At the same time…
On the other side of the world—Tokyo, Japan.
Central Tracen Academy.
With the eight-hour time difference, when Ireland reached the moment of its afternoon showdown, Tokyo was already deep into the night.
The neon glow of the bustling city gradually faded. The lights in countless homes sank into silence.
But inside Chasing Light's villa, the place was brightly lit—lively like it was New Year's.
In the spacious living room, a massive projector screen had already been lowered, and a high-definition satellite broadcast feed was in the middle of connecting.
The coffee table was piled high with all kinds of late-night snacks and sweets Maruzensky had brought, plus drinks and juices everyone had chipped in to buy.
"It's on, it's on! The race is about to start!"
Tokai Teio wore pajamas printed with a cute cartoon version of Symboli Rudolf's emblem. Sitting cross-legged at the very front of the rug, she waved a glow stick like a baton, looking way too energized for someone pulling an all-nighter.
Behind her sat an absurdly stacked viewing lineup.
Symboli Rudolf—the student council president of Central Tracen—rested on the sofa, chatting easily with the other horse girls, her gaze calm.
"Anyone want little cakes~?"
From the kitchen, Maruzensky emerged with a smile, carrying out a plate stacked with steaming little cakes.
In the living room…
Inari One sat cross-legged, chewing on rice crackers. Sakura Chiyono O politely poured tea for everyone. Obey Your Master lounged against the back of the sofa, scrolling through messages and news on her phone.
"I want one! The round kind—three of them!"
Hearing Maruzensky, Tokai Teio shot her hand up, practically bouncing.
"As if!" Mejiro McQueen, thoroughly offended, hugged a small pillow and whipped it straight at Teio.
Off to the side, Fujimasa March and Mejiro Ardan sat neatly, eyes fixed on the projected screen with serious focus.
And with special permission from their parents, Twin Turbo, Rice Shower, and Silence Suzuka—three younger girls—had come too.
All three were the quiet type.
Their baby-faced cheeks were pressed close together as they watched in silence, listening to the older girls laugh and bicker nearby.
Among all those familiar faces, though, there was one small figure who looked oddly out of place.
"Hmph…"
Tamamo Cross sat right in the middle of the sofa with a disgruntled expression, a cup of hot milk forced into her hands.
She scanned the room—practically wall-to-wall Chasing Light horse girls—and asked helplessly, "Uh… why'd you drag me here too?"
This Kansai-born "hairy horse girl," once the active strongest and now the former-former-former strongest, tugged awkwardly at her collar.
"This is your little in-group hangout, right? I'm an outsider. I'm not even that close with you lot…"
She'd planned to watch in secret under her dorm blanket. Instead, the moment she'd finished her shower, Inari One and Obey Your Master had teamed up and "kidnapped" her over here.
"Aww, don't be like that~"
Before she even finished, an arm casually draped itself over her shoulders like they were lifelong buddies.
Obey Your Master leaned in, resting her chin on Tamamo Cross's shoulder, smiling with easy familiarity.
"You and Oguri are super close, aren't you? She's your rival and your best friend."
"That's not the same thing!" Tamamo Cross snapped back, face red as she tried to wriggle free.
"All right, all right."
Obey Your Master not only didn't let go—she even ruffled Tamamo Cross's fluffy hair, her voice softening.
"This kind of big race—watching alone under your blanket is boring. If she loses or wins, and there's nobody to talk to… that's the worst."
She gestured at the roomful of noisy girls, all of them with the same fire burning in their eyes.
"Watching together, yelling together—that's what makes it fun. Right, Yotama?"
"W-Who's Yotama?!" Tamamo Cross grumbled.
But her struggling gradually stopped.
She looked at the friendly faces turned her way, then at the Irish racecourse finally appearing on the screen. In the end, she clicked her tongue and took a stubborn sip of milk.
"Whatever… I'm already here."
"I'll begrudgingly watch with you—see how that idiot embarrasses herself overseas."
"Hahahaha!"
Inari One burst out laughing, slapping her thigh.
"Embarrass herself? That's not a phrase that exists in our Trainer's dictionary! Just wait and enjoy the show!"
Elsewhere, after handing out the little cakes, Maruzensky scooted in with a little "heave-ho," sitting snugly beside Symboli Rudolf.
"You're really invested, Rudolf?" Maruzensky tilted her head, smiling sweetly as she asked.
"Ah… of course." Symboli Rudolf kept her eyes on the projection and answered quietly.
Her voice was calm, but the fingers resting on her thigh tightened slightly.
"Because… we've failed too many times."
The student council president known as "the Emperor" looked as if her gaze pierced through the screen, reaching into a much more distant past.
In recent years, Central Tracen's overseas campaign had been in full swing.
Many of Japan's top trainers and horse girls had chased their dreams abroad.
For example… from the same family as Symboli Rudolf—her hard-to-handle younger sister, Sirius Symboli.
That proud Sirius had spent a long time battling in Europe. She'd given it everything she had, yet still never managed to touch the highest G1 podium.
And it wasn't just her.
Even many elite horse girls led by one of the previous generation's finest trainers, Hideto Naise…
Not once had they won an international G1 overseas.
That was why, abroad, Central Tracen was often mocked as a "third-rate circuit."
A wound that stabbed at the pride of every Far Eastern horse girl.
It was a gap in strength—an objective chasm that existed whether anyone liked it or not.
And in the face of that ridicule, they had no right to argue back. Without results, every rebuttal was just pale, helpless excuse-making.
So in the past, whenever other horse girls went on overseas campaigns…
Aside from the polite attention required by her role as president, Symboli Rudolf didn't actually allow herself much hope.
"But this time… it's different."
Symboli Rudolf lifted her head. Those pale violet eyes flared with sudden light as she stared at the broadcast image coming alive on the screen.
"Kuroha and Oguri Cap—they're beyond the standard. I believe they can win!"
"…Do you?" Maruzensky murmured.
Maruzensky's smile turned gentle.
Rudolf said "two people," but Maruzensky could tell—her friend was really talking about three.
Kuroha.
Symboli Rudolf believed Kuroha could make any miracle happen—or rather, everyone in this room believed it from the bottom of their hearts.
"If it's him… maybe he really can create a miracle."
Smash that "third-rate" plaque that had been hanging over their heads for years.
…
Right then—
As the laughter in the room slowly settled, the picture on the screen finally stabilized.
The camera swept across Leopardstown Racecourse. The rain had stopped, but the whole place still gleamed wet.
"Bzz—"
With a burst of static, the excited live commentary boomed through the living room speakers, crisp and clear.
"Ladies and Gentlemen—!!"
The announcer's voice, steeped in a British accent and brimming with hype, lit the atmosphere in an instant.
"Welcome to Leopardstown Racecourse!"
"Though the skies have not been kind, and we've endured a terrible storm… that only means today's battle will be more brutal—and even more spectacular!"
"Today's fifth race, and the most anticipated main event in all of Ireland—no, all of Europe—"
"—the G1 Irish Champion Stakes!!"
"It is about to begin on this battlefield—right now!!"
The broadcast cut. The camera locked onto the entrance tunnel leading onto the track.
An energetic entrance theme blared. On the rain-washed grandstands, the crowd erupted into a deafening roar.
The announcer's voice leapt even higher.
"Now then—hold your breath…"
"Please welcome our first runner—making her entrance!!"
(End of Chapter)
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