A few days passed.
Fujimura Hui informed Xingmu that Mejiro McQueen had joined the team. Xingmu was surprised he'd actually taken on someone new, but she didn't have any major objections.
As long as it didn't interfere with her training, she wasn't going to complain.
Over these few days, Hui's substitute teaching went smoothly as well. The students' training progress was decent, and nothing particularly irritating happened. He was collecting that double paycheck with a clear conscience.
There was, however, one small thing that bothered him: lately, Cafe's gaze toward him had been a little… strange.
After he'd transformed into Feitong, he'd told her she could come talk to him if she ran into any trouble. But judging from the way things were now, the girl still seemed stuck in the "hesitating" phase. She probably wasn't going to approach him anytime soon.
Other than that, nothing especially noteworthy happened during this stretch.
One thing worth mentioning was that Hui kept up his nightly training.
To prevent a repeat of the time he'd passed out from hunger on the side of the road after allocating stat points, he now carried a set amount of compressed biscuits and energy bars on his night runs.
Thanks to that, the last few nights of running went by safely and steadily.
[Total Distance Run: 99 km. Progress: 98 km. Reward: 10 Attribute Points (+1)]
The task progress was encouraging. His cumulative distance was about to break 100 kilometers, and Feitong's panel had improved by leaps and bounds.
[Speed: 164, Stamina: 165, Power: 122, Guts: 152, Intelligence: 132]
That was Feitong's current data.
If Feitong's stats before had been a bit weaker than an average horse girl, now his panel could already be compared to the students in Hui's class.
He was still a long way from Xingmu and McQueen's level, of course, but Feitong was no longer "small fry." His overall average had cleared the 100 mark.
In less than a week, he'd risen from "worse than fodder" to "better than fodder." Hui was extremely satisfied with that rate of growth.
At this pace, give him another week and all five attributes should reliably push past two hundred.
"And I didn't expect hitting an average-stat threshold to come with a pleasant surprise, either."
Hui pulled up the system panel. Where there had once been only the title [Friend of Horse Girls], there was now a new achievement as well.
[A Strong One in the Making]
[Quality: Ordinary (Upgradeable)]
[Upgrade Requirement: Average attribute exceeds 200]
[Effect: If the opponent's average attribute is lower than yours, they will feel intimidation]
[Note: The greater the gap, the stronger the intimidation]
Just reading that description told Hui this ability would be anything but ordinary in races.
It was only "Ordinary" quality for now, but once he upgraded it, the suppression effect on the track would definitely be eye-catching.
A presence-based skill that crushed opponents psychologically was, on the racetrack, an invisible blade—hard to guard against.
Once he stacked Feitong's numbers high enough, this ability would probably evolve into a true "fodder shredder."
"Tonight, my total distance should finally break 100 km. With how the system usually behaves, there should be an achievement for that too."
Staring at the progress stuck at the final 1 km, Hui made that prediction.
After finishing that last kilometer, he planned to ease off this high-intensity regimen a little.
High-intensity training worked fast, but it also put a serious load on the body. The last thing he wanted was to get his stats up… and snap a leg in the process. That would be absurdly not worth it.
Right now, he'd already earned two achievements.
One was the rapid-growth [Friend of Horse Girls], and the other was [A Strong One in the Making] from raising his stats.
If he got a third achievement, his overall strength would climb another step.
As he thought about it, the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth was like a finger glued to an AK's trigger—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep it down.
"Something good happen today? You're grinning like an idiot."
Inside the club room, Xingmu saw Hui's silly smile and spoke up.
"Ah, I just feel like training's been going really smoothly lately. Peaceful days without accidents are the best~"
As he said that, Hui stretched lazily.
Seeing him in such a good mood, Xingmu rubbed her hands together. Her gaze drifted as she put on a casual tone and asked:
"By the way, Hui—do you have plans this weekend?"
"Hm… no. Why?"
Hui thought about it. This weekend, he really didn't have anything special scheduled. Aside from maybe carving out some time to train, he'd be free most of the time.
"No plans, huh…"
Xingmu's eyes lit up.
"Do you want to go out together this weekend~?"
"A date?"
"N-no!"
The moment the word "date" came out, a blush crept over Xingmu's face. Behind her, her chestnut tail swished in flustered panic as she waved her hands.
"I just want to buy a new pair of shoes…"
"Your old ones can't hold up anymore? Makes sense. You bought them ages ago—time for a new pair."
Thinking back to the worn, battered shoes Xingmu had been running in these past few days, Hui agreed it was definitely time to replace them.
"Then I'll go with you. I need to buy a few things too."
Feitong needed proper shoes as well.
He trained in regular human running shoes, and under horse-girl-level training intensity, they wore out frighteningly fast.
Running shoes, in horse-girl training, were basically consumables.
"Yay!"
Successfully securing Hui's company, Xingmu happily pumped her little fist.
Seeing how delighted she was, Hui couldn't help laughing.
"It's just buying shoes with me. Do you really have to be that happy?"
"Because I get to be with you, of course I'm happy."
Xingmu answered with an open, straightforward smile.
"But we're together all the time during training, aren't we?"
"That's different. Training is training. Free time is free time."
"Uh…"
Watching the girl explain it so seriously, Hui couldn't quite follow.
Well… as long as the kid's happy.
—
After training ended for the day, Hui carefully sorted all the data he'd collected. By the time he finished tidying up, the sun outside the club room window was already sinking below the distant horizon.
"It's getting late… I'll go grab something to eat, then finish the task…"
He stretched, locked up the club room, and prepared to leave campus and find food.
But before he'd even taken more than a few steps past the school gate, a long, jet-black Maybach pulled up beside him.
"?"
Hui stared at the luxury car, confusion spreading across his face.
What was this supposed to mean?
Was a blue-haired, twin-tailed young heiress about to step out, tell him to give her his whole life, and invite him to form a galaxy-class band?
He was daydreaming again. Even if he couldn't play an instrument, he still fantasized about forming a band—seriously, what was wrong with him…
Of course, that kind of "caught in a genjutsu" development wasn't going to happen to him.
The Maybach's window slowly rolled down, revealing the person inside: an older woman. A wide-brimmed hat obscured her face, making it hard for Hui to see her features.
"You are…?"
Unable to make out her face, Hui frowned. In his memory, he didn't have much contact with people in that age range. At the very least, he couldn't recall anyone like her.
The silver-haired elderly woman tapped the seat beside her with a finger. The Maybach's door opened in response.
A man who looked like a butler stepped out, walked up to Hui, and said:
"Excuse me—are you Mr. Fujimura Hui of Central Tracen Academy?"
"I am… Who's looking for me?"
Being identified so abruptly made Hui wary. He had no idea what sort of person arrived in a luxury car like this, and his face was full of caution.
"Then pardon the disturbance. The head of the Mejiro family wishes to meet you. Please honor us by joining us in the car for a conversation."
The butler's polite phrasing made Hui raise an eyebrow.
The head of the Mejiro family… wants to see me?
Did something happen with McQueen?
After hesitating for a moment, Hui ultimately got into the Maybach.
Seeing him inside, the elderly woman in the back seat finally nodded with satisfaction.
"Butler, drive."
"Yes, madam."
As the car shuddered slightly, the priceless metal beast began to move.
Hui leaned back against the high-end leather seat, having no time to appreciate the comfort. He looked at the elderly woman and asked:
"May I ask who you are?"
"Let me introduce myself first."
The woman smiled. Every gesture carried the poised refinement of a great family. She placed a hand over her chest, lifted her hat—and revealed the distinctive ears of a horse girl.
"Hello, Trainer Fujimura. I am the head of the Mejiro family—Mejiro Asama."
"Mejiro Asama…"
Hui had heard that name before. The founder of a legendary racing dynasty—the earliest mythic figure of the Mejiro family—was said to be Mejiro Asama.
"So what does the head of the Mejiro family want with an insignificant nobody like me?"
"Oh my, Trainer Fujimura, you're far too modest. If you count as 'insignificant,' then there are only a handful of trainers in Central who could be called 'well-known.'"
Faced with her flattery, Hui frowned.
"I don't like talking in circles. If you have business, say it. If not, I'll excuse myself."
"Oh my, so impatient. But really, why I came to see you… you should have some idea, shouldn't you?"
Mejiro Asama narrowed her eyes slightly and chuckled.
"…McQueen's matter?"
"Of course." Asama nodded. "I'm very happy that child McQueen has joined your banner."
"So…?"
After all that, Hui still didn't understand what she was here for.
"Trainer Fujimura, you know what the Mejiro family's goal is, yes?"
"The Tenno Sho…?"
Hui had heard of the Mejiro family's obsession.
As a racing dynasty, the Tenno Sho held special meaning for them. Within the family, there was a bloodline that had won the Tenno Sho twice in succession.
The Mejiro family wanted that bloodline to continue—and to seize a third Tenno Sho victory. In the industry, it wasn't exactly a secret.
"Since you brought that up, McQueen, she…"
"Yes—just as you suspect. McQueen is a descendant of that bloodline."
Asama spoke unhurriedly.
"McQueen carries the hopes of us old relics. For the Mejiro family as it stands now, her existence is of paramount importance. If possible, we hope she can have an even better training environment…"
A better environment… So I'm not good enough?
Hui instantly caught the implication, his brow tightening.
"Of course, I'm not saying your level is insufficient. Everyone has witnessed how that 'Overlord' dominated the track; I would never doubt your coaching ability." Asama continued smoothly. "However, I hope you can treat McQueen's training with greater… focus."
"You want me to kick Xingmu out of the team?"
"Sharp." Asama looked at Hui, speaking earnestly. "We, the Mejiro family, want McQueen to receive the best coaching resources. We also hope you can devote more of your time and attention to her training."
"Of course—if you agree, the Mejiro family will also fully support you. We will funnel our resources toward you. That should be an enormous help to your coaching, yes?"
"All you need to do is remove a single horse girl, and you'll gain the Mejiro family's full backing. It's a very worthwhile trade. A smart man like you should know which choice to make—"
"Hey. Who the hell are you looking down on, Mejiro?"
Hui cut her off mid-sentence.
Asama stared at him in surprise. Inside the car, the man looked at her like a lion, his eyes locked on her.
How strange—he was only a human trainer, yet Asama could feel the same oppressive pressure she used to sense from fierce rivals on the track.
"For McQueen, you want me to abandon Xingmu? Who are you insulting?"
"Throwing away your own horse girl for training resources is something only a third-rate trainer would do. Who do you think you're underestimating?"
"Kick Xingmu out so I can focus on McQueen?"
"Let me tell you something! Even without doing that pointless crap, I can lead both McQueen and Xingmu to victory in whatever damn race you want!"
"Don't underestimate a trainer!"
"You bastard!"
-------
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