"Do you realize what you'll have to deal with now?"
"I know my own abilities. If I can't do what you said, people will trash-talk you. They'll say you're just some trainer who talks big."
She was grateful Hayato had saved her. But she worried more about his future than her own. Hayato said all that for her sake. She felt guilty about it.
"So what? A rookie trainer like me doesn't care about idle gossip." Hayato gave her a reassuring look, totally relaxed.
"You... Can't you stop with the big talk?"
King Halo got halfway through and froze, forcing two words out. "Thank you!"
The moment she finished, she huffed and turned her head away. Her face was red all the way to her ears. "Then I'll grant you the honor of guiding this King."
Buzz buzz buzz!
King Halo's phone rang while they walked. She checked it. Of course, it was that woman calling. She hesitated. She'd won the practice race today. Beat the most popular Grass Wonder.
At least I get some praise, right?
Hayato glanced at the "Mother" contact and smiled slightly. "If you want to answer, go ahead. Don't mind me."
King Halo answered anyway.
No storm of anger came. The voice on the phone was actually gentle.
"Hello, Mother. Did you watch today's race? I won..."
"Mm. Mediocre."
King Halo's heart sank.
No praise.
"Won one race and you can't wait to brag?"
"That was just an ordinary race for ordinary horse girls. Can't even be called a real race."
"You think this level is enough to pass your debut? You think GI races are this easy? Don't be ridiculous. Just come home. You being there just makes people thrashtalking..."
King Halo's tears finally broke through at that moment, spilling completely. They dripped onto her phone screen.
She'd just fought off wave after wave of attackers. After Hayato showed up, she'd barely survived.
And now her own mother stabbed her in the back.
No matter who you were, that would be impossible to take.
Maybe King's mother heard something wrong in the sounds and stopped talking.
Hayato glanced at the crying King Halo, snatched the phone, and shouted into it. "You call yourself a mother?"
"You only notice her abilities aren't as good as others, but do you know how hard she's worked behind the scenes?"
"Would it kill you to give her one word of encouragement? One word of praise?"
"Have you ever actually cared about her?"
"If you don't care about her, stop calling her like this!"
King Halo stared at Hayato completely dumbfounded, as spit flew everywhere.
After Hayato went off for several minutes, he handed the phone back to King Halo, who'd calmed down by then.
"Much better, thanks. My friends on the otherside this world and I been wanting to tell that woman to shut off her mouth." Hayato patted his chest to steady his breathing, looking refreshed.
Hayato unconsciously scratching the cheek, "Btw, can you not tell her before it wasn't me as your trainer, but other people?"
He really couldn't afford to piss off the King family.
Most people didn't know what kind of family the Kings were.
Simple example: King Halo's mother had seven GI victories.
Even if they weren't consecutive, very few horse girls could pull off that record.
Horse girls who'd done this included the Symboli Rudolf, the first Seven Crown horse girl. Then Fine Motion, the second Seven Crown.
There was also one with 8 wins in 10 career starts, once called Europe's strongest Horse King. Dancing Brave as King Halo's father, who'd won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe against Europe's toughest competition.
Anyone who knew racing understood what level the Arc de Triomphe was. Plenty of Triple Crown horse girls can't win.
This is why King Halo carries so much pressure and expectation, her lineage is exceptionally strong.
Shortly after Hayato left, a voice came from the phone. "He's your trainer, right?"
Not hard to guess. The only male voices at school belonged to trainers.
"Yeah. His name is Hayato." King Halo didn't bother hiding it.
"This person is quite interesting."
Several seconds of silence passed.
"I went too far with my words just now. Um, I... sorry..."
"It's fine. I'm used to it." King Halo didn't care. She'd never gotten her mother's approval but still called her "Mother."
She knew her mother's personality too well. A true first-rate horse girl wouldn't see anything wrong with those words.
She hadn't shown the abilities her mother expected. Being treated like that was normal.
"You ran really well today. Keep working hard... sorry..."
The phone beeped and cut off.
"Yeah. I understand." King Halo's tears flowed unconsciously again.
"I'll definitely win the Triple Crown and prove the King family's first-rate status."
"Hoho-ho-ho-ho~"
That's what she'd been waiting for. What she'd wanted to hear most.
The contract signing went smoothly. Like any contract, it needed a guarantor to prove validity.
Three copies total, with one going to the school.
They could just ask Hayakawa Tazuna to be the guarantor.
Once the contract took effect, his reward came through.
Exclusive contract with horse girl King Halo established. King Halo's bond level is now +10, now at Level 1.
Unlocked King Halo's personal profile. Can now view.
Name: King Halo Bond Level: 1 Brief: A haughty ojou-sama. Self-esteem through the roof! Self-introduction: Oh ho ho! My name is King Halo. As a first-rate horse girl, I'll definitely achieve the most brilliant results... After all, I must show the world my talent!
Division Dormitory: Ritto Dormitory
Height: 159cm Weight: Perfect! Birthday: April 28
Increase the bond level to unlock more information.
Retroactive reward of 12 attribute points issued. Can be allocated freely.
Hayato checked his current stats and dumped everything into Power.
Name: Hayato
Occupation: Trainer
Speed: 63+5
Stamina: 63
Power: 78+12
Guts: 73
Wit: 116+8
Overall Value: 333 E
Over the past few days, his speed and intelligence had increased through training and reading.
Not much, but compared to how fast horse girls trained, it was decent.
Just looking at King Halo and Seiun Sky, since they hadn't trained systematically, their stats hadn't grown much either.
The horse girl world was actually pretty dangerous just one hug or one kick could send you to the hospital. He needed some ability to defend himself, so early on, he'd focus mainly on Power.
Task Triggered...
Task Name: Proof of First-Rate
Task Content: Lead King Halo to participate in the Classic Series. Win one race, receive one task reward. Races must include the Classic Triple Crown.
Time Limit: One year.
Task Reward: Each race won earns one skill scroll, which unlocks random skills for the horse girl. Completing the Triple Crown achievement earns a rainbow-colored skill scroll.
Failure Penalty: Losing any race counts as failure. Failure results in everyone's doubt, the King family's resentment, student council exclusion...
After reading the task, Hayato went quiet.
Of course, this task showed up.
The Satsuki Sho and Derby were manageable. The hard one was the Kikka Sho. That 3000-meter distance was King Halo's toughest obstacle.
Based on how things normally develop, King Halo should only enter the Classic Series next year. Actually, King Halo's mother didn't want her to debut too early.
But Hayato knows something that everyone doesn't know, it's the Golden Generation.
After the Symboli Rudolf, the racing world had been quiet for years until Oguri Cap showed up. Oguri Cap's appearance kicked off a brand new era.
This era was called the Golden Generation.
Zones were everywhere in this era.
Triple Crown and Double Crown horse girls appeared constantly.
No strongest, only stronger.
Trying to win the Triple Crown in this era was borderline delusional.
And right now, the Golden Generation will begin. When Special Week arrived next year, every protagonist in the world would stand on the stage.
This task seemed impossible to refuse.
As King Halo said, the moment he accepted her, he'd already taken on the King family's first-rate responsibility.
If Hayato couldn't complete it, his job as a trainer would end.
Compared to the Golden Generation monsters, Hayato would rather pick on some unknown horse girls. To finish the task, he'd have to make King Halo's debut come earlier.
"Hey! Shouldn't we be training now? You do have a training plan, right? A plan to make me first-rate." King Halo was already nagging from the side.