Lucian had initially considered asking his team members to help out at the restaurant during the festival.
However, seeing how they all seemed eager to enjoy the festivities, he kept the thought to himself. The academy would likely assign him a few waitstaff by then anyway.
Lucian snapped out of his thoughts and suddenly remembered something important. He turned his gaze toward Seiun Sky. "Seiun, there's something I need to ask you."
"Hm?" Seiun Sky, noticing Lucian's serious expression, set aside her usual playful demeanor.
"Right before the finish line at the Satsuki Sho, what were you feeling... or rather, what was going through your mind during that burst of speed?" Lucian tried to phrase the question as clearly and thoroughly as possible.
"At that moment..." Seiun Sky pondered, her memory slowly rewinding. "I just didn't want to lose to Spe-chan again, and I didn't want to let Trainer down... It felt like I suddenly had this surge of strength."
Seiun Sky struggled to describe the sensation in words.
She had already been pushing herself to her sprinting limit, but at that moment, an unknown surge of power had propelled her forward, allowing her to seize the victory.
"I see." Lucian fell into thought.
Was it the power of conviction? Or perhaps the first glimpse of what could be called a "Zone"?
But if this latent power required extreme pressure, unshakable belief, an overwhelming desire for victory, and extraordinary talent to awaken... then his previous idea of relying on it to run an entire race was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Maybe he could find time to ask Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky two accomplished horse girls about it.
"Trainer, is something wrong?" Seiun Sky's voice snapped Lucian out of his contemplation.
"It's nothing, just a casual question."
Aside from himself, no one else had likely seen the faint glow that had enveloped Seiun Sky at that moment.
And within his team, there were three such horse girls. It was crucial to explore this direction further.
But no matter how urgent it felt, he could only take things step by step.
"Alright, alright. Since none of you are taking a break, let's get started with today's training."
...
For now, there were two major races he needed to focus on.
One was the Takarazuka Kinen, which Silence Suzuka would be participating in, and the other was Haru Urara's debut race.
Even though he knew the outcomes from the anime, Lucian couldn't afford to be complacent.
There was always the fear of unforeseen changes due to the butterfly effect.
But as long as he followed the plan diligently and carried out his duties as a trainer properly, things should work out.
...
The Satsuki Sho was now in the past, and its hype was gradually fading.
The horse girls of Tracen Academy had returned to their usual training routines.
A wave of orange hair flashed past Lucian's vision as he promptly clicked the stopwatch. "That was a good run—58.10!"
Silence Suzuka, panting lightly, walked back from the track. This was already her third 1000-meter sprint, and the time fluctuations weren't too significant.
"How did it feel?" Lucian asked.
"Much better than the last two."
"Good. I don't want you running at absolute maximum effort. What we're looking for is that subtle sense of ease—that's the real purpose of this training."
If she pushed herself to the limit, Silence Suzuka could undoubtedly go even faster.
Silence Suzuka nodded, somewhat understanding Lucian's words. She glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning in slightly. "I... want a massage today."
"Again?"
Silence Suzuka didn't understand why Lucian said "again"—it had been a while since her last one. "If Lucian-kun is busy, it's fine..."
"Not busy. Wait for me in the lounge after training."
"Mm." Silence Suzuka nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.
Hiding it like this made it feel like some sort of secret rendezvous.
But she really didn't want to share this privilege with Special Week and the others.
She wasn't a selfish person, but just this once, she'd allow herself this indulgence.
"Trainer! Can I start now?" From the other side of the track, Haru Urara cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward Lucian.
She had been waiting for a while, but instead of hearing Lucian's whistle, she had watched him and Silence Suzuka chatting for who knows how long.
"Get ready!" Lucian turned and waved at Haru Urara before blowing the whistle.
After some research, Lucian had learned that Haru Urara's debut race would be a 1000-meter dash, so he had set her training distance at 800 meters.
Lucian kept one eye on the stopwatch and the other on Haru Urara's position, shouting instructions at the right moments.
"Too slow!"
"Urara, go, go! You need to go now!"
"What about your arm swing?"
"52.19 seconds!"
...
Lucian noticed that Haru Urara struggled with pace control, often losing her rhythm mid-run.
Every race required full effort, so proper stamina management was crucial—it could determine the outcome.
That's why Lucian repeatedly emphasized the importance of developing an innate sense of speed and rhythm, requiring the horse girls to complete their runs within a specified pace range.
Minor fluctuations were acceptable, but going too fast or too slow wasn't.
"Trainer, was that okay?" Haru Urara wiped the sweat from her face and asked.
"It's not just about the final time, you know." Lucian smiled helplessly, though there was a hint of fondness in his expression. "You need to master the rhythm of your run. Do you think I'll be able to shout instructions from the sidelines during the actual race?"
"Ehehe~ Why not? Urara can buy Trainer a megaphone!" Haru Urara grinned foolishly.
"In that case, why don't you just buy me a full sound system so I can guide you through the entire race?"
What a ridiculous idea—was this Pokémon or something?
"I'll keep training! I'll run again!" With the race approaching, even Haru Urara—who usually complained about exhaustion—was pushing herself hard.
And that was exactly what Lucian wanted to see.
"Alright, jog slowly back to rest, then prepare for the next round."
"Got it!"
After seeing Haru Urara off, Lucian turned his attention to Seiun Sky and Special Week.
Just because Silence Suzuka and Haru Urara had specialized training for their upcoming races didn't mean Seiun Sky and Special Week were off the hook.
"Both of you, get ready. Next up is a 25-kilometer run."
Generally speaking:
1000–1400m: Sprint distance
1400–1800m: Mile race
1800–2400m: Middle distance
Above 2400m: Long distance
(Note: Based on researched data; subject to correction if inaccurate.)
Seiun Sky and Special Week's ultimate goals for the year were undoubtedly the Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho.
The former was a 2400-meter race, while the latter stretched to 3000 meters—both heavily endurance-based. So for this session, Lucian was focusing primarily on stamina.
"W-Wait, how much?!" Special Week's jaw dropped in shock.
Hearing this training regimen for the first time, she could hardly believe her ears.
Seiun Sky, however, accepted it calmly—after all, it was Lucian's training plan.
"You heard right. This kind of training is something even human female long-distance runners can accomplish. As horse girls, you should have no problem with it."
Lucian started by encouraging them, reinforcing the idea in their minds. But what he said wasn't a lie—it was the truth.
"And there's a specific pace requirement—that's what makes it proper training... Of course, if you're completely exhausted by the end, just finishing the run is acceptable too."
In short, this was a training session that wasn't a race—but might as well have been one.