Kitahara had brought them to the Central Tracen Academy with the intent of sparking motivation in Oguri Cap and Belno Light, giving them a clearer goal.
For Oguri Cap, of course, there was no need for extra explanation. As a Uma Musume blessed with extraordinary talent, she easily understood what better training conditions meant, and what the existence of Central Tracen Academy signified.
Belno Light was the same. Her talent could not compare to Oguri Cap's, and her results in the two races she had participated in were not nearly as outstanding. But as a horse girl, the instinct to run was irresistible—she too would not reject the pull of such a place.
She might not be able to match Oguri Cap in pure racing ability, but she had her own unique gifts.
For example: in technical aspects.
In fact, over the past half year, besides training and competitions, Kitahara had occasionally noticed Belno Light spending her free time visiting sports shops. She rarely bought anything, but often asked about product features, pros and cons. It looked as though she was seriously studying the technical side.
And as the highest-level academy in Japan, Central Tracen's technological expertise was second to none. Many professionals and Uma Musume skilled in technical research worked there. If Belno Light really intended to pursue that path, this was without a doubt the best choice.
Kitahara believed that offering suggestions and guidance according to each racehorse girl's natural talents was the best way to help them.
So, he eagerly awaited Oguri Cap and Belno Light's responses.
But just as they looked at him with excitement, ready to speak—something unexpected happened.
"...Over there…" Oguri Cap suddenly froze, her expression shifting in shock. In the blink of an eye, her eyes sharpened.
Like she was standing on a racetrack, an overwhelming aura burst from her entire body. For an instant, it was as if she were a heroine from a hot-blooded anime, "powering up" before a decisive battle.
Her sudden change startled both Kitahara and Belno Light.
For a brief moment, Kitahara even thought—could Oguri Cap have spotted a powerful Uma Musume? After all, earlier in the car, when Tamamo Cross had declared her challenge, Oguri Cap had reacted with the same fierce aura.
But he quickly realized he was mistaken.
Without a word, Oguri Cap bolted from their side with astonishing speed, as if she were in the middle of an all-important race.
Her sudden sprint whipped up a sharp gust of wind, forcing Kitahara and Belno Light to shield their faces as they turned toward the direction she'd dashed off.
"O–Oguri Cap…?"
"S–She… what's going on…?"
Confused, the two exchanged startled questions.
In the next moment, they both saw the reason.
Belno Light let out a cry, her hand trembling as she pointed, "Ah! Over there—two little Uma Musume!"
Kitahara's expression hardened. He didn't say a word, but he understood why she was alarmed.
The Central Tracen Academy was surrounded by tall outer walls. Because the campus was so large, the walls stretched far into the distance; from the main gate, one could barely even see the corners where the walls turned.
The direction Oguri Cap had sprinted toward was the far right corner of the wall.
There, perched precariously on top, was a tiny Uma Musume—no older than a human child of seven or eight. Clearly, she was still far from reaching the stage of "full development."
And because of that, her sense of balance was immature. Even just lying on the top of the wall, her little body swayed dangerously, as though she could fall off at any second!
Worse still—her upper body dangled over the outside of the wall, and her two small arms were straining downward, clutching another tiny horse girl hanging below!
That was why Oguri Cap had suddenly sprinted. If either of them slipped, both would fall!
Seeing this, Kitahara and New Glorious instinctively started running in that direction as well.
Just as Belno Light began to shout "Hey—!", Kitahara cut her off sharply:
"Shh! Not so loud. If you scare them, they might lose their grip and fall!"
Realizing at once, Belno Light bit her lip hard, eyes locked on the two little girls as she sprinted.
Soon, Kitahara fell behind—after all, a human could never hope to match the speed of an Uma Musume.
But despite his warning, the two little horse girls had already noticed someone rushing toward them.
Because of Oguri Cap's footsteps.
For this trip to Tokyo, Oguri Cap was wearing the "pink kitty sneakers" Kitahara had given her. They were more casual than professional racing shoes, and of course had no horseshoes attached.
Yet even without horseshoes, Oguri Cap's full-speed sprint produced a powerful thundering sound. In the quiet of the evening, with few passersby nearby, the pounding of her footsteps and the rush of air were crystal clear.
Even from hundreds of meters away, Kitahara could see the two little Uma Musume panicking as Oguri Cap closed in.
The one on the wall tightened her grip desperately, hauling the dangling girl upward. But her balance wavered as she tried to stand on the wall.
The one hanging below kicked frantically at the wall with her short legs, like a swimmer paddling.
Hey, hey, hey! We're not trying to catch you! We're just passersby worried you'll fall! Kitahara wanted to shout, but swallowed his words—afraid of scaring them further.
At the same time, he cursed inwardly.
What's going on with this academy?! How could such small Uma Musume be left unattended, trying to climb walls?! Even if Uma Musume are strong, they're still children! What if they really fall—who can guarantee nothing will happen?!
And just then, from inside the academy walls—another sound.
The rapid pounding of feet, at a speed nearly identical to Oguri Cap's sprint.
Kitahara froze in surprise.
Right now, Oguri Cap was running at full throttle—her final stretch speed, about 18 meters per second.
For someone inside the walls to be making the same sound meant they were sprinting just as fast.
It could only be another horse girl. No human could possibly reach that speed.
And at such a speed… could it be her?
A flash of green crossed Kitahara's mind—along with the thought that one of her duties was precisely to ensure the academy's safety.
Even as that thought formed, the scene atop the wall suddenly shifted.
"Ah! It's Miss Tazuna! N–No…!" Kitahara heard the panicked cry of the little girl on the wall.
But in her fright, she lost her footing. Her hands slipped.
And both tiny horse girls tumbled from the wall to the outside.
They never hit the ground.
Oguri Cap, sprinting at full speed, arrived just in time—her arms shooting upward to catch them both safely, one in each hand, in the very last instant.
[Also If Max Verstappen wins the Dutch Grand Prix extra chapters]
(End of Chapter)