I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

That's so cool...

Soon after realizing this, Vodka shared it with Yamato Akaki.

Because their views changed after their previous meeting, they are now aligned with Yamato Akame, at least on the issue of how to treat Kitahara Shinji. This is one of the few topics between the two of them that they don't argue about.

Moreover, because Yamato Akari knew vodka so well and they spent all their time together, her unusual behavior after returning from Kitahara Shinji's place naturally did not escape her notice.

Then, under Yamato Akaki's repeated questioning, Vodka naturally couldn't hide the truth from 'Carrot's' older brother.

After listening, Yamato Akaki was also confused, not understanding why Kitahara Shinji would slander him in front of a stranger online, and even hope that the other party would help spread his bad reputation.

But now, the answer to this question that has puzzled the two of them for so long seems to have surfaced.

After a brief discussion, the two decided to keep the matter a secret for Shinji Kitahara and would pretend not to know anything about it, quietly helping him out.

"I hope this will make things easier for Kitahara-nii, but I really do want others to know that he's actually a good person..."

Vodka exclaimed.

Hearing Vodka's exclamation, a glint of light flashed in Yamato Akaki's eyes.

But after a moment, he shook his head and said calmly.

"Let's wait and see, maybe there will be such an opportunity in the future."

.......

After dealing with the matter of capturing Victory, Shinji Kitahara took care of the miscellaneous tasks at hand before focusing on the 'special training' of Ali Digital.

Although it's called special training, it's actually closer to psychological counseling.

After all, according to Shinji Kitahara's speculation, the problem with Ali Digital is most likely not physical, but rather a psychological issue that prevents it from opening up its domain.

So, in the following days, Shinji Kitahara began to help her adjust for the competition while constantly trying to boost her confidence in various ways, attempting to reverse her obsessive self-perception.

Companionship, encouragement, guidance...

Nursing, acknowledging, praising...

For a whole week, Aili Digital felt like they were living in paradise.

If he hadn't learned the skill of shifting his emotions by snuggling in Shinji Kitahara's arms, he probably would have fainted more than ten times a day, and would have had to go to the hospital before the competition due to anemia.

Even so, until the day of the competition, Aili Digital still couldn't open up the domain.

Shinji Kitahara felt regretful about this, but he wasn't surprised.

After all, this perception of Aili Digital has been solidified over more than a decade.

He spent several years trying to melt a certain black rice ball, and even the internal adjustment took two months to barely succeed, which led to a series of problems afterward.

It's normal that there haven't been any results after only a few days.

And maybe he's mistaken. The reason why Aili Digital can't expand its market might not be due to self-awareness, but some other reason.

While he seemed indifferent and even had the energy to consider other possibilities, Aili Digital appeared rather dejected.

After all, she could clearly feel how much Kitahara Shinji had done for her these past few days, and how high hopes he had for her.

But to this day, she hasn't even been able to change her mindset, let alone open up new avenues for her career.

Although she kept telling herself to trust Kitahara-senpai and that she should be more confident.

But no matter how hard she tries or how much she believes, as soon as she steps onto the track or looks at other female horses, she still subconsciously feels inferior, completely letting down her predecessors' efforts and hopes for her.

Her unusual behavior was so obvious that Shinji Kitahara naturally noticed it as well.

While there's really nothing that can be done about her low self-esteem for the time being, Shinji Kitahara does have some ideas about how to deal with this kind of disappointment.

The day before the start of the competition, in order to prevent this emotion from affecting her performance, Shinji Kitahara took her to his dormitory and talked to her about his past with Eclipse.

After the conversation, he looked at Aili Digital and said calmly.

"So, Digital, you don't need to blame yourself for this at all. Even a solar eclipse took several years to change, and I didn't expect to change your perception in just a few days."

"Besides, you are already good enough. Whether it is your strength as a racehorse girl or your other abilities, you are far better than me and Eclipse in many aspects. It is normal to have some shortcomings."

"In fact, if you are good at almost everything and have no weaknesses, it might make us hesitant to approach you."

"Now, I hope you can be a little more confident, have your own field, and take your strength to the next level."

"But it's okay if you don't have a domain. If you don't want to or are unwilling to change, I agree, because even without a domain, your strength is beyond doubt."

"Moreover, feeling inferior can also be seen as a form of humility. At least in my opinion, it's quite endearing, and it's perfectly fine to keep it if you want to."

"Whether you are insecure or confident, whether you are talented or not, whether you are a dazzling star or an ordinary horse girl."

"No matter what the situation, no matter what choice you make, I will always be your trainer, and I will always be there for you and support you. That will never change."

"So, digital, believe me, don't put too much pressure on yourself over such unnecessary things, okay?"

He looked at her intently.

silence.

Then nodded slightly.

......

The next day, in the morning.

Shinji Kitahara got up as usual, washed up, ate breakfast, and then went to the meeting point.

After waiting for a short while, Alice Digital, dressed in her final outfit, slowly walked over from a distance. She looked to be in great shape, and her steps were more firm than ever before.

We gathered, greeted each other, and then got on the bus to go to the competition venue.

Unlike before, when they arrived at the competition venue, the atmosphere was more intense than in any of the previous competitions Shinji Kitahara had ever experienced.

The reason is simple: the event that Aili Digital participated in this time is the Emperor's Autumn Viewing, which is one of the "Eight Great Walking Races" and is not on the same level as previous competitions.

Although according to the tournament format, the prize tournament is only divided into three levels: G1, G2 and G3.

However, in reality, although the difference between G2 and G3 matches of the same level is not significant, the difference between G1 and G1 tournaments is quite large.

因为有的G1是G1，是因为它们就是G1，但有的G1是G1，是因为JP赛马娘赛事的最高评级就只有G1。

The most typical of these are the traditional Triple Crowns: Satsuki Sho, JP Derby, and finally, Kikuka Sho. These are generally recognized as having high prestige, and winning them brings greater fame and income.

Some G1 courses, especially the relatively less popular dirt G1 courses, receive less attention and rewards compared to regular G1 courses.

Of course, the prestige and level of attention of the competition mainly depend on the strength of the participating female riders.

If a match features the lineup of several of the most popular female horse girls of that year.

Even if this match is just an OP-level event, it will likely receive considerable attention, thus increasing its prestige.

Today's competition, in which Aili Digital is participating, is a case in point.

Moreover, it's not just popular contestants from the same year as her, because the Emperor's Autumn Appreciation is open to female mascots who have debuted for two or three years, so this time, Ali Digital's competitors also include female mascots from the previous year.

One of them is a heavyweight who won the Emperor's Autumn Festival last year and is aiming for a repeat victory. He is undoubtedly the most popular contestant in this competition.

In this situation, not only Ali Digital itself, but even Shinji Kitahara couldn't be sure if she could win the match.

Although she made many adjustments to Alice Digital, her current strength is outstanding even among top-tier horse girls.

The problem is that because this competition is highly prestigious, the weakest of the opponents are top-tier female warriors who debuted in the same year as Ali Digital, not to mention that there are also heavyweight contestants from the previous competition.

Moreover, because it was a rare heavyweight match, Shinji Kitahara even went so far as to review some of the past match videos of Ali Digital's opponents.

Then they discovered that seven of these horse girls looked like they had opened up their own domains.

While it's not to say that opening a domain guarantees a win—after all, Ali Digital had previously defeated Uma Musume who had opened a domain—the most important thing is still one's own strength.

However, it is undeniable that horse girls with domains have a greater advantage than those without domains.

Especially when both sides are extremely strong players.

A single mistake, or even a difference of just one second, can determine the outcome of a match, let alone the enormous improvements brought about by the field.

Even so, after getting out of the car, neither of them showed any signs of nervousness. On the contrary, they seemed more relaxed than those groups that had debuted three years ago and possessed strong abilities.

As for the reason?

Needless to say, Shinji Kitahara doesn't care about winning or losing at all. In fact, he would only panic if he could confirm that Ali Digital would win.

As for Ali Digital, although she will definitely run seriously on the field, she doesn't care that much about winning or losing off the field.

Enter, collect your key, and proceed to the temporary activity room.

Normally, starting now, Ma Niang will begin various warm-up exercises in the temporary activity room to prepare for the upcoming competition.

The other members of Shinji Kitahara's team usually do the same.

Even because she wants to achieve good results, she won't take the time to be intimate with him, but will instead focus on adjusting her own state.

But Aili Digital is a little different.

Under normal circumstances, although she will do some preparatory activities, if she has a lot of free time after the basic preparations are completed.

She would probably wander around the racecourse area and buy some items related to the participating horses, such as support tickets or merchandise, in preparation for asking them for autographs after the race.

But today the situation is a little different.

Shinji Kitahara was all set to go out with her, but as soon as he opened the door, he felt his clothes being tugged.

After hesitating for a moment, Aili Digital mustered her courage and raised her head.

"Um, senior, I'd like to..."

"Whether I win or lose, I can grant you one request. If I win, I can grant you one more."

With his extensive experience, Shinji Kitahara anticipated her movements.

After being directly predicted by Shinji Kitahara, Ali Digital was stunned for a moment. After realizing what had happened, instead of going out shopping as usual, they unusually focused on making preparations in the activity room.

Seeing that she didn't want to go out, Shinji Kitahara closed the door and then guided her through the preparations. Just before the show started, he gave her a simple low-intensity treatment to help her adjust her state.

Next, after the nursing care was completed, it was time to enter.

As always, Shinji Kitahara accompanied Ali Digital to the crossroads where they were about to part ways.

Then, just as they were about to part ways, Ali Digital suddenly stopped and turned to look at Kitahara Shinji, her eyes showing obvious hesitation.

"Um, senior, if you grant me one request regardless of winning or losing, may I use that request here in advance?"

Faced with her request, Shinji Kitahara thought about it for a moment. Although he felt that something seemed a little off, he didn't dwell on it and nodded in agreement.

"So what kind of reward do you want? The competition is about to start, and if the reward you want takes a long time to arrive, it will probably be after the competition..."

The voice gradually stopped.

But this time, it wasn't because of a sudden attack. Instead, Alice Digital walked up to him, hugged him, buried her head in his chest, and whispered something.

"Senior, may I be ordered to seize victory?"

"I don't ask for anything more. I know that my senior can't accept me right now, and I don't want to ask for anything excessive."

"Although I still can't be as confident as you asked, at least I want to win this match for you, as a way of repaying your dedication and care."

"Digital..."

Feeling the warmth emanating from his arms, Shinji Kitahara remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

Alice Digital thought he was going to refuse, but before she could even feel disappointed, her face was suddenly cupped up.

Then, a familiar, warm, and soft touch came to my lips.

For a moment, the lips parted.

Alice Digital stared blankly at Kitahara Shinji in front of her, her mind completely blank.

just......

Before she could react further, Shinji Kitahara cupped her face and spoke earnestly.

"I've told you before, digital, you don't need to be so humble."

"As for the order, I can give it to you if you really want it, but I don't think it's necessary."

"Because in my view, you should be able to win without relying on anything else."

"So, I will still keep this request open for you."

"You can think about what reward you want after you return victorious."

"Or, if you really need a reason to win."