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

"Trainer, aren't you coming this way?"

"...I'm fine here."

Riko Kashimoto's voice sounded somewhat tense.

"Riko-senpai—! Come over here! The water here is more comfortable!"

Kiryuin Aoi waved and called out from a distance.

Riko Kashimoto hesitated for a moment.

She looked around.

Akashi Tsubaki swam like a fish, while Nase Fumino, though only soaking her feet, moved with ease, and the other horse girls were having a great time playing in the water.

Only she remained stuck in the shallow water like a landlubber.

This is so embarrassing.

"...They've arrived."

She gritted her teeth and tried to take a few steps deeper into the area.

The seawater reached her chest, and the feeling of being surrounded by water made her heart race.

She's not a very good swimmer.

To be precise, she only knows a few basic swimming styles, and she can't swim very far.

But she didn't want to expose this weakness at this time.

"Trainer?"

Ji Zhao swam over, seemingly sensing something.

You don't look well.

"fine."

Riko Kashimoto forced herself to speak.

"It's just... I'm not used to seawater."

She tried to swim a few strokes by moving her arms.

But his movements were terribly stiff, his hands and feet were completely uncoordinated, and after a few thrashings, he choked on a mouthful of water.

"Cough-cough-"

She coughed violently, her face turning bright red.

"Trainer!"

Ji Zhao immediately swam to her side and reached out to support her arm.

"You can't swim?"

"...I know a little."

Riko Kashimoto's voice was a little hoarse.

"It's just been too long since I've been in the water."

Ji Zhao looked at her, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

You should have said so sooner.

"..."

Riko Kashimoto did not answer.

She stood stubbornly in the water, letting the waves wash over her body.

The sea breeze started to get cool in the evening.

The temperature in Hokkaido is already lower than in Tokyo, and the coolness becomes even more pronounced after sunset.

But Riko Kashimoto did not make it ashore.

She didn't want people to think that she ran away so quickly because she couldn't swim.

"Riko-senpai—! Want to play water polo—!"

Kiryuin Aoi was calling her again.

"……it is good."

She responded and remained in the water.

Ji Zhao stood beside her, his black horse ears twitching slightly.

"Trainer, your lips are a little purple."

"fine."

"The sea temperature is dropping. We should go ashore."

"Wait a little longer."

Riko Kashimoto spoke calmly, but her body was trembling slightly.

"Trainer—"

"I told you I'm fine."

Riko Kashimoto interrupted her.

Her gaze fell on the horse girls playing not far away.

"It's a rare opportunity for them to come to the beach, let them play a little longer."

Ji Zhao remained silent for a while.

Then she didn't say anything more, and just stood silently beside Riko Kashimoto.

Poetry and Wine sat on the nearby rocks, watching all of this unfold.

The diamond-shaped treasure beside me was still freely strolling on the beach, searching for its favorite seashells.

She could understand Riko Kashimoto's feelings to some extent.

Not wanting to expose their weaknesses or be looked down upon, they would rather put on a brave face than admit it.

That's silly.

She wouldn't do that.

Poetry and wine turned their gaze to the distant horizon.

The sea surface shimmered, as if sprinkled with a layer of broken gold.

"Not going into the water?"

A voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Poetry and Wine turned around and saw a brown-haired horsewoman standing not far away, her ears twitching curiously.

"I'm Special Week!"

Ma Niang introduced herself with a bright, sunny smile on her face.

"You're the Poetry and Wine trainer, right? I've heard Diamond Treasure mention you before!"

"Ah."

Poetry and Wine nodded, somewhat unsure how to respond to such enthusiasm.

"The seawater feels so refreshing! Why don't you try it?"

"I'm not in good health."

"Huh? I see..."

Special Zhou's expression turned somewhat worried.

"Then you should get some rest! If you need any help, just let me know!"

"……Thanks."

Zhou laughed again, then waved and ran back into the sea.

People gradually came ashore when the sun had completely set.

Riko Kashimoto was one of the last to leave the sea.

When she came out of the water, she was trembling all over, and her lips were even bluer than before.

Her expression was calm, revealing a faint sense of death.

"Trainer, are you alright?"

Ji Zhao handed over a towel.

"fine."

Riko Kashimoto took the towel and vigorously dried her hair.

Ji Zhao looked at her with concern.

"You should take a hot bath."

"understood."

Riko Kashimoto wrapped the towel tightly around her neck and walked towards her dormitory.

Her steps were a little unsteady, but she still tried her best to maintain a normal posture.

Ji Zhao followed behind her, its black tail swaying slightly.

P.S.: This is the third update for the monthly pass. I'll settle my reward once I've reached it.

Please, please give me more votes! I'll add more chapters for any votes, whether it's recommendation votes, monthly votes, or anything else.

The blue and white figure being pursued is called Miracle: Chapter 108, Time to Eat

As night fell, the training base's canteen lit up with warm lights.

The canteen is a two-story white building, with a spacious dining area on the first floor.

There were more than a dozen tables set up, enough to accommodate all the horse girls and trainers participating in the training camp.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of food, a blend of miso soup and grilled fish, making one's mouth water.

The female horse riders gathered in twos and threes, occupying most of the seats.

Their laughter and chatter mingled together, filling the entire cafeteria with a lively atmosphere.

The trainers sat at a small table by the window.

Poetry and Wine carried their plates over and found that Akashi Tsubaki and Nase Fumino were already seated.

As she sat down, she noticed something.

The pain in my body is less than in the morning.

It hasn't disappeared, but at least it won't feel like my spine is protesting as soon as I sit down like before.

The dull pain is still there, but it has receded to a level that can be ignored.

She tried rotating her shoulder.

The joint made a slight clicking sound, but it wasn't accompanied by a sharp, painful pain that would make one frown.

It was probably thanks to the sea breeze and the rest.

Or something else.

Without thinking much, she picked up her chopsticks.

Akashi Tsubaki was eating curry rice, her movements quick but not rude.

"The curry is good today."

"It's better than the cafeteria food in Tokyo."

Fumino Nase sat opposite her, elegantly sipping her miso soup, her pale red eyes calm as still water.