Judging that the rain would ease wasn't some kind of prophetic talent—it was simply a basic quality every trainer needed to have.
Saying that one must "know the heavens above and the earth below" would be exaggerating it, but with so many different weather conditions and dozens of racecourses, the necessary knowledge still had to be firmly mastered.
Weather like today's wasn't caused by a typhoon; it was the more common convective rain.
Nagoya is close to the sea, and July and August are especially hot. Moist air over the ocean easily heats up and rises, forming coastal rainfall.
This type of rain is also affected by temperature—its onset is fast and intense, but heavy downpours usually don't last very long.
So when Kitahara proposed having Oguri Cap and the others run a training test, even though he spoke with uncertainty, deep down he was fairly confident there would be an opportunity.
And just as he'd predicted, before the morning races even began, the rain gradually weakened.
Raindrops were still falling densely onto bodies and the track, bringing a chill, but they were no longer so heavy as to seriously affect visibility like at the beginning.
This was exactly why the URA Association adjusted races when rain became too heavy—visibility was a crucial factor in racing. It didn't just affect wins and losses; more importantly, it was about safety.
Horse girls had much wider fields of vision than humans, and their dynamic vision was several times stronger.
In good weather and proper lighting, they could observe curves, opponent positions, and subtle rises and dips in the track even at high speed, avoiding collisions or hazards like potholes.
When rain became too heavy, visual ability dropped sharply, greatly increasing the danger of racing.
The current rain level was just right—even trainers like Kitahara could clearly see several hundred meters of the track, and there was little risk of such accidents in horse-girl races.
The morning races went the same way: the heavy ground clearly affected performance, but every race finished safely.
Accordingly, once the morning races ended, Kitahara reported to the staff and, taking advantage of the two-hour midday gap when the track was free, brought Oguri Cap and the others onto the track to warm up.
The report wasn't because the training test was problematic.
On the contrary, adapting to the track during gaps on race day was common practice. Informing the staff was simply a precaution, given the weather—there might be temporary arrangements from the venue.
As for training tests, any trainer or team would try to understand the most recent track conditions before racing, adjusting plans accordingly.
For example, as soon as the Eternal Team stepped onto the track, they could see horse girls running back and forth, with trainers in raincoats and umbrellas lining the outer rail.
Those were the afternoon competitors and their trainers.
"Is it just my imagination…?"
Standing by the rail and glancing around, Komiyama suddenly froze.
"It feels like… those trainers and horse girls are all watching us…?"
"Aren't they just here to train?"
As she voiced her confusion, Kitahara was arranging Oguri Cap's warm-up. Hearing her, he instinctively looked toward the others on the track.
From his vantage point, it was obvious—the horse girls who had been adjusting their pace were slowing down, their gazes drifting toward them.
Some even walked toward the empty edge of the track and stopped, staring openly.
The trainers by the rail were the same.
From closer up, through the curtain of rain, Kitahara could see expressions of caution—or quiet conversations with familiar colleagues.
Yuzuhara was also observing and recognized several of the trainers and horse girls.
"These…"
He frowned.
"Quite a few of them seem to be Oguri Cap's opponents today."
"With this kind of attention… are they planning to keep a close watch on her?"
"If that's the case, the pressure on her races might be even greater than we expected…"
His tone carried concern—but before he could finish, someone interrupted.
"Arō, don't be so scared!"
Inari One, pausing her pre-run stretches, thumped her chest with a grin, as if vouching for Oguri Cap and the others.
"With Oguri and the others at their current level, it's only natural they'd draw attention. Nothing surprising about it!"
"Exactly!" Tamamo Cross chimed in immediately.
"We're totally confident in Oguri, Creek, and Ardan! To prepare for Inari's Takamatsunomiya Kinen, we've run at Chukyo tons of times, right? And we prepared plenty this time too!"
"No need to worry!"
Both horse girls were brimming with confidence, and the three competitors shared that same assured look. Kitahara stepped closer to Yuzuhara and patted his shoulder.
"Inari and Tama are right. Attention, pressure, preparation—we're not strangers to any of that. We just need to prepare properly."
"That's what we trainers are supposed to do, isn't it?"
After reassuring him, and seeing Yuzuhara take a deep breath and nod, Kitahara smiled and waved to Oguri Cap and the others.
"Alright. Keep warming up. Once you're ready, head to the starting point."
"Let's do a simple 2000-meter test—training pace."
"And then, Light, take Little Oguri and the others and handle the cold-prevention prep."
Before this test, Belno Light had already worked with Oguri Roman and the other juniors to prepare logistics. This arrangement would also reduce the risk of issues during the races.
As the warm-up ended, the training test began.
They didn't use starting gates—it was more convenient that way.
When Kitahara announced the start, Komiyama fixed her gaze on the horse girls bursting forward together and quickly nodded.
"Good start. That tells us that in this rain, the afternoon races shouldn't have any issues at the gate."
Then she looked at Kitahara with curiosity.
"So, senpai, you've got to explain now—why did you suddenly decide to do this test?"
"Did you really come up with some new idea that'll let them perform even better before the race?"
Everyone knew Oguri Cap's mindset before the race—she'd made it clear during dinner after the hot springs the night before.
Influenced by her, whether it was Creek and Ardan racing today, or Tamamo Cross and Inari One without races recently, all of them had similar thoughts to varying degrees.
Some said it outright, some showed it unconsciously—but the trainers clearly felt that their horse girls were more eager than usual to perform brilliantly.
Komiyama and Yuzuhara were both attentive to their horse girls, especially in daily communication. Komiyama, in particular, understood Tamamo Cross's feelings well.
So she wanted to fulfill those wishes too.
But realistically, Tamamo Cross and Inari One might have enough time to rethink strategies.
Oguri Cap, Creek, and Ardan—racing in just a few hours—didn't seem to have that luxury.
Hearing Komiyama's question,Yuzuhara also looked over.
"I can't be completely sure, but…"
Facing their doubts, Kitahara hesitated—rarely so when it came to training and racing.
With clear training philosophies and deeper understanding of each horse girl than most trainers of this era, he was usually confident, his plans clear and actionable.
But now, not only was he hesitating right before the race, his thoughts weren't as clearly articulated as before.
After a pause, he continued:
"But I'm starting to feel that, at least during this period of racing, I've overlooked something major."
"Overlooked? No way—you, senpai?"
Komiyama instinctively objected, then paused thoughtfully.
"Could it be… something you heard during that phone call yesterday?"
She was referring to the Secretariat's evaluation of Oguri Cap that Kitahara had overheard from Musaka Ginjiro.
Komiyama agreed that advice from a Tracen Academy director was valuable—but even after hearing it yesterday, she hadn't seen anything directly useful.
And it wasn't just her—no one, including Kitahara himself, had felt it would affect actual races.
But now, seeing him insist on a training test before the race, that was all she could think of.
"Yeah—or maybe it's not exactly an oversight. Maybe my perspective has been… a bit too advanced."
Still speaking uncertainly, Kitahara cut off further questions and turned to Belno Light and Miyamura Kyoko.
"There are plenty of today's opponents on the track. The instruments should've recorded their running data just now, right?"
They didn't quite understand why he asked, but after exchanging glances, both nodded.
"Yes. Since we were going to Kasamatsu for the hot springs yesterday, Light and I coordinated with the staff a day early and set up the instruments," Miyamura said.
"And with the recent weather, we specifically adjusted waterproofing, wind resistance, and signal transmission. No issues."
Then she paused, thinking.
"Wait… Kitahara, are you planning to compare Oguri's test data with her opponents'?"
"We've always done that before, haven't we?"
As his colleagues questioned him, Kitahara's eyes stayed fixed on the five figures flying through the rain on the track.
"We have compared plenty of data before. But today might be an exception…"
He answered quietly, a dawning realization in his gaze.
"As I thought…"
"An exception? As you thought—what?"
Catching that last line, Miyamura lit up and immediately pressed him.
"Did you find something, Kitahara?!"
Komiyama and Yuzuhara also looked over urgently.
"I think my feeling was right. It's just that…"
Kitahara gave an awkward smile, rubbing his temple, and pointed to the horse girls who were already well into their 2000-meter test.
"Let me put it this way. Forget the data—just from what you can see, do you think those five are being affected much by the rain and heavy ground?"
"Or rather—do they look any different from what we predicted before the race?"
The question caught his colleagues off guard. After a moment's pause, they all turned toward the track.
Like an anime visual effect, the five horse girls sprinting through the rain looked as if they were wrapped in a thin white glow.
But it wasn't an effect—it was the visual result of air currents blasting rain backward at high speed, something you also see in rainy car races.
Horse girls weren't as fast as race cars, but still far beyond human limits. Under the same conditions, carving a path through the rain was perfectly plausible.
And that alone testified to Oguri Cap and the others' speed.
Though it was the midday break, many spectators remained in the stands. They saw the scene too.
Cheers erupted instinctively, cutting through the rain and reaching both the horse girls and Kitahara's group.
Trainers watched differently—focusing on form, speed, and technique.
Prompted by Kitahara, Komiyama and the others quickly realized the issue—or rather, the lack of one.
"It does… look no different," Komiyama nodded, puzzled.
"But doesn't that just mean our arrangements were right?"
"No—that's exactly why our arrangements are actually wrong," Kitahara countered immediately.
"And the fact that you think the same way means this oversight isn't just mine—we all share it."
He explained rapidly.
"We've gotten used to planning races with an idealized mindset—assuming both our horse girls and their opponents will perfectly perform at training level."
"We push our horse girls to fully express their talents, abilities, and techniques—allocating stamina and pace at the absolute limit."
"But we forgot that while Oguri Cap and the others can meet that ideal, their opponents might not."
"This is hard to notice in good weather and track conditions."
"In Tamamo Cross's Takarazuka Kinen and Inari One's Takamatsunomiya Kinen, their opponents largely performed as expected."
"But even then, they were still short of true ideal conditions."
"And in weather and track conditions as bad as today, that gap will be amplified."
"If I'm right, comparing today's test data with opponents' data under the same conditions will reveal one obvious fact…"
He looked at his colleagues and gave a strange smile.
"Oguri Cap, Creek, and Ardan are too fast."
"Their opponents' effective performance under these conditions is much lower than we anticipated."
"In that case, even if Oguri and the others try to follow the planned frontrunner or stalker strategies, they'll inevitably end up at the very front."
"And to stick to the plan, they'd have to suppress their speed."
"They could still win—but isn't that a waste of their strength?"
He sighed softly.
"Now I finally understand what the Secretariat meant by 'being able to withstand greater impact without issue.'"
"We've been holding Oguri Cap and the others—and their opponents—to standards that are too high."
"When opponents can't fully perform as expected, this mindset actually wastes our horse girls' true ability."
As he spoke, the horse girls finished the test, slowed to recover, and walked back toward the rail through the rain.
"Look—even after a 2000-meter test, they're barely affected," Kitahara said, pointing, his expression complicated. Then he quickly gave orders to the "support squad."
"Light, take Little Oguri and the others and help the seniors recover—wash up, change clothes, drink ginger cola."
"There are still a few hours before the races. Plenty of time."
The test hadn't taken long, and with the midday break plus afternoon wait, there was ample time to reset.
While Oguri Cap and the others adjusted, Kitahara gathered the trainers in the prep room to analyze a "new" strategy.
Calling it "new" was somewhat misleading—the general framework was similar. What mattered was reassessing the limits of their strength and opponents' idealized performance.
"Kitahara's guess was right," Miyamura Kyoko began, unlike usual meetings.
"Compared to Oguri Cap's test data, her opponents' midday performance is lower than we previously expected."
"And if we follow the original race plan, this numerical gap won't stand out too much in practice."
"Simulations show our horse girls can still run behind opponents in familiar positions—just with closer gaps than before."
"But if they abandon that plan and go all out, Oguri Cap and the others will lead for long stretches."
"Especially under today's conditions."
She stopped typing; mouse clicks replaced keystrokes.
A real-time rendered 3D image appeared on the projector.
The background showed Chukyo Racecourse in relief—the gentle first turn in the upper right, the signature downhill stretch in the lower left.
At the gates stood seven 3D horse girls in formation. A silver-gray–haired figure—clearly Oguri Cap—was near the front center.
"Since Oguri Cap's Meitetsu Cup is first, I'll use her race as the example," Miyamura explained.
"Under the original plan, she'd stay within the pack for 7–10 seconds after the start."
"After that, unless she deliberately suppressed her speed, she'd break away into the lead."
With clicks, the figures advanced along the track, Oguri Cap moving ahead.
Initially, the lead was small—just over one length.
As they reached mid-race, it expanded to two, three, four—briefly reaching five lengths.
Later, the gap narrowed again, down to just over one length near the final turn.
In the final 200 meters, it widened once more—but not back to five lengths.
"I chose Oguri Cap as the example because she isn't particularly strong at this position," Miyamura continued.
"Under this approach, whether actively or passively, Oguri Cap, Creek, and Ardan would all end up running as frontrunners."
"For Creek and Ardan, that's not unfamiliar—they have some aptitude for leading."
"They can sense pace, stamina ratios, opponents' responses, race conditions—gain psychological advantage from leading, and handle the pressure of being chased."
"But Oguri Cap isn't naturally good at Front running."
"Short-term leads can help with stamina distribution or pressure opponents."
"And her strong positional switching can bring her back into the pack."
"Even the increased wind resistance and rain-induced fatigue of leading aren't major issues for her."
"But in fine details, she's inexperienced."
She sped up the simulation, showing Oguri Cap leading at varying distances.
"That's why her lead is unstable in the data."
"If she uses a style she isn't adept at, she could surpass our previous planning logic and achieve a better result."
"But as I said—compared to her teammates, Oguri Cap isn't good at Front running."
"If we want a safer, more stable win, the data suggests she should still run as a frontrunner-in-waiting."
"That sacrifices some strength, but preserves victory."
"For a more outstanding performance, going with the flow and leading outright has higher potential."
"Of course, it could also end in a narrow, risky win."
Miyamura suddenly grew serious.
"I must emphasize one thing."
"This simulation uses an approach we've never considered before."
"We never plan around opponents making mistakes. This time, we used real-time opponent data."
"While their midday performance wasn't ideal, they might adjust during the actual race."
"My simulation assumes the former. Under the latter, if Oguri Cap still runs Front running, the outcome could be very poor…"
She adjusted the simulation again. This time, it wasn't a full race.
On-screen, Oguri Cap's advantage vanished before the finish.
At a glance, she was nearly neck-and-neck with the closest opponent, sprinting like a duel to the line.
"In this state, Oguri Cap will undoubtedly enter her Zone."
"But if the plan involves multiple Zone activations, her time entering it at the finish won't sustain the final 200 meters."
"In short, abandoning the original plan for better results involves major trade-offs—strategy, risk, uncertainty."
Miyamura gave a wry smile.
"Honestly, this is a racing style we've never considered—one with so many uncertainties."
"So, Kitahara…"
"Should we let them run Front running today?"
"Especially Oguri Cap."
(End of chapter)