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

The image quality in the photo isn't actually that high-definition; in fact, it appears somewhat distorted due to the overly exaggerated skin-smoothing filter.

But the footage is real.

That version of myself, with my face cupped by the Diamond Treasure, looking bewildered yet slightly shy, was also real.

"pretty ugly."

She gently stroked the photo with her fingers and muttered something under her breath.

This assessment is clearly unconvincing, because Poetry and Wine are carefully wiping away the tiny specks of dust that have settled on the corners of the photograph with their fingertips.

Just then, Rifar stepped out from beside the poetry and wine.

She stood with her arms crossed beside the poetry and wine, her face blurred with extreme frustration.

Lifar glanced down at the photo booth picture in Poetry and Wine's hand, his brows furrowing deeply.

The thought of one's own daughter about to become someone else's...

Lifar grew angrier the more he thought about it.

She reached out and tried to poke the face of the diamond-studded baby in the photo with her finger, wanting to smash the irritating smile, but her finger could only helplessly pass through the photographic paper.

"Stop fooling around."

Poetry and Wine sighed somewhat helplessly.

She ignored Rifar's actions and simply turned her back to him coldly.

Now she didn't even have the strength to comfort Lifar.

Poetry and Wine quickly stuffed the photo booth picture under the pillow and said nothing more.

Seeing how poorly poetry and wine were behaving, Rifar could say nothing and could only dejectedly run off to a corner to draw circles in his mind.

The world is quiet now.

Poetry and Wine buried their faces in the pillow, taking a deep breath of the air filled with the scent of fabric.

"Good night."

She moved her lips silently in the darkness.

The moonlight outside the window gradually faded, and the lights in the dormitory building gradually went out.

……

"Ding ding ding..."

When the alarm clock rang, Poetry and Wine did not immediately sober up as usual.

A feeling of stagnation was enveloping my entire body. When I opened my eyes, the ceiling swayed for a moment before settling down.

She instinctively raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.

A few irregular, dull pains shot through my heart.

"...Tsk."

She sat up abruptly, her brows furrowed.

Was it because I walked too much yesterday? Or because I didn't sleep well yesterday?

Or is it……

A vision of herself in another world flashed through her mind, which she quickly suppressed.

There's no need to make a fuss; it's probably just accumulated fatigue, and it's only natural for the body to protest.

Even if there really is a problem...

She took a deep breath to suppress the palpitations in her heart.

My gaze swept across the edge of the pillow, where a corner of a photo booth picture was visible.

She stared blankly at the poem and wine for two seconds without taking them out. Then she pulled the blanket up to cover herself and got up to wash.

The splash of cold water on her face completely woke her up. Although her face in the mirror was a little pale, her eyes had regained their usual sharpness.

"As long as you can still run, there's no problem."

She whispered to herself in the mirror.

Then Shi and Jiu went to the cabinet, took out a few painkillers, and swallowed them.

……

"Click".

In Team Canopus's activity room.

Nanzaka sat behind a desk piled high with documents, unconsciously tapping a red pen on a tactical board.

Hearing the door open, he looked up, his purple eyes gently gazing at the doorway.

Good morning, poetry and wine.

"Have you had breakfast yet? If not, I'll tell Necha and the others to bring some over."

The man with tea-colored hair spoke in a steady tone, as always.

His gaze paused for an extremely subtle moment when it fell upon the girl's face.

Good morning, Minamisaka.

"I've already had breakfast."

Poetry and Wine put the sports bag in the corner and walked straight up to him.

What are the requirements for today?

She tried to make her voice sound strong, but Nansaka did not answer immediately.

He put down his pen, crossed his hands and rested them on his chin, his gaze gently sweeping over her slightly pale cheeks and the fine beads of cold sweat that had not completely subsided on the side of her neck.

"Not running today."

Nanban provided the conclusion.

"…ha?"

Poetry and Wine frowned, about to retort.

"I'm in good shape; I've missed several training sessions already—"

“I know you’re fine, or you ‘think you’re fine’.”

Nansaka interrupted her with a smile.

“As a trainer, I have the right to adjust the plan based on the athlete’s ‘complexion’. The outdoor temperature is too high today, which is not suitable for someone like you who has just recovered to do high-intensity training.”

Looking into Nanban's resolute eyes, Shiyujiu ultimately swallowed back his words of rebuttal.

Although Nanzaka is usually easy to talk to, he will not back down when it comes to issues that involve his bottom line.

"Then what should we do?"

She pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing her arms in frustration.

"Make this."

Nanzaka turned around and pulled over the whiteboard behind him. It was already covered with a densely drawn track map and various markings.

"Let's talk about the race you'll be facing next in June—Tokyo Yujun."

The poet's gaze was drawn to the race track map.

"Tokyo Racecourse, 2400m turf, left turn."

Nanban picked up the baton and pointed to the starting point.

"This is the second stage of the so-called 'Classic Triple Crown.' Poetry and wine, do you still remember the nicknames for these three stages?"

"The Satsuki Prize is for 'the fastest horse girl to win,' and the Kikuka Prize is for 'the strongest horse girl to win.'"

Poetry and wine are reciting basic knowledge fluently.

"And Derby..."

"'The luckiest horse girl wins'."

Nanzaka took over the conversation, his expression becoming more serious.

"Although this adage sounds mystical, it is by no means an exaggeration on the 2400-meter track in Tokyo."

He drew a line in front of the grandstand on the front of the track map.

"The starting line is right here, in front of the grandstand."

"This means you'll be going through a full grandstand cheering session before you enter the first corner."

"The competition for position here will be very fierce. If you start slowly or expend too much energy trying to get a good position in this section, you will pay the price on the final straight."

The baton slid along the track and stopped on the opposite straight.

"There's a sign here, inside the track, but it's just a marker. The real challenge lies in—"

He drew a heavy circle at the final straight line position.

"The final straight of the Tokyo Racecourse is 525.9 meters long, making it the longest of the four major racecourses."

Nanban looked intently at Poetry and Wine.

"Moreover, at the beginning of this straight section, there is a slope with a height difference of 2 meters."

"If you've exhausted yourself in the previous long run, this uphill climb can be the straw that breaks the camel's back."

P.S.: I had so many things to do on the 7th, and I didn't get home until midnight. I was so exhausted that my head was spinning, so these chapters might be a bit blurry. I'll see if I have time to adjust my sleep schedule in the next few days.

Dark Meteor: Chapter 230 Study

Poetry and Wine stared at the uphill marker, their fingers unconsciously gripping their sleeves.

"The Satsuki Sho Nakayama track is only 2000 meters long and has a short straight. With your explosive power, you can force your way to the finish line."

Nanban's voice turned somber.

"But the derby is 400 meters longer. These 400 meters are not a simple addition; they still test rhythm control and endurance."

"Even if you can accelerate twice like Satsuki Sho, you might still lose speed when climbing a hill."

"So... I need to establish an advantage in the early stages?"

"No, I mean, you need to learn to be patient."

Nanzaka put down his baton, his tone returning to its gentler tone.

"The Japanese derby is a game of patience."

He took out a stack of videotapes of past derby matches from his drawer.

"Let's finish watching all of this indoors today. Especially those runaway horse girls who crashed on this track, let's see where they exhausted their energy."

Poetry and Wine looked at the pile of videotapes, then at the bright sunshine outside the window, and finally sighed.

"I see."

She reached out and took the first videotape.

"But I want to practice formally tomorrow."

"of course."

Nanban squinted and smiled.

"As long as your complexion improves."

Poetry and wine offered no response, but silently inserted the videotape into the player.

As the screen lit up, her thoughts were quickly drawn to the galloping horses on the screen.

Minamisaka then sat back down behind her desk.

'She seemed like a top student at first... how come her personality is so awkward...'

He looked at the girl's focused profile and sighed almost imperceptibly, his gaze falling once again on her hand that occasionally pressed unconsciously against her chest.