The Trial of Daiwa Scarlet

Three days later, early in the morning at the academy track, Trainer Yasui and Kitasan Black met a Horse Girl with twin tails—or perhaps, a "triple tail" hairstyle.

The moment she saw that Horse Girl, Kitasan Black rushed over excitedly and threw her arms around her.

"Senior Yamato! It's been so long!"

"You're a bit late, Little Kita. Don't tell me you were sleeping in again?"

Returning the hug, the "triple tail" Horse Girl wore a smile just as warm and nostalgic.

"I was not! I'm a formally debuted Horse Girl now; I wouldn't sleep in like I used to!"

"I watched your debut race. It was excellent; you've really grown, Little Kita."

"Hehe, thank you, Senior... Oh, right! I haven't introduced you yet!"

Releasing her arms, Kitasan Black excitedly grabbed Trainer Yasui's sleeve and pulled him over.

"This is my assigned trainer, Anjing Zhen. I was only able to win my debut race because of him!"

"I have long heard of your reputation, Trainer."

Smiling as she nodded at Kitasan Black, the "triple tail" Horse Girl reached out to Anjing Zhen with poise.

"Hello, Trainer Yasui. I am Daiwa Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you as well."

After shaking hands with Daiwa Scarlet, Anjing Zhen looked at Kitasan Black and smiled slightly.

"Little Kita is exaggerating. I won't deny that I put a lot of thought into the training I arranged for her.

"But to win the race, her own hard work and talent were indispensable.

"Therefore, that victory should be considered something we won together."

Daiwa Scarlet smiled with satisfaction and looked at Kitasan Black.

"Little Kita, your trainer is truly excellent."

"Hehe, I think so too."

Scratching her head with a silly grin, Kitasan Black turned eager and restless.

"So... can we start our practice run? I'm completely ready, Senior Yamato!"

"Still such an impatient one... Don't be in such a rush, Little Kita."

Shaking her head with a smile, Daiwa Scarlet turned to face Anjing Zhen, her expression gradually turning serious.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, Trainer Yasui. Would that be alright?"

Both Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black were taken aback, but Anjing Zhen nodded.

"Please go ahead, Student Yamato. If it is a question I am capable of answering, I will not hold anything back."

Without any polite preamble, Daiwa Scarlet nodded and said:

"Before coming here, I looked at Little Kita's race schedule.

"The Satsuki Sho in April, the Spring Stakes in March, and a condition race this month.

"Because of her debut victory, Little Kita's fan count is already approaching 10,000.

"However, that is still far from the 100,000-fan minimum requirement for the Satsuki Sho, and quite a bit short of the 50,000 needed for the Spring Stakes.

"It might sound discouraging, but for a Horse Girl, failure is not impossible.

"Suppose—and I mean, just suppose.

"Suppose she doesn't win the condition race, or doesn't win the Spring Stakes, and her fan count isn't enough to enter the Satsuki Sho...

"Trainer Yasui, have you considered that possibility?"

The tone of this inquiry was calm, yet it carried a subtle, aggressive edge.

Kitasan Black sensed it immediately and became flustered, her gaze darting between Anjing Zhen and Daiwa Scarlet in a panic.

"Senior Yamato, this... and Trainer..."

"It's okay, Little Kita."

Noticing his Horse Girl's anxiety, he gave her a reassuring look before turning to nod gratefully at Daiwa Scarlet.

"That is a very sharp question, especially given that Little Kita just won her debut race.

"Most people would avoid such a topic to spare her feelings—and mine.

"But precisely because of that, Student Yamato, I can tell you truly care about her.

"Because as you said, there are over a dozen participants in every race, but only one champion.

"Losing a race is truly not an impossible outcome for any Horse Girl.

"On the contrary, losing is the norm."

A glimmer of satisfaction and admiration flashed in Daiwa Scarlet's eyes.

As an experienced Horse Girl, she had seen too many geniuses and mediocrities over the years, and witnessed too many races, knowing full well that victory was the exception and failure the norm.

Whether genius or mediocre, many Horse Girls could not withstand the pressure of failure and thus failed to make it to the end.

It didn't matter if Little Kita didn't understand this, but if this young trainer didn't either, she would have to consider reporting it to her senior and old friend, Tokai Teio.

As it stood, Anjing Zhen's answer was quite satisfactory.

However, she did not speak, instead meeting Anjing Zhen's gaze directly without flinching.

Understanding what Daiwa Scarlet meant, Anjing Zhen said calmly:

"It's simple. The reason it's called a prep race for the Satsuki Sho is that the top three finishers in the Spring Stakes can ignore fan count requirements and gain priority entry into the Satsuki Sho.

"This year's Satsuki Sho is on April 19th, two months from now.

"That is plenty of time to add another OP Class Race and replace the Spring Stakes with a lower-intensity OP race.

"With the debut race plus two OP Class Races, the probability of qualifying for the Satsuki Sho is very high.

"Not to mention, I have other auxiliary methods outside of the races, and..."

Smiling, he reached out and patted Kitasan Black on the shoulder.

"I don't have 100% certainty for the Satsuki Sho, nor for placing in the top three of the Spring Stakes; those are Major Races, after all, and the opponents are quite strong.

"But I have compared the data of all opponents in the OP Class Races over the next two months, and I don't believe many of them are a match for Little Kita.

"And this is just the worst-case scenario. If even my worst-case scenario can gain your approval, Daiwa, can I say...

"I don't believe Little Kita will lose her next two races, not even the Spring Stakes."

Kitasan Black became excited at once, while a look of surprise appeared in Daiwa Scarlet's eyes.

Before receiving the call from Agnes Tachyon, she had been following Kitasan Black's debut and had heard of this trainer, Anjing Zhen, who was excessively young.

In her view, that debut race featured a running style that no rookie trainer would dare to arrange, let alone be capable of.

Despite having sufficient power and stamina, he had deliberately abandoned the lead-running style that was easiest for winning a debut, risking being boxed in by placing the Horse Girl at the back of the pack to improve her adaptability for future races...

This was a tactic she had only seen from a handful of trainers.

These trainers were, without exception, renowned veterans in the industry. If they had instructed Kitasan Black to run that way, it would be one thing, but for Anjing Zhen to possess such insight and courage made it impossible for her not to glance sideways at him with newfound interest.

She was suddenly satisfied.

It wasn't that Anjing Zhen's answer was flawless, but rather that his meticulous consideration once again confirmed her previous impression.

This trainer looked young, yet his training philosophy and methods were unusually seasoned.

With such a trainer, while she felt secretly happy for Kitasan Black, she also decided to follow his instructions completely for the upcoming joint training.

"I'm already looking forward to it—the joint training later, and Little Kita's next race."

Without directly praising Anjing Zhen, Daiwa Scarlet smiled, interlaced her fingers, and cracked her wrists.

"Although I haven't been on the track for a long time, I'm used to doing some training, so keeping up with Little Kita for a few joint runs won't be a problem.

"So, feel free to give your orders, Trainer Yasui."

(I really want to...)