After leaving the TCB clubroom, Sakura Bakushin O didn't go directly to the cafeteria. Instead, she went to the Trainer's dedicated office to research the year's race schedule for her team members.
"Diamond and Kita's debut race is in a little over two months; with their talent, they should win easily…"
"The focus is still on next year's Classic Grade races. Kita isn't actually suited for mile races, so the early focus must be on mastering mile races… If she participates in races frequently, can she win next year's Oka Sho?"
"The Triple Tiara is actually not too difficult; the main focus is the Classic Triple Crown. The Satomi Family seems to be a prestigious family too; I'm not sure what they do specifically, but her talent is indeed not bad. However, for the Classic Triple Crown Race, speed, strength, and luck are all indispensable…"
Sakura Bakushin O pondered inwardly while rapidly typing content into the computer.
"Oh right, the Spring Tenno Sho is coming up soon. McQueen's last win was quite close…"
What Symboli Rudolf had told her earlier resurfaced in Sakura Bakushin O's mind.
"Symboli Rudolf said that Teio and McQueen's strength cannot be surpassed by 'ordinary' Horse Girl. 'Ordinary' in their words must refer to Horse Girl who haven't yet activated their domains."
Sakura Bakushin O had long known about the existence of this 'domain.' The term's inventor was the "Emperor," Symboli Rudolf, who currently reigns at the pinnacle of countless elite Horse Girl.
It was also called "flow" or "Takamine experience," which in other words, was a state of super concentration, where perception of the surroundings became incredibly clear, and even all external distractions could be blocked out.
An Horse Girl entering this state would experience a sudden surge in strength.
However, Sakura Bakushin O only knew of the domain's existence and its concept.
As for what kind of experience it was after activating the domain, how much strength could be increased, and which Horse Girl used the domain during races, Sakura Bakushin O was unaware of all this.
Because only Horse Girl who knew about and had activated their own domains could perceive the domains of other Horse Girl.
After learning about the concept of domains, Sakura Bakushin O glimpsed a clue from her past life's memories.
For example, Rice Shower, who ended Mejiro McQueen's three consecutive Spring Tenno Sho victories in the second season of the anime;
Tokai Teio, who ultimately surpassed Biwa Hayahide in the Arima Kinen and won the Arima Kinen championship;
Oguri Cap during Tamamo Cross's retirement race in the Arima Kinen… These Uma Musume, who left a significant mark in the history of Uma Musume, were all inextricably linked to domains.
The method of activation can be simply summarized as [breaking through oneself and proving oneself], but after Sakura Bakushin O personally became a Trainer, she realized how difficult this was.
Because Sakura Bakushin O could purchase auxiliary items through the system, the training effects for Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen under her were far superior to those of Horse Girl from the same generation.
Coupled with Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen's exceptional talent and such diligent training, they were hard to match even among the Horse Girl in the High School Division who had not yet retired.
This led to a problem: Teio and McQueen's Horse Girl careers were simply too smooth, with almost no setbacks.
"Indeed, too much smooth sailing isn't necessarily a good thing…"
Sakura Bakushin O sighed. When she closed her computer, she suddenly noticed that dusk had already filled the sky outside the window, and the room was completely dark.
She often forgot the time once she entered work mode. Originally, she had planned to work for a bit and then go to lunch, but now she found that she had even missed dinner.
Sakura Bakushin O suddenly regretted not getting Akikawa Yayoi's carrots. At this hour, the cafeteria was already closed, so she could only get dinner at a convenience store.
She bought two boxes of discounted bento at the convenience store and carried them back to her rented wooden apartment.
By the time she finished the not-so-delicious bento, the clock already pointed to eleven o'clock at night.
For most people, this was bedtime.
But for Sakura Bakushin O, her life was just beginning.
She threw the bento boxes into the trash bag, then took off the black straight-leg pants that encased her slender legs.
After the straight-leg pants were removed, a beautiful blue tail miraculously appeared below her waist.
Sakura Bakushin O changed into sweatpants with a special opening for her tailbone, then took off her black outer vest and the white undershirt she was wearing.
And at this moment, her head, which had originally been devoid of anything but her long black hair that blended with the night, suddenly sprouted a pair of beautiful blue ears, the same color as her tail.
This was Sakura Bakushin O's true appearance; she was not human, but an Uma Musume.
She used clothes reinforced by the system to hide her ears and tail, making her appear no different from a normal human.
After changing her clothes, Sakura Bakushin O rummaged through her home for a bottle of nutrient solution, which she had also spent system points to imbue with a strengthening effect, and drank it all.
Feeling her physical strength slightly recovered, she pulled the hood of her hoodie over her head, then left her apartment and began running along the road outside, which was specially provided for Horse Girl.
After all, her system couldn't directly give her a new body; it could only conceal her characteristics as an Horse Girl.
So, to prevent her identity as an Horse Girl from being exposed, Sakura Bakushin O always chose to run late at night when there were few people, wearing her hood.
During the day, she trained Uma Musume at Tracen Academy as a human Trainer.
Late at night, Sakura Bakushin O would revert to her original form and exercise daily to prevent her physical fitness from declining.
The Uma Musume-exclusive roads in the city had a speed limit of fifty kilometers per hour, so even though it was late at night and deserted, Sakura Bakushin O couldn't run at full speed.
However, this speed was sufficient for Sakura Bakushin O to train her stamina.
Additionally, Sakura Bakushin O would also take time to train on the Tracen Academy track late at night, where she could run freely and improve her speed.
Unlike her previous life as a human, when she couldn't run without headphones and found aerobic exercise boring, now, reborn as an Uma Musume, Sakura Bakushin O thoroughly enjoyed her evening running time.
Time flew by quickly amidst Sakura Bakushin O's even breathing, and in the blink of an eye, the sky had turned a fish-belly white.
The chirping of birds rose and fell, signaling the start of a new day.
Sakura Bakushin O finally returned home. After frowning and chugging an entire glass of extremely unpalatable aojiru, she went to the bathroom to shower.
The warm, clear water from the shower washed away the sweat from Sakura Bakushin O's body, finally turning into droplets that flowed down her clearly defined, smooth, and well-proportioned body to the floor.
Life as a Trainer had not left any excess fat on Sakura Bakushin O's body; instead, because she had taken on an extra job during the day, she had less rest time.
A moment later, Sakura Bakushin O dried herself and emerged from the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror and gathering her long black hair to her chest.
If one looked closely, they could see that her ink-black hair became lighter in color towards the roots, with about a millimeter of hair at the very base being the same beautiful blue color as her ears and tail.
"I need to buy hair dye again; it's so expensive… Now that two new members have joined the team, the expenses for buying cupcakes, nutritional drinks, aojiru, and the like will double again…"
Sakura Bakushin O complained to herself, her slightly furrowed brows not diminishing the charm of her bright, intelligent eyes in the slightest.
Items purchased from the system could only have their effects attached to real-world objects, so she still needed to spend real money to buy things for the Horse Girl to consume.
After Sakura Bakushin O changed back into her Trainer clothes, she grabbed her belongings and headed towards Tracen Academy.
She usually ate her three meals a day at the Tracen Academy cafeteria, which helped reduce many expenses.
As she walked, she looked up at the sky, calculating the days in her mind.
"Two more years until the ban is lifted."