The mediocre trainer doesn't want to reopen

"Why do you want to expose me... Do you really want to see me not playing dumb?"

"This won't do us any good, Trainer-san. If we were to truly open up to each other, you'd find that I'm not as beautiful or pure as you think. I'm just a vulnerable horse girl under a false facade."

"Even so, are you still willing to accept me?"

After taking off her headband, Sakura Shinou, just as Kitano had imagined, suddenly transformed from a horse girl who could only be described as "cute" into a very intellectual beauty. Her cherry blossom-shaped pupils seemed to disappear at this moment and turned into normal pink pupils.

At this moment, Kitano, who had obtained the truth he had always wanted to know, did not feel much joy for solving the mystery - because everything was just as Sakura Shinou said, when some truths were really explored, the answers did not seem so tempting.

Facing the current Prince Jin, Kitano, after some thought, simply reached out his hand, rubbed her hair, which was not wearing a headband and still had water stains, and said softly: "No matter what Prince Jin looks like, it doesn't matter in front of me."

"The carefree and helpful Prince Jin is the Prince Jin I know; but this cautious and fragile Prince Jin is also the Prince Jin I know."

"This is your truest form. King Jin, no matter what you look like in front of me, it makes no difference to me."

"King Jin, just do what you want to do most and what makes you feel most relaxed."

"Trainer-san, do you want to keep playing dumb?"

Upon hearing this, Sakura Shinou's heart skipped a beat, but he couldn't help but look at Kitano and murmured, "Trainer-san...are you trying to pretend that what happened today never happened?"

"No—at least I don't think so. However, I don't think thinking about what happened today will have any impact on our future lives." Kitano looked at Jin Wang in front of him and chuckled, "No matter what we talked about today, the next day, you will still be my horse girl, and I will still be your trainer. I will still supervise your training, rest, and arrange competitions, and you will still have to listen to my arrangements... As long as our relationship of responsibility is not dissolved, this kind of thing will happen again the next day."

"The only difference is that now that we understand each other, we can both do as we please. You, Prince Jin, can just act as if nothing has happened and continue to be the grade committee chairperson and a helpful student. It doesn't matter."

"But...if you think this is too tiring."

As he said this, Kitano gently touched Sakura Shinou's warm cheek and said softly, "My shoulder is always available to you. You are welcome to talk to me."

"At least I think that with me, you can take off your outer clothes and disguise and be a simple horse girl... I think I should be worthy of your trust."

"No matter what you choose in the end or what you become, you are still Sakura Shin-oh. As long as you are yourself, in my eyes, nothing has changed."

"You're so cunning, Trainer-san. After all this talk, you still let me make the decision myself."

However, Sakura Jinwang understood what Kitano meant. At this moment, Jinwang stared at the golden headband in her hand. After a long time, she slowly put it back to its place. In an instant, when Sakura Jinwang opened her eyes again, the cherry blossom-shaped pupils appeared in her eyes again.

"I have no idea about pretending to be stupid or anything like that. Sakura King is still as aggressive as ever! He will definitely not let anyone down!"

"So that I can be a role model for everyone! Trainer-san, please continue to teach me so that even though I can only run short distances, I can still be a role model for everyone!"

At this moment, Sakura Jinou, who put on the headband again, seemed to have returned to her past self. The huge change from being intellectual to becoming the violent one she is now did not even take a second, so much so that people wondered if she had a split personality.

But Kitano knew that Sakura Shinou was just showing her strong side again. As he said, whether it was the Shinou who tried hard to become the powerful self in her imagination, or the fragile Shinou now, they were all her true selves, and there was no such thing as "pretending to be stupid".

She knows what everything Sakura Shinou does means. She knows that all of this is "false", but she is also trying hard to turn these "falsehoods" into "truths".

Perhaps, she cannot become a horse girl who can run middle and long distances, but her desire to be a role model and to become a stronger person has always been real.

"Trainer-san!" Sakura Shinou quickly looked at Kitano, extended her hand to him again, and said with a confident smile: "Please continue to 'lie' to me for the rest of the time! Please keep 'lying' to me like this until I can become a horse girl who can face my own weakness!"

"Before that day comes, I will never allow you to leave."

Sakura Shinou extended his hand towards Kitano again, and this time, Kitano held Sakura Shinou without hesitation. He knew that after this transformation, Sakura Shinou's path would be less confusing and straighter than before.

Shin, who was holding Kitano's hand, narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured softly, "Please keep lying to me so that I can become better, Trainer-san."

"This time, please let this 'lie'... never be exposed."

Chapter 346: Special Week's Visit Again

After the Japanese Derby ended, Sakura Shinou, with Kitano's comfort, returned to his previous state at an astonishing speed - even the horse racing girls of Tresen Academy who had been following the Japanese Derby and were afraid that their "lies" would be exposed after witnessing Sakura Shinou's defeat were surprised at how quickly Sakura Shinou recovered.

It was as if...the defeat in the Japanese derby had no effect on her at all. In fact, Sakura Shinou was more receptive to the fact that he couldn't run middle distance than they thought.

"Hey, it looks like 2400 meters isn't something you can just do with a few breaths! I think I should probably participate in more races where I can run in one breath!"

"Thankfully, Trainer Sang told me that running two 1200-meter races is equivalent to running a 2400-meter middle-distance race! So, from now on, as long as I run a few more 1200-meter races, I can make up for this defeat!"

——Sakura Shinou seemed to remember nothing, as if nothing had happened. She still conveyed the theory that Kitano told her to everyone who cared about her or wanted to comfort her, to show that she was really fine.

Seeing that Sakura Jinwang had not suffered any blow, everyone in Tresen Academy breathed a sigh of relief and soon returned to their former hustle and bustle and joy.

After Sakura Shinou regained control of her emotions, the defeat had almost no impact on her. She was still the best grade chairperson in everyone's hearts, and still that excellent and enthusiastic role model.

This kind of life... for Sakura Shin-oh, it was something she was truly worth maintaining. Exposing her own flaws and then accepting them calmly had actually earned Sakura Shin-oh even greater popularity within Tresen Academy.

Now, the entire Teresin Academy knew they had a grade chair who, despite knowing they weren't good at mid-range shots, still took to the field, a field she wasn't strong in, and even after losing, she still bounced back with full energy. She was like a "second Ulala" of encouragement.

What made Kitano feel even more relieved was that after the defeat in the Japan Derby and Rudo's symbolic rebuke of those reporters and newspapers, it seemed to have been effective. The amount of negative news about Kitano dropped sharply and his reputation was constantly turning around.

Kitano's good reputation within Tresen Academy, along with the support group formed by the horse girls he had helped, finally came to the fore. While they had been making efforts, the number of horse girls was too small, and compared to the vast outside media, their voices simply couldn't be heard.

But now it's different. With the symbolic support of "Emperor" Rudo, the situation has been reversed. The voices of those horse racing girls who have received favors from Kitano or admired Kitano's achievements can finally be heard, telling everyone in the outside world about a "Kitano trainer in Tresen Academy" that they don't know.

These horse racing girls already held Kitano in high regard, and therefore their descriptions of him were often complimentary. With the support of Ludor's symbol, it seemed as if no matter how they praised Kitano at Tresen College, it wouldn't be excessive.

So, soon, with the efforts of these horse racing ladies and the symbolic support of Ludo, Kitano's reputation in the outside world went from being condemned by everyone at the beginning to being a victim of the vision of a talented trainer who was patient and had a keen eye, but had to bear the accusations of those ignorant third-rate reporters and media.

This online turmoil finally ended with the symbolic appearance of Luduo and the efforts of the horse racing girls of Tresen College, which successfully reversed Kitano's reputation. A large number of personal accounts were cancelled overnight, and the turmoil finally subsided.

"Well, after the Japanese Derby, Sakura Shinou will probably have to rest for a long time. Let's rest well and then check on her condition. After all, she stalled halfway through the 2400-meter race, so we should check her out to prevent any future problems."

Kitano also put Sakura Shinou's recuperation on the schedule. Fortunately, there have been no special events worth participating in for Sakura Shinou in the classic year recently, especially after the Japanese Derby in May, summer is about to begin.

Summer is the off-season for horse racing girls. Horse racing girls generally have higher body temperatures than humans, and although they are in human form, their heat dissipation is slightly slower than that of humans. As a result, most horse racing girls extremely dislike racing in the summer.

This period is usually the summer training period for the horse racing girls from Tresen College. Although the Yasuda Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen in June, after the Japanese Derby, are worth noting...but with Kusanagi Hi's injury still not fully recovered, Kitano doesn't feel bad about giving up the two GI events.

After all, the only one who can participate in these two games in Kitano's team is Kusanagi Fei. Sheng Wang and Qingyun Tiankong just debuted this year and are not qualified to participate in these two GI events at all - even if they can go, they will just be a waste.

These two games were not Sakura Shinou's forte, not to mention that he had just participated in the Japanese derby and was ordered by Kitano to have a good rest.

As for Cao Shangfei... her injuries are not stable yet, and Kitano certainly won't let her take the risk.

However, even though Kitano thought so, Cao Shangfei seemed to be very persistent. He found Kitano more than once and said that he was ready to make a comeback.

"Trainer-san, treat the Yasuda Kinen as my comeback match. I want to play."

"My ligament inflammation has improved a lot, and I can now support training. As long as I make up for this period of training, I am sure to win this time - Spei-chan and Elu are not participating in the Yasuda Memorial, so I think my chances are very good!"

"Xiaocao, didn't I tell you? Your leg injury hasn't healed yet. Before your leg is healed, I will definitely not rashly put any competitions on the schedule. Doing so will only force you to do things your way."

This time, Kusagami Fei once again approached Kitano, proposing her comeback for the umpteenth time. After being diagnosed with ligament inflammation at the Gaoyue Sho, Kusagami Fei rested for over a month and finally recovered enough to walk and even run. However, Kitano only arranged the most basic training for her, which made Kusagami Fei, who was anxious to return, feel uneasy.

Cao Shangfei now feels that the gap between herself and several horse girls of the same period is widening. Although Shenying and Tebu Zhou are always by her side to take care of her, Cao Shangfei always feels uneasy whenever she sees the two girls galloping together on the training ground.

She was afraid she'd be left behind, and that she wouldn't be a match for Shenying and Teju Zhou at the Chrysanthemum Shooting Tournament. But Kitano was very calm and said, "Although your leg injury isn't serious, it's very likely to recur. So just rest well for now. I think you've recovered enough, and then you can make a comeback."

"But aside from the Yasuda Kinen and Takarazuka Kinen, there's no better time to return." Kusagami Fei said somewhat unwillingly, "If I don't return in the summer, I'll have to wait until September... Trainer-san, it's really okay with me. I can definitely play now!"

"No." Kitano was absolutely not going to give in on this issue. He pretended not to see Cao Shangfei's pitiful expression and said nonchalantly, "You must rest well, Xiaocao. Don't rush it."

"Even if you come back in September, you'll probably only be able to run one game to determine your condition, but it's still better than playing with a broken leg. You've only just regained some mobility, so don't push yourself too hard."

"I've actually already planned your comeback. It's for the GII Kobe Shimbun Cup in September. We'll immediately prepare for the Chrysanthemum Festival in October and ensure your playing and physical condition return to peak form before the Satsuki Festival."

But... even if I return to the state of Gaoyue Shou, I don't have the confidence to beat Spee-chan and Elu who are working hard to improve.

However, Cao Shangfei opened her mouth, but ultimately did not say what she wanted to say most in her heart - because she knew that Kitano's arrangement was quite reasonable, and even the best solution that he had wholeheartedly considered for her.

In order to prevent her injury from recurring, Kitano wants to eliminate all other factors that may affect Kusanagi's performance. For Kitano, Kusanagi's safety is the top priority. No victory in a competition can compare with the safety of a horse girl.

But Cao Shangfei watched Shenying and Tebian Zhou growing up day after day. At the moment, he could not carry out high-intensity training. Even Cao Shangfei, who had just gotten rid of crutches and support, felt that his anxiety was constantly growing.

In this state... can she really go to the Chrysanthemum Festival in October? Can she win the championship at the Chrysanthemum Festival?

Cao Shangfei didn't know why she became so anxious when she saw Tebu Zhou and Shen Ying getting stronger day by day - even when she had just announced her withdrawal from the competition of the Japan Derby, she didn't feel nervous, but after Tebu Zhou won the Japan Derby, when Cao Shangfei watched Tebu Zhou and Shen Ying's training again, she could feel a strong degree of threat.

Cao Shangfei didn't know where this feeling of threat came from, but it always made her feel uncomfortable... It was as if Special Zhou, who won the Japanese Derby, had now become a threat to her.

Fortunately, so many days have passed, and Special Week, who won the Japanese derby, did not come to the team to apply for joining the team again, otherwise Cao Shangfei really would not know what excuse to find to refuse...

"Bang bang bang."

"Is Trainer Kitano here? This door—it looks so advanced. How do you unlock it?"

"Hmm? Special week?"

Kitano, who was discussing the future arrangements with Kusama Hi in the team room, did not expect that Te Bie Zhou would come at this time. The moment Kusama Hi heard Te Bie Zhou's voice, the tail behind him stood up in an instant and he turned his head subconsciously.

At this moment, a look of danger and vigilance appeared in Cao Shangfei's eyes... What exactly does Spei-chan want to do by coming here now?

It can't be what she thought, that he would join the team after winning the Japanese derby, right?

When he thought of this possibility, Cao Shangfei felt inexplicably unhappy and regretful - why didn't he bring the naginata from home?

Chapter 347: Achievement achieved, all members of the "Golden Generation" join the team!

Although Kitano was also puzzled as to why Special Week had come to their team room, it was not good to lock him out now that he was here, right? He immediately put down what he was doing and, not noticing the subtle movement of Cao Shangfei trying to come forward, immediately opened the door.

Soon, as the team room opened, Kitano and Kusagami Tobi saw the horse girl standing at the door, and what surprised them was that not only was Tokujo Zhou there, but there was also another horse girl at the door.

"Wow! Is this the team room that Xiaocao is in? It's so big! It's much nicer than any other team room I've ever seen!"

"Elu? Why are you here too?"

Cao Shangfei hadn't expected Shenying to be there either, and was taken aback for a moment. Fortunately, the enthusiastic Shenying walked around curiously after entering the team room, then immediately came to Cao Shangfei, grabbed her hand, and said, "Xiaocao! This time, Elu, I've got a big surprise for you! You'll be delighted!"

"Surprise?" Cao Shangfei was curious when he heard that. He only saw that Te Bie Zhou was holding a box tied with a ribbon. He immediately asked curiously, "Is this a gift? Is it a gift from you, Spei-chan, and Elu?"

"Hehe, very close!" Shenying looked very proud and returned to Te Bie Zhou's side. After poking Te Bie Zhou with his elbow, Te Bie Zhou quickly reacted and a blush of embarrassment appeared on his face.

But now the arrow was on the string and had to be released. Having already made preparations, Tokai Zhou turned his gaze to Kitano in front of him and said solemnly, "Trainer Kitano, although this is not my first time applying to join the team... I believe I can succeed this time!"

"I'm not the weak me anymore. I'm a Derby horse now! I'm also the horse girl who won the Japanese Derby. So, that means I can no longer lose to Xiaocao, right?"

"So, please accept my gift! I don't know if you like it, but Elu told me to just hand it over—please accept it!"

After hesitating, Tokubetsu-shou finally made up his mind, he bowed and handed over the gift in one go, much more straightforward than Qingyun Tiankong. Kitano subconsciously took the gift box from Tokubetsu-shou, feeling it was quite heavy, and couldn't help but ask, "What's in this?"

"Yes, it's shoes!"

As he said this, Te Bie Zhou's cheeks visibly turned red, but he suppressed his embarrassment and said, "These are the shoes I wore after winning the Japanese Derby! I haven't had time to clean them yet. I'm really sorry!"

"But, but Elu told me that she heard that Trainer Kitano had a fetish for Uma Musume's shoes on your phone, and even framed them in a glass cabinet. So...she asked me to package the shoes that won the Japanese Derby as a gift for becoming your apprentice!"

"However, now it seems that what Elu heard is not false..."

As Te Bie Zhou said this, his eyes couldn't help but turn to the glass cabinet that Kitano used to store shoes. Among them, the shoes of Sakura Shinou and Kusanagi Tobi were displayed here, which made a thin-skinned country boy like Te Bie Zhou feel a little shy.

Are all the habits of adults in big cities so strange?... They even like Uma Musume's shoes...

But, it looked like they were just for collection; Trainer Kitano didn't seem to be planning to do anything bad with the shoes. This was the only thing that reassured Special Week. The two pairs of shoes in the glass case clearly hadn't been cleaned, with dirt and bits of grass clinging to them. This also indirectly indicated that these shoes were just for collection, not to be used.

If Zhou Te saw two pairs of shoes that were very clean, as if they had just been brushed last night, then she would have to consider whether to hand in her own shoes...

After listening to Te Bie Zhou's statement, Kitano and Kusagami Tobi cast strange glances at Condor, especially Kusagami Tobi, who asked with a kind expression, "Ai Lu?"

"Hey—this, this isn't what I said! Someone else said that!"

Shenying knew that his own story about trying to persuade Tekushu to join Kitano's team was clearly based on rumors, so he immediately shifted the blame, saying, "Sakura Shinou already said that—she said she gave the shoes she won in her first match to Trainer Kitano, and that it was used as a sign of encouragement."

"Didn't I hear you mention it before, Xiaokusa, that you gave your shoes to Trainer Kitano too? That's why I asked Spy-chan to give me the shoes I won in the Japan Derby as a gift! I definitely didn't mean to blindly guess Trainer Kitano's habits!"

However, what Shenying did not say was that Sakura Jinou's method of giving shoes to her trainer, because of her publicity, made many horse racing girls realize that "there is such a method", and they followed Sakura Jinou's behavior and began to give their commemorative shoes to their trainers.

Like the lucky running shoes she wore when she won the first race, the shoes she wore when she won the first big reward, or the first pair of shoes her trainer bought her... There are so many reasons that almost every trainer at Tresen Academy now has at least one pair of shoes that belong to their trainer.

They were even required to be placed in the most prominent position to serve as an incentive. Nowadays, this slightly playful activity is becoming increasingly popular. It seems that giving your shoes to your trainer has been given some strange meaning... something like "please keep an eye on me at all times"...

Of course, Kitano didn't know about this, but he had no reason to refuse Tezuka's offer to join the team. He simply asked softly, "Have you made up your mind? Tezuka? Do you really want to join my team?"

"Yes!" Zhou Jian seemed to have hope, and he immediately answered with full energy: "I have been looking forward to joining Trainer Kitano's team since I first enrolled. Suzuka said that this is the team with the most seamless differences in the entire Tresin Academy!"

"I like this atmosphere and this feeling, and Trainer Kitano is very talented. I hope you can train me to be the number one horse girl in Japan!"

"Of course, there are other reasons."

When he said this, Tokugawa scratched his cheek a little embarrassedly and said softly: "Although I have been enrolled for a while, I found that most of the people I am most familiar with, except for Suzuka-san, are on Trainer Kitano's team."

"I also want to improve together with my friends in a team, so I won't feel lonely - and I can also take care of Kusagami-san and help her recover quickly!"

There really was no reason to refuse. When Kitano heard Tete Zhou say this, he was convinced in his heart that Tete Zhou was indeed suitable to join his team.

After exchanging a quick glance with Cao Shangfei beside him, Kitano saw no sign of objection in Cao Shangfei's eyes, so he immediately said, "In that case... Mr. Zhou, you're welcome to join us."

"Really, really?!"

Te Bie Zhou hadn't expected it to be so simple. After a slight shock, he quickly recovered and bowed deeply to Kitano with a delighted expression. He said happily, "Thank you very much! I will definitely work hard next time!"

"Hehe, that's easy then. Now we're all on the same team!" Shenying was also very happy. Te Zi Zhou, with a beaming face, turned to look at Shenying and said excitedly, "Well, I'm very happy! Thank you, Elu, now we can all train together!"

"us?"