novelraw Chapter 270: There Was Never Any Misfortune
Chapter 270: There Was Never Any Misfortune
Although a lot of preparations had been made for the Thanksgiving Festival, Kitahara's main focus afterward was still on preparing for the Kikuka Sho.
From the perspective of the Eisei Club, whether as a newly established team of less than a year or as a unique club in Japan, the battle for the Classic Triple Crown was an extremely crucial campaign.
In terms of numbers, Japan has thousands upon thousands of horse girls—not a small amount at all.
There are also quite a lot of races overall: more than 20 large-scale venues with capacities of over 100,000 people, along with dozens of medium and small tracks. Altogether, more than 10,000 races are held each year.
However, the number of races in the Twinkle Series itself is not that large.
According to the URA (Japan Racing Association equivalent) schedule, races at central venues like Tokyo, Hanshin, and Kyoto are only held on Saturdays and Sundays.
If a public holiday falls on Friday or Monday, then a three-day race schedule may be arranged.
Generally, each race day hosts 10 to 12 races. Each venue holds about 2 to 5 races per day, and each event cycle consists of 8 race days.
Calculating this, for central-level graded stakes races, there are only 36 events per year, with at most 288 race days.
Even if every race day held 12 races, that would amount to just over 3,000 graded races annually.
Among these, G1 races are extremely rare, numbering only a little over 20.
As a result, a large number of horse girls will never step onto a G1 stage in their entire lives.
Those who actually win a G1 race account for less than 1%.
And for the Classic Triple Crown, which each horse girl can only participate in once in her lifetime, simply qualifying—let alone winning—is even more valuable.
Because of this, if the Eternal Club could sweep the Classic Triple Crown in its founding year, the significance for its future development would be immeasurable.
Especially now that they had already secured the first two crowns.
Kitahara himself also hoped to win the final race—no matter which of his horse girls achieved it.
Thus, in terms of scheduling, preparation for the Kikuka Sho took priority over both the "Obstacle Relay Race" and the "Youth Japan Cup."
The arrangements for those latter two races were also part of the preparation for the Kikka Sho.
That day, at the training grounds—
"Based on your current physical data, training status, and past race performances, among the three of you, Super Creek has the greatest suitability for the Kikuka Sho."
Standing in front of his three horse girls, Kitahara spoke directly without hesitation:
"You should all be aware of her advantage in stamina."
"Her stamina is at the top of this generation. For a long-distance race of 3000 meters, that's an undeniable advantage."
"Beyond that, there's also her unique race intuition."
"You've all seen this ability in both training and races."
He looked toward Oguri Cap and Mejiro Ardan.
As they listened, both of them glanced sideways at Super Creek.
Their expressions contained admiration and envy—but even more so, a competitive eagerness.
Super Creek herself maintained her usual gentle smile, somewhat shyly touching her cheek.
Just as Kitahara said, her stamina stood in a class of its own among this generation.
In races, she was currently the only one who dared to disregard stamina consumption and begin accelerating in the final stretch—or even start a long sprint from the middle of the race.
This was the key to her many victories—her unique strategy.
The same applied in training.
Even when facing opponents like Tamamo Cross and Inari One, who had excellent long-distance adaptability, richer experience, and more physically mature bodies, Super Oguri Bay could still hold her ground using this strategy.
Of course, "physical maturity" and "figure maturity" were two different things—if it were the latter, Super Oguri Bay far surpassed her seniors.
It wasn't that Oguri Cap and the others couldn't use similar tactics.
But even if they did, it required their opponents to be inferior in stamina.
Moreover, their starting sprint distances weren't as long as Super Oguri Bay's.
This meant that the same strategy didn't suit them as naturally.
Likewise, the strategies Oguri Cap and Ardan excelled at weren't easily applicable to Super Creek.
That's why, upon hearing about her strengths, none of the three horse girls were particularly surprised or troubled.
But not being surprised didn't mean taking it lightly.
So when Kitahara continued speaking, all three of them subtly turned their attention back to him.
"In many situations where you're blocked or crowded," Kitahara continued,
"Oguri Cap tends to go wide to overtake, or forcibly break through using positioning and maneuvering."
"As for Ardan, she calmly analyzes the best route and predicts how the situation will develop, choosing the right moment to break out in advance."
"But Super Creek is different."
"She relies purely on intuition to find the right path."
Just as he was about to continue, Oguri Cap suddenly spoke, looking thoughtful.
"If it's intuition…"
She rubbed her chin.
"I think I have that too, right?"
"During races, I can sense the overall situation, and I often find the right opportunity instantly."
"That should count as intuition too, right, Kitahara?"
Now it was Super Creek and Mejiro Ardan's turn to look at her.
Having spent so much time together, the three horse girls understood each other's strengths very well—and admired them.
"Ogur—what you have isn't intuition," Super Creek said with a smile.
"Didn't Kitahara explain it before?"
"That ability of yours is a unique kind of 'perspective.'"
"In races, you can observe the entire field as if from a bird's-eye view."
"With that kind of vision, finding the right moment to accelerate isn't difficult."
She then rubbed her cheek again, looking slightly troubled.
"As for me and Ardan, we can't reach that level."
She glanced at Ardan.
"Ardan achieves a similar effect through analysis."
"No matter how the race progresses, she doesn't lose her ability to think due to fatigue."
"As for me… it's more like a feeling, I guess…"
She thought for a moment.
"I just feel like running that way should work—and usually, it does."
After saying that, she looked troubled again.
"But a long time ago, Kitahara told me that while this ability can often lead to surprising victories…"
"In certain situations, it could result in being judged for 'lane interference' and losing my results."
"So in order to use this ability better, I've been trying to improve my analytical skills like Ardan."
"That way, the chances of committing a foul should be much lower."
"I see… huh?"
Oguri Cap nodded in understanding, then suddenly looked curious.
"Is it just me, or…"
"It feels like you used to speak to Kitahara more formally? But now you just call him by name."
"Ah, that…"
Super Creek rubbed her cheek again, a little embarrassed.
"We've known each other for so long, and I've relied on him so much… I felt like continuing to use formal language would seem distant."
"Besides, Oguri—you never really used honorifics from the beginning, right? Actually, you're like that with everyone."
"Well…"
Oguri Cap scratched her head awkwardly.
"I'm bad at remembering names… so even if I want to use polite language, I don't know how."
"And I can't really remember the rules either."
"Oh right! How about this—Creek, Ardan, could you teach me when you have time?"
"Teach you honorifics? Well… alright."
Super Creek couldn't help but laugh.
"I don't think it's particularly necessary to learn, but since it's you…"
She glanced at Ardan.
"Seems like we should help a little?"
Meeting her gaze, Ardan also smiled.
"We'll help you, Oguri."
"When it comes to etiquette, I think I'm fairly good at it."
"Mm! Then I'm counting on you!" Oguri Cap nodded gratefully.
While the three horse girls chatted about this little side topic, Kitahara felt somewhat helpless.
He knew very well why Super Creek's instinctive positioning often led to lane interference fouls.
The culprit wasn't her intuition—it was the world's strange "parallel correspondence."
In her case, it corresponded to a bad habit of her real-life counterpart's jockey.
That was the famous Yutaka Take—and his well-known issue of "cutting across lanes."
Perhaps he wasn't the jockey with the most interference fouls in history, but his cases were certainly among the most famous.
The first time it became widely known was during Super Creek's Arima Kinen.
In that race, she originally crossed the finish line in third place, behind Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross.
However, upon review, it was found that in the final 200 meters, she had cut outward to move past another runner, blocking Mejiro Durren behind her.
This violated the rule against obstructing other competitors through lane interference.
As a result, she was disqualified, and her third-place finish was reassigned.
Even in the anime's first season, there's a reference to this incident—when she accidentally knocks a donut into Oguri Cap's plate during an eating contest.
In that race, although the interference occurred, it didn't cause severe danger.
But the case with Mejiro McQueen at the Tenno Sho (Autumn) was different.
That time, the interference nearly caused a major accident involving nine horses and their riders.
Before that race, after recovering over the summer, Mejiro McQueen had won the Kyoto Daishoten by an impressive three-and-a-half lengths, leading the team to aim for consecutive victories in the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho.
The last horse to achieve that feat had been Tamamo Cross—the first and only one for a long time.
And in that challenge, Mejiro McQueen's jockey was, once again, Yutaka Take.
Then, as if history were repeating itself, Yutaka Take committed another lane interference.
This time, the consequences were extremely severe.
First, it nearly caused a major accident.
The interference occurred at the final corner.
The Tenno Sho (Autumn) is held at the Tokyo racecourse, with the final turn located 529.9 meters from the finish line.
To secure a good position for the long straight that follows, competition for position at this point is extremely intense.
This section also includes a 2.1-meter incline, further increasing the difficulty.
At that very point, faced with the incoming interference from Yutaka Take and Mejiro McQueen, the six groups of runners on the inside had no choice but to move inward.
They had no choice.
At the time, Mejiro McQueen weighed 498 kilograms, ranking fourth among the eighteen horses.
Moreover, she was a well-known long-distance champion, capable of sustaining a much longer sprint than others.
While most horses only begin sprinting around 200 meters before the finish, she had already entered full acceleration right after the final turn—on top of an existing speed of 60 km/h.
In that state, Mejiro McQueen was practically a heavily armored tank.
During the race, in this "tank-like" state, she shifted laterally nearly four horse widths, leaving the six inner groups with no time to avoid her.
The inner track space is limited, forcing the innermost two groups to brake sharply.
This deceleration caused a following group to fail to react in time.
Combined with the inward movement of other runners, collisions became unavoidable.
By the time Mejiro McQueen and Yutaka Take surged into second place, chaos had already broken out behind them, with several horses nearly falling along with their riders.
This is the most terrifying aspect of horse racing accidents.
At speeds of 60 km/h, a fall can easily result in broken legs.
Due to their body structure, horses rely on all four legs for balance. If even one leg is broken, that balance is lost.
Even if the other three legs remain intact, prolonged imbalance can lead to illness.
And being unable to walk or run leads to physical deterioration—in other words, for a horse, a broken leg is essentially a slow death.
For jockeys, racing accidents are equally dangerous—fatalities or severe injuries are entirely possible.
There is also the danger of being crushed by a nearly half-ton body or trampled by hooves.
The greatest stroke of luck in this Tenno Sho incident was that all participants were G1-level.
After the interference caused the incident, the affected horses and jockeys managed—through skill and experience—to avoid the worst possible outcomes.
Even the group that nearly fell managed to regain balance in an instant and finish the race.
But an accident had still occurred, and the one responsible was criticized by peers and punished by the association.
After the race, when the riders returned to the weighing room, one of Yutaka Take's opponents—a senior jockey, Yukio Okabe (the former rider of Symboli Rudolf)—pointed at him and scolded him on the spot.
Subsequently, the association reviewed the footage, confirmed the foul and its danger, and imposed fines and suspension.
Mejiro McQueen was also implicated.
She had originally crossed the finish line in first place.
But due to the interference and resulting incident, her placing was downgraded all the way to last—eighteenth place.
This became the first case in Japanese racing history where a horse was demoted from first place to last.
This situation is also reflected in the original anime's first season and OVA, where Mejiro McQueen, as a horse girl, loses her result due to lane interference.
Due to the inexplicable rules of this parallel world, events that happened to real racehorses seem to manifest in the horse girls of this world.
From earlier interactions, Kitahara had already noticed that both Super Oguri Bay and Mejiro McQueen showed tendencies to drift across lanes during training.
Because of this, he had spent a great deal of time and effort correcting this issue.
Super Creek was relatively easy to handle—she was obedient by nature. After a few reminders, she became mindful of it in both training and races.
As a result, such issues had almost completely disappeared in training, and she had never committed a lane interference foul in an actual race.
Mejiro McQueen, however, had initially given Kitahara quite a headache.
He hadn't worked with her as long as he had with Super Creek, so he originally thought it would be difficult to correct her habit in a short time.
But later, he discovered a very effective method.
Whenever Mejiro McQueen accidentally drifted during training, her dessert allowance for that week would be reduced.
For this refined young lady who absolutely loved sweets, that kind of punishment was devastating.
As a result, after just a few training sessions, her tendency to drift decreased significantly.
Adjustments like these—addressing hidden risks in races—along with the endurance training he had previously discussed with Oguri Cap and the others, formed the core of Kitahara's preparation strategy for the Kikuka Sho.
"As for honorifics, you can just chat about them during breaks or between training sessions. You don't need to worry too much about them normally—just pay a bit of attention during interviews."
With a brief remark to draw their attention, Kitahara pointed toward the training field.
"The analytical ability you mentioned, Creek, as well as some of the issues Oguri Cap and Ardan have—those will all be key areas for adjustment next."
"The specific method will be to use ball-based training around the Thanksgiving Festival to improve endurance."
"So Special Week, El Condor Pasa, and that new junior can treat the festival as just fun and games."
"But the three of you need to take it very seriously."
"I'll also inform Tamamo Cross and Inari One later."
Training endurance through ball sports—and experiencing how physical recovery changes under different levels of exertion while playing basketball, dodgeball, and similar activities—had already been taught to Oguri Cap and the others beforehand.
Now, hearing Kitahara's instructions, the three horse girls turned to look toward the training field.
The training grounds at Central Tracen Academy were vast. Besides the central track, there were many surrounding areas.
Near the spectator stands was a large grassy field, where the younger members of the Eternal Club were currently engaged in dodgeball training.
The format was a competitive match. The two teams were led by Tamamo Cross and Inari One respectively, as they dodged balls thrown from the opposing side.
Oguri Cap and the others recognized most of the participants.
The only unfamiliar one was a small-statured horse girl.
She was about the same height as Tamamo Cross, with short pink hair, pink eyes, a white bow accessory on her left ear, and a pink-and-white training outfit.
Compared to others her age, she didn't seem particularly good at dodging incoming balls. She was often hit and sent off to the sidelines to wait for the next round.
Yet whether she was hit or eliminated early, there wasn't the slightest trace of discouragement on her face.
Instead, she always wore a bright, cheerful smile.
"That girl is called… called… what was her name again?"
Watching the match, Oguri Cap scratched her head in frustration.
"She's called Haru Urara—a very cute and lovely name. Oguri, don't get it wrong later."
Knowing Oguri's habit of forgetting names, Super Oguri Bay smiled and reminded her, then looked thoughtfully at Kitahara.
"I heard that you specifically asked Junko and Tsubaki to go all the way to Kochi Prefecture to find her."
"If she caught your attention like that, she must be a very talented and capable horse girl, right?"
"Oh! Is that so?"
Oguri Cap's eyes lit up.
"Then maybe I can try running alongside her later?"
She looked at Kitahara eagerly.
"…For now, let's not."
Kitahara's expression turned a bit strange.
"As for her ability… it's a bit complicated."
"I'll explain it in detail when there's a chance."
"In short, whether it's to help Haru Urara get along with all of you—and with Special Week and the others…"
"Or for the upcoming endurance training…"
"From now until the Kikuka Sho—and even beyond—you should train together with her as you have been."
"Understood?"
Back during the Mainichi Okan, Kitahara had indeed instructed Junko and Akashi Tsubaki to go to Hokkaido and Shikoku to find Haru Urara.
The two juniors were highly efficient—they got results almost immediately.
As Kitahara had guessed, when she was in Hokkaido, Haru Urara was still young and went by the nickname "Mary Jane."
Later, because she remained smaller than her peers and had a timid personality, her name was changed to something cuter and more relaxed: "Haru Urara."
"Haru Urara" means "a bright, sunny spring day."
After the name change, although her build remained small, her personality became much more cheerful.
This name change was also why Kitahara initially failed to find her when focusing on Hokkaido.
His reason for specifically searching for her was simple.
First, he believed that Haru Urara's 113 consecutive losses in the parallel world were likely due to training methods.
That might not apply to real racehorses—but for horse girls, it could be different.
In the game, Haru Urara's aptitudes lie in dirt tracks and short to mile distances.
She has almost no aptitude for turf or long-distance races.
If forced to run long-distance turf races, her performance might not even reach half of her dirt-track level.
However, in the game's training mode, horse girls have "target races" that must be completed to succeed in development.
Haru Urara's final target race is the Arima Kinen—a long-distance turf race.
There's no placement requirement—just participation.
Generally, 99.9% of players finish in last place in that race.
However, there are indeed players who, through repeated attempts, managed to make Haru Urara win the Arima Kinen despite her lack of aptitude.
Since the game's logic partially corresponds to this world—as Kitahara had already experienced—he wanted to try training her himself.
Perhaps he could at least give her a chance to compete in races like the Arima Kinen.
As for actually winning it—that was something to consider later.
After all, based on timelines and ages, the winners of those years weren't easy opponents:
Grass Wonder, T.M. Opera O, Manhattan Cafe, Zenno Rob Roy, Deep Impact…
Even placing second would be difficult, given runners-up like Special Week, Meisho Doto, Tap Dance City, and Orfevre.
So the detailed plan would depend on observing her training over time.
Beyond that, there was another consideration: her physical traits and racing habits.
Even before meeting her, Kitahara had suspected she might possess a unique talent for endurance.
This judgment wasn't just based on her high endurance stats in the original work—
But also on the fact that she participated in 113 races with almost no injuries.
Normally, most racehorses—and horse girls—cannot handle that many races.
So if there were innate or physiological reasons, they might reveal valuable research directions through examination and training observation.
And although their contact time was still short, some preliminary conclusions had already been reached through wind tunnel tests, parachute sprint training, and medical exams by Miyamura Kyoko.
Haru Urara's metabolism, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular system were all relatively strong—slightly above average for her age.
These traits are closely related to endurance.
Generally, during slower running, the rate at which lactic acid is cleared from muscles matches its production.
As speed increases, the body relies more on anaerobic glycolysis, and lactic acid accumulates faster than it can be cleared.
Better metabolism helps remove lactic acid more efficiently and improves buffering capacity.
The cardiovascular system affects blood output and muscle blood flow.
Factors like venous return, heart contraction strength, left ventricular muscle, and aortic pressure all influence oxygen delivery efficiency.
A stronger cardiovascular system ensures better oxygen supply.
The neuromuscular system works similarly—efficient signal transmission reduces fatigue and improves recovery.
Of course, having these strengths doesn't mean Haru Urara runs fast.
In fact, in recent training tests, she unsurprisingly placed last.
Her recovery after races also isn't as fast as Oguri Cap and the others who have undergone long-term professional training.
However, compared to peers like Special Week and T.M. Opera O, her recovery speed isn't much worse.
And those peers had already received structured training in Tokyo from a young age.
By comparison, Haru Urara clearly has endurance talent.
She simply lacks comprehensive, professional training.
In simulations, if race distances were extended to extreme lengths—such as 10,000 meters or even a full marathon—her win rate would actually surpass many of her peers.
Although these were only preliminary tests, they strongly supported Kitahara's hypothesis.
"Got it!"
After hearing his explanation, Oguri Cap and the others responded in unison.
After receiving a few more instructions, they headed toward the dodgeball training field.
Smack!
"Oops, got hit again~"
Failing to dodge yet another ball, Haru Urara scratched her head with a bright smile, showing no sign of frustration as she walked off the field.
While walking, she waved enthusiastically.
"Everyone, keep it up! I'll cheer you on!"
After just a few days together, thanks to her cheerful and outgoing personality, she had already become familiar with Tamamo Cross, Inari One, Special Week, and the others.
They all responded with smiles before continuing the game.
Only Rice Shower, who had been standing beside her, hesitated slightly and watched her leave.
"Aww, how embarrassing—I got eliminated first again~"
Though her words sounded regretful, her tone and expression showed none of it.
Standing by the sidelines, Haru Urara clapped her cheeks and pumped her fists.
"Alright! Next time I'll be more serious and try harder—I won't get out right away!"
"Maybe I need something refreshing… oh! Maybe I wasn't focused enough!"
"Let me think… ah! The school cafeteria sells carrot popsicles—I'll go get one!"
"As expected of Central Academy… Kochi Tracen didn't even have popsicles… huh?"
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly froze—then broke into a delighted smile.
"Oh! Rice-chan, you got eliminated too? Want to go get carrot popsicles together?"
The one approaching was indeed Rice Shower.
"Ah… n-no, I'm not really thirsty… or hungry…"
Startled, Rice quickly waved her hands and hesitated.
"Um… this might be unnecessary, but…"
She bit her lip.
"It's already autumn… and it's getting colder…"
"If you eat popsicles… you might get a stomachache…"
"I-I'm not saying you can't… just…"
She trailed off, then lowered her head in panic.
"Uu… Urara-chan, just pretend I didn't say anything…"
Haru Urara blinked in confusion.
"Huh? But I heard you…"
Then she smiled brightly again.
"It's okay! I think what you said makes sense!"
"Then let's not eat popsicles!"
"Let's get some sweets instead!"
"Want to go together?"
She invited her again.
"Don't! I can't let Urara-chan become unfortunate!"
Rice suddenly raised her voice, startling her.
She quickly panicked.
"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean—"
Flustered, she fumbled in her pocket.
"H-here, please have this…"
She took out a small bag and held it out with both hands.
"Huh? This is… marshmallows?"
Urara took it, surprised, then quickly smiled.
"Wow! Thank you, Rice-chan!"
She opened it and ate one.
"Mm! So sweet! Thank you!"
"You're… welcome…"
Instead of happiness, Rice lowered her head sadly.
"Because… I scared you…"
"And… maybe you keep getting eliminated first because of me…"
Urara froze.
"Huh? Because of you?"
"…Yes…"
"Because I was standing next to you…"
"And… I bring misfortune…"
Urara tilted her head—then suddenly laughed and patted her shoulder.
"Haha, that's impossible!"
"Don't worry! You're overthinking!"
"I'm just really weak!"
"In Kochi, I always came in last!"
"So before playing dodgeball, I already knew…"
Her pink eyes sparkled with confidence as she gave a big thumbs-up.
"I'm probably going to lose anyway!"
"…Huh?"
Rice couldn't tell if she was serious.
But her bright eyes and carefree smile made it feel genuine.
"…You're really strong…"
"That's amazing…"
"How can I become strong like you…"
She murmured softly.
"Huh? Did you say something?" Urara didn't catch it.
"N-no… um…"
Trying to change the topic, Rice took out another bag.
"Do you want more marshmallows?"
"No thanks! I'll treat you later!"
Then she asked curiously,
"You really like marshmallows?"
"…Yes…"
Rice nodded shyly.
"When I was little, I cried a lot… so my parents gave me marshmallows…"
"They're soft… cute… and sweet…"
"And when I eat them… I don't cry…"
"And candy apples too…"
"So they remind me of my childhood…"
Urara nodded.
"Ah, I just like carrot popsicles because they taste good!"
She answered simply.
Then suddenly—
"Wow! Rice-chan, look!"
She held up the empty wrapper excitedly.
"I won!"
"Even though you gave it to me, I opened it—so both our luck is good!"
"So you definitely don't bring bad luck!"
"I won, didn't I?"
"Hehe, that makes today even happier!"
"Thank you, Rice-chan!"
(End of Chapter)