Having trained real horses, why are we now training racehorse girls after time-traveling?

"The only person who can make me, Karen-chan, stay by your side so willingly is you, Kenichi."

Zhen Jiling gently stepped forward and hugged Chi Tian. Her petite and soft body was like a life-sized body pillow to Chi Tian at this moment, and soft things always make people relax unconsciously, and Chi Tian was no exception.

"I'm not always a man... Karen-chan." Ikezoe rarely showed his vulnerable side, seemingly because he really felt that the pressure was too much. Unlike Wada, who could wholeheartedly feel the support from good opera and the raging waves, as well as from Naze Fumino and everyone else, he was grateful and motivated to move forward.

But Chi Tian... He always felt that perhaps he was the only one who was persevering and facing many problems. No matter how much help everyone gave him, he still had to face them himself in the end, and sometimes just facing them made him feel tired.

Even after accepting this fact, Ikezoe still harbored doubts about herself...

"How clever... Tell me, am I deceiving myself?"

"Perhaps the wish I made when I first came to Treson Academy is what I truly want most? I want to train a few gentler racehorse girls, even if they don't achieve great success, at least I can be respected and loved by the racehorse girls... At least... I won't be as pathetic as I am now, right?"

"Am I truly attached to those temperamental racehorses? Am I accepting them willingly, or am I simply fulfilling my duty out of necessity?"

"I can't tell... I'm sorry, I really can't tell, Karen-chan..."

Faced with the only racehorse girl who treated him with the gentlest attitude, Ikezoe could no longer hide his thoughts. The more he recalled his past with so many racehorses, the more he felt that he no longer knew whether he had helped them achieve their goals or simply made do with them.

Because when I recall those times, everything feels so vivid, from the initial difficulties in getting along to the later annoyance that makes him grit his teeth just thinking about it. But when I think back to the pride of victory in the competition and the reluctance after retirement... it all feels so real.

Chi Tian couldn't tell anymore. When the Golden Master questioned him about whether he was looking at her through her eyes or at the "tyrant" he imagined, Chi Tian was already confused. He couldn't help but treat them as the same person. Only now did he realize that they were actually different.

He was so bewildered when the three goddesses told him that none of the racehorse girls had truly touched his heart. He couldn't help but doubt himself, wondering if he had ever genuinely cared for any of the racehorses—especially those memories that now made him smile.

Everything was contradictory, and everything left Chi Tian feeling inexplicable, which is why he felt so helpless. The most terrifying thought in his mind was that deep down he actually loathed these temperamental racehorses, but he was just deceiving himself, making himself believe that he could accept them.

"If you can't tell the difference... then it's okay if you never can't tell the difference, Kenichi."

Upon hearing this, Zhenji Ling understood the struggle and confusion deep within Chi Tian's heart. She smiled softly and said, "Even if you were faking it, you kept faking it until we retired. Even if you see us again, you won't have any complaints."

"Because whether you are sincere to us or not, please believe that we will always be sincere to you, and we have never lied to you."

"Kallen-chan, I... really like you the most, Kenichi."

Chapter 318: They all just want to possess you all to themselves

Makoto once thought that if he were to retire one day, it would be around the time when the kid named "Dragon King" that Onii-chan mentioned suddenly appeared and had already shown complete dominance in short-distance races. That would be about the time for him to completely say goodbye to the competition.

Although she is also a racehorse girl, Maki-rei is also a racehorse girl who will never let go of any victory in every race. However, she did not show too much reluctance to leave the racetrack, because she already knew her limits and could accept this reality.

Maki-rei thought more about what her future life would be like. Although she had realized since childhood that the advantage her cute face brought her could last for a long time, that "long time" only applied to the first half of her life. Ultimately, she still had to think about her future.

Makoto isn't worried about her future quality of life. Whether it's her bounty as a racehorse girl or her family's ranch, which isn't particularly large but is big enough to manage, Makoto can live comfortably for the rest of her life. She could even have several, or even a dozen, children without any problem.

Perhaps the clever parents would be very happy, after all, although the ranch is not big, it still needs to be maintained, and excellent racehorse girls are the best way to maintain the ranch. If this excellent racehorse girl is also the child of their own child, that would be even better. It's a win-win situation.

But who would be her partner? Makoto had imagined this more than once before: what kind of person would she like?

He might be a very gentle person, someone who can tolerate her little flaws, such as possessiveness, occasional jealousy, or even occasional laziness; he might also be a very domestic person, able to help her and her family manage the ranch; he could even be her trainer, so that when her future offspring are born, the possibility of them becoming the next excellent racehorse girl should be quite high, right?

However, all these thoughts vanished completely the moment she saw her "true love".

Because she knew that she could not be separated from him. There were only two possibilities for her life to leave him: either she would leave him first, or he would leave her first.

Nothing can separate the two of them except the passing of life. Even next time, she will find that person again and stand by his side once more.

—Is this a bit too heavy? I'm sorry, Karen-chan's love is just that heavy.

"...Thank you, Karen-chan, I like you too." Ikezoe seemed to be in a better mood and replied gently.

"Hmph, this time I can't get away with it, Onii-chan, Karen-chan is serious."

Makoto immediately realized that Ikezoe was pretending not to understand even though he clearly knew, and changed his address from "Kenichi" back to "Onii-chan," indicating that Makoto had regained control. At this moment, she could no longer hide her infatuation with Ikezoe.

"Kallen's love for Onii-chan is almost overflowing, and she can't hide it anymore."

"So this time, Onii-chan, you must listen carefully, okay? You can't ignore my feelings like you did before."

In order to make Ikezoe fully understand his thoughts, and to help Ikezoe discover the true feelings of love for Uma Musume deep in his heart, even though the timing is not right, Makoto finally launched his charge, his fierce attack that can be described as a storm!

This time, she may not be able to win everything, but she will definitely occupy a very large place in her brother's heart.

Perhaps not number one, but never less! This is the conclusion that Makoto has drawn from the team's situation over this period of time, as well as from Ikezoe's notes just now.

"Hey, Onii-chan, this time, please give me even more."

"...Shall we go outside?"

"Hehe, Da~ Me~ Don't even think about running away~" But Makoto gave Ikezoe, who had just come to her senses, no chance to escape. Although she was a mares racehorse girl, her strength was still much greater than that of an ordinary person like Ikezoe.

This brings us to the three goddesses' "favoritism" towards Chi Tian. Chi Tian's resilience has been greatly enhanced. Although most people in this world have had their physiques strengthened considerably, Chi Tian's has been significantly amplified many times over. Just considering his daily training with Orphie, let alone one of them, even three trainers would be driven to the hospital by Orphie's antics.

Even so, his strength and speed are no different from those of ordinary people in this world. At most, he can run a little faster and jump a little higher. No matter how tired he is, he can recover after a short nap. But he still cannot resist the power of the racehorse girl.

Therefore, the moment Makoto pretended to press Chizo down on the sofa, Chizo had no chance to resist and could only watch helplessly as Makoto's face got closer and closer to his.

Then, almost without any gaps, all his words were cut off.

At this moment, Chi Tian's mind was almost blank. His only thoughts, besides his first kiss, were about how much he had smoked and drunk and how he hadn't brushed his teeth or rinsed his mouth to prepare for this moment.

What exactly does my mouth taste like right now? It's really hard on Zhen Jiliang...

It's unclear how long this lasted, but eventually, as if Makoto herself were slightly drunk, her cheeks flushed crimson. In the darkness, a tiny, translucent line slowly emerged. Only then did Makoto smile and say:

"So, can you feel it? Karen-chan, my true feelings, Onii-chan."

"Now, do you still doubt that this feeling is real, Onii-chan?"

"Actually, when you yourself can't tell whether all of this is real or fake, everything has already become the most real existence."

"Don't forget, we've always been there for you. Just like when we were most helpless and lost, it was you who helped us."

"We are all grateful to you, Onii-chan. Thank you for discovering our talents and enabling us to succeed on the field. Thank you for staying by our side despite how troublesome we are."

"We just... really want to be number one for you, Onii-chan."

Yes, every racehorse girl wants to be number one. Whether on the racetrack or elsewhere, their competitive spirit and possessiveness drive them to constantly strive for first place, especially given their somewhat eccentric temperaments.

They all craved recognition, and the first trainer to give them that recognition allowed them to experience the thrill of victory—it's like a child who never received recognition growing up suddenly getting a friend, family member, or mentor who praises them. You can imagine how significant that is for such a child, and how much they depend on that person.

They all wanted to possess that person exclusively, but in that person's heart, they were not the most important person... That strong disparity naturally made her feel that she was "wishful thinking" and that she had returned to her old state once again.

However, there can only be one number one, and given the current situation, Chi Tian has no choice but to make a decision—who is number one in his heart.

"Now, Karen-chan has voluntarily given up being number one, but Karen-chan hopes to be an important person to Onii-chan forever. That would make Karen-chan very happy."

"Hehe, I should say, thankfully the three goddesses didn't stipulate that the racehorse girls can't marry the same person, right? Although every racehorse girl has her own possessiveness when it comes to this kind of thing, I'm willing to tolerate it, Karen-chan~"

At this moment, Makoto also slightly opened her narrow eyes and smiled as she looked at Ikezoe in front of her, saying:

"So, change back, Onii-chan, go tell Master that she's your number one."

Chapter 319: Ikezoe Confronts His Own Heart

"Click".

After a long while, when Wada and Ima were getting sleepy waiting outside, and the horse racing girls had all fallen asleep on the sofa, the door from Ikezoe, which had been kicked and was now a mess by the Golden Ship, finally opened slowly.

"Shh—" At that moment, Jinlang and Wada made a shushing gesture almost simultaneously. Ikezoe and Maki, who came out of the room, also subconsciously covered their mouths. The group silently left the team and went outside.

After some time, once Chi Tian and his group were standing outside, they exchanged glances for a while before Jin Lang finally spoke up and asked Chi Tian:

"Have you figured it out?"

"I haven't figured it out... but I'm not going to keep thinking about it."

Upon hearing this, Ikezoe shook his head. Although he still looked terrible, his spirits were much better than before, and the light in his eyes had returned. He addressed Imanami, Wada, and Naze Fumino:

"I'm sorry for causing everyone trouble... I never thought I could be so immature. I'm really ashamed."

“You should be ashamed, Mr. Ikezoe. Your performance just now was even worse than Mr. Wada's. He is not confused by such things.”

It's rare for Lang to reprimand Chi Tian now, but it's not entirely incomprehensible that Chi Tian would fall into such a misconception.

Strictly speaking, Ikezoe and Wada represent two different extremes. Wada encountered someone he could never forget at a young age, so much so that although he never gave up and faced many setbacks, he persevered because of the initial beauty that sustained him.

Ikezoe, on the other hand, had no good memories along the way. As a result, he had learned to find joy in hardship and had even fallen in love with something without realizing it, and was even questioning himself.

To put it another way, Wada is the kind of lucky person who "uses his childhood to heal his entire life," while Ikezoe is the representative of "using his entire life to heal his childhood." Therefore, although Ikezoe seems to have gone further than Wada, this is actually part of the reason why he has never become the truly best trainer.

Hetian is similar; he is too preoccupied with his past to the point that he has been unable to move on. If he could break free from this past, he would achieve a truly remarkable leap forward.

These two juniors of his are really giving him no peace of mind. Upon hearing this, Jinlang sighed deeply. He felt that he was no longer a senior to Wada and Ikezoe, but rather like their father, taking care of them and guiding them.

"Now that you've figured it out, Mr. Ikezoe, have you decided what you should do?"

"...Maybe I'll continue to be this stupid, but at least I want these racehorse girls who believe in me to know that I believe in them too."

Ikezoe believes he may not be able to understand all the female racehorses perfectly, but at least he will cherish each one, rejoice in their victories, and encourage them to keep going when they fail. This is his duty as a trainer.

Of course, Chi Tian's mindset has changed somewhat. He has gradually come to understand how important he is to these children. Zhen Jiling gave him more than just a kiss. She also told Chi Tian that not only her, but everyone else felt the same way about him.

However, while Ikezoe was unaware, the master craftsman himself was also unaware. As for Tosho... she was still young and didn't understand, and she had only recently joined the team. Besides, there was a risk of attracting intervention from the US military stationed in Japan (lol).

But at least now Chi Tian has figured out how he should face the masters. Only by treating them all as the most important people in his heart will he truly feel that the feelings between them are the most genuine.

He had always suppressed his inner thoughts, maintaining a relatively neutral attitude towards all the racehorses, never criticizing them. But now, he realized that wasn't who he was.

He would get angry because the racehorses were uncooperative, and he would complain endlessly about his own injuries—of course, he would also cheer for their victories and shed tears for their achievements.

Whether he's complaining or rejoicing, these are all his true self. He's always suppressed his other side in front of the horse racers, but that's not really his true self at all.

Now he has figured it out, so he has decided to show his true self, not only in front of the masters and the real genius, but also to everyone who joins his team from now on, so that they will face the real Kenichi Ikezoe.

Simply put, he is the same person he is in front of horses as he is in front of racehorses.

True best partners shouldn't be those who harbor resentment towards each other. Just like Wada and Good Opera, Good Opera rarely uses its usual childish tone in front of Wada, and Wada never hides its rather expressive side in front of Good Opera.

"I'm ready to see Orphie... Although I don't have Wada-kun's silver tongue, I will try my best to make her understand my true feelings."

"I want to keep running with her. She's number one in my heart—that's what I'll tell her."

“It’s good to have determination, Trainer Ikezoe.” Fumino Nase smiled and nodded. However, when she heard Ikezoe’s “sweet talk” about Wada, she still glanced at Wada and nodded in agreement.

However, as a woman, Fumino Nase did not assume that Ikezoe was prepared. Instead, she said, "However, I still suggest that you prepare some gifts for Master. Although you can't tell from the surface, Master is a sensitive child."

“Since you’ve decided to have a proper talk with her, I think it’s right to be fully prepared, Ikezoe-kun.”

"We even need to be mentally prepared for the possibility that the results won't be good." Makoto, standing to the side, couldn't resist teasing her own brother, saying, "Master is a real tsundere, you know. If your brother doesn't perform well, he might just get thrown out."

"Ah... what should we do then..." Chi Tian was at a loss again upon hearing this, as he really had no confidence at all.

Seeing Chi Tian's predicament, after exchanging glances, Jin Lang stepped forward, patted Chi Tian on the shoulder, and said: