"Whoa! Are we going to have a race against Tamamo and Super Creek? Great! I'll give it my all!"
Oguri Cap was the first to react. Her long ears perked up, her tail wagging excitedly, clearly showing that her fighting spirit had ignited. She even trembled slightly, like a warrior about to enter battle.
"Hey, Oguri, you're way too competitive, aren't you? Didn't notice that before."
Tamamo Cross was a bit surprised but didn't oppose Kitahara's suggestion. "Well, if it's a race, I'm happy to join! How about you, Super Creak? It's been a while since we ran together, hasn't it?"
By suggesting a friendly race, Kitahara also hoped to distract Super Creek. He thought that if he didn't find something the girls enjoyed doing, the child might remain lost in the euphoria of joy.
For horse girls, running and racing were exactly the kinds of things they loved.
"Sure! No problem at all!"
Super Creak seemed gentle and soft-spoken, with silky chestnut hair, carefully braided, spring-like clear eyes, and a graceful figure—she looked like a shy, gentle horse girl.
But even a gentle horse girl is still a horse girl. The determination in her voice and the fighting spirit blazing in her eyes when she looked at Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross were no less than theirs. Her energy and momentum steadily rose.
"Not bad. Looks like you're all ready, so…"
Just as Kitahara was about to arrange for Kokurimou and the others to start, he noticed Belno Light and thought for a moment:
"Light, during their practice this time, you need to carefully collect their data. After analyzing it, see what kind of running shoes, horseshoes, and other equipment suit them technically. Understood?"
He didn't intend to let Belno Light participate—not because of favoritism, but because he knew that if she ran with them, she might be completely overwhelmed.
Oguri Cap's record: 32 races, 22 wins, 6 second-place finishes. Tamamo Cross: 18 races, 9 wins, 3 seconds. Super Creek: 16 races, 8 wins, 4 seconds. These three horse girls, even in Central, would be top-tier. Along with Inari One, they dominated a generation.
Belno Light was on a completely different level compared to them, at least in running.
Previously, training with Oguri Cap, she could accept their differences due to understanding her friend's ability. But facing two newly familiar horse girls, without knowing their talents, Belno Light might not handle the gap.
Belno Light didn't object to Kitahara's plan.
"Alright. I was wondering if Kitahara would let me join the practice race. If I did, I'd probably fall way behind… that would be embarrassing…"
She clearly evaluated herself and scratched her head sheepishly. "Back in Kasamatsu, I couldn't keep up with Oguri Cap. Oguri said Little Tamamo and Super Creek are strong too, so I'll just do my job as a researcher!"
"Run your best! I'll give you advice on the technical side afterward. I can get into Central's training program—trust me!"
She smiled, pulling out her notebook, gradually growing serious.
With the horse girls arranged, Kitahara didn't say much. After asking Tazuna Haykawa to prepare the field and uniforms, they began warming up.
On the track, Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Tamamo Cross, dressed in sportswear, had already loosened up their joints and were looking toward Kitahara.
"Alright, run around the grass track for 10 minutes as a warm-up. I'll observe your basic running form." Kitahara instructed loudly without hesitation.
Even for a friendly race, proper warm-up was necessary—not only to prevent injury but also to collect data.
As Oguri Cap's trainer, Kitahara could never have enough data. Super Creek was now his "preliminary trainee," also needing data collection. Tamamo Cross, such an outstanding horse girl, was also worth observing for future training.
Kitahara's plan was solid—but what happened next was beyond his expectations.
A simple slow jog warm-up turned into something completely different. Almost immediately after starting, the three horse girls ran as if in a grand sprint competition.
…This isn't the 33rd Arima Kinen! It's a warm-up! Why are you running so fast?!
Normally, when Oguri Cap practiced solo sprints, her speed felt like a storm.
With the muddy tracks in Kasamatsu, Kitahara couldn't even stand at the edge during her usual guidance—dust would cover him.
Super Creek and Tamamo Cross, both top-tier talents, made him even more hesitant to approach the track edges.
Thunderous footsteps, wind-slicing sounds, and flying soil that no grass could hold down—anyone nearby would feel the sheer force of their speed.
Silently moving outward with Belno Light, Kitahara felt a mixture of amusement and helplessness.
I asked you to jog, not sprint.
That scene on the track did not look like a jog.
Three exceptionally talented horse girls turned a "slow jog" into a full-blown sprint on their own.
"Again."
Ten minutes later, facing the three horse girls waiting before him, Kitahara scowled.
At first, they approached excitedly, clearly acknowledging each other's strength with surprise and delight.
But hearing Kitahara, they froze, their long ears drooping.
Seeing that just a single word could calm them, Kitahara sighed and softened his tone.
"I understand you're happy to train together and eager to test your strengths."
The girls lowered their ears and exchanged glances.
Kitahara was right.
Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Tamamo Cross, as Uma Musume, all had competitive streaks. They might not know their upper limits, but they knew their talents were exceptional anywhere.
Meeting equally strong peers stirred the urge to determine superiority. What started as a slow jog naturally escalated.
"…Sorry, Kitahara. You were right."
Oguri Cap scratched her head and pursed her lips. "Tamamo Cross and Super Creek… I felt they were strong from the start. Running together made it even more obvious, so I couldn't resist running faster. But I'll hold back next time. You taught me to control my competitiveness—I'll jog properly next time." She clenched her fist to show her determination.
"…Well, I think the same, but I'll be careful too. Sorry about before." Tamamo Cross grinned, scratching her cheek with her index finger.
Super Creek hung her head slightly, interlacing her fingers, fiddling with her index fingers, and said simply, "Sorry, Kitahara"
(End of Chapter)