"All right, no need to apologize."
Kitahara shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and let out a small sigh. "I understand that you want to compete, but don't you know how important warming up is?"
"If you don't warm up to promote blood circulation before exercising and jump straight into intense activity, it can cause restricted blood flow in certain areas. This can lead to cramps, chronic issues, injuries, and the training itself won't be effective."
"Your trainers…" Kitahara glanced at Super Creek and adjusted his words slightly, "…and your teachers must have mentioned this. Surely, none of you are like Oguri Cap, falling asleep in theory classes, right?"
"N-No! We didn't! I never fell asleep in class, got punished by standing in the corridor, and had an old man come get me…"
Tamamo Cross was the first to give an unconvincing guarantee.
Kitahara nearly felt the need to take a deep breath, clutching his chest and rubbing his forehead, then turned to Super Creek.
"I-I really don't fall asleep. My theory class grades are very good; I just got first place in this week's quiz…"
Perhaps influenced by Tamamo Cross's weak assurance, Super Creek mentioned her grades, but her eyes flickered nervously.
Oguri Cap, meanwhile, had long since turned her gaze away, staring at the sky as if something fun were up there, lost in thought.
…Fine, I'll just take your word for it, Super Creek. Later, I'll check your theory class scores
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Kitahara decided not to dwell on theory classes for now. Opening his eyes, he patiently said:
"So first, warm up. Don't rush, okay? Later we'll do a slow jog. Remember what I said and control your speed."
The three horse girls nodded eagerly. Seeing this, Kitahara forced a small smile and waved his hand.
"All right, slow jog. Ten… no, let's do thirty minutes this time. I'll take more time to observe. With your stamina, this won't be a problem."
After another nod, the three horse girls returned to the track. At Kitahara's signal, they began jogging steadily.
At this low speed, Kitahara could clearly observe each of their running forms.
Oguri Cap was no surprise—extremely flexible, low center of gravity, strong finishing speed, and other distinctive traits. Kitahara knew her data thoroughly, even by heart.
His focus now was on Tamamo Cross and Super Creek.
Tamamo Cross's form was quite good. With her assigned trainer, she displayed professional-level skills. Whether it was arm swing amplitude, leg movement angles, or body lean in curves, it was clear she had been specially trained.
But Kitahara quickly noticed a problem.
"Strange… why does it feel like she's avoiding Oguri Cap and Super Creek while running?"
With the naked eye, the three girls generally ran side by side.
Yet, on straight sections, Tamamo Cross stayed on the outer lane, maintaining some distance from Oguri Cap and Super Creek in the inner lane.
When reaching a curve, Oguri Cap would use her strong legs to move to the outer lane, forming an almost straight path. Super Creek stayed tight to the inner lane.
At that moment, with runners in both lanes, Tamamo Cross either rushed slightly ahead or fell back, only adjusting speed when re-entering a straight section to return to the outer lane, continuing side by side.
"Is she… afraid of something?"
Kitahara was puzzled and didn't immediately understand the reason. He recorded Tamamo Cross's running behavior on his clipboard and turned his attention to Super Creek.
Her problem was more serious.
Without a trainer guiding her, Super Creek's form was like Oguri Cap's before enrollment—exceptional talent, but lacking detail in training.
For example, her arms.
She seemed hesitant to swing them fully; the amplitude of her arm movement was noticeably lower than Oguri Cap's and Tamamo Cross's.
This was a clear sign of insufficient professional training.
Running isn't just about legs. Arm positioning is crucial.
Proper arm swing helps maintain leg rhythm, stabilizes the center of gravity, and ensures balance while turning or changing speed.
When endurance wanes, swinging arms high acts like a tightrope walker's balance pole, using arm weight and momentum to maintain stability while helping the fatigued body keep moving.
Without professional training, even horse girls won't instinctively maintain proper arm swing, especially wide swings. Reduced movement conserves energy—a natural instinct shaped by millennia of evolution.
"All right… lack of structured professional training. This needs attention. I'll assign more exercises for Super Creek later."
Muttering softly, Kitahara recorded her form and continued observing.
Gradually, his brow furrowed.
"…What kind of stride is that?"
Watching her on the track, he murmured.
Her foot contact with the ground was extremely brief, almost negligible.
It looked as if she were gliding across the grass, barely touching the ground.
At high-speed sprinting, this would be fine. Horse girls can have moments where feet barely touch the ground at maximum speed.
But this was a slow jog. Short ground contact with no apparent sprinting indicated she wasn't pushing off properly—or perhaps didn't dare to.
If Kitahara remembered correctly, before the Aoba Sho, she had fractured her left foot.
The fracture occurred because she was compensating for inflammation in her right foot, putting extra strain on the left. While chasing, the left foot broke.
The Aoba Sho was after her debut. Now, before debut…
Her right foot might still have inflammation, so she wasn't using full strength?
Kitahara's heart skipped a beat. Although there were no visible signs in her form, he trusted his memory and didn't take chances. He immediately called off the practice.
"Super Creek, come here."
Handing his clipboard to Belno Light, Kitahara beckoned to Super Creek on the track, then called out to Oguri Cap:
"Oguri Cap, you and Tamamo Cross continue warming up.
If I don't assign anything after that, follow your usual schedule for training. The friendly race… we'll deal with that later."
Oguri Cap's schedule from the start of school was fine—only special training had adjustments, otherwise mostly unchanged.
Hearing this, she nodded obediently and continued warming up with Tamamo Cross.
Super Creek approached, clearly confused, her clear eyes full of surprise and unease.
At that moment, a voice near Kitahara asked:
"Kitahara-san, is there… something wrong with Super Creek?"
(End of Chapter)