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

But my wrist was so sore that the handwriting was a bit crooked.

I heard a mysterious voice today, like the voice of one of the three people I heard in the sea before.

That power is very strong.

Just as I finished writing those two lines, the dormitory door lock clicked softly.

"Click".

The door was pushed open, and Diamond Treasure squeezed in sideways.

She was holding several textbooks in her arms, her face relaxed and carefree, and she looked soft and cuddly.

"A little wine, please!"

She greeted him slowly.

His voice was languid, like a cat that had just finished sunbathing.

Poetry and Wine closed his diary and slowly turned his head away.

She nodded with droopy eyelids.

"Yes, I'm back."

The sound was as faint as a wisp of smoke.

After saying this, Poetry and Wine ran out of their last bit of power.

It burned out.

Without any unnecessary movements, Poetry and Wine stood up and collapsed onto their bed.

Before I could even fully cover myself with the blanket, I sank into the soft mattress.

The Diamond Treasure, standing nearby, did not notice anything amiss.

Today was another day when no teacher called my name.

She put down her textbook, humming an unknown cheerful tune, and happily walked into the bathroom with her change of clothes.

"Splash—"

The sound of water could be heard.

Meanwhile, on the bed outside, the valiant poet and wine buddy had completely lost consciousness.

That final 400-meter sprint this morning was absolutely amazing.

It was an outburst that defied all reason.

She didn't know whether what burned in that instant was pure physical strength or some deeper life force.

New Beginnings: Chapter 28 - Refined Individuals

Mingming still had the energy to complete the remaining two kilometers of testing that afternoon.

However, upon returning to the dormitory, I felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue.

This fatigue is not just ordinary muscle soreness; if I had to use a metaphor, it would be like the emptiness after one's soul has been drained.

The moment it touched the pillow, darkness engulfed poetry and wine like a tidal wave.

She was sleeping so soundly that her breathing was barely audible.

……

Twenty minutes later.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Steam rose, and Diamond Treasure hummed a little tune as it reached out to touch the shelf.

touch.

Touch it again.

I found nothing.

"...Huh?"

She paused for a moment, looked down at her wet body, and then at the empty shelf.

The bath towel that should have been there was now lying quietly on the bed outside.

She was in such a hurry to go into the bathroom that she left it at the foot of the bed and forgot to bring it in.

The expression on Lingzuan Qibao's face turned grotesque.

"Ugh... you idiot Qibao..."

She tapped her head in frustration, then pushed the bathroom door open a crack, poked her head out, and called out:

"Hey, Xiao Jiu~ Could you get me a towel? It's at the foot of my bed... I forgot to bring it in~"

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of coquetry.

However, all that answered her was the deathly silence under the dim nightlight in the room.

No one responded.

"A little wine?"

Diamond Treasure blinked and raised its voice slightly.

"Please help me~ It's so cold outside~"

Still no response.

Only the sound of the wind blowing gently outside the window.

Lingzuan Qibao was a little confused, so she carefully opened the bathroom door a crack wider.

A silver-gray head peeked out, its gaze passing over the table and landing on the bed where poetry and wine lay.

Under the blanket, the black-haired girl was breathing steadily and deeply, completely still.

Even its usually alert ears were drooping softly, clearly indicating that it had entered a deep sleep.

"...She's asleep."

Diamond Treasure paused for a moment, then slumped his shoulders in resignation.

"Eh~"

She let out a long sigh, looking at the bath towel at the foot of her bed, so close yet so far away.

There's nothing we can do.

Lingzuan Qibao gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and prepared himself mentally.

"One, two, three! Sprint!"

She flung open the bathroom door abruptly, like a startled penguin.

Dragging her still-wet, shivering, plump body in the cold air, Lingzuan Qibao's bare feet made a series of rapid "pat-pat" sounds on the floor.

I rushed to the bedside, grabbed a bath towel, and then dashed back to the bathroom even faster.

"boom!"

The bathroom door was closed.

"Phew... It's so cold..."

A series of rustling wiping sounds and muttering came from inside.

The poetry and wine on the bed know nothing of this.

She remained immersed in the darkness devoid of dreams, letting time heal her overused body.

……

As night deepened, the moon rose and set.

As the clock struck the dawn line once more.

Another new day has quietly arrived.

The days that followed seemed to be fast-forwarded.

Poetry and wine began to lead a regular life, just like a normal Treson College student.

I go for a morning run in the dim light, and spend the day sitting in a classroom listening to those somewhat obscure theoretical lectures.

At noon, I had to deal with my deskmate, Narita, who was always radiating enthusiasm like a golden retriever.

In the evening, I would return to the quiet 302 dormitory, where I would write a few words in my diary amidst the sounds of Lingzuan Qibao watching videos and playing games.

This sense of security even occasionally gave her a feeling of unreality and disorientation.

And so, a week passed quietly in the alternating friction between the pen tip and the running shoes.

……

It's a new Wednesday, 4 p.m.

After a full day of intensive academic classes, Shi Yujiu packed his schoolbag.

Instead of going straight to the cafeteria as usual, she turned a corner and walked expressionlessly toward the infirmary.

Today is the day to pick up the detailed medical examination report.

After pushing open the door to the infirmary and giving her student number to the doctor on duty, she received a heavy manila file folder.

I sat down on a bench in the corridor, but didn't rush to open the poetry and wine.

Her fingers paused for a moment on the knot, her fingertips applying slight pressure, revealing a hint of barely perceptible tension.

Although she looks strong and powerful now.

But the long-term malnutrition and the homeless life he experienced before entering school, and the illnesses he could only endure, always lingered in his mind like an inescapable shadow.

She feared that beneath this seemingly perfect exterior lay some hidden dangers, dangers that had already been exhausted.

Taking a deep breath, she untied the knot and pulled out the thick stack of reports.

My gaze quickly swept over the complex medical terminology and landed directly on the final conclusion section.

Bone density: Good

Cardiopulmonary function: Good

[Muscle fiber activity: Active]

[Overall assessment: The body's functions are in the final days before the start of the formalization process, with no signs of old injuries or malnutrition.]

[The heart rate is abnormal, which is an unusual phenomenon, but it is currently benign.]

Upon seeing the words "no damage whatsoever," Shi Yujiu's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

'……That's good.'

She leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

His life of wandering before entering the college came to an end at this moment, thanks to the normal data.

Composing himself, Shi Yujiu stuffed the report back into his bag and got up to walk towards the cafeteria.

The setting sun bathed the tree-lined paths of the campus in a warm orange hue.

Just as she was passing the lawn near the trainers' office building, a gentle voice called out to her.

"Ah, it's Poetry and Wine classmate."

Poetry and wine paused, and they turned to look.

Trainer Minamisaka was standing in the shade of a tree not far away, carrying a somewhat worn briefcase.

Seeing her turn around, the brown-haired man revealed a comforting, lukewarm smile.

"What a coincidence, I was just about to go to your dorm to find you."

He strode towards the poetry and wine.

Without much small talk, Nanban carefully took out a neatly bound stack of documents from his briefcase and presented them to Shiyujiu with both hands.