Right in front of the Victory Stage, Offside Trap's dancing was, by any objective standard, not graceful in the slightest.
The last time she had seriously practiced Victory Stage choreography dated all the way back to her Classic year. After that, she had remained trapped in the mire of being unable to win even a graded race, never managing to climb out.
And ever since she had partnered with Teruizumi Shinji, although her trainer had steadily refined her strength and turned her into one of the very best horse girls in Japan, he had never once made her resume training for Victory Stage performances. So now, no matter how hard she tried to remember, she still made mistake after mistake in the dance.
But the crowd below had absolutely no complaints.
Even if Offside Trap had done nothing at all and simply stood there, they would still have given her their most passionate applause. That astonishing performance in the Japan Cup had already earned her the complete recognition of Japan's racing fans.
Now all they were waiting for was an official announcement from Offside Trap's camp about which overseas race she would target.
In one corner of the stands, a horse girl watched Offside Trap with a lost expression in her eyes.
The people around her were swaying in time with the music, and in a crowd that lively it was impossible not to get jostled now and then. Every time someone bumped into her, disgust flashed across her face with perfect timing.
It was obvious that she did not fit into an environment this noisy and exuberant at all.
And yet, for the sake of something she had set her heart on, she had no choice but to stand there.
Her eyes remained fixed on Offside Trap.
A girl who had once been a complete nobody had suddenly erupted onto the scene in the span of a single autumn. She did not understand how it had happened, but the more she thought of it, the more all the praise she had once received for being a genius felt like a cruel joke. She nearly had the urge to lower her head in shame.
She clenched her fists hard.
That winner, dancing so clumsily onstage, only made the unwillingness in her chest burn fiercer.
Her thoughts drifted to another girl from her own generation. From her very first Victory Stage onward, that girl had never been able to deliver even one flawless performance, yet she had still become the Derby winner of their generation, the conqueror of the most exalted race of the Classic season.
Neither of them had ever been first-rate at things like this.
Drawing a deep breath, she tossed back her wavy hair and forced herself to maintain an elegant posture. Even when people nearby shoved into her, she refused to let that composed expression slip.
Her gaze gradually shifted lower, toward the most prominent seat in the very front row.
The secretary, who always wore that gentle smile for her in daily life, was now chatting merrily with a man. She could not hear what they were discussing, but from there she could see the man's profile clearly.
It was hard to describe the air he gave off, but she could sense a steadiness in him that did not seem like it should belong to someone his age.
And a trainer who could be recognized and treated so warmly by Miss Hayakawa was certainly no ordinary person.
She did not know how to put her current feelings into words.
In this lively square, everyone's attention was on the horse girls performing atop the Victory Stage. Only she alone stood there at a crossroads, forced to choose a path for her uncertain future—a path that would likely amount to a desperate all-or-nothing gamble.
Time would not wait for her anymore.
Her dream of winning the Triple Crown had already burst like a bubble, and the road ahead remained hazy. The praise she had once been showered with had now turned into whispers behind her back, and the person she had once respected most had become her greatest pressure—one she could neither overcome nor avoid.
"You have to take this step..."
She muttered the words to herself, forcing courage into her own heart.
Back during the selection trials, she had not been chosen by any top-class trainer. Unwilling to settle for a second-tier one instead, she had secretly sworn that even without a trainer, she would still become a first-rate horse girl.
But now, it seemed that perhaps all of that had been nothing more than wishful thinking on her part.
Talent, after all, was judged by results. What could not be realized was never truly talent.
Her eyes turned toward the side of the Victory Stage, where the performers would exit after the show ended.
Then she spun on her heel and began forcing her way back through the crowd. Those dancing, cheering people were powerless to stop her charge.
They could only curse after her as they watched her back disappear into the distance.
…
Hayakawa Tazuna felt that after just one trip abroad, Teruizumi Shinji had changed enormously.
The junior she had once worried over, who had also known confusion and uncertainty, had finally grown from a young man with talent and promise into a trainer who now carried the aura of a future legend.
She continued talking with him about a few ideas regarding horse-girl development as the two of them headed toward the exit, planning to wait by the side of the stage for Offside Trap afterward.
They had already agreed to hold a celebratory dinner that evening, and Narita Brian and the others would all be coming as well.
"You've got a point there. When I was in America this time, I saw that some of the medications they use over there are—"
Mid-sentence, Tazuna's gaze stopped on the horse girl who was very obviously waiting for someone.
She was not some unknown nobody. Tazuna clearly remembered her as one of the much-discussed prodigies from the junior division a few years back.
"Halo, are you waiting for someone?"
She asked with a smile, already starting to shrug off her coat when she noticed how lightly dressed the girl was.
"No, thank you—"
The girl hurriedly waved away her kindness. Then, noticing that both of them had stopped talking and were now looking at her, she bit down hard and forced herself onward.
"I was waiting for you."
"For us?"
Tazuna blinked in surprise. Confusion flickered in her eyes, then quickly gave way to understanding. She stole a glance at Shinji, who clearly still had not caught on and seemed entirely unconcerned.
She poked him in the waist with a finger.
Shinji, not understanding what on earth she was trying to do, frowned and looked over.
"For him?"
With her intentions laid bare, Saint King Halo did not seem startled in the least. Hayakawa Tazuna was simply that kind of secretary—so kind, so perceptive—that the entire Central Tracen Academy adored her for it.
"Yes!"
She answered firmly, then immediately turned her eyes toward Teruizumi Shinji.
At the moment he was rubbing at the corner of one eye, and it was obvious that he did not have any strong impression of her.
"Hello, Mr. Teruizumi. I'm Saint King Halo. I'm…"
She stalled for a second.
At present, she had no achievements worth boasting about, and her face instantly flushed bright red.
The exit corridor suddenly felt oppressively silent. The heat in her body surged even higher, but she forced herself to continue.
"I'm... someone who dreams of becoming a first-rate horse girl, and I want... I want your guidance."
Tilting his head slightly, Shinji studied the horse girl, who looked mortified with embarrassment yet still managed to remain utterly serious. At last, a faint impression surfaced in his mind.
The girl before him seemed to be from the same generation as that horse girl named Seiun Sky. He had seen her in the footage of the Satsuki Sho and the Derby.
Didn't she get completely blown apart in the Derby? Wasn't she one of those not-so-bright horse girls?
[Possibly.]
The system's tone, for some reason, sounded annoyingly smug. Shinji clicked his tongue, and then the status panel appeared before his eyes.
[Horse Girl: Saint King Halo
Condition: Terrible
Popularity: 20,147
Trainer: None
Three Goddesses' Blessings: 0
Unique Skill: Call Me King Lv. 4
[When able to calmly plan out the race, she can bring out her strength in the final 200 meters, increasing speed.]
Special Status: Sleep-Deprived
Equipped Item: Halo Crest
[As long as the horse girl maintains her pride, slightly increases competitiveness.]
More suited to Power and Grit training.]
"…?"
Looking at that equipment item called Halo Crest, Shinji felt this was the single funniest piece of gear he had ever seen. Not just because its effect seemed almost useless, but because of the condition attached to it—as long as she maintains her pride.
He genuinely did not know what expression he was supposed to make.
"She's a very good child, Shinji," Tazuna said beside him, seeing that he was still studying Saint King Halo. "She has remarkable perseverance, and she doesn't yield in the face of setbacks…"
"Is that so?"
Shinji frowned slightly, reminded once more of the Dream Cup League.
It was not just that he himself had already thought about the fact that Offside Trap alone could not possibly shoulder the whole thing forever. Tazuna herself had also casually brought up earlier that they needed to start preparing for what came next.
He was just about to nod and tell Saint King Halo to come find him at the training grounds tomorrow so he could give her a test and properly assess her—
When a prompt suddenly rang out in his ear.
[Negative Energy +80]
He turned around.
There stood the young girl, poised and lovely, gazing at her trainer with bright, blinking eyes. Offside Trap's expression looked perfectly calm and sweet—but something about it immediately struck Shinji as off.
"Trainer!"
She ran up to him and threw her arms around one of his, clinging tight.
Her grip was stronger than it should have been, enough to hurt a little.
Offside Trap had not fumbled her control over her own strength like this in quite some time.
[Hehehe!]
Ignoring the system's utterly incomprehensible giggling, Shinji first flexed his arm slightly to get Offside Trap to loosen her grip, then said:
"Then tomorrow it is. I'll give you a test. Add me later."
As he spoke, his eyes sharpened, and the hint of delight on Saint King Halo's face instantly turned serious.
"My test is extremely strict. You'd better prepare yourself mentally…"
[Negative Energy +80]
"You never gave me that kind of warning back then."
The horse girl at his side spoke in a faintly reproachful tone.
Shinji completely missed the subtle shift in her voice, though Tazuna's eyes flickered slightly. She had clearly noticed something.
"You're comparing that too?"
Shinji rolled his eyes.
"No, not at all. But tomorrow, let me test her together with you. It'll make the results more accurate."
"You just raced today. Are you sure you can handle that?"
"No problem at all, Trainer!"
She answered with such spirited confidence that Shinji could not see the slightest trace of fatigue on her. In the end, he nodded.
"All right…"
That was his agreement. With Offside Trap there as a benchmark, it would indeed be easier to assess Saint King Halo's strength, temperament, and overall aptitude.
"Then it's settled."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 132)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
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