...
"Go Spe-chan! Go Seiun! El Condor Pasa too!" Urara was familiar with all three of them, so she could only cheer for everyone at once.
Watching the situation on the field, Lucian grew increasingly tense.
When it came to the final sprint, Special Week was stronger than Seiun Sky. But at this moment, Seiun Sky was in the lead, with a certain distance advantage, making the outcome hard to predict.
...
The race reached its climax. The final 200 meters to the finish line became the decisive battleground. The spectators held their breaths, all on edge.
"Special Week is closing in on Seiun Sky! Meanwhile, El Condor Pasa charges up from the outer lane!"
The finish line—!!!
"The winner of the Japan Derby is—Special Week!"
After a few seconds of silence, the venue erupted with thunderous applause and cheers. In this intense chase, Special Week secured victory with her golden final sprint.
Following the brief celebration, the announcer's voice rang out again, "Second place... will now be determined through screen replay."
Hearing this, everyone was stunned, but the big screen had already begun replaying the footage.
"After confirmation by multiple judges, Seiun Sky and El Condor Pasa crossed the finish line simultaneously! They share second place! Third place goes to King Halo!"
Even Lucian hadn't anticipated this extremely unlikely outcome.
Still, as he expected, El Condor Pasa had indeed touched that realm.
...
Meanwhile, Silence Suzuka had left the spectator stands at some point and embraced Special Week.
"Spe-chan, you did it. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Suzuka!" Whether in victory or defeat, Special Week was never one to hold back her tears.
El Condor Pasa stood alone for a long while before finally coming to terms with her defeat. "A four-win streak... ended here."
She glanced toward Special Week and silently clenched her fist. "Spe-chan, I'll race you again. Next time, I'll be the one who wins."
Seiun Sky took one look at the lively celebration but chose not to interrupt, instead slipping away early into the entrance tunnel.
Her retreating figure didn't seem lonely—rather, it carried a hint of free and easy. She was never that fragile to begin with.
Seiun Sky lowered her head as she walked down the exit tunnel, her fist clenching and unclenching.
When Special Week and El Condor Pasa closed in on her, it felt like two mountains pressing in, threatening to crush her.
Though she struggled desperately in that narrow space, she could feel herself growing stronger bit by bit under such pressure... The sensation was intoxicating.
"Oi! Watch where you're going, unless you wanna get scammed by someone you bump into."
Though it sounded like a warning, before Seiun Sky could react, her forehead collided directly with the chest of the person in front of her. "Still lost~"
Lucian gently patted her head. "Should I wait for you at the usual spot tonight?"
"Tch, I'm not gonna cry this time~"
Lucian chuckled softly. He could sense Seiun Sky's calm and carefree mood—she wasn't joking. Warmly, he said, "You've already done the best you could at this stage. That's enough."
"Mhm." Seiun Sky smiled sweetly and responded softly.
...
After the Winner's Ceremony, Lucian drove a car full of horse girls to a mall for hot pot.
Even as the ingredients still bobbed in the boiling broth, all the horse girls were already salivating.
"Starving, aren't you?" Lucian fished out the first batch of cooked food and served it onto each of their plates.
"Let's eat!" x4
After their quick prayer, the four dug in eagerly while Lucian continued cooking more dishes for them.
"Ow, hot!" Urara spat out the meatball she'd just put in her mouth, fanning her scorched lips with her tiny hands.
"Dummy, it just came out of the pot. Of course it's hot!"
"Huuu..." Urara puffed as she blew on the meatball. "Blame Trainer for not warning me!"
"Then should I blow on it and feed it to you? Want me to peel this shrimp for you too?"
Lucian retorted exasperatedly, only to notice Seiun Sky staring at him with inexplicable enthusiasm. "What? You actually have the nerve to ask?"
"Oh well~ It's not like we just performed on an empty stomach after a race or anything~ Not like we're just a little tired or anything~ Not like—"
"Alright, alright, I'll peel it for you." Lucian never realized Seiun Sky had a bit of a green tea streak in her.
After preparing a freshly cooked shrimp and dipping it in sauce, he meant to place it in Seiun Sky's bowl.
But she intercepted it early—along with half of Lucian's fingers—swallowing them both.
"So yummy~" Seiun Sky chewed with a blissful expression, deliberately ignoring Lucian's reaction.
Then, three crisp clinks rang out as chopsticks were set down.
"Aaaah—" Urara's mouth hung wide open, her words failing her as she just kept pointing inside with her index finger.
C'mon, feed me already.
"Need a tooth extraction? Or showing off your tonsils? Seriously, what kind of gaping maw..." Lucian muttered, but he still fed her the shrimp he'd just prepared.
"Trainer-san, I've had a long day too... Could you maybe..." Special Week looked at Lucian timidly.
With Seiun Sky setting the precedent, though embarrassed, she dared to speak her mind.
"Sure, sure. You and Seiun both worked hard today~" What else could Lucian do? Spoil them, of course.
Finally, it was Silence Suzuka's turn.
Whether she asked or not, the other three had been fed, so she couldn't be left out.
But Silence Suzuka didn't seem too willing—even though she'd already set her chopsticks down, she still had to be tsundere about it.
When Lucian brought the shrimp to her lips, she turned her head away. "Not eating?"
"I don't need you to feed me..."
Seiun Sky, having just finished hers, decided to stir the pot. "Trainer, if Suzuka won't eat it, I'll take it."
Silence Suzuka panicked, immediately turning back to snatch the shrimp with her mouth, terrified Lucian might give it to Seiun Sky instead.
How does Seiun even come up with these things... I wanna learn.
No! I can't apprentice under her... There must be better guides in books.
Too bad most of what she'd read only covered during and after—not much on the before part.
"One each, that's it. No more feeding, alright? I'm starving too—I haven't eaten a bite while serving you all." Lucian withdrew his hand, declaring a strict no-more-feeding policy.
Then, Seiun Sky, sitting beside Silence Suzuka, leaned in and whispered, "Sorry, Suzuka. I thought you wanted Trainer to feed you mouth-to-mouth."
"Mouth-to—" Silence Suzuka short-circuited instantly.
The steam rising from the hot pot was nothing compared to the invisible heat waves coming off her head.
Too... too... too embarrassing...
Maybe I should apprentice under her after all? No, no way.
...