After noticing Kitasan Black's odd behavior, the three people in the office exchanged bewildered looks.
But Anjing Zhen's eyes soon lit up.
"McQueen President, could you raise the drone a little higher... Yes, that's the right height."
The view on the screen widened considerably. All three of them could now see that the black-haired girl hiding in the bushes was looking straight at the athletic field.
Aside from students strolling around, a few others were training during their break.
"I see..." Anjing Zhen murmured, then chuckled. "Looks like she really cares about her next race..."
He was pretty sure he'd guessed correctly.
His own horse girl looked as if she were sneaking a peek at something.
And among the horse girls training on the field, there happened to be one who would be her opponent in the Spring Stakes.
Anjing Zhen had already looked into these opponents, but according to the plan, it wasn't time to discuss them with Kitasan Black yet.
He hadn't expected the black-haired girl to suddenly take an interest and start investigating on her own.
He was wondering whether to remind his horse girl when his gaze shifted slightly, fixing on one of the figures on the field.
"Kita's next race... the Spring Stakes? So that's it."
Tokai Teio caught on, and chuckled.
"Her enthusiasm is worth praising, but this sneaking around..."
Mejiro McQueen suddenly smiled.
"Isn't this just like you back then, Teio? Before that Arima Kinen..."
"Stop! Stop, stop!"
Tokai Teio crossed her arms and stepped in front of Mejiro McQueen as quickly as she would have for the Arima Kinen. She sounded flustered.
"Weren't we supposed to leave that stuff in the past?! If you keep this up, I'll tell everyone about your recent weight—mmph, mmph, mmph..."
"Ahaha, what a lovely day it is... By the way, Trainer Yasui, you didn't hear any of that, did you?"
Mejiro McQueen hurriedly changed the subject, looking guiltily at Anjing Zhen. She froze when she saw his expression.
"What's wrong, Trainer Yasui?"
Anjing Zhen hadn't been paying attention to the two horse girls teasing each other.
He'd been staring at a horse girl on the screen the whole time.
At Mejiro McQueen's question, he didn't bother hiding it. He shook his head and pointed at the screen.
"Nothing. I'm just curious about this horse girl."
Mejiro McQueen wasn't the only one interested. Tokai Teio was curious too.
The two horse girls unconsciously leaned closer to the tablet, then spoke in unison:
"Duramente?"
Tokai Teio asked curiously:
"Do you know her, Trainer Yasui? I thought... you hadn't met her since coming to the Academy?"
"I haven't."
Anjing Zhen shook his head, then smiled.
"A horse girl from a prestigious family like hers doesn't need to seek out trainers. There are plenty lining up to work with her every day.
"I'm not famous, and I don't have much experience. If I approached her, there's no guarantee she'd even pay attention to me.
"Besides, when I first came to Tokyo, I heard she'd already signed an agreement with another trainer a long time ago. It wouldn't have been appropriate for me to approach her.
"I'm interested in her simply because she's strong.
"Especially her Final Burst. It's probably among the best in her generation."
Tokai Teio nodded.
"That's true. I've been keeping an eye on her Final Burst too.
"33.7, 33.7, 34.1, 33.7.
"If I remember correctly, those are her final three-furlong times in her first four races.
"That kind of Final Burst would already put her near the top of her generation, and what's even more impressive is how consistent she is.
"If she can keep performing like that in future races, she'll undoubtedly become a horse girl the whole world watches.
"But..."
She thought for a moment.
"Kita's next race is the Spring Stakes, and Duramente doesn't have a race in March. Trainer Yasui, you shouldn't have anything to worry about, right?"
Anjing Zhen nodded and smiled.
"I'm not sure if I'd call it worrying.
"But she's entered the Triple Crown, and she'll be one of Kita's opponents in the Satsuki Sho in April.
"Unfortunately, one of the types Kita struggles against is precisely a horse girl with a strong Final Burst, so naturally I'm keeping an eye on her.
"Of course, she's not the only one. I've looked into all the opponents Kita might face."
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen understood at the same time, then exchanged looks of approval and relief.
"Trainer Yasui really is something else. Most people don't think that far ahead. It seems like Kita's training must be a breeze."
After praising him, Tokai Teio exchanged a glance with her friend, then asked tentatively:
"Since you understand Kita's weaknesses, you must have a way to deal with them, right?"
Anjing Zhen looked unconsciously toward the black-haired girl on the screen and considered his answer.
"I can't say I'm a hundred percent certain, but I've been thinking about it for a long time.
"You two have known Kita for a long time, and you're both exceptionally talented, experienced veterans. You should be able to tell that she's a late bloomer, right?"
Tokai Teio nodded.
"Mm. I've asked quite a few doctors, and they all say that Kita's muscle mass and density are well above average.
"Combined with her large frame, that means she's much healthier and stronger than most people.
"On the other hand, she needs more time to develop before she can control her body and strength with ease during races and use all kinds of running techniques.
"And..."
She hesitated.
"Trainers noticed this a long time ago, but there haven't been many suitable solutions.
"In theory, the only method that might work is the Slope Triple training that Trainer Shimizu specializes in.
"I considered Trainer Shimizu before and spoke with him briefly.
"But I was always worried that training would be too harsh for Kita, so I changed my mind after meeting Trainer Yasui."
At that, Anjing Zhen kept a neutral expression, though he grumbled inwardly.
He'd looked into Slope Triple training, and his opinion was the same as Tokai Teio's: it was far too harsh.
No, it was more accurate to call it a hellish training method.
It involved running three 1,000-meter laps, each with a 32-meter difference in elevation.
A single story was about three meters high, so 32 meters was roughly the height of a ten-story building. Running 3,000 meters on slopes that steep was utterly punishing.
More importantly, it wasn't a one-off workout. It had to be done every training session, without exception.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that only a body made of iron could withstand it.
So even though his black-haired girl's physical condition meant she could theoretically endure that hellish training, Anjing Zhen had never considered using anything like it.
And besides, he had a more advanced and effective method.
"I've been working on Kita's strength since the very first day I started coaching her. It's just the kind of thing that won't show results overnight."
Avoiding any judgment of a fellow trainer's methods, Anjing Zhen replied calmly:
"On top of that, she's already been practicing the most basic front-running style with Daiwa Scarlet.
"With Vodka's help, her current training to deal with opponents with powerful Final Bursts should be enough for now.
"After all, when it comes to the Final Burst alone, this one ran her final three furlongs at the Japanese Derby in 33 seconds. That's an explosive time beyond belief."
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