After receiving the award, Kitahara almost forgot to give his thank-you speech. Luckily, Akikawa Yayoi, Hayakawa Tazuna, and his uncle waved from the audience, reminding him. Only then did he remember the stiff, official speech in his pocket.
He finished reading it without delay and quickly excused himself, even as Maruzensky and a few horse girls came over to greet him.
He reached the station promptly and returned to Kasamatsu overnight.
By January 10, the nature of the Golden Youth Cup had changed — at least from his perspective.
It wasn't just about winning. It was about winning beautifully.
This was the request and expectation from Akikawa Yayoi, the chairwoman of the Central Board, who cared for and loved all horse girls.
He didn't fully know what Akikawa Yayoi intended, but he could feel it: like him, she wanted to give horse girls a better world.
So whether it was to fulfill her request, meet her expectations, or chase his own dreams, he had to work even harder this time.
…So, what can Oguri Cap still improve on?…Over the next nine days… no, there were only eight left…
The day after returning to Kasamatsu, as usual, Kitahara went to the training ground to check on Oguri Cap. He thought about it.
But he quickly dismissed the thought — such thinking was somewhat impatient and excessive.
Thanks to Oguri Cap's talent and the tactics she devised herself, in all data simulations so far, her winning probability was extremely high.
In the most extreme scenario, even if all opponents tried to surround her — forcing her to run on the outer track — she could still win.
In fact, she could even win more easily.
If any opponent attempted to follow her to the outer track, even if their lane-switching ability and adaptability were as good as or better than hers, their stamina wouldn't keep up. At least, the data provided by Kyoko indicated they couldn't.
Running the outer track meant covering several dozen to even over a hundred extra meters. For example, on Kasamatsu's 1100-meter course, the outer track adds about 80 meters, which translates to an extra 4 to 6 seconds to complete the race.
At a horse girl's speed, 0.1 seconds equals a one- or two-meter difference. Running the outer track forcibly, without considering stamina, would only reduce her chances of winning.
Thus, in the most extreme scenario, Oguri Cap actually had the greatest advantage: under special training, she wouldn't be affected by the outer track's extra distance, while her opponents would be.
In less extreme scenarios, there was no need to worry.
Over nearly a month of training, Oguri Cap had kept her outer track completion time almost equal to her inner track times. At this level, there was currently no opponent in Kasamatsu who could match her.
It seemed Oguri Cap was fine on her side, so…
Perhaps spend some time investigating her opponents?
Kitahara suddenly had a new idea.
At that moment, a puzzled voice came from the side.
"Kitahara-san, this trip to Tokyo… did something happen?"
Belno Light looked worried. "You came back in such a hurry, and… and since this morning, you've been frowning…"
"Did something unpleasant happen in Tokyo?"
"Indeed, Kitahara-san, is there trouble? If so, maybe I can help somehow."
Miyamura Kyoko hesitated. "If my strength isn't enough, I can ask the teacher for help."
Kitahara was momentarily taken aback. He hadn't expected Belno Light and Kyoko to care so much, and he felt a warm glow inside.
"Ah, it's nothing. You're overthinking."
He smiled and thought for a moment.
"If anything, the trip to Tokyo went smoothly, and something good happened."
"The current chairwoman of Central Tracen Academy, Akikawa Yayoi, seems to think highly of me — and of our team."
"Before returning, she specially instructed me that Oguri Cap must win the upcoming race beautifully, and then she'll give me a surprise."
Belno Light and Miyamura Kyoko were overjoyed.
"Really? It's — it's Chairwoman Akikawa Yayoi! She's looking forward to Kitahara-san and our performance, so we absolutely can't disappoint her!"
"It's Ms. Akikawa Yayoi? When I was little, I went with… ahem, with the teacher, and I met her then. I thought she was a kid like me and played with her for a long time. Later, the teacher told me she was much older than me."
…Kyoko had met Akikawa Yayoi as a child. If she was already much older then…
How old is she now? And has she always appeared as a loli?
Horse girls really are mysterious.
Secretly marveling, Kitahara smiled.
"Indeed, no matter what, Chairwoman Akikawa values Oguri Cap's performance this time. Whether or not there's a reward aside, we must not let her down."
"I see now, no wonder Kitahara-san seemed preoccupied today."
Belno Light suddenly understood.
"You want to fulfill the chairwoman's expectations perfectly, right?"
"Yes. At first, I wondered if Oguri Cap still had room to improve."
Kitahara didn't deny it.
"But later I realized she's already done well enough. While further improvement is exciting, we can't rush it."
"So I thought we could spend some time learning about her opponents."
"As the saying goes, 'know yourself and your enemy, and you will never lose.' Just because Oguri Cap has beaten them before doesn't mean she can rest easy this time."
"She is improving, and so are they. Perhaps we can find a way to gather some information."
Belno Light nodded in understanding.
"I see…, Oguri Cap has been working hard recently. If she continues at this pace, it should be fine."
Then she became curious.
"By the way, speaking of her opponents, something strange happened."
"Strange?" Kitahara's expression shifted.
"Yes… it's about March."
Light thought carefully.
"It seems like it was the last time, when she and Trainer Shibasaki came to see us."
"After that day, the two of them seemed to have disappeared."
"I haven't seen March in the classroom with Oguri Cap. After noticing this, I kept an eye out and realized… it seems we haven't seen Trainer Shibasaki around campus either."
"Huh? Kitahara-san, since you're colleagues with Shibasaki-san, have you seen him or March recently?"
…Now that she mentioned it, I really haven't…
Right, he had been focused on training Oguri Cap and hadn't paid much attention to anything else. Thinking carefully…
Shibasaki hasn't been to the office for a long time, has he?
After realizing what Light meant, Kitahara was puzzled for a moment, then a thought struck him.
Those two… could it be that they're doing some special training for the Golden Youth Cup?
(End of chapter)