Event Schedule

Anjing Zhen's parents in this life had always been patient and understanding with their unconventional, remarkably "precocious" son. They had never interfered with him too much.

As time passed, he gradually accepted the family affection he had never experienced in his previous life, and became more willing to listen to others. He even opened up to his parents a little.

Over the time they'd spent together, Kitasan Black's lively, spirited nature had moved him. Before he knew it, he'd begun to understand what people meant by youth.

After a moment of confusion, Kitasan Black exclaimed in surprise. "Oh no!"

She scratched her cheek sheepishly.

"After I talked to Diamond-chan that day, I meant to tell you the next day, Trainer. But I got so caught up thinking about that stone that I forgot..."

Then 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 didn't mind his big-hearted horse girl's little oversight.

He wasn't surprised by her answer, either: the Triple Crown.

Tenno Sho Spring, Tenno Sho Autumn, Takarazuka Kinen, Arima Kinen... These were all top-tier races, each extraordinarily prestigious even among the G1s.

But if they had to name the most special races, every horse girl would say the Triple Crown without hesitation.

A horse girl had only one chance in her life. That restriction alone made the races infinitely more meaningful.

In nearly a century, among the thousands upon thousands of horse girls, only seven had won all three legs of the Triple Crown, and fewer than a dozen had won two.

Tokai Teio was one of the horse girls who had won two crowns—and she had done so without a single defeat.

It didn't take much thought to guess why Kitasan Black, who idolized Tokai Teio, had made that choice.

"The Triple Crown, huh... I understand."

Anjing Zhen nodded and started scrolling through the tablet.

"I'll enter you in the Spring Stakes first, then prepare your Debut Race around that."

"Sure! No problem... Wait!"

Kitasan Black nodded emphatically on instinct, then froze.

"...We're entering now, Trainer?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

Anjing Zhen paused at the race application screen and looked at Kitasan Black.

"It's January now, so your Debut Race will be in January.

"In February, depending on how things go, we'll enter a race to build up the necessary number of fans.

"In March, the Yayoi Sho, Spring Stakes, Wakaba Stakes, and the three Prep Races for the Satsuki Sho are all scheduled.

"Then the Satsuki Sho is in April. If we don't enter now, are we supposed to waste money on a late entry?"

The late-entry system had only gradually taken shape over the last few generations of the Shining Series.

In the past, if you missed the entry deadline for a race, that was it. There was no late entry.

People had long criticized the system, but the URA Association had never paid much attention.

It wasn't until the Eternal Triple Crown Generation sent shock waves through the industry that a proposal was drawn up, then refined over the following years.

One of the central figures in that upheaval was Oguri Cap, who had brought food to Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black earlier.

Since she came from the local circuit, that legendary horse girl and her Trainer had never initially considered entering the Triple Crown.

Later, at a Local Race, the previous Student Council President, Symboli Rudolph, had recognized Oguri Cap's talent and invited her to come to the central circuit and compete in higher-level races.

But without a late-entry system, Oguri Cap couldn't enter the Triple Crown.

That would have been one thing if her performance in the central circuit had been mediocre. But in a string of major races, she repeatedly defeated the champions of the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho. Her strength was beyond question.

Fans and the industry were deeply disappointed and outraged, and only then did the URA Association introduce the late-entry system.

The system later prevented many similar regrets. T.M. Opera O, known as the Overlord, had also missed the entry deadline and had to go through the late-entry process.

And if he remembered correctly, in the parallel world, Kitasan Black had also failed to attract much attention when she made her debut, so her team had only belatedly entered her in the Satsuki Sho through the late-entry process.

Late entry was possible, but it wasn't cheap. Each late entry cost a full two million yen. It was the same in this world.

Anjing Zhen wasn't short of money.

When he'd moved to Tokyo to live on his own, he'd received some money from his family for living expenses, and he'd also saved quite a bit from part-time jobs since his first year of high school. He'd paid out of pocket for all the training equipment he'd bought for Kitasan Black recently.

But he was confident she could achieve excellent results in the Triple Crown. There was no need to waste money on late-entry fees.

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

After hearing Anjing Zhen's plan and question, Kitasan Black felt guilty.

"I don't really know about these things. I should've learned about them with you..."

"It's not your fault. You've only just started school, and they haven't taught you most of this yet."

Anjing Zhen shook his head.

"Besides, this is the Trainer's job. I'll explain things to you as we go, and you'll learn them in class, too."

Adding that, Anjing Zhen resumed filling out the application.

"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 objections, I'll enter you in that order."

"Okay. I'll leave it all to you, Trainer."

Kitasan Black nodded obediently and leaned closer, curious.

She watched Anjing Zhen fill in the various details on the application, then blinked in confusion.

"By the way, Trainer, if we're entering a Prep Race for the Satsuki Sho, why aren't we going with the Yayoi Sho or the Wakaba Stakes?

"I actually..."

She pressed her lips together, looking a little hopeful.

"I'd actually wondered if I might race Crown-chan at the Yayoi Sho."

"Satono Crown?"

Anjing Zhen looked up in surprise and thought for a moment.

"Did you two make some kind of promise to settle who's better?"

"Not really. It's just..."

Kitasan Black scratched her head, growing embarrassed.

"I know it sounds discouraging, but Crown-chan really is a lot better than me.

"She comes from a prominent family, and a lot of her family members work for the Association and the Academy. She even has seniors who are still active.

"She's well-mannered and does really well in class. She's always been one of the top students.

"She also made her debut last year, and she's already won two races in a row.

"If I really had to race Crown-chan... I think it'd be pretty intimidating.

"But!

"If I back down just because I feel pressured, how can I say I want to become a horse girl like Teio-senpai?"

The black-haired girl's earlier bashfulness vanished. Never before had she looked so serious.

"Speaking of pressure, Teio-senpai had to endure far more painful things than I have.

"Those experiences couldn't break her, so how could I give up before I've even started?

"So don't worry, Trainer. No matter who I face, I'll fight with everything I've got until the very end!"

I never expected someone who usually seemed so silly to show this side of herself.

"Good."

Anjing Zhen smiled, moved, and spoke firmly.

"As your Trainer, I'll be with you all the way to the end."

"Yeah!"

Kitasan Black smiled excitedly and nodded hard.