When she heard Tokai Teio's request, Kitasan Black stared at Anjing Zhen in astonishment.
"Eh—? You want Mr. Anjing to train me? But..."
Anjing Zhen didn't answer. Instead, he gazed thoughtfully at Tokai Teio.
After holding his gaze for a moment, Tokai Teio turned to Kitasan Black.
"What, do you think he can't?"
"Trainer Yasui may not look much older than you, but he's definitely an outstanding trainer.
"He got into the Central League at just eighteen. Nothing like that has ever happened before...
"No, it's more like nobody could've imagined such a thing. It's as impossible as three runners crossing the finish line at the same time in a G1 Race.
"With skills like his, he'll be able to bring out all your talent and potential."
"My talent... and potential?"
Kitasan Black pressed her lips together and lowered her head, clenching her fists on her knees.
"But a lot of trainers have said that I... I'm only especially strong. In every other way, I'm pretty ordinary...
"With my aptitude, it'll be hard to achieve much in races beyond the short-distance ones...
"If Mr. Anjing is as amazing as you say, then maybe I..."
"Would you be willing to become my assigned Horse Girl?"
"I'd be willing, but... eh? What?!"
She answered instinctively, then realized it was Anjing Zhen who had just asked her. Her ears quivering, Kitasan Black looked at him in shock.
Tokai Teio looked at him in surprise, too.
"Then it seems there's no problem."
Anjing Zhen nodded to Tokai Teio.
"I'm confident I can train Kitasan Black well, and she's just agreed. I'll leave the rest of the process to you, President.
"There's something I'd like to ask, though.
"As you said, President, I've spent the last few months looking for a suitable Horse Girl.
"But the ones I thought would be a good fit don't believe I'm capable of training them yet.
"A lot of my seniors have also said I'd be better off starting as an assistant, learning the ropes for a few years, and only then considering training a Horse Girl on my own.
"So why does Emperor (Teio) President think I can train Kitasan Black well?"
Kitasan Black, still trying to process what was happening, looked at Tokai Teio, too.
"Well, heh..."
Tokai Teio chuckled, then suddenly raised her head and lifted her chin.
"Because I think Little Kita is just like me. She's not the kind of Horse Girl who can be held back by boring things like conventions and common sense.
"And you're not that kind of trainer, either.
"If you want to create a miracle, shouldn't you cast aside all conventions and common sense?
"What do you think?"
"Teio-senpai..."
Admiration shone in Kitasan Black's eyes. She clasped her hands together, her ears quivering.
Anjing Zhen nodded inwardly.
Tokai Teio's words fit the image he had of her perfectly.
She'd won the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby, two top-tier races, without a single defeat.
She'd suffered broken bones several times throughout her career, yet risen again each time. She hadn't raced for an entire year before her retirement race, but had miraculously beaten a field of opponents at their peak to take the championship, ending her career perfectly.
Her career truly deserved to be called a "miracle."
It was hardly surprising that a Horse Girl like her didn't play by the rules.
Or rather, Horse Girls like her had been born to break the so-called conventions and common sense.
In his memories just now, he'd realized Kitasan Black seemed to be the same kind of Horse Girl.
Extreme Skills were a type of Extreme Sports, and Trick Equestrianism was one of them. In his previous life, he'd learned a fair bit about horse racing.
For some unknown reason, many Horse Girls in this world had names that matched those from his previous life. Tokai Teio was one example.
Kitasan Black was another.
He'd learned a little about her in his previous life. The racehorse named Kitasan Black in that world had achieved an outstanding career record.
If the two worlds were connected in some way, then from a mystical perspective, Kitasan Black in this world ought to be very strong in the future, too.
But the same was true in both worlds: no one had thought much of either Kitasan Black before her debut or in the early part of her career.
In the other world, it was because of her unimpressive bloodline. In this world, it seemed to be because of her aptitude, or something like that.
Anjing Zhen wasn't a jockey or a trainer, so he didn't know how Kitasan Black in the other world had gone from being overlooked to becoming a legendary champion.
But he had a rough idea why no one in this world had high hopes for Kitasan Black yet. After all, unlike him, they didn't have the answer in advance as if they were cheating.
Of course, knowing the answer without knowing the process was no use, either.
If he'd been asked to train racehorses in his previous life, he would've wasted even the best horse.
This world was different, though. He believed in everything he'd quietly built up over more than a decade.
For example, he knew the stats of past and current Horse Girls, as well as those about to make their debuts. He also understood Kitasan Black's situation to some extent.
First was her outstanding strength.
When Horse Girls enrolled, they underwent all kinds of physical exams. Whether it was grip strength, pushing strength, or simply the strength in her legs, Kitasan Black's results ranked near the top.
Next was her health.
Like human athletes, Horse Girls competed fiercely and trained hard, so injuries were common.
Aside from minor illnesses like colds, Kitasan Black had never suffered a serious illness or injury. Her medical records were few and far between—a rarity among Horse Girls.
Last was her instantaneous burst power.
Whether it was saving that child earlier or carelessly ripping the door handle off along with the door, both were proof of that.
With these fundamentals, along with his guidance, Anjing Zhen was confident he could help Kitasan Black achieve results on par with her counterpart in the parallel world—or even surpass them by far.
With that in mind, he nodded.
"As expected of the 'Miracle Emperor.' Then I'll try to create a new miracle together with Kitasan Black...
"No, I should say I'll create a new miracle together with Little Kita."
He looked at Kitasan Black, whose expression was full of anticipation and anxiety.
"Is it all right if I call you that?"
"Mm-hmm! Of course!"
Kitasan Black jumped to her feet in excitement and bowed deeply.
"I'll be counting on you from now on, Mr. Anjing..."
Thump!
"Ow!"
Anjing Zhen glanced at the table, still rocking from the impact, then at Kitasan Black, who was clutching her forehead with tears in her eyes, and sighed inwardly.
It seemed that aside from her lack of control over her strength, her careless nature was another thing he'd have to find a way to work on.
Seeing that both people in front of her had agreed to her request, Tokai Teio couldn't help smiling.
Just then, a server brought over the drinks they'd ordered earlier. Tokai Teio thanked the server and took them, then set a coffee and a honey drink in front of Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black. She raised her own extra-large drink with a smile.
"Great! Let's toast to Trainer Yasui finding his assigned Horse Girl and Little Kita finding her trainer!"
"Oh! Cheers!"
A little flustered, but even more delighted, Kitasan Black raised her honey drink, too.
Anjing Zhen smiled and lifted his coffee slightly.
That evening, in Anjing Zhen's room in a single-occupancy apartment building.
"Trainer, these are the documents the President asked me to bring over. Is there anything else you need?"
Before you continue