October, the Gifu Gold Cup.
November, the Kasamatsu Kinen.
December, the Shiwasu Kinen.
Time passed quietly in one race after another. Before she knew it, she had already been at this small Kasamatsu Tracen until New Year's Day.
Fate is a strange thing. On her first day here, she had been thinking about transferring, but she never thought she would stay here for so long and meet so many people.
She stared at the torii gate before her. The night lights illuminated it, and the bright surface reflected a crimson light, as festive as if welcoming the New Year.
"What are you thinking about again?" A familiar voice came from her ear, and she felt a poke at her waist. She turned around. As expected, it was Minamino Sumire.
She tilted her head slightly. A faint golden light occasionally flowed through her brown hair as it swayed. The crimson sleeves of her kimono were even more vivid under the lights. Celestial Weave could imagine them looking like flying fireworks if she were to wave them. This classical beauty made her pause for a moment. She remembered that when she had first met her, she had been dressed like a "gyaru." Time really does change a lot of things.
"What are you looking at? Everyone offered to find an old kimono from their house for you to wear, but you didn't want it." As if she had been staring for too long, Sumire complained, a little annoyed. Her cheeks also turned red under the lights.
"Those clothes are too troublesome to wear! Not as convenient as a battle uniform."
Just then, Gold Ship's voice suddenly came from behind them. She was wearing a down jacket that was a bit too big for her, her cheeks flushed. Having played wildly for several months, she had completely blended in here, looking nothing like the young lady one might have mistaken her for at the racetrack. Seeing the two turn their gazes to her, she giggled and made a V-sign with her hands.
"We're not Super Saiyans. What battle uniform are you talking about?" Seeing that her face was red from the cold, Celestial Weave took off her own scarf and wrapped it around her.
Chizuru also walked over. She put an arm around her shoulder and asked casually, "There's something I've been wanting to know for a long time..."
"Why do you always censor one character when you're making a reference?"
Celestial Weave and Gold Ship exchanged a look, then looked at her with a strange expression. "Of course, it's a tribute to the legendary comedy manga, Gin*ama."
"Chizuru-nee, haven't you been staying in your room watching anime all this time? How do you not even know this?"
Seeing them sing in unison, Chizuru felt that her status as a veteran anime enthusiast was being questioned. She snorted coldly and said, "Hmph, when I was watching Ashita no Joe and crying my eyes out for Joe, you guys weren't even born yet!"
"The ones who create an era are not the old."
"Plebeian."
Seeing the two of them implying that she was old, several veins popped on Chizuru's forehead. She knocked them both on the head and roared, "Who are you calling old? I'm only twenty-seven this year! And Zeta Gundam didn't air that much later than Ashita no Joe!"
Sumire didn't understand what these three antique anime enthusiasts were talking about, but she liked the lively scene, so she just stood aside and watched with a smile.
As they were talking, Ken Sato, holding car keys, had already brought the rest of the Kasamatsu crew up the shrine steps. "The traffic was too bad. I should have just taken the train with you guys."
"And Sato-sensei's driving is so shaky now. His skills are really not as good as when he was riding the tricycle."
Hearing the student's complaint, he could only scratch the back of his head and give an awkward laugh. The prize money she had won from the local graded stakes races had all been given to the principal to add something to the academy. Thus, his weathered tricycle had retired, replaced by a second-hand seven-seater van. She had thought the logo, which was composed of several diamonds, looked a bit familiar at the time.
"A person who betrays his partner will not be blessed!" This was the evaluation of the non-famous tricycle driver, Gold Ship, on his change of vehicle. Perhaps in response to her words, his driving skills had plummeted after changing cars. If he could have been called the Mountain God of Kasamatsu on his tricycle, now he could only be called the uncle who goes to buy groceries.
"Alright, alright. Since everyone's here, let's go up and pay our respects," the principal came out to smooth things over at the crucial moment. He beckoned everyone to walk towards the shrine together. Following his steps, the Kasamatsu Tracen group walked into the shrine in a grand procession.
Ringing the bell, praying to the gods, putting in money, bowing—it was a simple process, but because there were so many people in line, it took a long time. After everything was finally over, she looked at the still-endless line and gasped. This was her first time coming to a shrine for New Year's. She had never expected there to be so many people in the middle of the night. If she had known it would be this troublesome, she might not have come.
Thinking of this, she looked back at her companions and unconsciously shook her head. But if it were with them, she would have probably still come even if she had known beforehand.
After this year's local races were over, she would be heading to the central circuit to compete. Although the specific race schedule hadn't been decided yet, she would definitely be participating in the Japan Derby. And it was less than half a year away. Her stats had already reached their limits. The only things she could improve now were her running style and tactical experience.
She thought of the completion condition for the first phase objective: to defeat Orfevre head-on. Although they had never officially met, she had already heard this name from many places. The system's introduction before the mission started, the TV in the dorm after dinner, and the occasional mention from Gold Ship—all of this had already created an image of an absolutely powerful horse girl in her mind. A horse girl who had shown unparalleled talent since she was young, had been trained by the most professional team in Japan for so many years, and had been called the future of Japanese horse racing by the mutually unyielding prestigious families.
Against such an opponent, even with her Domain and various skills, she was not guaranteed to win.
As she was thinking, she suddenly heard Suzune's call from behind her. "Yume, come here for a second!"
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