Led by the Nose

Kitasan Black left the Paddock with a flushed face, a stiff smile, and a mechanical wave of her hand, while her other hand clutched the broken zipper.

Walking from behind the scenes toward the underground tunnel leading to the track, she looked left and right, noting that the nearest Horse Girl was over a hundred meters away...

"Ahhhhh, how embarrassing! Why did the zipper have to jam right now! The Trainer and the others definitely saw it! So shameful!"

Pressing her head against the wall, she twisted her body as if she didn't know what to do with her limbs, let out a frantic, hushed scream, then straightened her posture, lifted her chin, clenched her fists, and let out a long breath.

"Forget it, look on the bright side, at least I didn't put my shoes on the wrong feet this time... but it's still so embarrassing, ahhh!"

She pressed against the wall and squirmed for a while longer.

"Will all contestants please proceed to the starting gates and prepare. Will all contestants please proceed to the starting gates and prepare. Repeat, will all contestants please proceed to the starting gates and prepare."

Hearing the broadcast inside the tunnel, she froze for a moment, hurriedly patted her cheeks, took a few deep breaths, and jogged toward the tunnel exit.

The rivals she had seen earlier in the Paddock were approaching the gates one after another; with no time to overthink, she quickened her pace.

Suddenly, as she passed another Horse Girl, the girl called out to her in a strange tone.

"Kitasan Black..."

"Ah? Oh? It's Satono Takarazuka..." Seeing that it was Satono Takarazuka who had called her, Kitasan Black hurriedly stopped and greeted her enthusiastically: "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Not really, it's just..."

Still using that strange tone, Satono Takarazuka pointed at Kitasan Black's upper body.

"Did you forget to take off your warm-up jacket?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Kitasan Black wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Even though she couldn't see her own face, the burning sensation told her clearly that her cheeks must be bright red right now.

Noticing Kitasan Black's distress, Satono Takarazuka kindly offered:

"The staff hasn't left yet, and there's still some time before we enter the gates, you should quickly take off the jacket and hand it to them..."

Halfway through, seeing Kitasan Black tugging at the zipper with an even redder face, as if it wouldn't budge, Satono Takarazuka instinctively stepped closer.

"Uh, do you need me to help..."

She suddenly went blank.

Riiip—

With a Loud Noise of tearing fabric, and to the shock of Satono Takarazuka, Kitasan Black ripped her warm-up jacket wide open.

Afterward, the Black Haired Girl flushed red, twitched her lips in an awkward smile at her, then used the jacket—or rather, the scraps of fabric—to cover her face and dashed toward the staff on the field.

Stunned for a long while, Satono Takarazuka shook her head with a wry smile, then turned solemn as she began to ponder quietly.

Although she is still as careless as ever, that kind of power... hmm, just as the Trainer said, one must be careful about that.

Kitasan Black's "clothing explosion" on the spot was naturally seen by many spectators, and it quite expectedly drew waves of laughter.

Anjing Zhen, along with Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, saw it too. After a moment of silence, Vodka frowned thoughtfully.

"Little Kita's strength is still as immense as ever... that must be hard to control during a race, right?"

"It's certainly like that when running alongside her."

Daiwa Scarlet also frowned and said:

"Her speed control is a major issue. She can manage to maintain a steady pace; her sense of rhythm in that regard is quite good.

"But if she needs to increase or decrease her speed, she spends too much time doing it.

"It's fine in training, but in a race..."

She shook her head.

"Her opponents won't give her that many chances."

At this point, she intentionally glanced at Anjing Zhen, as did Vodka beside her.

Knowing that these two Horse Girls were likely asking for his countermeasure, and that he did indeed have a plan in place, Anjing Zhen did not speak.

These things couldn't be explained in a short moment; besides, the race was about to begin.

Rather than explaining now, perhaps letting the two Horse Girls witness it for themselves would be more convenient.

And with their talent and experience, they wouldn't fail to understand his intentions.

"Everything is now in order, and the contestants have entered the starting gates one by one.

"And so, the Tokyo Racecourse, Grassland 2000 Meters Condition Race...

"Start!"

As the live commentary finished, 14 figures surged out from the gates.

A sense of déjà vu washed over the field as all the Horse Girls instinctively leaned toward the Inner Lane.

Suddenly, the commentator's voice shifted.

"One runner has botched the start, falling a step behind!"

"It's the third favorite, Minnesuk!"

"However, living up to her popularity and past results, she has quickly adjusted to the back of the pack."

"Currently in first is the tenth favorite, Touki!"

"She has incredible speed, seizing the lead in one breath."

"On the outside!"

"Charging ahead! It's Sato no Takarazuka!"

"She's closing in on Touki—is she looking to snatch the lead?"

"Not at all; after a brief burst of speed, Sato no Takarazuka has settled into third place."

"In second place is Saint Martin."

"Following closely behind the leading pack is Kitasan Black, who has taken a much more forward position this time."

As the commentary continued, Vodka nodded in the stands.

"As expected, Daiwa, you guessed it too, right?"

"Mm, it really is Touki leading the pace."

Daiwa Scarlet nodded in agreement.

"She shouldn't be an Escape Horse; her Running Stance, positioning habits, and pacing aren't suited for it."

"But since her previous races were all quite short, she's grown accustomed to high-speed events. Once the gates open, she instinctively falls into that familiar speed and rhythm."

"Though, it could also be the Trainer's instructions. If that's the case, anyone who can't react in time will be led around by the nose."

"Especially..."

She paused, exchanged a look with her friend, glanced at Anjing Zhen, and then grew puzzled.

It's strange. He should know perfectly well that Little Kita isn't adept at precise speed control, and that high-speed leading races are difficult to handle. Plus, it seems he hasn't even begun training Little Kita in that area yet...

So why is he still so calm?

Daiwa Scarlet frowned inwardly.

As one of the most outstanding Escape Horses of recent generations—and indeed the entire industry—she didn't believe there was anything wrong with her judgment.

She wasn't denying the Trainer's talent or ability; she had already confirmed his excellence many times over.

However, no matter how excellent he was, and no matter how much one overlooked his youth, it was an indisputable fact that this was only Little Kita's second race.

Given the lack of precise speed control, and the fact that the second race happened to present a situation requiring exactly that, the confidence implied by the Trainer's calmness...

Where on earth did it come from?

Frowning again, she stared intently at the high-speed pack on the track, her mind racing.

She had no intention of asking Anjing Zhen.

What others can do, she can do too, and she must be the best at it—there was nothing else beyond that goal.

That had always been her creed.

She was confident she could figure out the key.

However, as time passed, her brow furrowed even deeper.

Because she still hadn't figured out what Anjing Zhen was planning.

So, did he... not have any arrangements at all?

No, that's not right. My eyes aren't failing me, and the ability he's shown isn't fake...

But they're almost at the third turn, and Little Kita still hasn't made a move. Could it be that she's just going to keep following...

Wait!

Following...

Her eyes widened abruptly, and Daiwa Scarlet let out a low gasp.

"Sato no Takarazuka?!"