That afternoon, at the Mejiro training grounds.
The place was especially lively today, overflowing everywhere with youthful energy and sweat.
On the wide track, the Three Goddesses were diligently instructing Mejiro McQueen.
Well... more accurately speaking,
Byerley Turk was the one earnestly teaching McQueen her footwork and how to apply force properly.
As for Darley Arabian and Godolphin Barb, the two goddesses looked more like they were on vacation, lazily slacking off at the side.
And on two other sections of the grounds, apart from McQueen's lane...
Aoi Kiryuin was putting Tokai Teio through special shuttle-run training.
Meanwhile, Nase Fumino stood with a stopwatch in hand, eyes fixed on Bourbon as she went through endurance work.
Both little teams were pouring out sweat and passion.
Not far away, along the corridor beside the training grounds outside the semi-open trainer's office, Kuroha leaned against the wall, quietly admiring the lively scene before him.
His own Chasing Light was really growing bigger and stronger now.
Just then, a cool, commanding voice drifted out from the room behind him.
"Mm. There's nothing wrong with your logic, at least. Looks like you both memorized the materials I gave you quite thoroughly."
Turning toward the voice, he saw the student council president of Central Tracen sitting there with several test papers in hand.
Her long legs in stockings were crossed, and between the hem of her skirt and the tops of her stockings was a clean strip of pale skin.
Across from her, Rice Shower and Nice Nature sat upright and stiff, looking so nervous they resembled elementary schoolers being lectured by their homeroom teacher.
A few days earlier, after Tokai Teio's Satsuki Sho, Rudolf had kept her promise and made time to come to the Mejiro training grounds specifically to teach Rice Shower how to control and use her demonic aptitude.
And afterward, for reasons Kuroha did not know, Rudolf had apparently said something to Nice Nature's trainer.
That trainer had readily agreed to temporarily put Nice Nature's current training program on hold, so she could come here first and fully develop her own demonic aptitude.
Looking at the two adorable juniors in front of her, Rudolf set down the test papers in her hands and smiled lightly.
"What I had you memorize over the past few days was a set of materials compiled jointly by many trainers from Central Tracen Academy over the years. They cover the behavioral tendencies and psychological activity patterns of different horse girls during races."
After a pause, Rudolf added, "But what I showed you before was only a small portion of it."
"When you have time, you should go to the library and read through the full set."
At that, both horse girls nodded hurriedly.
"Rice understands, President."
The black-haired girl nervously pinched the hem of her skirt, but still gathered her courage and raised her head, answering with serious eyes.
Rice Shower's personality was rather withdrawn, and she was easily frightened and embarrassed.
But after spending so long in Chasing Light, under the influence of all the girls around her, she had long since begun to realize that the power within her was completely different from that of ordinary Central horse girls.
Beside her, Nice Nature scratched her cheek and said a little awkwardly,
"If the president says so, then got it. I'll read more when I go back."
Even now, she still did not understand why the great Emperor and the head trainer of Chasing Light would take notice of such an ordinary person like her.
But since she was being valued this much, if she kept drifting through life the way she used to, then she really would be letting that expectation down.
She had to become someone capable of carrying the weight of that attention.
"Good."
Rudolf nodded in satisfaction, then continued,
"But what you get from books always remains shallow in the end. The next phase of training won't just require memorizing material. You'll need a great deal of practical work as well."
Practical work?
Rice Shower and Nice Nature both froze slightly, then lifted their heads to look at Rudolf's imposing face in disbelief.
Surely she was not planning to make two little horse girls, one still basically a rookie and the other only in her Classic year, do practical training against the Emperor herself?
Ah. What a promising future awaited them.
The two girls exchanged a look and saw the same miserable despair in each other's eyes.
Rudolf did not notice their expressions. Instead, she lifted her chin and called out,
"Kuroha, I'm leaving the rest to you!"
"?"
Kuroha, suddenly called by name, blinked and turned around, looking at Rudolf in confusion.
Seeing him look over, Rudolf smiled lightly.
"With your learning ability, after watching from the side these past few days, you should already understand how to train a horse girl's demonic aptitude by now, shouldn't you?"
"To do this kind of training, you need a lot of puzzle pieces with clear answers as targets."
"I can't exactly find that many suitable horse girls to cooperate in this kind of high-intensity resistance training. So I'll have to trouble you with it, Kuroha~"
As she finished, Rudolf even gave him a slightly playful wink.
"..."
Why are you suddenly acting like a cute girl?
Kuroha stared at her with a face full of black lines, utterly speechless.
"Since when does the great Emperor try to slack off too?"
"This is called letting professionals handle professional work."
Rudolf swayed her head slightly, entirely without guilt, and replied in a perfectly righteous tone,
"When all's said and done, I'm just a horse girl too. When it comes to training plans, how could I possibly compare to a professional trainer like you?"
Off to the side, Rice Shower and Nice Nature glanced at each other as they watched the two heavyweights interact so casually.
But deep in their lowered eyes, two strange crimson glints flashed in secret, visible only to each other.
Nice Nature blinked several times in a row, silently conveying her gossip.
'It really feels like... the president and your trainer aren't exactly just ordinary acquaintances, are they?'
The two exchanged looks, both their little faces carrying a trace of curiosity and sudden understanding.
In the end, after being worn down by the shameless Emperor's relentless pestering, Kuroha could only helplessly accept the job of practical sparring partner.
Still, there was one thing Rudolf had definitely not been wrong about.
With Kuroha's terrifying learning ability, he had already thoroughly grasped the underlying logic behind how to train this power called demonic aptitude.
And not just red skills, either.
During this period, he had even begun to vaguely understand how some of the already unlocked skills in the system shop, especially those with limited or highly specialized functions, could be trained in reality.
"Maybe... it'll happen even faster than I expected..."
Feeling the Blessing Power inside his body growing more and more turbulent, more and more full with every passing moment, Kuroha smiled softly and shook his head before turning and walking inside.
(End of Chapter)
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