The two of them hurried to confirm it together, carefully comparing the densely packed lists on the noticeboard and repeatedly checking the notes in Almond Eye's little notebook.
After some frantic checking, they discovered it was exactly as Almond Eye had said. Aside from the final mock race, whose groups would be decided by drawing lots on the spot, they were in the exact same test group for every other event.
"What a coincidence!"
Lucky Lilac could not help exclaiming softly, her eyes full of pleasant surprise. "I didn't expect I'd get to take so many tests with you, Almond Eye. I feel much more reassured now." Her cheeks were faintly flushed with excitement, like cherry blossoms blooming in spring.
Almond Eye could not hide her own joy either and nodded firmly.
"Yeah, it really is such a coincidence. Then let's both give it our all and try to perform our best in every event!" As she spoke, she held out her hand in encouragement.
Lucky Lilac understood immediately and held out her own hand, lightly high-fiving Almond Eye. "Yes. Let's do our best together!"
The crisp sound of their high-five rang out clearly amid the noisy surroundings, like a horn announcing their challenge to this exam.
After completing the physical measurements together, including height, weight, and lung capacity, Almond Eye and Lucky Lilac chatted about their results as they walked toward the first test event—the standing long jump area.
When they arrived at the edge of the venue, they saw a clearly marked takeoff line on the ground, along with distance markers for measurement.
Several examinees were already waiting in line. Some were loosening their ankles, while others were taking deep breaths to settle themselves.
"I'm a little nervous," Lucky Lilac said softly, biting her lip.
Almond Eye patted her on the shoulder and comforted her. "Don't worry. We just have to follow our usual training rhythm. Look, everyone's nervous, but as long as we show what we can do, we'll be fine."
Hearing that, Lucky Lilac looked around and saw that it was just as Almond Eye had said. Though many of the examinees around them were doing their best to prepare, most of them looked nervous.
By comparison, Almond Eye was clearly a little steadier, though only a little.
She could see that this new friend she had just met had both arms hanging at her sides, her small fists clenched tight.
Almond Eye... is nervous too, but she's still comforting me. Warmth spread through Lucky Lilac's heart, and at the same time, she felt herself calm down quite a bit.
Soon, it was Lucky Lilac's turn.
She stood before the takeoff line, took a deep breath, bent her knees slightly, and leaned forward.
At the judge's command, she shot out like an arrow from the string, traced a beautiful arc through the air, and landed steadily.
"Wow, that's far!" Almond Eye looked out at the distance Lucky Lilac had jumped and could not help praising her as she clapped hard.
Hearing the praise and applause, Lucky Lilac smiled a little shyly and walked back to Almond Eye's side. "I rushed it a bit just now. I think I could have gone a little farther... But if it's you, Almond Eye, you'll probably do even better, right?"
Just as Lucky Lilac had noticed, now that the entrance exam tests had truly begun, Almond Eye was indeed a little nervous.
But when she heard Lucky Lilac's question, fighting spirit flared in her heart, and she nodded hard.
"I'm definitely going to give it everything I've got! Ah, it's my turn."
The Umamusume in charge of the evaluation had already called Almond Eye's number and name. Almond Eye nodded to Lucky Lilac, walked to the starting point, and leapt with confidence.
The instant she landed, gasps and applause rose around her. Lucky Lilac's jump had already been impressive, but Almond Eye's result was just a little better, and equally outstanding.
Lucky Lilac showed no discouragement at all from being surpassed. Instead, she clapped hard and cried excitedly, "Almond Eye, you were amazing!"
Almond Eye had been feeling a little pleased with herself over the praise and applause from the people around them, but when she heard Lucky Lilac's words, she grew a bit embarrassed without meaning to.
"I said I'd give it everything I had. Jumping that far... should be pretty normal, right?"
After trying to be modest, she quickly changed the subject. "All right, we're short on time. Let's hurry to the next event."
Secretly amused by Almond Eye's not-quite-convincing attempt at modesty, Lucky Lilac had a faint sense that this new friend of hers probably had a very strong competitive spirit.
But she said nothing and simply followed Almond Eye to the next test event.
Next came the vertical jump reach test.
A tall measuring pole stood in the center of the venue, marked with scales at different heights.
Lucky Lilac was first again. She stood beneath the pole, bent her knees slightly, then sprang upward with sudden force, stretching her arm high. Her fingertips accurately touched a considerably high mark.
"Whoa!" The examinees around them let out a wave of admiration.
Almond Eye refused to be outdone. When it was her turn, she loosened her wrists and ankles, adjusted her breathing, and then jumped with all her strength.
Her body was light and powerful. The instant she leapt high into the air, she seemed almost ready to pierce the sky, and the height she reached was not the least bit inferior to Lucky Lilac's.
The two looked at each other and smiled, their eyes shining with recognition for one another.
The barbell squat test began. The barbell had been placed on a dedicated squat rack, and the weight could be adjusted according to each examinee's condition.
Lucky Lilac stepped forward, gripped the barbell steadily with both hands, and slowly lowered herself. Every movement was standard and smooth.
The muscles in her legs tightened, showing powerful strength.
Almond Eye watched carefully from the side, nodding from time to time. When her turn came, she walked up to the barbell, took a deep breath, recalled her past training, shouldered the barbell, and began to squat.
Though she struggled a little at first, she quickly applied the techniques Yasui and Kitasan had taught her and held on until she completed the required number.
While she was gritting her teeth and pushing herself, Lucky Lilac kept clapping and cheering for her. "Almond Eye, keep going! Hold on! You can do it!"
In the timed plank test, both of them displayed astonishing endurance.
They lay facedown on the ground, supporting their bodies with their elbows and feet, keeping themselves in a straight line.
Time passed second by second. The examinees around them gradually gave out one after another, but Almond Eye and Lucky Lilac still gritted their teeth and held on.
Sweat slid down from their foreheads and dripped onto the ground, but their eyes remained utterly determined.
In the end, both of them achieved excellent results. When they looked at each other, each saw the exhaustion and pride in the other's eyes.
During the pull-up test, Lucky Lilac gripped the horizontal bar tightly with both hands, exerted force through her arms, and pulled her body upward again and again.
Her movements were not especially fast, but every repetition was completed to a very proper standard.
Almond Eye watched Lucky Lilac's movements and silently encouraged herself.
When her turn came, she leapt up with all her strength, grabbed the horizontal bar with both hands, and began doing pull-ups with some difficulty.
She struggled at first, but when she thought of Lucky Lilac's performance, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep going. In the end, she also completed a respectable number.
The final sit-and-reach test examined bodily flexibility.
Lucky Lilac sat before the testing device, straightened her legs, slowly bent forward at the waist, stretched both hands forward as far as she could, and pushed the measuring slider.
Her flexibility was excellent, and the slider was pushed to an astonishing position.
Almond Eye was no less impressive. She took a deep breath, slowly bent forward, and extended her hands bit by bit. Her final result was similarly outstanding.
The tests ended one after another, and each time they completed one, the two of them were left marveling at each other's excellent performance.
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