[Ok Boys and Gals, You know the Drill, If Max Verstappen wins the 2025 F1 World Driver's Championship, 5 extra chapters]
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During the following preparation training, as if they had discussed it beforehand, Oguri Cap and the others all behaved similarly to Tamamo Cross—showing running styles slightly different from their usual ones while accompanying Inari One.
For example, in the earliest accompaniment sessions, Tamamo Cross did the opposite of her usual poor start → end closing style. Not only did she run ahead of Inari One, she also used some front-running techniques.
Likewise, Oguri Cap, who was usually best at stalking or sitting just behind the lead, adopted chasing-from-behind techniques and deliberately stayed behind Inari One during the practice runs.
The essence of running styles is for a horse girl to respond to the actual conditions of a race. Labels like Front Running, Pace Chasing, Late Surging, or End Closer are more like modes of thinking rather than rigid rules that dictate exact positioning every time.
Thus, strictly speaking, running in an unfamiliar position during a real race consumes extra mental focus to keep track of the field, so teams usually wouldn't force adjustments.
However, if the timing is right, positions during a race can change.
And this was just accompaniment training, so this degree of variation was not a problem at all.
Well—this "not a problem" applied only to the ones doing the accompanying.For the accompanied runner, Inari One felt the past few days of training had been downright bizarre.
"Uwaaaaah! It feels like for several days I've been completely dragged around by you guys!!"
On this day—very close to the Takamatsunomiya Kinen—Inari One shouted her dissatisfaction during the break following training.
"You all coordinated this, didn't you?! One after another—why are you all running the opposite of what you normally would?!"
"Hold on, Inari, that's a weird thing to say, y'know? We've been very seriously accompanying you."
Tamamo Cross strongly disagreed and corrected her:
"And the trainers totally approved of these running styles too."
"The original plan was to have us break out of our routine styles so you could experience all kinds of different rhythms."
"And now you've noticed it yourself—your personality is kind of explosive. If your rhythm gets disrupted in a race, you immediately get agitated."
"Just like right now."
"And that is when you will really be dragged around by your opponents."
"You should be glad the trainers noticed this early and arranged countermeasures."
"Otherwise, this Takamatsunomiya Kinen would be a huge headache."
"And honestly, after the past few days, I think you've improved a lot. Even if I or Oguri mess with you on purpose, you don't get overly worked up anymore."
"HEY! I heard that! With both ears!"
Inari One grabbed her own ears and shouted:
"You did say mess with me, right?!"
"Of course I said it."
"You still just want to laugh at me, don't you, Tama?!"
"Well, don't sweat the small stuff."
Tamamo Cross waved her hand casually.
"Anyway, this whole months-long special training was aimed at everyone's weaknesses. You just happened to be the first one."
"And it just so happens your upcoming race has that troublesome opponent."
"So it's only natural that your special training has to push your discomfort."
"If you ask me, you should look at the bright side."
"Like I said, you've noticed the issue early, and you've already prepared countermeasures, haven't you?"
The reason the Eisei arranged this special training was indeed to minimize the impact of Inari One's weak point during the race.
From the trainers' perspective, this race was particularly unlucky.
Based on past training, Inari One didn't really have any obvious weaknesses. In basic attributes like power, speed, and stamina, she could be considered one of the top of her generation.
Same for running style, technique, and tactics—aside from her own teammates, there were almost no active Japanese horse girls her equal.
Her starts, timing of cornering, lane switching, sprinting, uphill running—she had accumulated abundant experience in all of them.
Of course, individual teammates differed in levels of mastery, but everyone still had these foundations. The differences were mainly in execution during real races.
Given that, Inari One's special training target ended up being—her personality.
She was inherently irritable, and even more so when her race rhythm was disrupted.
A shift in mindset doesn't just affect basic capabilities—it also affects entering the domain state, which requires focused concentration.
Such issues are incredibly hard to fix. And to make matters worse, this time she happened to be facing an opponent skilled at controlling rhythm and marking others.
That was why the recent training had been so cautious.
Hearing Tamamo Cross, Inari One gradually calmed down and frowned slightly.
Seeing this, Tamamo Cross blinked.
"Eh? Inari? What's wrong…?"
"Whether I'm ready or not… I'm not sure myself."
Looking somewhat lost, Inari One murmured:
"Tarō and the others have worked so hard to prepare me. You and the others have been helping me with everything…"
"So in terms of preparation, I guess nothing is missing."
"But I don't know why… it still feels like something's missing…"
Her gaze dropped. She slowly raised her hands and loosely curled them in front of her.
Then she stretched her hands forward, as if trying to grab something.
"…I kinda envy you, Tama. In your last Takarazuka Kinen, you didn't have to face your weakness head-on like me…"
She suddenly shifted the topic.
"Face your weaknesses head-on…"
Tamamo Cross echoed the words, growing a bit worried.
She, too, had realized something: in their team, if you were to talk about truly difficult races so far, there had only been one—the international exchange race abroad.
In that race, their first time facing world-class opponents—lack of familiarity with the track, insufficient preparation time—they exposed many issues.
Although trainers repeatedly said those issues were judged by "world-class standards," issues were still issues.
Their appearance meant shortcomings remained.
And she had to admit Inari One was right—her own Takarazuka Kinen after returning to Japan was nothing like that.
She had demolished the field exactly as predicted, meeting no obstacles at all.
But what if the situation had been different?
What if she had faced an opponent she wasn't suited to?
For example, someone with the physique of the Epsom exchange race competitors.
Tamamo Cross already knew: her biggest weak point was ironically her greatest strength—balance.
Her exceptional balance came from her childhood physical condition.
Compared to other horse girls her age, her family circumstances were extremely poor. Getting three meals a day was a blessing. Being full was something she had never dared expect before entering Central Tracen Academy.
When she learned the academy cafeteria was free, she couldn't believe it. For a long while, she didn't dare eat freely, afraid she'd be charged.
Because of this, Super Creek doted on her like a mother, dragging her off to meals many times until she became used to it.
There were many such moments. For example, when she came to the seaside, she tasted fresh takoyaki for the first time in her life.
She had eaten takoyaki before, but the cheap kind—made with frozen octopus.
Fresh and frozen octopus takoyaki taste completely different—and she only learned this recently.
Because of her upbringing, her physical base was not strong.
To compensate, she focused heavily on balance early on, so she could avoid interference as much as possible.
But because her balance was essentially a dodging-type tactic, it was easily disrupted.
In races like the Epsom exchange, with its intense physical collisions, she was easily affected. Post-race data showed she lost speed after collisions more often than anyone else.
Japanese races weren't as rough as Western ones, but legal contact still existed.
Tamamo Cross felt Inari One was right—she had been lucky so far not to meet any such opponent.
If she had, she would be the one suffering now.
Then she realized something else—in a way, Inari One was also lucky.
Because even though she was small, her body was exceptionally strong. Even violent collisions wouldn't affect her much.
So, she thought, facing weaknesses is something everyone eventually experiences—Inari, herself, Oguri, all of them. Inari One just happened to encounter it a bit earlier.
Just as Tamamo Cross prepared to explain or comfort her, a panicked voice suddenly rang out:
"Inari! Tama! Stop chatting and help us—quick! We can't hold Teio down!"
It was Oguri Cap—her voice full of helplessness.
"Teio, don't move! It'll be over soon, okay…?"
The noise made Tamamo Cross and Inari One freeze.
They instinctively looked over—and saw the rest of the lounge in complete chaos.
"Help! Murder! This is illegal abuse of minors!! I'm going to file a complaint with the Chairwoman and URA!!"
The one screaming was Tokai Teio. She was strapped into a massage chair, struggling so hard she looked ready to launch herself out of it.
Standing beside her were Mejiro McQueen, Narita Brian, and other horse girls, trying their best to pin her down.
Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Ardan stood nearby, each holding stainless-steel tools, watching helplessly as their junior struggled violently.
"…What happened? Why does Teio look in so much pain?"
Inari One wasn't annoyed that her serious talk was interrupted—she was actually relieved to escape the headache for now.
She walked over, glanced once, and immediately understood.
"Oh. Fascia knives. No wonder Teio's trying to escape."
"…Wait, has her training intensity gotten that high lately?"
She asked while recalling her own traumatic memories, her expression showing instinctive fear.
For the Eisei horse girls, almost all trainer-assigned tasks were manageable.
Not that training wasn't tiring—but they didn't hate it.
Except for one thing: fascia-knife release.
Every girl—including Inari One and Oguri Cap—had undergone it under Kyoko Miyamura's training plan, usually after intense sessions.
They all agreed it was extremely effective… and that they'd never like to experience it again.
Why?
Because it hurt.
It hurt too much.
The fascia is connective tissue covering the whole body. It protects deep tissues, maintains muscle function, coordinates movement, and improves athletic ability.
After intense exercise, some fascia becomes stuck together, causing stiffness and soreness.
As the name implies, a "fascia knife" cuts/peels the fascia to restore proper function.
This cutting/peeling produces shearing force on the skin surface, separating adhered soft tissue.
But fascia contains many nerves—so the process is agonizingly painful.
And if the adhesion has already "healed incorrectly," the treatment has to break that healed tissue so it can regrow properly.
That is pain-plus.
Just remembering it made Inari One's body twitch with phantom pain. She sincerely pitied Tokai Teio.
Honestly, when she first experienced it, she thought it was borderline torture…
"Intensity? Hmm, I think it's normal."
Holding a forearm-length fascia knife and eyeing the struggling Teio as if choosing where to cut, Oguri Cap said thoughtfully:
"Teio and the others haven't fully entered full-conditioning training yet, so their load isn't high."
"But they skipped training their butts before."
"So lately Teio, Little Oguri, McQueen, and Brian have all been doing butt training."
"Maybe because they never trained that area before, it feels extra tiring now."
"Teio, don't be too nervous. This release method hurts a bit—okay, a lot—but just endure it."
"If you put it off, you won't be able to train your butt properly for the next few days."
"B-b-butt…?" Inari One froze.
"Ahem—Oguri, ladies should be elegant. That area can be referred to as the glutes."
Mejiro Ardan, raised in a noble household, corrected bluntly. She turned to Inari One:
"It's glute muscle training. Didn't our chief trainer Kitahara emphasize this during our early special training?"
"We're fine—our glutes aren't weak even without special training."
"But Teio and the others are different."
"They don't have dedicated trainers yet, and the academy's regular curriculum lacks specialized glute training. Their wind-tunnel test results showed their glute strength needs improvement."
"Chief Kitahara specifically said Teio and McQueen must strengthen their glutes."
"I don't know why he cares so much about those two's glutes…"
"But if it's Chief Kitahara, he must have his reasons."
"…Why does this sound weird when you say it, Airdan…?"
Just like Ardan had teased Oguri earlier, Super Creek now teased her. Then Creek thought for a moment and offered:
"It's probably because of the legs."
"Kitahara-sensei said that focusing only on leg training overloads the legs, ankles, and feet."
"And no matter what part of the body generates force, the source is always the core, and the nearest muscles to the core are the glutes."
"So strengthening the glutes reduces the burden on the legs."
"For us—in full conditioning with good nutrition—we still need to work on glute strength in upcoming training."
"So Teio and the others need it even more."
"So Teio, stop struggling. The sooner we finish, the sooner you'll be… relieved—I mean, finished with the release."
"Se-senpai! You said relieved, didn't you?! You totally said it!!"
Super Creek's final words were directed at Teio.
She had tried this "very gentle relaxation therapy" earlier—and absolutely refused a second round.
Once, she believed injections were the scariest thing in the world.Now she knew—compared to fascia knives, injections didn't hurt at all.
"Does this release really help?! Why is such a terrifying treatment even allowed?! I'm going to die at this rate!!"
"McQueen, Little Oguri! And Brian! You guys, hurry up and let me go!"
"You're all going right after me, you know!"
The pain-averse Tokai Teio pleaded desperately with her companions.
"I do know this method hurts a lot…"
Even as she said this, Oguri Roman firmly held down one of Teio's legs and tried to persuade her. "But once it's done, your body feels much lighter."
"And the senpais were right—this method helps you recover your training ability quickly. That way, you won't fall behind."
"That's right. Keeping up with the senpais' training is important, although…"
Holding down Teio's other leg, Narita Brian glanced at the shiny stainless-steel tool in Oguri Cap's hand and fell silent. "Anyway… I'll accept it calmly when it's my turn."
"Don't say it like it's nothing, Brian! It's terrifying, okay?! I'm really going to die—I swear I'm going to die!"
"Teio, stop yelling."
Standing behind the massage chair, pressing down on her friend's shoulders, Mejiro McQueen looked at the tool in the senpais' hands with lingering fear—but her voice was firm.
"All the senpais went through this kind of training. That means it is necessary."
"And it's not like you're the only one who has to endure it. Little Oguri and Brian are going after you."
"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be screaming like this."
"Hey! Since you're saying that, McQueen—why don't you go first then?!"
Tokai Teio struggled even harder.
"I—I'll go first—"
"Alright, alright! Everyone stop arguing! Oguri, hand the thing over to me!"
Tamamo Cross ruthlessly cut McQueen off, clicked her tongue, casually took the tool from Oguri Cap, and strode over while issuing instructions.
"Little Oguri, McQueen, Brian—step aside. You three don't have the strength to hold Teio down."
"Oguri, Inari—you two are strong. You handle it."
"Honestly, it's just a few moments of pain. If we keep wasting time, we won't even make it to dinner."
"Relax, okay? Fascia-knife technique isn't hard. Kyoko-san spent a long time teaching us—I won't mess it up."
"Teio, be a good girl and lie still!"
"She's right. Missing dinner would be a disaster. And Little Oguri really isn't strong enough."
Oguri Cap quickly agreed and stepped in to help. Super Creek and Ardan also swapped places with the juniors and gathered around.
"N-No, senpais, please—don't do this!"
Just as her companions loosened their grip, Tokai Teio tried to slip off the massage chair—but the senpais immediately pinned her back down.
With their strength, she couldn't escape even if she tried. Her face turned ashen.
"M-McQueen… please… if you can… bring me some extra honey drink afterwards… that is my final request…"
"Wait, what are you saying, Teio? Why are you talking like you're giving your last words?!"
Seeing her friend's hopeless expression, McQueen was caught between laughter and tears.
Also moving in to help, Inari One looked at the lifeless-looking Teio and suddenly asked:
"…Hey, Teio, are you really that afraid of pain?"
"Because it'll hurt me to death… Huh? What did you say, senior?"
After blinking blankly, Teio revived a little. "Of course I'm scared! I don't even know why. Since I was little, I've always been super afraid of pain."
"Shots, falls… every time was a huge ordeal."
"But those are nothing compared to this knife-thing!"
"Uuuu… why does something this terrifying even exist in the world…"
"Well, if you're really that afraid, then… maybe you don't need to do the fascia knife."
Inari One mused, "This method is for faster recovery. There are substitutes, but they're not as efficient."
"Do you want to switch to a different method?"
Hearing this, Tamamo Cross and the others—already prepared—paused, turning toward Tokai Teio.
The fascia knife was certainly effective—but it wasn't the only option.
If Teio truly couldn't handle the pain, switching was possible.
"Switch… methods…"
Repeating it, the previously wailing Teio suddenly went silent.
Then, with the resolve of a salted fish accepting fate, she laid flat on the chair.
"Aaahhh I don't care anymore!!"
"I promised the President I'd complete this special training seriously! How could I collapse over something like this?!"
"Pain? Whatever! Even if I break bones or whatever—I'll never surrender!"
"…Alright then, if you're that determined…"
"Then… if this really helps me recover quickly… pain is pain… Senpais, if I scream too horribly, please don't laugh…"
"Especially you, McQueen! If you laugh at me—when it's YOUR turn—I swear I'll record your screaming and replay it every day until I'm satisfied!"
"Come at me, senpais!!"
Seeing her resolve, Oguri Cap and the other horse girls smiled knowingly and prepared again.
Inari One, joining in, nodded silently.
Can't collapse in the face of hardship, huh?
(Well… bone fractures are impossible here in the Eisei team, so that part's exaggerated…)
But still—she really is an excellent junior.
In that case, I'll also…
(End of chapter)