I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

If Kitahara Shinji were facing someone else at this moment, they would probably ask with a bewildered expression, "Why?" in response to his bizarre request.

But after frowning for a moment, Tsuna Sugawa spoke again.

"Trainer Kitahara, do you have any plans in this regard?"

Shinji Kitahara nodded: "There are some, but it's not convenient to say."

Junkawa Tezuna pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, I trust your judgment, Trainer Kitahara. But if you find anything wrong or encounter any trouble, just contact me directly."

"must."

Shinji Kitahara immediately agreed.

After chatting for a while longer, and feeling that the chairman's anger had subsided, Tsuna got up and left Shinji Kitahara's dormitory to report back to the chairman.

As for Kitahara Shinji, after Surugawa Tetsuya left, he opened his phone, scrolled through his chat history with Hisadou Kazuya, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

This is another operation by the black market...

I wonder what they're planning to do this time...

In fact, by the end of January, Hisato Kazuya had almost confirmed that the smear campaign against Kitahara Shinji was orchestrated by people in the 'black market,' which also matched his previous statement that someone in the 'black market' was targeting him.

The problem is that although it has been clarified that there are people operating a 'black market' behind these articles, Hisadou is still unclear about what these people are specifically trying to do or what their purpose is.

The only thing he could assure Shinji Kitahara was that the 'black market's' purpose could not possibly be simply to attack him.

After all, based on Hisato Kazuya's understanding, the current 'black market' is basically a huge fan group of Kitahara Shinji. Let alone smearing him, even if someone attacks him, this group of people will stand up and argue with the other person for a long time.

Is it another attack on Treson? Or is there some deeper, hidden purpose?

Shinji Kitahara didn't know.

But he knew this was a good opportunity to go fishing.

After all, if things continue like this, and the other party wants to continue to smear him more effectively, they will eventually connect with the anti-Northern Plains forces under his command, and then they might be able to find some clues.

As for whether letting this matter escalate will affect his reputation...

Just kidding, he'd love for the other person to smear his reputation, okay?

If he hadn't known that the other party's target wasn't actually him, he wouldn't have even bothered with the investigation; he might have already joined this group and become a leading figure against Kitahara.

However, although this incident improved Kitahara Shinji's mood considerably, another matter that followed gave him a headache.

Shinji Kitahara glanced at the message he received on his phone, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed.

"Sure enough, these kids are all preparing for the classic triple crown..."

Chapter 237: If I said no, would you believe me?

The classic Triple Crown mentioned by Shinji Kitahara, in JP, refers to the three races that Madoka Magica can participate in during her second year as a professional.

Satsuki Sho, the Japanese Derby, and the Chrysanthemum Sho.

These three races are arguably the three most prestigious races in all of Japan. Winning even one of them would cement one's status as a legendary horse girl of our time.

If a horse can win all three races, it will be awarded the "Triple Crown," the highest honor recognized in the world of horse racing girls and the highest achievement that horse racing girls in Japan can attain.

Although in previous years, a certain "Emperor" broke this record single-handedly without relying on trainers, achieving an undefeated record (meaning no losses before achieving the Triple Crown), and first proposed the concept of "undefeated Triple Crown", thus setting a new upper limit for the Triple Crown.

However, it is undeniable that both the Triple Crown winner and the undefeated Triple Crown winner are legendary figures among legends, and the ultimate dream of the vast majority of female horse racers.

Logically speaking, trainers should be happy to know that their horses want to participate in the Triple Crown.

After all, it was a classic triple crown. Even just participating, let alone winning, and competing on the same stage with what is arguably the strongest female racehorses of our time, is enough to make one proud.

If she is lucky enough to win one of them, not only will the winning horse girl become a legend, but the trainer who nurtured her will also reap great rewards.

Moreover, compared to material gains, trainers actually value the victory of their horses more.

It's like nurturing a tiny seedling into a towering tree after going through a series of storms and hardships.

Even if you don't gain anything, just standing below and watching will naturally bring a sense of happiness and satisfaction, which can be said to be a better reward than material gains.

But...

Although the things mentioned above sound very nice and beautiful, and are indeed in line with reality, there is a problem that is often overlooked.

For example, like those traditional legends, they often end abruptly after the hero defeats the dragon, at most writing that he and the princess live happily ever after.

The reason for this tradition is not that the author did not want to continue writing, but that the greatest evil had been defeated, and the adventures that followed were nothing compared to the previous dragons.

The same applies to the Triple Crown horse.

After winning the triple crown, they could be considered the pinnacle of Uma Musume.

They've already won the highest honor, so no matter what they win or lose in future matches, they won't feel much satisfaction anymore. Even if they slack off, no one will question their strength.

While they haven't completely lost their motivation to compete, they certainly aren't as obsessed with racing and winning as they were before winning the three titles.

In addition, after winning the Triple Crown, it will be the third year after their debut, a period of decline for most female horses. Compared to continuing to pursue the peak, the most important thing is to ensure a smooth end to their legend.

Now, please close your eyes and think about it with your toes.

With this wish fulfilled, a female racehorse's career complete, the decline period approaching, emotions gradually becoming unstable, and a life of financial security with virtually no worries, what else can female racehorses pursue?

The answer is obvious.

As mentioned before, outsiders treat Triple Crown Girl like a legendary story.

After the hero defeated the dragon and the horse girl achieved victory, the story essentially came to an end.

But for Treisen's seasoned trainers, after achieving three titles, or even just one, the challenge lies ahead.

They would quietly book pelvic bone treatment beds in advance for their juniors who were still basking in the joy of victory and unaware of what was to come, and then wait for that trainer to be assigned to his destined bed.

However, this was not what Shinji Kitahara was worried about.

Although many other three-time champion trainers, and even one-time champion trainers, ended up in the hospital afterward, and a few ended up in the basement.

However, Shinji Kitahara believed that his relationships with the female horse girls under his name were all normal, so he did not have any concerns in this regard—at least that's what he thought.

His concern was that he already had four female horses registered for the classic Triple Crown race that year, which was practically an internal battle within the team, something that had never happened before.

After all, other trainers usually only have two or three horse girls under their command, and the horse girls in the teams that lead teams are of varying quality and are generally not from the same cohort.

In addition, the high entry threshold of the Triple Crown as the highest level of competition basically eliminates the possibility of internal competition among horses under the same trainer.

As for Shinji Kitahara, not only does he have four fellow G1 girls in his team, but last year they also won many impressive victories and booked all the first-year G1 events, making them all eligible to attend the Satsuki Sho.

Now, after surveying their willingness to participate, as Shinji Kitahara had predicted, all the children have set their sights on the challenge of the classic triple crown.

This caused Shinji Kitahara to worry so much that he almost lost his hair.

Putting aside the attention he might receive after winning the game, the internal conflict within the team is no small matter.

Previously, due to the large number of competitions, Shinji Kitahara had been consciously spreading out the children to compete, partly to allow them to maximize their performance and win more championships.

On the other hand, it is also to prevent internal team conflicts caused by the outcome of the game.

Although horse girls generally have good personalities, horse racing is, after all, a competitive sport, and while they have good personalities, they also have a strong desire to win.

Not to mention that some contestants come with their own buffs, such as the Mejiro family's obsessive-compulsive attribute of winning the Emperor's Prize (for various reasons, the entire family seeks to win the Emperor's Prize again and places their hopes on each generation).

For example, the Imperial Palace might be driven by a desire for the undefeated treble sought by Rudolph, or by other external or internal reasons, leading to a frenzied pursuit of victories in a few specific matches...

It could be said that if a female horseman won against these female horses in those crucial matches, it would be even more painful for them than killing them.

What's worse is that if the person who beats them is also their own teammate, and they lose, they have to throw a victory party for her, and then have to see her constantly in front of them for the rest of the time...

To be honest, even Shinji Kitahara himself finds it hard to accept this situation, let alone those female horse girls.

But you think this is the worst?

No, not yet.

This might be the worst-case scenario for most trainers, but it's different for Shinji Kitahara.

Because, in his party, there was a female horse named Necha.

In itself, Necha's running style is already bad enough that he has no friends.

If they manage to stop you in such a crucial competition, not only will the woman who was stopped suffer, but the blood pressure of the viewers watching the broadcast on TV will probably rise, and some lucky viewers with high blood pressure might even be sent to the hospital.

"I should never have raised slugs..."

Shinji Kitahara sighed, but knew that there was no use in regretting it.

Although he knew that if he went to talk to her properly, he could probably get her to give up the classic three-crown.

Moreover, there was also the Mare Triple Crown during the same period, which was slightly inferior to the classic Triple Crown. Although its prestige was slightly less, without those outrageous teammates, Shinji Kitahara was guaranteed to help her win the Mare Triple Crown.

But the question is, why?

Just because she's a gatekeeper? Just because she's an inside man? Just because she might affect the team's atmosphere?

But these are not things she should be thinking about. She is just a racehorse girl, and all she needs to do is run as fast as she can. As for the rest, that is his responsibility as an adult.

Let's find an opportunity to give them some psychological counseling beforehand, at least to prepare them before the competition and avoid any problems afterward...

Let's also investigate our rivals from the same period. Although I feel there won't be any surprises given their strength, the trainers still need to fulfill their responsibilities...

Furthermore, their professionalization is gradually accelerating during this special week, requiring changes to their training plan and preparation for the upcoming basic matches...

After roughly finalizing the next plan, Shinji Kitahara got up and left the dormitory, preparing to have a heart-to-heart talk with the four kids who were about to participate in the competition.

However, although he decided to have a heart-to-heart talk, Shinji Kitahara did not first look for Naichi, who seemed to be in the most serious condition, but placed her third, and then went straight to Alice's laboratory.

The reason for this arrangement is not that Shinji Kitahara wanted to persecute Nachi, but simply that he wanted to start with the easiest solutions, finish the easier ones as quickly as possible, and then concentrate on solving the serious and complex ones.

As for Alice, the reason she challenged the classic triple crown was simply because she was confident in her abilities, and she didn't have any particular obsession with winning or losing. So Shinji Kitahara approached her first and explained his purpose.

As Shinji Kitahara had predicted, Reiwako didn't seem to care much about the matter, stating directly that she didn't care who won, but...

"I can assure you that I will give my all in the match, and I will have no complaints about the outcome afterward, whatever it may be."

Swinging her excessively long sleeves, Alice blinked, a strange glint in her red pupils.

"But Mr. Guinea Pig, look how well-behaved and cooperative I am with you, shouldn't I show you some other kind of appreciation?"

As she spoke, she lifted her feet and placed them on Shinji Kitahara's thighs, rubbing them gently against each other.

Having grown accustomed to being teased, Shinji Kitahara didn't react much to her behavior. He slapped her foot down with a hint of disgust before speaking up helplessly.

"So what do you want? Let me make it clear first, I'm quite busy lately and don't have time to test the medicine on you."

"What happens after that?"

"I didn't have time afterwards either."

"whispering sound."

After clicking her tongue in disdain, Alice thought for a moment.

"Well then, I've used you for drug testing enough lately, and I have enough data from human trials, but the problem is that I'm still lacking in horse-like data..."

Shinji Kitahara frowned: "You want someone else to test the drug for you?"

Alice nodded, then shook her head.

"Yes and no. It's not just about drug trials, but more about testing and data collection. And it's best to use top-notch horse girls, like... triple crown horse girls."

"Of course, I swear in the name of the Three Goddesses that I will guarantee her safety."

Upon hearing this, Shinji Kitahara raised an eyebrow.

Good grief, losing is fine, but winning means I have to be her guinea pig... Is she playing mind games here?

Perhaps because the suspicion on Kitahara Shinji's face was too obvious, Alice paused for a few seconds before explaining.

"Don't worry, I won't mention this before the competition, and I won't ask you to help me. Just don't obstruct me. As for the rest, I'll offer enough compensation to the winner in exchange for her voluntary cooperation with my research... Is that alright?"

That does sound pretty good.

Shinji Kitahara thought about it and felt that if this method could ensure the safety of the horse girls cooperating with the research, it might not be unacceptable.

However, even though he thought there was no problem with what Alice said, considering her unreliable behavior in the past, Shinji Kitahara ultimately did not completely agree to her request.

Instead, while agreeing to her request, he indicated that he would have to see how she behaved and had the right to stop her behavior at any time. He only felt at ease after Alice reluctantly agreed.

Then, after talking with Alice, someone from the tea house came looking for Alice.

Since the tea house didn't have any compelling reason or obsession to win the classic triple crown, Shinji Kitahara's conversation with her went very smoothly, and he calmed her down in no time.