A few days later, at the Mejiro training grounds.
Kuroha was sitting leisurely on a small folding stool by the track, watching the training of three horse girls: one big, two small.
Not far away, Tokai Teio was going through the new phase of high-intensity training Kuroha had designed for her, without the slightest sloppiness.
Closer by, Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower were doing basic physical development drills.
At first, for convenience, Kuroha had planned to spend the entire New Year holiday using the Mejiro public training grounds.
But plans never keep up with changes.
With Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower temporarily joining in, their training even involved treating old, lingering injuries.
With just Kuroha alone, that wasn't enough. He needed Mejiro's professional medical staff on standby as well.
So the very next day, Kuroha simply brought them over and moved operations back to the Mejiro training grounds.
Right now, the two little horses were obediently jumping rope, working on basic coordination training.
Once he'd confirmed their form was standard and there were no major issues, Kuroha pulled out his phone with a slightly amused expression and continued reading.
On the screen was the hottest news of late.
[Arima Kinen Closes the Curtain! This Season Officially Ends! The Flash Series reaches its greatest climax since the 'Emperor' retired!]
[Looking back over this year, it has left behind immortal records and countless unforgettable memories!]
[The stars of this era cannot be allowed to exist only in our memories!]
Both the headline and the body were brimming with passionate emotion.
As he scrolled, images of Fujimasa March, Inari One, and several other members of the cast appeared one after another.
Then came the proud lists of their many achievements, and those heart-shaking moments of victory as they crossed the wire.
At the end of the article, bold, enlarged black characters filled the screen:
[This brilliance should be recorded forever in the history of future generations!]
[Therefore, this era deserves to be given the most dazzling, radiant name as its title: "Chasing Light."]
[The march of time never stops. May the brilliance of the new generation shine even brighter in the days to come!]
The article had only gone up about an hour ago, but the likes and comments beneath it had already exceeded several hundred thousand, and were still skyrocketing at a ridiculous pace.
"Calling the era 'Chasing Light', huh…"
Kuroha put his phone away and muttered to himself, unable to hide the smile and pride in his voice.
This had been his vision and expectation from the previous year: for himself, and for all of his horse girls.
Now, through one unassailable victory after another, they had worked together to fulfill that expectation.
They had carved that name deep into everyone's hearts.
How could he not feel proud?
"98… 99… 100!"
In front of him, the two little girls finally stopped after their last three skips.
They let their ropes droop to the ground and panted lightly, a fine sheen of sweat appearing on their pale foreheads.
Even as horse girls who had yet to undergo True Blooming, their physical ability already far surpassed that of most adult humans. That was simply the difference between species.
So a few sets of jump rope really only made them break a bit of a sweat.
Kuroha watched them with a smile. After letting them rest for two minutes and judging the timing to be about right, he spoke softly.
"Okay, that's enough rest. Next, switch to single-leg jumps. Three sets again, and make sure you stay inside the circles I drew for you."
"New directive received."
Little Bourbon didn't hesitate at all. After a brief internal calculation, she immediately started single-leg jumping, her movements precise and standard.
At her side, little Rice Shower also gripped the rope again.
She blinked her curious eyes, looked down at the small white-lined circle under her feet, barely one meter across, and asked softly,
"Um… Onii-sama, is staying inside the circle to jump… really useful training?"
"…"
Kuroha didn't answer.
Puzzled, she turned her head, only to see Kuroha with one hand over his heart and the other on his forehead, the corner of his mouth curling up in an uncontrollable arc.
"O-Onii-sama?"
"Cough, cough… It's nothing, Rice Shower."
Kuroha snapped back quickly and coughed twice to cover up his slip.
Ever since he'd become a trainer, all the other horse girls had either called him "Trainer"…
The only one who was even slightly different was Maruzensky, and she just called him "Kuroha-kun."
Rice Shower, on the other hand, had opened her mouth and gone straight for a soft, sugar-sweet "Onii-sama."
That crit was a bit too much to tank all at once.
Kuroha suddenly remembered that back when he used to play Uma Musume in his previous life, there had been a good stretch of time when Rice Shower and Taiki Shuttle's lovable character settings had absolutely melted him.
At the time, though, he wasn't chasing pure strength. He preferred the high-control feel of horses like Summer Maruzensky, Christmas Oguri Cap, and Valentine Bourbon.
So even after he pulled Rice, he'd hardly ever actually used her.
Forcing his heart, which had sped up from the onslaught of cuteness, to calm down, Kuroha patiently explained,
"Your fundamentals aren't that great yet. A lot of specialized training can't be started all at once."
"Jump rope, especially single-leg jumps inside a limited space like this, is mainly for training coordination and agility, as well as fine control over your body."
"That will be a huge help for your specialized skill training in the future."
He paused, then added gently,
"Once your fundamentals catch up bit by bit, I'll naturally increase the training volume at the right time, so there's no need to rush."
"Improving your strength isn't something that happens in a day or two. It's the result of long-term, steady accumulation."
"Oh…"
Little Rice Shower nodded, half understanding, then mimicked Bourbon and started single-leg jumping obediently inside the small circle.
She had originally thought training here with big brother coach would be like the current active seniors' programs: incredibly harsh and exhausting.
But now…
As the black-haired loli did her best to keep her balance, a small smile quietly appeared on her lips.
It… wasn't bad at all.
An innocent horse girl who had yet to see the cruelty of the world still had no idea what she would face in the days ahead.
…
As training went on, the days passed one by one.
A new year arrived quietly.
(End of Chapter)
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