As the soft morning sunlight streamed through the curtains and filled the room, Rice Shower—who had woken up a little earlier than usual—found herself gazing at the girl sleeping peacefully in her arms.
(...This isn't a dream. It's the real Lily-chan.)
Shirono Lily—the precious friend she had longed to see again. And now, that same adorable girl was right before her, sleeping soundly with a blissful smile on her face.
(...She's beautiful. Truly beautiful.)
Seven years had passed since that small girl had grown into such a stunning young lady—so much so that she couldn't help but attract the gaze of others. As Rice Shower watched her, temptation quietly crept into her heart.
(J-just a little bit should be fine, right…?)
Careful not to wake her, Rice leaned in toward the center of Lily's sleeping horse ear, confirming that she was still asleep, and took in her scent with a quiet breath.
(...This might be a little addictive. M-maybe just one more sniff…!)
But just as she leaned in again, the smartphone alarm went off. Feeling Lily stir awake, Rice hurriedly pulled away, making sure not to startle her.
Lily slowly opened her eyes, turned off the alarm, and smiled drowsily at her.
"...Mornin', Rice-chan."
"...Good morning, Lily-chan."
That sleepy, soft smile made Rice's heart skip a beat. As she sat up and stretched, Lily, still half-asleep, suddenly leaned in and hugged her, rubbing her cheek against Rice's.
"...Ehehe. You're really here…"
(A-a surprise attack like that is bad for my heart!) Rice thought, but she hid her flustered face and gently told Lily to get up. However, when Lily started to drift back to sleep, Rice resorted to squishing her cheeks to wake her up.
---
Good morning!
Because I chatted a lot with Rice-chan last night before bed, I'm a little sleepy today. I went to sleep at 10:30 PM! Hehe, doesn't that sound grown-up? I've gotten ready and am now having breakfast.
"Lily-chan, you look happy today."
"Ehehe. Because from now on, I get to be with Rice-chan every day!"
"Lily-chan…! Rice is really happy too!"
Rice-chan is so cute again today. The food at Tracen Academy is really delicious—and it's amazing that refills are free! But Mama's cooking is still the best. If Tracen's meals are 100 points, Mama's food is 120!
"By the way, Lily-chan, do you have a phone? We forgot to exchange contact info last night."
"I do! Mama bought it for me!"
"That's great. Do you use LANE?"
"Nope!"
"Then I'll teach you how to use it later, okay?"
"Okay! Thank you, Rice-chan!"
Mama told me I wasn't allowed to use social media, so I've never tried it before. I'm a good girl, so I always listen to Mama. But she said if Rice-chan teaches me, it's okay! I think she said something like... 'netty jealousy'? Yeah! That's important, she said! Lily is such a smart girl!
"Lily-chan, your phone wallpaper is still the default one."
"Yup! Did you change yours, Rice-chan?"
"I did. Mine's this."
"Whoa! It's little me and little Rice-chan!"
"Brings back memories, right? Don't you take pictures?"
"I was planning to, but haven't yet. You see… I wanted my first photo to be with you, Rice-chan."
"Waaah! Let's take one, then! Rice's so happy right now!"
Yay! Rice-chan's happy! That makes me so happy too!
After that, we took a picture together and made it our phone wallpaper. I can't wait to make more memories with her!
---
After parting ways with Rice-chan, I'm now in class. Tracen Academy isn't just a place for race training—it's also a proper school. We're athletes, but we're still students, so we can't neglect our studies.
The morning curriculum covers general education, just like a normal school. In the afternoon, we study racing theory, winning live performance, sports nutrition, and basic training—all focused on racing.
In the afternoon training sessions, horse girls without assigned trainers are grouped and coached by instructors. Since I already have a trainer, I train under her during this time. I didn't expect to get a trainer contract so soon—I'm really grateful. It's a big advantage, since not many get one this early.
Normally, students train and then participate in the Selection Race, where trainers scout promising horse girls.
The Selection Race is for horse girls without a team or trainer contract. It's held four times a year, and those who perform well often get scouted. Since I already have a trainer, I can't participate—but that's okay.
Some who fail to stand out eventually leave the academy. Getting into Tracen is already hard, but surviving here is even harder. The world of competition is harsh—but that's what gives victory its meaning.
Horse girls with trainers aim for their first race—the Make Debut.
It usually happens around late June. To qualify, one must first reach what's called maturity.
Maturity means that a horse girl's abilities have fully bloomed and she's entering her athletic prime. Signs include rapid physical growth and a sudden rise in athletic ability—usually in mid-teens. The horse girl herself can somehow feel when it happens.
The changes vary from person to person—some go from childlike to full-grown in no time. In my case, I didn't change much outwardly, but my physical ability skyrocketed.
I mentioned this earlier, but both Rice-chan and I have already matured. When we met again at the entrance ceremony, I could feel it.
Now, about how maturity relates to the Make Debut—
You can't debut before maturing, because the difference in ability is massive. Like comparing a gorilla to a human.
Racing before maturing is dangerous, so almost no one does it. A few exceptions exist, but they're extremely rare.
If a horse girl matures late, her debut is postponed—but that doesn't happen often.
The Make Debut happens in late June to give horse girls time to get used to their new bodies. Sudden changes in power make it hard to control themselves, so that adjustment period is crucial.
A matured horse girl's strength far exceeds that of a human—and grows even more after maturing. It's dangerous otherwise.
Before maturing, I could punch through concrete. Now I can crush it with my hands. I can even do a Rider Kick!
---
Afternoon training began. Today, Ruru-chan is analyzing my detailed data—checking my dirt and turf aptitude, and then my distance aptitude. It's time to show the results of all my training! Let's gooo!
---
(...Strange. This girl should be good on dirt and bad on turf…)
Since she just matured, we only tested her on 1600m mile runs—not middle or long distance—but the results were odd.
(There's no time difference between dirt and turf. Normally, running on your weaker surface slows you down…)
While pondering this, Ruru glanced at Lily and noticed a difference.
(After dirt runs, she looked fine. But after turf, she was clearly exhausted… could it be…)
A possibility came to mind.
(This girl has extraordinary power. Maybe she's using that raw power to force turf runs at dirt-level speed. The tradeoff would be massive stamina drain… judging by her fatigue, that's almost certain. And likely, the longer the distance, the worse the stamina cost becomes…)
Ruru had never seen a horse girl like her before. After thinking for a moment, she asked Lily a question as the girl rested, drinking something Rice had given her.
"Hey, Lily, do you have a goal race in mind?"
Catching her breath, Lily smiled brightly.
"I'm going for the Triple Crown route with Rice-chan!"
(Oh boy… that's a seriously tough road…) Ruru thought, though she didn't show it.
"I see. As your big sis, I'd recommend the dirt route, but…"
"No."
"Whoa—instant reply."
When Ruru asked again if she was sure, Lily pouted and said "Nooo!" in such a cute voice that Ruru's maternal instincts kicked in.
"...Alright, I get it. Let's aim for the Triple Crown route, then!"
"Thank you, Ruru-chan! ...But, are you sure?"
"A trainer's job is to help their horse girl chase her dreams. But fair warning—it's gonna be brutal. Your aptitude makes even middle distances tough. Long distance is gonna be... wild."
"I'll be fine! I'm strong, and I never give up!"
Hands on her hips, chest puffed out, Lily said this proudly. Ruru couldn't help but laugh. Then she explained their new training plan.
"First, Lily. During your Junior Class, we'll focus entirely on stamina. Sub-training will be intelligence and speed. Power—ignore it completely for now."
"Eh? Is that okay?"
"Of course. I get why you'd worry, but it's fine. Your power is already far above junior level—honestly, it's senior class tier. You probably don't realize it yourself."
"Wowww…" Lily said in awe, and Ruru chuckled before continuing.
"We'll build stamina so you can handle middle and long distances for the Classic season. My theory is that right now, you're forcing your power output on turf at the cost of stamina. Remember how tired you were after turf runs? Longer races will make that even worse. So we'll strengthen your stamina.
"Intelligence training helps you choose better race positions—saving stamina and learning efficient body control to reduce waste. Speed training is obvious—you can't win if you're not fast."
"Ruru-chan, you sound super smart!"
"The central license doesn't come easy, you know? Anyway, next is Rice. Unlike Lily, you'll focus on power and speed, with intelligence as sub-training."
"Because Rice is a stayer, right? She can already handle 3000m, so stamina's not a concern for now. Since Junior Class races are mostly short to middle distance, she'll train her power and speed to cover her stayer weakness—and intelligence for better positioning. Right, big sis?"
Ruru blinked, impressed.
"Exactly, Rice! You said everything I was about to say! So, that's the plan for now."
"Got it!" both girls answered energetically.
Then the three of them shouted together—
"Let's do our best! Ooooh!"
They had to master this training and win their Make Debut.
Step by steady step, they would race toward their future.