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

Poetry and wine's fingers gently caressed the edge of the table before withdrawing and placing them on their laps.

……

The train arrived at Kyoto Station at approximately 09:59.

The station name was announced over the loudspeaker, and passengers in the carriage began to take their luggage from the luggage racks, and the aisle gradually became more crowded.

Poetry and Wine stood up, took his backpack from the luggage rack, slung it over his shoulder with one hand, and followed the flow of people toward the train door.

The train doors opened, and a blast of cold air rushed out from the platform. She stood on the platform and looked up at the sign above the station.

【Kyoto】

She waited there for about twenty minutes, found the bus stop leading to the racetrack, got on the bus, sat down by the window, and put her backpack on her lap.

The bus moved slowly through the streets of Kyoto, passing low buildings and sparse pedestrians. Occasionally, a torii gate of a shrine would flash by a street corner and then disappear from sight.

Poetry and Wine leaned against the car window, looking out without saying a word.

The match is at 2 PM.

It's still early, there's plenty of time.

The bus stopped at a stop near the racetrack. Poetry and Wine got off the bus, stood at the intersection, and looked around.

This place is somewhat similar to the area around Hanshin Racecourse. There weren't many people around before the race, and occasionally a few horse girls walked briskly past the Poetry and Wine area, showing that they were very familiar with the place.

Poetry and Wine pulled the backpack strap up a bit, then walked towards the racetrack.

The sky was pale gray, with thick clouds that blocked out most of the sunlight.

Occasionally, a gust of wind would sweep by, blowing the last few withered leaves off the treetops on both sides of the street. The leaves would tumble twice in the air before falling into the grass by the roadside.

Poetry and Wine stared blankly at the few leaves for a while, then turned and continued walking.

She didn't know how Ai Mu would react today, or what expression she would have when she stood inside the gate.

……

The crowd at the racetrack was larger than Poetry and Wine had anticipated.

There were already quite a few people walking around in the plaza outside the stands. Small stalls were scattered on both sides of the passageway, emitting the aroma of hot drinks and some kind of indescribable fried food.

The schedules were stacked in front of the booth, and someone picked one up and flipped through it as they walked.

A short queue formed in front of the ticket gate, where staff members, dressed in uniform dark colors, skillfully checked the entry passes.

The broadcast announced today's match schedule, and the announcer's voice was steady and clear.

Poetry and Wine stopped outside the ticket gate, glanced down at the admission ticket in his hand, confirmed the venue and seat, then put the ticket back into his coat pocket and looked around.

She wasn't sure if she would be able to meet Orihime, whom she admired, before the match.

The other team should have arrived long ago, and by this time they should have finished warming up in the players' area and be waiting to assemble.

Poetry and Wine didn't plan to specifically seek each other out; she intended to find a good spot before entering the venue and wait for the competition to begin.

But just as she was walking toward the ticket gate, a figure in her peripheral vision made her stop for a moment.

He admires Orihime.

The brown-haired girl was walking from the player's passage on the left, already dressed in her competition uniform.

She was holding an earmuff in her hand, not yet wearing it, still holding it between her fingers.

Ai Musou's expression remained calm as always. Her brown ponytail was neatly tied, with the knot of her hair ribbon positioned slightly to the left.

A stray lock of hair by her temple was blown up by the wind. She tried to press it down with her finger, but it didn't stay in place.

Their eyes met at that very moment.

Admiring Orihime, he stopped in his tracks, and the poem and wine also remained untouched.

There was a silence of about two seconds.

The crowds in the square passed by them on both sides. Some people pushed wheelchairs past, and some children ran past only to be pulled back by adults.

Ai Mu Shiri spoke first.

"coming."

"Ah."

Poetry and Wine nodded.

Ai Mu looked at her, her gaze lingering on her for a moment before shifting to the air nearby.

She transferred the earmuff from her left hand to her right, without speaking immediately.

Neither poetry nor wine spoke.

The two stood quietly facing each other in the crowd in the square, neither of them knowing what to say.

This is a bit strange.

After a while, Ai Mushi couldn't stand the strange atmosphere, so she lowered her head and put the earmuffs on her ears.

She was very skilled; she first aimed the ear in the correct position, then pressed it in with one hand, and it was done in two quick movements.

After finishing, Ai Mu Orihime raised her head, her purple eyes looking at the poem and the wine.

"The audience seats are over there."

She gestured slightly in a direction with her chin.

"The view from the front stands is better."

Poetry and Wine glanced in the direction she indicated, then looked back and nodded.

"it is good."

Ai Muyu stared at her for a few seconds, as if she had something to say.

'That dazzling star…'

'I swore to it. Even if I'm all alone, I'll show you I'll win.'

But in the end, she just gave a soft "hmm" and turned her head to look at the entrance to the contestants' tunnel.

There were staff members counting people over there, and the person in question was holding a clamp and checking each person one by one.

The broadcast announced a timeframe; the pre-match assembly should be approaching soon.

She looked down and checked her earmuffs again, pressing her thumb through the opening where the earmuff met her hair to make sure they weren't loose.

"Then I'm going to the competition."

"I admire Orihime," she said, somewhat conflicted.

After she finished speaking, she didn't leave immediately, but paused for a moment and turned her gaze back to poetry and wine.

Poetry and Wine pondered for a moment, then nodded and said...

Main character: Chapter 297 I'm thinking

"I believe you."

Upon hearing this, Ai Mu's ears twitched involuntarily.

But her expression remained calm. After nodding in response to the poem and wine, she turned and walked towards the entrance of the contestants' passage.

Ai Musashi walked briskly toward the contestants' passage, her brown ponytail swaying gently with each step.

The staff at the entrance checked her race pass and let her through.

She went inside without looking back, and her figure was quickly obscured by the corner of the passageway and disappeared into the shadows.

Poetry and Wine stood there for a while, looking at the corner, before walking towards the audience.

……

The view from the front stands is indeed excellent.

Poetry and Wine walked up a few rows of the stands and found a seat near the middle with an unobstructed view.

She took the backpack off her shoulder, placed it on her knees, rested her hands on the bag, and focused her gaze on the racetrack.

The track's turf had been carefully trimmed, and under the gloomy winter sun, it gleamed a deep, dark green.

Several photographers were adjusting their equipment near the finish line in the distance.

The starting gates were in place, and staff were making final checks beside the track, with intermittent static from walkie-talkies reaching the stands.

The stands gradually filled up.

People gradually took their seats in the surrounding area.

There were students who came in groups, veteran spectators with race schedules, and several female trainees in training uniforms, probably there to watch the races.

The sounds of talking, laughter, and broadcasting mingled together.

Poetry and wine disregard the surrounding circumstances.

She watched the track quietly, her gaze lingering near the starting area.

The athletes had not yet entered the field, but the staff had already begun clearing the area, cleaning up the debris left on the inside of the track one by one.

Her gaze swept along the track, paused at a bend, moved to the straightaway, and then fell back to the finish line.

Poetry and Wine wrapped the backpack strap around their fingers once, then let go and gently lowered their hands.

The wind from the stands blew her stray hairs up and made them stick to the side of her face. She brushed her white highlights aside and then did nothing more.

The list of today's contestants was announced over the loudspeaker.

Poetry and wine—among a string of names, I heard the name of Orihime, who admired him.

Her fingers paused on the backpack strap.

Then, she sat up straight, placed her backpack next to her seat, put her hands on her knees, and waited quietly for the contestants to come out.

The announcement for the contestants' appearance came on precisely at 2:00 PM.

The commentator's voice came through the loudspeaker and echoed throughout the racecourse.

A sparse burst of applause and cheers erupted from the crowd in the stands, and the sound gradually grew louder as the athletes walked out of the tunnel one by one.

The athletes walked out of the tunnel one by one and, guided by the staff, entered the inner circle of the track, slowly moving along a fixed route.

Since it was just a debut competition for newcomers, they all wore the same outfits for both winning and losing.

Several of the female horse handlers looked unfamiliar, their gait revealing an unconcealed nervousness, and their eyes darted back and forth between the stands and the track.

Some people were deliberately trying to appear calm, forcing a stiff smile at the corners of their mouths.

The broadcast began introducing the contestants one by one.

[Contestant #1, Lucky Flower, debuting for the first time, stable training results, ranked sixth in popularity... Contestant #3, Admiring Orihime, debuting for the first time, excellent training data, ranked first in popularity.]

Poetry and Wine's gaze swept around the circle of people, then stopped.

Ai Musou walked in the middle of the group.

She was different from the people around her. Her pace was neither fast nor slow, her back was straight, and her eyes were level. The noise around her seemed to be separated from her by a barrier.

The competition outfit fit her body perfectly, the hem swaying gently with her steps, and her brown ponytail gleamed warmly in the sunlight.

Poetry and wine stared intently at each other.

Ai Mu Shi seemed to sense the gaze of Poetry and Wine; she tilted her head slightly, and her ears twitched slightly for a moment.

Then she looked ahead again, her expression unchanged, and her gaze did not linger in any other direction.

The broadcast continued to announce information about the remaining contestants.

Poetry and Wine ignored all that, simply watching the steps of the admirer Orihime in the lap, watching her complete the lap, and then heading towards the starting gate with the other runners.

The starting gates are in place, and several individual starting grids are lined up in front of the starting line, with staff providing final guidance and confirmation.

The contestants were guided into the gated compartments one by one according to their assigned numbers. The gates closed, locking each person in a small space.

The noise from the stands gradually subsided, and a tense atmosphere began to settle over each of the competing female horses.

Poetry and wine unconsciously slowed their breathing, their gaze fixed on gate number 3.

Inside the gate, the adoring Orihime lowered her head, clenched her hands together, applied a little force with her knuckles, and then slowly released them.