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

What was originally a fine drizzle, like silk threads, has now become a fine, shimmering curtain of rain.

Water droplets splashed onto the wide grass of Zhongshan Racecourse, creating a grayish-white mist.

The status indicator light on the field notice board flickered, changing from a yellow "good" to "slightly heavy," indicating that the turf moisture content had increased.

"All contestants, please prepare to enter the arena."

The staff's voices pierced through the rain.

Poetry and wine followed the other female horses step by step toward the green racetrack soaked by the rain.

"Although it's raining in the stands, the cheers haven't diminished at all! Next up is—"

The commentator's voice echoed throughout the stadium through the huge loudspeakers, even drowning out the sounds of rain and wind.

"Can the champion of the Yayoi Prize continue her miracle in the rain today? Third in popularity—poetry and wine!"

When poetry and wine stepped onto the grassland, the roar of tens of thousands of people seemed to press down as if it were a tangible force.

She subconsciously tucked the ear of her black tricorn hat, which was sticking out from the top of her head, back and shook off a few drops of rain.

The sensation underfoot has changed.

Perhaps because the moisture has seeped into the soil, you can feel a noticeable stickiness when you step on the horseshoe.

Poetry and Wine tried jogging a couple of steps, but they had to exert more force in their legs than usual to get enough reaction force from the soft, damp grass.

'The resistance has increased... and it's slipping.'

She quickly made a decision in her mind, and her running style would need to be adjusted according to the condition of the grass.

Not far away, Narita Road is undergoing its final warm-up.

The girl's golden ponytail traced a dazzling trail in the rain as the horseshoe slammed into the grass, splashing up a trail of muddy water mixed with grass clippings.

Her stride remained steady, and she seemed completely unaffected by the poor venue.

On the other side of the track, Good Opera strolled briskly in the rain like a king surveying his territory, occasionally waving to the audience in the stands who held up her support fans.

Her purple-yellow cloak was slightly damp from the rain, but she seemed not to care at all.

Orihime, who admires him, stayed quietly by herself near the outer railing.

She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the grass at her feet, her brown tail swaying slightly behind her.

"All female horses, please proceed to the starting line and prepare to enter the gate!"

The staff on site gave an announcement.

The starting point for the 2,000-meter race at Zhongshan Racecourse is located directly in front of the main grandstand.

That was the most visible spot on the entire track. A row of cold steel gates already stretched across the track.

Fourteen racehorses began to approach the gate.

Poetry and Wine took a deep breath, raindrops dripping from the brim of her hat, sliding down her pale cheeks, and hitting the collar of her black victory uniform.

She walked to her gate.

Gate 7.

A somewhat awkward mid-lane position.

"Enter the gate."

The staff pulled open the barrier behind the gate.

Poetry and Wine walked in with their heads down.

With a "click," the partition behind me closed.

The space was instantly compressed to its limit.

Inside the narrow gatehouse, the cold metal walls were almost touching her shoulders.

Rainwater pelted the metal sheet on top of the gate, producing a dense "pitter-patter" sound.

On the left, the 5th gate is Narita Road.

On the right, the 8th gate, is the gate that admires Orihime.

Poetry and wine: A horse's keen ears can clearly detect the movements around it, and the two horse girls beside it are adjusting their breathing.

On the outermost 11th gate, the opera was softly humming an unknown aria.

The air was filled with the dampness of rain.

Don't think about water. Don't think about rivers.

Poetry and Wine closed her eyes and placed her hands on the barrier in front of her. The chill from her fingertips allowed her thoughts to retain a final vestige of clarity.

She lowered her center of gravity, and the muscles in her thighs began to tighten little by little.

The black-haired mare's tail was taut as she adjusted her body to maintain her balance in the confined space.

The horseshoes at the front of her shoes were firmly pressed against the grass.

"All personnel have entered the gate!"

The starter's voice came over the loudspeaker.

The tens of thousands of spectators at the Zhongshan Racecourse miraculously fell silent at that moment. Only the continuous sound of rain echoed between heaven and earth.

one second.

two seconds.

The perspective on poetry and wine has narrowed to its limit. The racetrack ahead appears incredibly long in the rain.

The first 200 meters after the start are a frantic battle for position.

All distracting thoughts were cleared away at this moment.

That's the only road.

There is light flickering.

"boom--!"

Fourteen gates opened simultaneously, unleashing a deafening metallic clang!

"The floodgates are open—! The first battle of the classic triple crown, the Satsuki Sho, begins!"

The commentator roared, but his voice was instantly swallowed up by the frenzied cheers of the crowd.

【attention】

"boom."

This is definitely not the kind of noise a human would make when starting a race.

The horse girls, possessing monstrous explosive power, simultaneously unleashed their accumulated terrifying kinetic energy to the ground without reservation.

Muddy water shot into the sky.

Poetry and wine burst forth the moment the gate opened, and the legs suddenly exerted force.

Her muscles, stretched to their limit, exerted tremendous force at that moment, propelling her forward like a black arrow released from a bow.

Intense pain instantly spread throughout the body, and the speed soared to tens of kilometers per hour in just a few seconds.

The wind and rain lashed her cheeks.

"A beautiful start! Everyone was on time, and almost all the runners burst out of the gate in perfect formation!"

Main character: Chapter 349 Defeat

The thunderous sound of horseshoes crushing the turf instantly drowned out everything else, transforming into a dull thud that could shake the earth.

Mud was splashing wildly.

With each step the horse in front took, its horseshoes dug deep into the soft, wet soil, then mercilessly kicked up large swaths of wet mud and bits of grass behind it.

Poetry and wine lowered his posture, his upper body almost parallel to the ground, the hem of his trench coat fluttering wildly in the gale.

She squinted her eyes tightly, pressed the horse ears on the top of her head back flat, and moved forward instinctively.

Unfortunately, the others were too fast.

Or perhaps the rainy weather diminished the power of poetry and wine.

Even on the "slightly heavier" muddy ground, the pace of the main force pushing forward was still astonishingly fast for poetry and wine.

The short stretch of just over two hundred meters after exiting the gate is the key area that sets the tone for the entire game.

Within seconds of exiting the gate, the leading group began to frantically push towards the inner rail, with everyone trying to seize the advantageous position that would be the shortest and most energy-efficient before entering the first bend.

Poetry and wine are both vying for a good place.

'Go up!'

She clenched her teeth and let out a low groan.

Blood pumped into the thigh muscles again, and the pace of his steps suddenly quickened.

Unsure of their chances of standing out in the rain, Poetry and Wine abandoned the strategy of "escape" and instead opted for the tactic of "going first."

After all, in this kind of situation, rather than following behind others in the pouring rain, with endless mud and water mist depriving you of your vision, it's better to just charge ahead.

Poetry and wine attempt to tear open this oppressive rain curtain themselves.

The black figure cut into the front row like a ghost in the melee.

She keenly spotted the gap created by the scramble for position in the main group ahead, and her tail swayed rapidly in the wind and rain.

"Naritaro is pushing forward decisively! She has also chosen the first-mover strategy and is approaching the inner rail!"

The commentator's voice echoed through the racetrack.

In the afterglow of poetry and wine, a glimpse of golden light cut in from the left.

It's Narita Road.

Even on such a muddy track, Narita's pace remained frighteningly steady.

Her upper body remained completely still, and with each step she took, she found the perfect point of leverage on the slippery grass.

The girl's long golden hair was soaked by the rain and danced wildly in the wind.

The best spot on the inside lane can only accommodate one competitor.

Poetry and Wine's eyes sharpened, the horseshoe slammed heavily on the ground, and it accelerated forcefully, preparing to squeeze into the gap before Narita Road could pass.

Two figures, one in black and one in gold, rapidly approached the same coordinate point in the rain like two sharp blades about to collide.

Five meters, three meters...

Just as they were about to secure their position, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

The rain intensified.

What was originally a light drizzle has now turned into a stream.

The large amount of water flowing out soaked the already fragile grass, turning it into a muddy mess.

The left shoe of poetry and wine stomped down heavily.

The expected solid feedback did not come.

The soil on the grass underfoot had been completely softened by the rain. The moment the horseshoe stepped on it, the bottom of the horseshoe did not bite the grass roots, but instead slid a distance to the side with a clump of wet mud.

[Lost in the Mud]

"Splash—"

A woman on a nearby horse kicked up mud and water, which splashed all over Shi Yujiu's face and neck.

The icy cold water poured in through the collar of the black victory uniform and clung to the burning skin.

Memories that had been forcibly suppressed deep within the mind burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.

The river water was murky.

The water level was above knee-deep.

The soles of my feet kept sinking, and no matter how much I struggled, I couldn't get any firm footing in the mud.