...
The next day.
The arrival of four new members undoubtedly made the "Dream" team's lounge even livelier.
"Introduce yourselves," Lucian said to Doto and the others.
"Hello everyone, I'm Nice Nature. It's an honor to join 'Dream.'"
"Ha~ I'm Matikanetannhauser."
Twin Turbo pointed at Tokai Teio and said, "Teio! I'm here to challenge you!"
Tokai Teio: "You are... Two..."
"Twin Turbo! It's Twin Turbo!"
"Hello everyone, my name is Doto. My hobby is winning G1 races, and my goal is to raise some small animals... Sorry! That was wrong! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ Let me start over..."
...
Aside from Doto, who was overly nervous, the others remained quite calm.
"I'll introduce my team members as well."
"Spe-chan, Special Week, really loves eating carrots."
Special Week: "Trainer-san, could you introduce something other than eating as a hobby..."
...
"Suzuka, she should be quite gentle with all of you."
Silence Suzuka: "Lucian-kun, am I not gentle with you?"
...
"Seiun Sky, looks like a slacker on the outside, but don't be fooled by her lazy talk."
Seiun Sky: "Trainer? What do you mean by that?"
...
"Dextrous Bailey, looks fierce on the outside, and... enjoys tempering herself through punishment."
Dextrous Bailey: "Trainer, please don't talk about such things!"
...
"Urara..."
"Urara will introduce herself! I'm Urara! I love everyone in 'Dream' and I also love the trainer!"
Feels like the first part of that was just a cover, huh?
...
"Rice Shower, 'Rice,' symbolizes blessings."
Rice Shower: "Trainer..."
...
"Tokai Teio, loves honey and sometimes enjoys teasing the trainer."
Tokai Teio: "Trainer, you're the one who always bullies me!"
...
"Mejiro McQueen, just joined the team recently, not very familiar yet."
Mejiro McQueen: "Trainer, you..."
...
After introducing everyone, Lucian motioned for them all to sit down.
"Since everyone's physical development varies right now, not all of you will be suited for the same intensity of training."
"For now, I'll divide you into two groups. Spe-chan, Seiun, and Suzuka will temporarily be in the first group. The rest will be in the second group."
"Of course, adjustments will be made based on your future race results and training progress. Let's do our best. Now, let's begin this afternoon's training."
...
The date of the Arima Kinen drew closer.
After the voting ended, the popularity rankings were announced.
As expected, Silence Suzuka, Seiun Sky, and Special Week were all selected.
Also selected were Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, King Halo, Taiki Shuttle, Air Groove... The Arima Kinen could easily be considered the all-star battle of the year.
Most of the horse girls participating in this race had already achieved considerable honors this year.
It's worth noting that Silence Suzuka ranked first in popularity.
Perhaps due to that shocking moment during the Tenno Sho, everyone was eagerly anticipating her comeback.
...
The day of the Arima Kinen.
Nakayama Racecourse.
As the final major event of the year, the excitement was at an all-time high.
Lucian brought the entire "Dream" team to watch.
However, they arrived too late and couldn't squeeze into the main stands, so they had to watch from a higher vantage point.
Nishizaki Ryo immediately spotted his old acquaintance. "Lucian, you're watching from here too?"
"Nishizaki-senpai," Lucian greeted, then looked behind Nishizaki Ryo.
Aside from his original team members, "Spica" had two new faces: Mejiro Ryan and Eishin Flash.
It seemed Nishizaki Ryo had also achieved notable results in the selection races.
"Lucian," Nishizaki Ryo approached. "About our previous discussion on the 'Zone,' there's one more thing I forgot to mention."
"What is it?"
"In races with more formidable opponents, it becomes easier for horse girls to enter the 'Zone.'"
"Nishizaki-senpai, who do you think will win today?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Even during the race, horse girls are constantly improving."
Nishizaki Ryo's experience was indeed profound.
But as he said, horse girls continue to grow even mid-race.
If Special Week or another horse girl were to achieve a breakthrough into the second stage during the race, the outcome would become even harder to predict.
...
"The race begins!"
"As expected of such outstanding horse girls, there are no mistakes out of the gate."
"Taking the lead is Silence Suzuka!"
"After what happened during the Tenno Sho, it's truly heartwarming to see her back on the track."
...
The overall pace of the race was fast.
Taiki Shuttle closely followed Silence Suzuka, with El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky behind. Special Week and Grass Wonder were positioned further back.
Silence Suzuka: "This pressure is overwhelming!"
As fellow G1 horse girls, Taiki Shuttle—crowned the "King of Mile Races"—was no less formidable in speed than Silence Suzuka.
This was Silence Suzuka's first time racing against Taiki Shuttle, and she felt a hint of defiance. As she exited the turn, her body became enveloped in a flowing aura.
...
By the final turn, the race dynamics began shifting.
"Silence Suzuka and Taiki Shuttle! These two speed-focused horse girls seem to have started their duel early!"
"El Condor Pasa is catching up! On the outside—Seiun Sky, Seiun Sky!"
"Air Groove is in a tough spot, boxed in by Special Week and Grass Wonder on the inside. She can't break free for now!"
...
The moment they exited the turn, the chasing horse girls all began accelerating.
Chasers versus front-runners—this was the most thrilling and exciting moment of the race.
What surprised Lucian was that Taiki Shuttle had also entered the second stage.
If this were her preferred distance—1600 to 1800 meters—Silence Suzuka might have been solidly overtaken.
But the Arima Kinen was 2500 meters long. While not Silence Suzuka's ideal distance either, her endurance in the latter half clearly surpassed Taiki Shuttle's.
The two "escaping" horse girls gradually lost speed in the final stretch, while the chasers—Special Week, Grass Wonder, and others—began to shine.
"Air Groove breaks through!"
"On the far outside—Grass Wonder! Special Week is coming up too!"
"We can see Seiun Sky, Special Week, Air Groove, Grass Wonder, and El Condor Pasa—these five horse girls are practically neck and neck!"
"Are they about to catch Taiki Shuttle and Silence Suzuka?!"
...
(For now, I won't add any more horse girls to the team. I'll focus on finishing the stories of the current members, both daily life and races.)
(Later, I might not necessarily write about other horse girls and may consider wrapping up the story.)