Oguri Cap only looked a bit airheaded, but in truth, she was extremely sharp—especially when it came to racing. At least, that was what Kitahara believed.
The tactic Oguri Cap proposed in the office was completely beyond Kitahara's expectations, yet perfectly reasonable.
If even someone like Opera O—one of those so-called "End-of-the-Century Overlords"—couldn't guarantee a breakthrough when surrounded, then the best plan was simple: don't get surrounded in the first place.
As Oguri Cap herself said, in a 1,600-meter race, taking the outside lane only added a few dozen meters overall. Spending those extra meters to avoid getting boxed in, combined with her tremendous leg power, could actually increase her chances of victory.
However, tactics alone didn't ensure victory. The tactics had to be trained into instinct.
The next day, at the training grounds.
Following Kitahara's arrangement, a line of bright red traffic cones had been set up around the middle-to-outer section of the track, splitting it into two parts.
"Alright, do you see the traffic cones all around the track?"
Pointing at the course, Kitahara spoke to Oguri Cap:
"Inside the cones—that's the lane your opponents will use in the Golden Youth Cup."
"The outside lane—that's yours."
"All your previous training followed the standard philosophy: hug the inner rail, minimize extra distance."
"But this time, you need to do the opposite: run the outside lane, deliberately—and in a set lane."
"This is different from how you've always raced. You'll need about twenty days to adapt; otherwise, when the real race begins, instinct will pull you inward, and before you know it, you'll get boxed in."
After Kitahara finished explaining, Oguri Cap nodded.
"Understood, Kitahara. Should I start now? No added weights or sprint drills?"
Kitahara hesitated.
There was a small detail he hadn't mentioned.
Oguri Cap's race sense was too good—changing a habit like hers wouldn't be easy.
The closer to the inside you ran, the shorter the distance, the less time needed—that was basic knowledge every horse girl and trainer knew.
But not every horse girl could naturally run tight against the rail.
Failing to secure position, getting blocked, avoiding collisions—many reasons forced others off the inner lane. Tamamo Cross had been like that just over a month ago: after a traumatic experience, she avoided the inner lane whenever other horses were there, wasting a lot of stamina running wide.
For most horse girls, developing the habit of sticking to the rail—while fighting for position—required endless practice, and even then, it didn't always become instinct.
Oguri Cap didn't need practice for that. She was practically born for the track. The slightest opportunity to hug the rail, and she would never miss it.
By instinct alone, she could finish almost any race glued to the inside.
And that natural racing genius—at least for this upcoming race—had become an obstacle. Before anything else, that instinct needed to be overwritten.
But telling her that outright would just pressure her.
After some thought, Kitahara simply said casually, "Don't worry. I'll handle the planning. For now, your only job is to adapt to the outside lane." He pointed beyond the cones.
"Got it."
Oguri Cap nodded again and began warming up.
The tactical training had changed, but the data collection and analysis hadn't.
Kitahara still handled the training specifics, Miyamura Kyoko oversaw the medical side, and Belno Light combined her growing technical skills to prepare the most suitable gear for Oguri Cap.
The only inconvenience was that now Oguri Cap had to work on new tactics at the track, while Super Creek kept building stamina in the Kasamatsu swimming pool.
All this only made Kitahara more eager to reach Central Tracen Academy—still the only facility in all of Japan with truly comprehensive resources.
Fortunately, the second round of Central qualification tests was only about a month away. Kitahara wasn't in a rush—everything was being handled step by step.
Time flew, and December 31 arrived.
This tactical training wasn't complex, and once again Oguri Cap displayed her exceptional race instincts.
She adapted to the outer lane faster than Kitahara had expected—by the tenth day, she was already instinctively breaking wide at the start, even without the cones.
Seeing that, Kitahara got a new idea.
That day, after training, during the usual office debriefing:
"Next, you'll be starting a new type of training, Oguri Cap."
After speaking to her, Kitahara turned to Belno Light and Miyamura Kyoko:
"Tomorrow, help me set the cones back up—but not across the whole track. This time, remove random sections."
"In other words, leave random gaps between the inside and outside lanes."
At this, Oguri Cap, Light, and Kyoko all froze, but Super Creek caught on first.
"…You're trying to make Oguri Cap learn how to switch between lanes on the fly, right, Kitahara?" she asked for confirmation.
"Mm. Correct. Quick thinking, Creek."
He gave her a little praise, smiling at the bashful horse girl scratching her cheek, then turned serious again, looking back at Oguri Cap.
"I didn't expect you to adapt to the outer lane so quickly. Since you've got that kind of talent, we can't let it go to waste. Next up, we train you in lane switching."
"Lane switching… is that really important for racing?" Oguri Cap asked thoughtfully.
"It's one of the core racing skills," Kitahara nodded.
"Local races have fewer variables. The tactics you'll see aren't very complex."
"Central is a different world. Just like your power-based tactics, or Super Creek's stamina-based tactics, the Central horse girls have far more intricate, systematic strategies."
"These were developed over generations of Central trainers and horse girls—and I'm still learning them myself."
"Learning everything would take years, but we can take it one step at a time."
"The basics are: inner-lane adaptation, outer-lane adaptation, and lane switching. You've already mastered the first two. They're the foundation for the third—and you're ready to train it now."
Saying this, Kitahara walked over to the sand-table in the office and started moving little pieces around.
"This Golden Youth Cup made me realize something."
"This time, your opponents boxed you in by accident—but Central horse girls can deliberately create obstructions."
"For example, they might bait you into charging straight into heavy traffic."
"They'll already have planned their own breakout route, but once you're in the congestion, it's very hard to find a gap quickly."
"Even if you manage to break out, you'll have wasted both time and stamina—and your winning odds will drop."
"How to detect this kind of baiting tactic—later, I'll arrange special training for you and Super Creek."
"But for now, let's consider the worst-case scenario: you fail to detect the bait and get boxed in."
"In that case, if you want to break free as fast as possible, you'll need lane-switching skills."
(End of Chapter)