Chapter 497

NO. 80: I'm afraid she'll go study the Eternal Core.

As the saying goes, you learn from your mistakes.

Aomo, transferred from the base city to Saichang, acted very efficiently.

With Chazuo, Suzi, and the others gathering, he smoothly quelled the girls' dissatisfaction with his previous absence; then, when Bohong's unsurprising stage 'Rebellion' arrived, a single performance of 'TheBrilliantGreen'—still unrelated to Hojun's golden hits—directly ignited the steel souls in the audience, after which a certain expressionless demon swiftly 'abducted' a person.

He didn't give fans a chance to block the door after the winners' stage.

As for the reporters outside the field…

Aomo hadn't forgotten them, but they were destined not to be able to interview the athletes themselves, only to run into the substitute trainer who had just returned from the Xinxie Racecourse hundreds of li away.

To be frank, even before seeing Bohong choose to unleash that talent in the final stretch, he already understood what she was thinking.

After all, that child's thoughts have always been that simple and direct.

Comparing himself to Chazuo, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, even trying to overturn his reputation—just as, after today's Chazuo race, the host and commentator no longer brought up the 'problem trainer' label, but instead addressed him properly.

But this idea was still too idealistic……

This is just an OP race, after all, and you're moreover a horse girl rumored to be a 'quasi Triple Crown' contender.

Victory is nothing surprising; a big win is slightly overrated, while a rout……

But an excessively large gap only invites discontent.

Especially since you're only running an OP‑level race.

The phrase 'blasting fish, bullying vegetables' had been spreading since the start of the event, and that astonishing post‑race result would only exacerbate the resentment; the worst case would even see the resentment mixed with the actual competitors.

Frankly speaking, horse girls, just like people, are good at finding excuses for themselves.

In any race, there are always many reasons and excuses to explain one's loss.

If you can't find your own fault, you look for the other side's.

A G1‑level horse girl, not running G1 races but instead coming to compete with us in OP‑level?

Before the race, everything unknown is naturally irrelevant; but after a crushing defeat, people will only grow more resentful, and inevitably some subtle provocations will arise……

Of course, such sneaky tricks actually can't stir up any waves.

Bohong already has a sufficiently large fan base—just as today's Ogura Racecourse actually has half its audience made up of her longtime fans, proving the worth of her 'number one' popularity.

The efforts of the haters not only fail to surface, but even if left unchecked, once Bohong's later races turn out stably excellent, those messages will be overwhelmed, just like her cold‑hearted demeanor on the track.

But that premise depends on her actually performing stably.

Bohong is not truly a Saigebo; her calm is based on not caring—and on not seeing.

In the Lintong Office, this cyber horse girl is the most oblivious to public news.

Because she doesn't pay attention to newspapers, magazines, or even the news section of Umastagram.

This girl has always been a bloodless, tearless self‑disciplined trainer, and moreover the embodiment of the in‑house pressure pushing her two roommates, to the point that even the human shut‑ins in the house start wondering whether they should move a little.

Thus one can see how reliable this child's image as a role model is.

Either she trains obsessively following the instructor's orders, or she tinkers with machine construction, watches robot anime, special effects works, or even tries related games—her hobbies have recently expanded smoothly, but she still leaves little room for public information.

Even the instructor's reputation is learned from casual chats with the roommates.

Well, Aomo's recent reputation—this topic is a classic segment of the Girls' Tea Party and Pajama Party, truly the sole favorite episode designated for the brown‑haired horse girl and the pink‑haired JK; whenever it comes up, the room fills with a cheerful atmosphere.

As for the black‑haired and chestnut‑red‑haired horse girls……

Although there is also content that makes them laugh involuntarily, the greater negative influence remains buried in their hearts, becoming motivation—or even pressure—for training.

Then, the perceptive instructor pulls them aside for a private pep talk, telling them not to worry too much.

But judging from Chazuo's and Bohong's respective performances, the effect of that guidance can't be said to be nonexistent, yet it can only be called limited.

After all, they understand the reasoning, and they don't need to be lectured about it.

Even knowing that, they still want to contribute in their own way—this is the willfulness of children.

Adults can easily teach children not to be willful, but for these two usually well‑behaved kids……

This rare willfulness is also a manifestation of their fighting spirit.

Frankly speaking, the flair and spirit required of a horse girl's profession, when displayed in adolescent girls, is precisely willfulness.

Among trainers, this point has long been settled—just as the reasons horse girls give for wanting to run are always varied: sweets, games, travel…… all sorts of desires, which are exactly their motivation.

Meeting the horse girls' various willfulnesses is also often a lesson the trainers must face.

To rid them of the unstable factors that would hinder training and competition brings us back to the original topic—a stable condition.

It's worth noting that Miura Bohong and Manchester Chazuo don't care much about their own reputations, but they are very concerned about the condition of those around them.

Miyu, Suzi, and now obviously Aomo as well.

That's precisely why he cannot let Bohong face the reporters outside the field.

After all, in terms of public opinion, the threat posed by haters and hostile public figures with hidden identities is nothing compared to that of malicious reporters wielding 'long guns and short cannons'.

Considering the cyber horse girl's style of dealing with people and her emotional intelligence, the trainer would rather endure the trouble and take the hit himself.

Although gossip is still unavoidable, at least the risk can be reduced to an expected level.

——

"Yo, Xiaoshe's back! You ran so fast! Earlier we were still talking about you being interviewed!"

"Not bad, Aomo Trainer—no leaks at all!"

"Too mild; I'd have said you should've called it winner takes all."

"Welcome back, Master."

"…Trainer, your water."

"Ah, thank you." Upon returning to the Xinxie Racecourse, amid the strange glances along the way, he slid back into his seat like a black shadow darting past, and naturally welcomed a chorus of greetings.

From Qian, Qianming, Bairen, Bohong, and Chazuo, to the unexpected male‑group interlopers on the side:

How's that? Isn't that cocky enough!

Sitting beside Bi Ze, the black-haired man, whom the latter regarded with a doubtful 'Who is this person?' look, was waving at him.

He was indeed Nishizaki Feng, who until yesterday had only been communicating online.

"How come it's just you?" Aomo twisted open the water bottle brought by Chazuo, then tapped it as a toast.

Speaking in front of those microphones also left him really dry-mouthed.

"Facing a senior who went out of their way to make time to cheer you on, your first line is this!?"

"What else then? Are you asking me for the secret to dealing with reporters?"

"I see you handling things so well—what secret do you need?" Nishizaki Feng shrugged and gave a wicked smile, "You even know how to advance by retreating—do you have another teacher?"

"Yes, everyone I observe is my teacher," knowing which part he referred to, Aomo said while retightening the bottle cap, "After all, it's a fact that Bopang could compete in G2 but participates in OP events, and it was my request—this topic can't be avoided."

With his strength, too much force would break the bottle neck itself, too loose would leak; the right amount of force in between is exactly what needs to be carefully grasped, leaving a bit of margin.

"So you openly admitted it and announced the upcoming schedule—from Op to G3 then to G2, G1—you're pretty bold, completely uncaring about others' opposing attitudes."

"Isn't that done well?!" Chengtian Bai Ren from behind leaned forward, turned his head, and said to Aomo, "But in the end it should be two harsh lines."

"I think it's fine," Nishizaki Feng disagreed, "The steady progressive route is exactly their style—this itself falls under harsh talk."

"We should say that anyone who dares to challenge must be completely crushed!"

"I think you're a bit extreme," Nishizaki Feng said, at a loss for words, only able to say he doesn't get along with the horse girls under Potián Lingxiang.

He was also aware of this, turned his head to look at Aomo: "That little girl says she hasn't received any enhancement—what do you think?"

"Enhancement...?" The topic made Aomo briefly startled, then he realized, "Oh, you mean blessings?"

"Don't be so source-energy-study! According to our trainers, it's quality enhancement!" Nishizaki Feng waved his hand.

"I suggest calling it factor inheritance."

Bi Ze suddenly interjected, drawing Nishizaki Feng's surprised gaze: "Some colleagues also call it that; they're all transmigrators, are you one too?"

"Uh, what's wrong with being a transmigrator?" Bi Ze shrank his head.

"Nothing, he's just a bit surprised," Aomo said, handing the unfinished water bottle to Chazuo beside him, then glanced at Bopang who had been watching this side.

Using his long arm, he reached over Chazuo and rubbed her head: "Are your legs okay?"

"Senior Qianming said she needs to rest for two days," Chazuo answered on behalf of the cyber horse girl, lowering her head slightly.

"Two days?" Aomo turned his head upon hearing that, looking toward Qianming on the right side of the rear seat.

"Actually one day would do, but considering this kid's training intensity, you'd better wait two days. I'll get you some medicine later," said the Triple Crown horse girl working part-time at the Telesen infirmary, calm as ever, then suddenly pulled out her vibrating phone: "Ah, Marzen's here—I'll go pick her up, Bai Ren, could you watch my bag for me?"

"She's only coming now?"

"The traffic seems pretty bad on the way."

While they were saying that, Aomo already waved at Bopang: "Then let's rest two days—pre- and post-race we really need to adjust condition."

"Received."

Thereupon, Aomo turned back to Nishizaki Feng to continue the topic of enhancement:

"What's your opinion?"

"Three types," Nishizaki Feng said, raising three fingers solemnly, "1: Low-average-quality competitions can't please the goddess; not to mention the Chrysanthemum Prize, the Abundance and Hunt just don't look like third-rate runners, and the skills they master are all unapprovable junk."

"2: The number of enhancements horse girls can accept is limited; if I recall correctly, the Mei Pu Bopang classmates have already undergone one or even more enhancements in the past."

Under the gaze of everyone paying attention to this topic, Bopang nodded: "Checking memory bank, two times—that clear feeling of functional improvement."

"Then my earlier investigation was correct," Nishizaki Feng snapped his fingers, "That Diwang kid had been urging me frequently last year to gather data on the Mei Pu Bopang classmates."

"After all, they'll clash," Aomo nodded in understanding; a year ago, Bopang was in the spotlight, while the Eastern Sea Diwang was just getting ready to start.

Now it's the Eastern Sea Diwang that's in the spotlight.

"So perhaps the goddess also values balance, or enhancement itself has limits, like the bottlenecks at each stage of source-energy cultivation." The one who hadn't let Aomo supervise source-energy cultivation progress for a while seemed not idle either.

"And the third possibility..." "It's about song selection, right?"

Aomo said with a wooden face: "How could an OP like 'AshLikeSnow' from the 00s tragic series possibly fit the final stage? Which of the three goddesses would appreciate it?"

As for dance…… that's not something to consider.

Among Aomo's three horse girls, Bopang's song-and-dance skills are the most excellent and proficient.

Chazuo can receive Darryl Arabian's blessing; there's no reason Bopang would be worse.

"Correction," Bopang suddenly bowed and poked out half his head, "The execution track for the 00-series unit in GVG is this song."

"Alright, that's enough—I know you dug up that old game."

Aomo, somewhat speechless, took a deep breath, then stood up and said to Nishizaki Feng: "You heard it too—let's talk later; I need to check the athlete passage."

"You really accompany every horse girl all the way," Nishizaki Feng said, somewhat speechless, "Why not try letting them be a bit more independent?"

This is a suggestion put forward by a trainer who has seven horse girls under him, and it's quite valuable for reference.

Aomo listened and could only nod:

"That's right."

"But only this one makes it hard to feel at ease."