Horse Girl, Your Friend is Fighting Her Way Out of the Horse Racing Track

Poetry and Wine looked up and gently pushed the marked invitation back to Nanban.

"I dont go."

She said it calmly.

Upon hearing this, the water ghost floating nearby froze instantly.

She wore an extremely human expression of sorrow. She floated to the document, pointing desperately at the line of English text, then at the distant west outside the window, her blurred face filled with pleading.

"why?"

Nansaka raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That's a green field in England. For someone with your terrifying last foot, the track there might be a better fit for you."

"Too much trouble."

Poetry and wine picked up their teacups again, took a sip, and found the excuse they had prepared long ago.

"And after thinking about it, I realized that I would need to undergo specialized training over there, specifically for the thick, grassy terrain of Europe."

Dark Meteor: Chapter 193 - I don't know what to name this chapter.

"In addition to long-distance flights and dietary issues... there is a high possibility that the player's performance will decline due to acclimatization problems."

She rattled off a bunch of reasons in one breath, as if reciting a memorized text.

Finally, the poet's gaze drifted to the gray sky outside the window, seemingly casually adding a reason:

"Besides... I have something to do this weekend."

"Is something wrong?"

Nanban paused for a moment, then flipped through the notebook in his hand.

"You don't have any training scheduled for this weekend, and I haven't heard that you're going to the hospital for a check-up."

"To Hanshin Racecourse."

The sounds of poetry and wine became somewhat ethereal, and she tugged at her collar, trying to cover her slightly moving throat.

"Lingzuan Qibao is going to participate in the Hanshin Grand Prix."

Seeing the awkward look on the black horse girl's face, Nanzaka's serious expression melted instantly, revealing a knowing smile.

"Hmm... I see."

He didn't expose the little scheme between the poet and the wine enthusiast; he simply nodded in agreement and put the document into his briefcase.

"Protecting the bonds we have now is definitely more important than any unknown honor."

"Wordy."

Poetry and wine murmured.

"Okay, I'll get back to URA for you. If you change your mind in the next couple of days, feel free to come see me. But until then, enjoy your weekend."

"understood."

After finishing the last sip of hot tea, Poetry and Wine stood up and walked out of the activity room.

The corridor was dimly lit.

The water ghost that had been following her did not disappear.

The ghost was now floating beside Poetry and Wine with a wronged expression, its hand still pointing in that direction, occasionally letting out a silent whimper.

Poetry and Wine paused, turning their heads to look at the water ghost that only they could see.

"Is that place important to you...?"

she asked curiously.

After spending so much time together, this was the first time the water ghost had shown such a strong sense of self-will.

The water ghost hesitated for a moment.

On her perpetually blurry face, her lips moved with difficulty, and a wet, bubbling sound, like a drowning person crying for help, came from her throat.

“…Fr…an…ce…”

A broken word came out of the water ghost's mouth.

Immediately afterward, before he could utter a second word, the water ghost seemed to choke on something, painfully clutching his throat and coughing up large mouthfuls of clear liquid, falling silent once again.

Poetry and wine's pupils contracted slightly.

France…?

Why would this water ghost, which has been following him all along, have such a deep obsession with a distant European country?

"Feel sorry."

He spoke softly about poetry and wine, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"But not yet. We need to wait until we win the Satsuki Prize and the Derby..."

"I will go to my trainer to ask if I am eligible to participate in any European competitions this year."

The water ghost stopped coughing. She stared blankly at the departing figures of Poetry and Wine, and finally quietly followed them.

……

Time flies.

Although the cherry blossom season was coming to an end, the Zhongshan Racecourse in April was still scorching hotter than midsummer.

As the first stage of the classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho, known as "the only racehorse that can win," attracted more than 100,000 spectators to the venue.

Before the announcement even began, a conversation in the commentary booth ignited the fire.

"Good afternoon, everyone! I am Kunihiko Akasaka, and this is Nakayama Racecourse! At this very moment, the classic young monsters are gathering here, about to charge towards that one and only crown!"

The commentator, Kunihiko Akasaka, spoke with great passion, and then turned to the guest next to him.

"Yes, Mr. Hosoe. Regarding today's race, although there were 18 racehorses in the full gate, the current public opinion seems to be showing an extremely polarized situation. What are your thoughts on this?"

"That's true."

The veteran commentator, known as Hosoe, adjusted his microphone, glanced at the information card in his hand, and said excitedly.

"On one hand, there is the Yayoi Prize, which showcased an overwhelming escape story and was hailed as the 'dark shock of the beginning of the year'—poetry and wine."

"Her running style is extremely aggressive, and her ability to control the pace of the race is reminiscent of the Silent Suzuka of yesteryear."

"On the other side, there is the 'other-dimensional' genius who just won the Spring Championship and is completely unpredictable—New Universe."

"Add to that other powerful figures like Sakura, the student council president... to be frank, today's Zhongshan 2000-meter race will be a hellish ordeal where only monsters can survive."

"Oh! Even Mr. Hosoe used the word 'purgatory'! It seems today's match is destined to go down in history!"

In the stands.

The crowd surged, and the noise was deafening.

The audience members held support fans printed with the names of the female characters they admired, as well as newspapers and other items.

"Hey, who did you vote for in today's 'lucky number' prediction?"

In the crowded passageway leading to the reviewing circle, a young fan wearing a Tresson College merchandise T-shirt excitedly asked his companion.

"Is there even a question? Of course, it's poetry and wine!"

His companion waved the newspaper in his hand.

The front page of the newspaper featured a close-up of a girl in a black combat uniform with an expressionless face, and the headline was in bold black font.

A Black Shock! The Start of an Undefeated Triple Crown?

"Did you see the Yayoi Prize race before? That start, that initial pace, it was simply unreasonable!"

"As long as she can pull away before the third turn, no one can catch her on this short straight in Zhongshan! It's practically a stage tailor-made for escape horses!"

"But...this time is different, isn't it?"

A middle-aged man wearing glasses, who looked like a seasoned data enthusiast, chimed in. He adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with concern.

"The Yayoi Prize is only a G2 after all, this time it's a full-strength G1 with 18 players. And..."

The middle-aged man lowered his voice and pointed to a blonde girl on the newspaper's supplement page, her eyes glazed over and her finger pointing to the sky.

"This time there's a new universe."

"Ah... that guy who just won the Spring Championship? The one who always talks about seeing stars?"

"Don't underestimate her."

"I've watched her race videos, and her ability to weave through the herd of horses is like she can teleport."

"If poetry and wine rely on 'fleeing in terror' to suppress the opponent, then the new universe relies on 'intuition from another dimension' to find the gaps."

The middle-aged man looked at the match schedule on the newspaper in his hand.

"On one side is a black hole that devours everything, and on the other side is the unpredictable universe... Today, something big is about to happen in Zhongshan."

He sighed and was about to close the newspaper when the young man next to him pointed to another name on the newspaper and said...

"Hey, old man, didn't you forget someone? Don't forget about Sakura Student Council President!"

Dark Meteor: Chapter 194 - Before the Satsuki Prize Competition

"President Sakura?"

"Yes! Although she narrowly lost to Shin-Universe in the Spring Championship, she is a rising star on whom the 'Sakura Army' has pinned its hopes!"

"I heard that she underwent special training for this Satsuki Sho, vowing to take revenge on the new universe."

The companion pointed to a figure in the arena dressed in pink and white, exuding an imposing aura.

"If poetry, wine, and the new universe are 'outliers,' then Sakura President is the ultimate 'royal way.'"

"If she still has an indomitable fighting spirit, she might become the 'third force' that disrupts the duel between these two monsters."

"That's true... The cherry blossom family has a tradition of 'blooming' at Nakayama Racecourse."

……

On the other side of the crowd, several female students who looked to be from a nearby high school were gathered together, drinking juice and whispering to each other.

"Hey, have you heard? About that Diamond Treasure?"

A short-haired girl said with a sigh.

"Oh, you mean the Hanshin Awards last month?"

The other girl looked regretful.

"That's really tragic... She was the champion of last year's Chrysanthemum Award G1, but she lost so badly to other horse girls."

"12th place...and I heard she didn't even have a rhythm. I was stunned watching on TV, and I felt like she was going to break when she crossed the finish line."

"However, there seemed to be a rumor circulating that day."

The short-haired girl leaned closer mysteriously and lowered her voice.

“I have a friend who volunteered at the event and said that after the competition, he saw an amazing scene in a corner of the athletes’ tunnel.”

"Huh? What? What?"

"It's that number one most popular person today, the one with the super aloof style, Poetry and Wine."

"Although they are not on the same team and can only see each other occasionally at school, Poetry and Wine actually went to watch the G2 match that day."

"And then what? Are you going to laugh at the losers?"

"?"

"Completely the opposite!"

The short-haired girl shook her head, her eyes sparkling with gossip.

"Then Lingzuan Qibao hugged Shiyujiu and cried for a long time, getting all her clothes wet... Shiyujiu, who usually seems very aloof, just let her hug him like that."

"In the end, it was Poetry and Wine who dragged her into the car with a dark expression on their faces."