"Here—take this."
Takayama Gamu accepted a red balloon from a street vendor and placed it into Tamamo Cross's hand.
The streets were packed and buzzing with energy. The Japanese Derby was being held today, and the area around Tokyo Racecourse was overflowing with food stalls and vendors selling horse-girl merchandise. The crowd surged like a tide, and a long line snaked toward the entrance gates.
Under a streetlamp, Gamu stood with Tamamo Cross—still holding her hand—while Oguri Cap stared with saintlike patience at a tray of skewers sizzling in bubbling oil.
"These aren't healthy. I don't like them," Tamamo said, tightening her grip on his hand.
She knew exactly why he was doing it—so she wouldn't get separated and lost.
…He's completely treating me like a kid.
But… it didn't feel that bad.
Gamu's hand was warm.
"Eating a little is fine," Gamu replied, his eyes drifting toward a sportswear store a short distance away.
On the store's exterior wall was a massive advertisement featuring a horse girl in a white cap—so handsome she looked like she'd stepped out of a magazine spread. Her dark brown hair was fluffy and voluminous, her light-green eyes relaxed but confident.
She wore a cropped green-and-gold top that revealed a perfectly toned midriff under flawless studio lighting. White wide-legged pants flowed around her stride—light, free, and effortless.
"How about we go there later?" Gamu asked, lowering his head and giving Tamamo's hand a small shake.
"That's a brand endorsed by Chihaya Representative," Tamamo said hesitantly. "Won't it be really expensive…?"
Chihaya Representative—one of Tracen Academy's legendary Triple Crown winners. In both fame and ability, she belonged to the same tier just beneath President Rudolf.
"Chihaya Representative…" Gamu tilted his head and thought for a moment. "I don't think I've ever seen her at school."
His social circle at Tracen was tiny, but someone that famous—if he'd seen her once, he wouldn't forget.
"But if a horse girl endorses it, then their running shoes should be good," he concluded. "Even if it's pricey, it's worth it."
In this world, because horse girls could detect lies—and because Tracen and the URA jointly managed things—brands that could land a horse-girl endorsement were generally reliable.
"Coach Gamu, this is tasty," Oguri said.
"Crunchy."
She took a huge bite of her freshly fried skewer, then gave Gamu a thumbs-up and offered him what was left.
"Thanks… yeah, it's good," Gamu said, accepting it.
"Little Tama-Tama isn't eating?" Oguri asked with genuine concern.
"I'm fine…" Tamamo answered through gritted teeth.
The scent of oil and seasoning swirled around her like a curse. As a horse girl, her sense of smell was several times sharper than a normal human's.
"Eat," Gamu said, holding a skewer right up to her lips.
The golden, crackling bite sat inches from her mouth. Tamamo swallowed.
This is… Coach Gamu feeding me—
"I'm… eating," she said, and took the smallest bite imaginable.
"…Mm." Her cheeks turned bright red. "It's really good."
"Little Tama-Tama, did you burn your mouth?" Oguri asked innocently.
"Do you want a cold drink?" Gamu asked, worried. "It's hot out."
"I'M FINE!" Tamamo blurted, far too loudly, like she was trying to bury something alive.
...
A little later, each of them held a cup of honey-lemon water. They stood in front of a shoe rack lined with running shoes in every imaginable style.
Gamu stared at the display, brow furrowed.
"Why can horse girls run in high heels?"
He genuinely could not understand.
Sure, he knew that any unreasonable thing in this world could probably be explained away with the Three Goddesses' blessing—but it still felt absurd.
Then another thought struck him.
…This might actually be a great research direction.
If he could study the mechanism behind the Three Goddesses' blessing, maybe he could design running shoes that were truly optimized for horse-girl bodies.
While Gamu's brain raced ahead into experimental pathways, Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap had already finished picking shoes.
"You want… these two pairs?" Gamu asked.
He wasn't confident in judging the quality, but he could tell one thing: both pairs were among the cheapest in the store.
He sighed, then vigorously ruffled both girls' hair—half moved, half helpless.
"Don't cheap out on this."
"Good shoes matter. And one pair isn't enough—different conditions and track surfaces require different shoes."
"Got it?"
Tamamo and Oguri nodded, both looking guilty.
Then a new voice spoke from behind them.
"Takayama Gamu, you're absolutely right. Proper footwear is important."
Tamamo and Oguri turned—and saw a horse girl wearing a white cap, identical to the model on the wall advertisement.
"…?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Chihaya Representative," she said with a playful smile. "Coach Takayama Gamu—honestly, you're even more handsome than your photos."
"Oh—hello," Gamu said, scratching his head. He had no idea why she knew him.
"Rudolf Symboli talks about you all the time, you know. And I'm curious too…" Chihaya tilted her head, her grin bright with mischief.
"Coach Takayama Gamu—the 'Alchemy Star'… do parallel worlds really exist?"
"They do," Gamu answered without hesitation.
Because I've seen them with my own eyes.
The certainty in his voice made Chihaya's eyes light up.
"Then the training plan you submitted to Tracen—did you really build that gravity room using an anti-gravity device?"
"It's built."
"And the liquid nitrogen recovery pod?"
"That too."
"And the consciousness-diving device?"
"Still short on funding."
...
Chihaya kept firing questions, like a child staring through the crack of a door into a brand-new world, until every curiosity had been satisfied.
"Can I try it?" she asked, almost pleading. "Your training sounds really fun."
Fun…
Tamamo and Oguri exchanged a complicated look.
The gravity-room sessions that left them half-dead every day were… 'fun' to a Triple Crown legend?
…We need to train harder.
Tamamo quietly clenched her fist.
"That's fine," Gamu agreed immediately.
From the beginning, he'd wanted to promote his training system throughout Tracen. But his proposal was so far ahead of its time that it failed URA review and died before it could spread.
Chihaya raised a finger, smiling.
"Then as payment—today, Team Sirius gets their shoes for free. It's on me."
"And also…"
She stepped close to Tamamo Cross and examined her for a moment.
"Your spirit's good," she said, satisfied. "I've got high hopes for you."
.....
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