"Sorry to keep you waiting, Neicha. I'm afraid I'm a bit late."
It was already 1:15 p.m. when Rudolf-senpai arrived at the Miho Dorm entrance, dressed in her training jersey and looking slightly apologetic. A thin sheen of sweat on her forehead told me she had hurried over.
"It's fine! You were in a meeting, right? I was just too excited and came early!"
"I appreciate that, then."
"Shall we go?" she said, and together we started walking toward Team Rigil's clubroom. The area where all the team clubrooms were located was on the north side of campus, across from the main school buildings, so it was a bit of a walk. But honestly, I didn't mind—it was nice walking and chatting with someone at a relaxed pace. Especially with Rudolf-senpai.
We rarely got to do things like this outside our shared dorm room, so it felt refreshingly new.
"How's your training going? Smoothly, I hope?"
As we walked, we traded small talk about what we'd been doing lately. Naturally, as horse girls, the conversation drifted toward racing and training—it was inevitable.
"Yes, I haven't changed the total training volume, but I've been focusing mainly on form, stride, and leg drive."
"I see. Well, I doubt you'll have trouble, but do be careful not to overwork yourself."
"Yes, I calculate everything carefully each day, so I'll be fine."
I took out my training notebook and showed it to her. Rudolf-senpai accepted it and smiled wryly as she flipped through the pages.
"As detailed as ever. At this rate, you could be a trainer yourself."
"No way! There's still so much I don't know. That's why I'm so excited to hear Rigil's trainer talk today!"
I tucked the notebook back into my bag, shaking my head at her words. Truly, I still had a long way to go. Today's experience would be a valuable step toward improving myself—that was how I honestly felt.
"'Modesty in the orchard and under the plum tree,' huh? Too much modesty can be a fault, you know. Still, Neicha, few horse girls in the middle or even high school division understand equine anatomy as deeply as you. That knowledge is the result of your hard work—you should take pride in it."
"Understood. But, Rudolf-senpai, as they say—'If you're going to do something, give it your all!'"
"Hahaha! You got me there. Indeed, those words suit you perfectly, Neicha—ever diligent and never arrogant."
"Oh, looks like we've arrived. This is Team Rigil's clubroom."
Time passed quickly as we chatted, and before I knew it, we were standing before the famous "Rigil" sign, written in bold calligraphy. The building itself looked like the others, but that sign alone made it stand out with a sense of gravitas.
"You're late, Rudolf-chan. O-Hana-san's already waiting inside, you know?"
"My apologies, Maruzensky. I lost track of time while talking with Neicha."
"So this is the famous Nice Nature I've heard about?
Nice to meet you, I'm Maruzensky. Pleasure's mine."
Okay. I'm fine. I've built up tolerance for this kind of thing.
…That's a lie. Internally, I was freaking out.
"The Supercar—Maruzensky."
Eight races, eight wins. Two major titles, including one G1 victory. Total earnings: 76,601,000 yen. A horse so strong that even though she couldn't enter the Japanese classics due to being imported, fans still said, "If Maruzensky had raced in the Derby, she would have won."
I knew she'd be here—if Ten Point was, Maruzensky would be too—but seeing her in person was still something else. She really was dazzling.
"I'm Nice Nature, first-year middle division! Rudolf-senpai always helps me a lot—thank you for having me today!"
"Such energy! I love it! You know, Rudolf-chan's always talking about you here at Rigil."
"Wh—!? Maruzensky!"
Rudolf-senpai tried frantically to cover Maruzensky's mouth, her face bright red. Apparently, she wasn't expecting that to come out in front of me. It was… cute.
"Oh come on, no need to be embarrassed! She's your proud junior, isn't she?"
"Indeed—Neicha is my proud junior!"
That was… an immediate response. And now she's crouching down, mortified. I mean, I'm happy, but you didn't have to say it out loud, senpai…
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's head in—O-Hana-san's waiting for us."
Once Rudolf-senpai recovered from her embarrassment, Maruzensky guided us inside. I expected the clubroom to be cluttered with personal belongings, given how many members Rigil had—but no. Everything was spotless and organized. Truly the mark of a team known for discipline.
"Sorry for the delay, O-Hana-san. I've brought Neicha."
Rudolf-senpai immediately apologized to the woman waiting inside. She looked exactly like in the anime—sharp, composed, and dignified. O-Hana-san gave Rudolf-senpai a brief glance, then turned her gaze toward me.
"The morning meeting ran long, so it couldn't be helped. Rudolf, this is the Nice Nature you mentioned?"
"Yes! First-year middle division, Nice Nature! It's an honor to meet you today!"
"I'm Tōjō Hana, trainer of Team Rigil. The girls here call me O-Hana-san, so feel free to call me that too."
Her gentle smile told me she had a good impression of me so far.
"Then please call me just 'Neicha,' O-Hana-san—it's shorter."
"Alright, I'll do that. Anyway, no need to just stand there—why don't we sit—"
"Oh! If it ain't Nice Nature!"
"…Okino."
Before O-Hana-san could finish offering seats, a voice interrupted from the doorway.
"What, so this was the meeting place? You should've told me—I could've shown her the way!"
"How many times must I tell you to knock, Okino!"
It was none other than that Okino-san—the same trainer I'd met earlier before lunch. Two hours. That's all it had been. And now he was here again, grinning like an idiot while brushing off O-Hana-san's scolding.
"Neicha, you know him?"
Rudolf-senpai clearly recognized him. Given how familiar their exchange was, it was easy to see this wasn't the first time.
"Um… we met for the first time this morning during my training."
"Really? You two seemed pretty familiar for that."
"W-well… he suddenly touched my legs, so I was too shocked to really—"
I froze. Mistake. Big mistake.
The light in Rudolf-senpai's eyes vanished. Her ears pinned back, and she began scraping the clubroom floor with her hoof—clink, clink, the sound of metal shoes echoing ominously in the silence. Each scrape made Okino's face grow a shade paler.
"'…Oh?'"
Now both of them—Rudolf-senpai and O-Hana-san—were glaring, eyes sharp as blades. I glanced pleadingly at O-Hana-san for help, but no. Her glasses glinted, and her expression turned demonic.
I'm sorry, Okino-san. That was my slip-up.
"H-hey now, can we all just talk this out—?"
"Alright, Neicha-chan, why don't you come outside with me for a little youthful chat?" said Maruzensky cheerfully, ushering me toward the door.
The last thing I saw before it closed was Okino-san's face, frozen in pure terror—like a herbivore staring down a lion.
I'm sorry, Okino-san. But honestly… that one's on you.
As the door shut behind me, the muffled silence felt like the countdown to a predator's strike.
…Rest in peace.
What happened after that—I never found out.