Preparations on the Eve of the Competition

The day before the race, two weeks later, the excellent track "Uchiage Hanabi" had brought Kitasan Black the expected number of fans.

It was more than enough; by the third day after the Racing Account released the song, the number of fans gained from it alone exceeded 20,000, instantly surpassing the 24,000 required for the Condition Race.

The growth continued unabated over the following days, hitting the cap of 30,000 in one go, bringing Kitasan Black's total fan count to over 40,000.

The Black Haired Girl was naturally overjoyed by this level of fan growth.

If you saw her clutching her phone, grinning foolishly while muttering to herself, there was no need to doubt it—she was definitely looking at the fan count or reading complimentary comments.

Anjing Zhen, however, felt nothing; he knew better than anyone how much heat that song would generate.

If anything, he felt that such a good song only netting 30,000 fans was a bit of a waste.

But he only sighed for a moment before his mind quickly shifted to the race arrangements for tomorrow.

That evening, in the living room of Anjing Zhen's single room.

Looking at the diagrams and text on the Whiteboard beside Anjing Zhen, Kitasan Black said thoughtfully:

"...In other words, I should run a bit further forward than in my Debut Race this time?"

Anjing Zhen nodded.

"That's right. I've evaluated it; the tactics from last time won't work this time, so we must make the corresponding adjustments."

He then pointed to the handwritten list on the Left Side of the Whiteboard and explained:

"Assuming there are no withdrawals, your opponents tomorrow are the names I've listed here.

"Unlike your Debut Race, every single one of them participated in their debuts last year.

"In other words, you are the only newcomer in the Entire Venue who has just raced this year.

"This means they have received professional guidance from trainers earlier, and there is no shortage of top-tier trainers among them."

He paused intentionally, glancing calmly at Kitasan Black's expression.

The girl bit her lower lip, her brows furrowed, and her hands pressed against her knees clenched involuntarily; she was clearly quite nervous.

Anjing Zhen did not offer any words of comfort.

Racing is not child's play.

On the contrary, while the participants are all youthful and lively girls, making it look as bustling and relaxed as an idol audition, the reality is that at speeds reaching 60 kilometers per hour, the intensity and danger of the confrontation are no less than any other competitive sport.

A moderate amount of nervousness is actually more conducive to such highly competitive races.

If the pressure brought by nervousness is handled correctly, it allows a Horse Girl to perform at a level even better than her training.

This was one of the reasons why Anjing Zhen specifically wanted to detail tomorrow's race.

With this in mind, he continued:

"Furthermore, your opponents have much richer racing experience.

"Only one person has only participated in her debut like you, but even she debuted last year.

"On average, your opponents have raced three times, with the most experienced having raced as many as six times."

It was obvious that the Black Haired Girl had become even more nervous, and Anjing Zhen took the opportunity to shift the tone of the conversation.

A moderate amount of pressure is enough; too much is as bad as too little.

"But you don't need to worry. Their strength isn't higher than yours—and of course, it isn't much lower either, otherwise you wouldn't be participating in the same race.

"Besides, you don't need to focus on every single opponent; you don't have the energy for that.

"Just keep an eye on these few."

As he spoke, Anjing Zhen used a dry-erase marker to circle a few names on the Whiteboard.

He had just capped the pen and hadn't even explained yet when he heard Kitasan Black murmur.

"...Sato no Takarazuka?"

Glancing at the "Sato no Takarazuka" circled on the Whiteboard, Anjing Zhen smiled at Kitasan Black.

"What? You know her? I recall you two aren't in the same class, are you?"

"Yes, Takarazuka-san is in a different class."

Kitasan Black nodded and said:

"But when I go out to play with Diamond-chan, or go to play with Crown-chan, I often see Takarazuka-san. Sometimes I see her when I go to visit their homes, too.

"As for Takarazuka-san... I remember she has already participated in many races, and her results are very impressive."

Anjing Zhen did not deny Kitasan Black's words.

"Five races: one first place, two second places, and two third places.

"The first three were 1,800-meter races in Sapporo, followed by 2,000-meter races in Chukyo and Kyoto. Her results have improved every time.

"Sato no Takarazuka is indeed outstanding, especially in terms of adaptability."

Then, he shifted the topic.

"However, let's not rush to look at her just yet; let's first examine these two.

"Saint Martin, and Touki.

"Saint Martin is the second favorite in this race, and she is also the only Horse Girl besides you who has only participated in her Debut Race."

"Second favorite... that's amazing."

Kitasan Black leaned forward slightly, then scratched her head with a bashful expression.

"I'm only the ninth favorite..."

Anjing Zhen didn't offer any words of comfort; acting as if he hadn't heard her, he pointed to the data he had written down.

"Niigata Racecourse, turf 1600 meters, finishing time 1:36.7, which calculates to 17 meters per second.

"This is the data from Saint Martin's Debut Race.

"The most critical part is her Final Burst Speed; her last three furlongs were 33 seconds, which converts to a speed of 18.18.

"As long as she can perform at that level, challenging OP-class races or higher won't be a problem for her.

"Similarly, the first favorite, Crusher Blaze, had a last three furlong speed of 17.9 in her previous race, which is also an exceptionally good Final Burst Speed.

"Do you have any thoughts on this, Little Kita?"

He looked toward Kitasan Black.

Although she still looked nervous, a clear sense of contemplation flickered in Kitasan Black's crimson eyes.

"I remember Senior Yamato telling me when we were running together that if I encounter opponents with excellent Final Burst Speed, I should first strive harder to maintain the high speed I've built up, and second, try to open up a larger gap in advance.

"So, does Trainer mean... I should use these techniques to deal with them?"

Unconsciously, Anjing Zhen nodded inwardly at his Horse Girl's aptitude.

Kitasan Black is actually not as dim-witted as she often claims to be.

On the contrary, when it comes to racing, she understands many things the moment they are pointed out.

For instance, when she asked Daiwa Scarlet for advice on Escape Horse techniques, Anjing Zhen had originally intended to remind her, but he hadn't expected her to think of asking on her own, nor that she would remember it so well.

What was even more gratifying was that she was able to Reacted to the situation right now.

And what she said was exactly what Anjing Zhen had wanted to say.

"That's right, and that is one of the reasons why I want you to position yourself further forward in this race."

Anjing Zhen began writing more data on the Whiteboard.

"Besides the opponents with excellent Final Burst Speed, there are two others to watch out for.

"One is Touki. Although she is only the tenth favorite, I noticed that in her previous six races, four were 1400 meters and one was 1600 meters.

"This kind of race schedule is very fast-paced, and I believe there is a high probability she will lead the pack this time, or perhaps lead by accident due to her past habits.

"This is the other reason why I want you to be further forward."

"As I expected, the pace of this race will be much faster than the last one.

"And one of your weaknesses is that your acceleration is slow.

"If you fall too far behind, it's easy to misjudge the situation, and once your start is even a little slow, you can say goodbye to the championship."

Under Anjing Zhen's calm guidance, Kitasan Black's thinking became increasingly profound.

"I see...

"Then the key for me in this race is to find the range for acceleration even more precisely than last time, so..."

She looked at Anjing Zhen with anticipation.

"Trainer, you must know when I should accelerate, right?"