Mochizuki Toru sighed inwardly, then smiled and shook his head.
"I'm just a trainer in name only. Frankel isn't a Tracen student either. She has her own race schedule."
"So I don't know what races she's picked, and I can't arrange any practice races for her."
"Other than the fact that she's aiming for the Triple Crown, I don't really know much."
Hearing that, Vodka instantly deflated like a balloon with the air let out, letting out a tiny, pitiful groan.
So she didn't even have the chance to see Frankel again.
But very quickly, the eternally combative Vodka pulled herself together.
(…Tch, so I just can't race her for now. It's only temporary. It won't be long before I get my chance.)
(There's no way Frankel would look down on Tracen Academy and never join us, right?)
And even if she really had no intention of joining…
According to what Trainer Mochizuki had said, Frankel's goal was the "Triple Crown."
That would obviously be next year's Classic Triple Crown, or the Filly Triple Crown. They were in the same crop. A spectacular showdown between them was guaranteed.
A chance to take back that five-length defeat.
A chance to show off her coolest side.
And a chance to make Frankel acknowledge that she was the one most qualified to be her eternal rival.
There was absolutely no way… Frankel would ignore next year's Triple Crown and instead jump straight into this year's Triple Crown series, right?
Something like that was completely impossible.
With her fighting spirit rekindled, Vodka still did not forget to bow her head and thank Mochizuki Toru.
"I get it now. Thank you, Trainer Mochizuki."
————————————
A short while later.
After seeing Vodka and Daiwa Scarlet off, a chestnut-haired girl in a white lab coat fixed her captivating crimson eyes on Mochizuki Toru, studying him with great interest.
Air Groove said nothing at first and simply turned back to "her half of the classroom."
She pulled open a desk drawer and took out two tickets, then walked back over to the black-haired trainer she knew best.
"Here."
The usually research-obsessed Air Groove, who was used to training on her own and never needing a trainer to worry about her, actually held out the tickets to him.
"These are Satsuki Sho tickets for next week. Seats in the front row."
Her other hand stayed in her pocket, her expression uncharacteristically serious.
"Frankel's talent is quite outstanding. Since she's aiming for the Triple Crown, then…"
"Let her see with her own eyes what a Triple Crown really is."
After all, Frankel was impressive enough that even Air Groove had taken an interest in her.
Ordinary horse girls didn't catch her eye at all.
But a horse girl who might one day stand at the summit, the one with a real chance to become the strongest, was a prime research subject. Helping her out along the way was no trouble.
Not to mention…
Frankel was also another "assignment" of her guinea pig.
That made her, in a way, a junior member of Air Groove's own camp.
In that sense, wasn't this practically "family marrying into family"?
In Air Groove's mind, this seemingly laid-back, mischief-loving, oddball trainer was a once-in-a-lifetime "perfect match" prepared just for her.
If they simply got along, that would make them friends, not a match made in heaven.
She got along perfectly well with Manhattan Café and Daiwa Scarlet too.
But Manhattan Café had no interest in her research. She was too busy obsessively chasing some ghostly figure only she could see.
Daiwa Scarlet, on the other hand, was basically a hot-blooded idiot similar to Vodka, unable to comprehend why Air Groove would devote herself to research and "waste" her talent.
Mochizuki Toru, though, not only understood why she trained on her own and genuinely allowed her total freedom, he was even genuinely curious about her research.
What was more, he carried on his body a scent that even Air Groove could not decipher, a soothing and enticing aroma that made her feel inexplicably relaxed.
A living, breathing experimental subject.
A never-before-seen research theme.
She had never had such a "topic" before.
She had never met a human who made her this invested, this fascinated.
So in Air Groove's heart, she had already labeled Mochizuki Toru as an irreplaceable partner. Just like a scientist's indispensable guinea pig.
Which was why, even though these front-row tickets to the first leg of the much-anticipated Classic Triple Crown were extremely hard to get, Air Groove still handed them over without hesitation.
"Eh?"
Mochizuki Toru accepted the tickets and glanced down.
Satsuki Sho tickets?
And not just one, but two?
In that instant, his eyes widened in surprise.
Something… felt off about this.
It wasn't as if Air Groove only learned about Frankel's existence today or had only just watched that debut race.
"And this second ticket is…?"
Air Groove lifted the teacup on her desk and took a light sip before answering.
"It was originally for Scarlet."
"It's fine. I can still book another one for her. It's not too late. It's just that the front row is probably sold out by now…"
…Huh?
First he had stolen Daiwa Scarlet's beloved senior's attention by handing her her first ever defeat.
Now he had taken the ticket she was supposed to receive from Air Groove, whom she admired deeply?
Was he bullying Daiwa Scarlet a little too much?
Listening to her, Mochizuki Toru stared down at the two tickets in his hand and suddenly understood what it meant to be holding a "hot potato."
Air Groove didn't know the truth, but he did.
Frankel was literally his transformed self. What good were two tickets to him?
He couldn't split himself in two and stand in the stands and on the track at the same time.
"Frankel is putting herself through hellish self-training right now. The chances she'll come to spectate are pretty low."
"When the time comes, I'll ask her. If she isn't going, I'll pass your front-row ticket to Daiwa Scarlet, how about that?"
He didn't flatly refuse on Frankel's behalf, nor did he shove the tickets back.
That would have been far too suspicious.
He had just told Vodka, right in front of Air Groove, that he didn't have much contact with Frankel.
If he immediately started making decisions for her, his story would fall apart within seconds.
Hearing this, Air Groove took another sip of tea and nodded.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Trainer Mochizuki."
The Satsuki Sho.
The curtain was about to rise on this year's Classic Triple Crown.
That thought suddenly struck Mochizuki Toru.
And Frankel's profession-related mission was… to win the Triple Crown.
It was already too late to enter this year's series. If nothing unexpected happened, they could only wait until next year.
————————————
Time flowed on in the blink of an eye.
A week later, the grand opening of the Classic Triple Crown finally arrived.
As a trainer, Mochizuki Toru had dressed up for a change in a proper suit.
He wasn't heading straight to the stands. Instead, he walked along the corridor leading to the racecourse's backstage area, side by side with a very familiar chestnut-haired girl.
The short-haired, red-eyed girl beside him had a glimmer of madness hidden in those ruby-like irises.
More striking than that was the fact that she was, as always, wrapped in…
A strange, oversized white coat.
She looked a bit like a doctor, a bit like a scientist, and not much like a horse girl at all.
"Finally, I don't have to wear my training outfit…"
Air Groove stroked the "race outfit" she was wearing today, her mood visibly brightening as she admired the unique ensemble.
Her chosen race costume was, in fact, not very different from her usual lab coat. It gave the feeling that she had simply walked onto the stage of the Classic Triple Crown wearing her everyday clothes.
The next moment, Air Groove's hand slipped out from within the wide sleeve. Her pale face, usually kept out of the sun, curved into a faint smile as her long, slender fingers lightly tapped Mochizuki Toru's shoulder.
"I'll help you become the youngest G1 trainer."
The scientist girl declared this in an absolute tone.
"So… how are you going to repay me?"
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N/T: Hi everyone, I'm Zuru, an inexperienced translator and non-native English speaker, so if you notice any mistakes in the text, please let me know in the comments so I can fix them. By the way, I have a Patreon. There isn't much there yet, but it would really help me if you could consider joining.
[email protected]/ZuruZ