It was obvious that the "Racecourse Waltz" strategy and the condition of Mejiro Ardan were not fully understood by Yaeno Muteki and the trainers of the Transcendence Team. Still, that didn't prevent them from using Aldan's performance in her debut race as a basis for targeted training and tactical arrangements.
Yaeno Muteki being able to overtake on a slope just like Ardan was clearly the result of stairway training at the shrine.
Not only that, but after cresting the slope she still seemed to have energy left—yet was influenced by Ardan's tactics and unable to unleash her full potential. If this had been part of the Transcendence Team's plan and had been executed smoothly, then today's champion might have been someone else.
In other words, Ardan's victory was actually quite dangerous.
Looking further ahead, the Transcendence Team would certainly learn from this lesson. Before the much fiercer Satsuki Sho, they would analyze Ardan thoroughly and come up with more targeted, higher-probability strategies. Not only Ardan—even Oguri Cap and Super Creek's conditions would be studied carefully through this trial race, with countermeasures devised one by one.
Kitahara felt the growing weight of pressure. After all, if the Transcendence Team's lead trainer had been anyone else, it might not have mattered—but it happened to be the genius Naise Fumino. He did not underestimate this young trainer who had only just debuted. On the contrary, he was certain she could achieve the exact kind of tactical foresight he himself imagined.
One must remember: compared to him, Naise had only graduated not long ago. By the time she entered the world of trainers, Kitahara already had years of local experience and official central-racing matches under his belt. Yet despite that gap, she had only just formed the Transcendence Team and nearly handed Mejiro Ardan—so dazzling in her debut—her first defeat. That alone was proof of her exceptional talent as a trainer.
And the horses under her—Yaeno Muteki, Sakura Chiyono O, and Dicta Striker—had more than enough ability to execute the strategies she devised.
…But wasn't that just perfect?
After going through the possible moves the Transcendence Team might make, Kitahara actually felt more relaxed.
He did not fear pressure or challenges. Rather, he welcomed them—because such pressure and challenge were not his alone. If anything, the Transcendence Team should be feeling even more weight.
The Eisei Team had been formed earlier, its trainers carried no lack of experience, and they had the resources of a business enterprise to back them up. Their horse girls also had richer race experience. In such circumstances, the other side's first task—as their team name implied—was to "transcend." Just like on the track, it was often the one behind who bore the heavier pressure.
As for his own side, all they needed to do was keep pressing forward.
And within this atmosphere of rivalry, both sides' horse girls would naturally deliver even stronger performances. When the time came for greater challenges and international-level races, they would have built the strength and confidence to match.
Feeling his mood lighten, Kitahara finally noticed the room again—and only then realized that two new horse girls had entered.
Mejiro Ardan and Yaeno Muteki had already changed out of their training wear and come over from the competitors' lounge. They were now greeting the others in the room.
When Aldan noticed Kitahara's gaze, her face lit up with a delighted smile. She gave a graceful bow.
"Chief Kitahara, I did not disappoint everyone's expectations."
"…Ah. That was a splendid performance."
Putting away his earlier thoughts, Kitahara smiled. "You truly displayed the grace of the Mejiro family's horse girls."
Ardan's face clearly showed relief and pride. She bowed again. At this moment, Yaeno Muteki also bowed toward Kitahara.
"Thank you, Chief Kitahara. You allowed me to see an even more brilliant strategy."
It seemed that on the way here, she had already asked Aldan about the true nature of the "Racecourse Waltz," and Ardan hadn't held anything back in her explanation. Now, Muteki's expression was calm but her eyes carried undeniable respect.
"We had believed that the tactical system we had devised would perfectly counter your team. But we overlooked many details."
"To maintain analytical clarity after such stamina-draining uphill running—Mejiro Ardan, with her extraordinary talent, is indeed a formidable opponent. And you, Chief Kitahara, who crafted a strategy to fully draw out that talent—you are likewise an adversary not to be taken lightly."
"Yaeno has learned much."
She bowed again, and her words stirred Kitahara's curiosity.
"…The tactical system you discussed?"
From her phrasing, Kitahara felt his earlier suspicions confirmed. The Transcendence Team had indeed crafted counters based on Oguri Cap and the others' past races. If he hadn't had this impression before, he might have let it go. But now that he had heard it directly, his curiosity could no longer be contained.
"Could you perhaps share what tactical system it was? Of course—if it's inconvenient, please consider I never asked."
As he amended himself, he glanced somewhat sheepishly toward Deno Yoshiyuki. He knew that veteran trainers rarely liked to divulge their own training content. To ask so bluntly might be a breach of etiquette.
But unexpectedly, the white-haired veteran hardly hesitated. Locking eyes with Kitahara for a moment, he then turned to Yaeno Muteki and gave a firm nod.
"Chief Kitahara once explained in detail some of his training methods to this old man. To return courtesy with courtesy, it is only right we be equally candid."
Speaking in his deep voice, Dino Yoshiyuki said: "I am poor with words. Yaeno, you explain it to Chief Kitahara."
"Yes, Master!"
She snapped to attention, then looked at Kitahara with seriousness.
"To be frank, Chief Kitahara, the tactical system we employed for this trial race was named 'Head-to-Head.'"
"Head… to Head?"
Kitahara echoed softly, frowning as he thought. "That sounds more like a concept or a strategy than a specific plan."
"Not so."
Shaking her head slowly, Yaeno Muteki explained:
"'Head-to-Head' means using skill to force Ardan, Creek, and Oguri to abandon their own skills."
"In other words—using our skills to erase yours, leaving only a contest of raw fundamentals. That is why it is called 'Head-to-Head.'"
She looked at Ardan and pressed her lips together.
"Master, Chief Naise, and Trainer Onai all analyzed this: the Eisei Team was formed earlier, overall has more varied training, longer durations, more race experience, and richer tactical options. Competing in that domain would be to pit our weakness against your strength."
"So instead, we thought to cancel those advantages and battle on the most basic grounds—power, stamina, speed, and burst."
"For example, Ardan. She debuted later than me, has less racing experience, and because she invested much time into refining her gait, she has some deficiencies in stamina, explosiveness, and endurance compared to me. She must compensate through other means to maintain her chances."
"So my tactic was simply to maximize my slight edge in stamina, power, and endurance."
"This included taking full advantage of drawing the #6 inner lane today."
"Long before, Chief Naise had analyzed with me: if I drew an inside lane, then I should stick tightly to it, conserve stamina, and then overtake in one burst on the slope, using the subsequent downhill to maintain my lead. That would be the ideal rhythm—the most perfect race."
"With this approach, Ardan—already slightly weaker in stamina and explosiveness—would certainly falter further due to the extra drain of running outside. She would find it hard to challenge me at the end."
At this point, she drew a deep breath and shook her head regretfully.
"But looking at it now, another situation might have been the truly ideal race."
…Another situation? That meant Naise Fumino had actually prepared two running plans for her?
Kitahara frowned, about to ask, but Yaeno Muteki continued.
"If the draw had given me an outside lane…"
She glanced at Mejiro rldan again, her gaze turning complicated.
"…then I would have let Ardan seize the inner lane—only to lock her inside, restricting her completely."
"In that case, while she could conserve stamina, she would be forced to waste it early just to try escaping my block. By the final stretch, she would have no chance… No, she would have even less chance of contesting me at the finish."
"Moreover, I would not make the mistake her debut rivals did of giving her an opening to dash out."
"I have the stamina and skill to keep her locked in."
At those words, Kitahara and Ardan couldn't help but exchange a glance—both seeing the same shock and relief in each other's eyes.
Because if things had gone the second way, rldan truly would have had almost no chance!
The raw differences in basic ability, combined with Muteki's positional blocking, would have been insurmountable. If restricted like in her debut, Ardan's chance of breaking free would have been slim. And even if she did, the extra stamina wasted would mean no finishing kick, perhaps even slowing early.
"…So in other words, my victory today really had an element of luck. If my position had been swapped with Muteki's… I might have lost."
Ardan gave a wry smile.
Yaeno Muteki fell silent for a moment, her eyes complex. She nodded, then shook her head.
"Of course, that was the ending I hoped for. But…"
Again, she shook her head, her gaze deepening.
"You would likely have had some other way to respond. So it's not certain. And besides…"
"You won. A win is a win. There's nothing more to say."
With that, she shook her head for a third time, as if not intending to dwell further on the race. She shifted the subject.
"I suppose, Chief Kitahara, what you really want to know is what tactics were planned for Sakura Chiyono O and Dicta Striker, yes?"
"Since the Hanshin races are about to begin and we need to prepare anyway, there's no harm in saying it now."
She met Kitahara's eyes and said firmly:
"The tactics for Chiyono O and Dicta were even simpler than mine."
"Sakura Chiyono O… just go for a runaway."
"Super Creek is fundamentally not a runaway horse girl. Many people were misled by her debut performance."
"In a true runaway race, she cannot outmatch Sakura Chiyono O, who specializes in that style. And if she doesn't choose runaway, then her so-called 'Swinging Maestro' tactic, which relies on showcasing immense stamina, has no chance to shine."
"So Super Creek has no choice but to go head-to-head with Sakura Chiyono O."
"Similarly, Dicta only needed to shadow Oguri Cap wherever she went. Same position, same distance, same stamina and energy spent—then at the end, it would come down to a finishing kick. Again, head-to-head."
End of Chapter