With Emperor and McQueen aboard, Gold Legend slipped back into her simple, tedious routine.
As the saying goes: Heaven speaks not, yet the seasons turn; Earth speaks not, yet life abounds.
Time marched on regardless of human will, and in the blink of an eye it was May.
May skies. The land seemed to shrug off its burdens, shed its heaviness, bloom with youth and vitality, flaunt its freedom, and burst with color—while Gold Legend waited in the cafeteria for Oguri Cap to finish eating, alongside Tamamo Cross.
She'd known Oguri for over a month now; frankly, she understood why the anime always showed Oguri eating alone.
You had to admit, sharing a meal with someone like Oguri Cap was hazardous.
Whether you over-ate or under-ate, afternoon training took a serious hit, so by common sense lunch with Oguri was ill-advised.
"So, junior, what brings you here today?" Tamamo Cross asked in her classic Kansai dialect.
"Nothing special. I saw you two at the cafeteria and curiosity got the better of me." Gold Legend kept her tone mild, inwardly worrying about practice.
She'd eaten too much; she felt stuffed.
She rubbed her stomach, trying to settle it.
"We've got a pace-work today, and the Yasuda Kinen's coming up—Oguri needs to stay sharp," Tamamo explained off-handedly.
"The Yasuda Kinen... that's May 13 this year, right?" Gold Legend glanced at her phone. "That's soon!"
"Exactly why I'm here. I'm retired, you know—what a pain."
"Is Oguri's body all right?" She remembered Oguri had only just finished rehab.
"Fine now. Won't affect the race."
Oguri herself answered, having demolished a human-sized meal. "Thanks for the food," she said, joining the talk.
"...I'll be there to watch!"
Gold Legend felt a spark—she'd been here over a month and still hadn't seen a real race; that was practically dereliction of duty.
"Great. Come find me afterward." Oguri thanked her.
"Sure thing. I'll be cheering loud." Gold Legend smiled.
"All right, let's go, Tama. Time to train." Oguri beckoned.
"Hold up—you planning to run with that belly?" Tamamo finally noticed Oguri had over-done it.
"Sorry, today's menu had my favorites. I'm fine, really." Oguri waved it off.
"Stuff yourself and no hard workouts. Watch your body, dummy!" Tamamo snapped.
"Better rest a bit," Gold Legend chimed in.
"...Fine." Seeing even Legend oppose her, Oguri wisely relented.
"Speaking of which, Legend, you debut next month—how's training?" Oguri switched targets.
"Going smoothly. A few kinks, but I'll iron them out."
"Mm—care to share?" Tamamo leaned in, interested.
Gold Legend didn't hide anything and shared the past month of training with the two Horse Girls.
"So on and so forth—basically, that's how it went."
"…You're really something. The rest is just rhythm and experience." Tamamo Cross was surprised; very few Horse Girls have such a rock-solid foundation. Most rookies learn the gist and dash off to race, while only veterans who've been burned bother finishing the basics.
"Skyscrapers rise from level ground; laying a solid foundation is crucial."
Isn't that common sense?
"Well, you're not wrong…" Tamamo Cross scratched her head, momentarily lost for words.
"Still, with your specs, Legend, a debut race should be a cakewalk." Oguri Cap said matter-of-factly. Without ever seeing Gold Legend run, her battle-tested instinct felt the pressure—she'd sensed it from Tamamo Cross, the Emperor, Inari One, and other foreign powerhouses.
Faint, but unmistakable. Oguri Cap narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, that's what they say." Yet Gold Legend felt a nagging irritation. Ever since hearing that thunderous engine beside Maruzensky, she'd had odd hallucinations: lightning leaking around Symboli Rudolf, a mysterious drumbeat from Oguri Cap, even pressure when greeting Miss Hayakawa each morning.
It drove her crazy. It hadn't disrupted her life, but it gave her constant headaches and the illusion of being taunted. Maybe it was the "Zone," but Rudolf said it was vanishingly rare—how could she bump into so many legendary Horse Girls just walking around Tracen?
She'd asked Trainer, but he'd never experienced it, so the matter faded. She focused on training, yet her rhythm and mindset still slipped.
"…I see. I can't fix the rest, but I do have a trick for this," Oguri Cap said.
"What?" Gold Legend asked; Tamamo Cross also looked curious.
"Listen to your heartbeat."
"Huh?"
"Your pulse is the best metronome. If you're restless, try it. Same in a race—calm yourself, listen to the beat, stuff all your emotions and thoughts into it, then release them in one go. Works wonders." Oguri Cap's tone stayed flat and unruffled.
"Got it. I'll give it a shot. Oh, training time—gotta run. See you, Oguri, Tamamo-senpai."
Gold Legend glanced at her phone and hurried off.
"…"
Silence.
"…Oguri, what you just said—that was your 'key,' wasn't it?"
"Mm."
"Key" was a metaphor: if the "Zone" is a door, the "key" is how you open it. Every Horse Girl with a Zone has her own key, but they all stem from the same source—a surge of intense emotion.
Rage, frustration, the will to win, joy, sorrow, even pride or jealousy—only a powerful emotion qualifies as a key to the legendary gate.
"…You know a rookie doesn't have the strength to open that door. Are you trying to get her killed?" Tamamo Cross demanded.
We've praised the marvels of the Zone, but in the end it's just a competitive state—one you can fake.
Meet the requirement and even a Horse Girl without foundation can enter something close to the Zone.
Yet without real strength, that state is only "pseudo-Zone." It grants none of the Zone's benefits and brings terrible backlash. That's why those who possess the Zone stay silent about it.
Open the door with only a key and you'll fall into the pit and break your neck.
"It's just a key."
"Just a key? A genius like Legend-kun can learn from even that! If something happens to her, could you live with it?"
"Looks like retirement's dulled you, Tama." Oguri Cap regarded Tamamo Cross calmly.
"…What do you mean?"
"Even without my key, it's only a matter of time for Legend. I don't know why things are this way, but she's only one key short."
Maybe she doesn't even need a key; the door is already ajar for her. So why hasn't she stepped through?
Oguri Cap ignored the bewildered Tamamo Cross and mused to herself.
"You're saying she—but she's only just honkakuka. And if it were true, I'd sense it." Tamamo Cross was flustered.
Only a Horse Girl who has awakened and used her Zone can clearly sense another's Zone; conversely, if someone possesses one, she should feel it.
"Probably because she's never used her Zone." Oguri Cap seemed to have guessed something. She shook her head and stood. "Come on, Tama, time to train."
"…Right."
Never used her Zone? Like grinding levels to learn an ultimate skill and then never casting it—what a weirdo.
Tamamo Cross gave up thinking and followed Oguri Cap.
On the track, Gold Legend jogged at an easy pace, mulling over Oguri Cap's little tip.
Sounds almost like what I do in time-trials…
"Let's try it first."
Gold Legend, surprisingly proactive in practical matters, decided to conduct a live drill.
Deep breath.
Calm and focused.
Listen to the heartbeat.
Thump.
Lightning burst from her eyes, brilliance radiated from her body, and her feet left a deep imprint on the grass as Gold Legend stepped into a realm she had never before trodden, pushing her speed beyond its limits.
After covering a significant distance, Gold Legend, realizing what had happened, hastily stopped.
"Hey, hey, what's going on?" The Trainer, flustered, came over with a stopwatch to ask about Gold Legend's condition. "Your speed over that short distance just now was more than double your usual performance!"
"I don't know."
Gold Legend stood in place, panting, one hand on her chest, recalling the situation just now.
The drumming of her heart, the sound of the wind, the fragrance of the grass, and the vast vista—in those few short seconds, she felt an unprecedented sense of ease, as if she had shed all burdens and was freely unleashing everything, leaving her unable to snap out of it for a long time.
"Hey, hey, are you really alright? This is the first time I've seen you panting." The Trainer, seeing Gold Legend pant, was so startled he dropped his lollipop and quickly checked on her condition.
"No, I'm fine, it's just..."
"Just what?"
Gold Legend looked at her hands, remaining silent for a long time.