The main reason for inviting Inariichi to participate in Tamamo Cross's treatment was, of course, her strength.
25 races: 12 wins, 3 second places; in central races: 11 races, 3 wins, 2 second places, including victories in the Arima Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen —back-to-back; in local races: 14 races, 9 wins, 1 second place, 8 consecutive wins.
This is Inari One.
Even more importantly, counting her recent first win in the Tokyo Crown Prize, she was on a 7-win streak, full of morale, and theoretically, there would be a short interval before her next race.
This fit perfectly: enough pressure for Tamamo Cross, yet enough time to arrange the training.
However, to actually invite her to participate required preparation. Her school, Oi Tracen Academy, was in Tokyo, and merely requesting her cooperation might not guarantee she would come.
So, Kitahara prepared an even more attractive arrangement:
A challenge.
He planned to invite Inari One to participate in Oguri Cap's "Shiwasu Special Cup."
He wanted the two top horse girls of the same generation to meet and compete ahead of time.
After that day's training, on the way to the principal's office at Kasamatsu Academy, with Oguri Cap and Komiyama with Tamamo Cross, Kitahara shared his plan.
"From what I hear, Inari Sushi is a really strong horse girl?" Kokurihime said, resting her chin on her hand, pondering seriously.
"Her name is Inari One, don't give her a food nickname," Kitahara replied, feeling a headache coming. "I've heard she has a bit of a temper. If you call her that, she'll go crazy."
"Then let's say Little Inari," Oguri Cap nodded. "If Little Inari is strong, then I would love to race against her."
She clenched her fists, making audible cracking sounds as her fighting spirit visibly surged.
Good momentum. Previously, Kitahara worried there might not be a sufficiently threatening opponent in the Shiwasu Special Cup. Now, if Inariichi could be successfully invited, it would be perfect.
If all goes well, he might need to start worrying about whether Kokurihime could lose.
Kitahara did not underestimate Inariichi.
Having trained Oguri Cap for so long, he knew where her greatest talent lay:
Monster-level finishing power.
Her low-frequency but powerful heart allowed her to sprint with exaggerated full-body energy supply without worrying about exceeding her body's limits.
In practical terms, she could unleash a burst of speed that other horse girls could hardly match over a short distance.
In the original story, horse girls of the same level, like Tamamo Cross and Super Creek, admitted that in pure finishing power, they could not be confident of surpassing Oguri Cap.
Inari One could.
She was one of the few in this generation capable of competing with Oguri Cap in finishing power.
That was why, after discussing Inariichi with Komiyama and Miyamura Kyoko, Kitahara hesitated for a while before deciding to have Oguri Cap face Inari One in advance.
Both were top-tier horse girls; there was no reason to fear.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that both had "Triple Crown horse girl" level strength; they just hadn't had the luck to participate in those classic races.
If they did participate, with a bit of luck, claiming the Triple Crown wouldn't be impossible.
At the Triple Crown level, there will always be elite competitors facing strong opponents—they might sometimes avoid battles—but whether winning or losing, constantly competing against the strong was the only unavoidable path to the top.
"So… senpai, do you think Inari One's trainer will agree to let her come to Kasamatsu for the race?" Komiyama asked uncertainly.
"We'll see what she says later," Kitahara considered.
"If we invite them privately, they might hesitate. After all, Inari One is used to racing at Oi. Suddenly coming to Kasamatsu might affect her performance if she isn't fully adapted. That's understandable."
"There are legitimate reasons for refusal. Fortunately, I have some credibility at Kasamatsu. I already applied to the principal to officially invite them."
"That way, nominally, it's a friendly competition between Kasamatsu and Oi Academy. This should make things smoother."
"Good thinking, senior brother. Very thorough," Komiyama nodded and pointed to the principal's office ahead. "So you brought us here—does that mean the principal already agreed?"
Kitahara glanced at the office and smiled.
"Not only did he agree, the procedures are handled. The principal told me that Oi's side has already approved this invitation. The rest is how we communicate with Ms. Yusuhara Ryuko and Inari One."
"Ms. Yusuhara Ryuko?"
Komiyama was impressed again. "I didn't even get to look into Inari One's trainer yet, I was just watching her race videos. I didn't expect you to know so much, senpai."
Kitahara just smiled and didn't elaborate.
As he said, he was one of Kasamatsu's top trainers, with some influence at the school. After entering the office, the principal warmly welcomed them and lent them the room for a video call with Oi.
After some computer operations and waiting:
"…Hello, everyone, can you hear me?"
A young, handsome man appeared on the video call.
"Yo~ hey beautiful~ I'm Komiyama. Are you single… huh?"
She leaned into the camera smiling, and suddenly froze.
"…Eh? Senpai, didn't you say it was a lady? How come…" she whispered.
Seeing the man on the screen, Kitahara was also momentarily stunned, but quickly realized.
"You are Ms. Yusuhara Ryuko's eldest son, Yusuhara Taro, right? I heard you studied in the UK; looks like you've returned successfully."
Yusuhara Taro on the screen paused, then smiled.
"So you must be Mr. Kitahara. As my mother said, you are an excellent trainer. It seems you've researched our side thoroughly."
Kitahara smiled, about to explain that he hadn't expected to speak with Taro instead of his mother.
Suddenly:
Bang——
Bang bang bang——
Bang bang bang bang bang——
On the screen, Taro instantly covered his face.
Colorful streamers flew everywhere.
Vivid, swirling streamers, accompanied by a melodious kabuki rhythm, filled the screen.
"One horse racing ahead~ Let this name spread across the world~"
"Unmatched in the world~ Immovable as Mount Sumeragi~"
"The strong appear in the world~ Just watch carefully~"
"Though this is our first meeting, my deepest apologies, this act is for no other reason~"
"I only wish to fully enjoy this battle with you~"
"Little me~ Inari~ One!"
The final three words were spoken with deliberate emphasis; with a clang, a fox mask shoved the breathing Taro out of the screen.
The mask was slowly removed, revealing a lively, cute, playful face, eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"Which one is Oguri Cap? I accept your challenge!"
There was silence on this side of the screen.
Kitahara didn't know what to say.
Komiyama didn't know what to say.
Tamamo Cross had been in low spirits recently and merely glanced at the screen with a frown.
Oguri Cap, however, pointed to the screen and said to Kitahara:
"Did she deliberately release those just now? I mean the confetti… isn't she worried about the cleanup afterward?"
On the screen, Taro instantly became furious.
(End of Chapter)