Inari One could hear it clearly—with every word Tamamo Cross roared, the distance between them shrank sharply.
There was no mistake about it.She had triggered her domain too!
Inari One was inwardly astonished.
For a fleeting instant, she even felt a twinge of fear.
When she herself had triggered her own domain earlier, all she had felt was an overwhelming sense of focus—a focus that disregarded everything, as though the entire track, the entire world, contained only herself.
That concentration, that state of selflessness, had been utterly intoxicating.If she could, she would have wanted to step into that state once more.
But she hadn't known—that this very state would bring such terrifying pressure to others.
The sensation of everything being ripped away—of her blood and energy being sucked dry—still clung to her limbs like maggots gnawing on her bones.
She wanted to muster her strength but didn't know from where.She wanted to rouse her fighting spirit, but found herself gripped by hesitation again.
What made the sweat on her back suddenly turn cold—was that she could now hear the familiar sound of footsteps right behind her.
There was no mistake.
Ever since Kasamatsu, she'd run side by side with Tamamo Cross countless times.
She was utterly certain—those footsteps at her back belonged to Tamamo Cross!
That razor-thin difference during training... was it coming again?
No doubt about it. Little Tama... you're terrifying.
But—I've really got to thank you!
How could I possibly not go all out now?!
How could I think "maybe it's better not to try too hard"?!
Since you want to see it so much—
"Then watch and see—just how desperately I want to win!!!"
Inari One's roar seemed to carry a strange demonic power.
It dispelled the fear in her heart—and even made the commentary and cheers echoing over the racetrack pause for a moment.
But only for a moment.The next instant, the commentator's excited shouts and the boiling roar of the crowd erupted again.
"Is this what the Eisei Team's horse girls are like?! Do they have to shock the world in every race?!"
"Unbelievable—this is utterly unbelievable! This race has completely gone off the rails!"
"In the first 1,500 meters, Inari One and Tamamo Cross fought at a pace that defied logic!
And now, not long into the second half, they're sprinting again as if it's already the final stretch?!"
"There are still over 400 meters left until the real finish line!
We've only just cleared the second third corner!
There's the final turn and final straight to go—over 600 meters in total!
At this speed, with this kind of energy drain—"
"Can they even finish?!"
There was doubt in every shout.
Years of experience told the commentators more than most people would ever know about horse girls.
Even if they weren't as specialized as trainers, they could tell a lot just by watching how the girls performed in a race.
And this commentator was certain:after Inari One had suddenly accelerated in the first half, everyone had been forced to speed up.
That had drained far too much stamina too early.
And now Tamamo Cross had done the same thing—forcing the pace even higher in the later half.
How many of these horse girls could even make it to the finish line was anyone's guess.
It wasn't just the commentators who were worried.Similar concerns were voiced in the viewing hall.
"This is looking bad, Kitahara."
Maruzensky frowned.
"Both Tama and Inari triggered their domains, sure—but as 'entry-level' domains, while they can burst out slightly stronger than usual for a short while, the energy drain increases geometrically."
"Given their usual training, they'll probably finish the race, but the problem is that their final speed will drop sharply. The uncertainty is huge."
The members of the Transcendence Team knew about domains—CB, their representative, had explained it to them
.It was powerful, yes, but also risky.Sakura Chiyono O spoke up in amazement.
"Ehh?! They triggered domains?! That's amazing—Tama, Inari…"
Then her face turned anxious.
"But Maruzensky-senpai is right. They've burned through so much stamina so early.Even if they keep fighting for position, by the end they'll probably be slower than in training…"
"Slower than training?"
The genius trainer Naise Fumino frowned.
"At best, they'll keep around 10 meters per second average speed.
Worst case—less than 9 meters per second."
"At that speed, they couldn't even win a human race walk.How are they going to finish a competition like this?" Her brows knitted tighter, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
At that moment, two voices suddenly chimed in.
"But that doesn't mean they can't finish."
"It's fine! As long as Tama and Inari keep running, they'll be okay.They'll just be exhausted after finishing—eat well, rest, and they'll be fine after a while."
Both Kitahara and Oguri Cap had said it at the same time.They froze for a second, met each other's eyes, and laughed.
Maruzensky and the others, however, were stunned.
"Hmm? Won't affect the finish…?" Maruzensky frowned again, lost in thought.
Kitahara nodded with a wry smile.
"Yeah. This race has gone far beyond anyone's expectations—including mine as their trainer."
"Thanks to those two triggering their domains, they dragged everyone else into their pace.This kind of race—honestly, even across the entire URA Association—no, across the entire horse girl world, I doubt there's ever been one like it."
"Dragged everyone down... ahem, Kitahara, I've wanted to say this for a while."
Maruzensky looked enlightened, yet helpless.
"Stop copying Rudolf's cold jokes, will you?"
"'Dragged down' everyone just say 'everyone slowed down.'Don't make lame puns about oysters (kaki) and 'kakeru.' It's freezing."
…Huh? Not funny?I thought it was kinda funny.And hey, I'm not always joking around—I'm serious, okay?
Kitahara pouted in silence, not bothering to explain.
Meanwhile, Naise Fumino stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Wait—what?!
Her pupils shrank slightly.
If she understood correctly…Maruzensky's words just now implied—
This whole thing—Tamamo Cross and Inari One triggering their domains—was completely within their expectations?!
Impossible!
Her father himself had never been able to determine how domains truly worked,and no research—domestic or international—had ever suggested it could be predicted. And yet—
They—the Eisei Team—had intentionally triggered domains in this race?!
How?!
Fumino was too stunned to speak.
Maruzensky, having finished her little lecture, chuckled.
"You're right—no, I should say, Kitahara and Oguri, you're right."
"This Hanshin Daishōten may have defied all expectations,but it's still understandable."
"It's just two very special girls, affecting everyone else's stamina and speed."
"Rare, yes—but in the end, it just means they'll finish much slower than usual—or rather, slower than almost any race ever held."
"Ah, how fun! Following you around, Kitahara, I get to see so many fascinating races."
She sighed in delight.
"If nothing unexpected happens, this Hanshin Daishōten will probably go downas the slowest finish in URA history."
"Of course, it'll also become a race the world can never forget."
"...Yeah, that's not something easy to forget, that's for sure."
Kitahara smiled bitterly.
"And... they're slowing down already."
He had kept his telescope trained on the course the whole time,and sighed again as he focused once more.
Different races required different speeds—which meant different stamina consumption.
To put it simply, a horse girl's stamina was like a water tank.
In short races, you could open the faucet wide—water (and speed) would gush freely.But in long races, you had to regulate the flow—otherwise, you'd run dry before reaching the end.
And this Hanshin Daishōten was exactly what happened when you didn't regulate it.
Inari One's burst in the early half, Tamamo Cross's burst in the late half—it was like the faucet being opened twice as wide, twice in a row.
It had felt glorious when the water was flowing—but now the tank was almost empty, only drops trickling out.
The good news :even when drastically slowed down, horse girls were still faster than humans.
The commentators awkwardly voiced that fact.
"Ahem... well, everyone, with 600 meters to go, all the horse girls have, as expected, slowed down considerably..."
"For those familiar with race paces—yes, their speed has dropped from an earlier astonishing 18 meters per second...down to around 12 or 13 meters per second."
"And uh... they're... still slowing down.Now it's about 9 or 10 meters per second."
"Well... looks like the Eisei Team's 'master strategist' not only calculated the race itself—but also planned to surprise us!
I'm sure a lot of spectators are finding this both shocking and hilarious!"
"This is probably the slowest final sprint in Hanshin Daishōten history—and likely the longest finish time in all of URA history!"
As the commentary said, the girls' speed visibly decreased.
If their earlier pace had been like lightning,now they were more like leaves blown by the wind.
At top speed, you couldn't even see their expressions clearly—but now, anyone with decent eyesight could see their faces drenched in sweat,features twisted into grimaces of exhaustion.
Many in the audience couldn't help but laugh aloud.
"Hahaha! This is great! This might be the slowest race I've ever seen!"
"What did the commentator say just now? 9 meters per second? 10?If it drops any lower, even I could run this pace!"
"Seriously, if I jumped in right now, I might actually win—No, no, I'm not joking! I'm a track athlete!—Haha, never mind, never mind, just kidding! Let's keep watching!"
The runners couldn't hear the jokes, nor the commentary anymore.
A 3,000-meter race was already a brutal test of endurance—normally, no one would accelerate before the final straight,as it burned through tremendous stamina.
Even without Inari One and Tamamo Cross's two forced bursts,most would already begin to fade around 600 meters to go.
Breathing became ragged, strides shortened, arm swings lost rhythm.The mind dulled, focus waned, vision narrowed—under such strain, only innate talent and intense training could keep them moving rationally.
Most of the horse girls were in that state now—running on instinct, with a single thought left in their heads:
"No matter what—it's finish or nothing."
All their movements—breath, steps, arms—were now pure habit.But among them were two exceptions.
The two tiny girls at the very front.
"Haa... haa... how's that, Tama... haah... you see this...?This is me... giving it everything... haah…"
"Ha... ha... haha... you're killing me here, Inari... haah...you can barely talk and still... haah... brag about giving it all…"
As if they'd forgotten they were in the Hanshin Daishōten,the two trudged forward like they were back in daily training—heads turned, glaring at each other, gasping mid-sentence as they bickered.
"You... haah... don't look so good yourself...You're just as out of breath... haah…"
"Wh-what are you talking about... haah...I-I'm fine! This time... haah... I'll definitely win, you idiot... haah…"
It was almost absurd—they could barely see, sweat blurring their eyes, lashes sticking together,their hearing reduced to nothing but each other's voices—yet somehow, they still understood every word the other said.
"The one... haah... who'll win... is me!I'll make you scream three times... 'I'm an idiot'... haah…"
"Haah... scream what?"
"I'm... haah... ugh, even now you're teasing me...You're doomed, Tama! You'll be the one yelling three times... haah…"
"Ha... ha... you're dreaming, Inari... the loser's gonna be you...I'll win this... haah…"
Even now, they could still trade jabs—still register each other's teasing—and mentally explode with exasperation.
"You're kidding yourself... haah...You've got no energy left... haah…"
Damn it, this Tama… how can she still keep running…?
"Ha... ha... don't be ridiculous...I've still got... haah... plenty of strength left... haah…"
How can this Inari still be standing…?!
"You're clearly exhausted... haah... stop lying…"
Please, stop already, Tama… I really can't keep running…
"W-where... haah... I'm not tired at all…"
Stop, Inari… I'm seriously about to collapse…
"What a coincidence... haah... I'm not tired either... hahaha…"
Stop… please…
"Is... that so... haah... me too, hahaha…"
Stop already…!
"You two—stop right there!!" ×2
Suddenly, two panicked voices shouted from the track's edge.
Familiar voices—enough for the two half-delirious horse girls to instantly recognize them:their trainers, Yuzuhara Tarō and Komiyama.
"Ta-Tarou / Komiyama... what are you doing here...? haah...This... this is the track, we're... haah... still racing...!" ×2
Still running, they both blinked in confusion as their trainers rushed toward them.
Wait—why did they look so fast? ×2I'm giving it my all—how can they catch up to me?! ×2
"You two... sigh, you've really run yourselves silly.The race is over already!"
"Don't lie down right away.I know you're dead tired, but walk a bit—you need to flush the lactic acid out of your muscles."
After such extreme exertion, sitting or lying immediately could block blood flow,causing dizziness or worse.
The lactic acid buildup would also worsen soreness and cramps.Even more dangerous was what could happen to their muscles and ligaments—like hot metal plunged suddenly into cold water,they'd stiffen, lose resilience, and eventually risk inflammation or even fractures.
Both horse girls knew that.
Supported by Tōra, they continued walking slowly forward—but their faces were filled with the same burning curiosity.
"Ta-Tarou... you... you said it's over?Th-the result then... the photo finish...?"
"Y-yeah, Uncle... the photo finish... does that mean...?"
Watching the anxious expressions on their faces, Yuzuhara couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
"According to the photo finish… you two crossed the line almost at the same time."
Then, his bitter smile gradually turned into an amused one."This was truly an unpredictable race—you two little troublemakers…"
"The entire team was dragged into a stall by your sudden acceleration. In the last 600 meters—especially around the final 400—you were hardly running anymore. It was basically a walking race…"
"Luckily, your earlier burst and fight for position gave you a lead advantage. So even though it looked slow…"
He chuckled in relief.
"You both crossed the finish line first. Though the photo finish results aren't out yet, the winner must be one of you two."
As he spoke, seeing Tamamo Cross and Inari One whip their heads around nervously toward the results board, Yuuahara also turned in that direction.
Just then, the slightly amused tone of the commentator rang out.
"All right, this—well, how should I put it—this very unique Hanshin Daishoten, due to Tamamo Cross and Inari One crossing the line almost simultaneously, had to be decided by photo finish… and the result is in."
"A tie! A very rare tie! Tamamo Cross and Inari One—share first place!"
"I don't think the audience is surprised, right? After both Horse Girls gained an advantage at the finish, they started running perfectly side-by-side, just like during team training. So, a tie is only natural."
"Well then, let's congratulate Tamamo Cross and Inari One—and Team Eisei—for giving us such an entertaining race and taking two championships at once!"
The crowd erupted into cheers—though a little different from usual.
Normally, when a winner—or especially a rare tie—appears, the cheers would be thunderous.
But this time, while there were still plenty of cheers, much of it was laced with laughter and playful teasing.
"Hahaha! That was such a fun race! Thank goodness I came to see it live—if I missed such a slow race, I'd regret it for life!"
"Good job, you two! It might've been slow at the end, but your determination was amazing! Congrats!"
"Slow's okay too! Slow can be cute! Looking forward to more races like this!"
In the viewing hall, laughter and chuckles echoed as well.
"What a completely unpredictable race."
Maruzensky smiled gracefully."As always, Kitahara—following you and Team Eisei, we can always see something interesting."
Then her expression turned more serious."So, how are things? Yuzuhara and Komiyama should've gone over by now, right? How are Tamamo and Inari doing?"
The race had indeed been visually amusing—possibly the "slowest" one anyone present had ever seen.
But that slowness was the result of exhaustion.To avoid any accidents, all the Horse Girls needed to undergo full medical checks.
Kitahara was already arranging that.
Holding his phone, reading the stream of messages, his tone stayed calm and steady.
"Yeah, so far it looks fine. Yuzuhara and Komiyama gave Tamamo and Inari a quick check—no abnormalities in their vitals."
"Komiyama has also contacted the track's medical team—they're heading over to do full exams for all participants."
"Super Creek and Mejiro Aldan, since they ran faster, have already gotten in touch with the Hanshin track officials—one's arranging hospital and medical teams, the other's gathered most of the trainers to head over together."
"…Still, I feel bad for the Horse Girls and trainers who took part in this race."
After explaining the post-race arrangements, Kitahara sighed, his tone tinged with guilt and worry.
"No matter how you look at it, the reason this Hanshin Daishoten was so intense is because of my decision…"
"Don't say that, Kitahara."
Maruzensky suddenly interrupted him, her expression firm."You only arranged the race this way because you wanted to test if Tamamo and Inari could trigger their Domains."
"And to attempt to artificially trigger a Domain—that's unprecedented. No one could've predicted what would happen."
"Normally, trying to force an entire team to maintain high speed over 3000 meters is nearly impossible."
"Without a Domain, it's hard for any Horse Girl to break out with speed that would alarm her rivals in the early or middle stages."
"But in this race—not only did a Domain get triggered, two did, simultaneously. In such an unprecedented situation, an unexpected outcome like this is only natural."
"In short—you don't need to blame yourself, Kitahara."
She walked over and patted his shoulder.
"I know, but still…"
Kitahara hesitated.
He wasn't sure how to express it.
From the moment he decided to become a trainer, his dream had been to use his foresight and planning to create a better world for all Horse Girls—a world where, even if there were wins and losses, there would be little to no injuries; where every Horse Girl could freely run on the track she loved.
Now, by coincidence, he had discovered the value of Domains and confirmed that the Three Goddesses' blessings could protect Horse Girls even after their "Formalization"—a huge step closer to his dream.
This race had proven the conditions for triggering a Domain were real—making that dream solid reality.
So, it should've been a happy moment. Two happy moments, even.Then why… why did it feel this way?
Kitahara sighed, melancholy creeping over him.
But before he could dwell on it too long, Fumino Nanse approached, her expression tense.
"Pardon me, but…"
Her gaze was filled with disbelief and excitement as she looked between Kitahara, Oguri Cap, and Maruzensky.
"If I'm not mistaken… Team Eisei has figured out a method to manually trigger Domains?"
"What? Really?!"
Her voice cracked on the last word.
Kitahara blinked, meeting her eyes.
…As expected of a genius. She caught on fast—not only realizing our goal from Maruzensky's few words, but coming straight to the point.
She probably wants to learn more.
He exchanged a look with Maruzensky—she met his gaze with an approving nod.Seeing their mutual understanding, Kitahara turned back to Nanse and nodded firmly.
"Yes. Actually…"
"It's true?!"
Nanse almost lost her composure.
"I—I'm sorry, I don't mean to doubt you, it's just—this is unbelievable!"
She bit her lip, hands clasped, pacing in a small circle as her thoughts raced.
"This… this is a world-shaking discovery!"
"Domains… President CB mentioned them to us—they're another blessing from the Three Goddesses beyond Formalization. If fully mastered, they could let Horse Girls avoid injuries and greatly extend their peak competitive years."
"But to reach the Domain requires being among the most elite of a generation—and even then, most can't touch that threshold. Otherwise, Japan wouldn't only have just over twenty Domain-level Horse Girls."
"And that's one of the biggest gaps between us and the international level!"
Her eyes blazed with intensity.
"In Europe and America, especially in top-tier races, almost every Horse Girl can trigger a Domain!"
"Forget training methods, equipment, philosophy—just the number of Domain users is what we can't compete with! That's the key to our struggles on the world stage!"
"If we can master how to trigger Domains on demand… if we can…"
Her voice rose with each repetition, turning sharp by the end.Then she strode up to Kitahara, eyes burning, and reached out her hand.
"Then our Horse Girls could conquer the world! Ah—!"
She stumbled before she could reach him.
"Uh, are you okay?"
Kitahara looked at her in concern, then turned around in confusion."Oguri Cap, why did you pull me back?"
When Naise had reached for him, Kitahara had instinctively stepped back—she'd clearly gotten carried away.
But before he could move, someone had yanked him back by the collar with surprising force.
There was only one possible culprit behind him—Oguri Cap.
"Uh, I saw that Ms. Naise looked kinda like me when I rush toward the cafeteria—it felt weird, so I pulled you back… You okay, Kitahara?"
"Oh, I'm fine."
Though he didn't quite follow her logic, Kitahara shrugged it off and turned back to Naise, intending to calm her down.
But the genius trainer had already regained her composure.
"Apologies for my outburst."She bowed slightly, her expression back to calm professionalism.
"Please understand, Chief Kitahara—learning that Domains can be triggered manually is… simply too astounding."
Her eyes were still full of shining anticipation.
Kitahara understood what she wanted. After thinking it over, he decided to explain properly.
"You guessed right. With Maruzensky's help, before this race, we formed a hypothesis about Domains."
At that, Naise immediately straightened, listening like an eager student.
"Simply put, based on the data we'd collected, we found that when a Horse Girl touches the Domain, her physical indicators show distinct spikes."
Continuing, Kitahara pointed at Oguri Cap.
"For instance, Oguri Cap in the Yayoi Sho, Tamamo Cross in a previous training race, and…"
He gestured toward Nanse."…your team's Dicta Striker. They all experienced the same changes."
"Dicta Striker?" ×2
Both Naise and Sakura Chiyono O, who had been looking around in confusion, gasped.
"We did suspect, based on CB's observations, that Dicta Striker might've touched a Domain in the Yayoi Sho, but…"
Her long white ear covers twitched as she scratched her head, glancing between Kitahara and Oguri.
"How did you guys know about that…?"
Naise furrowed her brow too.
Strange—CB wouldn't leak that, and President Maruzensky wouldn't pry either.So how did Team Eisei know?
She looked from Maruzensky to Kitahara again.
They'd planned to use Dicta Striker's Domain secretly as a strategic surprise for the upcoming Triple Crown… but now the other side already knew.
Her lips tightened, her gaze complicated.
…So much for a surprise tactic.
But Kitahara wasn't thinking about that.He pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and handed it over.
"It's simple—you just install medical monitoring equipment at the race track."
He motioned for Naise to take the phone. As she and Chiyono O looked at it together, he explained:
"Since Kasamatsu, I've worked with our chief physician, Kyoko Miyamura, to monitor all training and races using real-time medical instruments. That way, we can collect full physiological data."
"The URA Association doesn't forbid it, as long as we pay for equipment losses ourselves."
"That's fine. With Nishijin Corporation's sponsorship and our own Kawawan company doing well, we can afford it."
"This means we don't just get our team's training data—we also collect our opponents'."
He pointed at the screen."That data set is Dicta Striker's physiological metrics during the Yayoi Sho."
"You can see around the 200-meter mark, her data spikes sharply. Compare it to Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross's, and you can confirm—"
Before he could finish, Nanse cut in, eyes wide.
"You can confirm Dicta Striker definitely entered a Domain…"
She lifted her gaze, astonished and admiring.
"To think… such an elegant method! Why didn't anyone think of this before—it's so simple! Just collect real-time data!"
She fell into a fervent mutter.
"I see, I see—I understand now."
Pressing a hand to her forehead, her eyes gleamed."With real-time data, we can pinpoint the exact moment a Domain is triggered."
"With that timestamp, we can cross-check every condition at that moment—no, not even eliminate them, since most of those conditions might be the triggers."
"Then, by recreating those conditions in races or training, we could make them trigger Domains repeatedly—letting them master it…"
"Chief Kitahara, you…"
Her eyes shone almost blindingly."You're a genius."
…Uh, you're the real genius here. It took me ages to piece this theory together, and you got it instantly—this kinda hurts my pride…
Kitahara smiled awkwardly, about to respond, when Maruzensky, who'd been quietly watching, stepped up and patted Naise's shoulder.
"Alright, Fumino, no need to be too shocked."
Maruzensky chuckled."To be honest, when we first thought of it, we were just as surprised—especially me."
"At first, I thought it was so simple too—like a thin layer of paper that just needed poking through. But later I realized—it's not that easy."
"Not that easy?" Nanse blinked.
"Think about it," Maruzensky said, tilting her head. "Do you know how much investment all that equipment costs?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued,"I don't know the exact figures—Kawawan is Team Eisei's asset, and I can't interfere—but I've seen some figures from the board."
"To put it simply, Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Inari One, Super Creek, and Mejiro Aldan—their average merchandise revenue alone has surpassed 5 million yen each. The fans are really generous."
"And that's just a portion of their Central District income."
She smiled with mild amazement.
"F-Five million? On average? For them? That's… unbelievable!"
This time, Sakura Chiyono O cried out, covering her mouth with wide eyes."I knew from the 'Moe Monster' press event they were popular, but that popular?!"
"Yes, indeed—they're red-hot."Maruzensky nodded.
"Video tapes, cassettes, planners, clothes, hats, plushies—all sell out instantly."
"For limited editions, even items costing hundreds of thousands of yen get snapped up."
"Plus, with your 'Moe Monster' series backed by Nishijin Corporation, even before release, distribution rights are selling like crazy—that revenue alone dwarfs the merchandise."
Then she looked at Kitahara with genuine admiration.
"And most of that income—the girls only keep a small fraction. Kitahara reinvests everything back into training facilities."
"From that perspective alone, Eisei's ability to discover the Domain triggers and achieve such results is entirely thanks to this chief's willingness to give everything."
"I'm not saying other trainers are stingy—but to throw millions upon millions into equipment without hesitation—no one else would."
She shrugged lightly and sighed.
"At least, my own trainer back in the day didn't."
(End of Chapter)