If he had some kind of system or even just a simple favorability panel, Kitahara felt that after the Summer Festival, he would probably have maxed out the favorability of quite a few Uma Musume.
That was what he thought.
Even without such a panel, he could clearly feel that something like "favorability" had noticeably improved many aspects of his life—his daily routine, work arrangements, and even his mood.
It was a bit like the "Friend Support Cards" in mobile games. He discovered that when he spent time with the horse girls who had extremely high affection toward him, everything he did each day became more efficient, and his mindset improved as well.
Sometimes he even had the strange thought that he had somehow become a Uma Musume himself, able to enjoy a "Friendship Rainbow Circle bonus."
The most obvious piece of good news, however, was that the "Eisei Club" was finally about to be established.
On this day, Kitahara ended training a little earlier than usual. Following Akikawa Yayoi's instructions, he headed to the chairwoman's office to discuss the matter.
Walking with him was Oguri Cap, who had just finished her own practice session.
Today's training focused on endurance, which was the main ability Oguri Cap and Mejiro Ardan were currently strengthening.
As for Super Creek, what she needed to practice was explosive sprinting power.
The upcoming races were mainly the Mainichi Okan and the Kikuka Sho, and the training arrangements were tailored to their respective strengths.
Although there was still some time before both races, the data already showed that the weaknesses they once had compared to each other had improved significantly.
To reach an even higher level, however, would still require daily persistence—there was no shortcut.
But after the Summer Festival, Kitahara's mentality about all of this had changed.
As long as he accompanied them and they improved together, that was enough. There was no need to force things too much.
He personally felt relaxed about it, but unexpectedly, his horse girls seemed to have a different impression.
"Kitahara… I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like… you've had something on your mind these past two days."
"Something on my mind?"
Kitahara was slightly startled.
"Why do you think that?"
"Hmm… just a feeling."
Walking side by side with him down the corridor toward the chairwoman's office, Oguri Cap thought for a moment.
"But it's much better than before."
"In the past, when you had something on your mind, you would frown for a long time and look really serious."
"But this time, it felt like you only worried about it for a while, and then you stopped."
"Oh, I mean… after the celebration for Tamamo Cross and Inari One's victory that day."
"You seemed worried about the race results for a bit, but then you weren't anymore."
"Is something wrong? I might not understand everything, but you can tell me about it."
The Summer Festival—or rather, the whole holiday—had not only influenced Kitahara. The horse girls like Oguri Cap had also changed a little.
In the past, whenever the trainers assigned tasks, they would simply carry them out seriously.
They still did that now.
But in addition, they had begun to show more initiative, asking questions and showing concern for their trainers.
Just like Oguri Cap was doing now.
"So my reaction that day… no, my reaction before that… was that obvious?"
Kitahara rubbed his temples and smiled.
He didn't hide anything.
"I was a bit worried. Mainly because I never expected Rudolf and the others to actually start guiding other horse girls."
"And the results were quite good."
His smile turned slightly helpless.
The "victory celebration" Oguri Cap mentioned referred to Tamamo Cross and Inari One's wins in the Sankei Sho and Keisei Cup.
It was now late September. Those races had taken place just a few days ago, adding more victories to Team Eisei.
The worry came afterward.
After analyzing the race data, they discovered something unusual: the opponents Tamamo Cross and Inari One faced had performed much better than their previous data simulations predicted.
At first, Kitahara and the others thought perhaps the earlier simulations had simply been inaccurate.
But after repeated comparisons, the conclusion became clear.
Those opponents had genuinely improved in strength.
Kitahara quickly thought of Symboli Rudolf and the others.
More than a month earlier, during the relay race, those legendary horse girls had mentioned the idea of promoting Eisei's training methods and strengthening rival teams.
At the time, they had planned to postpone or even abandon the idea.
But when Kitahara heard about it, he believed the approach was necessary—especially after returning from America.
In his vision, both the current Twinkle Series and future competitions like the Youth Cup and Summit Cup would inevitably become international events.
To successfully hold those competitions and face international horse girls, relying solely on the Eisei team would not be enough.
As the club expanded, more and more horse girls would gradually master training systems that were more advanced than those commonly used in Japan.
Under such circumstances, it was better to encourage the spread of these ideas rather than restrict them.
And honestly, that was Kitahara's own belief.
Since Symboli Rudolf was overseeing the process, he didn't interfere much.
What he hadn't expected was that Rudolf, aside from being incredibly strong in races, was also an outstanding trainer.
The improvement in Tamamo Cross and Inari One's opponents was almost certainly due to her guidance.
Once he reached that conclusion, worry naturally followed.
Among the team, Tamamo Cross and Inari One were the most mature in development, race experience, and competitive condition.
They had deliberately chosen not to go to America and instead trained in Nagoya the entire time.
Before the races, they even asked Hayakawa Tazuna and others like Oguri Cap to serve as practice partners.
With so many favorable conditions, they managed to secure victory.
But next, Oguri Cap and the others would face opponents who had trained longer and received guidance from legendary horse girls like Symboli Rudolf.
Perhaps Super Creek and Mejiro Ardan would be less affected.
Their races—the St. Lite Kinen and the Kobe Shimbun Hai—were standard G2 events that served as preparatory races for the Kikuka Sho, restricted to Classic-year horse girls.
But Oguri Cap's race—the Mainichi Okan—was different.
It wasn't that the race was higher in rank—it was still G2.
The problem was that Mainichi Okan was considered a "Super G2."
The level of competition was sometimes even higher than certain G1 races.
The race had no restriction between Classic-year and older horse girls. As long as a runner had enough fan support, they could participate.
And since it was the first major G2 race after summer, before the year-end Arima Kinen, many powerful older horse girls chose it as a warm-up race.
If not for race fatigue and the fact they had already participated in other G2 races like the Sankei Sho and Keisei Cup, even Tamamo Cross and Inari One could have considered joining.
Under such circumstances, even though Oguri Cap possessed overwhelming talent, solid fundamentals, unique advantages, and a monstrous finishing kick, she still faced subtle risks in terms of experience and race details.
If Symboli Rudolf hadn't entered the picture, Kitahara wouldn't have worried at all.
Because in a parallel world, the first horse girl to win back-to-back Mainichi Okan titles—this so-called Super G2—was none other than Oguri Cap.
But now that legendary horse girls like Rudolf were involved, the future had become somewhat uncertain.
Still, Kitahara wasn't overly worried.
Just as Oguri Cap said, he had only worried briefly before returning to his usual calm mindset.
Now that she had asked, he decided to tell her everything.
Months ago, he had already made a decision: whenever situations like this arose, he would talk about them openly with the horse girls rather than thinking about everything alone.
"…That's basically it," he finished.
"I only worried for a short while. After all, Tamamo and Inari's races already proved Rudolf's ability as a trainer."
He smiled.
"But actually, it's not a big problem."
"With Rudolf and the others guiding people, you, Super Creek, and Ardan will face stronger opponents."
"But you'll also grow stronger through training, won't you?"
"Looking at it from a bigger perspective, both you and your rivals improving is actually a good thing."
"Not only will you have stronger opponents in the future, but when we go to international competitions, we'll be even more prepared."
Oguri Cap nodded, then shook her head.
"I don't fully understand."
"But in the end… it just means we should keep working hard, right?"
"No problem with that."
"And if anything difficult happens… with you here, Kitahara, I'm not worried at all."
"You saying that gives me a lot of pressure… alright, I'm joking."
Seeing her suddenly look serious, Kitahara quickly corrected himself.
"Don't worry. I've already been thinking about solutions. You don't need to worry."
Soon reassured, Oguri Cap smiled again.
By the time their conversation ended, they had reached the chairwoman's office.
After knocking and entering, Kitahara found something unexpected.
Besides Akikawa Yayoi, there were two young women in the room.
One of them looked familiar.
After thinking for a moment, he remembered.
It was Hosoe Junko.
The first time they met had been at Gold Ship's kindergarten, where she was doing social practice as a trainee from the Trainer Academy.
Standing here now, she still had that student-like aura, with black hair and black eyes, though she seemed far more mature than before.
The other woman also had black hair, but it was long, and her eyes were brown.
She seemed about the same age as Junko but had a far more lively personality, constantly glancing around with a curious expression.
Kitahara was still wondering about her identity when Akikawa Yayoi noticed him.
"Right on time! Wahahaha! Kitahara, you're done with training?"
The small chairwoman, who never cared much about formalities, had been standing on her chair while talking earlier.
Seeing him, she simply jumped off the chair, leaped over the desk, and ran toward him.
Kitahara was already used to her energetic personality.
The two young women clearly were not.
The long-haired one looked surprised before breaking into an amused smile.
Meanwhile, Hosoe Junko, perhaps influenced by her kindergarten experience, instinctively reached out as if to help the small "student."
But Akikawa Yayoi moved too quickly for anyone to react.
In the blink of an eye, she reached Kitahara, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward the desk.
"Come, come! Let me introduce two new colleagues… ah, Oguri Cap, you come in too."
Standing behind the desk, she began her introductions.
"This one is Hosoe Junko. I know you've met before, but let me introduce her properly."
"She used to study at Aichi Prefectural Gamagori Higashi High School, then decided to become a trainer after watching horse girl races."
"She entered the Trainer Academy and just graduated this year."
"And the other one—"
Before she could finish, the long-haired woman rushed forward, grabbed Kitahara's other hand, and shouted excitedly.
"Idol! H-hello!"
"My name is Akashi Tsubaki! I'm your loyal fan!"
"I'm so excited and honored to meet you!"
"And even more excited to work under you!"
"Ahhhh—this is amazing!"
She was speaking so fast she almost became incoherent.
Then suddenly—
Her view tilted sideways.
The next moment, she realized she was being carried away.
Blinking in confusion, she looked around.
Only then did she realize Oguri Cap had lifted her onto her shoulder.
"Oh, sorry."
After carrying her aside and setting her down, Oguri Cap calmly said:
"You were troubling Kitahara."
"So I moved you."
"Sorry… huh?"
"Ahhhh! It's Oguri Cap! It's really Oguri Cap! A real, living Oguri Cap!"
Like a startled marmot, Akashi Tsubaki screamed.
Instead of being embarrassed, she leaped up again and clung to Oguri Cap, rubbing her face against her enthusiastically.
"So cute!"
"How can you be this cute!"
"You're so cool in races but so adorable in real life!"
"This is—this is—this is the best day ever!"
"To meet both my idol and my favorite horse girl at the same time!"
"I'm so lucky!"
"I'm so glad I wore my lucky charm today!"
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap, being hugged tightly, tried to pry her off while making small protesting sounds.
"…I don't know who you are."
"But please have some self-respect. Thank you."
At this point, both Akikawa Yayoi and Hosoe Junko spoke up.
"Ha ha! Kitahara, what do you think of this junior? She's lively, but I guarantee her training talent and abilities are excellent."
"Little Tsubaki, please stop… you'll cause trouble for Chairwoman Akikawa, Mr. Kitahara, and Oguri Cap…"
But Tsubaki seemed not to hear anything.
Meanwhile, Kitahara stroked his chin thoughtfully.
At first, he thought the name Akashi Tsubaki sounded unfamiliar.
But after thinking carefully, he realized something.
Just like Take Yutaka, she seemed to be a gender-swapped version of a real figure in this world.
In another world's official storyline, Akashi Tsubaki later returned from Europe after training there.
While watching Yoshino Primrose race at the Asahi Hai, she noticed Narita Brian's incredible finishing kick.
But the horse girl who truly caught her attention was one who hadn't even debuted yet—
Sakura Laurel.
That generation included powerful rivals like Narita Brian and Mayano Top Gun.
At the time, Brian had already won the Triple Crown, and Top Gun had been named Horse Girl of the Year.
Against such opponents, Sakura Laurel initially suffered repeated defeats.
Yet she and her trainer never gave up.
Eventually, in the 113th Tenno Sho (Spring), she defeated both rivals and won the race.
That race also produced the famous commentary line from Sugimoto Kiyoshi:
"Once again it's Sakura! Once again Sakura blossoms in Kyoto! Sakura blooms here—Sakura Laurel!"
A horse girl like Sakura Laurel was already formidable.
Her trainer, naturally, would not be weak either.
With this comparison in mind, Kitahara trusted Akikawa Yayoi's words: Akashi Tsubaki absolutely had the talent to be a trainer.
Still…
Why was the chairwoman introducing them to him?
As if reading his thoughts, Akikawa Yayoi explained.
"It's been over a month since the temporary press conference after the relay race."
She waved her fan lazily.
"With the preparations I've made, along with support from Symboli Rudolf and even encouragement from the American Secretariat, the Eisei Club is almost ready to be officially established."
Kitahara's eyes lit up.
He immediately understood.
The chairwoman was helping him expand the club's staff structure.
When it was still just a team, the existing training structure had been enough.
Kitahara himself served as chief trainer, responsible for overall planning.
Tohara Taro and Komiyama Katsumi assisted as second and third trainers.
With three trainers managing five active horse girls, daily training and race arrangements were perfectly manageable.
Beyond the trainers:
Miyamura Kyoko handled medical matters
Belno Light handled technical support
Tomomi Kusunoki handled finances
There were also external supporters like Hayakawa Tazuna, Kashimoto Riko, and nearly the entire student council.
Thanks to this complete structure, the team had run smoothly without major problems.
But if Team Eisei became the Eisei Club, this structure would no longer be sufficient.
Kitahara had already discussed expanding the staff with Akikawa Yayoi.
At the time, she simply told him not to worry—she had plans.
And now, at least part of that plan was clear:
Introducing Hosoe Junko and Akashi Tsubaki into the club.
Kitahara fully agreed.
In the original timeline, without him, Tsubaki would likely have become Sakura Laurel's trainer.
Her ability and potential were unquestionable.
Moreover, she had studied in Europe, which was extremely valuable for Eternal.
From the beginning, Eternal's philosophy had been to learn from international methods and even stay ahead of the times.
Many of its training ideas came from abroad.
Under those conditions, even experienced older trainers might struggle if their ideas were outdated.
At least among Kitahara's own staff, Tobara Taro and Komiyama Katsumi were newcomers, yet their abilities already matched many veteran trainers.
Hosoe Junko was similar.
Even without the chairwoman's introduction, Kitahara knew that in another timeline she had become one of the most outstanding jockeys of her generation, even achieving victories overseas.
With that understanding, he had no objections.
Akikawa Yayoi continued explaining.
"These two… my idea is to expand the club's training resources."
"Junko's academic performance is quite good; she's an outstanding graduate this year, and there are no issues regarding her specialization."
"In terms of experience, she actively participated in social practice during her studies."
"She's had hands-on experience with the Horse Girl Kindergarten, elementary school, training teams, the URA Association, and even our board here. There are also practical reports from all these experiences."
"Later, when the club officially launches and there's a need to coordinate and manage many horse girls, her experience will be very helpful."
"Akashi Tsubaki is similar. She studied in Europe for a long time and has a lot of practical experience as well."
"She originally planned to pursue more advanced knowledge there, but after seeing your competitions on TV—especially learning about that Ye Sen Exchange event in England—she…"
"Well, as you've seen, she completely idolizes you."
After pausing, Yayoi Akikawa gestured toward Akashi Tsubaki and Oguri Cap, smiling.
At this moment, Akashi Tsubaki had been firmly pulled aside by Oguri Cap and was no longer clinging to her.
Perhaps because of that, she looked over here, her eyes full of admiration.
…A fangirl has appeared. That's a bit strange…
And she came back early from Europe because of me…
It seems there are still many changes I've made to this world that I haven't noticed…
After some thought, Kitahara nodded:
"Hmm, no problem. I accept these two new members."
Seeing Kitahara agree so readily, Akikawa was excited as well. She continued:
"So for the trainers, currently, the personnel is more or less enough to keep up with the club's initial operations."
"Technically, here's my plan."
"I specifically communicated with Dr. Kukubo Ren, hoping to get his support."
"The old man has been keeping an eye on you and thinks your approach to horse girls is excellent."
"Oh, and especially regarding your various practical results, Kyoko Miyamura has been reporting and analyzing them for her grandfather in a timely manner."
"With these reports, during the recent medical exchange at the URA Association, Dr. Kukubo led a proposal to abolish the 'Sasa-needle therapy.'"
"Although the association hasn't officially announced it yet, the necessary steps are already underway."
"Before long, all of Japan will completely discard this ancient 'Sasa-needle' method, haha!"
Yayoi Akikawa laughed loudly.
"Really?! That's fantastic!"
Kitahara, who usually maintained a calm demeanor in all matters, couldn't contain his excitement and joy upon hearing the news of the therapy being abolished.
After all, the "Sasa-needle therapy" was truly terrible.
This therapy claimed to have a long history and "occasionally" astonishing results, but in simple terms, it's an outdated bloodletting method.
It involves draining stagnant or toxic blood to promote circulation and metabolism throughout the body.
It sounds wonderful in theory, but in reality, the risks are enormous.
Historically, only a very small number of horse girls recovered or truly flourished because of it.
In most cases, excessive blood loss or inadequate recovery left the horse girl weak—or even led to sudden death.
In the game, this therapy is equally terrible.
The success rate is extremely low, and with slightly bad luck, a trained horse girl would lose stats or morale.
With a single failure, an entire training could be wasted.
No matter the world, only Japan still uses Sasa-needle therapy; Europe and America do not.
In another world, Japan fully abolished this method in 2022.
Kitahara had thought it might take several years to eliminate it in this world—but it happened sooner than expected.
Indeed, the changes I've caused… there are a lot I don't even realize.
He couldn't help but feel quietly impressed.
Akikawa saw Kitahara's satisfaction and shared it, but she didn't waste time and continued organizing the "Eisei Club's" personnel structure.
"In any case, with Dr. Kukubo's support, many of his students are willing to join the Eisei Club as full-time doctors."
At this, Akikawa became serious.
"Don't think his students lack experience."
"The old man was already a giant in horse girl medicine before I debuted."
"I even audited his lectures when he went to Canada and Europe."
"Many of his students are now chief doctors in horse girl departments at major hospitals."
"Of course, many are only part-time, but I think that's enough."
She suddenly shook her fan.
"It's interesting—these medical experts really respect Dr. Kukubo."
"They said that if they work part-time, they won't compete with the 'junior apprentice' for the title of 'Chief Doctor of the Eisei Club.'"
"Junior apprentice?"
Kitahara was momentarily confused, then realized it referred to Kyoko Miyamura.
Though it hadn't been publicized that Kyoko was Dr. Kukubo's granddaughter, it wasn't a secret in the Eisei Club.
Given this connection, it made sense for his students to call her "junior apprentice."
"Next is the technical side."
Akikawa continued, "This part is a bit difficult."
"Well, not in terms of personnel."
"There are plenty of enthusiastic students and teachers willing to join part-time, so don't worry about that, Kitahara."
"It's just…"
Closing her fan slowly, the usually cheerful chairwoman sighed.
"The more we discuss technical matters with the Secretariat and people like Lyphard, the more we realize how big the gap is between Japan and the West."
"Well… never mind."
She suddenly laughed confidently.
"Leave it to me. Even though I know your companies have been working on this, let me, the chairwoman, have some opportunities to take action, haha!"
"In short, we have enough technical staff."
"I'll figure out the technical aspects myself."
Hearing this, Kitahara felt grateful and relieved.
Technical barriers are the highest in any field.
He had many technical ideas before, but only a portion had been realized.
Even for that portion, he had put in all his effort, and beyond that, he hadn't thought about obtaining more technology quickly.
But from Akikawa's words, it seemed some progress was being made.
Seeing the dedication of a chairwoman who truly cared about all horse girls, Kitahara felt deep gratitude.
Akikawa didn't seem to care about his gratitude. After finishing her arrangements, she asked Kitahara:
"So, Kitahara, do you have a concrete plan for club members?"
"If so, we could start preparing for the official 'Eisei Club' launch."
This caught not only Kitahara's full attention but also Junko Hosoe, Akashi Tsubaki, and even Oguri Cap, who all looked at him eagerly.
The two new trainers had surely learned about the club from the previous temporary launch and had been following the relay races and education races.
As trainers, they naturally had high expectations for such events.
Oguri Cap's thoughts were simpler: the more club members, the more and stronger her opponents—nothing else.
Under all this attention, Kitahara pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath.
"Currently, the club has enough members to hold the 'Youth Cup' mentioned in the temporary launch."
"Even the 'Summit Cup' mentioned during the U.S. trip could almost be held now."
He signaled to Akikawa, borrowed the office computer, downloaded his online plan, opened the list, and displayed it.
"Let's start with the 'Summit Cup' since there are many uncertainties there."
He pointed to the list on the screen:
"Among retired horse girls, many from Japan have joined. They signed their support during the drafting process by Chairwoman Akikawa."
"Kaburaya O, Erimo George, Rakugo Gabby, Ten Point, Tosho Boy, Green Grass."
As he said the names, his eyes shone.
These horse girls came to Kitahara, the prospective club chairman, on the day they learned the club was forming.
Ten Point, Tosho Boy, and Green Grass, strong contemporaries of Maruzenski, were called the "TTG," and their abilities were unquestionable—they were absolute top-tier horse girls.
The other three were also exceptional:
Kaburaya O: 13 races, 11 wins, 1 second, Classic Double Crown
Erimo George: 44 races, 10 wins, 1 second, won the Spring Tenno Sho and Takarazuka Kinen
Tesco Gabby: 10 races, 7 wins, 1 second, Filly Double Crown
These names are significant in URA race history.
Especially Tesco Gabby.
She won the Oaks by Ten lengths
In another world, she was even said to have the power to "change Japanese horse racing with a single drop of blood," though she died at age five from recurring injuries.
In this world, Tesco Gabby still has injury troubles after the Oaks, but she hasn't died.
Her current abilities may differ from her peak, but if she raced again, no one would doubt her.
Though Akikawa and her team didn't know about the other world, they knew the strength of these horse girls. Their eyes reflected excitement and anticipation.
Kitahara was also excited but could maintain composure. He continued pointing to the list.
"Rudolf represents the former student council members who frequently trained with the Eisei Club…"
"Cough, I mean, they naturally joined the club as members."
"Symboli Rudolf, Maruzenski, CB, Katsuragi Ace, Mejiro Ramonu—these all participated in relay races, and this experience is important."
"Besides these, there's Miho Shinzan, who had contact with the Eisei Club because of the 'Horse Girl Movie.'"
"And Nihon Pillow Winner, current dorm leader at Central Tracen Academy, aligns with Miho Shenzan."
"Also, Maruzenski's junior, Haiseko, joined the club through various channels."
"In short, these retired top-tier horse girls… cough cough."
"I mean, there are 13 fully capable retired horse girls. That's enough to organize a race."
"Additionally, with the chairwoman's support, Seattle Slew and Affirmed have applied as 'overseas members.'"
"With these legendary horse girls, the 'Summit Cup' can truly be called that within the club."
Seeing the eager anticipation, Kitahara made a calming gesture.
"Unfortunately, as I said, the 'Summit Cup' is a bit tricky."
The eager eyes froze and shifted to confusion.
Yayoi Akikawa quickly understood.
"Ah, they're training some horse girls recently, so they're indeed busy."
The chairwoman knew Symboli Rudolf and the others were busy with training.
Right, helping Oguri Cap and the others improve their strength—no time for anything else…
Tsk, Rudolf is understandable, but Maruzensky, you guys really know how to join the fun…
Kitahara merely nodded in silent amusement.
"Yes, they're busy, that's one reason."
"Also, because of international considerations, the races may need to wait until Seattle Slew and Affirmed arrive in Japan."
"They should come during the Japan Cup, and Europe's Dancing Brave will also be there."
"So it's more suitable to discuss once these horse girls gather in Japan."
"I think Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and Dancing Brave will all be looking forward to the 'Summit Cup.'"
"If they have a chance, they won't miss it."
After Kitahara's explanation, Yayoi Akikawa clapped her folding fan.
"Unfortunately, we can't hold the 'Summit Cup' now."
"But by the Japan Cup, we should have a clear answer."
"That's plenty of time to wait."
Nodding, Akikawa perked up: "Then we can prepare the Youth Cup, right?"
"Of course. Otherwise, just announcing the club would be meaningless."
Kitahara smiled and nodded. Then, his gaze fixed on three names on the screen.
"Coincidentally, the Central Tracen Academy 'Thanksgiving Festival' is coming up."
"I plan to invite these three horse girls as representatives, as the centerpiece, for the first attempt at the Youth Cup."
"Narita Taishin, Winning Ticket, and Biwa Hayahide."
"I've already assigned people to communicate with them, so it won't take long to get results."
As he spoke, Kitahara restrained the excitement rising at the corner of his mouth.
Narita Taishin, Winning Ticket, and Biwa Hayahide were champions of the Satsuki-sho, Japanese Derby, and Kikuka-sho of that generation.
The initials form the "BNW" trio—after Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Ardsn—the "New Heisei Three Strong."
Considering them for the Youth Cup also took into account the "Heisei Three Strong."
Another point: the previous relay race was inspired by these three.
However, for the Youth Cup, Kitahara didn't plan to use the relay format again.
Instead, he would hold a "proper" race based on the Shine Series.
"For race details, I'll finalize them later, like adding suitable opponents of the same generation."
Kitahara added: "For example, Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and Narita Brian."
"But it depends on the situation."
"Although the relay races confirmed these kids can complete a race, we still need physical exams, training, and evaluations for safety."
"I'll arrange that."
He nodded to Yayoi Akikawa.
"Excellent! Very good thinking, I approve."
Satisfied, Yayoi Akikawa said with a smile: "Then, Kitahara, lead the new team and show this world a new era of horse girls!"
Her excitement was mirrored by Kitahara, though he calmly explained the Youth Cup plan.
He hadn't forgotten the Twinkle Series.
Originally, he planned to report to Akikawa and then discuss training and race arrangements with colleagues.
But now with two new colleagues, he decided to test them.
The challenge he had in mind involved the next three races of Ogur Cap, Super Creek, and Mejiro Ardan.
He didn't hide it from Akikawa and explained the club's development to the two new trainers.
"…So, you should understand—this is, in a sense, an internal competition within the Eisei Club."
After explainingc Symboli Rudolf's training, Kitahara looked at Junko Hosoe and Akashi Tsubaki, smiling:
"They've learned how to pass on their domains to other horse girls."
"Oguri Cap and Inari… that's Tamamo Cross and Inari O."
"In their races, a large part of their opponents' performance comes from this method."
"I analyzed with your predecessors, Yuzuhara and the others, and many opponents haven't fully mastered their domains but could initially apply Rudolf's method."
"When I confirmed with Rudolf, she admitted it and discussed ways to inherit domains."
"But she said she wouldn't assist Oguri Cap and the others until after the Daily Crown."
"So what I want to ask you is…"
"Suppose Oguri Cap's opponents have mastered the domains of Rudolf, Maruzensky, CB, Mejiro Ramonu, and Katsuragi Ace."
"And they also have their own domains."
"Without the help of these legendary horse girls, how can Oguri Cap and the others increase their chances of winning?"
(End of Chapter)