"Basketball? Dodgeball?" After hearing Kitahara's question, Oguri Cap became curious. "I think I've heard of them, but I don't really understand—what are they?"
"Basketball and dodgeball are basically—"
Just as Kitahara was about to explain, an excited voice cut in from the side.
"Huh? Oguri-senpai isn't familiar with ball sports? I know a lot about them!"
Grass Wonder suddenly popped over, raising both hands enthusiastically.
"In America, all kinds of ball sports are really popular!"
"The most popular one is American football!"
"After that, it's baseball and basketball!"
"There are tons of clubs for these sports in universities, high schools, and even elementary schools. And after graduation, there are even more clubs!"
"I used to be on my school's football team! Of course, now that I've transferred to Japan, I'm not anymore."
"I used to invite El Condor Pasa to join the football club too, but she said it was too rough and refused."
"Mmm… but this time, I really want to persuade Grass and Special Week to join the Thanksgiving Festival activities."
"It's more fun when everyone plays together!"
As she spoke, her ears and tail wagged excitedly.
"Wow, Little Grass, that's amazing."
Smiling, Oguri Cap reached out and patted Grass Wonder's head, then glanced around.
Inside this newly renovated activity center, besides the five currently active horse girls, many of the members who had already joined the Eisei Club were also present.
Oguri Roman, Special Week, and Opera O—who had trained alongside Oguri Cap for a long time—were all here.
The five representatives of the "Golden Generation" who joined later were also present.
While Grass Wonder was explaining ball games here, Special Week and the others were over at the board game area, seemingly discussing what to play.
"So, did they agree?" Oguri Cap asked curiously, withdrawing her gaze.
"I haven't asked yet. I just heard your question and came over to answer," Grass Wonder replied.
"I see," Oguri Cap nodded with a smile. "I don't really understand sports other than running."
"When I was in Kasamatsu, there weren't many proper facilities."
"And after coming to Tokyo, training and races kept me busy, so I never had time to try other activities."
"Oh? Then this time, it sounds like you can finally give it a try!"
Oguri Cap suddenly became excited and turned to Kitahara.
"Right, Kitahara? I can join that… festival thing this time, right?"
While Oguri Cap and Grass Wonder were talking, Kitahara had been smiling and watching.
Hearing her question, he shook his head with a helpless smile.
"If you want to participate, at least remember the name 'Thanksgiving Festival.'"
After teasing her, he continued with a smile, "Of course you can. In fact, I was planning to have you and Mejiro McQueen participate this time."
"Since Grass Wonder is familiar with ball sports, how about helping Oguri Cap and the others with some training for the event?"
He directed the latter part of his words to Grass Wonder.
"Really? OK, no problem!"
She looked surprised at first, but quickly agreed enthusiastically, patting her chest with confidence.
"Don't worry! Even though I was on the football team, I actually spent most of my time in the wrestling club."
"Many of my friends are like that too, so a lot of them can play basketball, dodgeball, and even soccer."
"I've played with them a lot, so I'm pretty familiar with all kinds of ball sports!"
"I'll help out properly—leave it to me!"
"Oh right! I should go tell Grass, Special Week, and the others."
"If they hear that Oguri-Senpai is joining, they'll definitely be interested too!"
With that, she excitedly dashed toward the board game area.
Watching her energetic behavior, Kitahara couldn't help but chuckle. Then, after thinking for a moment, he turned to Oguri Cap and opened his mouth to speak.
But before he could say anything, Oguri Cap suddenly seemed to realize something.
"Kitahara, if I train together with Grass and the others, will it be like Opera O's training?"
Kitahara was slightly surprised—not because she guessed his intention, but because his horse girl seemed to have grown a lot.
In the past, she rarely thought deeply about training or racing. It wasn't that she didn't care, but she simply followed instructions and seldom asked questions.
But now, whether discussing training plans or race strategies, she had begun to voice her own thoughts.
That made Kitahara feel very gratified.
He knew well that his horse girls were all extremely talented—they just didn't always express it.
With proper guidance, they could often discover ways to improve themselves, increasing training efficiency.
"You're not wrong."
Kitahara nodded in affirmation.
"Your next race, along with McQueen and Mejiro Ardan, is the Kikuka Sho. There's exactly one month between it and the Mainichi Okan."
"So time-wise, it's sufficient—assuming your opponents don't change much compared to before."
"Opponents? You mean Dicta and the others?" Oguri Cap asked, surprised.
"Mm. Compared to before…"
Kitahara almost said "compared to history," but quickly corrected himself.
"I mean, compared to past levels—their standards are improving too."
"Results from races like the Hakodate Kinen, UHB Cup, and Sports Championships all prove this."
"For example, the Hakodate Kinen."
"Dicta Striker's finishing time was 1 minute 58.3 seconds—0.5 seconds faster than Sakura Star O's record."
"Breaking a record isn't the issue—the magnitude of improvement is."
"The exact calculation is complicated, but simply put, the scale of improvement is larger than before."
"And it's not just her—most active horse girls right now are probably the same."
"In this situation, if we want to ensure a higher chance of victory, we need to prepare in advance."
Then Kitahara shifted the topic.
"And in the future, you'll be participating in more international races."
"Adapting to the venue in advance helps, but that alone isn't enough."
"In the end, whether it's domestic or international races, the fundamental abilities must improve."
"That is—endurance."
"Endurance…"
Oguri Cap nodded thoughtfully.
"We already have training for that."
"But if we try ball sports, will that help improve endurance too?"
"Quick thinking—you're right."
Kitahara nodded with satisfaction.
"In fact, participating in different types of sports helps improve endurance."
"Because your usual training and races focus on reaching peak condition and exhausting your stamina in one burst."
"That's perfectly fine for racing."
"Our past training followed that approach too."
"For example, beach training during camps, swimming training—these all improve that aspect."
"But that's only one form of endurance."
"That is, slowing down stamina loss and maintaining movement even when exhausted."
"And trying to keep that 'minimum running speed' as high as possible."
"That's been the main goal of endurance training."
"Oh, I think I understand that."
Oguri Cap became slightly excited.
"When I finished the Mainichi Okan, I felt that."
"Just like you said—using my 'domain' multiple times drained my stamina really fast."
"I used it about three times in that race."
"After finishing, I didn't even want to move a finger."
"So during the cooldown walk, I could clearly feel how slowly my speed dropped."
"…If the race had been 100 meters longer, I probably wouldn't have won."
She began seriously analyzing her race.
"That's exactly it."
Kitahara nodded, feeling pleased at her analysis.
"As opponents grow stronger, endurance will become increasingly important."
Then he explained further in detail:
"Previously, endurance training focused on fully releasing stamina and minimizing slowdown when exhausted."
"But there's another aspect that needs improvement."
"That is raising the upper limits of speed, power, and especially stamina—and its recovery rate."
"Recovery rate?"
Oguri Cap was stunned.
"Can stamina recover during a race?"
"…Of course. Otherwise, why do front-runners slow down mid-race?"
Kitahara chuckled.
"It's good that you're thinking more seriously now—but don't forget your basics."
"Mm… I'll work on that."
She scratched her head awkwardly.
"No need to stress too much," Kitahara smiled. "You're not a theory-type runner. I'll explain whenever you want."
Then he continued:
"Stamina can recover—even in intense races."
"It depends on thresholds."
"For example, if a front-runner runs at speed 90 early while others are at 85, she builds a lead."
"But later, she may slow to 85 or even 80 to recover."
"This drop is subtle—like from 16 m/s to 15.5 m/s—barely noticeable."
"But that slight relaxation allows stamina to recover."
He paused, then added:
"That's why McQueen and Ardan have strong stamina—they have front-running adaptability."
"As their other stats improve, their endurance improves as well."
"I see…"
Oguri Cap nodded.
"They won their races impressively."
"Exactly. But your front-running adaptability isn't as strong."
"However, adaptability is just a reflection of fundamental abilities."
"So we return to the key point—adjusting endurance training."
Before he could continue, Oguri Cap suddenly spoke:
"So if I train with Grass Wonder and play ball sports, I can improve that kind of endurance?"
Kitahara blinked in surprise, then smiled.
"Exactly right."
"Races are too short to fully experience endurance recovery."
"But ball sports last longer, involve constant movement, and intense competition."
"They simulate racing intensity while allowing you to feel recovery phases."
"They also train recovery ability."
"I see… I don't fully understand everything, but I get the idea."
Oguri Cap nodded firmly, then smiled.
"Then I'll join ball sports for the festival."
"And since it's something everyone plays together, it sounds fun."
That idea made perfect sense.
Kitahara originally planned to confirm everyone's choices later in a meeting—but before he could respond, Oguri Cap added:
"And besides ball sports, I also want to try that 'obstacle race' you designed for Rudolf and the others."
"An obstacle race? You want to join two events?"
Kitahara looked surprised.