"…"
Oguri Cap's condition, huh?
Hearing that, a faint glow rose in Kuroha's eyes. Body and Breath Perception activated silently as he looked down toward the ashen-haired girl.
It was true.
Just as Hideto said, Oguri Cap's "murky" state had completely vanished.
There was none of that eerie, pitch-black shimmer that Sakura Chiyono O and Super Creek had shown when their peak periods ended. Her blood ran hot like a furnace, her muscles were in flawless shape.
Compared to her state in the original timeline, she was better by who knew how much.
In the original history, after this Yasuda Kinen, the "dancer who bewitched the night" started to fall.
Because of that downright insane consecutive-racing schedule, Oguri Cap's body was completely drained. Her peak ended at breakneck speed, and she began sliding downhill.
But the current Oguri Cap was different.
It seemed like Kuroha's words back then, and Ginjirou's belated awakening, had drastically reduced how brutally she'd been "worked" these past six months.
The battle-hardened king stopped being battle-hardened. The pressure on her body eased. Naturally, her body recovered, and the "moonlight" around her returned on its own.
It was simple logic.
Local-circuit horse girls often ran for five years without it being a big deal, because their schedules weren't as intense. With Oguri Cap's talent, if she didn't do that exaggerated warpath of nonstop races, she should have been able to hold on for a long time.
Not like the original timeline, where she lasted less than five and a half years.
So…
Kuroha glanced at the two veteran Central trainers beside him, understanding dawning in his heart.
Hideto was trying to persuade Ginjirou to send Oguri Cap overseas, to avoid Fujimasa March's edge, and to cash in on that world-class talent.
It was a rational proposal, and a forward-looking one.
But…
Kuroha looked at Ginjirou, who hadn't said a word, fingers clenched so tightly around his cane that his knuckles were whitening. Kuroha couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
Unfortunately, it wasn't going to happen.
Compared to someone like Hideto—open-minded, willing to accept new ideas—Ginjirou, a trainer who'd taught in Central for decades, was an old man whose bones simply couldn't keep up with the times.
Or rather, his drive was already gone.
He was supposed to retire. He didn't even have a single active horse girl under him anymore. If Kitahara, that reckless blockhead, hadn't shoved Oguri Cap into his hands, he'd probably be lying at home by now, sipping a drink and enjoying his golden years.
On the other side, after a long silence, Ginjirou suddenly spoke, voice hoarse and exhausted.
"Enough, Hideto."
"…So that's your answer?"
Hideto's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he could see through the weakness hidden behind the old man's dark glasses. In the end, he let out a soft sigh and said nothing more.
In the corner, only Ginjirou remained, head lowered in silence. His fingers, gripping the cane too hard, were still faintly pale.
"I… how could I not know I'm wasting Oguri Cap's talent right now?"
Bitterness flooded the old man's heart.
"But I'm not Oguri Cap's trainer."
"I'm just a stand-in. A substitute. This responsibility should've been returned to that brat Kitahara years ago."
"If we go overseas… the sky is wide and the road is long. Once we leave, I may never be able to hand it back…"
Suddenly—
"WOOOOOOOO—!!!!"
"March! You're the strongest!!"
"Go, go, go!!!"
At that moment, as the announcer's voice surged, the stadium's atmosphere boiled over into an instant frenzy.
When that silver-haired figure stepped out of the tunnel and into the light, the roaring cheers crashed like thunder, nearly deafening everyone present.
The strongest active horse girl—Fujimasa March!
Ginjirou stared blankly for a few seconds through his tinted lenses at the radiant silver-haired girl on the track.
That was the towering wall Oguri Cap had once crossed, only for it to rise again. The summit the old era could not surpass.
A few seconds later—
"Thunk!"
The old man slammed his cane down hard.
The dull impact felt like it struck straight into his own heart.
"What the hell am I even thinking?!"
"Am I really going to destroy a horse girl's future for some hollow promise that's been delayed for two years?!"
"What am I doing!"
Ginjirou practically ground his molars to dust.
Hideto had already made it clear: Oguri Cap's time left was only a year—maybe even just half a year.
She couldn't wait anymore.
To both Hideto's and Kuroha's surprise, this seemingly stubborn old man changed his mind completely in just a dozen seconds, driven by guilt and a sense of responsibility toward horse girls.
"After this race…"
"Even if I have to stake what's left of this old face, I'll find a way to get Oguri Cap overseas!"
"If I have to, I'll drag these old bones of mine along and accompany her to some foreign land…"
Ginjirou let out a long, weary sigh.
He had no choice. Besides him and Kitahara, there wasn't anyone else Oguri Cap would accept as her trainer.
And that brat Kitahara still didn't have his license. Even if he got it, with his rookie credentials he'd never be approved for an overseas campaign.
So that leaves only me…
"…"
Ginjirou's thoughts jolted.
A sharp glint flashed behind his dark glasses.
"Wait… besides me and Kitahara, there should be one more person…"
Nearby, Kuroha was focused on the horse girls loading into the gates when he suddenly felt an intensely sharp gaze pinning him in place.
He turned, confused, and met Ginjirou's stare.
The old man had lowered his glasses halfway, revealing eyes that gleamed with an eerie light, fixed directly on Kuroha. It made Kuroha's mouth twitch.
"What is it, Ginjirou-senpai?"
"Kuroha, kid."
Ginjirou's voice turned unusually solemn.
"Have you ever thought about… taking your team overseas?"
"Overseas?"
The question caught not only Kuroha off guard—Hideto also glanced over.
"I have, yes. But it's not time yet."
Kuroha didn't bother hiding it.
"I'm planning to have Teio take the Classic Triple Crown, completely rule her domestic generation… and then head overseas."
"Tokai Teio, huh?"
Hideto asked with clear interest.
"Yes."
Kuroha crossed his arms and leaned back, gaze lifting to that stretch of blue sky as he smiled calmly.
"Teio's talent shouldn't be confined here. I'll take her overseas, and conquer the entire world."
On the other side, after hearing Kuroha's confirmation, Ginjirou studied the spirited young man for a long moment. Then he withdrew his gaze and slumped back into his seat, head lowered, as if lost in thought.
Only his hand on the cane—once clenched to the point of whiteness—seemed to loosen slightly.
…
As time passed, the race down below had long since begun.
As expected, on this mere 1600 meters, Fujimasa March unleashed that "heavenly" Front Runner break once again.
Like a silver-white storm, she charged alone down the road to victory, leaving the other horse girls far behind.
The only one who could barely keep up was a single streak of gray-white light.
With the boost of her brand-new Domain — Miracle White Star, and the unique skill Christmas Eve Miracle Run!, the gap between her and Fujimasa March narrowed a little.
But that boundless wall—built from dozens of legendary gold skills—still loomed like an uncrossable chasm.
In the end, the outcome didn't surprise anyone.
"Finish!"
"The winner of the Yasuda Kinen is—Fujimasa March!"
"A victory like a raging gale. She defends her authority as the strongest active horse girl once again—truly the Spring-and-Autumn Mile King!"
Amid the commentator's congratulations and the cheers of tens of thousands, Fujimasa March claimed the crown of Spring-and-Autumn Mile King.
(End of Chapter)
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