As they played, the topic gradually drifted away from the game itself.
Taking advantage of a lull after one round ended, Dream Journey looked toward Lucky Lilac with concern in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Lilac-chan? You seem a little sleepy. Are you worn out from training? Then let's stop here and get to bed early."
Lucky Lilac, who had been staring at the dice in her hand, immediately looked up.
"Huh? I'm not sleepy, I was just…"
After a moment of hesitation, she soon nodded and admitted honestly,
"I was spacing out a little."
Dream Journey thought for a moment. "Were you thinking about training? Or… the entrance exam?"
A flash of nervousness instantly crossed Lucky Lilac's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a look of someone seeking advice.
"You guessed right, Senpai. I started thinking about it without realizing."
"I was thinking that I've been training with all of you senpais these past few days, and I think I've been working hard too."
"There's still a lot I'm lacking in my turn technique, and it showed very clearly in today's training, but I also received guidance from you senpais, Grandpa Imanami, and Trainer Yasui."
"It's just that whenever I think about the exam, I… start to feel anxious."
The other Umamusume all stopped shaking their dice cups and exchanged glances.
Nakayama Festa was the first to get up, a gentle smile on her face.
"We've played enough anyway. I'll clean this up, so you all have a proper talk with Lilac-chan."
With that, she began swiftly gathering the scattered dice and dice cups from the floor.
Kitasan Black shifted closer to Lucky Lilac, reached out, and gently patted her shoulder, encouraging her in a soft voice.
"Lilac-chan, it's completely normal to be nervous."
"When I was entering school, my heart was all over the place too."
"Especially when I took the entrance exam together with Dia-chan. I was even worried Dia-chan would pass smoothly and I'd be the one who got rejected."
"That kind of pressure really isn't small, but in the end, I passed without any problems, didn't I?"
"You have to believe in yourself. Everyone has seen how hard you've been working recently."
Just then, Gold Ship spoke up in her usual careless way.
"What's there to be nervous about? It's just an entrance ex—"
Before she could finish, Orfevre expressionlessly drove an elbow into her waist with perfect accuracy.
Gold Ship instantly doubled over, the rest of her sentence forcibly swallowed back down, leaving only a sharp hiss.
Orfevre glared at Gold Ship, then turned toward Lucky Lilac. Her usual sharpness softened as she said quietly,
"Don't listen to Golshi's nonsense. The entrance exam is important to every Umamusume, so of course you'll be nervous."
"But you should know that your effort and talent won't betray you. The resilience and determination you've shown in training already prove you have the ability to pass."
"From here on, we'll help you shore up the areas where you're still lacking."
Dream Journey adjusted her glasses and said seriously,
"Lilac-chan, you do still have plenty of room to improve in your turn technique, but that also means you have great potential to grow."
"We can work together to make a plan focused on turn training, then concentrate on improving that ability in the time before the exam."
"And the exam doesn't test technique alone. It also tests your mental state."
"What you need to do now is adjust your mindset and believe in your own ability."
Stay Gold also nodded slightly and said gently,
"Lilac-chan, all of us went through this stage too. We all experienced the nerves and unease before the entrance exam."
"But as long as you take it one step at a time and follow the training plan, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"We'll always be here supporting you."
Lucky Lilac's expression softened a great deal, but she still looked a little hesitant.
Pressing her lips together, she looked at Kitasan Black and asked softly,
"Kita-senpai, you and Almond Eye are both being guided by Trainer Yasui, right?"
Kitasan Black paused, then quickly understood and asked,
"Lilac-chan, are you asking how Almond-chan is doing?"
Seeing Lucky Lilac nod, Kitasan Black thought for a moment, then said seriously,
"To be honest, Almond-chan… really doesn't seem nervous at all."
"Every day, she throws herself completely into training and stays very focused."
"And rather than training, it feels like… she's trying to overtake me and beat me during training."
"Every time we train, she puts everything she has into it. I can really feel that unwillingness to lose from her."
Lucky Lilac was immediately surprised, her eyes filling with admiration for Almond Eye.
At that moment, Gold Ship spoke up carelessly again.
"See? I told you. It's just an entrance exam, Lilac-chan. You've gotta learn that mindset from Almond-chan."
This time, Orfevre did not interrupt Gold Ship. Instead, she said with a serious expression,
"That's true. There's a lot worth learning from your opponents too."
"Not just Almond Eye, but the Satono family that Kita-chan mentioned as well."
"If I remember correctly, Satono Diamond has already won two races in a row, and she was the No. 1 favorite in both. For the upcoming G3 Kisaragi Sho, she's the top favorite too."
"I happened to see Satono Walkure train a few times before, and she… really has the bearing of her senpai, Satono Diamond."
She paused slightly, fixed her gaze on Lucky Lilac, and continued,
"And then there's Lily Noble. She's being guided by the same trainer as Rulership."
"As for Rulership…"
She glanced at Gold Ship.
"She's very strong. Even if I were to face her, I'd feel pressure."
"I think Golshi feels the same way."
"And Lily Noble is said to have performed quite well in training. Perhaps in the entrance exam and on future racecourses, she'll also show considerable strength and become an opponent you can't underestimate."
"Lilac-chan, while preparing for the entrance exam, you can also pay more attention to these outstanding Umamusume and learn from their strengths."
"Orfevre is right."
At that moment, Dream Journey pushed up her glasses and added calmly,
"Perhaps the reason Lilac-chan is so caught up in worry is because you don't know what kind of Umamusume your opponents are."
"That should be an oversight on our part as your senpais. We'll pay attention to that from now on."
"I think once you understand your own abilities and also know what kind of opponents you'll face, you won't feel so uneasy about what you stand to gain or lose."
Kitasan Black fell into thought, privately feeling that helping Almond Eye learn more about her opponents really was the right choice.
The confusion Lucky Lilac was facing now came from not having enough information about her opponents.
And gathering information for Almond Eye ahead of time might let her feel less lost and more confident in future races.
At that moment, Gold Ship's eyes lit up with excitement, and she said loudly,
"That's right! Rulership-senpai!"
"Lilac-chan, I think you need to go meet that senpai!"
"You know, Rulership-senpai's high-knee step is super cool!"
"Especially that time at the Arima Kinen. I learned it from her!"
As she spoke, she even enthusiastically began demonstrating the high-knee movement, completely failing to notice the faces around her gradually darkening.
"Don't you dare teach Lilac-chan that nonsense!" Orfevre, Dream Journey, and Stay Gold shouted almost in unison.
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