After the Takarazuka Kinen, the media and fans who wanted to interview Eisei, or visit as supporters, became even more enthusiastic.
Not only because Tamamo Cross won this major Grade 1 race, but also because over time, some well-informed people in the Japanese racing industry gradually learned about the European exchange race.
Regarding the overseas expedition, the passion of the media and fans was far more intense than that of the trainers and the horse girls themselves.
From a professional perspective, Japanese trainers and horse girls were very clear: although the strongest Japanese horse girls might attempt to challenge the world's peak, overall strength still had a significant gap.
If that gap weren't obvious, in recent years there wouldn't have been only Symboli Rudolph and Sirius Symbol who clearly planned to go overseas.
And for fans who don't understand such realities, the chance to see the horse girl they support shine on a world stage is, of course, something they desperately long for.
When such expectations go unfulfilled for a long period, some gradually give up and refocus on domestic races.
But some become more extreme—hoping even more desperately for their wish to be realized, even willing to consider any cost.
These extreme fans were also the loudest voices.
They were already publicly demanding across major platforms that Team Eisei should seize the momentum of their winning streak and, using their "advantage" gained from adapting to European tracks, challenge world-class races immediately.
They even said that although this may affect domestic competitions later in the year, as long as they can win an international G1 championship, everything is worth it.
From these opinions, Kitahara and the trainers vaguely sensed that Symboli Rudolf's previous overseas planning seemed similar—and knowing Oguri Cap and the others well, they absolutely disagreed.
So, first leaving all external interview responses to Kashimoto Riko, Team Eisei completed their post-Takarazuka summary, arranged the horse girls' upcoming rest and training camp preparation, while the trainers remained in the meeting room to discuss further.
"Kind of feel bad for Riko-san. The industry's public opinion recently is insanely exaggerated. The media and fans are acting like lunatics—I'm not sure she can even deal with all of this."Waving a newspaper helplessly, Komiyama sighed."Just look at these headlines."
"'A Historic Showdown Between Eisei and Europe's Best Horse Girls!'"
"'Japan Has a Real Chance at Winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!'"
[Haha lmao]
"'Prediction: World's Best Horse Girl Rankings!'"
[Haha lmao]
"I seriously don't understand what journalism students are thinking anymore!"
"With wording as vague and dramatic as this, aren't they obviously trying to push us into going overseas!?"
"It's not like we don't plan to enter international races eventually, but Tamamo and the others are completely unprepared right now!"
"If I only read these articles, I'd think we're flying out tomorrow—traveling through England, France, and America sweeping all the international G1 races, then casually winning the Arc de Triomphe while we're at it!"
"Be confident. That's just how news works."
Hearing Komiyama, everyone else showed the same helpless expression. Kitahara even complained:
"If you determine reality based solely on the news, you might miss New Year's entirely."
Kitahara wasn't someone who usually paid much attention to mainstream news. With knowledge ahead of this world, his ideas and information were far more advanced than existing channels.
He mostly read technical materials, race data, and professional interviews—comparing his ideas against this world's standards, absorbing anything useful for Oguri Cap and the others.
It was just that this time, compounded by the Takarazuka victory and the Europe exchange event, the degree of frenzy from fans and media was far worse than after Yayoi Sho, Satsuki Sho, or the Japanese Derby.
If they hadn't already been experienced, they might have been mobbed by crazed fans after the Winning Live on Takarazuka day.
He privately sighed: Japan's obsession with international races really keeps rewriting his understanding—otherwise there wouldn't be the phrase "Gate of Madness."
And this situation clearly wasn't beneficial for planning the upcoming training and race scheduling.
The plan following Takarazuka was a training camp.
It was already early July. Most Japanese high schools began summer vacation mid-July through late August, but Tracen Academy was relatively flexible.
Horse girls needed to race, but from July to September the weather was hot and race schedules were lighter—though some were around early July and early September.
Inari One was scheduled to run the Takamatsunomiya Cup in early July, so preparation before camp was crucial.
This also involved Kitahara's personal circumstances:
In his parallel world, the Takamatsunomiya Cup had been renamed and upgraded to Takamatsunomiya Kinen, a G1 short-distance race.
After upgrade, it was still at Chukyo Racecourse, but the timing and race situation were completely different.
In the other world, Takamatsunomiya Kinen was late March, turf 1200 meters, the first sprint G1 of the season, where all top sprinters gathered.
Here, the Takamatsunomiya Cup was still early July, turf 2000 meters middle-distance.
With this unexpected difference, Kitahara didn't want to accidentally mix up details.
And Chukyo Racecourse—the venue of the Takamatsunomiya Cup—was exactly where the training camp destination Nagoya was located. Also where Oguri, Bay, and Ardan would run the Meitetsu Cup, Chukyo Stakes, and Chukyo Memorial.
Adding the domain-training sessions and individual specialization plans, eliminating distractions beforehand was absolutely necessary.
Under Akikawa Yayoi's arrangements, assistant director Kashimoto Riko now handled many organizational affairs for Eisei.
Coming from the URA Association workplace environment, she was skilled in PR negotiations, interviews, and public reception—carrying such responsibilities since Satsuki Sho.
But considering the importance of future training and races, Kitahara wanted to find additional help to support her—making processing faster and reducing interference risk.
"I'll talk to the chairwoman and President Rudolf about the media issue. They're probably already working on countermeasures."
After venting about the media, Kitahara spoke with a tone of instruction:
"They likely already have a plan. If I check with them, we can feel more assured."
"In addition, send the detailed report on the domain confirmed during Takarazuka to the board and student council."
"Some parts of the report need confirmation with horse girls like Symboli Rudolph and Maruzensky."
"If their race experience matches Tamamo's performance, many uncertain theories can be converted into training content."
"That way, Inari's Takamatsunomiya Cup will be more secure."
Hearing the word "secure," Inari One's trainer, as well as Komiyama, Miyamura Kyoko, and Belno, all looked increasingly strange.
"…Why are you all staring at me like that?"
Kitahara scratched his nose, confused.
"Well… it may sound arrogant, but…"
Yuzuhara rubbed his forehead, trying not to laugh:
"That Takarazuka Kinen already made it obvious, Kitahara-brother."
"Eisei's horse girls have now separated from the general level of Japanese horse girls."
"Even without using domains, Tamamo relied purely on accumulated advanced training to stay effortlessly in the pack for most of the race."
"Thanks to that advantage, and similar cornering practice from Epsom, she easily surged to the lead in the downhill final stretch."
"Honestly, that fundamental ability and experience difference alone was enough for her to win Takarazuka."
"Maybe the margin wouldn't be five lengths, but maintaining two lengths without difficulty."
"With a domain added on top, it's practically impossible for Tamamo to lose to opponents outside Eisei."
"And that goes for Inari, Oguri, and the others as well."
"So—"
His tone steadied, scanning the group:
"Perhaps in the Takamatsunomiya Cup, we should let Inari race without using the domain, relying only on her base ability to win."
"She and the others say that in races, once they feel the presence of the domain, they have an instinctive urge to step inside."
"I've been working on toughening Inari's temperament, and I think resisting that urge is a perfect opportunity."
"In simple terms, I want her to learn patience and self-control in a race without overwhelming difficulty."
This was exactly what Eisei concluded after the Takarazuka analysis.
The key point: In fundamental and practical race strength, Eisei's five active horse girls already had a clear advantage over the vast majority of Japanese competition.
And Tamamo's post-race internal data confirmed it.
Subjective experience, once analyzed scientifically, becomes measurable material—largely based on psychology, specifically implicit memory.
Explicit memory is what one consciously perceives; implicit memory operates below awareness—like instincts.
People don't know whether they put on pants right or left leg first, or step into a door with which foot.
Through testing systems like implicit association tests, such instincts can be revealed.
Last year, resolving Tamamo's PTSD used such tests.
Oguri and the others, when shown images of dense race packs, reacted with words like "overtake," "approach," "compete."
But Tamamo's responses were "withdraw," "fall back," "resist," and even when responding positively, her response time lagged by over 300ms.
Meaning her psychological process was more complex and oriented toward avoidance.
After treatment, she improved—and the testing system remained, now used to monitor hidden race memory patterns.
And as Yuzuhara said: when exposed even verbally to the concept of domains, Oguri and the others showed measurable activation spikes in association, reaction, and physical indicators.
Thus, Eisei's superiority was objectively measurable at every level.
Regarding the Takamatsunomiya Cup strategy, they had discussed it but not finalized it.
Kitahara originally wanted to wait until speaking with Rudolf and the others. But since it came up:
"As I said earlier—whether Inari should use domain-suppression training in the race should wait until discussing with President Rudolf and the others."
"Takarazuka was extremely important for Tamamo—and for Oguri and the others."
"We already have two strong sets of race data—one more set would verify everything perfectly."
"And like they say, even a lion uses full strength hunting a rabbit."
"Even if Eisei has the advantage across all metrics, I believe every race must be fought fully."
"Otherwise if something goes wrong—like a huge late gate break and a 10-length deficit from the start—you might not recover even with several domains."
"…There's no way that kind of race would happen."
Yuzuhara blinked, assuming Kitahara was joking, laughing awkwardly.
"Well, if Kitahara-nii insists, I'm fine waiting."
"And temperament training doesn't need this format, I prepared other methods for camp."
Then he joked:
"Kitahara-nii, you're unbelievably calm for your age."
"My personality is stable too, but compared to you I'm nothing."
"Even those wild articles got me fired up—like Inari already won an international G1."
"Yeah, guess I shouldn't read too many of those."
"But you aren't affected at all—you look like you're always worried about something."
"Well, I've said it before—Senpai doesn't look much older than us, but inside, he's basically an old man."
Komiyama teased, "I still don't get why Senpai worries so much. I think Brother Tōra's idea isn't bad either—just let Inari hold back a little in the race or something."
"But if we're talking about guaranteeing the win, Senpai's advice is definitely better."
"…You really know how to please both sides and not offend anyone."
Kitahara shook his head, smiling wryly at her words.
Since becoming a trainer, he had always carried worries unlike most people, and he knew exactly what he was worried about.
He didn't want any horse girl to face misfortune or have her career cut short—this was his dream, and the root of his anxiety.
The more he interacted with trainers and horse girls, the more he felt that his way of thinking—even his entire existence in this world—was an "oddity."
Other trainers and horse girls treated injuries and early retirement as a normal, accepted part of life.
Even Symboli Rudolf had once been dissatisfied with such situations, wanting to do something, but ultimately couldn't achieve it.
Accidents in a career were a consensus throughout the industry, and URA associations worldwide had no formal regulations for dealing with them.
Trainers of course felt pain and tried every method to "remedy" the situation.
Horse girls also felt regret, but many accepted it calmly.
For example, Dancing Brave and her trainer, and Prince Khalid, were typical cases. There were other trainers like them too.
If Kitahara viewed the world like everyone else, he might have had the same perspective.
But he knew more, and inevitably wanted to prevent certain events, carrying a constant "walking on thin ice" type of anxiety.
For instance, now: Oguri Cap and the others' training levels already exceeded the Japanese average, and in some areas, they weren't inferior to the world level.
In areas like wind tunnel equipment and the truth behind Domains, Eisei Academy and Central Tracen Academy had no evidence that any country was ahead.
Using a game analogy: back in Kasamatsu, and when they first came to Central, Oguri Cap and the others were still undergoing the same "URA Scenario Training" as other horse girls—the first scenario of the game.
Now, the "scenario" was already moving toward the second scenario—the Youth Cup. Even standout cards in this scenario, like Friend Cards and Riko Kashimoto, had been "drawn" early.
If the European trip counted as a temporary "Arc de Triomphe scenario," then Eisei was already far ahead.
But even in that situation, Kitahara still wanted every step to be solidly grounded, never allowing any accident to happen.
Naturally, he couldn't tell anyone this directly, but after a moment of thought, he decided to remind them of some things he had mentioned earlier.
"Alright, when I go to meet Chairman Akikawa and President Rudolf later, I'll need you to contact Special Week, Opera O, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen."
Pointing at the names, he continued: "You can also check with the other horse girls who interact more with Eisei."
"During the Takarazuka Kinen, the explanations Oguri Cap and the others gave to Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen were very effective."
"They've gained quite a bit of insight since then."
"Oh, speaking of which, I didn't expect Oguri Cap to take the initiative to talk to her peers about these things—she usually doesn't."
Kitahara couldn't help but smile.
On the day of the Takarazuka Kinen, he had set up a camera in the viewing hall.
The original plan was for Oguri Cap and the others to try explaining aspects of the race to juniors, consolidating their own knowledge and skills.
After analyzing the course, Kitahara and others realized this method worked far better than expected, and revealed flaws in past training and race arrangements.
Previously, Eisei's trainers focused on arranging things for the participants, but didn't explain to spectators why arrangements were made that way.
It was an instinctive decision: spectators weren't racing, and by not explaining, participants had more time.
Even during observation, Oguri Cap and the others would prepare "race observation notes."
These notes roughly outlined what they would do in different race situations if they were on the track.
Trainers would then analyze these notes and give further guidance.
After reviewing the race footage that day, Kitahara and the others discovered an even better method: have Oguri Cap and the others discuss together, and record it.
This allowed horse girls like Oguri Cap, who weren't good at written work, to express their ideas more freely.
In the footage, she spoke far more than usual, inspiring her peers.
The sound effects like "whoosh" and "swish" at first made people chuckle, but later, Creek, Ardan, Inari's analyses showed that Oguri Cap truly understood race strategy—she just understood it in her own way.
She could also remember trainers' exact words, and combined with Creek and Ardan's strong understanding, plus Inari's race analyses, their combined insights clarified how and why they should run during races.
Even aside from guiding juniors, this "horse girl race exchange meeting" method alone was worth keeping as a new training method, improving strength over time.
For junior horse girls, it was naturally even better.
In the video, although Oguri Roman, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen had very little real-world experience and less knowledge than Oguri Cap and the others, they could offer perspectives the seniors missed, improving them in turn.
The juniors themselves gained obvious benefits—they hadn't received long-term trainer guidance, and mostly learned from school teachers.
Teachers mainly taught basics: besides horse girl history, URA series races, and race walking basics, subjects like Japanese, foreign languages, math, biology, and physics were no different than other schools.
To understand how to apply this knowledge, the best method was practical experience.
Before officially debuting, exchanging with seniors like during the Takarazuka Kinen gave them a higher starting point.
After discussing this new training method, the team's trainers agreed it was worth continuing. Hearing Kitahara mention it again, the other members agreed.
After giving instructions for preparations for the Nagoya training camp, Kitahara didn't delay and quickly headed to the academy director's office.
Akikawa wasn't there, so he went to the student council office instead.
Surprisingly, there were far more horse girls than usual.
Symboli Rudolf, Maruzenski, and CB—the three student council leaders—were present, along with Mejiro Ramonu.
From their slightly helpless expressions, they had probably been dragged in as extra help.
Alongside them, Narita Brian was also busy with the senpais, handling piles of documents scattered throughout the office.
The student council office wasn't small: the president's desk was nearly two meters wide, with plenty of space around it.
Behind the desk was a bright glass wall, covering most of the wall.
On either side, cabinets displayed trophies, certificates, medals, and neatly arranged folders.
Opposite the cabinets was a lounge area with sofas, leaving ample space in between.
Currently, folders, papers, and newspapers were everywhere—on the desk, near the desk, in front of display cabinets, around sofas, and on the coffee table—so many that a few people working all night for days probably couldn't finish.
Even so, Symboli Rudolf poked her head out from the "document mountain" to greet Kitahara.
"Huh? Kitahara, what brings you here?"
She instinctively waved at Maruzensky flipping through files, "Maruzensky, make some tea."
"…No need."
Kitahara glanced at the coffee table, completely covered in papers, and laughed awkwardly. "I'm here to submit some reports and ask a few questions."
"I planned to see Chairman Akikawa first, but she's not in her office."
"If you're all so busy, I'll try contacting her."
"No need—Chairman Akikawa is busier than us."
As Kitahara spoke, Symboli Rudolf stood up from behind a stack of half-human-height files, stretched, and rubbed her neck.
"Summer break is almost here, and the second half of the racing season is coming—there's much more to do than usual."
"On our side: confirming Central Academy's status, approving local academy reports, organizing second-half drafts, checking training camp arrangements, summarizing the first half of the season, important upcoming meetings…"
Listing tasks like this helped relieve stress; she yawned tiredly while counting.
"Oh, and there's the Japan Cup in the second half of the year."
"It seems the Epsom exchange race not only spread here, but many European academies also heard about it."
"Trainers and horse girls interested in the Japan Cup are more than before, and more applications came in."
"Plus Dancing Brave and Prince Khalid are coming to Japan this summer for joint evaluations with Teacher Koku."
"In short, this is what we need to do on our side."
She circled Maruzensky and CB, rubbing her face.
"Chairman Akikawa has even more to do."
"Not just academy work, but council and URA matters."
"And international affairs."
"There's a mid-year meeting of the International Horse Girl Federation. Not as complicated as the year-end one, but still a lot to prepare."
"After all, Central Tracen Academy directors from around the world attend to protect their academy and horse girls' interests."
"Many collaborations are negotiated then."
"Oh, and Mr. Masato Kurokawa and Mr. Haruki Satomi plan to expand to Europe—so the things you mentioned when they return, Kitahara."
"They already discussed with Chairman Akikawa a while ago. Today she's not at the academy because they've returned to sign preliminary contracts with Central Academy."
"She's busy with that right now."
"Later, she'll also prepare to travel to the U.S. for discussions."
"See, she has no time at all."
She shrugged and smiled at Kitahara. Even in public, she could appear relaxed, though her subtle authority still came through.
"So if you have urgent matters, just talk to me directly."
"I've roughly gone through the academy's training camp plans with Maruzensky—Eisei's are missing."
"You're here to submit those, right?"
Before Kitahara could answer, Maruzensky groaned in despair.
"Ah… this is so painful…"
Dropping her files, she held her head in her hands. "President, I want to go back to the elementary division…"
"Middle division is fine too…"
"I don't want to stay in the high division, or in the student council…"
"No normal holidays at all! I just want to happily go to training camp…"
Her antics left Symboli Rudolf frozen, unsure what to say.
Meanwhile, Mejiro Ramonu scolded mercilessly:
"You still say that so openly? Haven't you been slacking off?"
"You've been flipping through that document for over half an hour. Haven't you finished yet?"
"The papers must be worn out from your flipping. Even if you're slacking, try switching them up a bit."
Ramonu's words gave Rudolf a look of relief, and Maruzenski felt embarrassed.
The other two horse girls, including CB, looked stunned.
"…I have a question."
Maruzenskiylooked thoughtful, holding her chin, tilting her head, eyeing Takamine.
"I mean, Ramonu, if you noticed me flipping the same document for over half an hour… cough, I admit, I was slacking…"
"But if you were always working diligently, how did you notice?"
"Look at how seriously Rudolf is working—she didn't notice."
"Uh…"
Ramonu suddenly became embarrassed, leaving her previous scolding behind.
She didn't stay embarrassed long, raising her chin, flicking her hair, and speaking plainly.
"Alright, I admit I was slacking too."
"But I didn't want to work! You dragged me here."
"This work… isn't really mine, right?"
"If you hadn't dragged me, I'd be sitting in the garden at home on this sunny afternoon, enjoying tea in peace."
"…I can't help it, Rudolf has so much to do, I'd feel bad not helping."
Maruzensky subtly placed the student council's workload on Rudolf, hands together, no shame, winking at Ramonu.
"Please, Ramonu, help more! I won't slack off—I'll work properly."
"After work, let's all eat and sing karaoke! I'll treat, everyone together~"
Looking at CB, who was also working, she hesitated and made a funny face.
"CB, you…"
Pointing at her friend, Maruzensky tried hard not to laugh: "The document in your hands is upside down…"
(End of Chapter)