Uma Musume no Nama no Nichijou (Horse Girl), First and foremost

However, as soon as Kitahara asked this question, Shibasaki looked at him with the eyes of someone observing a primitive creature: "How could you think that when we're aiming to defeat Oguri Hat, we'd still want to challenge Central Uma Musume?"

He spoke lightly, but Shibasaki didn't reveal all the other details.

If she hadn't overcome her mental hurdle and won against Oguri Hat in the previous Chukyo Cup, she might have chosen to give up the race.

After all, she still failed to get revenge despite being trained by Central Racer Girls. In Fujimasa March’s view, that was a huge deficiency in her abilities, and she was naturally not suitable to continue running.

She can lose to Central Racem Girls, but she can't lose to Oguri Hattori, who is also a regional racemistress...

Even though her opponent was called the monster with the goose feathers, on whom the Kasamatsu group placed their hopes, she did not think it was a given that she would lose to him.

"Hahaha, that's true. Perhaps only a horse girl like Oguri Hat would make such a choice and say such a thing..."

He laughed it off, but Kitahara's next words were a complete reversal of his previous seemingly apologetic attitude. His tone was more one of relief and anticipation for the future.

"But it's this kind of chestnut hat that really fits my idea of ​​a rising star."

"To have the audacity to challenge the central government—that's far greater than my dreams..."

Clenching his fist, he could still feel the lingering effects of the practice match.

Beyond the despair brought by power, there was a great deal of exhilaration when reminiscing about the process afterward.

But just as the match ended, Golden Victory strode quickly toward them with a displeased expression.

This left Kitahara and Shibasaki, who had originally intended to congratulate or praise the other party, momentarily stunned.

Ah, this...

Shouldn't we be happy if we win?

Is there something about this Central Racecourse horse that she's not satisfied with?

"Do you think that as commentators you can simply say 'I've reached the finish line' and that's it?"

"If being a commentator is this easy, then why are you wasting your time being trainers?"

Faced with Golden Victory's dissatisfaction with off-field events, the two trainers had nothing to say and dared not refute it, and could only keep bowing and apologizing.

So, just a few seconds later, when Oguri Hat and Fujimasa were walking towards them after their breath had subsided, they saw a very strange scene before them.

That was the image of his own trainer bowing and apologizing profusely to the Gold Saint who had just defeated him.

The two horse girls instantly fell into a state of confusion.

Did their own trainer offend the legendary Golden Victory?

"Um... what happened?" Out of caution and knowing the person next to him, Fujisaka Masamune quickly asked Golden Victory.

The girl next to her, with her low emotional intelligence and the obvious question on her face, was clearly asking, "Why are you bullying Kitahara?" If she were to say it out loud, it would only make things worse.

Judging from the awkward look in the eyes of the newly emerged Radiant One who was also watching the battle, Fujisei March knew that the trainer's side was definitely in the wrong.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing." When Golden Victory saw the two spiky horse girls coming over, the anger that had just surfaced vanished instantly, and his face was replaced by a caring smile: "Take a bath and rest for a bit, and then we'll go out to eat together. You both did a great job, I'm very satisfied."

To be able to vaguely grasp the direction of one's future skill development in a practice match is, in Golden Victory's view, a kind of amazing talent.

Of course, it's also possible that they lacked sufficient instruction before the competition, and could only rely on the trainer's verbal instruction and some knowledge from books to explore.

This forces them to rely on mutual imitation and learning to find their own talent direction in competitions or practice matches against strong opponents.

As competitive athletes, local racehorses are often not as well-suited as central racehorses, even if we exclude the resources available and the inherent advantages such as pedigree. This is still an undeniable fact.

Lacking a stage to push their limits, lacking experienced mentors, and lacking formidable rivals to inspire their progress...

Oh no, they do have that.

At least that's the case for now...

After everyone had finished showering and resting, Golden Victory then showed everyone his phone screen.

The picture shows a large store that is obviously quite spacious, with a rather upscale interior design. Judging from the food plating on the table, it should be a buffet-style restaurant.

"Here, this is the restaurant I'm taking you to. It's a buffet restaurant that specializes in serving food to female horse riders."

"Although Kasamatsu Tresen Academy provides free food for students, the school's operating costs are a factor, and the school staff don't have high expectations for local racehorse girls. In terms of food, you are inherently inferior to Central Racehorse Girls."

"So, the solution here is to go to this restaurant and have a big meal! And we need to go out for a big meal regularly from now on!"

Upon hearing about the big meal, Xiao Limao, who had just taken a shower and was feeling a bit limp and listless, suddenly became full of energy.

Upon hearing that there would be another chance to go out for a big meal, Xiao Li Mao felt her whole body instantly heat up from the inside out, and the shadow of being dumped in the previous job vanished completely.

"Golden Victory-senpai, I'm ready." For a moment, the look in the horse girl's eyes even made Golden Victory think that eating was far more important to Oguri Hat than the competition.

Hmm... it doesn't seem like it's impossible?

After all, you won't have the energy to run if you don't eat, so there's nothing wrong with prioritizing eating.

This drive is even more intense than during the competition...

How about we let her try out the competitive eating contest at Treson Academy?

If a horse can outperform Triple Crown Girl in terms of cooking ability, then by rounding up, it's practically the same as winning against Triple Crown Girl, right?

Just as the pure white horse girl was having a wild idea, someone nearby noticed the address on the screen.

"A buffet restaurant that's perfect for Uma-chan... But this one doesn't seem to be in Kasamatsu. If I don't drive there, I'll definitely waste a lot of time transferring. The main problem is that I don't have a car right now, so I'll have to find someone to borrow one."

Kitahara looked troubled as he rubbed his chin, while Shibasaki next to him also looked troubled.

For some reason, they vaguely sensed that the pure white horse girl next to them, with her slightly upturned lips and slanted expression, clearly found their answer very amusing.

Ugh...

Neither of the two men owned a car?

Seemingly understanding the disdain in Golden Victory's gaze, Kitahara, unable to bear it any longer, pointed directly at his opponent and replied:

"Hey! You! Don't think you're so great just because you're a trainer from the central government! We don't earn much, so of course we have to be frugal! Who would do something as extravagant as buying a car!"

However, the girl's next sentence broke their defenses: "That's because you almost never need to leave Kasamatsu, right? Even if you do, it's only once in a while, so I can understand why you don't need to buy a car."

Before the other party could answer, the girl in pure white horse finished speaking and immediately took out her car keys from her bright red sports jacket.

"Well, it seems there's no other way."

"Since none of you have a car, I'll have to use my car to give you a ride."

With his car keys swung up, the veteran player, Kim Seung-ri, declared to the crowd with an air of bravado.

Chapter Twenty-One: A Great Eater Since Childhood

"Sit down, sit down, please sit down."

The pure white horse girl seemed to lead a group of zombies into this buffet restaurant that catered exclusively to horse girls. The waiter was shocked, but still silently led them to a private room.

However, after they arrived and casually took a seat, Golden Victory realized that no one seemed to want to sit down.

"Could you... not talk to us yet, Miss Golden Victory... my head still hurts a little."

Covering his mouth, Shibasaki, feeling that his breakfast was almost ready, could only manage to utter what he wanted to say through gritted teeth. His already slightly thin figure became even more listless after arriving at the restaurant.

It was as if they were criminals who had just been tortured.

Kitahara next to her was in a similarly miserable state, while the racehorse girls were in slightly better condition, but they too dared not sit down.

There was nothing I could do; the psychological trauma had been compounded, and the thought of having to go back later...

With one very few exceptions, they have now completely lost their appetite.

Why are we going to board that... no, that terrifying monster...?

Thinking of this, they immediately looked angrily and with a shared sense of vengeance at the two trainers who did not have a car.

It's because you guys don't have a car on hand!

That would have been worse than us running here ourselves!

Kitahara and Shibasaki felt very aggrieved as they felt the gaze directed at them.

If they had known it would turn out this way, they would have shamelessly asked Principal Kasamatsu to borrow the car.

Kitahara noticed that although his own horse, with its goose-feathered coat, was also standing still, it didn't look as uncomfortable as the others: "Um, Oguri-hat, are you alright?"

"...I'm a little hungry."

Upon hearing Oguri's overwhelmingly powerful answer, everyone except for Golden Victory fell silent instantly and remained so for several seconds.

"Haha, then sit down quickly. It's just the first time you've felt unwell. Otherwise, we can go buy some motion sickness medicine first. Let's eat first."

As he spoke, Golden Victory immediately asked the waiter to tell them the prices and menu items.

"Two hundred thousand per person... wow... this is probably the most expensive meal I've ever had."

Kitahara was shocked by the price, but Shibasaki immediately corrected his colleague:

"Two hundred thousand is the price for the horse girl, while the cost for an ordinary human is forty thousand, which is one-fifth of the horse girl's price... However, the price of this buffet is indeed a bit expensive compared to other restaurants. I don't know if this place is worth it."

His words were somewhat blunt, after all, he was considering things from the perspective of a trainer.

As Fujimasa's trainer, Shibasaki doesn't consider such an expense a luxury if it's worthwhile.

After all, as Golden Victory had mentioned before, there are also differences in the food between the central and local areas. If one's food is inferior to that of their opponent, it seems difficult to continue the competition.

The waiter, however, professionally explained Shibasaki's muttered remark:

"Ah, after all, we specialize in providing food that is highly praised even by professional horse girls. The chef in charge used to work as a cafeteria worker at Central Teresen Academy, so both the nutrition and the taste are guaranteed. Please rest assured that the restaurant's prices are fair."

Hearing the waiter's introduction, Golden Victory chimed in, "Oh, I've eaten here in other places, and it's really not bad. It's a good option if you're tired of the usual school food and want to try something different, but the price is a real test for the girls' wallets."

"Of course, most of the time it's not the racehorse herself that gets tested, but the trainer's wallet."

As he said this, a cunning glint gradually appeared in his eyes.

He said he was going to treat me to a meal or something, and as a generous senior, I would definitely do so.

But Golden Victory didn't say how many times she would treat them. Anyone with a normal mind would think that she would only treat them to this one big meal.

The two trainers were still reeling from the shock of their journey and didn't have the mental capacity to consider what kind of trap the pure white horse girl had set for them...

After taking their seats, apart from the two trainers who still looked rather unwell, the horses, who had been drawn to the food, were immediately captivated by the various delicacies on the table, and all their previous unhappiness or setbacks vanished.

The sight of several female racehorses sprinting across the dining table was truly breathtaking, especially Oguri Hat and Golden Victory, who were the most terrifying.