Trial of the Final Pursuit

For a moment, everyone fell silent. Oguri Cap, as if nothing had happened, simply said, "Oh," and continued eating her okonomiyaki with focused seriousness.

After her brief outburst, Tamamo Cross pressed a hand to her chest and let out a long breath. She forced a smile onto her face and looked at Anjing Zhen. "All right, enough about that. Trainer Yasui, how do you want us to help?"

Anjing Zhen immediately snapped back to attention. He pulled a document from the stack tucked beneath his arm and handed it over. "I've written out the specific plan in there. Tamamo-senpai can look it over first, and I'll add anything necessary afterward."

Tamamo Cross took the document and quickly flipped through it.

As she read further, a surprised expression gradually appeared in her eyes.

Once she had finished the entire document, she looked up, glanced at Kitasan Black on the track, then turned to Anjing Zhen in disbelief. "So what you mean is—you want Little Kita, after completing high-intensity pre-exhaustion runs and suffering a major drop in stamina, to face our full-force pursuit head-on?"

"Yes."

Anjing Zhen nodded solemnly. "More precisely, I want to simulate the most extreme circumstances she might face in the Osaka Hai, or even harsher long-distance races in the future.

"At the final stretch, when her stamina is nearly depleted and her mind is nearing its limit, she'll have to face the strongest possible chase from behind—the test is her willpower, pace control, and ability to withstand pressure.

"That requires powerful enough sources of pressure, and the two of you are undoubtedly the best candidates."

"Oho~"

Tamamo Cross gave a soft whistle, but her gaze had turned serious. "You've got guts, Trainer Yasui.

"This won't be an easy challenge, especially for a Horse Girl who's already exhausted. The