That evening, as they strolled along the tree-lined paths of the Academy, Anjing Zhen glanced at his side from time to time.
Beside him, Kitasan Black kept her head lowered, her fingers intertwined before her. She had not noticed his gaze at all.
After Onsen Therapy, they had discussed the training race, had dinner together, and the other Horse Girls had each said their goodbyes and left.
Anjing Zhen had originally planned to walk Kitasan Black back to her dormitory before returning to his rented apartment to review the race, but her excuse of "Let's take a walk together, Trainer," had kept him there.
She probably has something she wants to say, he had thought at the time.
From his usual impression, Kitasan Black was the type who could not keep her thoughts hidden. Whatever came to mind, she said.
Yet after wandering aimlessly for an hour or two, he had not heard a single sound from the girl.
Looks like it's not just something she wants to say. Something's weighing on her mind too, he thought.
Kitasan Black indeed had something on her mind.
What kept surfacing in her thoughts were the things Deep Impact had said that afternoon.
After talking about risking one's life and such, that senior had also said that she was no longer in her absolute prime.
If she had to put it into words, perhaps only in the Zone during the final sprint of a training race could she roughly compare to her former self.
But she could not handle the opening stretch or the middle section anymore. Talking about surpassing others or the Zone was meaningless.
Her senior had also said that one needed to be careful with the Zone.
That state truly was mysterious. Even those who had experienced it found it