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Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: Fierce Chase! The Japanese Derby!

...

Some time before the race.

The horse girls hadn't yet faced off in the Japanese Derby, but the trainers' office was already filled with tension.

"Hana, are you saying El Condor Pasa is also participating in this Japanese Derby?" Nishizaki Ryo leaned back in his seat, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

"Mhm." Toujou Hana responded absentmindedly, not even pausing the pen in her hand.

"This time, I've entered King Halo in the Japanese Derby. That girl has incredible potential."

Toujou Hana glanced sideways. "Oh? That girl has such poor judgment? You didn't use some underhanded method, did you?"

Nishizaki Ryo guiltily rubbed his nose. "Never mind that. With my guidance, King Halo might just outrun El Condor Pasa."

Not that it was his idea... That was all Gold Ship's doing. Nothing to do with him.

"We'll see." Toujou Hana had absolute confidence in El Condor Pasa and paid no heed to Nishizaki Ryo's words.

Nearby, Lucian noticed their conversation and joined in.

"Hana-nee, why didn't you have El Condor Pasa participate in the Yayoi Sho and Satsuki Sho?"

Before Toujou Hana could answer, Nishizaki Ryo joked, "If she had, Special Week and Seiun Sky would've had a much harder time winning~"

Lucian didn't comment, but things might be different now.

Toujou Hana set down her pen and spoke in a mentor-like tone, earnest and patient. "It's not that I didn't let her. That girl knew there was a racecourse better suited for her. As trainers, we should prioritize our horse girls and respect their wishes. Training is the exception, of course."

"Oh? So Hana finally admits she's a training maniac?"

Toujou Hana clenched her fist, a vein popping on her forehead. "Shut up!"

Lucian understood Toujou Hana's perspective perfectly. His own training philosophy revolved around prioritizing the horse girls.

Perhaps that was exactly why he felt so conflicted and troubled over the matter of Silence Suzuka.

"Lucian-kun, your team's entries for the Derby are Seiun Sky and Special Week, right?" Nishizaki Ryo asked.

"Mhm."

"Then you'd better watch out too~" Clearly, Nishizaki Ryo had come prepared—otherwise, he wouldn't be so confident.

But Lucian wasn't concerned. In his view, no matter how high King Halo's potential was, it would be difficult to fully unleash it through training in such a short time.

The real opponent to watch out for was El Condor Pasa.

So far, El Condor Pasa had achieved four consecutive wins. It was possible she had already touched the same realm as Seiun Sky.

But so what? Lucian had complete faith in Seiun Sky and Special Week.

He stood up from his seat, ready to leave. "Hana-nee, this is the first time our two teams are competing against each other, isn't it?"

"Mhm. Lucian-kun, are you declaring war?" Toujou Hana looked at him, sensing how much he had grown.

Lucian smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just really looking forward to this race."

After his grand declarations, Nishizaki Ryo suddenly felt ignored. "Well, can I declare war on both of you then?"

Toujou Hana didn't respond, while Lucian had already reached the door. "Nishizaki-senpai, you should focus on spending quality time with Hana-nee. Try not to make her angry."

He winked and swiftly shut the door behind him.

"Hey, you brat—" Nishizaki Ryo dropped his carefree act, only to meet Toujou Hana's murderous glare. "Hana..."

"Shut up."

...

The day of the Japanese Derby.

In the spectator stands, this time only Haru Urara and Silence Suzuka were by Lucian's side.

"The day has finally come. It's time to see what these horse girls are truly made of."

If Seiun Sky won again this time, she would have a chance to become a Triple Crown horse girl, leaving an indelible mark in racing history.

But if Special Week won, that would also be reasonable—expected, even.

After her loss in the Satsuki Sho, Special Week's mentality had noticeably shifted. She could now fully immerse herself in training, and her performance metrics had improved significantly.

Of course, there was another possibility: El Condor Pasa achieving her fifth consecutive win.

As the trainer of "Dream," Lucian naturally rooted for his own horse girls.

"Trainer, what's all that mumbling about?" Haru Urara asked curiously.

"I was just praising how smart you are."

"Really?" Haru Urara slowly blinked, her expression utterly guileless.

"Nope, just kidding~"

"Lucian-kun, the race is about to start... Please stop teasing Urara." Silence Suzuka closed her eyes, exasperated by his childish behavior.

"Yeah, yeah! No wonder Spe-chan says you always bully people!"

Lucian chuckled and fell silent, turning his gaze to the track.

...

"The race has begun! All competitors have started smoothly with no early laggers."

"The outer horse girls are cutting inward..."

"King Halo takes the lead! She's sticking to her front-running strategy!"

"Fan-favorite El Condor Pasa is currently in seventh place, with Special Week and Seiun Sky ahead of her."

...

The overall pace of this race was slow.

After taking the lead, King Halo didn't push to widen the gap—likely on Nishizaki Ryo's advice.

Special Week, a closer-type runner, actually benefited from this leisurely pace.

Seiun Sky cleverly positioned herself in the middle of the pack, where she could observe the movements of the surrounding horse girls.

Moreover, this spot was toward the front of the mid-pack, allowing her to avoid congestion when rounding the turns and break free from the crowded group behind.

...

"Approaching the final turn! The rear runners are starting to accelerate, and the inner lanes are getting crowded!"

"King Halo still holds the lead!"

King Halo was the first to pick up speed, trying to widen the gap.

But behind her, Seiun Sky and the others maintained their rhythm, biding their time.

...

"They've cleared the final turn! Which horse girl will break away first—Seiun Sky is accelerating! She's charging straight for King Halo from the middle!"

"The gap is closing... King Halo seems to be struggling!"

On the sidelines, Nishizaki Ryo's expression grew tense. "Still too impatient..."

...

"Sorry, King-senpai! See you later, King-senpai!"

Seiun Sky devoured the distance between them, going from trailing to side-by-side before gradually overtaking King Halo to take the lead.

"Damn it!" King Halo gritted her teeth and pushed harder, but the cruelest thing was watching herself get passed with no way to fight back.

At the same time...

"Special Week is starting her sprint!"

The long-dormant Special Week surged from behind. With ample stamina for her final kick, this was exactly what she wanted!

"Will the winner of this race be decided between Special Week and Seiun Sky!?"

"Wait—El Condor Pasa is bursting through from the outside!"

Her form was like a monstrous bird skimming the track, her flowing racing silks fluttering wildly in the wind.

"Spe-chan, Seiun, the victory is mine!"

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