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

"Sister Jiu, you won."

Narita said gently, her originally clear voice becoming somewhat hoarse after running the entire course.

"Ah."

Poetry and Wine slowly straightened up, their dark eyes fixed on the empty end of the track ahead, their chests heaving violently.

Main character: Chapter 339 And then?

'Just one step away.'

If the finish line had been moved a few hundred meters further back, her already critically injured body might not have been able to maintain that speed, and Narita would have taken the crown instead.

"Just one step away."

Narita silently repeated the word, her tone devoid of any regret for missing out or any resentment.

The blonde girl spoke frankly.

“But I finished the race. In those two kilometers, I left nothing behind on the sidelines.”

Poetry and Wine clenched his fist slightly, then turned his head to glance at her.

Narita's face was covered in glistening beads of sweat, and a few strands of golden hair were soaked with sweat and stuck tightly to his cheeks.

The girl's purple-gold eyes held no shadow of defeat, but rather a sense of exhilaration and composure.

"next time."

Narita looked into the eyes of poetry and wine and said with great excitement.

"I will definitely not be just one step away from the next Satsuki Sho."

"Shusang! Wait for me!"

Poetry and Wine stared at her silently for a moment.

Compared to their previous interactions, meeting Narita Rodo at the competition venue did change her opinion of him somewhat.

The cold shell that poetry and wine had used to isolate her from the outside world for so long was burned with a crack that even she herself could not mend during that extreme burning.

"I'll wait."

The black-haired girl tried her best to keep her voice steady, although she was a little out of breath when she spoke because she had just finished a competition.

"Sake-san, that's the first thing you said after becoming the Yayoi Prize champion."

Narita smiled gently and didn't ask any further questions. She looked up at the azure sky above the Nakayama Racecourse.

Meanwhile, at the very top of the stands, in a shadow that no one paid any attention to.

Ai Mu Shiri looked at the situation on the field and sighed softly.

She loosened her grip on the railing, which she had been holding tightly out of nervousness, revealing a deep red mark on her palm.

It was probably because she gripped the handle too tightly throughout the entire 2,000-meter race, and even forgot to breathe, that she left these marks.

However, the railing itself suffered even more damage than Orihime's palm.

The racehorse girl's terrifying grip caused the railing to twist, and she let out a pitiful wail when she released her grip.

Ai Mu stood quietly in place, her gaze sweeping over the sea of ​​revelers, looking down at the two panting figures standing side by side at the end of the track.

'Just one step away.'

She silently repeated the commentator's heart-wrenching words in her mind, her eyes swirling with extremely complex emotions.

There is no doubt that she will definitely run into those two people in the upcoming matches.

Narita-ji is one thing, but Orihime only sees her as a rival.

But poetry and wine are different.

The adoring Orihime longed to dedicate all her victories to the stars in the sky, and poetry and wine were inextricably linked to the stars.

Sister? Rival? Classmate? Whatever it is, I don't want to think about anything more when I admire Orihime.

She saw it very clearly just now.

Poetry and wine, on that final, hellish, steep slope, didn't display any dazzling skills, nor did they stage any earth-shattering miraculous reversals.

She sped forward with pure, restless energy.

Whether it was life or suffering, she threw it all into that two-kilometer track without any pity.

Why are you working even harder than me?

Ai Mushi slowly lowered her head, raised her hand to pull the brim of her black baseball cap down again, and hid her bewildered face in the shadows once more.

She felt a tightness in her chest, and for some reason, her eyes felt a burning sensation and a slight stinging sensation that she couldn't suppress.

What am I thinking about again?

The brown-haired girl who loved stars closed her eyes and quietly comforted herself.

……

The post-match commotion was left behind, layer by layer.

The winners' stage, the awards ceremony, the routine media interviews, and the trainers' excited hugs that left them speechless.

Well, with no trainer for Poetry and Wine, she's finally enjoying some peace and quiet.

She missed Nanban a little; that kind-hearted guy would usually bring his teammates from the old stars to celebrate with her after her matches.

Poetry and Wine felt a little guilty, wondering if her actions in the derby would jeopardize Nansaka's trainer career.

No matter what, if the horse girl under your care has a major problem in the derby, it's a big deal that could cause the trainer to mysteriously disappear.

……

By the time everything finally came to a barely acceptable end, it was already getting dark.

At the end of the underground passage of Zhongshan Racecourse, near a rest area, on a bench.

Poetry and Wine leaned back in the cold chair, tilting their heads back to look at the dim incandescent light on the ceiling.

She had just washed her face with cold water, and her damp black hair clung messily to her skin.

Water droplets slid down his jawline and dripped into the collar of his black victory suit; the cold touch instantly brought him back to his senses.

A slowed footstep came from the side.

Narita walked over with two cans of sports drinks and sat down at the other end of the bench.

She changed out of her glamorous final outfit and into loose-fitting casual clothes, her golden hair simply tied back with a hair tie.

At this moment, the blonde girl seemed to have lost some of the sharp and imposing aura she exuded on the track, and had returned to the gentle demeanor she usually displayed.

"Give."

She handed him one of the cans of drink.

"Thank you."

After thanking her for the poem and the wine, she reached out and took it. The moment her fingers touched the chilled aluminum can, her fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

Pulling the tab took a little effort, but she didn't say anything. She just quietly tilted her head back and took a big gulp.

The slightly sweet and cool liquid slid into my mouth, relieving some of the aches and pains in my body and my anxiety.

The two sat side by side, about half a person's width apart.

The area around the bench was quiet, with only the faint sounds of staff cleaning up coming from the other end of the corridor.

"Sister Jiu, your legs are still shaking."

Narita suddenly spoke up.

Her curious gaze fell on Shi Yujiu's slightly tense knees.

"I did my best."

Poetry and Wine's voice was still a little hoarse. She put down the can and looked straight ahead at the locker.

Narita looked down at his legs and couldn't help but chuckle.

"On that last slope, I really thought I wasn't going to make it."

Narita leaned back in his chair, his purple-gold eyes filled with memories.

"In the last few seconds before crossing the finish line, my mind was completely blank. I couldn't hear the commentators or the voices from the stands; all I felt was the strong wind and my legs felt heavy."

She paused for a moment, then turned her head to look at the poetry and wine.

“But I can see you beside me.”

Poetry and Wine tightened their grip on the can slightly.

Main character: Chapter 340 After the match

"Your breathing sounds really heavy."

Narita looked intently at the poem and the wine, and said with a hint of stubbornness.

"To be honest, Mr. Jiu, your running style was too reckless."

"During the final sprint, you didn't leave yourself any way out, did you?"

"..."

"Are you planning to finish this race and never go on a race again?"

Poetry and wine fell silent.

Her gaze fell to the water droplets condensing on the outside of the can.

Water droplets gathered together and slid down the aluminum casing, leaving a cool mark on the back of her hand.

"If we had returned it then,"

After a long while, Poetry and Wine finally spoke softly, her voice completely devoid of the coldness she usually feigned.

"I just can't catch up with you."

The black-haired girl confessed somewhat awkwardly that she didn't want to lose to anyone.

However, these words had a different meaning in Naritaji's ears.

Narita Road paused for a moment.

She seemed surprised to hear such a simple yet heavy answer.

"Jiusang..."

A complex emotion flashed in Naritaji's eyes.

Then, she sighed somewhat helplessly, but couldn't help but let a soft smile curve her lips.

"That's... a very typical answer for Jiu Sang."

Narita looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath.

The blonde girl's relieved demeanor seemed to have completely erased all the fatigue, resentment, and regret of the day.

"I lost today, and I accept it wholeheartedly."

Narita sat up straight again, turned his head, and looked into the eyes of Poetry and Wine with utmost seriousness.

"However, this does not mean I will keep losing."

Her eyes lit up again; the brilliance of a competitor was not dimmed by a setback, but instead honed to shine even brighter.

"The Yayoi Prize is just the beginning. Next up is the Satsuki Prize, the Japanese Derby, the Chrysanthemum Prize... I will be on the track for every race from now on."

Narita extended a hand to Poetry and Wine, speaking in a gentle tone.

"So, Mr. Jiu, please take good care of your health from now on."

Poetry and Wine looked at the fair hand that had stopped in front of them.

"because."

Narita looked at her and said, word by word.