Event Arrangements

For Anjing Zhen, a son who was both a maverick and exceptionally "precocious," his parents in this life had always been patient and tolerant, never interfering too much in his affairs.

Over time, he gradually came to accept this kind of familial affection he had never experienced in his previous life, becoming willing to listen to others and even opening his heart to his parents.

Having spent this time with Kitasan Black, her vibrant and lively nature had moved him deeply, and before he knew it, he had begun to experience what people called youth.

Because of this, he was also willing to talk more with his own Horse Girl and listen more to her thoughts.

"The answer... ah! Oh no!"

After a moment of confusion followed by a startled exclamation, Kitasan Black rubbed her cheek in embarrassment.

"After talking with Diamond-chan that day, I was supposed to tell you the next day, Trainer, but I got so caught up worrying about that stone that I completely forgot..."

Turning back, she took a deep breath and looked at Anjing Zhen earnestly.

"I've made up my mind, Trainer.

"I want to challenge the Triple Crown."

Anjing Zhen did not mind the minor oversight of his carefree Horse Girl.

He was not surprised by the answer of the "Triple Crown," either.

Tenno Sho Spring, Tenno Sho Autumn, Takarazuka Kinen, Arima Kinen... these were the most elite races, considered exceptionally special even among G1 events.

If forced to choose the most special one, every Horse Girl would say the Triple Crown without hesitation.

With only one chance in a lifetime, this restriction alone infinitely elevated its significance.

In the last hundred years, out of tens of thousands of Horse Girls, only seven had won the Triple Crown, and those who had won two of the three legs numbered only in the double digits.

Tokai Teio was one such two-crown Horse Girl, and an undefeated one at that.

With such a Horse Girl as her idol, Kitasan Black's intentions were easy to guess without much deliberation.

"The Triple Crown, is it... I understand."

Nodding, Anjing Zhen began to swipe across his tablet.

"Then I'll register you for the Spring Stakes first, and we'll prepare for your debut race according to that schedule."

"Okay! No problem... wait!"

Nodding instinctively with vigor, Kitasan Black suddenly paused.

"...Are we starting the registration now, Trainer?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

Pausing on the race application interface, Anjing Zhen looked at Kitasan Black.

"It's January now, time for a January debut.

"In February, we'll see how things go and register for a race to accumulate the necessary fan count.

"In March, the Yayoi Stakes, the Spring Stakes, the Wakaba Stakes—all three prep races for the Satsuki Sho take place then.

"April is the Satsuki Sho. If we don't register now, do you expect to waste money on a late entry fee later?"

The "Late Entry System" had only been established in the Shining Series over the last few generations.

In the past, if one failed to register for certain races within the designated time, missing them meant missing them; there were no opportunities for late entry.

This situation had long been criticized, but the URA Association had never paid it any mind.

It wasn't until the "Eternal Triple Crown Generation" shook the industry that they drafted relevant proposals and perfected them in the following years.

One of the protagonists of that upheaval was Oguri Cap, who had delivered the meal to Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black earlier.

Coming from a local racing background, that legendary Horse Girl and her trainer had not initially considered participating in the Triple Crown.

Later, at a local race, the previous Student Council President, Symboli Rudolph, spotted Oguri Cap's talent and invited her to the Central circuit to compete in higher-level races.

However, in the absence of a late entry system, Oguri Cap could not participate in the Triple Crown.

If her performance in the Central circuit had been mediocre, it would have been one thing, but she repeatedly defeated the winners of the Satsuki Sho and the Kikuka Sho in a series of major races, her strength becoming undeniably impeccable.

This caused great regret and dissatisfaction among fans and the industry, which was why the URA Association finally introduced the "Late Entry System."

This system later prevented many regrets, such as in the case of T.M. Opera O, known as "The Overlord," who had missed the registration deadline and had to go through the late entry process.

Moreover, in his memory, the Kitasan Black of the parallel world seemed to have had little popularity at her debut, and her training camp had only registered her for the Satsuki Sho after the fact.

However, while late entry was possible, the fee for a single late entry was not cheap—a full 2 million yen—and it was the same in this world.

It wasn't that Anjing Zhen lacked the money.

Living alone in Tokyo, aside from the living expenses provided by his family, he had saved quite a bit from part-time jobs since his first year of high school, and the training equipment he had bought for Kitasan Black recently had all come out of his own pocket.

But confident that he could lead this Horse Girl to outstanding results in the Triple Crown, there was certainly no need to waste money on late entry fees.

"I see... I'm sorry, Trainer."

Hearing Anjing Zhen's arrangements and his rhetorical question, Kitasan Black began to feel self-reproachful.

"I don't know much about these things; I should have been learning about them along with you..."

"It's not your fault; you've only just enrolled, and we haven't covered much of the material yet."

Anjing Zhen shook his head.

"Besides, this is the Trainer's job to begin with. I'll explain it to you slowly later, and you'll learn about it in class as well."

Adding that, Anjing Zhen began operating the registration interface once more.

"So, a debut race in January, a condition race in February, a prep race in March, and the Satsuki Sho in April."

"If you don't have any issues with that, I'll submit the registration in this order?"

"Okay, I'll listen to whatever the Trainer says."

Nodding obediently, Kitasan Black leaned in curiously.

Watching Anjing Zhen fill in various details on the registration program, she observed for a moment before blinking and asking in confusion:

"By the way, Trainer, if we're registering for a prep race for the Satsuki Sho, why isn't it the Yayoi Sho or the Wakaba Stakes?"

"I actually..."

She pursed her lips, looking a bit expectant.

"I actually wondered if I might get to face Crown-chan in the Yayoi Sho."

"Satono Crown?"

Looking up in surprise, Anjing Zhen pondered for a moment.

"You two didn't make some kind of promise to settle a score or anything, did you?"

"It's not like that, after all..."

Scratching her head, Kitasan Black felt a bit embarrassed.

"Although it sounds a bit defeatist, Crown-chan really is much better than me."

"She comes from a prominent family, has many relatives working in the Association and the Academy, and even has seniors who are currently active."

"She's so well-bred and her grades are excellent; she's always been one of the top students in our class."

"Plus, she debuted last year and has already won two races in a row."

"If I really had to race against Crown-chan, I feel... the pressure would be quite immense."

"But!"

"If I shrink back just because I feel pressure, how can I talk about becoming a Horse Girl like Teio-senpai!"

Sweeping away her previous bashfulness, the Black Haired Girl said with unprecedented seriousness:

"If we're talking about pressure, the hardships Senpai faced were far more painful than anything I'm dealing with."

"If those experiences couldn't break Senpai, how could I possibly give up before I've even started?"

"So don't worry, Trainer. No matter what kind of opponent I encounter, I will definitely give it my all and fight to the very end!"

...I didn't expect that someone who usually looks so silly could show such a side of herself.

"Good."

Smiling with gratification, Anjing Zhen said in a deep voice:

"As your Trainer, I will also accompany you to the very end."

"Mm!"

Smiling excitedly, Kitasan Black nodded vigorously.