Although Kitahara had the assistance of Masato Kurokawa and Tsunogawa Hayato in terms of equipment and venues, the entire setup couldn't possibly be completed in just a day or two. Purchasing, calibrating, transporting, and assembling all required time. Meanwhile, the Hanshin Daishōten was going to be held on March 27, and under such circumstances it was naturally impossible to sit idle and wait for the equipment to be ready. The scheduled 3000-meter training race still had to be carried out.
Two days later, on the morning of training, Kitahara stood watching the horse girls warming up on the track. After pondering for a long while, he finally decided to consult Maruzensky, who was by his side.
"Maruzensky, do you think it's possible to forcibly trigger the Domain through some artificial means?"
Maruzensky hadn't joined practice today, but had been called aside by Kitahara. She had guessed he wanted to talk, but she hadn't expected such an outrageous question.
Without the slightest hesitation, she instinctively shook her head.
"How could that be possible, Kitahara? What are you even thinking?"
She couldn't help but chuckle. "Whether it's for humans or horse girls, the Domain is something still not fully researched. Especially for us horse girls—Domains are essentially blessings from the Three Goddesses. Even for someone like me or Symboli Rudolf, who can already treat the Domain as a kind of state, it's hard to say we understand it completely. You…"
Suddenly, she froze, disbelief gradually flashing in her eyes.
"Wait! Did you think of something? Have you really thought of a way to actively trigger the Domain?"
It was rare for the usually laid-back horse girl to get so excited. She spun around, grabbed Kitahara's shoulders with force, and pulled him to face her directly.
"Is it true, Kitahara?!"
Her grip was so tight it hurt a little, but Kitahara wasn't annoyed. He understood her reaction.
The significance of the Domain for horse girls wasn't just that it made them stronger on the racetrack. Its most crucial function—the very reason it was considered the Goddesses' blessing—was that it protected horse girls after their prime years had passed.
Kitahara and the others had already compared this many times, both with examples and with data, ever since Maruzensky came to Eisei.
Examples were simple enough: Maruzensky, Symboli Rudolf and other modern horse girls—as well as legendary ones before them—had all basically mastered their Domain right around retirement. After that, no matter what injuries they'd had before, as long as they were treated and recovered, they never suffered such injuries again. Even ordinary illnesses became extremely rare.
The data, collected from legendary horse girls across the world, showed the same. During their prime years, the probability of injury was proportional to physical strength but inversely proportional to living conditions. In the entry-level or mastery-level Domain states, this proportionality still existed—meaning the Domain wasn't yet "complete." But once a horse girl fully entered the "Domain state," this proportionality all but vanished. From a statistical perspective, it could be regarded as nonexistent.
In other words, horse girls who had truly mastered the Domain could live without fear of injuries or illnesses.
So if there really was a way to trigger the Domain artificially, it would mean that all horse girls could potentially enjoy this "constant Domain." That would completely change not just the horse girl world, but the world itself.
As a horse girl herself, Maruzensky longed for that kind of future. But experience had always told her it was impossible. That was why she had first denied it outright—and why she was now so stirred up.
"Maruzensky, I know you're impatient, but don't be in a rush."
Understanding her feelings, Kitahara explained patiently. "I do have an idea about actively triggering the Domain, but I can't be sure it'll succeed."
"Our initial goal was to help Oguri Cap and the others master their Domains sooner. The three prep races for the Satsuki Shō and the data we gathered proved that fighting against powerful rivals increases the chance of triggering the Domain."
"Tama and Inari One are both exceptionally strong horse girls, and they'll both be running in the Hanshin Daishōten. I think this might be an opportunity to try."
Maruzensky wasn't the type to lose her head. Her outburst had been instinctive excitement at the idea. Now, hearing Kitahara's explanation, she calmed down, let go of his shoulders, and frowned in thought.
"Mm. Facing strong rivals… yes, that really does seem to be a key trigger condition."
She recalled, "Both Rudolf and I had similar experiences."
"My case may be a bit unique. I didn't really have any rival that tough at the time. But after I lost the Japanese Derby, I felt like I had to defy everyone who doubted me. I raced more recklessly than ever, pushing myself harder and harder. Thinking back… perhaps my true rival back then was myself."
"With your data backing this up, the conclusion seems pretty solid."
She smiled gratefully. "And it's all thanks to you building this team. If not for your idea to equip the tracks with instruments, and if we hadn't had so many horse girls to provide data, this would've taken much longer to discover."
"Time and fate," Kitahara replied calmly. "This generation just happens to have horse girls like Oguri Cap, as well as the technology to study them. Otherwise, even with my ideas, I couldn't have done much."
"In any case, from the data we have so far, in the three Satsuki Shō prep races, Sakura Chiyono O, Mejiro Ardan, and Super Creek showed no significant changes. Dicta Striker and Oguri Cap, however, clearly brushed close to the Domain."
He grew serious.
"In the final stretch, Dicta Striker drew very close to Oguri Cap. At that moment, both of their data showed an upward trend."
"Statistically it doesn't look like much—fractions of a point, 0.1 or even 0.01—but if you graph it or run significance tests, the upward trend is obvious."
"We asked Oguri Cap, and she said she felt something like 'complete focus,' which means she brushed against the Domain threshold. Though we haven't talked with Fumino Naise or Dicta Striker yet, the data shows that in the last few dozen meters, Striker's body metrics were practically at the 'entry-level Domain.' She may have gotten even closer than Oguri, maybe even touched it."
Maruzensky considered this. "I can check with Rudolf to confirm. She and the others were still analyzing this just a few days ago."
Then she chuckled. "But really, compared to them, we have far better conditions here."
"I don't know much about analysis, but seeing Kyoko and Light fiddling with all that equipment, pressing a few buttons and somehow producing results—it's really convenient."
Of course it was convenient. You're just seeing the end result, but all this costs a fortune.
Kitahara only smiled to himself. He had reinvested all of Kawawan's profits back into the team. All of Eisei's equipment was top-of-the-line commercial grade. Kyoko's medical devices and Light's forging equipment were even custom-ordered through special channels.
With support like this, if training still required massive effort just to get some data, then all his years of management would've been for nothing.
At least their efforts weren't wasted.
Kitahara continued, "Actually, we don't need to wait for confirmation from Fumino's side. The fact that both Oguri and Dicta Striker came close shows that rivalry is indeed a key condition."
"But besides that…" He paused. "There's another condition. Their metrics spiked around the 200-meter mark, usually when running downhill or in close pursuit."
"You get what I mean, Maruzensky?"
"…You mean, distance, position, and track layout could all be trigger conditions?"
She grew thoughtful. "That makes sense. I felt my Domain usually when I was in the front pack, entering the final corner. For Rudolf, it was on the final stretch, but only when overtaking. So the trigger conditions…"
Suddenly her eyes lit up. "That means we could try to deduce the exact trigger conditions for Tamamo and Inari One, and then… set things up so they encounter those conditions in the race!"
"Exactly. It's a simple thought. If the Domain requires conditions, then as long as we find them, we can trigger it."
"As expected of you, Kitahara. If this works, the entire horse girl world will owe you a debt of gratitude!" She got excited again.
Kitahara, however, stayed calm. He only smiled.
She wasn't wrong—Domains did need conditions, and finding them was the key.
But knowing they were needed and actually identifying them were completely different challenges.
It was like the light bulb: once people knew tungsten worked as filament, it seemed obvious. But before that, the countless failures were unimaginable.
The fact that no one had ever proposed "find the Domain's trigger conditions" didn't mean no one had thought of it—it was because no one could find them.
If he hadn't already known Oguri and the others' innate skills, and confirmed through data that this was basically the same as the Domain, he wouldn't have found it either.
But now that he had, and with data to support it, using Tama and Inari's performance in the Hanshin Daishōten might very well unravel the truth of the Domain.
And though horse girls outside the original project didn't have "innate skills" designed for them, the fact that data could reveal Domain trigger conditions suggested it was a "rule" of this world. Whether decreed by the Three Goddesses or not, as long as it existed, it could be studied, analyzed, broken down, and applied.
…So what is this? Materialist theology?
Amused by his own thought, Kitahara turned his gaze to the horse girls finishing their morning jog.
"My idea isn't much different from yours, Maruzensky."
He chose his words carefully. "We've collected plenty of data on Tama and Inari. Especially Tama—she once brushed the Domain during a practice race at Kasamatsu when dealing with her mental issues. That pattern has shown up a few other times since."
"With her data as a base, we can better decide how to arrange things in the Hanshin Daishōten, to give both her and Inari the chance to step into that world called the Domain."
After consulting with Maruzensky, the horse girls jogged over.
Besides Kitahara, today's training was also supervised by Yuzuhara and Komiyama, since their charges—Tama and Inari—would be racing. Being a G2 graded stakes race, they naturally had to be present.
Oguri Cap, Mejiro Ardan, and Super Creek had the day off. After their jog, they stayed at the training ground to cheer Tama and Inari on, passing them water and helping out. Akane Mitsuhiro and Kyoko Miyamura were also free today, absent from the field.
"Before we start training, let's discuss your race strategies for the Hanshin Daishōten."
At that, the others blinked in surprise. Normally, the Eisei team saved tactics discussions for evening meetings after training, where there was more time and opportunity to plan in detail.
"Huh? Talking race plans now, Kitahara-ossan? That's unusual."
Tama tilted her head but quickly waved it off. "Eh, no biggie. If it makes you happy, ossan."
Then her eyes lit up.
"Oh! If we're talking race plans, does that mean we get tactics too?"
"Like last time, Creek's Meastro and Ardan's Waltz worked great. I've always wanted one of my own! Tell me, ossan, what tactic are we gonna use this time?" Her ears twitched and she spun her arms like windmills, eager.
"Yeah! Don't play favorites, ossan! I want my own tactic too!" Inari shouted.
"…A tactic, huh…" Kitahara pondered, while Komiyama grinned.
"Come on, senpai. You're her trainer, so of course you gave Creek and Ardan tactics. But I'm your junior, right? Shouldn't you also think of one for my horse girl? Hehehe~"
"…You're a trainer yourself. Can't you think of one?" Kitahara sighed.
"I don't have a brain as useful as yours, senpai~" Komiyama leaned in shamelessly, begging.
"Tama's pestered me about this several times already! But I couldn't come up with anything! Please, senpai~" she whined.
Kitahara was speechless, but Usuhara interjected to help.
"Alright, Komiyama, tactics aren't something you can just whip up. Look at Kitahara—he also trains Oguri, but she doesn't have any special tactics either."
"But," he added, glancing expectantly at Kitahara, "if Kitahara really has an idea, we should hear it out."
…If I had one, I'd have said so already. Tactics don't just fall out of the sky.
Still, an idea flickered in Kitahara's mind.
He thought back to his earlier talk with Maruzensky and to Tama and Inari's characteristics. Maybe there was a path here.
Sensing his pause, the others all held their breath, not daring to disturb their chief trainer's train of thought.
After a while…
"…I have a preliminary idea. Or rather, two."
He looked between Tama and Inari, rubbing his chin.
"You two… let's just say your centers of gravity are a bit low. That's actually an advantage."
"Especially you, Tama. You've got excellent balance and you can adapt to front-running, mid-pack, or coming from behind. Based on that, we might try something."
He raised a finger, sketching a jagged line in the air—a "lightning bolt."
"In that Kasamatsu practice race, you shifted from the back to mid-pack, then to the front, all without losing speed. That shows your balance is extraordinary."
"So you could try frequently switching positions in short bursts, at just the right times."
"Like lightning, weaving through the pack."
He drew the lightning again.
"This way, you won't get boxed in, you can take any position you want, and with those zig-zag movements, you can… well, 'disrupt' the others. Just don't commit fouls by cutting across too sharply."
"You can practice with traffic cones, weaving through them. Later, when the wind tunnel equipment arrives, we can simulate wind conditions to test it further."
"Inari's case is a bit different, but you can try it too. If you can both master it, even better."
"So this tactic… let's call it 'Lightning Footwork.'"
(End of Chapter)