Steadfast Path Forward

After announcing in the cafeteria that she would be entering the Osaka Hai and making a promise of rivalry with friends like Satono Crown and Mikki Rocket, Kitasan Black's training quickly settled into its pre-New Year rhythm.

Basic training such as squats, deadlifts, and grid runs went without saying, while overload training, Chase Training, parachute sprints, and other exercises were gradually increased as well.

What differed from her previous training was the stride-length and Running Style adjustments mentioned on the first day.

Through preliminary measurements and analysis, Anjing Zhen quickly confirmed the next phase of training with the assistance of Agnes Tachyon and Daiwa Scarlet.

The core lay in confirming and adjusting the landing-area ratio and adaptability to deviations from the central axis. After repeated training sessions, data collection, and feedback, Anjing Zhen presented the preliminary data analysis at the team's summary meeting a few days later.

"—There are no longer any issues with adapting to a pace of twelve seconds per furlong," Anjing Zhen summarized, pointing a laser pointer at the data on the projection screen. "Both stride length and Stride Frequency have reached their ideal ranges. There are still some errors in energy-use efficiency, but they're acceptable.

"Next, we need to determine the conditions at the remaining pace ranges, then confirm the new Running Style's economy and its ability to maintain speed in the top-speed zone. That is scheduled to be completed within this week."

At that, he paused. Seeing Kitasan Black busily taking notes, Agnes Tachyon fiddling with the equipment, and Daiwa Scarlet recording the meeting's contents all look over and nod, he continued, "Next week's plan will build upon this week's results by adding adaptation exercises for varying slopes and curves."

This time, he stopped quickly and looked around at the Horse Girls present. "Does anyone