[Fixed some name issues]
After discussing the post-Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) arrangements with Yayoi Akikawa and Symboli Rudolf, and with the additional, in-depth help of Maruzensky, Mejiro Ramonu, and Riko Kashimoto, the Eisei Team no longer had to worry about administrative chores. They could now focus entirely on training.
However, as Akikawa Yayoi insisted, training had to wait until the current "rest task" was over. So Kitahara seriously considered holding a fun event at the upcoming "Welcome Ceremony" — a Big Eater Contest.
Getting approval from Symboli Rudolf was easy enough. The Student Council quickly agreed, and all that was left was to decide how the contest should be designed.
At first, Kitahara thought about doing something like the original series — maybe a donut-eating contest or an "Iwate 1000-Bowl Wanko Soba Challenge."But after thinking it over, those ideas felt a bit too plain.
Those contests either had Oguri Cap competing alone or just a few participants, lacking interaction with other horse girls. That seemed rather boring.
Eventually, he decided to base the event on the latter idea — a Wanko Soba Challenge.
Early that morning, behind the stage of the Welcome Ceremony, at the preparation area for the Eisei Big Eater Challenge, the team members — along with White Narubi and Oguri Roman — were listening to Kitahara explain the plan.
"Today is the Welcome Ceremony," Kitahara began."Oguri Cap, you and the others are Central Tracen students, and also upperclassmen — so let's make it a fun event."
After a short opening, he gestured toward a horse girl beside him who looked absolutely thrilled.
"Let me introduce her first — this is Yukino Bijin, from the Academy's Elementary Division."
"Um—! H-Hello, everyone! I-I'm Yukino Bij—"
"Ah, owowow, I bit my tongue…! I'm Yukino Bijin!"
Yukino Bijin was of average height, with short brown bob-cut hair and large, round brown eyes full of excitement. Her tone was nervous but earnest, overflowing with admiration.
"I-I'm very happy to meet all my senpais! I'll do my best to help prepare for today's challenge!"
Her adorably flustered manner made Kitahara smile unconsciously. Oguri Cap and the others also couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Oh, what a cute little sister."
Oguri Cap greeted her with a smile. "I'm Oguri Cap — nice to meet you."
Then she asked curiously, "Kitahara told me that in Iwate Prefecture, it's a custom to serve guests soba until they can't eat anymore. Could you tell me more about that?"
The other horse girls — like Tamamo Cross — had wanted to greet Yukino Bijin too, but upon hearing Oguri's question, they all turned their curious gazes toward her.
Thanks to Oguri's example — and the Eisei Team's special diet program — horse girls like Tamamo Cross and Inari One, who already had large appetites, now ate even more. Even Super Creek and Mejiro Ardan were becoming formidable eaters.
While the other four couldn't eat 1000 bowls like Oguri Cap, a few hundred bowls would be no problem at all.
Because of this, the Eisei Team had developed a kind of unspoken fascination with eating.
All those expectant eyes made Yukino Bijin a little overwhelmed.
Oguri and her teammates didn't realize just how famous they'd become at Central Tracen Academy. Even Mejiro Ardan, who already had the prestige of the Mejiro family, wasn't fully aware.
In just three months since the team had arrived at the Central Academy, they'd already scored 10 major graded wins, including top-level G1 events like the Satsuki Sho.
Counting all members' total wins, the number reached 25.
Such an achievement would be record-breaking in any era.
And the brightest among them was, of course, Oguri Cap.
All of Tokyo — no, the entire world of horse girls — knew her story: The local-born "Cinderella" who had now fully transformed.Fifteen races, fifteen victories, undefeated, and winner of the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown — a record dazzling beyond belief.
She might even achieve a perfect undefeated Triple Crown, becoming the second ever after Symboli Rudolf.
But even more inspiring than her victories was her story of transformation — from an overlooked provincial filly to a legendary champion.
Because of her, both the URA Association and the Central Academy's Board of Directors had begun to value local talent more. Many horse girls and trainers from rural circuits benefited from these new opportunities, and several old rules were rewritten.
Even long-standing prejudices — like "gray horses are slow" — had vanished entirely.
Now, if anyone dared to say "local horse girls can't match Central ones" or "gray horses can't run fast," others wouldn't even bother arguing. They'd simply ask, "Would you dare say that to Oguri Cap?" — and the person would instantly fall silent.
Of course, the team's fame wasn't just because of Oguri.Tamamo Cross, with her five-race winning streak; Inari One, who finished neck-and-neck with her at the Hanshin Daishoten; Super Creek, known for brilliant tactics; and Mejiro Ardan, whose elegant form looked like a dance on the track — all of them had contributed to the Eisei Team's legend.
Almost every junior horse girl at the academy now idolized them, setting them as their goal to chase.
The same went for trainers like Kitahara and Komiyama. Though the public rarely noticed the trainers' efforts, the horse girls themselves knew well that receiving Eisei Team training was an immense privilege.
So when Yukino Bijin first met Kitahara and learned that he wanted her help — and that she'd get to meet her idols — she couldn't believe her eyes or ears.
She wasn't even sure what she said in response — she just nodded wildly and agreed.It was only much later that she realized she'd promised to help organize the Big Eater Challenge.
She had mentally prepared herself, especially after reviewing the procedure for serving wanko soba — and with her farming background, she felt confident. She'd grown up helping at home, familiar with both cooking and serving soba.
But now, with all her idols looking at her expectantly, that confidence began to waver.
"T-That won't be a problem at all!"Yukino Bijin clenched her fists nervously under the group's gaze."I-I'll do my best!"
"Mm-hm, that's wonderful. Then… may I have a taste now? I've never eaten wanko soba before."Oguri Cap rubbed her belly, slightly embarrassed."When Kitahara mentioned it before, I was already curious. I didn't eat much breakfast this morning… so I'm a little hungry."
"Can I try just a little? I promise — only a little!"
"Yeah, right. Who would believe that? Oguri Cap, did you forget we have the contest later?" ×5
Tamamo Cross and the others all retorted in unison — they knew all too well what Oguri's "just a little" really meant. Even Belno Light, who was there to help, chimed in.
Lately, Belno Light and Kyoko Miyamura had been busy handling the purchase of "wind tunnel equipment." That was mostly done now. Originally, the team had planned to install it right away, but because Yayoi Akikawa wanted everyone to rest, the setup was postponed — and so Shinshin Kōki was free to help host the "Big Eater Challenge" event.
"Eating a little shouldn't be that bad…" Oguri murmured sheepishly as everyone teased her.
She scratched her head, trying to justify herself."I know there's a contest later, but… aren't contests supposed to have warm-ups? So if I eat a bit now, that counts as warming up, right?"
(…What kind of logic is that?!) ×5
"Alright, alright," Kitahara chuckled. "If you really want to eat, you'll get your fill later, Oguri."
He noticed Yukino Bijin was still tense, so he decided to shift the topic to something she'd be more comfortable with.
"Why don't you tell us more about wanko soba, Yukino Bijin?"
At his prompting, the others quieted down, and Yukino Bijin, encouraged, pumped her fist and nodded eagerly.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Her voice grew animated."Wanko soba is a local specialty from my hometown in Iwate Prefecture. The noodles are chewy, and the flavor is refreshing!"
"It's not hard to make — I already discussed the ingredients and seasonings with Chief Kitahara, so we can prepare them easily later!"
She pointed toward the ingredients laid out behind her — noodles, vegetables, condiments."But the fun part is the way it's eaten!"
"In Iwate, wanko soba isn't served in one big bowl. Instead, each guest gets a small bowl, and you're served just one mouthful at a time. Once you finish, the server shouts and quickly refills your bowl — again and again — until you can't eat anymore!"
"Normally, an adult man can easily eat 50 or 60 bowls in one sitting, so it's a pretty fun challenge!"
Oguri Cap touched her chin thoughtfully."Fifty or sixty bowls for an adult man… hmm…"She counted on her fingers for a bit, then her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Then I should be able to eat around 1000 bowls!"
"Mom, Kitahara — is that okay? Can I really eat that much later?"
She turned to Kitahara and her mother with shining eyes — literal stars in her pupils — and a bit of drool glimmering at the corner of her mouth.
White Narubi laughed softly, while Kitahara cleared his throat."…Ahem, sure, sure. Eat as much as you want. No problem."
Even though he was speechless at her obsession with food, he didn't argue. Then he smiled and continued:
"White Narubi, Komiyama, and Miyamura will handle cooking the soba, with Yukino Bijin assisting them. We already checked the recipe with her — it's simple enough, and all three can cook. Should be no problem."
"As for Belno Light, you'll act as the host during the challenge."
"Got it!" the four of them replied together.
Kitahara went on: "The basic format — Oguri Cap, Tama, and the others will be the defending champions. Any horse girl attending the Welcome Ceremony can challenge them . The ranking depends on how many bowls each challenger eats — and the numbers will be displayed on the big screen behind the stage."
"Oguri Cap and the others just have to sit and eat."
He paused a moment."The preparation time for this event wasn't long, and we don't have much prior experience, so I came up with a simple reward system."
"Anyone who manages to out-eat you all — uh… though honestly, I don't think that's possible —"He coughed lightly and glanced at his five eager horse girls with a smile."—still, everyone who participates gets a prize, depending on how many bowls they finish."
"The prizes are Moe Monster figurines and plushies. For every 100 bowls eaten, they can pick one; 500 bowls earn a full set."
"If someone somehow eats more than that — though I doubt it — we'll add extra prizes."
"For over 600 bowls, they can take photos and get autographs with you all."
"That should do it, right?"
His plan was simple, but the others had no complaints.
"Next is crowd control and serving duties," Kitahara continued."I'll handle the order along with Yuzuhara."
Yuzuhara nodded. "No problem."
"As for serving," Kitahara looked toward the stage doors, "we'll ask for help from other horse girls."
"I've already contacted some familiar ones — like Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio, who Oguri Roman met before. They agreed to come over after finishing their own performances."
"They've also brought Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Dober, Daitaku Helios, and Nice Nature — they'll join in once their acts are done."
"With that many horse girls helping, we'll be fine."
"And of course, they won't go unrewarded — each will receive a plush set or another gift. Yukino Bijin too."
"Finally…"He took out a stack of flyers from the corner of the preparation area and handed them to Oguri Cap and the others.
"Before the event starts, go distribute these flyers. Let's see how many horse girls you can attract."
"Got it! Leave it to us!" ×5
They answered in unison and took the flyers eagerly.
When all preparations were complete, the Wanko Soba Challenge began smoothly.
By the time the start time printed on the flyers arrived, the venue — roughly the size of a small Winning Live stage — was packed with spectators and horse girls, all cheering and waiting for the event's stars, Oguri Cap and her teammates.
If Kitahara and Yuzuhara hadn't been working hard to keep order, the crowd probably would've stormed backstage.
Just as they were maintaining the line, a bright, lively voice rang out from within the crowd:
"Excuse us, please make way! We're the staff for this challenge — please let us through!"
The voice was loud and distinct — Kitahara immediately recognized it as Tokai Teio's.
Before long, the crowd was pushed aside to form a small passage, and that grinning little face of Tokai Teio popped out. Her eyes lit up the moment she spotted Kitahara.
"Hey, hey, old man! I'm here!"
She raised her arm high and waved it back and forth. "I didn't just bring McQueen and the others to help — I also brought the first batch of challengers!"
The one being dragged helplessly beside her was none other than Mejiro McQueen.
Teio wasn't wearing her school uniform but a stage outfit with a white base and blue accents.
McQueen, on the other hand, was dressed in an exaggerated light-purple evening gown, its neckline, cuffs, and hemline all decorated with frilly lace.
Following behind them were Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Dober, Daitaku Helios, and Air Groove. None of them were in a school uniform either — they were wearing things like karate uniforms or other performance costumes.
It was Kitahara's second time seeing Mejiro Ryan. The last time had been at the Mejiro estate, and he hadn't paid her much attention then. Looking at her now, it was easy to notice that compared to the other Mejiros, she was far more lively — almost tomboyish, not quite fitting the refined noble image of her family.
They must've just rushed over after finishing a performance, he thought. Kitahara was about to thank them when something behind Teio caught his eye.
Just as she said, there were indeed five horse girls following them — the first batch of challengers, perfectly matching the number on Oguri Cap's team.
The one in front had reddish-brown long hair tied in a sharp, high ponytail, and a pair of purplish-red eyes that burned with energy.
The moment she noticed Kitahara looking, her excitement grew even stronger. She sprinted straight over, stopped on a dime, stood upright, snapped her legs together, clicked her heels, and saluted smartly.
"Hi! Chief Kitahara! My name's Sakura Bakushin O! It's such an explosive dash honor to be part of this challenge! Bakushin!"
…Ah, no wonder she ran so fast — it's Bakushin O.
Kitahara barely saw a blur before she appeared right in front of him, giving him quite a start.
But thinking about it, it made sense. This horse girl was the undisputed queen of short-distance racing — a sprinter with overwhelming strength in 1,200m to 1,400m races. Of her 21 career starts, 11 were wins — all at those distances.
Frankly, Kitahara thought, among all the horse girls present, none could match her in short-distance speed — at least, not once she matured.
"Mm, nice to meet you. Welcome to the contest," Kitahara said with a smile and returned the salute. He pointed toward the challenge platform. "The match hasn't officially started yet. Why don't you wait in the prep area with Teio and McQueen first?"
The challenge platform was a semicircular stage over a meter high, with two rows of long banquet tables arranged in an "8" shape at its center.
Behind each table were five seats. One row had name tags like "Oguri Cap," marking the defending team's side; the seats opposite were for challengers.
Below the challenger's side sat two rows of chairs — the front one had a table, behind which sat a nervous-looking Oguri Roman, the referee. The second row was for challengers to wait.
"Got it! Bakushin!"
Saluting again, the horse girl, full of fiery energy, dashed to the prep area.
"Ah, don't mind her, Chief Kitahara," Teio laughed, waving her hand. "That's just how Bakushin O is — all energy and no brakes. Did she scare you?"
As Bakushin O ran off, Teio and McQueen arrived.
"Let me introduce the rest of the challengers," Teio said cheerfully. "These two are my peers — Tokai Teio's best rivals, Nice Nature and Twin Jet."
"I ran into them on the way here. When they heard about Oguri Cap's eating challenge, they got super interested and came along."
She pointed behind her — one horse girl had short reddish-brown twin tails, the other had long, deep-blue twin tails.
"Nice to meet you, Thir— cough, Nice Nature, nice to meet you."
Kitahara smiled and reached out a hand, then immediately regretted his slip. He had almost said 'Third Place Lady' — an infamous nickname.
After all, people only remember first place… unless you always finish third.
And that was exactly Excellent Thoroughbred's career — 41 races, 7 wins, 6 seconds, and a lot of thirds. She had taken third in nearly every major G1 race: three times in the Arima Kinen, twice in the Mainichi Okan, once in the Hanshin Daishoten, once in the Mile Championship… those thirds were more famous than her victories.
But the current Nice Nature hadn't yet matured and didn't catch Kitahara's hesitation. She nervously shook his hand.
"Ah, h-hello, Chief Kitahara! It's an honor to meet you and Oguri Cap-senpai…"
Then she hesitated. "Um… you just said 'Thir—' what was that?"
"Ahem… nothing. Just lost my train of thought," Kitahara smiled awkwardly.
Meanwhile, the blue-haired horse girl complained to Teio, "Hey! My name's Twin Turbo, not 'Two Jets'! I'm your future rival, you'd better remember that!"
…Rival? Maybe self-proclaimed, Kitahara thought silently. She's good at front-running, sure, but challenging Teio — an undefeated double crown winner — was a bit of a stretch.
Still, Twin Turbo's record wasn't bad. In another world, she was similar to Oguri Cap — coming from a regional background to compete at the central level. Her "Great Escape of the Century" in the Sankei Sho was legendary.
When Kitahara finished greeting Nice Nature, he turned to Twin Turbo. "You're Twin Turbo, right? Nice to meet you."
"Teio, remember my name properly! And— wait— Chief Kitahara knows my name?! Ohhh, I'm so touched!!"
Her eyes sparkled, hands clutched over her chest. She turned to Teio dramatically. "See?! Even Chief Kitahara knows me! That means I'm destined to become a great horse girl! Teio, I'll be your strongest rival yet!"
"Y-yeah, yeah, I got it…" Teio said with a half-smile, brushing her bangs aside. "Anyway, I'll take these two to the waiting area… McQueen, I'll leave the next introductions to you!"
Without waiting for McQueen's reply, she cheerfully led Twin Turbo and Nice Nature away.
"…Honestly, she's always so impulsive," McQueen sighed softly, then turned to the others. "Ryan, Dober, you two head over to the waiting area as well. I'll help introduce the rest."
Once they left, McQueen gestured to the two remaining horse girls.
"These two enrolled a little after Teio and me, but they're both outstanding — they might even debut before we do. This is Mihono Bourbon, and this is Rice Shower."
"Master Kitahara, good day," said Bourbon with a polite nod.
"H-hello, I-I-I'm Rice Sh— ah, no! I-I'm Rice Shower!" stammered the petite black-haired girl beside her.
[Rice shower fans assemble]
Kitahara greeted them both. Truthfully, among the challengers Teio brought, these two caught his attention most. Not only for their potential strength, but because of the bond that tied their fates together.
Mihono Bourbon — 7 wins and 1 second in 8 races, including both the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby. Like Teio, she was an undefeated double-crown horse girl.
Her only loss came in her eighth race — the Kikuka Sho (the Japanese St. Leger). The winner of that race was none other than the shy girl beside her: Rice Shower.
And it wasn't much of a surprise. Rice Shower excelled at long-distance endurance — her six career wins included the 3,000m Kikuka Sho, the 2,500m Nikkei Sho, and two 3,200m Tenno Sho (Spring). In one of them, she even defeated Mejiro McQueen herself.
But right now, none of that had happened yet. Kitahara simply smiled warmly.
"Welcome to the challenge," he said, shaking their hands. "Relax — it's just a soba noodle eating contest, not a race. You'll both do great."
He looked at Bourbon's stiff expression. "No need to be so serious. Just enjoy it." Then to Rice Shower, who was gripping her collar nervously, "Rice Shower, right? That's a lovely name. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully."
He knew well that both were top-tier eaters — Bourbon could devour fifty kinds of desserts and still go for dinner, while Rice Shower ranked third among the top eaters in the entire franchise, only behind Oguri Cap and Special Week.
"I understand. I'll do my best," said Bourbon firmly."I-iii will try her best too…" Rice Shower murmured.
"Good. McQueen, please take them to the waiting area," Kitahara said. "With the first challengers ready, the contest can begin soon. I'll be counting on you and Teio."
"Leave it to me, Chief Kitahara," McQueen replied with poise before escorting the two away.
Once she left, Kitahara and Yuubara tidied up the area until Bright Shine's voice boomed from the stage.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Wanko Soba Challenge! Thank you for your support of the organizers — the Eisei Team — and special thanks to the Tracen Academy Board and Student Council!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Bright Shine raised her voice above the noise.
"The audience is fired up! Let's not delay any longer — please welcome our defending team: Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Inari One, Super Creek, and Mejiro Ardan!"
The cheers grew louder as the five horse girls stepped onto the stage one by one.
"…Wow, there are so many people! Are they all here to eat? What if the soba runs out?" Oguri muttered.
"…Come on, Oguri, that's not the point! Of course, they're not all eating—wait, now you've got me thinking about it too!" Tamamo groaned.
"You still haven't gotten used to Oguri's way of thinking, huh?" Inari chuckled.
"Well, there really are a lot of people," Super Creek added softly. "It's almost a little embarrassing, isn't it, Ardan?"
"Me? I don't mind," Ardan smiled. "I often meet large crowds when out with Ramonu, so I'm used to it."
As they chatted, they sat down at the defending team's seats, while Bright Shine continued hosting.
"All right! Our defending team is in position! Now let's welcome the first batch of challengers!"
The crowd cheered again.
Among the challengers, Sakura Bakushin O waved wildly at the audience, Mihono Bourbon remained expressionless, and Nice Nature, Twin Turbo, and Rice Shower all looked overwhelmed by the attention.
"…W-wow, Oguri-senpai's so popular," Turbo muttered. "Just wait! After this challenge, I'll be just as famous!"
"If only it were that easy…" Nice Nature sighed, admiring Turbo's boundless optimism.
"M-Mii will do her best…" whispered Rice Shower, puffing her cheeks and patting her face to psych herself up.
"Greetings, everyone!" Bakushin O shouted, bursting with energy. "I'll show you my explosive dash spirit! Bakushin!"
"..." Bourbon said nothing, expression still stoic as she took her seat.
Seeing her sit down so decisively, the others quickly followed suit.
"With our challengers seated, let's invite Teio and the others to begin serving soba!" Belno Light announced.
As Teio's group bustled about backstage and in front, bringing out trays of soba, Bright Shine took a deep breath and raised the mic again.
"And now, let's have our referee, Oguri Roman, announce the start of the contest!"
Her voice carried across the hall — then silence.
"…Uh, Roman? Little Roman?"
With everyone staring, Bright Shine looked awkwardly toward the referee's seat, where a small, nervous Oguri Roman sat frozen.
It was her first time doing this. She knew she was supposed to referee and give awards, but not exactly how.
When everyone's gaze turned her way, she instinctively raised her hand like a student answering a question.
"Um… Miss Belno Light? What do I do now?"
"Excellent! Our referee has raised her hand — the challenge begins!" Belno Light declared.
The crowd roared again as Teio and the others rushed forward with trays, placing steaming bowls of soba before the contestants.
Belno Light wanted to explain the rules to Roman, but had no time — she had to keep narrating like a race commentator.
"The match begins — and Oguri Cap takes the lead with ten bowls down already! Incredible!"
"No one even saw how she did it! But our counter shows it's true — wait, no, she's at twenty-two bowls already! Amazing!"
"Tamamo Cross isn't far behind at seventeen — great pace!"
"Super Creek and Inari One are tied at fifteen each!"
"Mejiro Ardan is lagging a bit with thirteen, but we hope she catches up!"
"Now, let's check the challengers… Wow!"
"It's Rice Shower! Despite her small frame, she's got incredible potential — twenty-nine bowls already! She's catching up to—no, wait—Oguri's at forty-five bowls now!"
"When did she—no, fifty-two! Unbelievable!"
"Mihono Bourbon's holding strong at twenty-one!"
"Nice Nature's at twenty-six — a dark horse indeed, ranking third!"
"Twin Turbo and Sakura Bakushin O are both over twenty — still going strong!"
"So then—who will be crowned the Wanko Soba Queen in this legendary eating showdown?! Stay tuned!"
(End of Chapter)