Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

The voice on the other end of the phone was slightly weak but gentle.

“Stardust, I’ll be happy as long as you do your job as an older sister. But you don’t need to send the prize money home. I heard from the uncle in town that the horse racing competition requires a lot of money…”

"It's okay, I'm fine here!"

Stardust Illusion quickly interrupted, and although they weren't speaking face-to-face, she still subconsciously smiled in an attempt to reassure the other person.

"It's not time for your family to need financial assistance yet." The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly became serious.

“Stardust, I was really happy when you told me a month ago that you wanted to participate in Uma Musume. It was the first time you had seriously told me that you wanted to do something. I believe you can succeed.”

"But what if I become a burden to you at this time?"

“I have never felt that my sister has been a burden to me; on the contrary, this matter is my motivation.”

Stardust Illusion immediately refuted the other party's statement.

Although she was just someone who had transmigrated to this world, Stardust Illusion had seen everything her sister had done for her since she arrived.

Even at this point, her sister was still thinking of her...

"Standing on that field, I really felt the joy of running, but running just for the sake of joy will not get you anywhere."

Stardust Illusion reminisced about the competition from a while back and poured out her thoughts to her sister on the other end of the phone.

"The weight of the Emperor of the East Sea's steps far exceeds that of mine; it's determined by the amount he carries. So... carrying the responsibilities of my sister and family will only make me run faster, it's definitely not a burden!"

"Stardust..."

"Well said! Only racehorses with enough weight in their steps deserve that highest honor!"

A stylishly dressed old man with a white beard, wearing sunglasses, suddenly came over and sat down opposite them, continuing Stardust Illusion's words.

Meanwhile, at the counter, she saw a white-haired racehorse girl who had arrived at some unknown time, carrying more than a dozen bowls of food in each hand as she walked towards them.

Stardust Illusion quickly apologized to the sister on the other end of the phone, then hung up and stood up to bow to the two visitors.

"I presume you two are Oguri Hat and trainer Rokuhei Ginjiro?"

The old woman might not be able to recognize him, but Oguri Hat's familiar appearance and figure were the most familiar to her. Not to mention that before she transmigrated, Hat God was her most frequently used role.

Even after time travel, the horse girl who shows the Christmas Night Runner to the Stardust Illusion is still the Oguri Hat Christmas version.

Not to mention that the racehorse girl in front of her has brought over at least ten times her usual amount of food. Who else could this be but the gluttonous Oguri Hat?

The old man, Rokuhei Ginjiro, was very polite. He reached out and helped up the Stardust Illusion, then burst into laughter:

"Hahaha, I didn't expect her to be such a young girl."

He casually took a plate of food from Xiao Limao's hand and placed it on the table. Despite his advanced age, his strength was surprisingly reliable; he lifted the plate piled high with food with one hand without any sign of trembling.

"Come on, Oguri, say hello to the Stardust Illusion too."

——!

The moment Oguri Hat looked at him, Stardust Illusion felt his heart suddenly tighten for a moment.

But before fear could even set in, the feeling vanished without a trace. All that could be seen was Little Chestnut Hat turning his head with a blank, adorable expression, his cheeks bulging high, mumbling indistinctly:

"Land Tiger, oh dear! (Hello, I'm Little Chestnut Hat)"

Is this the monster on the field...?

Stardust Illusion and the two people opposite her sat back down at the same time. Without saying a word, Oguri Hat picked up her rice bowl and started pouring it into her mouth, while the old man opposite her smiled at her in a friendly manner.

"Let's get straight to the point. I hope you don't mind, because we don't have much time, so we can only talk during dinner."

The old man said this.

"Regarding the video of your debut battle in Stardust Illusion, Xiaoli, another trainer, and I have repeatedly checked it. That running style is indeed very suitable for Xiaoli. Even my good-for-nothing nephew thought you were Xiaoli's apprentice."

"This running style..."

Stardust Illusion didn't know how to explain to the two people in front of him that the Holy Night Runner skill from the system was clearly from the same school as Oguri Hat's original self. He couldn't very well shamelessly say that he had figured it out himself, could he?

You've misunderstood.

Seeing the horse girl's troubled expression, Ginjiro quickly waved his hand, "I didn't mean to ask about the origin of this running style, I was just expressing my admiration."

In Rokuhei's eyes, the way this racehorse girl ran was so perfectly in sync with Oguri Hat's was probably because she had secretly observed Oguri Hat's every race to achieve such a similarity.

Her current awkwardness clearly indicates that she is embarrassed to explain the situation, but the horse racing world never prevents female racers from learning from each other; in fact, it encourages such behavior.

Only in this way can the speed of the racehorses be continuously improved, creating more and more exciting races.

"In short, I need to ask you to teach that running technique to Oguri. As for any needs you have regarding Stardust Illusion, we will do our best to meet them. Even if we cannot meet them, we will find someone else to do it for us."

Rokuhei Ginjiro was determined to master this running technique.

After nearly sweeping Central in the previous two years, Oguri Hattori's injuries greatly affected her performance in the third year, resulting in poor results. Therefore, she decided that this year's Arima Kinen would be her last race.

This retirement match was also Oguri Sae's third Arima Kinen match. It was Oguri Sae's own decision because she felt she needed to push herself to possibly break through to a higher level.

As her trainer, Rokuhei Ginjiro absolutely did not want Oguri Hat to have any regrets. Rokuhei would seize any opportunity that could help her become stronger.

"My conditions are very simple. Since you need me to teach Oguri Hat that special running technique, I also hope that you two can guide me in running training, anything is fine."

Stardust Illusion stated the conditions it had prepared long ago.

After studying the system for some time, she realized that although raising this racehorse girl wouldn't make her reach the top overnight, as long as she persisted in various training sessions and spent a certain amount of time, she could improve her basic stats.

Furthermore, depending on the intensity and adaptability of the training, the attributes increased in the same amount of time will also vary—this is a conclusion she reached after testing the teaching materials recruited by local colleges and comparing the results of her own haphazard practice.

Therefore, if you want to achieve your goal and defeat the East Sea Emperor on the stage of the classic triple crown, you must get the best training methods and sparring partners.

These are the two people in front of them: the Heisei monster Oguri Hat, and the trainer who single-handedly cultivated this best-of-the-year horse girl, Rokuhei Ginjiro.

"Huh?" A glint flashed in Rokuhei Ginjiro's eyes, and he laughed heartily. "I didn't expect that it would be this old man who has his eye on me, and he even wants Oguri as his sparring partner."

“No problem, but she can’t be distracted before Oguri’s match, so only I can spare the time to make a training plan for you.”

"As for sparring partners, we won't refuse anymore after she finishes her final Arima Kinen match, right, Oguri?"

Oguri Hat struggled to escape from the sea of ​​food, nodding vigorously in agreement with Rokuhei's words.

Chapter Fifteen: Running Training with Oguri Hat

In the afternoon, at the Nagoya horse training ground.

Stardust Illusion originally wanted to start the training plan the next day, but Rokuhei Ginjiro wanted to start learning the Holy Night Runner running method immediately, so the three of them came here after finishing their meal.

This place has been booked by Grandpa Rokuhei to prevent the training details of Oguri Hat from being leaked, and Stardust Illusion can also enjoy the treatment of a top-tier racehorse girl.

"After you finish your warm-up exercises, you'll need to do a parallel running drill with Oguri. You know what parallel running drills are, right?"

After spending a few hours together, Stardust Illusion discovered that the seemingly resolute and strict Old Master Liuping was not as serious as he appeared. As long as it didn't involve Little Chestnut Hat, he mostly spoke to her in a kind and gentle manner, just like he was now.

"Should we train by running side-by-side?"

Stardust Illusion recalls memories of her previous life. In the world of Uma Musume Pretty Derby, parallel training can be simply understood as a mode in which race girls train together, but the purpose is not to compete for first place, but to learn from each other.

"But the difference between me and Oguri Hat..."

Stardust Illusion was also self-aware. Even in a training match, she was worlds apart from Oguri Hattori, who was currently at her peak and preparing to challenge for the Arima Kinen Championship. So she hesitated before answering.

"It's okay, Xiaoli will run with you. The main purpose this time is to let her see your running style while running alongside you. You can also learn some experience from her, right?"

The little chestnut hat, which had been folded up and pressed against the ground, seemed to hear its name mentioned. It looked up and stared blankly at the two people talking, its ears twitching as if asking: What are you talking about?

"Kuri, during the parallel running training later, you need to stay behind or beside the Stardust Illusion for the last 200 meters. You are not allowed to overtake it. Is that alright?"

Liu Ping asked this question.

"No problem, I will study hard."

When the topic turned to running, the naivety on Xiao Lima's face lessened considerably. She nodded and continued to stretch her supple body.

Seeing Oguri's exaggerated and graceful warm-up movements, Stardust Illusion couldn't help but think of another horse girl who was called a genius because of her flexibility...

"Isn't it soft?" Liu Ping, standing to the side, seemed to have read her mind and explained:

"Generally speaking, if a racehorse girl's body reaches the flexibility of Oguri, it will greatly help her running. It can be said to be a ticket to G1 class. However, it is also prone to injury."

"Oguri Kasa has suffered multiple injuries for various reasons during her third year of competition, which is the main reason why we decided to make Arima Kinen her retirement race. After retiring, she can continue to run in the Dream Cup, which is blessed by the three goddesses, so that her body will not be in such trouble as it is now."

“Injuries…?” Recalling the East Sea Emperor’s originally troubled competition career, Stardust Illusion realized that being flexible was just a double-edged sword.

Her systematized body, ironically, became an absolute guarantee against injury and illness, which could be considered her unique advantage—by the way, there seems to be a panacea reward in the system mission?

"Alright, we're almost ready, let's start the gate process."

After confirming that the two were warming up, Liu Ping led them to the gate.

The training ground here was built entirely according to the standards of the racing association. It can be said that this track is the standard track for a 1600m good track counterclockwise winter race.

As Stardust Illusion and Oguri Hat entered the gate one after the other, she instantly felt Oguri Hat's aura suddenly change, as if a dragon about to awaken was standing there.

This is... the one I sensed before!

Stardust Illusion instantly recalled the chilling fear he felt when he first saw Oguri Hat in the store, and the suffocating feeling as if he were being choked when he saw Rudolph's Symbol.

Is this the pressure of being a top-tier female racehorse?!

"Then, both of you, get ready."

Standing to the side, Grandpa Liuping held up his right hand, pointing at the two men, and used the button to control the gate.

"Three, two, one... Go!"

boom!

Stardust Illusion and Little Chestnut Hat started moving at the same time. Their right feet touched the grass, and with a burst of air, the two figures shot out of the gate like arrows!

Oguri Hat's exit speed was even slightly higher than Stardust Illusion's, but she immediately adjusted her speed, allowing Stardust Illusion to pass her.

Stardust Illusion was secretly amazed; she was actually quite confident in her speed at exiting the gate.

As it turned out, Oguri Hat's exit speed was indeed not faster than hers, but Oguri Hat seized the moment the gate opened and gained a slight lead in exit time.

Concentration, or single-mindedness?

Stardust Illusion secretly speculated about the skills that Oguri Hat might possess.

She was now running at near-maximum speed, while Little Chestnut Hat was running effortlessly on the outer track.