I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

"Uncle Yejin, how are you feeling...?"

"Cough! Of course I'm fine! Don't worry! I'm much tougher than that guy Wada!!"

"Take it easy! Maybe we should just stop drinking! Your hair's all white!"

"37.3, wow, that little guy from back then has become so strong!"

Wada Ryuzo held the somewhat worn scoreboard in his arms, looked at Tamamo Cross who was breathing slightly, and laughed: "But even though your grades have improved, you haven't grown any taller, haha!"

"I'm too lazy to bite you anymore, after all, I haven't been back for over a year,"

Tamamo Cross rolled her eyes at him, then the girl looked around and asked, "But speaking of which, the ranch seems to have become much quieter?"

"It is indeed deserted, but that's for the best. At least our burden is much lighter."

Wada tucked the scoreboard under his arm and raised his hand, saying, "Little Tamamo, I'll go tell your younger brothers and sisters first, and while I'm at it, I'll tell Nogishi that you've finally returned home in glory!"

"You can wander around the ranch now. You'd never guess how much the ranch has changed in the year you've been gone!"

Tamamo Cross nodded, and after watching Wada walk towards the office building, she also began to walk around the ranch where she had spent three years.

Compared to three years ago when she was still there, the number of horse girls still on the ranch has indeed decreased significantly. The horse girls who used to peek out, laugh, and chase after Wada have all disappeared. Now, only the windows that can no longer be completely closed due to years of disrepair and the empty classroom remain.

Even Wada himself is no longer the energetic and lively person he once was, and Dean Nogishi, who used to chase and beat Wada with a stick, can't even get out of his hospital bed now.

Tamamo pursed her lips, looking towards the training ground where she had run for three years, where a few horse girls were still chasing and playing.

The children's laughter seemed to breathe life into this Hokkaido ranch, and it seemed that as long as they were there, the ranch would remain as lively as it once was.

After lingering for a long time at the edge of the playground, the girl with the downy hair turned and walked into the office building. She climbed the stairs, wandered through the corridors where she and her friends used to play, stepped over the gleaming cement floor worn smooth by countless footsteps, and finally arrived at the principal's office door.

She was about to knock on the door, but the voice coming from inside made her hand freeze in mid-air.

"Yejin, she's back. Aren't you going to see her?"

"Cough...Why are you looking at her? Want her to see me like this? Will that make her feel better?"

"Sigh... So what do you plan to do? Just like before, say you're on a business trip?"

"Okay, let's say that."

"Okay, I'll go tell them in a bit."

A brief silence fell over the room, followed by what sounded like a stool being dragged across the floor.

"The ranch is also losing money this year. Yamaguchi Girl, Tanaka Old Man, and Kazama Boy have all resigned, but they left behind a considerable amount of funding when they left, so they should be able to barely make it through next year."

"Since the old lady Ando next door passed away, the ranch's food supply has become a huge expense. Although these little guys don't have big appetites, that's only relative to other horse girls. Compared to humans, these guys are really big eaters."

“Nekikoshi, I know you don’t want to follow the current mainstream ranch contract model, but you can’t just provide the children with everything for free, can you? If we sign a contract, even if it’s only one-twentieth or one-thirtieth of the work, as long as they win prize money in future competitions, we can provide the children with better services!”

"Cough cough... I know, but it's impossible to do that."

"Why not?! The children would definitely be willing to give back their earnings to the ranch, but the prerequisite is that the children know the difficulties the ranch faces!"

"Nori! All the other welfare farms and ranches signed contracts from the beginning, stating that the profits would be used to improve the ranch's environment. But our ranch has never said that since the horse girls came in! They don't even know what problems the ranch is facing!!"

"Everyone who comes here is full of passion, but passion can't fight reality! Nojin!! Is it all really worth it!?"

A sigh came from the room, and the old man on the sickbed said, "Wada, before... someone came to me. He wanted to buy our ranch, but I refused."

"What's the reason?"

"His proposed solution was for his company to invest in and completely renovate the ranch to the same standards as the local Tereson area, ultimately transforming it into a mixed preschool and primary school,"

"Students attending this new school will have the right to direct admission to the local Tereson district, but in return, they will need to sign an agreement,"

"If they become racehorse girls in the future, they will have to give a quarter of their race prize money to the school. On the surface, these prize money are used to maintain the school, but in reality, most of this quarter of the funds will go to his company, called the 'labor management fee'."

"At the same time, the contract would also force the horse girls to participate in competitions for at least five years, which is beyond the competition career of most horse girls, so I firmly rejected it."

"As for the one-twentieth and one-thirtieth contracts you mentioned... Wada, when all the butcher shops in the entire market are selling pork for 1000 yen, but yours is selling it for 100 yen, what do you think the other shops will do?"

"........well!"

The sound of a stool being dragged echoed through the room again. The still-healthy man sighed, "I'll think of a way to deal with the money later. By the way, are you really not going to see her?"

"She's been working really hard lately. You watched the Kyoto Gold Cup, right? She's on a four-game winning streak now!"

".......Yeah,"

"Hehe, no need. I've long believed she's a genius who has been accumulating knowledge and experience before soaring to great heights. Even without meeting her, I know she will fulfill the first thing she said to me."

"[To become number one in Japan? Hey, you're right. Well then, you get some rest, I'll go take her out for a walk first."

Tamamo Cross quickly left the pasture, as fast as scattered starlight.

She didn't even say goodbye to Hotan in person; she just told him on her phone that there was an urgent matter at the central government and that she needed to return immediately.

The girl with the reed-like hair didn't quite understand the coded language spoken by Wada and Nogishiki, nor did she quite grasp the concept of the orphanage contract. However, she knew one thing: the ranch needed her help.

The best help right now is to keep winning, keep collecting bounties, and then mail them back to the ranch under various pretexts.

Finally, she fulfilled the bold statement she made when she was just a young girl.

With this in mind, Tamamo Cross won the Hanshin Grand Prix with the highest popularity, then won her first G1 victory in the Spring Emperor's Slam, and finally, she came here, to today's Hanshin, to the G1 level event Takarazuka Memorial.

"call----"

Empress Akitsu took a deep breath, and as expected, she was the first to break through the fourth turn and enter the straightaway sprint.

She still has plenty of energy to spare, and it shouldn't be difficult for her to continue leading and win the Takarazuka Memorial title.

The horses following in second and third place were already exhausted; she only needed to accelerate a fourth time. Winning the championship seemed like a sure thing for her at this point.

'Maybe when we get back, I can give the trophy to Ulala to play with. I wonder if she's watching the game at school too?'

A smile played on Empress Emi Akitsu's face, but a vague unease lingered in her heart. During this 2200-meter race, she felt she had forgotten something.

She seems to have overlooked a very important factor.

"Crack!"

The instant the Akitsu Emperor entered the final 300 meters of straight uphill climb, she felt it! She felt that oppressive aura, powerful enough to shatter the heavens!

A bright white light flashed from not far behind her, its intense brilliance even outshining the sun in the sky, casting her running figure onto the grass in front of her!

"Zizzizi!!"

A series of ear-piercing sounds, like the crackling of leaking electricity, suddenly erupted on the field. Debris mixed with blackened grass appeared at the edge of her vision, and a deadly sense of crisis completely shattered the Akitsu Emperor's composed expression.

This light, a mixture of red and blue, surpassed the first place held by Emperor Akitsu in just two breaths!

"This is... a domain!!??"

"They actually stepped into the Domain Realm at this moment!!!"

Empress Akitsu gritted her teeth and roared, increasing her speed for the fourth time! She wanted to end the race before her opponent could completely surpass her!

But the light gave her no further chances. Brilliant streams of light continuously burst forth from the little horse girl's body, converging before her and paving the final path to victory!

[Domain: Lightning]

The 300-meter distance passed in the blink of an eye, like a thunderclap that swept across the earth. The red and blue lightning swept across the grassy field, shattering the path of other runners and tightly grasping the Takarazuka Memorial Prize in its own hands!

"It's Tamamo Cross!! The ultimate winner is Tamamo Cross, who is second in popularity!!!"

"From a late start, to falling behind the leader by nearly twenty horse lengths in the middle of the race, to overtaking at the fourth turn, and finally an explosive acceleration on the straight! Tamamo Cross created a near-miraculous victory!!!"

"This is Tamamo Cross's 7th consecutive victory!! Even though she had a period of low spirits after her debut match, she still proved herself with her strength!!"

"Congratulations to Tamamo Cross!! You've won this year's Takarazuka Memorial Contest!!!"

Chapter 133 A Celebratory Feast Showcases Orn's Large Appetite; Orn Invited to Tokyo

After the Takarazuka Memorial, in the lounge at Hanshin Racecourse,

"Tamamo! Your final sprint was incredible!! How did you do that?!"

After handing the carrot-flavored juice to Tamamo Cross, Okino rubbed his hands together and then asked humbly and respectfully, "Could you give me a little hint? I'd like to share some real knowledge with my horse girls!"

Just as Tamamo Cross was about to answer, Komiyayama, who was standing next to her, slapped the towel he was using to wipe his sweat across Okino's face.

She raised an eyebrow and said, "Hmph! You must have used the excuse of 'going out for study and inspection' to sneak out without permission, right?"

"Xiaoyu, don't tell him! Let him suffer under his own burden!"

Upon hearing this, Okino looked troubled and said, "Big Sister Komi! I really have no choice this time! You know that my team members have all started undergoing intellectual training recently, and I can't fool them with my past experience anymore!"

"Please, have mercy on me this time! Help me out!"

Rokuhei nodded and said, "Komiyayama, why don't you let Tamamo share her experience? Think about it, if Okino gets upset because of his responsibility, he'll definitely team up with the Golden Ship to cause trouble at school, and we'll be the ones who get hurt in the end!"

Orn agreed, saying, "Although I've only been in Central Teresen for a month, I've already heard about Senior Okino's usual behavior."

"It's better to let him process his anger within his own team than to let him vent it on others."

Okino's eyelids twitched, and he muttered, "You're clearly speaking up for me, but why do I feel like I'm being insulted?"

"Well......"

Komiyayama hesitated upon hearing this. Just as Grandpa Rokuhei and Orn had said, the destructive power of Okino and the Golden Ship causing trouble together was still too great.

Adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble," she finally compromised, saying, "Never mind, there's still some time before the winner's stage."

"Tamamo, let's begin."

After such large-scale competitions, the trainers at the central training center usually gather together to review the match. Unlike when Ornn was at the local level, this phenomenon is unique to the central training center.

Or more precisely, this phenomenon arose after Rudolf symbolically became student council president, and with the assistance of Miyazaki Hidetoshi and the current acting chairman, new rules were reached with the young trainers.

Of course, such seminars are postponed in special circumstances, such as when the participants are mainly central trainers and their supervisors, or when accidents or disputes occur during the competition. In these cases, the meeting will generally be delayed for half a month, or even a month.

If the conflict between the two parties reaches an irreconcilable point, then the seminar can only be convened by other trainers.

Tamamo-no-Mae cleared her throat twice, then slightly puffed out her chest, as if she wanted to deliver an important speech as the victor of the match.

But when she looked around, she found that the shortest person in the room was five or six centimeters taller than her (New Radiance: Huh?), and even Ornn, who was sitting not far away, was more than a head taller than her!

Now, with everyone staring intently at her, Tamamo Cross's initial excitement and joy at winning suddenly diminished considerably.

"Well... I don't really know what that feeling is like. If I had to describe it, it's like... like when you're running and suddenly you can't feel your body anymore,"

Seemingly noticing the questioning looks from the onlookers, Tamamo Cross quickly waved her hand and said, "Ah! I'm not saying I'm hallucinating! I really can't feel it anymore!"

"When we were going through the final bend and the distance between us and the Akitsu Emperor was widening, I should have run out of stamina, but... but somehow, it was like at that moment that my strength suddenly surged from my legs! It allowed me to continue accelerating!!"

Tamamo Cross lowered her head, looking at her fists, and said in confusion, "Although it's hard to explain in very clear words, that feeling definitely exists, just like... yes! It's similar to the feeling of entering the [Domain] that the Guild Master mentioned!!"

"[Domain] ......."

Okino's playful expression vanished, and he nodded seriously, saying, "If Tamamo eventually reaches the realm of domains, then that would explain the unreasonable acceleration. I've seen something similar on the Golden Ship before."

"Golden Ship? Trainer Okino, you mean that Golden Ship senior who trips when jumping down from a tree, uses honey drinks to lure horse girls, makes strange noises from time to time, and gambles with his classmates!?"

Shining Radiance narrowed her eyes. Although she didn't quite understand what a domain was, if she had to choose between the Golden Ship's domain and the Orn Society suddenly giving them a break from training, she would rather choose the latter.

At least there's something to look forward to with Ornn taking a break, and as for the Golden Ship... perhaps forgetting about her is the best option.

Liu Ping smiled and shook his head. He said, "Hehe, Golden Ship used to be very strong. When she was still active in the competition, as long as she was on the field, the final outcome of the game was unknown."

Teng Zheng asked curiously, "Unknown? Usually, this kind of sentence would be followed by something like, 'As long as someone appears, everything will be alright.' Why does it become a situation where no one knows?"

Okino sighed, rubbing his forehead, "It's all because of Golden Ship's personality. When she stands on the field, even I, her trainer, don't know how much of her strength she'll put in this match."

"If she's in a good mood, she might just run at full speed and win the race easily. But if she's in a bad mood, then it's hard to say!"

"So even if Golden Ship gets the most popularity in the competition, she might not be the one to win in the end. Sigh... I, as the trainer, have been scolded a lot because of this. There were even angry fans who called people to rush into Central Treson and beat me up."

Komiya nodded in sudden realization and said, "I see. That explains why you never said anything when Sister Hua invited everyone to go out in the group chat."

Okino sighed again, chewed the lollipop in his mouth, threw the stick into the trash can, and said, "Yeah, so don't be fooled by how carefree Golden Ship is now; she used to be a top-tier player on the field."

"Therefore, she has naturally entered the domain state as well."

After a moment of contemplation, Rokuhei asked, "Was it during the Satsuki Sho event, in the final 600 meters, when she overtook 16 other female riders using the [Golden Leap]?"

"Yes, [Golden Warp], that's the nickname given to her by fans who support Golden Ship."

It seemed that this special term evoked memories for trainer Okino, who nodded with considerable pride and said, "At least until today, no racehorse girl has ever had a similar title, has she?"

"After that match, I was surprised to see a look of excitement in Ah Chuan's eyes, an expression she had never shown before,"

"She told me that during the final 600 meters, as she accelerated, she vaguely saw the people of the Golden Star appear before her. One of them, who looked like the chieftain, kicked her in the butt and shouted something at her,"

"Then she suddenly had an epiphany, understanding how to run with maximum efficiency, and also truly grasping how to unleash the power of her exhausted body to continue sprinting,"

Chongye shrugged and said helplessly, "Don't look at me like that. That's exactly what she said. It does sound ridiculous, and I'm only half-believing it myself."