Why was I assigned to be a horse girl?

Without much thought, Hitotsu Amber reached out and held her wrist, which was sprayed with the same perfume as the noblewoman, in front of Kotobuki Toru's nose. She waved her hand slightly to send the fragrance from her wrist into Kotobuki Toru's nose, wanting to see how Kotobuki Toru would react to the perfume.

But to everyone's surprise, Kotobuki Toru's body reacted even more violently than Kotobuki Toru himself. After smelling the noblewoman's perfume at such close range, he immediately seemed to spring back, jumping and hopping several steps backward, his expression as if he had suddenly seen something terrifying.

"Oh my god..."

The gasp seemed to be startled as well, lingering a beat before escaping Kotobuki's lips. But upon seeing that it was Hitoko Amber standing beside her, Kotobuki calmed down slightly and stopped her gasp.

Kotobuki patted her chest. "Wow... Kohaku, don't always do these kinds of exciting things, okay? Why did you come over wearing Donna's perfume?"

Fei Tu Amber pursed her lips meaningfully, "You seem quite familiar with Donna's perfume scent."

"How could it not be memorable? Back when Dongna beat me up without any sportsmanship, she was wearing this perfume. The scent of this perfume, along with the scent of safflower oil and Yunnan Baiyao from the hospital, I'll remember it for the rest of my life... So why did you suddenly start using her perfume?"

Hitotsu Kohaku nodded slightly, feeling that Kotobuki Toru's answer made sense, so she stretched out her other arm in front of Kotobuki Toru, "Smell this again?"

Kotobuki Toru was puzzled, but still lowered his head slightly and brought his nose to the edge of Hitoko Amber's wrist, sniffing it lightly twice: "The scent of mint and lime is not bad, but it's not very distinctive. It smells like an ordinary person... This kind of perfume is probably used more often in the workplace."

As Kotobuki Toru analyzed the application environment of the perfume, he pondered: So, Hitobuki Amber has asked him to help research perfumes?

I never expected that someone as carefree as Hitoko would think of using perfume... But Kotobuki Toru felt from the bottom of his heart that neither of these two perfumes would suit Hitoko.

"You can't mix different perfumes. It's best to use only one at a time. Because the tail of a racehorse girl has a lot of down, the fragrance lasts longer. Also, because it's positioned relatively low, there will be a bit more sweat and body odor. So you can spray more on the tail. On the winner's stage where the audience is close to the contestants, you can turn around and spread the fragrance to the audience."

After briefly reminding Hitotsu Amber not to mix perfumes, Kotobuki Toru glanced at Hitotsu Amber and continued, "Anything else?"

"Anything else? No..."

Just as Hitoko Amber was about to say that there were only these two kinds, she suddenly paused as if she had thought of something. Did Kotobuki Toru mean that Uma Musume's tail would also have a smell?

Although I've never smelled it before, what if I really do?

Fei Tu Hu Po thought of her high school classmates, some of whom had very serious body odor... In the summer, they would mainly use an eye-catching "armpit fragrance".

So Fei Tu Hu Po narrowed her eyes, reached behind her and gently lifted her big tail, then stood on tiptoe and forcefully flicked her tail at Qin Chui Tou's face.

Caught off guard, Kotobuki Toru was hit by a steel tail, his face stinging from the slap from Hitoko Amber's tail.

But at the same time, he also smelled a wonderful fragrance, very similar to the musky and woody scent of amber he had smelled on Hitotsu Amber before, only this one was much stronger, smelling like a strong liquor.

It's very powerful.

So, according to Scarlet Amber, this scent is also a perfume scent?

That perfume smells really good; I even want to buy a few bottles to use as a fragrance myself.

"I think this flavor suits you best; the other two won't work."

Chapter 72 There has to be a winner, why can't it be me?

Hitotsu Kohaku's initial idea was to have Kotobuki Toru smell her tail to see if it had any unpleasant odor.

But to my surprise, Kotobuki Toru gave me an answer that was beyond my wildest imagination...

"Hey, this, this tail, does it taste good?"

When I hug my tail as a pillow, I can't smell any fragrance at all!

Kotobuki nodded and continued to ask sincerely, "Where did you buy the perfume... or rather, where did you find it? Show me the bottle, I can go find it myself."

Scarlet Amber pouted, "Hey! How can you look down on me like that..."

"When you were teaching me, didn't you always see homeless people hunting for food outside? So, did you find this perfume while you were out hunting?"

"Hmph... I'm not telling you, but the third flavor is the best, right?"

Qin Chui was completely baffled, but he still nodded in confirmation.

After confirming Kotobuki Toru's answer again, Hibiki Kohaku smiled and scurried back with a flick of her tail. Judging from her back, she seemed to be in a very good mood.

She ran back between the elegant Junyi and the noblewoman, and both racehorse girls looked at Fei Tu Hu Po with eager expressions.

To be honest, people might have some doubts about letting Hitotsu Kohaku make the judgment, but they absolutely trust the result of Hitotsu Kohaku's judgment.

The competitive noblewoman spoke first, asking, "So, who won? There must be a winner among us."

Gao Shangjunyi also listened with great interest.

Hibiko scratched her head and said modestly yet arrogantly, "I won... Kotobuki Toru said that the taste of my tail is the best."

"Aha?"

The lady couldn't hold back any longer, her face full of disgust: "You're the referee, how could you step onto the field? And you weren't even wearing perfume!"

"Doesn't that just prove that perfume is useless?"

Hibiki Amber wiggled her tail. "So my tail really does smell?"

"Theoretically, racehorse girls' tails should all have their own scent, after all, there are sweat glands on the tail and it's covered with downy hair... The scent on your tail should be the pleasant kind?"

However, the noblewoman only felt that there was indeed a strange fragrance on the tail of the Hibiki Amber, but it was not as pleasant as Kotobuki Toru said.

It shouldn't be more than the perfume I bought for over ten thousand yen...

However, the well-informed ladies had also heard of another theory: that human sweat contains hormones and pheromones, and that people with a natural affinity for it will find it extremely appealing... while those who dislike it will feel that the scent is an incompatible trait.

Therefore, it can be inferred that Kotobuki Toru and Hitoko Haku have a high compatibility.

It’s all good things!

Thinking of this, the noblewoman's mind was no longer on the "perfume dispute," but Gao Shangjunyi was still somewhat unwilling to admit defeat and raised his hand.

"I...I want to smell it too!"

Fei Tu Hu Po was very generous and handed the tail to Gao Shang Jun Yi. Gao Shang Jun Yi grabbed the tail, smelled it, and exclaimed how fragrant it was. He then started putting Fei Tu Hu Po's tail into his mouth.

Scarlet Amber was startled and quickly warned, "Hey! You can't eat this!"

"Sorry, I also really like this flavor... so I subconsciously wanted to try it."

"That's terrifying."

Gao Shangjunyi's actions and his terrifying appetite showed that she had accepted the scent on Fei Tu Hu Po.

The noblewoman, however, remained defiant. But Kotobuki Toru and Takasho Junichi both agreed that Hibiko Amber's tail had a better scent, so it was a two-to-one tie, and Hibiko Amber won this inexplicable contest.

With the outcome decided, everyone returned to Sapporo Tressen.

Although it was already afternoon, the energetic racehorse girls didn't seem to suffer from the lack of energy that office workers experience; there appeared to be even more racehorse girls on the campus roads than in the morning.

After Gao Shangjunyi led everyone to the giant indoor venue of the Teresen Auditorium and Stage Performance Hall, he went to the dressing room alone to change into his stage costume. Afterwards, the lady led everyone into the venue.

Just like in the morning, the pointed ears on everyone's heads were the best pass to Treson Academy. They walked through the winding passage in the relatively dark environment and finally arrived at a deep black double door with golden pillar-style doorknobs... It looked grand and magnificent.

Upon reaching the door, the lady, contrary to her usual demeanor, stepped aside and gestured for Fei Tu Hu Po to open the door: "This is the performance hall. Shall we go in and take a look?"

"Why won't you open the door? Is there any electricity on this door?" Fei Tu Hu Po looked at the doorknob with some doubt and carefully moved forward.

The lady sighed helplessly and shook her head. "I wouldn't do something so tasteless... Even if you got electrocuted, it wouldn't be fun at all."

After a moment's hesitation, Fei Tu Hu Po walked to the door and reached out to grasp the thick, cold metal doorknob.

But that's not the most important thing... what's really important is the intense, almost fiery vibration that comes through the doorknob.

This vibration traveled through Fei Tu Hu Po's skin, muscles, and bones like an electric current to Fei Tu Hu Po's brain, where it was then reconstructed into rhythm and tone in her brain.

Finally, they combine to form something beautiful called music.

Fei Tu Hu Po's expression suddenly changed, becoming surprised and shocked.

The noblewoman standing to the side also took in the changes in Hitotsu Amber's expression. Satisfied with Hitotsu Amber's surprised look, the noblewoman continued, "This is why I asked you to open the door. There are many people in the world who initially cannot understand why people would spend a lot of money and time to watch a live performance. It's inexplicable. But I can tell you that the reason why more people fall in love with live performances is the moment they step into the live performance venue."

"That's right..."

With a slight effort, Fei Tu Hu Po pushed open the heavy yet stable door.

The sound waves, almost visible to the naked eye, surged in like an instant, and the ever-changing lights and lively cheers caused Fei Tu Hu Po's thoughts to vibrate.

This...this is the real stage for winners.

The throne of the top racehorse girls.

Hitotsu Amber was stunned. Despite the commotion, she shouted at the noblewoman, "Wasn't it supposed to be an idol training course? I thought it was something like a class performance or a class monitor election."

With so many people, no wonder Gao Shangjunyi is socially awkward!

"What's the use of that! Stage training is all about being in the moment! And a class with thousands of people is still a class!"

------

Chapter 73 What is "horse jumping"?

Bright, dazzling lights shone on the stage, the beams of light from the spotlights dispersing like smoke as they touched the ground, only to reassemble again.

In the shadows, one could vaguely see the colorful eyes of the racehorse girls, filled with excitement and joy.

Your beloved horse! With a heart full of affection! Marches out!

A soaring, emotionally charged singing voice emanated from the stage; it was the beating of a heart, the flow of blood, the surge of hormones…

Even standing on the sidelines, Hibiki Amber's heart was pounding, and her throat was itching... it longed to make a sound.

Unfortunately, I can't sing it, and I can't even keep up.

Fei Tu Hu Po suddenly felt a little lost, so she turned around and glanced at the noblewoman.

The lady nodded to her, then raised her voice to drown out the cacophony of singing coming from the stage.

"What are you doing standing there in the cold? Come inside!"

Fei Tu Hu Po nodded and stepped into the concert hall, walking on the thick, extraordinarily soft carpet with noise-reducing plush covering its surface.

The racehorse girls present were completely unaware that outsiders had entered. Their attention was entirely focused on the stage, where the dazzling spotlights acted like conductor's batons, and wherever they swept across, the racehorse girls under the light would erupt in enthusiastic cheers.

The horse girls on stage wore performance costumes designed with blue, white, and red as the main color scheme. They wore vests and shorts, long boots, and stockings. The gorgeous fishtail pleated skirts behind them swayed in the wind as the horse girls danced, adding a lot of youthful vitality to their figures.

Of course, the most beautiful decoration is the glistening and pulsating sweat on the racehorse's forehead.

"Horse jump! Horse jump! Horse jump!"

"I can listen to it so many times and never get tired of it!"

"Trainer, next time find a spot where no one will find me, and I'll jump alone for you to see!"

Fei Tu Hu Po and the others moved through the crowd, and the loud discussions among them brought a huge amount of information.

"Donna, what do they mean by 'horse jumping'?!"

In order to ensure that her words and communication could be better heard by her companions, Hibiki Amber could only shout at the noblewoman at the top of her lungs.

"You silly roe deer, don't call my name here!"

The noblewoman quickly went to Hitoko Amber's side and explained, "Horse Jump, in this kind of occasion, represents a song called 'Horse Jumping Legend,' which is very popular and a must-sing song for racehorse girls. However, only excellent racehorse girls of G1 level are qualified to sing this song on stage."

"Wow, that's amazing. She has to sing, dance, and be an outstanding racehorse girl on the track."

As Hitotsu Amber watched the racehorse girls swaying and bouncing back and forth on the stage, she suddenly began to doubt her own CPU performance.

Back in high school, Hitotsu Amber had also participated in the school's mandatory ballroom dance training... She had some understanding of this—just dancing well and not making mistakes was already a challenging task.

Singing is an art form with an extremely low minimum skill level and an extremely high maximum skill level. Even now, Fei Tu Hu Po still doesn't understand what vocal fry or breath control is.

Now, combining these two factors makes the difficulty of creating the Scarlet Amber simply 1+1=11.

Kotobuki Toru stood aside and watched for a few moments, then commented, "Actually, it just looks like the movements are big and lively... I feel like several of the movements are not very coordinated, they don't look coherent or meaningful."

Hibiki Amber, however, didn't notice these problems and tilted her head to ask, "Eh, is that so?"

Moreover, this doesn't seem to be the first time Kotobuki Toru has seen the winner's stage of Uma Musume Pretty Derby, and it might not even be the first time he's seen a live performance like "Horse Jumping Legend".

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Kotobuki Toru doesn't want to be the only one on the household register. Plus, he was able to get into Hokkaido University and can usually order expensive takeout, so Kotobuki Toru's family must be quite well-off... Buying a G1-level horse race ticket is obviously not a problem.

Although it was somewhat beyond what teachers and students, or close friends, should know, Hito Kohaku suddenly became interested in Kotobuki Toru's family.

Especially his strange old father! What was he thinking, finding so many horse-woman red ropes for Kotobuki Toru out of nowhere...

While Hitoko was pondering, the noblewoman was also evaluating the dance of the Uma Musume on stage. It wasn't until the Uma Musume who sang "The Legend of the Leaping Horse" walked off the stage amidst applause that the noblewoman made a conclusion similar to that of Kotobuki Toru, but even more stringent.

"It's all thanks to my good looks... Anyway, the audience is quite tolerant. Live performances are mainly about the atmosphere. If you're not afraid of being tortured by the audience... forgetting four lines at the beginning or singing off-key isn't a big problem."

"But at least we have to raise our level to a level where we're neither good nor bad."

To prevent Hitoshi Kohaku from actually backing down, Kotobuki explained from an economic perspective: "Although being infamous is also a form of traffic, battle lines and revenue don't lie... Uma Musume Girls with good stage performances earn about 20% more in performances and merchandise than Uma Musume Girls who can't sing."

Upon hearing that it was also related to revenue, Fei Tu Hu Po perked up immediately; higher income was definitely a good thing!