"Very well. I will wait for the day you achieve that great ambition. But before that, there is one thing you must do first."
"What is it?"
"That is to be admitted to Central Tracen Academy."
"Teio, can you do that?"
"Yes!"
"I will be admitted to Tracen Academy with the first-place score."
Tokai Teio, pointing to the sky, seemed to be saying I am the apex. Her still-childish face radiated an aura of having triumphed across countless battlefields without defeat.
This child...
Symboli Rudolf's intuition as a Horse Girl made her feel a sense of fate. The sun seemed to be standing precisely where Tokai Teio was.
Was she the talented next generation?
That was the fated encounter between Tokai Teio and Symboli Rudolf.
When she returned home, her mother asked about the race, and Tokai Teio simply recounted what had happened that day.
"Since you made a promise to that person, you must keep your word."
Her mother gently stroked Tokai Teio's small head.
Tokai Teio answered with a confident expression: "Yes! I will definitely become the apex!"
"Mom believes in you. But before that, you must, as that person said, be admitted to Central Tracen Academy."
"Then I will be admitted with the first-place score!"
Although her memories had awakened, Tokai Teio's demeanor with her mother hadn't changed.
Their mother-daughter life was as warm as ever.
Afterward, Tokai Teio maintained a positive and optimistic attitude throughout her elementary school studies.
In the year she underwent her full Honkakuka (full maturation/awakening), she successfully passed the entrance exam for Central Tracen Academy with the highest score.
On the day school started, she stepped into Japan's highest-level Horse Girl academy, facing the sun's rays.
Symboli Rudolf was already standing by the window of the student council room.
When she saw the familiar figure step through the school gate, a smile appeared on her face.
"You've arrived, Teio."
Although it was only a chance encounter, Tokai Teio's declaration at the time seemed like the boast of an immature child who didn't know her place.
However, Symboli Rudolf had genuinely become curious about Tokai Teio. That feeling of destiny prompted her to investigate Tokai Teio afterward.
She was then surprised to discover that the child might not have been boasting at all.
Because Tokai Teio was indeed a [Genius]. Symboli Rudolf had absolute confidence in this; her judgment was never wrong.
That child possessed talent far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even at this Central Tracen, that child's talent was top-tier.
To become an apex Horse Girl, one needs a combination of talent, effort, and luck.
But if asked what the most important factor was, it was unequivocally talent.
Innate talent determines the heights a Horse Girl can ultimately reach.
While luck and effort are also crucial, without talent, one cannot even step through the Central gate in the first place.
Therefore, upon discovering Tokai Teio's talent, Symboli Rudolf decided to follow her heart.
She would make Tokai Teio her successor.
For this purpose, after receiving the news of Tokai Teio's admission, she had already prepared a plan for Tokai Teio's debut.
Of course, this was out of her goodwill. If Tokai Teio had her own ideas, she would respect them.
The moment Tokai Teio stepped through the gate, several sneaky figures peeked out from the nearby bushes.
"Is that the girl?"
"Are we really going through with this?"
"Tch, don't you want our team to achieve greatness? That's the new first-year student! And she broke the entrance exam record!"
"Let's just do it."
Symboli Rudolf, by the window, also saw these figures.
"Gold Ship?"
"What are they planning now!"
The moment Tokai Teio walked past the bush, several figures wearing sunglasses and masks suddenly jumped out.
Symboli Rudolf's pupils contracted.
Danger!
She saw that these people were carrying not only a sack and a rope, but Gold Ship was also raising a baseball bat high.
Just as Gold Ship confidently thought she could knock out Tokai Teio with one hit, Tokai Teio suddenly shifted sideways, dodging the bat, and seamlessly turned around.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, behind Gold Ship, opened the sack and swung it towards her.
Tokai Teio easily dodged with a back-hop.
Only Special Week, who had just joined the team and whose coordination was lacking, stood frozen in place, looking utterly lost: "?"
"Bad news! She's a tough nut! Retreat quickly!"
Gold Ship, seeing the momentum was wrong, was the first to run away.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka instantly understood and scattered to escape as well.
Only Special Week, who hadn't run off, was left standing there, looking like the sky had fallen because she had just joined the team and their coordination was poor.
"Did everyone escape?"
The kidnapping team members regrouped in another small bush.
"Report: Special Week didn't make it out."
"Darn it! We didn't agree on the signal!"
"Curse it! No choice now. We'll have to sacrifice Special Week."
The moment the words fell, the eyes of the other two became intensely glaring.
This person is such scum.
That was the meaning in their eyes.
"Fine. I'll go out and distract the new student. You take the opportunity to rescue Special Week."
"Good."
"Let's do that!"
The other two immediately agreed.
Cold sweat poured from Gold Ship's forehead.
These two truly don't care about Little Kin-Fune's safety.
But now, she had to go!
Gold Ship charged out of the bush again.
"Look, a UFO!"
Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet immediately rushed out, grabbed Special Week's arms on either side, and fled at full speed.
Gold Ship looked at the emotionless Tokai Teio with a look of confusion.
"Why didn't you look over there?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Damn it! If that's the case, then I'll have to use my ultimate move!"
"Oh?"
Just as Tokai Teio was curious about what other moves this Weird Horse Girl had, Gold Ship suddenly slid down and performed a perfect Dogeza (Japanese kneeling apology).
"I'm terribly sorry! Please spare my life!"
"..."
Silence followed, punctuated by a gust of wind.
Tokai Teio then spoke with admiration: "As expected of you."
"So, what exactly did you want to do?"
Facing Tokai Teio's question, Gold Ship immediately played the stool pigeon, spilling the entire plan and purpose.
In simple terms, their team's rank was too low, and they desperately needed a powerful newcomer to boost them.
Tokai Teio had passed the entrance exam with the top score and even broken the record!
Tokai Teio's name had already spread throughout the academy before she even officially became a Horse Girl.
Therefore, for the sake of the team's development, Gold Ship and her friends resolutely decided to kidnap Tokai Teio into their team!
"What is your team's name?"
"Spica!"
"I'm leaving."
Tokai Teio instantly lost interest upon hearing the name.
Trainer Okino was too lackadaisical. Although she was strong, Tokai Teio didn't like being left to her own devices.
Unlike a certain Demon King, she actually enjoyed training.
Perhaps because she had trained with her mother since childhood, training was the best form of entertainment for her.
"Please, Great One, reconsider!"
Gold Ship suddenly hugged Tokai Teio's leg.
This sudden movement made Tokai Teio pause.
Did this person move faster than my reaction speed in that instant?
Her expression became serious. The world level had indeed increased.
This world's Gold Ship was clearly stronger than the ones in the previous worlds.
But it was strange. Since the world level had truly increased, why hadn't she seen the [Skill Manual]?
Speaking of which, did the President use skills during the race back then?
It seemed she did.
But it seemed rather ordinary?
Tokai Teio felt a little embarrassed thinking about this.
Oh no, the idol filter might be failing.
Ultimately, her admiration for the President was a feeling she had developed before her memories awakened.
She had decided to maintain that influence afterward, thinking it was fine.
But if she were to seriously analyze it, two faces would appear in her mind.
Saint McQueen was expressionless: "The Emperor? Merely a loser."
Demon King Ship laughed maniacally: "The Emperor? An old fogey who can't even win the Arc de Triomphe."
Begone! Quickly begone!
Tokai Teio quickly shook off the terrifying faces of those two.
Both of them were too extreme.
"Great One, join our team! Our team members will do anything for you!"
Snapping back to reality, Tokai Teio found Gold Ship still trying to persuade her.
This was attracting even more attention.
"How pitiful. Another person is being harassed by that Weird Horse Girl."
"Isn't that Tokai Teio, the one who took first place in the new student exam?"
"I heard that Team Spica has been using illegal methods to recruit members lately."
"I know about that. I heard that child named Special Week was also tricked into joining by Gold Ship and the others."
"Should we call security about this?"
"No, I think we should just report Team Spica directly to the student council members."
The murmurs intensified, making Tokai Teio feel a little uneasy, but Gold Ship seemed completely unaffected.
To be talked about like this, your team's reputation is quite pitiful.
Although it seemed that what they were saying was probably all true?
"I'm sorry, I want to ask the President's opinion about this. If the President tells me to join your team, then I will agree."
"Ah? Do you have a connection with the President?!"
Gold Ship scrambled up from the ground, looking at Tokai Teio with horror.
No way! Did she accidentally try to kidnap the Student Council President's relative? That's not good!
"..." Just as Tokai Teio was about to say no, the surrounding noise suddenly quieted down, and an aura swept across the field.
"Teio, welcome to Tracen Academy."
Symboli Rudolf's voice suddenly arrived.
Hearing the voice, Tokai Teio immediately turned around, and under Symboli Rudolf's gaze, she slowly raised her hand and pointed to the sky.
"As promised, I've been admitted with the first-place score."
Just like the day they first met, Tokai Teio shone brilliantly under the sun.
Everyone felt that the moment Tokai Teio made that gesture, she was the center of the world.
Symboli Rudolf smiled brightly after a slight pause.
"Yes, you have fulfilled our first promise. I trust you haven't forgotten the boast you made that day?"
"I will become the coolest Horse Girl in the world. I certainly haven't forgotten."
The moment Tokai Teio lowered her finger, that shining light seemed to vanish with it.
...
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