In the afternoon, Fujiwara Shirayuki, wearing the cat-ear headband, met up with the others. Everyone was stunned.
"What's going on? What's with those ears? Did Shirayuki turn from a Horse Girl into a Cat Girl?"
Gold Ship zipped over, looking her up and down from every angle.
Shirayuki's ears were already very soft. When folded down, they blended right into her hair. Paired with the well-made headband that looked almost real, it completely changed her appearance from one species to another.
"This is just so right! So perfectly right!" Gold Ship praised.
"Me too! I was so surprised when I saw you, Shirayuki-san. I thought you had actually replaced your ears. Those things are non-detachable, you know," Meisho Doto said, considering the very practical physical problem.
"By the way, Shirayuki, doesn't it hurt to wear that for a long time?" Gold Ship asked, pointing to her folded-down ears.
"It hurts if it's over an hour, but it's fine for less than that."
For example, from the time she put it on after changing until now, her ears were already starting to protest faintly.
I'll take it off during training. No need to wear it the whole time.
Turning around, Shirayuki saw Rice Shower standing behind her, looking as if something was on her mind. The moment their eyes met, Rice Shower flinched.
Now that's natural cuteness, Shirayuki couldn't help but think.
"Everyone, back to the training grounds," Chiya said, walking over.
""Yes, sir!""
He naturally took the headband from Shirayuki's hand and began the day's training.
"First, go for a warm-up run. After that, we're heading to the indoor gym. We have a heavy load today: hanging sit-ups, step jumps, and static balance training. Fifteen sets of each, and I want them all done seriously."
"This stuff again..." Hearing the list of killer exercises, Gold Ship made a face.
Compared to these tiring and difficult routines, she preferred a new, more interesting training method that could also build her body. She was still figuring it out, but she was close to a breakthrough.
After giving out all the instructions, Chiya walked over to the instructor's area on the other side. Most of the groups there had a dozen or so members.
In the crowd, he saw a brown figure that didn't quite fit in with the rest: Mejiro Dober.
While the instructor was explaining the rules of a race, she was the only one listening intently. The others were more or less slacking, their attention wandering, some even whispering amongst themselves.
The most serious one had now become the outlier.
She really is all alone...
Chiya noticed that the Horse Girls standing around Dober maintained a subtle distance from her, as if they had intentionally left an empty space around her.
Perhaps the people next to her were talking too loudly and disturbing her. After glancing at them, Dober hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and asked the instructor to repeat what he had just said.
"What are you doing?"
"Holy crap!"
A sudden voice made Chiya jump like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He stumbled back two steps.
A large, grinning face was right in front of him.
"Yota..."
"What's up? Slacking off instead of training?"
Glancing at him, Chiya continued to observe the instructor's group. "I'm working."
"What, you've got your eye on another Horse Girl?"
"Mind your own business."
"I can help you scout them out. I know pretty much all the Horse Girls here."
Seeing his smug look, Chiya's eyebrows furrowed. After a few seconds, he pointed to a Horse Girl over there.
"Mejiro Dober. Do you know her?"
"Oh... that kid." Yota looked like he had a strong impression of her. "I've seen a lot of her races, and I've even spoken to her a few times."
"What do you think of her?"
"You want the honest truth?"
"What else? Are you going to make something up for me...?"
"That kid... she's not very good."
Hearing this lowest of evaluations, even after being sugarcoated, Chiya couldn't help but ask, "Why?"
"In two tests, she was either eighth or ninth, basically at the back of the pack. Her best result was fourth place. As a Mejiro, she's a far cry from Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Bright, and Mejiro Palmer."
Especially Mejiro Palmer, who was the first Filly Triple Crown winner in history. Her skill was undeniable.
Compared to these peers from her own family, Mejiro Dober was clearly lacking.
But even so, Yota had still invited her, asking if she wanted to join his team.
"You invited her?"
"Yeah. She's a Mejiro, after all. I thought maybe her talent just hadn't been unlocked yet, so I figured I'd give it a shot."
"And the result?"
"She turned me down."
Yota explained with a helpless look.
"She said her skills weren't good enough and refused my invitation. But I don't think that was the real reason."
"What do you mean?"
"The way she looked at me was with complete disgust, as if I had done something to wrong her in the past."
On that point, Chiya deeply sympathized.
It was her fear of men acting up.
"Anyway, if you're targeting that kid, I'd advise you to give up. She's not skilled, she has no ambition, and she doesn't appreciate the opportunities she's given, just brushing them off with excuses like 'my skills aren't good enough.' Look how long it's been, and she's still in the instructor's group."
Yota clapped him on the shoulder. "Kid, don't make things difficult for yourself again. Wouldn't it be better to find a few easy-going Horse Girls? If she gets angry or emotional and terminates her contract with you, these few years will have been a waste."
"Easy-going Horse Girls aren't that easy to find."
"Even if you can't find easy-going ones, don't go for these types. Aren't there enough oddballs on your team already?"
Gold Ship, Meisho Doto, Rice Shower—all of them were Horse Girls that other trainers would avoid, yet Chiya had taken them all on.
He really had no idea what he was thinking.
Just as Horse Girls didn't want to waste their time on incompetent trainers, trainers also wanted to find capable Horse Girls.
So, he should look at the bigger picture and not be so fixated on inviting people to his team. Especially those who were not well-regarded.
After giving his earnest advice, Yota left, leaving Chiya to gaze at the training grounds.
No ambition...?
He didn't agree with that.
She had the dedication to victory that a Horse Girl should have, but she couldn't express it due to her personality flaws.
A trainer's duty was to teach, not to abandon or select. To help those Horse Girls find their own path and let their shining points emerge—that was what a trainer should do.
After another glance at the lonely Mejiro Dober standing in the crowd, Chiya turned and returned to his own team.
-------
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