When he walked out of the student council office, Symboli Rudolf's expression had been awful. Or rather, from the moment he, Narita Brian, and Tōjō Hana had stepped into that room together, her face had remained dark the entire time.
"Please, make sure you treat her well."
He had no idea why she would say something like that. Did she really think he would mistreat Narita Brian? Every time he recalled Symboli Rudolf's reddened eyes and reluctant gaze, Teruizumi Shinji found it both absurd and a little funny.
Horse girls come first—that was your principle, wasn't it, Rudolf?
Supporting Narita Brian's dream and letting her go was exactly what you were supposed to do.
He turned his gaze to Narita Brian, who had been silent the whole way. Her face was tense. Shinji had already told her that today they would formally enter into a contract, and that she would be starting over from scratch.
She still did not fully understand what that meant, but since this man had said so, there had to be a reason.
After parting ways with Tōjō Hana, Narita Brian's feelings were strange and difficult to name. As she watched Hana's back retreat, what she felt most was relief.
"Let's go?"
"Mm."
There was a lightness in her voice. Shinji froze for a moment, then understood. She had finally escaped those days that had felt like a cage. From now on, she would be able to devote all her time and effort to training, in the hope of fulfilling her dream as quickly as possible.
He led Narita Brian to the Polaris team room. He had given both Overrun Trap and Saintly Halo another day off today, just to deal with the matters at hand. After doing the math in his head, he decided that starting tomorrow, no matter what happened, he absolutely could not allow training to be delayed any longer.
After all, Overrun Trap's legs had finally recovered. It would be ridiculous not to make full use of that.
"Brian, listen carefully. In a moment, your body may react strangely, but don't panic. You know it too—if things keep going the way they are, you'll have no chance at all. So we have to try breaking you down and rebuilding you."
Now that they had established their relationship, Shinji fully considered Narita Brian one of his own. He spoke to her with complete seriousness.
Brian only nodded, but he could see a trace of worry in her eyes.
He said no more. Taking out one of the sugar pills he had exchanged from the system, he handed it to her as "medicine" and told her to swallow it. If he did nothing at all and her body suddenly changed on its own, it would be far too easy for her to become suspicious.
"This medicine works quickly. Be ready."
With that, Shinji had the system formally accept Narita Brian into the team. More specifically, he was using it to strip away the power that the blessings of the Three Goddesses had left behind inside her.
At first, Brian had not paid much attention. But soon she felt her body growing hotter and hotter. A powerful surge erupted from her stomach, and her limbs began to weaken. The energy that had once lain hidden in her muscles started leaking away. Her expression changed at once, but remembering Shinji's warning, she forced herself not to move.
After what felt like forever, the weakness finally turned to pain.
At first it was like a thousand needles.
Then it became like electric currents detonating inside her muscles.
"Ahhh!"
Narita Brian could no longer hold back. The system's power and the residual force left by the Three Goddesses' blessings began fighting over her body. More and more system energy poured into her, while the blessings, no longer replenished, were finally worn down and exhausted in the long tug-of-war.
[Obtained Partner Horse Girl Pack!]
The system sounded delighted, and that little burst of cheer even drew a smile from Shinji. Then the system suddenly hesitated and added:
[Obtained Three Goddesses Energy Recovery Pack...]
"Hm?"
Hearing the name of that new pack, Shinji immediately felt that the system had probably slipped in some personal bias. The name was a little too blunt, and the system's reaction made it even more obvious.
But that was not the important part right now. Shinji quickly pulled up Narita Brian's status panel. What mattered most was seeing how strong she still was after every effect of the Three Goddesses' blessings had been sealed away.
Partner Horse Girl: Narita Brian
Condition: Good
Popularity: 3,523,812
System Blessings (Three Goddesses' Blessings: 3 times, sealed): None
PT (for skill purchases only): 0
Attribute Points: 0
Five Stats (blessing effects sealed):
Speed: 627 (1699)
Stamina: 524 (1750)
Power: 302 (1382)
Guts: 331 (1726)
Wisdom: 295 (1693)
Running Style Aptitude (blessing effects sealed):
Front Runner: G
Pace Chaser: A
Late Surger: A
Closer: D
Distance Aptitude: 1600m–3200m
Track Aptitude (blessing effects sealed): Turf A, Dirt G
Skills (blessing-granted skills sealed):
Shadow Break (Unique) Lv. 4 — When she successfully overtakes from the outside starting at the final corner, her speed rises with monstrous force.
Counterclockwise II (Green) — Becomes adept at counterclockwise tracks.
Clockwise II (Green) — Becomes adept at clockwise tracks.
Lone Wolf (Green) — When she alone holds a lone-wolf spirit, her abilities rise slightly.
Nakayama Racecourse I (Green) — Becomes slightly better at races at Nakayama.
Fuchu Racecourse I (Green) — Becomes slightly better at races at Fuchu.
Full Power (Gold) — In the critical moment of the final sprint, speed increases.
Straightaway Adept (Yellow) — Speed rises slightly on straight sections.
Arc Maestro (Gold-Blue) — Recovers stamina efficiently while cornering.
Domain (granted Domain: Shadow Shatter, sealed): None
Runes: None
Special Status: Leg Instability, High Load
(Negative effects from the blessings; cannot be removed through Perfect Cure or similar means.)
Equipped Items: None
Training Bias: Better suited for Stamina and Speed training.
"…What?"
Looking at those numbers, Shinji practically shouted in his head. No matter how hard he thought about it, he could not imagine that a Triple Crown winner would have a base that looked this weak.
[Her original values were Speed 1196, Stamina 978, Power 692, Guts 804, Wisdom 855. Her turf aptitude and late-surging aptitude were both S. The blessings of the Three Goddesses are basically legalized robbery.]
Even the system sounded helpless. The Three Goddesses' blessings had clearly boosted Narita Brian enormously—but much of that boost had really been her own talent being cashed out in advance. And that part, the system had no way to preserve for Shinji. In the end, all that remained was this, a panel that was obviously no longer strong.
And those special conditions are going to be a pain too. Two negatives at once. Don't tell me she'll have to rest first…
Shinji scratched his head in frustration. Then he saw that Narita Brian had finally worked through the pain and regained some clarity in her eyes.
"Shinji…"
There was unmistakable unease in her voice. Those sensations she had long been familiar with were gone, and even her body, once so dependable, now felt weak and unreliable.
"I…"
"This is what I meant when I told you you'd be starting over from the beginning."
Shinji did not hide the truth. Looking at the way she was trying to stay strong, he stepped in front of her and lightly patted her shoulder. A resilient smile appeared on the horse girl's face.
She was intelligent enough not to ask further.
This was the path she had chosen herself. She was afraid of this unknown future, yes, but she was also full of anticipation.
If she could not win on the track, then there was no difference between being weak enough to finish last or second-to-last. Narita Brian had always only looked at first place.
"All right. Don't overthink it for now. Starting tomorrow, we'll begin rebuilding your training…"
Taking a deep breath, Shinji looked at the outwardly composed Narita Brian and continued,
"Tonight, stay here in the team room. Everyone should meet each other. The new members need to talk and get used to each other—for your sake, and for Saintly Halo's as well."
Narita Brian looked into his eyes. There was something in them that had a calming effect. She blinked hard a few times, and the suffocating heaviness in her heart gradually eased, enough for her to breathe again.
"I'll leave everything… in your hands."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
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