Tokyo.
It was already deep into the night.
The neon in the bustling commercial districts had long since gone dark, leaving only streetlights to cast dim, yellow shadows across empty roads.
The residential blocks were quiet.
Most windows were black, with only a scattered few still glowing with weak lamplight.
Die-hard Chasing Light fans staying up for the livestream… or Oguri Cap's own fans.
The air was heavy and still, the whole city seeming to sink into a deep sleep.
And then—
"The winner—Oguri Cap!!!"
The signal crossed half the globe and slipped into those faintly lit rooms.
A few seconds of dead silence.
"She won!!!!"
From somewhere in an apartment building, a gut-tearing scream suddenly exploded into the night.
It was so loud it felt unreal in the quiet sky—startling even the stray cats by the roadside.
But that shout was a spark thrown into a powder keg.
The window next door lit up.
The window upstairs lit up.
Across the street, in a building that had been pitch-black, one light after another snapped on like dominoes falling—wildly, feverishly.
"Hey! Wake up! Don't sleep! She won—she WON!"
Someone rushed onto a balcony, phone in hand, screaming incoherently into the call.
"It's real! G1! It's really a G1!"
Someone didn't even have time to get dressed—bare-chested, they shoved open a window and pumped a fist at the empty street.
The quiet neighborhood boiled over in an instant.
Phone lines jammed. Text chimes rang nonstop from bedroom to bedroom.
People who'd already fallen asleep were jolted awake, groggily answered their phones, listened for two sentences—then sprang out of bed, first instinct to smash the remote and turn on a screen.
Light spread.
From Kasamatsu to Nagoya, and from Tokyo outward to Osaka—until it reached every corner of this Far Eastern island nation.
In only a few minutes, the country that had been slipping into darkness blazed back to life, as if someone had relit it with a match.
A million household lights—bright as day.
It wasn't a holiday. It wasn't a festival.
But tonight, no one cared about noise complaints, and no one cared whether they still had work or school tomorrow.
That boulder hanging over Central's horse girls for decades—unable to win overseas—
was kicked to pieces in a single strike by that ash-gray girl.
On streets and in alleys, strangers met each other's eyes through windows and over balconies.
There was no sleepiness in them—only the kind of frenzy you got when something you'd held in for too long finally broke free.
Tonight, no one slept.
If Kuroha—far away in Ireland—could see this, he'd only think it was natural.
In the original timeline, that "boulder" had crushed this nation for countless years.
It wasn't until eight years later that a Central horse girl named Seeking the Pearl finally shattered it.
But what she conquered were sprint G1s.
In a world that worshipped mile, middle-distance, and long-distance races, that practically didn't buy you any real respect.
The one who truly seized an overseas mile G1 title was Taiki Shuttle—of the same era as Seeking the Pearl.
That was why Taiki Shuttle was crowned the "Mile King," and why her historical standing was so high.
And now, Oguri Cap had done it eight years early—taking the Irish Champion Stakes.
A middle-distance G1 trophy with real weight, even across Europe.
So it was only normal that Central was losing its mind.
Kuroha had expected this long before the expedition.
…
Central Tracen Academy—Chasing Light villa.
The living room, which had been so quiet you could hear the electrical hum, completely erupted the instant the commentator shouted "They hit the line!"
"We won!!!"
Tokai Teio sprang off the carpet like a coiled spring.
"Invincible! Oguri-senpai's invincible! She's way too strong!!"
Teio's face was bright red with excitement as she ran in circles around the room.
Then she launched herself into a flying tackle and latched onto McQueen, nearly knocking the elegant young lady over.
"…Teio."
The entire living room turned into chaos.
Even Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower, and Silence Suzuka—who'd been sitting quietly the whole time—stood up, eyes sparkling as they stared at the screen.
In the center of the sofa—
Tamamo Cross still held a cup of milk that had gone cold ages ago.
"Hmph…"
She pursed her lips, trying to wear a look that said, I knew it would be like this.
But a moment later, the Kansai girl lowered her head without meaning to, her tangled thoughts snapping back to the days when she'd competed on the same stage as Oguri Cap.
Spring Tenno Sho. Japan Cup. Arima Kinen.
I'm taking all three.
Not just Central's number one… I'm gonna be the world's number one!
Those words still felt painfully vivid.
"Now, Oguri… you're already standing on the summit that leads toward being second in the world…"
"And I… I can't keep the promise I made back then anymore…"
Tamamo's eyes started to itch. She lifted a hand to rub them—and her tears fell without warning, splashing into the cup.
Plip.
Tamamo froze, then raised her hand to wipe her eyes.
But the more she wiped, the harder the tears poured out.
"Idiot…"
She sniffled, her earlier tsundere bravado collapsing into nothing.
"Running off to someplace that far… who do you think you're scaring… ngh…"
The legendary horse girl known as the "White Lightning" now looked like a child, burying her face in her knees, shoulders shaking as she cried.
"What's wrong? So happy you're crying?"
A hand reached over and hooked an arm around her neck—Inari One, tilting her head with a grin.
"…None of your business."
After a short silence, Tamamo cracked one eye open and answered hoarsely.
"Hee-hee!"
Inari met her gaze—and then pounced.
"Hey! Don't shove—don't feed me either! I'm not drinking kiddie milk!"
Two little runts barely one-forty tall rolled around together, caught in that messy mix of emotions.
In an instant, the villa's living room filled with laughter.
…
On another sofa—
Symboli Rudolf maintained her original posture, legs crossed straight and perfect.
But the hand gripping the armrest tightened—
and a crisp cracking sound rang out.
She'd peeled off a strip of the armrest with sheer grip strength.
Rudolf didn't shout like Teio.
She simply watched the screen, watched Oguri Cap at the finish—raising that flag high.
After a long time, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling before it finally calmed.
"Rudolf?"
Beside her, the glamorous blonde turned her head.
Rudolf only then noticed the "corpse" of the sofa armrest in her hand.
Embarrassed, she cleared her throat.
"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
Maruzensky didn't care. She swayed her head slightly, pointed at the screen, and smiled brightly.
"See, Rudolf?"
"I told you. If it's him… miracles are basically unlimited."
"…."
Seeing the pure, unrestrained pride on Maruzensky's face, Rudolf's normally cool, tsundere expression turned quietly speechless.
It had only been half a year since the transfer—so why did it feel like her friend had already fallen completely under his spell?
…
Ireland.
Leopardstown Racecourse—Entrance to Tunnel 4.
This was the border between the roar and the quiet.
Behind them, the stadium was still boiling—wave after wave of cheers rolling through the venue like a hot tide.
Oguri Cap didn't linger on the track.
After circling to acknowledge the crowd, she headed straight for Tunnel 4.
Only when she reached the entrance did she see it—
a familiar figure standing there, silent in the shadow.
"Oguri."
Kuroha waited just inside the darkness, a dry towel in his hands, smiling as he waved her over.
The instant she saw him, Oguri Cap's tense shoulders finally eased.
She walked quickly to him and stopped in front of him.
"Hah…"
She let out a long breath. Those clear eyes blinked—like a kid waiting to be praised.
"Trainer."
"Hm?"
"I won!"
Kuroha stepped forward, pressed the towel down onto her wet hair, and rubbed hard.
"You ran beautifully."
At that, Oguri Cap squinted in comfort, her long ash-gray ears flicking happily twice.
She'd worked for three months—so Kuroha's praise was the best reward she could've asked for.
She nudged her head into his palm.
And then, at the worst possible timing, her stomach made a huge—
Grrrrr—
"..."
"..."
"Hungry?" Kuroha sighed.
Oguri Cap opened her eyes, patted her flattened stomach, and looked at him with complete seriousness.
"I'm hungry, Trainer."
"I want something tasty."
Kuroha laughed softly, the smile in his eyes deepening.
"Okay."
After carefully drying her hair, he turned and led her deeper into the tunnel.
"When we get back, I'll make you an extra-large carrot hamburg steak."
"Yeah! I want five… no—ten!"
(End of Chapter)
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