"You're the so-called 'Oguri Cap II,' right? So amazing!"
A bright, sunny voice sounded next to Stardust Mirage's ear. She turned and saw one of the four front-runners from the race just now: Daitaku Helios.
Helios's smile was dazzling. Even though her training wear was soaked through, she was covered in trendy gyaru accessories—so much so it felt like she hadn't come to run at all.
Bracelets, eye shadow, fake nails—she had everything. It made one wonder: with so many claymore mines hanging off her, wouldn't they hurt her or get in the way when she ran?
Anyway, horse girls' business is none of yours—just pray to the Three Goddesses and call it a day.
"I'm Daitaku Helios. Pleased to meet you~"
Lively, the girl raised her right hand and flashed a V in front of her forehead. The playful pose brimmed with that uniquely JK kind of youthful flair.
"Uh, pleased to meet you." Faced with this naturally over-familiar horse girl, Stardust Mirage could only reply politely.
From what she'd gathered about this world, Daitaku Helios should be a two-year veteran who had already debuted. But the girl in front of her didn't put on any senior airs. Instead, she latched onto Stardust Mirage's arm as if they were close, smiling ingratiatingly:
"Wanna join our front-runner front? We're all horse girls good at leading. We definitely won't let you lose out!"
"Front-runner front?"
Stardust Mirage blinked. Before she could ask what on earth that "front" was, Hushan Feihong had already walked up. She pinched Helios's head with five fingers at once:
"Could you not come over here trying to lure my horse girl into your idiot alliance, Daitaku Helios?"
"Ow ow ow ow!!!!" Helios cried out and struggled.
She finally escaped the trainer's Nine Yin White Bone Claw and retreated to a safe spot, then complained with lingering fear:
"What's that supposed to mean! Calling us an idiot alliance is way too rude. We're seriously studying front-running techniques!"
"You all get together to listen to you talk nonsense, and then no matter the race you want to go for a big runaway, huh."
Hushan Feihong exposed the essence of Helios's so-called front-runner front with a deadpan tone. Waving, she shooed Helios out of the rest area:
"Before, you tried to trick Bourbon into playing with you, and now you want to trick Stardust Mirage? I'll go have a nice, long talk with your trainer about whose problem this really is!"
"Ah! Don't go to my trainer. If the ojou-sama finds out—!!!" Daitaku Helios was forced to leave, leaving behind a string of shouts:
"Stardust Mirage, I really think you've got the talent to join us! If you're up for it, come find me at Team Sprinters—but don't let ojou-sama know!"
"Interesting, huh?"
Old Man Roppei had somehow appeared beside Stardust Mirage. Together they watched Helios leave. "You won't be bored in this academy. Your life won't just be running."
"I never said I'd only think about running." Stardust Mirage pouted. "My sister and I already promised we'd seriously enjoy life. Racing is just one part of it, okay, old man? Don't overthink."
She knew what the old man meant—yet another reminder not to pour her entire heart and soul into training and end up hurting her body.
"Hahaha, as long as you know. Anyway, if I keep saying it, you'll just find this old man annoying." Old Man Roppei laughed heartily. He waved at Oguri Cap not far away to beckon her over, then continued:
"Since you've already met Trainer Hushan, I'll be heading out with Oguri. Come on, walk us to the gate."
"Okay!"
She'd only rested a short while, but Stardust Mirage felt much recovered. She got up without protest and followed them toward the school gate.
No one spoke along the way. The atmosphere turned a bit quiet.
After a while, Stardust Mirage lost patience and spoke first. "Old man, if you have something to say, just say it. Any longer and we'll be at the gate."
"Haha, Stardust Mirage, you still need to train that patience." Laughing at her complaint, Old Man Roppei finally relented. "Alright, I'll stop teasing. I just wanted to talk about the race you just ran before I go."
"You couldn't have said it back there?" Stardust Mirage asked, puzzled.
"Some things aren't good to say too early. If you hadn't progressed so fast—so fast I can't even imagine your level in a few months—I wouldn't tell you now."
Old Man Roppei was a bit helpless. It had only been a test-race to gauge her level, but he hadn't expected to see her have an in-the-moment breakthrough again.
He had no choice but to change his plans and tell her in advance, to prevent her training from veering off:
"I told you last time Oguri Cap broke through herself at the Arima Kinen and awakened a power called the 'Limit-Breaking Domain,' right?"
"Mm. I asked you what exactly the Limit-Breaking Domain was, and you wouldn't tell me," Stardust Mirage said.
"That's because back then you didn't need to know so much…" he said offhand, and continued:
"For now, a horse girl's strength mainly has five components. First is base attributes. Trainers usually divide them into Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Awareness for convenience. You should have a deep feel for how important base attributes are by now, right?"
Stardust Mirage nodded.
In just seventeen days she'd improved her stats through specialized base training. When she ran on track next time, she felt like she'd been reborn.
"Second is technique—experience and technical knowledge including running styles. Within that there are two schools.
"One is the theory school. They strengthen themselves by mastering enough theoretical knowledge and choosing the most appropriate method to run in the right situation. Representative figures are the legendary horse girl Symboli Rudolf you just saw, and Super Creek who once opposed Oguri Cap, etc.
"The other is the instinct school. They might not know the pros and cons of running styles, but with talent and beast-like intuition, they can do unbelievable things. Representatives include Oguri, Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and so on."
To be honest, few can learn this aspect from others. You're one of the few.
"When you use Oguri's Unique, you can even mimic most of her running details. That's very rare. But in the end, your own Unique suits you best."
"The third component is what you just brushed against the edge of. Honestly, I'm surprised. With your current physique you managed to develop it this far…" Old Man Roppei's expression turned complicated.
"What is it? I… back then…" Stardust Mirage tried to recall the end of the training race.
Because she wasn't familiar with short-distance tracks or leading after falling behind, she hadn't been able to catch up. But at the end, a mysterious energy erupted through her whole body. The explosive boost made her surge and snatch first place in the final 200 meters.
"What was that…?"
"That's a horse girl's fighting spirit—though some horse girls lean toward the other side of fighting spirit: demonic nature."
Roppei Ginjiro spoke while turning to glance at Oguri Cap. Oguri, head tilted, was gazing vacantly at the sky, lost in thought about who knew what.
"Oguri Cap was challenged by Tamamo Cross, plus Super Creek and Inari One. The four of them chased each other on different tracks, which drew out Oguri's already extraordinary hunger to win, triggering an unimaginable power—fighting spirit."
"Fighting spirit is like your will to live converted into an extra ability. It can temporarily strengthen all your bodily functions. But you can only use it at the most critical moment, and once you've used it you'll usually suffer a powerful weakness. If you trigger it too early, you'll actually collapse completely."
"On the other hand, some horse girls have another trait: demonic nature. They can unleash a presence that disrupts opponents—you might feel Oguri sometimes interferes with your running, but that's nothing compared to opponents with true demonic nature.
"They can devour your stamina, slow your speed, reduce your strength—debuff all enemies in all kinds of ways. If you run into one, be very careful."
"The last component is the Domain—the manifestation of ultimate power. Only very, very few horse girls can even get in the door. And every activation massively drains stamina and even physical tolerance. Many horse girls have been injured by opening their Domain, and their open-race careers collapsed… But it absolutely decides the outcome."
"As for Oguri's Limit-Breaking Domain, I haven't researched much… or rather, before Oguri no one in Japan had even agreed on whether that state existed. All we knew was it seems you have to shatter your own Domain before you can touch it."
Listening to Old Man Roppei's calm talk, Stardust Mirage checked his claims against the knowledge from her previous life and gained a concrete understanding of a horse girl's strength.
She asked, "How do you open a Domain?"
"Can't tell you." He chuckled. "If I tell you, I'll interfere with your judgment. Opening a Domain requires each horse girl to personally experience that realm. Even if you've opened it once, it doesn't mean you can command it. It's that troublesome."
"Does it require extreme concentration?" Stardust Mirage pressed on, but Roppei Ginjiro only smiled wordlessly.
She turned to look at Oguri—still spacing out—and pointed. "Oguri looks like she's half out of it all the time. Is she brewing her Domain?"
"Me?" Oguri, hearing her name, turned and pointed at herself with a puzzled look. "I'm just looking forward to going back to Kasamatsu."
"Huh?"
"You don't need to overthink Oguri." The old man laughed happily. "Cloud shapes, folks back home, urban chic, a feast from a dream, little Oguri and fluffy fluff—she's usually thinking about these inexplicable things. Hahaha. Cute, right?"
"Alright, that's enough. I told you all this because you brushed against the edge of fighting spirit just now, so I wanted to explain. From here, you don't need to obsess over it. With your will to win, as long as you train and race well, you'll touch higher powers sooner or later."
With that, Old Man Roppei put on a straw hat and sunglasses, and waved to Stardust Mirage. "We'll be heading back to Kasamatsu. See you later. And don't forget to give me your answer about the Three Goddesses' Dream Cup."
"…Mm."
The man and horse girl waved goodbye. Stardust Mirage felt complicated, but didn't act like some lovesick kid. She just waved back hard.
Watching their figures recede until they vanished beyond the gate, she finally withdrew her gaze.
"Mr. Roppei Ginjiro has trained many strong horse girls here. It's time he took a rest. No need to be too sad."
At some point, green-hatted Tazuna Hayakawa had appeared behind Stardust Mirage, offering comfort.
"W-why would I be sad!? I'm not sad. I'm going to train hard and shock them with my strength!"
Hearing Tazuna's voice, Stardust Mirage jolted. She hurriedly used a sleeve to wipe her face randomly.
Tazuna had seen such scenes countless times. Pretending not to notice anything, she extended her right hand in invitation:
"Come with me, then. You must be tired after the training race. I'll show you your dorm. Trainer Hushan also sent a message: assemble at the training ground at six tomorrow morning."
With that, she led the way and explained as they walked:
"The horse girl sharing your room is in the hospital for a few days due to health reasons. She won't be back for now. No need to mind it too much."
In the dorm area, Stardust Mirage found that, as befits Central Tracen Academy, the facilities were impressive. The rooms were doubles, but nearly 70 square meters, with full bath, and equipped with TV, phone, computer, and other appliances.
Remarkably, along the center wall sat a dedicated workbench for shoeing racing spikes.
Bright windows, clean carpets—compared to any place she'd lived in this world so far, this was much better.
Tazuna briefly explained dorm requirements, then had clothes and daily necessities delivered before leaving.
Stardust Mirage didn't need her to keep her company. Ever since she decided to race, she'd lived independently—often scrounging food, even freeloading off Oguri Cap for seventeen straight days.
She made the bed, hung clothes in the wardrobe, glanced at the opposite, empty bed with a Symboli Rudolf plush on it, then did a simple clean and stopped.
When everything was in order, she stood at the window and looked at the dimming sky. She knew perfectly well:
From the moment she arrived at Central Tracen Academy, brand-new challenges had begun.
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