Clatter.
"Good! After! Noon!"
The lounge door boomed open from outside, and a little head poked around the frame to look at Stardust Mirage.
Your cute little Tei-bao suddenly appears.jpg
"May I come in?"
Before she could answer, Teio bounded in with a beaming smile.
She'd already changed into a brand-new stage outfit—sharp yet playful—and looked doubly adorable.
"Teio… don't ask only after you've already come in."
Stardust Mirage, just woken, opened her eyes helplessly. Looking at the racehorse who'd just beaten her, her feelings were complicated.
"Sorryyy."
Teio apologized with no sincerity at all, then plopped down by the bed, her eyes glittering as if they could shine.
She's not here to rub in the win, is she?
Sitting up, straightening her clothes, feeling her limbs mostly recovered, Stardust Mirage silently groaned.
Having just lost—and now she's come to me. Is Tokai Teio here to deliver the ultimate humiliation of the victor?!
"Um, hey!" Teio said excitedly, grabbing Stardust Mirage's left hand. "What was that footwork—can you tell me?"
"...Eh?"
"That one! The one you used to pass me!"
Seeing Stardust still hadn't grasped what she meant, Teio sprang up from the chair.
She struck an exaggerated running pose, lifted one leg straight up, then stomped it down hard—
She meant Shukuchi.
Teio's demonstration wasn't very standard, but Stardust Mirage still got it. The only thing that followed was helplessness.
Teio's "instant familiarity" personality—Stardust knew it from her previous life. But still, this was too familiar, wasn't it? Only one day after meeting, and only just having raced head-to-head—and she could ask a rival to teach her running?
"That move is super amazing! You go whoosh and vanish, then you're in front. I've never seen anyone at the Academy use it—did you think it up yourself, Mirage?"
Talk about running and Teio got fired up. Her ears on top of her head twitched nonstop. She buzzed around Stardust's bed, peering with endless curiosity.
For her, taking the debut crown should have been a piece of cake; yet she was nearly beaten by this new friend she'd only met that morning, and only by bursting her grit, even she hadn't expected—a third spurt—did she barely secure the title.
Teio didn't feel shame; she rejoiced in finding such a strong opponent. From childhood, countless hopes had been placed on Tokai Teio; for the first time she felt her fighting spirit blaze in the race.
Stardust Mirage—this racehorse who twice outpaced her—Teio couldn't wait to learn everything about this fine rival!
Seeing Teio's look turn from curious to more… predatory, Stardust hurriedly said:
"That running move was something I messed around with at my hometown job. I call it Shukuchi—I can teach you, Teio, but I don't think it fits your legs."
As she spoke, her eyes moved to Teio's legs.
They were straight, slender, fine legs; streamlined muscle hugged the bone, with a residual scorch from the race under the pale skin…
"Stardust Mirage?"
Seeing her start palpating the muscles of her legs, Teio looked confused.
"Your legs really are very soft."
Stardust spoke words that sounded like teasing, but her face was serious.
"Shukuchi relies on straight-leg kicks and stomps, forcibly enduring huge impact to exchange for a sudden lunge. If your legs used that, Teio, it could directly cause a fracture."
As for me—I can only rely on the system's body template to keep that move from breaking my foot.
She added the second half silently—she didn't want the already ill-fated Tokai Teio to suffer even worse injury.
"It doesn't fit me? Then forget it!"
Teio blinked. Her ponytail swished left and right. She nodded and didn't suspect Stardust of lying.
"Teio, that's very rude."
A third voice came from the doorway, cutting off the two.
The instant Stardust heard it, her whole body shuddered—she felt as if a monster had fixed on her; if she twitched, she'd be bitten and gnawed to pieces…
"Ah, it's the President!"
Teio seemed utterly oblivious to the pressure, instead crying out in delight and turning.
The demon king… is here?!
Stardust's whole body froze; she couldn't even turn her head. The pressure felt like being placed in Avici Hell.
And the name Teio had shouted…
"Is it the Emperor?" With effort, she finally managed to speak—a moment later, that pressure swept away, as if it had never been.
"Hello, I'm Symboli Rudolf, President of the Central Tracen Academy student council… You're Stardust Mirage, right?"
The owner of that commanding voice looped her left arm around the pouncing Teio and held her securely, then extended her right hand to Stardust.
Stardust looked at that hand—seemingly not broad, yet very powerful. When she clasped it, her own hand felt wholly enveloped…
"V-very pleased to meet you, Emperor."
Stardust, a bit tongue-tied, shook Symboli Rudolf's hand with both of hers, up and down.
In her previous world, this would have been just an ordinary horse girl; in this one, though, she was status-laden enough to influence decisions at the biggest institution in the horse-girl world: the JRA.
She definitely didn't want to offend such a big shot for no reason—come to think of it, since the Emperor had come to watch, maybe it was good she didn't win today? Otherwise, with the doting father's Emperor, she might have been quietly sunk into Tokyo Bay…
While Stardust was fretting, Rudolf had already drawn back her hand. She couldn't guess what this rookie was thinking, but she was used to all sorts of strange behavior when people first met her.
"Since I have other matters soon, I'll keep it short."
Rudolf snapped her fingers in front of Stardust to pull back her attention, then continued:
"First, would you like to come to the Central Tracen Academy for training? We'll provide the training most suited to you and recommend the right trainer, ensuring every horse girl gains something."
It sounded like standard admissions pitch, but Stardust knew it wasn't false.
For a horse girl, the Central didn't just mean access to higher-level races; in training and in opponents, it was an all-around elevation—the nation's premier school, deservedly.
"But I didn't register… Oh, I get it." She suddenly thought of that old tale about Huang Shiren the tyrant forcibly taking a bride.
She realized these "difficulties" were nothing for Symboli Rudolf, and if she could get into the Central, she'd have a higher stage whether for prize money or for running itself. Thinking so, she quickly nodded:
"If possible, I'd like to ask for your help, Emperor! I want to go to the Central!"
"Great! Stardust Mirage, come to Team Spica—let's train together!" Teio shouted, but was promptly set down and gently pushed out by Rudolf—
"Eh—President, why?!" Teio looked stricken. "I want to keep chatting with Mirage!!!"
"The next topic isn't for you to hear. Go get ready for what's coming," Rudolf ignored the pouting. "Because it involves someone else."
She shut the door, then turned back to Stardust.
What was she going to say?
Why chase Teio away?
Did getting into the Central actually require her to pay some price?
Nervous, Stardust's hands tightened on the bedframe as she waited.
"Since admitting you is decided, I'll have someone reach out to you to complete the process quickly."
Rudolf pulled a stack of papers from inside her jacket and offered them.
Stardust looked down—they were transfer and registration documents. She quickly took them with both hands.
"Now, the second matter," Rudolf released the papers, eyes locking on Stardust. "There's a horse girl who wants to see you. She'd like to talk about your running."
"My running? You mean Shukuchi?"
"No."
Rudolf stamped one foot and a wave of air thumped out. She was only wearing ordinary trainers today—no shoes with plates—but when she lifted her right leg, Stardust could clearly see the shallow pit left in the concrete beneath.
This is reinforced concrete!
Before Stardust could gawp, Rudolf went on evenly:
"The one who wants to meet is Oguri Cap and her trainer… They want to talk about the closing kick you switched into on the third turn."
Oguri Cap and her trainer… want to see me?
Stardust felt like a fake "Li Gui" suddenly asked to meet the real "Li Kui."
Her system-granted finisher, "Holy Night's Miracle Runner," had its prototype in Christmas Oguri Cap—now the original had come straight to her.
But being found after only one use—wasn't that rights-enforcement a little too on the ball?!
In Rudolf's eyes, Stardust's panic was understandable; after all, that "monster" wanted to meet her.
Ever since Oguri Cap made her name at the Central, she'd been dubbed the "gray monster." Ordinary horse girls would run away crying if she so much as glanced at them.
"You don't need to be too worried," Rudolf comforted. "It's about Oguri's final G1."
"Oguri Cap's last race—what do you mean?"
Stardust asked quickly.
"Yes. This year's Arima Kinen will be her retirement race. After that, aside from the Dream Cup, Oguri won't be entering any other races."
Rudolf sighed. She had personally recruited Oguri from the regions, and Oguri hadn't disappointed—sweeping forward and proving her monstrous strength.
But lately, Oguri's condition hadn't been ideal. She and her trainer decided to make the year-end Arima, the most important race, her swan song.
From then on, perhaps only the Dream Cup, which the Three Goddesses blessed and restored every horse girl to peak condition, would see that gray-white phantom.
"If possible…"
Rudolf hesitated, but still spoke:
"What follows is only a request from me as a friend; no pressure… If you can, please help Oguri a bit.
For this retirement race, I hope she can truly present her monstrous splendor and put a perfect period to her graded-career."
"Wait, wait, wait—"
Seeing Rudolf bow to her, Stardust scrambled off the bed to hoist her up.
"So what exactly do you want me to help with? A horse girl like Oguri Cap is way stronger than me, right?"
She kept Rudolf from bending further, asking.
Feeling the strength in her arm, Rudolf didn't resist. She lowered her head and looked at Stardust's feet:
"Oguri's already watched the race video, so she and her trainer came to me… She wants to learn your way of running—the one I mentioned: what you displayed in the back half."
Oguri Cap… wants to learn my running?
Good heavens, Oguri Cap wants to learn the Christmas Cap big finisher!
Stardust almost didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Of course, I'll see that you're given appropriate compensation—you won't be shorted just because of any disparity in status," Rudolf added, to ease any concerns.
"I've got no problem."
Understanding the whole picture, Stardust agreed at once.
In her view, although this finisher was drawn by the system, it did come from Christmas Oguri Cap.
Now that Oguri wanted to learn it, she certainly had no thought to make things difficult. You could call it karmic balance.
Or say the Hat God arranged it all long ago… the Hat Sect.
"In that case, today is December 1st. Oguri would like you to pick a date on or before December 15th—she and her trainer will come visit.
That way, after learning, she'll still have time to practice. How about it—any trouble?"
"Let's do the 3rd. As for the location, could I ask you to arrange it, Emperor?"
Seeing Stardust agree so readily, Rudolf couldn't help smiling too. Having fulfilled a friend's request, she felt a weight lift.
"That's no problem at all—then, I won't disturb you further." Once again, she extended her right hand to Stardust Mirage and shook. "After all, the winners' stage is soon."
"Then… huh?" Just as she was about to wave goodbye, Stardust Mirage went rigid.
Her smile turned rictus. "The w—winners' stage… can't Teio go alone?"
"Of course not. The winners' stage has the champion as lead vocalist, but second and third are also primary performers."
Seeing her reaction, Rudolf added:
"Don't worry. Since it's a debut, the bar won't be that high. Just a bit of hopping and bouncing will do."
You're still tricking me!
Stardust remembered "Generalissimo"'s mortifying debut. She'd been practicing actual racing for less than a month, never mind live performance.
She'd never performed live in two lifetimes; she'd absolutely be mocked again!
"But I don't even have a stage outfit—"
"That's not a problem either. The stage setup will prepare all that. You just need to get on stage," Rudolf said, watching Stardust's panic with great amusement.
Same hometown, same closing-kick method, and now the same first winners' stage worries—this horse girl overlapped strongly with the Oguri Cap in her memories.
But there was one difference between them.
The desire for victory.
Unlike that monster, Oguri Cap, whose eyes fixed only on victory, Stardust, though she wanted to win, hadn't shown that willingness to stake everything.
But this wasn't something Rudolf meant to point out; only through run after run could Stardust grasp it for herself.
"I hope when you meet Oguri, you'll gain something too," Symboli Rudolf finished.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
If you'd like to read more, you can Joining to my Patreon.
My Patreon: p*treon*com/Hydran_Tea
Chainsaw Man: The Covenant of Flame Demon [ 83 Chapter ]
Uma Musume: Wait—you want me to pop my Christmas Hat Ultimate? [ 62 Chapter ]