Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

But most of that involved buying training equipment and helping to improve the lives of the racehorse girls; at most, it was just going out for training camps together.

Where have you ever seen such a wealthy family style where they go to the countryside for seclusion and still manage to bring along a top-class racehorse girl for training?

"This...this doesn't seem like something I can learn?"

Kitahara looked at the notebook in his hand, which was already filled with his thoughts and feelings, and scratched his head with the pencil in his other hand, feeling somewhat helpless.

If today's practice is all like this, then there will be much less to learn—after all, it's different from training methods and the thinking behind developing training plans.

Simply finding someone to run alongside him and practice might seem easy, but he didn't have the means to hire top-tier racehorse girls for help.

In the end, Kitahara could only sigh and console himself, "Phew... let's see what happens. Maybe we can glean something from the way these two racehorse girls run."

.

Half an hour later, both Stardust Illusion and Azure Sky had finished warming up and gathered at the starting point of the training track.

At this moment, Qingyun Tiankong had also changed into sportswear and was bending down to gently step on the sandy ground with his horseshoe, as if checking the feel of his legs.

"Azure Sky, let's have a good competition this time!" Stardust Illusion said suddenly, standing next to the girl with short, emerald-green hair.

"Ugh~? Competing like this is so tiring..."

Upon hearing this, Qingyun Tiankong raised his head, revealing a listless, languid smile. He stretched lazily, his ten slender fingers tightly interlocked and raised upwards.

"I just want to run step by step; running twice a day is already exhausting enough!"

"Huh?"

Stardust Illusion never expected that, even on the field, Nebula Sky would utter such discouraging words.

Even though the racehorse girls I usually encounter have different personalities and attitudes towards me, this is the first time I've encountered an opponent like Nebula Sky who doesn't seem to have much drive or fighting spirit.

Faced with this attitude, Stardust Illusion was at a loss for how to respond. He couldn't very well force her to go all out and fight him to the death, could he?

Ultimately, they're just there to help me train...

Finally, seeing Qingyun Sky still gazing around listlessly, Stardust Illusion had no better options than to turn around and head back to its starting position.

Never mind, whether she takes it seriously or not once she steps onto the track is not up to her—it's impossible for Qingyun Sky, who can be competitive against Zhou, to be completely indifferent to victory or defeat.

Let's convey everything we want to say through this run, and awaken the passion in the blue sky.

A smile played on her lips as Stardust Illusion stood still, bowing slightly, awaiting Crimson Toyama's announcement of the start.

Standing beside her, Qingyun Tiankong also struck a starting stance with a broad smile—

"1200m parallel sprint training, ready...go!"

With a loud shout from Hikari Toyama, who was temporarily acting as the referee, the parallel running training officially began.

Perhaps it was because it wasn't an official competition, or perhaps the minimum number of participants required to activate the system wasn't met?

In short, during parallel running training, Stardust Illusion cannot unleash the terrifying initial ground acceleration combo as it does on ordinary days.

However, this does not mean that her start will be flawed.

The competition had just begun when Stardust Illusion suddenly stomped its foot on the ground and flew forward in a peculiar posture that made people worry it might fall over at any moment.

The running track at Kasamatsu Training Ground is different from the grass they usually use in the center; it is mainly composed of sand and mud.

On such a track, if a runner tries to run at full speed, the hard sand and mud can have adverse effects.

This effect doesn't just increase the probability of knee and ankle injuries; it also genuinely hinders athletes from taking steps, forcing them to expend more speed on these tasks.

This is why some runners who are prone to leg injuries choose to start their careers in sand races—the limited space restricts the runner's ability to run at full speed, and the resulting health benefits are far more worthwhile than the slight increase in probability due to the hardness of the sand.

Just as she rushed forward, Stardust Illusion glanced to her side out of the corner of her eye. After only 0.1 seconds of judgment, she felt that her speed should be faster than Azure Sky.

However, just as she had the thought, "Perhaps the opening sequence was successful?", the green figure beside her suddenly accelerated and caught up with her in the blink of an eye.

What's this--

[The Golden Skill Leader has been activated!]

Qingyun Sky, which seemed to have no intention of competing for the lead and even lacked any desire to compete, seized the opportunity to forcibly regain the lead when Stardust Illusion relaxed its mind even slightly!

Saying you just want to run step by step...

Stardust Illusion's eyes widened, and subconsciously, as it raced at high speed, it turned its head slightly to look at the girl beside it, whose agile steps were gradually leaving it behind.

Standing at the starting line, watching the two figures recede into the distance, Toyama Hiren couldn't help but smile with a hint of mutual appreciation.

Qingyun Tiankong has never given up his pride as the leader from the very beginning—those words he just said were just to make Stardust Illusion lower her guard, and he deliberately said them to her!

----------

Golden Skill Leader: Skilled at overtaking and positional battles in the early or mid-game <Battle? Escape Horse>

Chapter 274 When did you get the misconception that I didn't use a "willing to take the bait" approach?

Happy April Fool's Day!

My guess was right!

Although Qingyun Tiankong had already begun to pull away from him, Stardust Illusion was overjoyed to see the other's back as it sped off to leave him behind.

Qingyun Tiankong, who was so leisurely at the start of the race, suddenly rallied and regained the lead after seeing that he had overtaken her.

Do I even need to explain why?

As expected, it was her running legs that awakened Qingyun Tiankong and rekindled her fighting spirit, conveying the words she wanted to convey!

Does anyone in the family understand this?

Running instead of chatting is really effective!

Getting back to the point, in just those few seconds of leading the race, Stardust Illusion witnessed something entirely new in the running style of Azure Sky.

This made her even more excited for the upcoming matches.

But... we can't just keep hanging behind her like this forever, can we?

Stardust Illusion lowered its head and, the instant it entered the bend, suddenly kicked out forward in a marching motion.

Kitahara, who was standing at the finish line, was intently observing the two running when he was so shocked by what he suddenly saw that his jaw almost dropped.

The Stardust Illusion, which had just fallen behind by two horse lengths, suddenly caught up by more than half a horse length in an instant, as if it had teleported.

"This...this is the legendary shrinking-earth technique?!"

Kitahara immediately recalled the summary of various running methods for Stardust Illusion from the information he had researched beforehand.

Several sources from different places have highlighted this running method called "shrinking the ground".

Although this running style allows racehorses to control their direction and acceleration by forcefully kicking the ground, it is essentially just a one-time dash technique.

However, all the information unanimously indicates that this simple technique, unique to Stardust Illusion, a racehorse girl with iron legs, is the starting move for her to perform various advanced running techniques.

In gaming terms, this "shrinking the ground" is the initial light punch that is common to several combos.

Therefore, in Kitahara's view, this move might not be so magical; it's just a versatile move that can accommodate various running techniques learned by Stardust Illusion.

However, after witnessing Stardust Illusion use Shrinking Earth just now, she realized just how terribly wrong she had been.

The legs, taut and unbent, slammed into the sandy ground like heavy hammers as the kicks were delivered in a goose-step style.

Even Kitahara, who was halfway across the track, could clearly see how much dust and sand was kicked up by each step.

Even as he stood still, he could feel the ground beneath his feet trembling slightly under the power of the Stardust Illusion.

The Stardust Illusion's figure instantly teleported forward, closing the distance once again.

This Shrinking Earth technique... is not a so-called starting move at all. Even if Stardust Illusion were used right now, it would already be enough to pose a threat to Azure Cloud Sky!

--------

(Is this... the technique called Shrinking Earth?)

Qingyun Tiankong, running at the forefront, naturally noticed the actions of Xingchen Phantom behind him.

This was, of course, her first time facing such a special technique on the field, and she couldn't help but marvel at how Stardust Illusion's legs could withstand such a chaotic attack.

However, this is merely an exclamation.

Having already factored in this shrinking of the land into his calculations, Qingyun Sky was not surprised at all that the Stardust Illusion could resume its pursuit.

—You should know that this guy has demonstrated a terrifying burst of energy after losing the lead in several races.

(Yes, let's catch up properly like this...)

Qingyun Tiankong pondered silently in his heart, while maintaining a calm and composed smile on his face.

pat.

The sound of footsteps crunching on muddy ground is different from that on a lawn.

But for her, who had already confirmed the differences between the two beforehand, it was completely under her control.

In that instant, Qingyun Tiankong's running pace naturally changed.

(Just as I predicted... let's see if you'll be swallowed up by this illusion!)

The figure in the stardust illusion seemed to slow its pace slightly, leading her to conclude that she could give chase...

The rustling wind blew in his ears, making Stardust Illusion, who already loved the wind, even more invigorated. The distracting thoughts in his mind quickly dissipated as he ran, and his eyes gradually became focused.

Having seen the possibility of catching up with and overtaking it, Stardust Illusion instinctively changed its running style without hesitation and chased after it ahead.

Although she couldn't use her skills here, the pose Stardust Illusion was striking at that moment was unmistakably familiar to Crimson Toyama.

This movement, this forward lean, and her burning fighting spirit that seemed to be enveloped by wildness...

Kitahara, who was in charge of everything related to Oguri Hat, was even more certain upon seeing this scene: there was no other possibility that what Stardust Illusion was now using was the running technique learned from Oguri Hat: the encouragement of victory!

Bang bang bang bang!

Like an explosion, the terrifying acceleration that was originally intended for the final step was unleashed in this parallel run training session, just over 400 meters into the race.

At this moment, Stardust Illusion's eyes were bloodshot, and he channeled all his strength into his legs, ready to surpass the Azure Sky ahead in one fell swoop—

--no.

(Can't catch up...?!)

Stardust Illusion stared in astonishment at the figure in front of it, whose back seemed to have not been closed even slightly, and a storm raged in its heart.