Chapter Summaries

Anjing Zhen reflected on the conviction he had lacked in his past extreme-sports competitions and decided to pursue the Hall of Fame goal for himself as well as for Kitasan Black. He began an intense solo training routine before dawn, leaving his resolve to catch up with the geniuses he once admired driving him forward.

• Anjing Zhen recalled an Austrian off-road endurance race where the champion said he had won because he wanted to conquer the course more than the other riders.
• Anjing Zhen realized he lacked not only talent but also the conviction to win, and he resolved to pursue his own ambitions through WCT rather than entrust his regrets to Kitasan Black.
• Anjing Zhen arrived at the empty Academy track before dawn and completed high-intensity long-distance running.
• Anjing Zhen increased the intensity of his strength, balance, and conditioning exercises in the Academy gym.
• Anjing Zhen practiced parkour through the Academy buildings, changed out of his soaked clothes, and headed back to the track.

Anjing Zhen prepared for Kitasan Black and Almond Eye’s acclimation training at Hanshin Racecourse while reflecting on his own rusty fitness and coaching skills. He traveled to Takarazuka City with the two Horse Girls and Wang Ziding, but rain threatened their sightseeing plans as they arrived.

• Anjing Zhen noticed his stamina, technique, and coaching observations had grown rusty, so he continued training and reflecting while guiding Kitasan Black and Almond Eye.
• Anjing Zhen learned Tokai Teio could not meet with him until the Hanshin Racecourse acclimation training because the Student Council was busy with upcoming G1 races.
• Anjing Zhen agreed to let Wang Ziding join the trip to Takarazuka City and help show the group around.
• Anjing Zhen met Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Wang Ziding at the Academy, and they set off together for Takarazuka City.
• Rain began as the group neared Takarazuka City, spoiling Wang Ziding and Almond Eye’s plan to visit an open-air hot spring, while Kitasan Black encouraged them.

Anjing Zhen brought custom-made WCT training equipment to the academy branch campus and assembled it on the field. He began training on the apparatus in the rain, astonishing the Horse Girls watching him as he rediscovered his former abilities.

• Anjing Zhen sent Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Wang Ziding to rest at the dorms before heading to the reception room to collect his equipment.
• Anjing Zhen unpacked alloy pipes and components on the field and assembled a set of obstacle-training structures.
• Horse Girls on the field gathered to watch and wondered what the strange apparatus was for.
• Anjing Zhen climbed and vaulted across the pipes in the rain, performing increasingly difficult movements as the onlookers gasped in amazement.

Anjing Zhen used an exhausting night of training on his new course to gather data and refine a training plan, believing his experiments could help him run alongside Horse Girls. The next morning, Kitasan Black recognized the viral course as his work, and Anjing Zhen challenged her to Chase Training.

• Anjing Zhen recorded how the course’s pipes, jumps, and pillars could help him model Horse Girls’ racing conditions.
• Anjing Zhen analyzed his notes, made more than thirty adjustments to the training plan, and went to sleep exhausted.
• Anjing Zhen met Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Wang Ziding and brought them to his new training ground.
• Kitasan Black showed Anjing Zhen that videos of his course had spread widely online and asked whether he was all right after training in the rain.
• Anjing Zhen suggested that he and Kitasan Black try Chase Training, with her taking the lead and him chasing her.

Anjing Zhen challenged Kitasan Black to another pursuit battle, with Almond Eye timing the round and Wang Ziding realizing he was the human from the famous event. Kitasan Black raced to evade him, but Anjing Zhen anticipated her moves and rapidly closed the distance.

• Anjing Zhen invited Kitasan Black to test whether she could escape him, and Almond Eye eagerly volunteered to time their twenty-second pursuit.
• Almond Eye explained to Wang Ziding that Anjing Zhen had inspired his training with the Japanese Derby pursuit event.
• Kitasan Black began the round by sprinting toward the field’s diagonal edge to make Anjing Zhen take a longer route.
• Anjing Zhen vaulted through the metal obstacles and came within two meters of Kitasan Black.
• Kitasan Black turned back toward the starting point, but Anjing Zhen anticipated her and closed in further as he focused on pushing his limits.

Anjing Zhen used Chase Training to teach Kitasan Black to read opponents and avoid hesitation, and her reactions and route choices gradually improved. As the Takarazuka Kinen approached, the academy prepared for the race, while Anjing Zhen continued considering the Hall of Fame Horse Girl matter and wondered about asking Tokai Teio for advice about his own future.

• Anjing Zhen caught Kitasan Black during a Chase Race and pointed out that he had used her gaze and movements to predict her route and exploit her hesitation.
• Anjing Zhen explained how Kitasan Black could use opponents’ eyes and other cues to predict their actions, and warned her that hesitation could cost her opportunities in races.
• Kitasan Black resumed training with renewed determination as Chase Training became part of her routine, and Anjing Zhen observed that her reactions and short-distance route choices were improving.
• As the Takarazuka Kinen neared, the entry-vote results were finalized and Horse Girls gathered in Takarazuka City for pre-race training.
• Anjing Zhen continued training Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Wang Ziding while considering the Hall of Fame Horse Girl matter and thinking of asking Tokai Teio for advice about his future.

Almond Eye and Wang Ziding prepared Kitasan Black’s accommodations and discussed whether her demanding racing schedule would hurt her chances in the Takarazuka Kinen. Wang Ziding reassured Almond Eye that Kitasan Black’s long rest and strong training suggested she could be in better condition than Gold Artisan had been, and they returned to preparing for the race.

• Almond Eye and Wang Ziding organized Kitasan Black’s race equipment and cleaned her accommodations at Hanshin Racecourse.
• Almond Eye asked Wang Ziding whether Kitasan Black could win the Takarazuka Kinen, and Wang Ziding recalled Gold Artisan’s past race and demanding schedule.
• Almond Eye and Wang Ziding realized that Kitasan Black’s schedule resembled Gold Artisan’s, prompting them to worry that the races might exhaust her.
• Wang Ziding pointed out that Kitasan Black had rested for months after the Arima Kinen and had handled recent training well, reassuring Almond Eye about her condition.
• Almond Eye thanked Wang Ziding and agreed to focus on preparations, then noticed that Wang Ziding had patted her shoulder with hands she had not washed after cleaning.

Anjing Zhen discussed the Takarazuka Kinen field and opening tactics with Kitasan Black, helping her see how opponents could exploit her familiar Slow Escape style. He warned that trying to seize the lead as usual might play into their hands, leaving them to reconsider how to handle a faster-than-comfortable opening pace.

• Anjing Zhen showed Kitasan Black the likely Takarazuka Kinen field and noted that many rivals knew her from Heavy Track training.
• Anjing Zhen explained that the 520-meter straight after the starting gate could prompt Kitasan Black's rivals to target her Slow Escape style.
• Kitasan Black reasoned that she would need to secure position early, but recognized that familiar rivals could anticipate the same tactic.
• Kitasan Black decided her recent Chase Training techniques could help her contend for position and privately vowed to catch Anjing Zhen in training.
• Anjing Zhen cautioned that using those techniques to seize the lead might let rivals pressure her into an unusually fast opening pace.

Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Duramente escaped a swarm of reporters and watched a race from the public Rest Area, where sudden rain reminded Kitasan Black of her wet-track training with Anjing Zhen. Thinking about how he had worked beside her, she recognized how her reliance on him had changed and reached for her notebook of race tactics.

• Anjing Zhen shielded Kitasan Black and Almond Eye from reporters and distracted the crowd so they could reach the Preparation Room.
• Kitasan Black and Almond Eye met Duramente, who said Sister Symboli and the trainers were still held up by reporters.
• Kitasan Black, Almond Eye, and Duramente went to the public Rest Area to watch the race while waiting for their trainers.
• They saw rain falling over the racecourse, and Kitasan Black recalled the sudden downpour and her Heavy Track training.
• Kitasan Black realized Anjing Zhen’s hard work beside her had changed how she relied on him, then reached for her notebook.

Duramente challenged Kitasan Black to decide their next race based on the Takarazuka Kinen, and Kitasan Black accepted. Satono Crown and Koushou Hayate made clear that the race would involve more than the two rivals, with Koushou vowing to defeat Kitasan Black.

• Duramente told Kitasan Black she wanted to race against her and proposed that the Takarazuka Kinen winner choose between the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Japan Cup for them both.
• Kitasan Black accepted the challenge and said she would give everything to win.
• Kitasan Black left the Rest Area with Almond Eye and encountered Satono Crown and Koushou Hayate near the Preparation Room.
• Duramente explained her agreement with Kitasan Black and said competing against her had become more important than her family-set goal of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
• Satono Crown observed that Duramente and Koushou Hayate also seemed focused on beating Kitasan Black.
• Koushou Hayate declared that the Takarazuka Kinen was not just between Kitasan Black and Duramente and vowed to defeat Kitasan Black.

As Kitasan Black prepared for the Takarazuka Kinen, she wrestled with the pressure of being seen as her rivals’ strongest opponent but found renewed resolve with Anjing Zhen’s support. At the tunnel, she discovered that Tokai Teio had come to see her before the race.

• Anjing Zhen explained the Takarazuka Kinen’s final straight and advised Kitasan Black to adjust her acceleration timing for the rain.
• Kitasan Black told Anjing Zhen she feared she could not live up to her rivals’ expectations, then reaffirmed her determination to win and eventually beat him.
• Anjing Zhen encouraged Kitasan Black, told her to focus on the race, and said someone would meet her outside the tunnel.
• Kitasan Black completed her equipment checks and went to the tunnel, where she was surprised to find Tokai Teio waiting for her.

Tokai Teio visited Kitasan Black before the Takarazuka Kinen and encouraged her to race with all her strength. As Kitasan Black headed to the paddock, Teio told Mejiro McQueen that carrying others’ expectations was already Kitasan Black’s own reason to run.

• Tokai Teio told Kitasan Black she had arranged time off to cheer her on and reminded her that foreign Horse Girls planned to race in the Japan Cup.
• Kitasan Black explained that her friends expected her to win and vowed not to let them down, despite feeling nervous and afraid.
• Tokai Teio told Kitasan Black to run with everything she had, then sent her toward the paddock.
• Tokai Teio told Mejiro McQueen that Kitasan Black had already found her own reason to run by carrying others’ expectations.
• Tokai Teio called the Takarazuka Kinen the home of dreams and the best stage for Kitasan Black to make hers come true.

Kitasan Black entered the Takarazuka Kinen in strong condition after Tokai Teio encouraged her, and the race began on the rain-soaked track. She surprised the crowd by settling into an early-lead position instead of contesting the front.

• Anjing Zhen watched Kitasan Black approach the starting gate and noted her renewed determination.
• Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen joined Anjing Zhen, Almond Eye, and Wang Ziding in the stands, where Tokai Teio said she had come to cheer for Kitasan Black.
• Mejiro McQueen warned Little Anzu that the tricky track and strong field made the outcome impossible to predict.
• The Takarazuka Kinen began with Toho Lone Wolf and Tenka Yuiitsu contesting the lead, while Satomi Noble ran close behind.
• Kitasan Black followed Satomi Noble rather than challenging for the lead, surprising the commentator and crowd with her early-lead strategy.

Kitasan Black surprised the field in the Takarazuka Kinen by using a Frontrunner style instead of her usual lead-taking approach. Her flexible position unsettled her opponents and forced Satomi Noble to return to her familiar Early Lead position as the race continued.

• Kitasan Black stayed among the front runners rather than seizing the lead, alarming the spectators and Wang Ziding.
• Tokai Teio explained that Kitasan Black was using a Frontrunner style, a tactic chosen with Anjing Zhen to preserve stamina and adapt to her opponents.
• Anjing Zhen reflected that the unfamiliar style could catch rivals off guard, especially in a middle-distance race where Kitasan Black could not rely on her usual long-distance strengths.
• Toho Lone Wolf, Adroit Labyrinth, and Clear Sky all found Kitasan Black's position at the front unexpected and reconsidered their race plans.
• Satomi Noble abandoned her plan to disrupt Kitasan Black from the start and moved into the Inner Lane to reclaim her Early Lead position.

Kitasan Black surprised her rivals by choosing Early Lead instead of fighting for the front, using the slipstream and her awareness of the pack to conserve stamina. The runners entered the first turn, where the tightly packed field began to surge and shift positions.

• Kitasan Black's rivals realized their plans to stop her from taking the lead no longer applied to her new strategy.
• Kitasan Black used the slipstream behind Toho Lone Wolf and adjusted her pace to conserve stamina while monitoring the other runners.
• The commentator reported Toho Lone Wolf in first, with Kitasan Black and Tenka Yuiitsu close behind, as the other runners settled into position.
• The seventeen contestants charged into the first turn, accelerating and cutting toward the inside as the pack became turbulent.

Kitasan Black held a frontrunning position through the muddy Takarazuka Kinen as Anjing Zhen’s strategy conserved her endurance for the latter half. As the pack approached the turn’s exit, she spotted a chance to overtake.

• The commentator described Duramente surging into the middle of the pack as the runners passed the halfway point at a slow pace.
• Tokai Teio worried that Kitasan Black might lack experience outside the Lead Position, while Mejiro McQueen praised how she handled the bend.
• Anjing Zhen recognized that Kitasan Black had used their training technique to hold her position while conserving stamina.
• Anjing Zhen expected Kitasan Black to find an opportunity to return to the lead, and Kitasan Black searched the pack for one.
• Mud sprayed up around Kitasan Black as the field neared the turn’s exit, and she realized her chance to overtake had arrived.

Kitasan Black used a sudden directional change from the Inner Lane to break out and take the lead in the Takarazuka Kinen. As the field approached the final bend, Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen explained that Kitasan Black needed to accelerate early and sustain it over the race’s middle stretch.

• Kitasan Black spotted a gap near the bend exit and used the directional-change technique from Chase Training to burst through the Inner Lane into first place.
• The commentator reported Satomi Noble in second, Toho Lone Wolf in third, and Tenka Yuiitsu in fourth, while Duramente remained six or seven Horse Lengths behind Kitasan Black in the pack.
• Almond Eye and Wang Ziding recognized Kitasan Black’s breakout as the technique they had practiced with her and Anjing Zhen, which they had struggled to perform themselves.
• Tokai Teio told Mejiro McQueen that Kitasan Black had to accelerate early because her Final Burst was weaker than several opponents’.
• Mejiro McQueen agreed that Kitasan Black’s technique had helped her break out and said sustaining acceleration over the middle 1,000 meters was manageable for her.

Kitasan Black’s endurance strategy carried her through the crowded third turn of the Takarazuka Kinen as her rivals closed in. As she approached the final straight, she sensed Satomi Noble tiring while she still had plenty of stamina.

• Almond Eye and Wang Ziding watched as the commentator announced that Satomi Noble and the other runners were closing on Kitasan Black, while Duramente moved to the Grand Outer Lane.
• The pack entered the third turn, where runners surged and jostled for position as the crowd erupted in cheers.
• Almond Eye, Wang Ziding, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen shouted for Kitasan Black while Anjing Zhen remained calm, knowing she and Kitasan Black had planned to conserve stamina and accelerate in the second half.
• Kitasan Black sensed her rivals’ fatigue as she neared the turn’s exit and identified Satomi Noble by her footsteps and breathing.
• Kitasan Black realized Satomi Noble was beginning to tire, while her own stamina remained plentiful.

Kitasan Black surged ahead on the rain-soaked track after conserving stamina and beginning her long-distance acceleration early, while Satomi Noble ran out of strength. As the field launched its final pursuit, Kitasan Black faced a tightening pack on the last uphill stretch.

• Kitasan Black used her saved stamina to accelerate early, while Satomi Noble realized her strategy had failed and struggled to keep pace.
• Kitasan Black widened her lead as Clear Sky, Katsuno Stone, Koushou Hayate, Satono Crown, Toho Lone Wolf, Tenka Yuiitsu, and Duramente chased from behind.
• The commentator announced that Kitasan Black led by more than two lengths with three hundred meters remaining and the field entering the final uphill stretch.
• Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, Almond Eye, Wang Ziding, and Anjing Zhen watched anxiously and cheered for Kitasan Black.
• Kitasan Black ran alone in front as the pursuing racers narrowed the gap and bore down on her.

As Kitasan Black led the Takarazuka Kinen into its final stretch, Katsuno Stone realized she had underestimated her and unleashed a desperate sprint. Clear Sky, Tenka Yuiitsu, Toho Lone Wolf, Koushou Hayate, Satono Crown, and Duramente also surged after Kitasan Black, each driven by past losses, personal resolve, or a promise.

• Katsuno Stone recalled Kitasan Black's stamina-based racing strategy and accelerated, determined to catch her before the finish.
• Clear Sky stayed focused on Kitasan Black while noticing Tenka Yuiitsu and Toho Lone Wolf sprinting alongside the other challengers.
• Koushou Hayate drew on her intensive training and vowed not to let Kitasan Black escape again.
• Satono Crown remembered Koushou Hayate's reminder that the race was not just between her and Kitasan Black, then launched into a final sprint.
• Duramente charged from the Grand Outer Lane, driven by her promise to compete in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Kitasan Black, and vowed to pass, beat, and crush her.