Why was I assigned to be a horse girl?

Holding up her number, Hitotsu Amber asked Kotobuki Toru beside her, "Toru, what's your blood type?"

"Me? I'm also blood type AB."

"That's perfect, just in case something happens to me..."

"Snapped."

Kotobuki Toru rolled up the brochure in her hand into a tube and slammed it onto Hitoko Amber's head. "I told you, don't say anything unlucky before the match, and don't say anything like 'I'm going to do this or that' after this match..."

"Hey, can't I even say this? I was planning to find you after the competition..."

"Snapped."

Fei Tu Hu Po immediately became obedient and picked up another pile of supplies from the table.

These special gloves are incredibly thick, providing excellent protection for the palms when gripping ropes, while also increasing the friction between the hands and the rope. Shoulder and waist pads, placed on the corresponding body parts, provide strong fulcrums when pulling ropes.

And, a rather unremarkable set of clothes...

“Isn’t this too ugly?”

A cotton shirt and trousers, and that was it.

Even if Hitotsu Amber's aesthetic sense hadn't been improved by Venus's combination of functional streetwear hot pants and jacket... she probably would have thought the outfit was unattractive before today.

Add an apron and you can leave it in the kitchen; add a vest with glowing stripes and you can go sweep the streets and contribute to beautifying the environment.

I'm not saying this kind of uniform is bad. After all, I wear this kind of uniform when I deliver food and work as a customer service representative. Labor is the most glorious thing, right?

But this outfit doesn't seem really suitable for wearing on the field!

Kotobuki Toru didn't seem to have any objections: "The horse-drawn carriage girl used to be a farmer, so her uniform should be simple. What kind of clothes do you think she should be wearing?"

"That kind of cool one!"

Hitotsu Amber's eyes sparkled. "I don't know about the other racehorse girls, but I've done a special study on Oguri Hat. The outfit she often wears at press conferences is really good, isn't it? Red scarf, sailor uniform, knee-high boots... It's so cool and stylish. How come it looks so bad on me?"

"I didn't expect you to actually know anything about Oguri Hats." Kotobuki Toru took out his phone, typed in a string of words in the search box, and then pushed the phone in front of Hishiko Amber.

On the phone screen, the horse girls are dressed in all sorts of distinctive outfits. Each one looks like a princess who has dressed up carefully and is ready to go to a grand masquerade ball. Some are gorgeous and dazzling, some are exquisite and elegant, and some are playful and cute. Each outfit seems to tell a unique story, making people feel good about them.

"Is it something like this?"

Fei Tu Hu Po nodded vigorously: "Yes, these are so beautiful! Look at theirs, and then look at mine... You're discriminating against migrant workers, aren't you?"

"What are you saying..." Kotobuki Toru tapped the phone screen with his fingertips and said, "It's normal for your competition outfits to be different."

"Because the clothes they wear are all called the 'final outfits,' which are custom-made outfits that only horse girls qualified to stand on the G1 level stage can wear."

Chapter 48 I want to be the top, I don't want to be the bottom!

Before long, the pork chop rice that Hitotsu Amber had been longing for was served. The white rice was covered with thick slices of pork marinated in a sweet and spicy sauce, and on top of the brown pork, there was a pile of fragrant fried garlic.

Presumably, any young person who enjoys strong flavors and meat would not refuse such a powerful food.

At this moment, Hitotsu Kohaku held the bowl in both hands and asked Kotobuki Toru with great curiosity, "Those clothes, oh no, the final outfits, are only worn by horse girls who can compete in G1-level races? Are these clothes made of gold? Or silver?"

Upon hearing Hitotsu Amber's sarcastic "praise," Kotobuki Toru nodded in agreement: "What you said is absolutely right. According to the statistics of those trainers who seem to have nothing better to do, the weight of the racehorse girls' winning outfits is actually more than the value of silver. It's no exaggeration to say that the racehorse girls wear gold and silver."

"Huh? It's so expensive?"

"After all, each outfit is custom-made... and the racesuit for Uma Musume is beyond the scope of ordinary clothing."

Kotobuki picked up a tender piece of pork with his chopsticks, his face beaming, and began to speak: "Let me start with the fabric. First of all, the fabric has to be the best of the best. After all, it's being presented to the statues of the three goddesses to ask for their blessings. If the fabric is even slightly inferior, the three goddesses won't accept it. And to make just one garment, we need to prepare at least five times the amount of fabric just for cutting and spares. We also have to deal with the suppliers for several days... The design afterwards is even more complicated..."

As he spoke, Kotobuki Toru got a little carried away, and by the time he realized what was happening, Hishiko Amber was already looking at him with a strange expression.

"You're pretty good, kid. I only realized that today..."

Kotobuki Toru scratched his head. Had Hishiko finally realized something?

Now that she's noticed, does that mean I don't need to pretend anymore?

"Ahem, that's right, actually I am..."

"I didn't expect you to be such a braggart. You've only had a little oolong tea and you're already spouting off like this, making it sound like you've actually seen it all..."

Fei Tu Hu Po reached out and took the ceramic cup that Qin Chui had blown through, quickly bringing it to her nose. Her delicate nose twitched slightly as she sighed, "I was wondering if this is also flammable oolong tea?"

"..."

Kotobuki Toru sighed softly, realizing that not arranging tactics for Hitoko was absolutely the right choice!

I don't know if she's just too lazy to use her brain, or if she simply doesn't have one.

"Anyway, I won't be able to wear this dress anytime soon, and it's uncertain whether I'll ever be able to wear it in my lifetime. I'm too lazy to listen to your ramblings about the details."

Hito Amber pointed to a photo of a racehorse girl covered in bandages, looking like an Egyptian zongzi, and said, "Wearing this, dressed like this, can you really run? If you were at school, you wouldn't even be able to go to the sports field, and if the principal saw you at the school gate, you'd be warned to start running."

This time, Qin Chui Tsukuyomi refused to play along, his face darkening. "Go find it online yourself."

"Hey, wait a minute~" Fei Tu Hu Po quickly refilled Qin Chui Tou's cup with water, and said with a fawning expression, "Go on, I'm listening."

"That's because these winning outfits are truly blessed by the three goddesses, and they are absolutely form-fitting and comfortable for their respective racehorse girls."

"So those who believe in the Three Goddesses often say that Uma Musume only needs to consider the appearance of the final outfit, but the Three Goddesses have many more things to worry about..."

"..."

After eating pork chop rice, Fei Tu Hu Po played her violin and went for a light workout, just like usual.

As the competition drew closer, there were fewer and fewer topics to discuss. However, Hitokohaku could sense that Kotobuki Toru seemed to have something to say to her.

I happen to have one myself.

Let's have a proper chat after the match.

……

The next day, they went to the Guangwan Horse Racing Track.

The narration, delivered with a local accent, resounded throughout the sky.

"In the golden autumn of October, the weather is fine, and it is the harvest season, but on the racetrack today, only one female horse can win this draft horse race..."

Even through the thick walls, Hito Amber could feel the fervor of the atmosphere outside... She had initially thought that a couple hundred spectators would just be a picnic, but she underestimated their support for the horse girls.

In the waiting room, he was the only one sitting quietly in a corner, holding a teacup in his hand. At this moment, just like before, he felt the same way he did when he took his graduation physical education exam.

The surrounding area was noisy, mostly filled with racehorse girls accompanied by their trainers discussing where to go and what to eat after today's race, as well as what their next goal would be.

Kotobuki Toru also wanted to sneak in with the other trainers to broaden his horizons, but because he didn't have any proof of being a Uma Musume trainer, he was ultimately stopped at the door by the security guard.

[Treat the debut race of a draft horse race like any other race. Just treat it as a fun race, do your best, and keep a calm mindset... I believe that as long as you perform at your normal level, you can win!]

These were the last words Kotobuki Toru said before parting ways with Hitokohaku. The way he said them no longer sounded like something a friend would say; it sounded more like something a trainer would say…

Speaking of trainers.

Fei Tu Hu Po raised her head again. Not far away, the neatly dressed competition staff were holding a roster of contestants, counting the participants and arranging the order of appearance.

That's right, the appearance of Uma Musume (horse girls) is also in a certain order, but it's not in the usual Japanese way where whoever is older or has a higher position gets to go first.

"Please gather here if you have 1 follower on your horse race. You will be the first to enter, so I'll repeat the important information for you. First up is Ms. Kinkakuji..."

The double-door refrigerator sitting not far away stood up, showing off his muscles to everyone present with great energy. He then high-fived the trainer who was a head shorter than him and walked towards the competition staff.

Hibiki Amber sat there expressionless, her eyes devoid of any emotion...

While height differences can make the horses look better, it would be more appropriate for the trainer to be at least ten centimeters taller than the racehorse girl. It's just too strange for the racehorse girl to be even more muscular than the trainer.

Coincidentally, when Qin Chuitou stood up straight, he seemed to be only a dozen centimeters taller than me.

As the young lady working at the racetrack said, the order in which Uma Musume enters is based on popularity, that is, the number of fans accumulated, arranged from high to low.

Those with high popularity advance, those with low popularity wait in the back...

The Uma Musume participants in the debut race are a bit special. Before they go on the race, they are still just students and amateur racers, so their social fan base is not counted.

So theoretically, the number of fans of the debut race of Uma Musume should all be 0... but if they have a trainer before their debut, then things are different.

Just like the "1" fan at Kinkakuji Temple, that was her first fan and her first trainer.

Its significance and value are self-evident.

"Damn it! I want to be the top too! I don't want to be the bottom!"

In the waiting room, the scarlet racehorse girl suddenly stood up and raised her arms in a shout.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Clothes Torn

"Ahem, everyone, please continue. I was just giving a battle cry to boost morale."

The moment she finished shouting, Hitotsu Amber felt a large number of eyes fixed on her.

I can't help it, seeing so many trainers and racehorse girls together today... it's really a bit stressful.

But it's really awkward to drink cold water alone in the waiting room. Other racehorses have people serving them tea and water, massaging their waists and legs, etc. If only someone could come, I would be happy to give them a massage, let alone massage my waist and legs.

The racecourse staff didn't make things difficult for Hitoko Amber. After chuckling, they announced loudly again, "Well then, that energetic lady, and the other racehorse girls with zero followers, may come and draw lots."

Just like the previous lottery to determine which race track everyone would start on, the racehorse girls with the same number of fans also had their starting order determined by drawing lots.

Since the previous spots have already been taken by the racehorse girls with trainers, it doesn't matter what order I draw now.

With that thought in mind... Hito Amber drew the last spot to appear.

“Miss Hito, you drew the twelfth entry slot... the last one, the grand finale seat.”

"There's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

Hitoko Amber followed behind a group of racehorse girls who were at least 1.7 meters tall, looking like a potato mine planted behind a wall-nut in Plants vs. Zombies.

"Everyone, get ready to go on stage! Remember, when you throw your jacket on stage later, don't throw it too far... The ground is all muddy, and it's not easy to pick it up yourself."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then, accompanied by emotionally charged explanations, stepped onto the display platform.

"First up is a local horse girl from Obihiro. Although she hasn't debuted yet, she's already quite famous at the Obihiro Treisen Gym."

Just like the staff member just said, when Uma Musume participates in her debut race, there is always a stage reveal segment.

In other words, it's about walking down a runway and, with the commentator's voice, confidently and gracefully showcasing one's physique and appearance to the audience.

Moreover, it is said that after walking the runway in the debut competition, the next opportunity to walk the runway will be in the G1 level arena. At that time, the purpose of walking the runway will change from introducing oneself to everyone to a fan meeting that makes fans cheer.

Now, when we meet for the first time, it's enough for everyone to strike a couple of poses and get to know each other.

Hitoko looked up at the LED screen in the entrance passage used to broadcast the competition, and observed Kinkakuji who had already taken to the stage.

After the tall racehorse girl walked onto the stage, she performed a pose commonly seen in the bodybuilding world, spreading her latissimus dorsi muscles forward. With her hands on her hips, her muscles bulged high under her jacket, demonstrating what a bodybuilding expert looks like.

Then Kinkakuji unzipped his jacket and ripped it open, revealing his muscular physique, which drew cheers from the crowd.

Clearly, this was a successful entry.

……

Next up was a racehorse girl with draft horse lineage, identical to Kinkakuji. She struck a bodybuilding pose upon taking the stage, winning over a group of spectators.

The next one is the same, and so on...

Fei Tu Hu Po, who was in last place, was a little conflicted and asked the girl next to her, "By the way, isn't it enough to just throw a coat over your shoulder? Why is everyone posing for photos when they go up?"

"Oh, this, I think it's a customary practice in horse draft races?" The staff member gave an answer she wasn't sure about. "They're not required to do it, but... everyone does it when they go on stage, so everyone's gotten used to it?"

"Do I need to do that?"

The park staff glanced at Hitotsu Amber. Wrapped in a coat and horse riding clothes, it was impossible to tell how young she was, but judging from her height, she probably wasn't the kind of horse girl with explosive muscles.

"Whatever you want? But following the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do,' I suggest you give it a try. What if some horse-drawn carriage god offers you some protection? Anyway, it's free, so why not give it a shot..."

"Um...that's right."

"Then it's your turn."

Fei Tu Hu Po nodded and walked into the bright passage at the end of the light.

He went on stage, puffed out his chest and raised his head, struck a very muscular pose, and then tossed his jacket over his shoulder.

Fei Tu Hu Po gave herself this suggestion in her mind, slowly walked to the center of the T-stage, took a deep breath, and filled her chest with a lot of air.

Since I've decided to do it, even if the results aren't as good as other horse girls, I'll still do my best!

Hitoko used all the muscles in her body to strike a muscular pose, mimicking the posture she had just adopted at Kinkakuji.