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

Ai Musou withdrew her gaze from the crowd, turned up the collar of her coat to block the chilly night wind.

"Where are you going? Aren't you going to wait for the school's shuttle bus?"

With his hands in his pockets, Shi Yujiu asked with some curiosity.

"Now when you go on the bus, you'll only encounter someone who's still excited after winning a game, or someone who's wiping away tears after losing a game. Both are very noisy."

Ai Haibara walked towards the light rail station not far away without looking back.

"I want to get some fresh air and clear my head."

As Poetry and Wine watched her dark brown figure recede into the distance, a gentle embrace from the basement flashed through his mind, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

Then he quickly composed himself and pretended to be aloof.

"it is good."

She strode forward, her legs heavy with soreness, and quickly caught up with Orihime, who adored her.

……

On the light rail returning from Zhongshan Racecourse to Teresen Academy, there were very few passengers.

There were only three or four people scattered throughout the carriage: an office worker wearing headphones and dozing off, and a couple whispering to each other.

"Is that the racehorse girl who just finished her race?"

"Didn't you see Satsuki Sho? They're two of my favorite horse girls!"

"Wow, there are even horse race girls to watch here."

The monotonous clanging of wheels against the rails echoed through the carriage.

The city neon lights outside the window blurred into patches of light on the rain-drenched glass, much like a richly colored oil painting.

The two horse girls sat side by side on the cold, hard metal chairs.

"Click".

Before the poetry and wine could react, a can of steaming hot beverage was tossed precisely into her arms from above.

Ai Musou didn't even watch her move; she simply pulled the tab on the same hot drink in her hand.

"Be careful, it's hot."

She offered a casual reminder.

"Thank you."

Feeling the soothing warmth from his palm, Poetry and Wine breathed a long, comfortable sigh of relief.

She didn't open it immediately, but instead pressed it against her still somewhat cold cheek.

"call……"

The little black and white cat comfortably squinted its eyes slightly.

The light rail passed a curve, and the carriage swayed slightly.

Ai Musashi instinctively reached out and grabbed the metal handrail above her. A slight throbbing pain shot through her right knee for a moment, probably from the match just now.

"Can you handle the reporters?"

Ai Mu Zhi Ji broke the silence first. She took a sip of her slightly hot black tea, casually looked at the reflections of the two people in the opposite car window, and asked casually.

"No problem, we can just run away."

Poetry and wine gave a weary little smile.

"Those reporters, on the other hand, couldn't find me, the third-place winner, in the interview area earlier. They're probably jumping up and down in a panic right now."

Main character: Chapter 357 Someone is about to win

"It's better if we can't find it."

Ai Mu Orihime coldly replied.

"I don't have a penchant for having others as a backdrop."

She switched the tea canister, which she had just taken a sip from, to her other hand, and casually relaxed her right knee a little. She pretended to look out the window, but her eyes were actually somewhat unfocused.

"Instead of forcing a smile in front of the camera and saying those hypocritical 'I'll definitely try harder next time' platitudes, I should just keep training."

"after all,"

She turned her head slightly, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the slightly flushed face beside her, still bearing traces of tears, and lowered her voice.

"Instead of wasting tears in places where they can't be seen, save all your energy for moments worth celebrating."

Upon hearing this, Poetry and Wine couldn't help but turn their heads to look at the girl beside them.

The dim light of the carriage outlined a blurry silhouette of Orihime's profile, and the brown-haired girl's deep purple eyes revealed little emotion.

'Is this... a kind of gentleness?'

Poetry and Wine sighed softly in their hearts.

Just now, in the basement, she pulled me back from the brink of collapse in a nonchalant yet gentle way.

But once she left that dark corner, she reverted to her usual self, unable to express her emotions.

'She really doesn't know how to handle this kind of situation.'

"Loves mulberry trees?"

"Ok?"

"You clearly...really don't want to get involved with other people, right?"

Ai Mu's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly as she gripped the jar.

Poetry and wine are the ingredients for opening the tea bottle; white steam wafts out along with the aroma of tea.

Why would you help me?

"Help you?"

Upon hearing this, Ai Mu was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head helplessly.

"Didn't you help me too?"

"Let's just say... I have different feelings for you."

The moment those words left her lips, even Orihime herself was slightly taken aback.

She lowered her head, using the act of sipping her black tea to conceal the unnaturalness in her eyes.

The girl's dark brown ears trembled slightly in the dim light, as if she were embarrassed by her slip of the tongue.

Poetry and wine certainly didn't miss this detail.

"Is that so..."

She lowered her head, unsure of her own feelings.

'She really treats me like her younger sister... otherwise, she wouldn't have never initiated a conversation with me, like she does with Narita and the others.'

'They proactively offered to help me and were even willing to initiate conversation.'

'But why use such easily misunderstood wording?'

Poetry and wine were not surprised by Orihime's reaction; she was the same kind of person as them, and it would be strange if she readily admitted anything.

He probably said that just to cover up his true thoughts.

Poetry and Wine gently stroked the plastic label on the black tea canister with his thumb, his gaze seemingly falling on Orihime's right leg.

"Just now in the locker room, I saw you unconsciously rubbing your right knee."

Her voice was very low, just enough for the two of them to hear.

"Are you injured?"

The words were spoken.

Ai Mu's hand holding the tea canister paused slightly, and a strange glint flashed in her purple eyes.

"It's just a minor strain. I'll have the doctor at the school clinic take a look when I get back, and I'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."

"Compared to this..."

Ai Mu Orihime suddenly turned her head, her gaze calmly falling on poetry and wine.

How do you plan to prepare for Darby's Japan trip?

"It's only one month until Darby, Japan."

Ai Musou transferred the tea canister she had taken a sip from to her other hand, using this action to slightly adjust her posture and relieve some pressure on her right knee.

She pretended to look at the night view outside the window, but it was actually unfocused.

"Although Tokyo Racecourse rarely features juggling events, the distance of 2,400 meters... there are too many variables."

She didn't mention rainy days or anything else; she knew what that word meant for poetry and wine, so she deliberately avoided sensitive words that would embarrass them.

"I just wanted to confirm,"

Ai Mu turned her head to the side, her purple eyes gazing out the window.

"Are you ready...?"

Outside the train carriage, the city lights flashed past them like flowing water.

The couple had gotten off the train sometime earlier, leaving only the two of them in the carriage.

The raindrops outside the window pattered against the glass, making a soft, rustling sound.

Poetry and wine did not answer immediately.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the can of black tea in her hand, which was starting to cool.

The dark brown tea sloshed gently in the pot, reflecting her slightly pale face.

Poetry and Wine's eyes were still a little red and swollen, and the tip of her nose was also tinged with a faint pink, making her look completely different from her usual indifferent self.

"……I have no idea."

She said it frankly.

"But I will win as long as it doesn't rain."

After he finished speaking, the carriage was silent for a few seconds.

Poetry and wine thought that those who admired Orihime would frown and say something like "That won't do" in a cold tone.

But what she received was the girl's right hand.

Then, a hand that admired Orihime reached out from above and gently patted her shoulder.

"It's ok."

The voice of the woman who admired Orihime came from beside her as she looked intently at the poem and the wine.

"Fear itself is not a weakness."

Ai Mushi withdrew her hand and looked out the window again, as if she had thought of something.

"Those who can step onto the track despite their fear are actually much braver than those who are fearless."

"I……"

Poetry and wine opened their mouths, but didn't know what to say.

"No need to answer right away."

The voice of Orihime, who adored him, rang out again.

"Not everyone can face their fears."

"That's who I am."

Outside the window, scattered lights flashed by like fireflies.

Poetry and Wine realized that he admired Orihime and looked up at her.

Even in the dim light, the purple eyes that adored Orihime still shimmered with a faint light.