long ago by Symboli Rudolf and the others.
The day after the Winning Live and banquet, the student council began international communications.
Not only that, they also started analyzing the "Youth Cup" proposal provided by Kitahara.
"…Do you all think,"
After flipping through the thick stack of proposal documents several times, Symboli Rudolf looked around at her colleagues and friends in the office with a complicated expression.
"…that Kitahara might actually possess talent like ours as horse girls?"
"For example, something like Chairman Akikawa—the ability to see a horse girl's talent?"
"Or even beyond Chairman Akikawa?"
Beside her, Maruzensky was also flipping through the proposal. Hearing Rudolf's question, she glanced over.
"That's a bit exaggerated, Rudolf. If he really had such an ability, we might as well just listen to everything he says from now on."
She chuckled, then looked back at the documents, her expression turning slightly surprised.
"But then again…"
"Being able to gather so many exceptionally talented horse girls without us even noticing—Kitahara's ability really is astonishing."
"I originally thought having Teio, McQueen, Oguri Cap, Special Week, and Opera O among others was already an incredible number of outstanding juniors across generations."
"Judging from their current data, even without the Eternal Club's training methods, they would grow into top-tier horse girls of their generation."
"And with more of Kitahara's training… I can't even imagine how far they'll go."
"But…"
She pulled out a densely packed list from the proposal and showed it around.
"A list of over forty horse girls, none of whom are weaker than those who participated in the relay race—how do you think Kitahara managed that?"
"And that's over forty."
"That doesn't even include Special Week's group or Opera O's group."
"Excluding those two groups and still finding over forty such talented juniors…"
"He's not trying to launch a 'Youth Cup' at all."
"He's basically trying to create another set of 'Eight Major Classic Races' outside the Twinkle Series."
Hearing Maruzensky's remarks, Symboli Rudolf smiled with a mix of encouragement and helplessness.
"Maybe so… honestly…"
She sighed.
"I knew he always had big ambitions."
"But I never imagined they were this big."
"Another set of 'Eight Major Classics'… I suspect he really is thinking that."
"And more importantly…"
She took out the same list and inhaled deeply.
"He actually has the ability to do it."
"If we follow his most complete competition plan for the upcoming 'Academy Thanksgiving Festival,' Central Tracen Academy might truly become a classic race venue that day."
"Wouldn't that be great?"
Katsuragi Ace suddenly interjected excitedly.
"Rudolf, isn't that what you've always wanted?"
"More races, more stages, giving more juniors the chance to showcase their talents to the world."
"Isn't that your dream?"
"So why are you hesitating now that there's hope?"
"How am I hesitating…"
"Katsuragi, you don't come to help at the student council often, so you don't fully understand many things."
Just as Rudolf gave a wry explanation, CB spoke up to ease the situation.
"Rudolf has always dreamed of the kinds of races in these proposals. Not just her—no horse girl would refuse such events."
Holding the proposal, CB spoke in an unusually serious tone.
"But dreams don't happen overnight."
"Even if Kitahara's side has enough manpower for training arrangements, the 'Academy Festival' itself might not be able to coordinate everything."
"The festival already has many public programs, and to ensure a good experience for visitors, there may not be enough manpower to support too many races."
"With over forty horse girls—and even more if Europe and the U.S. send participants—the total could increase significantly."
"If the final number reaches fifty or even over sixty participants, under normal race formats, that would be enough for six official races."
"Under the Twinkle Series format, spacing out six races could easily fill an entire day."
"So even though Rudolf's proposal is appealing, now isn't the right time."
"I see… that's a shame…"
Katsuragi Ace shook her head regretfully, then suddenly brightened.
"Oh right, then what if we split the event into two days?"
"And if manpower is an issue, could we apply for support from the board and the association?"
"Well…"
Exchanging glances with Rudolf and Maruzensky, CB smiled bitterly and spread her hands.
"Do you think the board's regulations don't exist?"
"The 'Thanksgiving Festival' has to be held on weekends or holidays so visitors can attend."
"Many programs are pre-approved by tradition and can't be easily changed."
"As for requesting manpower…"
She shrugged.
"Katsuragi, don't you know the association has always been conservative about Kitahara's club and this 'Youth Cup'?"
"Conservative… I see. Looks like we can only pick from the remaining proposals then."
Still somewhat disappointed, Katsuragi Ace flipped through her copy and grew curious.
"I think the other plans are pretty good."
"For example, splitting it into two sessions—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. One more entertainment-focused, the other more formal."
"That one seems workable."
"The others are fine too."
"But the original plan was the most appealing… it's such a pity we can't implement it."
Shaking her head again, she suddenly thought of something.
"Hey, do you think Kitahara already knew that plan wouldn't work?"
"If he knew, why include it? To tempt us?"
"I think Mr. Kitahara probably did know."
This time, it was Mejiro Ramonu—who had been quietly sipping coffee—who responded.
She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out toward the training grounds.
It was training period, and as she watched the students running across the grass, she took a sip.
"As for tempting us, that's not his style."
"He probably wanted to show us."
"To show us the ambition Rudolf mentioned—what it really looks like."
After a moment of silence, she turned back.
"I don't think we need to rush. That day will come eventually."
"For now…"
She changed the topic.
"I agree with Katsuragi—splitting it into morning and afternoon would be better and easier to manage."
"If we all agree, we should go discuss it with Brave and Seattle Slew."
While the student council was discussing Kitahara's proposal, things at the Eisei Club were quite different.
"Wow! So big, so spacious, such a strange room!"
Standing in the middle of a huge living room, Oguri Cap looked around curiously.
"Kitahara, what is this place?"
"This is the temporary activity center for the Eisei Club."
Kitahara smiled as he looked around as well.
"This used to be the staff office area of the Hongo dormitory district."
"Back then, before the Ritto and Miho dorms were built, there were many staff members here."
"After the new dorms were completed, this place became mostly unused."
"I thought that outside of training, if you wanted to relax and have fun, you might not always want to go far."
"And the academy doesn't have many entertainment facilities."
"So I asked Miss Tazuna to see if there was a suitable place to renovate into a rest center."
"She arranged for this place to be remodeled, and Miss Kurokawa also helped a lot."
After explaining, he pointed to different areas.
"This side is the dining area. Behind it is a large kitchen, and there's also a smaller one in front."
"You all like to eat, so these areas are bigger."
"That's the recreation area—board games, console games, and so on."
"That room over there is a mini theater for movies or watching races."
"You can also watch races outside—the TV on that wall is large enough."
"At the very back are rest rooms and a study, which can also serve as a small library."
"If you don't want to do homework at school, you can come here."
"It's not far anyway."
The Hongo dormitory area was built next to Central Academy. It used to be the main dorm area—Maruzensky lived here during her active years and never moved out.
Kitahara felt this was also part of Tazuna's consideration.
Being close to the academy and having a senior like Maruzensky nearby meant that even if trainers were busy, they wouldn't have to worry about taking care of Oguri Cap and the others.
Today, aside from introducing the activity center, Kitahara also wanted to discuss plans for the "Thanksgiving Festival."
"Alright, if you want to play games or watch movies, wait a bit."
Some horse girls had already wandered off to explore. Kitahara clapped to get their attention.
"No need to gather. This isn't a training or race meeting. The next few days are your rest days—relax a bit."
After a pause, he continued:
"You all know about the upcoming academy Thanksgiving Festival, right?"
"As usual, there will be many activities."
"Some are traditional, like the basketball championship and dodgeball tournament."
"Others are new this year."
"For example, the eating contest we held during the welcome ceremony—it was very popular."
"So there'll be a 'Big Eater Derby' this time…"
"Alright, Oguri Cap, Special Week, Rice Shower—I've already signed you three up. Wipe your drool."
"And there's also a race I proposed, which should get approved."
"So I want to ask what events you're interested in, and I'll sign you up."