"Still not taking a break?"
At the training grounds of Paris Tracen Academy, Minghuajia sipped from her cup of coffee and had to admit that this batch her trainer had brought back really was excellent. If she ever got the chance, she was definitely going to make Fei Bohua bring her back more of this brand.
"A break?" Shijiaji shot her a look full of irritation. "Minghuajia, just look at yourself. If you keep this up, there won't even be any challenge in me beating you anymore."
"Oh?"
Minghuajia rolled her eyes at her junior. This girl really was all bark. She had just been thoroughly schooled by her yesterday, and today she could still shamelessly say something like that.
"Shijiaji, I think you've already forgotten that you tried your hardest yesterday and still couldn't catch me. And that was after I'd already finished training, while you'd only just warmed up. If your best can't beat a just-finished-training me, maybe stop bragging for a while."
Minghuajia thought her junior was getting a little too full of herself. Ever since she had gotten that necklace from the Japanese trainer—the one that could suppress the burden of the Three Goddesses' blessings—Shijiaji had accepted two more blessings. Because of the lesson she had learned before, she had stopped increasing the number any further, but in Minghuajia's eyes...
Power gained purely from outside sources was nothing but a castle built in the air. It could push a horse girl to the peak for a while, but it could never keep her standing at the top of the world forever. Only sweat and struggle, piled up over time, could forge a truly great horse girl.
After debuting for three years already, Shijiaji still had not understood that. To be honest, Minghuajia was a little disappointed. But what could she do? Shijiaji had already found her own path. She was piling up win after win again, setting off wave after wave of frenzy in France and across Europe. People worshipped her, which only fed her arrogance even more, to the point that she kept challenging Minghuajia again and again.
At that thought, Minghuajia raised her eyes slightly. The truth was, she herself had already started thinking about moving up to the Dream Cup League. She had already achieved everything there was to achieve in the Twinkle Series; staying any longer felt meaningless. Only by challenging those legendary horse girls could she awaken even greater ambition in herself.
She looked toward the far side of the track. A familiar horse girl was sitting in the stands again, as punctual as ever, coming every single day to watch training. From what she had heard, this girl was one of the strongest contenders in this year's Classic campaign.
Still... that child's talent...
Minghuajia gave the girl in the stands a long look. She might well become France's strongest Classic-year horse girl this season.
But in the end, she would probably never become one of the truly strongest horse girls in the world.
With a quiet sigh, Minghuajia thought about the possibility of facing Offside Trap herself in some future race, and her head started to ache a little.
No one wanted to make an enemy of a "madwoman." That was how Minghuajia saw it.
Especially when that madwoman's trainer seemed, if anything, even more unhinged.
At that thought, she suddenly remembered something and called out to the girl already halfway through her run.
"Oh right, Xiao Ji—what time was their flight supposed to arrive again?"
"Huh? Wah—ah! Damn it, Minghuajia, why are you only reminding me now? I'm going to be late!"
Her shrill complaint made Minghuajia cover her face.
This junior of hers really was a headache in every possible way. Training, interviews, everything.
Trainer, when exactly are you coming back?
At the airport entrance, Offside Trap's expression had slowly shifted from excitement and anticipation when she first got off the plane, to blank calm by now. Shinji could see the anxiety on her face and could even vaguely sense the irritation building up inside her.
She had told him that she had arranged for Shijiaji to come pick them up, so there was no need to take a taxi to Paris Tracen Academy. But looking at the sea of people outside the airport, Shinji honestly felt like his legs were starting to get sore from standing there.
"To be honest, I think we should just grab a taxi and go..."
In the end, he repeated what he had already said once before. He was not stupid. Since they had not seen Shijiaji, and given her personality, it obviously was not because she had deliberately stood them up.
He guessed she must have run into something, or at least some kind of accident. Which was exactly why he thought it would be better to head to the academy first. On top of that, she had not replied to any messages at all, which only made him more certain something had come up.
"I'm mostly just worried... worried she might already be on the way..."
Offside Trap lowered her head even further. Because of her stubbornness, her trainer had already been standing here with her for ages.
Of course she felt guilty. But every time, she still had this strange feeling that Shijiaji would arrive any moment now.
Even though that "any moment" had already dragged on for far too long.
"She still hasn't replied?"
Shinji was not really focused on whether or not Shijiaji was already on the road. He was just trying to remind Offside Trap that he was not blaming her friend or questioning her decision. He simply meant that getting to Paris Tracen Academy sooner would probably matter more to them now.
"Not yet."
Offside Trap's head drooped even lower. Shinji had the distinct feeling that if Shijiaji took any longer, she was going to bury her whole face in the pavement.
"Xiao Yue!"
The sudden shout made quite a few people waiting for their flights turn in surprise—because the one waving at Offside Trap from the crowd was none other than Shijiaji herself, the horse girl who had been setting France and Europe ablaze with one sensation after another.
The atmosphere immediately showed signs of descending into chaos, but fortunately everyone still had enough self-control not to truly lose order. At most, the crowd grew more packed, while security personnel appeared at once and people hurried to preserve what little memory of the moment they could.
Offside Trap visibly relaxed. Watching Shijiaji come running over, she turned to look at Shinji. He caught the apology in her eyes and just smiled faintly, letting her know he did not mind.
"You finally made it. Why are you so late?"
Because Shinji was there, even Offside Trap's mild reproach carried a little edge to it. Her tone was not especially harsh, but Shijiaji still immediately put on a guilty smile and apologized three times in a row.
"...I didn't mean to! I just didn't realize I'd get that into training. By the time I noticed the time during a break, we were already really late. So even though we drove like maniacs on the highway, we still ended up late!"
There was even a bit of coquettish pleading in her voice. She knew full well this was her fault, so she hurried to admit it. But the reason she was late really was too embarrassing to admit outright, so she tried to muddle through it.
Unfortunately, Offside Trap let out a heavy huff, making it clear that this incident was not so easily forgotten.
"And another thing—why did you tell people in an interview what that necklace my trainer gave you does...?"
Her eyes landed on the necklace around Shijiaji's neck, and she remembered the scene in the Chairwoman's office that day. Akikawa Yayoi had looked at Shinji with obvious anticipation. After all, there were many horse girls in the academy who suffered under the burden of the Three Goddesses' blessings. If they could figure out where something like that necklace came from, Yayoi thought it would absolutely be worth spending resources to buy or trade for one.
At the time, Offside Trap had worried the whole thing might end up causing Shinji trouble. But his answer had put her at ease.
"Chairwoman, if I still had another one, I'd have given it to Briar by now. I only happened to get that necklace by chance in the first place, and I didn't even know what it did. I saw that Shijiaji liked it, and since she's one of Xiao Yue's friends, I just gave it to her. As for the part about it suppressing the burden of the Three Goddesses' blessings—if I'd known that, there's no way I would have simply handed it over. It's not like what Shijiaji said, where I knowingly gave her something with that effect."
"It was just a way of making our relationship sound closer."
The memory of Shinji's calm voice was still clear. He had spoken so fluently and convincingly that even the Chairwoman had nodded in acceptance. And honestly, she had had no reason to doubt him. If he had really known the necklace did that, there was no reason he would have given it away so casually.
Shijiaji, meanwhile, looked utterly lost under Offside Trap's questioning. After fumbling for a moment, she finally asked carefully, "Was that not something I was supposed to say? I thought it wouldn't really matter that much..."
"It's because she never thinks before she acts," Minghuajia said flatly. She seemed to understand perfectly why Offside Trap had asked. The helplessness on her face made Shijiaji glance uncertainly at Shinji. "Something with that kind of effect isn't rare on our side, so saying it out loud doesn't cause much of a stir. That's all."
That, at least, made sense. Offside Trap had heard of how much more common such things were on the European side.
"You're wondering whether it caused trouble back home, right?"
In the end, Shinji took over the conversation himself. When horse girls had to rely on translation apps to communicate, things really could become a nuisance. With the crowd beginning to gather again around them, Shinji felt it would be better to get to the academy quickly.
Led by Shijiaji, they went to the parking area. Predictably enough, her car was every bit as flashy as its owner—painted a bright, gaudy pink.
It was a bit sweeter-looking than Shinji had expected. In his mind, Shijiaji ought to have preferred something sleek and cool. This pink car had absolutely nothing to do with "cool."
Fortunately, Paris Tracen Academy was not very far, and Shijiaji got them there quickly enough. As the car sped along the road, horse girls on either side kept turning to stare. Shinji could see it clearly: Shijiaji's reputation inside the academy was not small at all. And that car, that absurdly pink car, certainly helped.
They had barely stepped out before Shijiaji was already challenging Offside Trap. With exaggerated confidence, she declared that French turf was completely different from Japanese turf, and that no matter how strong Offside Trap was, there was no way she could win her first training match here.
Shinji caught Offside Trap's awkward-but-polite smile. Before she could answer, Minghuajia's forehead twitched, and in the next instant she drove a fist straight into Shijiaji's head.
"OW—!"
The yelp echoed all around them. Shijiaji glared at her in fury, unable to understand why she had just been hit.
"They're obviously going to pay a formal visit first. How could they possibly go straight into a training match with you? Use your brain for once. Do you think everyone's like you, making the first thing they do in a new place finding a training ground?"
Under that explanation, Shijiaji knew she had no real comeback. Sulking, she puffed out her cheeks and rubbed her head where she had been hit. The sight made Shinji laugh.
"I'll take you to the student council first," Minghuajia said, lifting a brow at Offside Trap. "I'm not sure yet where you'll be staying afterward. There's a hotel right across from the academy, and it's very suitable for you."
Offside Trap, who had not caught the full nuance, scratched her head in confusion.
"This way," Minghuajia said, turning and leading them onward.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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