I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

Hearing Orn's cold words, New Radiance could only sigh again. Just as the man in front of her said, her strength was indeed the weakest.

Ornn, however, seemed to know what the chestnut-haired boy in front of him was thinking. He smiled and said, "I'm not saying you're the weakest, Radiance. I'm talking about your talent."

Chestnut Hair said dejectedly, "What's the difference between these two? My benefactor, do I just not have the talent to get on the racetrack?"

No, you do.

"Even if you don't have it, I can make it for you,"

Her brand-new, gleaming ears perked up. Although she kept her head down, a ripple of emotion began to stir within her.

Ornn said in a highly infectious tone, "You've seen my strength. If you want, I'll create a training plan that matches your determination. Haven't you been doing that all week?"

"Although your wailing has brought me a lot of bad rumors, you have persevered, haven't you?"

Chestnut Hair raised her drooping head, looked into her brown eyes, and continued, "Since you've undergone such rigorous training, it wouldn't be realistic not to reward you, would it?"

"This time, making it into the top five will be a success."

A gentle breeze blew, and after the seasons had changed, the stands at Kasamatsu Tressen were filled with people for the first time in a long time.

The students have gathered here for one reason only: because of today's competition, where Kasamatsu's Ookuou will be participating!

Oguri changed into ordinary shoes and stepped onto the sandy field once again.

Unlike the match two weeks ago, although there were many spectators last time, a pale gray shadow hung over everyone's faces, just like the gloomy sky.

There were still many people watching the game today, but one thing was different: everyone's faces were beaming with smiles, and shouts echoed from the stands towards the stadium.

"King Ouri! King Ouri! King Ouri!"

Hearing them call him by his strange nickname, Little Chestnut Hat clenched his fists involuntarily.

It wasn't anger or tension, but excitement and exhilaration.

Teng Zheng tightened her ponytail and, listening to the shouts, couldn't help but say to Xiao Li Mao beside her, "Xiao Li, in this school, your name will probably be recorded in the school's history."

"However, I will not give up the match against you because of this."

Oguri Hat laughed too, and replied with the same confident tone, "Yes, let's have a real showdown this time."

Chapter 25 Kasamatsu Tressen Derby

Shining with newfound brilliance, he somewhat awkwardly put on the jersey number required for the competition, then untied and retied his shoelaces, which had already been tied.

Whether human or horse, when extremely nervous, they always use seemingly ordinary actions to cover up their inner panic.

For example, loosening and retying shoelaces, constantly fiddling with one's hair until the ends curl slightly, or frequently going to the toilet are all ways people relieve their inner anxiety and unease.

The newly radiant woman was in the same state, her heart filled with a mixture of tension and excitement.

There were many reasons for her nervousness. After all, this was her first group test competition, and her opponents were her classmates with whom she usually got along well.

Little Chestnut Hat, Tengzheng March, Norren Ace... Her classmates were all much more talented than her, especially Little Chestnut Hat and Tengzheng March. Shining Glory was the referee for their private competition.

As a classmate and friend, she knew even more clearly just how strong Oguri Hattori was, especially after receiving training from her benefactor. The white figure running away seemed impossible for her, an ordinary chestnut-haired girl, to catch up with.

Do I... really need to step onto the competition field again?

A newfound radiance lingered in her mind, asking herself these questions. Of course, unlike in light novels, she didn't see her so-called "self," nor did she encounter anyone who looked exactly like her to interact with.

She was still herself; all she could feel was her own heartbeat quickening.

"Glory... Ah, so you're here. What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Oguri Hat opened the door to the lounge and saw Shinonome sitting in a chair, looking somewhat downcast.

When counting the participants, the judges discovered that one person was missing. They then asked Oguri Hat to go to the rest room to check if there had been any unforeseen circumstances.

She knelt down beside Chestnut Hair, her face showing concern, and asked, "What's wrong, Glorious? If you're not feeling well, then we'll go talk to Mr. Orn."

Shining Radiance shook her head and asked softly, "Little Chestnut, why did you choose to stand on the field?"

Little Chestnut Hat was taken aback by her question, but then she replied, "Me? In the beginning, it was because my mother let me come here to run freely."

“When I was little, my legs were not good. With my mother’s help, I was able to gradually stand up. So now that I have the opportunity to run, I naturally want to seize it.”

"and....."

At this point, Oguri looked down at his running shoes and suddenly laughed.

"Moreover, Mr. Orn helped me and gave me a glimpse of the colors of the top. I don't want to break my promise to him, so now I'm even more eager to step onto the competition field."

“Radiance, you’ve become even stronger than before. Mr. Orn and I both think so.”

Shining Radiance slightly raised her head. She knew that Little Chestnut Hat wasn't trying to comfort her, but rather stating what she believed to be the truth.

"What game doesn't give rewards after completing a dungeon? How much stronger you become is ultimately something you have to experience for yourself, isn't it?"

Chestnut Hair recalled what Orn had told her before. Looking into Chestnut Hat's clear eyes, most of the tension in her heart disappeared.

She stood up and said softly, "Let's go, Oguri, let's go play our first match."

The afternoon sun made people feel lazy and drowsy. Shibasaki stood on a small platform in the stands reserved for trainers.

After watching the newly radiant radiance and Oguri Hat enter the gate, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "It seems that you don't need to comfort her, junior. Being able to overcome her fear of the arena on her own, Oguri Hat is already a promising talent."

Standing beside him, Orn remained silent, a candy dangling from his mouth. He spoke confidently, "Since she's a horse girl who can endure such difficult training, her potential can't possibly stop there. In fact, it's unlikely she'll stop at Kasamatsu."

Shibasaki glanced at his confident junior beside him, shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "It's not as simple as you make it out to be. Surrounded by experts, as an ordinary horse girl with no talent, how dare you risk becoming a stepping stone on the field..."

"This behavior itself transcends what can be defined as 'ordinary.' To have transformed a somewhat timid horse girl into this state in just one week—perhaps you...."

Orn held the candy in his hand, interrupting Shibasaki from saying what he was about to say.

He looked at the female horses that had already entered the gate and said, "Perhaps. Isn't there a saying, 'Man proposes, God disposes'? I just gave them a push from behind."

"Look, the match has started!"

The moment the gate opened, more than ten female horses rushed out almost simultaneously, and within seconds they dispersed into a vertical line.

Leading the pack, employing the escape tactic, are Noren Ace and his three underlings, followed closely by Tengzheng March and Oguri Hat, using the vanguard (front row) technique. Six horse lengths behind them is the middle squad, where New Glory resides.

No horse girls used the chasing sprint technique in this competition. After all, this sprint technique places extremely high demands on the horse girls' stamina, explosiveness, and targeted training. Without a trainer's supervision, horse girls rarely train this sprint technique on their own.

In terms of difficulty, the chasing running style has the most internal and external requirements among these four running styles. If you are not careful, you will die suddenly. Unless you have absolute strength and confidence, you will not easily use this running style.

After sprinting forward for a hundred meters, Oguri Hat, who was vying for position alongside Tengzheng March, deliberately slowed down and followed behind Tengzheng March.

While Oguri Hat may not be the quickest thinker in STEM or general education subjects, her instincts for opportunity are exceptional on the track.

Just as the race started, she vaguely sensed Teng Zheng's intentions, and after running side by side for nearly a hundred meters, his intentions became clear!

She wanted to compete with Oguri Hat for fourth place! Tengzheng March wanted to use her physical advantage, accumulated from longer training time than Oguri Hat, to wear down her stamina!

Although Oguri Hat received a week of special training from Orn, he may not be able to surpass his opponent in endurance in the short term. Continuing to compete with Tengzheng March for the fourth seed is clearly an unwise move.

After figuring this out, Oguri Hat immediately changed his strategy and followed closely behind the other party!

Shibasaki, watching from the stands, exclaimed excitedly, "Brilliant! She figured out the other party's intentions so quickly and made the most suitable decision! Did you teach her that?"

"No, it's not."

Ornn put the candy in his mouth, looked at the new Radiance that was quietly adjusting its position and hiding in the eighth position not far away, and laughed.

"They taught themselves this."

Chapter 26 It's her?! No!! It's her!!

Indeed, just as Ornn said, everything happening on the field now is beyond his calculations.

After all, he's just a fake who hasn't even gotten his certification yet. What if he corrupts Oguri Hat and the others?

It was for this reason that Ornn did not teach them skills such as [cornering acceleration] and [straight-line acceleration] recorded in the manuals.

On the one hand, he was worried about his own teaching abilities; on the other hand, he was also somewhat concerned that the things Satomi Kawatsuku had given him might be counterfeit.

As he continued to peruse those so-called trainer notes, more and more personal opinions were recorded on them, and eventually it completely turned into a record of the daily love stories between the horse girl and her trainer!

Please! I'm here to learn horse training techniques, not to watch you two demonstrate how to woo horses!

I'm going to become the world's number one trainer! Women are such a nuisance! I'm talking about you! You who calls yourself Mejiro Asama Saima Girl! You're such a chatterbox!

While other trainers' notes may show affection, they don't go into such detail as what they ate together on a specific day and place, or what gifts they gave each other!

Ever since seeing the contents of this weighty notebook, Orn has kept his distance from such things, fearing that he might be tainted by the foul language within.

As for those skills... Ornn thought about it and decided to try practicing them himself first, and if there were no problems, he would teach them to Little Chestnut Hat and the others.

Since it's all about running skills, humans should be able to train for it too, right?

Therefore, Ornn did not teach Oguri Hat and New Radiance anything about the game; all their actions now are products of improvisation!

Tengzheng March was somewhat surprised by Oguri Hat's quick reaction. A distance of 100 meters is only a few seconds for the horse girls, and the opponent was able to see through his moves in such a short time. It was really impressive!

"That's it...that's it! Oguri Hat!!"

She licked her lips, then her expression gradually turned frenzied.

"Let me see your true strength!!!"

Noren, who was leading the race, suddenly felt a chill from behind. She shivered and then glanced behind her out of the corner of her eye.

It's the Tengzheng March! It's gradually speeding up!!

"Damn! Why is she speeding up now?! Is she in the lead or am I?!"

'Damn it! Speed ​​it up!'

Noren, the ace at the front, has no choice. As the leader, if he is overtaken by the horse girl behind him who is using the leading running style before the race has reached the middle stage, it will probably be impossible for him to catch up!

Therefore, under these circumstances, she had no choice but to speed up again, gradually increasing the pace of the entire match!

"Could this method have been figured out by her own? If so, Teng Zheng March is probably not just a 'good student' after all."

Shibasaki watched the team gradually speeding up in the distance and muttered, "Using her own speed to intimidate? Although this technique only works in beginner matches, if she developed it herself, it's a bit too shocking."

Kitahara, standing beside him, nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, the best time for the front horse girl to use this move is when the horse girl employing the escape tactic hasn't yet created a significant gap. Faced with the threat from the horse girl behind, the escape horse will definitely become somewhat flustered, thus disrupting its rhythm."

"If a fleeing horse were to use this method, the entire team's rhythm would probably be completely shattered, right?"

Shibasaki gripped the railing tightly, his expression becoming somewhat tense.

Even he could no longer predict how the situation would unfold.

On the field, Oguri was the first to sense the change in rhythm. Faced with this unprecedented situation, her heart began to stir.

Should we catch up? Or maintain our fifth-place position?

Keeping up means expending more energy, and the explosive power needed for the final sprint might not be enough to turn the tide.

If he doesn't keep up, the horse girls behind him might lose their rhythm and desperately overtake him. In that case, he'll be facing a scenario similar to his duel with Kasamatsu Yakudo.

That is—a crowd of people piled up together!

If faced with this situation, even if I have the strongest explosive power, it would be difficult to squeeze through the gap!

What should I do? Now... what should I do?

Xiao Li Mao glanced at the finish line; she had only run about a kilometer, and there was still almost half the distance to go.

The horse girls behind her were clearly spurred on by the increasingly distant Tengzheng March, and their speed gradually increased, even approaching the speed of the last horse!

There was no time to hesitate. Oguri Hat gritted her teeth and began to speed up her pace!

Just as Tengzheng March had predicted, the team began to accelerate under her interference, ultimately creating an opportunity for her victory.

This method is like walking a tightrope; if no one speeds her up, she'll be the first to lose speed.

But now... she's faster!

"Drink--!!!"

With a sharp shout, the Tengzheng March suddenly accelerated again, overtaking the leading Norren Ace Trio! It took the lead!

At this point, there are less than 800 meters left to go to the finish line!

During this week, Teng Zheng's March wasn't completely unprepared. Since she decided to test Ornn's training methods, she naturally observed Oguri Hat and the newly radiant brilliance's training meticulously.

Although she couldn't understand why Ornn was hitting them with a hammer, she could still analyze some things from the ordinary training.

This week, Ornn mainly trained Little Chestnut's explosive power and New Glorious's endurance.

Since that's the case, Tengzheng March decided to defeat Oguri Hat in terms of endurance, which is the fundamental reason why she made the decision just now!

Now it seems she really made the right bet; the finish line... is right in front of her!

A smile appeared on her lips: 'I won!'