novelraw Chapter 269: Wanting to Beat Them Won’t Be That Easy
Chapter 269: Wanting to Beat Them Won’t Be That Easy
These ideas were all the result of careful thought, so Kitahara wasn't surprised.
What surprised him was that, perhaps due to her instincts as a horse girl, Rudolf Symboli had immediately noticed this point.
And not just Rudolf—Maruzensky and Mejiro Ramonu also seemed to be paying attention. What they had just been discussing was this "peculiar cosplay outfit."
Originally, he had planned to test things during the Thanksgiving Festival before coming up with an explanation, but it seemed he had to think of something right now.
However, the situation wasn't something he had anticipated, so he couldn't immediately come up with a good explanation.
…President Rudolf, that "Archer of the White Moon" skin of yours looks great too—it's also a G1 winning outfit. How about I design it for you right now?
Explain it like that…?
After being troubled for a moment by this unexpected turn, Kitahara quickly came up with an idea.
"Have you ever considered something—that a winning outfit might not be limited to just one set?"
Those words essentially laid out his thoughts completely.
But he didn't think there was any problem with that.
Winning outfits different from the usual G1 standards would inevitably be discovered sooner or later as time passed.
That meant even if he was "a bit ahead," this line of thinking wasn't anything extraordinary.
It wasn't the first time he had been ahead in ideas—especially in front of Rudolf and the others.
And since he would have to be honest with them eventually if new winning outfits were to be promoted, it was better to say it now rather than hide it and explain later.
There were already many things he had concealed because they involved the unbelievable concept of time travel.
For example, among the winning outfits he provided this time, it wasn't just Oguri Cap's—there were also ones for Super Creek and others.
And each horse girl had more than one "winning outfit."
Aside from the official design—which was most likely usable in this world—he had also, based on vague memories, produced many "fan-made versions."
Most of those "fan-made versions" probably couldn't actually be used, but they could serve as a smokescreen.
Otherwise, directly presenting the "true winning outfits" would be too obvious and attract too much attention.
He had done a lot of similar concealment and disguise.
If possible, when facing these kind and wonderful horse girls, his intention was to be as honest as he could.
And Rudolf Symboli's reaction seemed to show that his thinking and approach weren't wrong.
"Winning outfits aren't limited to one set? Then does that mean…"
Stunned for a moment, and without any doubt, Rudolf Symboli looked at the design sketches in her hands in surprise.
"You're planning to use the Thanksgiving Festival race to further explore the blessings of the Three Goddesses?"
"That really does sound like something you'd do…"
"But will that work? The races at the Thanksgiving Festival aren't even G1…"
…She just believed it that easily? Then what was I even worrying about…
Rudolf Symboli's reaction exceeded Kitahara's expectations, and he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
After all, even though she trusted him so much, he was still hiding some things—however necessary it might be.
While he was struggling inwardly, the other two horse girls began discussing along Rudolf's line of thought.
"See? I told you his intentions weren't that simple."
Shrugging, Maruzensky smiled. "If it were like you said—that he just wanted to watch Oguri Cap and the others play dress-up—he wouldn't need to wait for the Thanksgiving Festival."
"He could just have them change in private and watch secretly."
Kitahara was stunned.
"H-Hey, wait, Maruzensky—what kind of nonsense are you talking about?!"
He rubbed his temples. "Is that really how you see me?"
"I didn't say that, don't accuse me."
Raising both hands as if surrendering, Maruzensky pointed at Rudolf and Ramonu with each hand, looking innocent.
"They said it—I was even defending you."
"Don't wrongly accuse a good horse girl."
"Let me clarify," Mejiro Ramonu suddenly interjected. "What I've been discussing with you is that Kitahara's sense of fashion and aesthetics exceeds my expectations."
"Although these designs differ in style, every outfit is excellent."
"If there were a fashion show, these designs alone would be enough."
"To understand so well what kind of clothing suits horse girls… oh, my apologies, I misspoke."
She shook the design papers in her hand and smiled ambiguously.
"It seems you spend your free time thinking about this sort of thing."
"If that counts as a 'strange image,' then yes—I do have that impression of you, Kitahara."
"See? See? I wasn't imagining things, right?"
Maruzensky perked up. "Ramonu said it, not me."
"…That's enough, you two."
His headache worsening, Kitahara decided he couldn't let this topic continue.
"As for winning outfits… yes, I do have that idea."
"These design drafts…"
"Forget it—just assume I spend my free time thinking about this."
He suddenly realized Ramonu's explanation perfectly accounted for why he could produce these designs, so he simply admitted it.
"If you don't have any objections, I'll arrange for Belno Light and her colleagues to produce these outfits."
"And at the same time, we can see if we can design outfits for the other horse girls participating in the Thanksgiving Festival."
"After all, this is an opportunity to showcase our horse girls to all of Japan—and even the world."
"We can't have them wearing the same sportswear as in training or regular races, right?"
"And…"
He subtly guided the conversation in the direction he wanted.
"If we discover during the festival that these outfits are actually useful—"
"For example, if they turn out to be winning outfits—that would be an unexpected bonus."
"Winning outfits… that does make sense."
Rudolf Symboli quickly agreed.
"From a horse girl's perspective, I would very much like that to happen."
"The 'Youth Cup' you pioneered—if it gets a good response at the Thanksgiving Festival, it can be smoothly promoted in the future."
"But no matter how you look at it, if we want real attention, we still need to elevate it to a G1-level event—or at least a graded race."
"And winning outfits would be the most decisive factor."
Since Kitahara had already thought of these things, Rudolf, as the student council president, naturally understood as well.
"Then let's proceed with the schedule as you suggested. We'll test it first, and the student council will assist you."
"As for the other outfits…"
She thought for a moment. "I recall Light has previously improved winning outfits, right?"
Kitahara nodded. That was precisely why he had entrusted her with this task.
"She improved the shoes of G1 winning outfits."
"Her talent is remarkable—especially when it comes to technical aspects like footwear."
"Now that she has professors, teachers, and classmates helping her at the club, there's even more she can accomplish."
"I see… then let's try making more outfits."
Rudolf Symboli said with satisfaction.
"And even if they're not winning outfits, as you said, for such an important showcase event, it would be too monotonous to wear only sportswear."
"Since it's called an 'Obstacle Relay Race,' we might as well finalize the entire structure."
"I have to say—you really do come up with endless ideas."
…Honestly, I'm just borrowing from others.
Kitahara chuckled inwardly but didn't explain further, instead working with them to refine the "Thanksgiving Festival Obstacle Relay."
The competition was divided into five segments—two more than the previous relay—and was less professional, leaning more toward entertainment.
First segment:Start at the grass training field, pass through the administrative hall, finish at the cafeteria.The hall would be turned into a haunted house. Participants had to find a "mallet baton" and collect enough "horseshoe coins."
Second segment:From the cafeteria to the gym to the outdoor stage.Tasks included mochi pounding, gym challenges (weightlifting, boxing, basketball), or coin collection. Baton: a drumstick.
Third segment:From the outdoor stage to the infirmary to the big tree hollow.Tasks: Taiko game, find syringe baton, coin collection.
Fourth segment:Tree hollow → Three Goddesses statue → carrot farm.Tasks: pull carrots, make carrot juice, collect coins. Baton: standard relay baton.
Final segment:Start at the dormitory.Receive the baton, return to your room, change into designated clothing, then sprint back to the grass field to finish.
Scoring included task completion, coins collected, and finishing positions.
Five teams would compete, but participation wasn't limited to 25 racers.
Guests, staff, and all horse girls could join by collecting coins and supporting teams.
This increased both competitiveness and entertainment.
After reviewing the plan, Maruzensky spoke first:
"I really think, Kitahara, it's a waste for you to only be a trainer."
"If you didn't dislike it, I'd try to persuade you to join the URA Association."
"You're more than capable."
Kitahara hadn't spoken yet when Rudolf shook her head with a wry smile.
"You know he doesn't like that, and you still say it…"
She then turned serious.
"In any case, we've already reviewed and approved this plan."
"We've begun promotion—class leaders and event committees have been notified."
"The response has been very enthusiastic."
"Even those not participating said they'll join the coin collection."
"So there's no need to worry about engagement."
They then finalized the participant list for each segment.
Final segment (notably):Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, Super Creek, Mejiro Ardan, Inari One—the five active members of Kitahara's club.
Everything proceeded smoothly until they moved on to another race.
"...A 'Youth Japan Cup,' huh…"
Kitahara frowned slightly after hearing about the international participants.
Europe's lineup was manageable.
But America's was troublesome:
Sunday Silence, Easy Goer , Golden Pheasant
Kitahara couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Even without "seeing the future," the choices made by the European and American sides were incredibly sharp.
If he weren't here, Japan's chances of winning would actually be quite low.
Tokai Teio could compete against the Europeans.
But against Sunday Silence and Easy Goer?
That would be a different story.
Take Sunday Silence alone—setting aside his legacy as a legendary sire, his racing record was astonishing:
14 races: 9 wins, 5 second places.Top-two finish rate: 100%.
By comparison, if we don't count Teio's first Arima Kinen, Tenno Sho (Autumn), and Tenno Sho (Spring), then Tokai Teio's record would actually come out ahead—because all of her remaining races were victories.
Easy Goer is in a similar situation.
Even though she lost more often in her head-to-head matchups with Sunday Silence, her dominant eight-length victory over him in the Belmont Stakes was enough to prove her strength.
[Easy Goer also won 9G1 with at 7f, 8f, 9f, 10f and 12f. There was a reason why Easy Goer was considered better than Sunday Silence. I recommend everyone to watch Easy Goer's Belmont Stakes]
So from this perspective, if Japan were relying only on Tokai Teio, the pressure in this "Youth Japan Cup" would still be quite significant.
The problem was that, in Kitahara's view, the other runners Rudolf mentioned were somewhat questionable as well.
Tokai Teio, Rice Shower, Mihono Bourbon, Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Palmer.
This was the lineup decided by the student council.
…This is giving me a headache…
Rice Shower's strength lies in long-distance races. Although the "Youth Japan Cup" follows the Japan Cup distance of 2400 meters, that might not be long enough for her…
She did win the 2500-meter Nikkei Sho, but against international competitors…
And with her physique, she's not suited for physical bumping either…
Thankfully, Mihono Bourbon's food intake isn't small—her improved physique has expanded her distance adaptability…
But while miles are fine, middle distance is already a stretch, and long distance…
As for the Mejiro trio…
Uh, the Japan Cup that McQueen lost—its winner was Golden Pheasant…
And Ryan and Palmer…
They've never even run in the Japan Cup, have they…?
Because the American lineup was somewhat beyond Kitahara's expectations, his thoughts became tangled for a moment.
But soon, he suddenly raised both hands and slapped his cheeks.
No—no, that's not the way to think.
Using historical records and performance to evaluate horse girls isn't wrong in itself.
But after everything I've done, Teio and the others can't be judged by their historical counterparts anymore.
If we really used that standard, they wouldn't even qualify for this "Youth Japan Cup," let alone win it.
Besides…
If I can find ways to improve Oguri Cap and the others, why can't I improve Teio and the rest?
Even if things like "Domains" are still too early for them…
Sharing Oguri Cap's experience, increasing joint races, designing race strategies…
Winning isn't that hard.
Kitahara's confidence surged instantly.
Just as he quickly organized his thoughts and was about to say something to Rudolf and Mejiro Ramonu, he noticed that both horse girls were looking at him with concern.
"…What's wrong?"
Instinctively touching his face, Kitahara asked, "Is there something on my face?"
"Nothing like that, it's just…"
After observing him for a moment, Rudolf and Ramonu exchanged a glance, then smiled.
"It seems you're not overly worried."
"That's a relief."
"I was thinking—even though we're sending six runners while Europe and America only send three each, if we consider them as unified teams, we don't really have a numerical advantage."
"As for strength, I wasn't entirely sure either."
"I was planning to ask you—and if even you were worried, I'd feel even less certain."
"But now, seeing that expression on your face…"
"I think we don't need to worry too much about this race."
Mejiro Ramonu nodded beside her.
"Yes, after all, three of the participants are my sisters."
She smiled gently, a hint of fondness showing.
"If you were at a loss, I'd be quite troubled as their elder sister."
"But since you're not… you seem quite confident now."
Only then did Kitahara realize that, without noticing, these horse girls had already come to trust—or rely on—him to this extent.
A warmth rose uncontrollably in his chest, and with it, even greater confidence.
"I was worried at first," he admitted.
"Europe's Pursuiter, User-Friendly, Doctor Devious."
[I know User-Friendly and Doctor Devious exists but don't know if Pursuiter exists or not]
"America's Sunday Silence, Easy Goer, Golden Pheasant."
"These are all extremely talented horse girls."
"That's why I was concerned at first."
"But our horse girls aren't inferior—they are world-class too."
"And on top of that, they have my training."
"It won't be easy for them to beat us either."
Rarely, Kitahara spoke with a hint of pride.
"And didn't I say earlier?"
"Europe and America aren't underestimating our horse girls."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't send such strong competitors."
Hearing this, Rudolf and Mejiro Ramonu exchanged another glance and smiled again.
Just as they were about to ask something, they saw Kitahara stroking his chin and pacing around the office.
"For training… I think I'll need your assistance going forward."
Thinking rapidly, he said seriously:
"Given the current situation, if we want to win this 'Japan Cup,' we'll need to consider coordinated tactics."
"So in that case…"
"…Wait—coordinated tactics?"
Before he could finish, Rudolf showed a thoughtful expression, while Ramonu looked surprised.
"You mean… in this race, our horse girls need to cooperate with each other to win?"
"Yeah—what else?"
He answered instinctively, then suddenly froze and turned to them.
"Wait—you didn't know this?"
"That in international races, coordination between runners needs to be considered?"
As soon as he said it, he realized the issue himself.
In this era, Japan's horse girl world might genuinely not understand coordinated racing.
Or perhaps it wasn't that they didn't understand—but that they were unwilling.
Kitahara recalled a classic example:
The 93rd Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
That race featured three Japanese horses: Gold Ship and Just A Way.
Yet their coordination was practically nonexistent.
Especially Gold Ship—who perfectly demonstrated what it meant to "take a sightseeing trip to Paris."
He had a slow start, didn't execute his signature late surge, and showed no real acceleration.
In the end, he placed 14th out of 20.
Meanwhile, the other 8th.
It might as well have been a publicly funded vacation.
In contrast, European and American runners often cooperated:
They matched pace Conserved stamina Controlled race rhythm together Then unleashed their final sprint
This significantly increased their chances of winning.
But Japan rarely did this.
Returning to the present:
Kitahara organized his thoughts and was about to explain when Rudolf spoke first.
"I may not fully understand it, but…"
"Sirius mentioned something similar."
"She ran ten races in Europe."
"In some of them, she said several horse girls seemed to share a synchronized rhythm."
"And one of them usually won."
Kitahara nodded.
"That's exactly it."
"I'm certain Europe and America will use this tactic."
"Sunday Silence and Easy Goer may argue, but they get along well—like Teio and McQueen, or Tamamo and Inari."
"If Golden Pheasant trains with them…"
He suddenly slapped his forehead and laughed bitterly.
"Actually, regardless of before, they'll definitely train together from now on."
"Because most likely, my uncle will be invited as their chief trainer—or at least chief advisor."
"He understands Japan best."
"And Europe will probably do the same."
"They've been paying close attention to us since our visit."
"So they'll definitely prepare specialized strategies."
Taking a deep breath, Kitahara said seriously:
"That means we also need to train for coordination."
"McQueen, Ryan, and Palmer already have excellent compatibility as sisters."
"Teio, Rice Shower, and Bourbon have trained together and competed together."
"They all have strong synergy."
"They can definitely form outstanding coordination."
He concluded firmly:
"Like I said—"
"It won't be easy to beat them."