"Kikou Senpu"

"Ah!"

Misuzu immediately turned her head, looking at Anjing Zhen with a hint of reproach.

"Honestly, Little Zhen, it's New Year's, and you're still assigning homework and giving pop quizzes? You're way too serious! Little Kita already works hard enough training and racing."

Anjing Zhen sighed helplessly. "Mom, that's not what you said when I couldn't memorize my lessons as a kid..."

Before he could finish, Misuzu acted as though she hadn't heard him. Turning back, she warmly took Kitasan Black's hand.

"Little Kita, let's ignore him. Come on, tell Sister Misuzu—what's giving you trouble?

"Don't let my being just a housewife now fool you. Back then, I was a Horse Girl who raced too!

"Although my results were pretty mediocre, I might still remember some of the basics. Maybe I can help?"

At that, Kitasan Black's eyes lit up, while Almond Eye, Agnes Tachyon, and the others smiled and nodded.

They had heard Anjing Zhen mention his mother's past long ago, but Spring and Autumn Equinox, hearing of it for the first time, widened her eyes in surprise and gasped softly.

"E-eh?! Sister Misuzu used to be a Horse Girl too?"

Seeing Spring and Autumn Equinox's astonished expression, Misuzu seemed to have discovered something amusing. Her eyes curved into crescents as she deliberately leaned closer, lowered her voice, and spoke in a mysterious tone.

"That's right, that's right. Surprising, isn't it?

"Back then, your big sister here caused a little 'Kikou Senpu' on the tracks of Nagoya!

"Though that reputation... well, it was mostly because I'd inexplicably speed up on turns and spin myself dizzy..."

She started laughing before she had even finished. Her friendly, self-deprecating manner instantly erased any sense of distance.

Agnes Tachyon's eyes gleamed with interest. "Oh? A unique running-style case from the Local Races? Kukuku...