The mediocre trainer doesn't want to reopen

Isn't it just a sickly condition? Kitano was able to keep things stable even when Mejiro Altan was in such a bad state. Could Sakura Laurel's situation be any worse than Altan's?

However, Kitano did not agree to it immediately, especially for a horse girl like this who was frail and sickly and needed him to be careful with her all the time. Kitano needed to spend a lot of energy to barely ensure that there would be no big mistakes.

Therefore, once such a person appears in the team, it is definitely not a good time for Kitano to have so many horse girls to take care of in the team - everyone is the team's horse girl, and everyone needs Kitano's care and attention. It is not easy for Kitano to focus all his attention on Sakura Laurel.

But if we don't do this, how can we guarantee Sakura Laurel's safety? Therefore, if Sakura Laurel wants to join the team, it must not be at this time.

At least it has to be when the number of active Uma Musume in Kitano's team is smaller. Otherwise, even if Kitano has so many assistants to help him, he would not dare to be confident that he can take good care of Sakura Crown.

"Excuse me, when is Sakura Laurel's debut match?"

"Hmm? It's still too early to talk about this. If Trainer Kitano feels hesitant, we can wait a few more years..." Sakura Toyooh's heart sank when she heard this, but before she could finish, Kitano waved his hand and said, "Madam, I'm not hesitant... I'm just worried. I have too many members on my team now. If I rashly take on another horse girl, I don't mind. It'll just be a little more tiring. But Sakura Laurel... a horse girl as frail as her needs meticulous care."

"And right now, Ma'am, I have too many team members and I can't handle it all myself. So, as things stand now, my team is not suitable for Sakura Laurel."

"But... in a few years, if the children on my team who are supposed to retire have retired, and I have the opportunity to take action, then I will certainly spare no effort to teach Sakura Laurel."

"Thank you very much, Trainer Kitano, thank you very much."

Feng Wang, who originally thought that the commission for the Sakura Crown was hopeless, was silent for a while after listening to Kitano's explanation, and then he could only bow slightly in gratitude.

Perhaps... letting her daughter stay with this man wasn't such a bad decision after all. Suddenly, Sakura Fengwang felt that many of the things she had been worrying about had been solved. Now that she had no worries, it seemed as if she had nothing else to do except watch her daughter surpass herself.

After Kitano agreed to the Sakura Laurel Crown, although he knew the answer would be like this, Sakura Shinou still smiled happily, quietly grabbed Kitano's hand, and quietly used the gesture of interlocking ten fingers.

Chapter 367: Cao Shangfei's poor comeback and the wish of the Condor

Sakura Shinou's resounding victory in the GI Sprint Horse Championship in September marked Sakura Shinou as the second horse girl in Kitano's team to win a GI victory, which was a huge boost for Kitano's team.

According to the regulations of Tresen Academy, a team with two horse girls who have won GI competitions at the same time can not only receive special subsidies from the central government, but also have the "priority right to leave" in the application for subsequent competitions. This is very beneficial for the horse girls of Kitano team.

For example, everyone wants to participate in the Triple Crown Classic. The number of horse girls participating in the Triple Crown Classic varies from year to year. If there are relatively few participants, it is not a big deal, but what if there are a lot of them? This is where the significance of the right of first exit comes into play.

For example, in the first stop of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho, after the participating horse girls' bounty and popularity meet the requirements, if there are a large number of participants, most of them will go to participate in the gii Yayoi Sho held in March. In the Yayoi Sho, there is a "priority exit right". As long as you achieve good results, you can basically guarantee to participate in the Satsuki Sho.

Now, Kitano's team has the "right to leave first", which means that once the horse girls under his command meet the standards in popularity and bounty, they no longer need to participate in the Yayoi Awards, and can also be guaranteed priority to participate in the Classic Triple Crown.

This is an absolute long-term benefit for all the horse girls in Kitano's team. And there's no point in others being envious. After all, most of the trainers at Tresen Academy are already busy just fighting one-on-one with the team, let alone forming a team.

And who could have the luck and experience of Kitano to know in advance which horse girls could get GI? Because this seemingly simple achievement with great rewards is extremely difficult to achieve even for the trainers of Tresen Academy.

The conclusion of the Sprint Championships also marked the end of Sakura Shinou's racing schedule for the year. For the next six months or so, Sakura Shinou wouldn't have to worry about not competing. Kitano had set her next goal for next year's G1, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen.

Because next year is the classic year of Shengwang Halo and Qingyuntiankong, as well as the debut of Donghai Emperor and Shanxin, Shengwang, the only one whose schedule overlaps with Sakura Jinou, is still sprinting towards the classic triple crown under Kitano's "encouragement", so the victory of Takamatsunomiya Memorial can be completely won by Sakura Jinou.

If nothing unexpected happens... by the end of next year, Sakura Shinou will be able to add two more GI victories, and her three-year Uma Musume journey will come to an end. After that, whether she will continue to postpone her graduation and run for another year, or have other plans, Kitano will wait until she finishes her life plan and then see what her decision is.

However, Kitano wondered what else Sakura Shinou, the silly horse girl, could be good at besides her explosive running. Perhaps staying at Tresen Academy and becoming a short-distance coach would be a good idea?

Of course, Kitano is just thinking about life planning now. He has more important things to do at hand - that is the rehabilitation and comeback of Cao Shangfei.

During this period, the matter of Kusanagi was still giving Kitano the most headache. According to the feedback from the other four horse girls of the Golden Generation, Kusanagi's recovery did not seem optimistic...

It’s not that Xiaocao’s illness has relapsed, but during this period of recuperation, Xiaocao and Kitano seemed to have forgotten a very important thing - that is to control their weight.

That's right, during this period of recuperation, Cao Shangfei's weight has fluctuated a bit, which means that Cao Shangfei's rehabilitation exercise now has to start with weight loss. Of course, this is a relatively easy problem to solve.

But what Kitano was more concerned about was the message sent to him by Shenying, which contained information about Cao Shangfei's recent performance in parallel running training. In the message, a sentence from Shenying caught Kitano's attention.

"How should I put it... I always feel that the performance and pressure of Xiaocao on the court are different from that of Xiaocao before his injury."

"Back then, Xiaocao...when she was on the field, she always felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. It was like...she had to fight tooth and nail to win. If anyone dared to surpass her, she would chop them down with her naginata!"

"But now, for some reason, although Xiaokusa's desire to win is still strong, she doesn't seem to have the same momentum as before at the Gaoyue Stakes. In this case, Elu, I am a little uneasy about Xiaokusa's subsequent comeback..."

The message that Shenying sent to Kitano made Kitano a little concerned, but Kitano was puzzled about this matter, and he could not get the reason from Cao Shangfei.

In the end, facing the upcoming GII Kobe Shimbun Cup, which would be Kusanagi's comeback match, Kitano finally gritted his teeth and allowed Kusanagi Hi to participate, despite the fact that he was in good training condition and had no other hidden dangers.

After all, if there were no underlying health issues, perhaps returning to the court would improve? Kitano couldn't find the reason, so he tried to test it out by letting him run a match. The result...

"How could this be! Cao Shangfei made his comeback after several months of recuperation, but he actually lost in fifth place!"

"Could it be that he's not feeling well? It's hard to connect Kusagami Tobi's performance today with the Kusagami Tobi who fought against the Condor during the Gaoyue Sho Special Week."

"very strange."

In the team room, Kitano kept replaying Kusanagi Hibi's performance in the Kobe Shimbun Cup. Beside Kitano, Shenying was also with Kitano. After watching the replay so many times, Shenying finally couldn't help but ask, "Why has Kusanagi's fighting spirit dropped so much all of a sudden? Back at the Gaoyue Sho, she definitely wouldn't let up in the final stretch, so why can't she exert her strength now?"

"If it's just a little bit fatter, it shouldn't be on its last breath, right? It feels like the grass has let go of its last breath... How strange."

"I also asked Xiaocao, but Xiaocao obviously didn't know the answer himself..." Kitano also turned off the video. He couldn't figure out these problems now. After all, the only one who could help Kitano solve the confusion, Cao Shangfei, was still in the exploration stage. Even if Kitano was a god, he couldn't predict the future, right?

So when faced with a problem that you can't figure out, it's better to put it aside first. Maybe you will have an idea after you finish the things at hand, right?

"However, judging from Xiaocao's current condition, she has recovered quite well. Her recent rehabilitation has been very effective, and she has also successfully lost weight. I just don't know why... Xiaocao's drive is a little lower than before."

"I'll think of a way to deal with this later—Okay, Elu, how's the endurance training I gave you going?"

Kitano suddenly turned his head to look at Shenying and asked about the progress of the endurance training he had arranged for Shenying during this period. Shenying immediately puffed out his proud chest and said confidently, "Of course! I, Elu, definitely don't slack off in training! I have completed all the endurance training assigned to me by Trainer-san! I tested my lung capacity last time, and the results are remarkable!"

"It's just... Trainer-san, can I win the Chrysanthemum Award just by doing endurance training? I think my endurance has always been sufficient."

"Don't underestimate the 3000-meter Chrysanthemum Shooting, Elu. It sounds like it's only 600 meters longer than the Japanese Derby, but when your stamina is nearly depleted, even 100 meters will be the abyss of your failure."

Kitano naturally agreed to Shenying's request to win the Kikuka Sho. Since Shenying wanted to win the Kikuka Sho, he trained according to the plan he thought was most suitable for Shenying. This was also the case when he faced Cao Shangfei and Tekai Zhou.

It's just that now he is particularly devoted to accompanying Cao Shangfei in special training. While Shen Ying is accompanying Cao Shangfei in rehabilitation, he is also doing the training arranged by Bei Ye. It is equivalent to one person undergoing two trainings. This kind of persistence is the reason why Shen Ying is making rapid progress today.

"Chrysanthemum Sho, your opponents are Xiao Te and Xiao Cao. Elu, to be honest, if it were a mile or middle distance event, I would have great confidence that you could win, but the long distance of 3000 meters is definitely not your strong point."

"If you want to win, besides not having the same endurance as Xiaocao and Xiaote, more importantly, you have to learn to control your pace. You're actually a bit faster than Xiaote and Xiaocao, but that also means you'll run out of energy more easily. So long distance running isn't for you."

"I'm having you do endurance training so you can improve your stamina, adapt to the demands of long-distance races, and learn to manage your own stamina. Otherwise, if you lose speed on a 3000-meter race, you won't be able to beat Xiaocao and Xiaote."

As he spoke, Kitano knew that the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Day was not far away. Gazing at the thoughtful Condor before him, he chuckled softly and said, "It's just right. I have some time today. I'll check on your special training, Elu. How about testing it using the Chrysanthemum Appreciation method of 3000 meters?"

"Hehe, leave it to me!" Shenying agreed without hesitation. But when Kitano stood up, Shenying suddenly thought of something and asked, "But... Trainer-san, if I win the Chrysanthemum Shooting... what about Xiaocao? Xiaocao must want to prove herself with the victory of the Chrysanthemum Shooting. Is it really okay for me to beat Xiaocao?"

"Idiot, the Chrysanthemum Shoot isn't a competition where anyone can decide who can win. Xiaocao can win, and you can win Elu too. Who says you have to let whoever is happy or in need win?"

In response to Shenying's concerns, Kitano shook his head and replied without hesitation, "I'll be happy no matter which of you three wins the Chrysanthemum Award. Although Xiaocao and I have a good relationship, as a trainer, each of you is equal to me."

"So, Elu, if you can really win the Chrysanthemum Award, go for it boldly. As for Xiaocao... I will go and comfort her, don't worry."

"Hehe, Trainer Sang really takes personal and professional matters very lightly—" Upon hearing this, Shenying was slightly stunned, and then he felt relieved, as if a sense of burden had been lightened a lot.

Shenying himself didn't know why he was so obsessed with winning the Chrysanthemum Shooting Competition. Perhaps it was because his two friends had won one of the competitions, and he felt he couldn't fall behind. But Shenying also felt that there was more to it than that.

She...had a feeling very similar to that of Flying on the Grass. She felt that participating in the Triple Crown Classic today was an opportunity she absolutely couldn't let go of! It was as if she had been waiting for this opportunity for an incredibly long time, and now, finally, she had the chance to step onto the stage and compete with everyone else!

Xiaocao won the Gaoyue Award, Xiaote won the Japanese Derby - then, I must win the Chrysanthemum Award and Elu! Only then will this trip be worthwhile!

I might be a little sorry for Xiaocao... but Trainer Sang is right! On the field, there's no such thing as giving in! I must win this time! Even if Xiaocao stands in my way, it won't change!

Chapter 368: Cao Shangfei is extremely jealous of the Condor

At the same time, on the training ground in the sunset, Cao Shangfei was still working hard on his training. Cao Shangfei, who had just experienced the defeat in the Kobe Shimbun Cup, was extremely dissatisfied with the intensity of his training. He had been increasing his training during this period, hoping to return to his original state as soon as possible.

However... judging from the slightly hesitant expression of Te Bie Zhou, who was serving as a sparring partner with a stopwatch, Cao Shang Fei's performance this time was obviously a bit unsatisfactory.

"Huh!" As Cao Shangfei ran past, Te Bie Zhou also felt a strong breeze brushing his cheek. He pressed the stopwatch and after taking a look at the results, Cao Shangfei trotted over with anticipation, and asked without even taking a breath, "Spei-chan...how was it? I feel like it should be faster than last time..."

"Yeah! That's right! Xiaocao, you're really amazing! This time's result is indeed more than a second faster than last time!"

The kind-hearted Tebi Zhou couldn't bear to tell Cao Shangfei the cruel truth. If he said at this time, "The grass is really far from the grass during the Gaoyue Appreciation Ceremony," the grass might burst into tears, right?

With this thought in mind, Te Bie Zhou immediately chose a "high EQ" answer, saying to Cao Shangfei with a cheerful face, "If we keep going like this, we'll definitely be able to recover the grass we had during the Gaoyue Festival! Let's all work hard together!"

"It's still far from enough."

Of course, Zhou's highly intelligent response couldn't be hidden from Cao Shangfei. Cao Shangfei's expression dimmed slightly, and she knew this was the outcome. After all, Cao Shangfei was probably the one who could best understand why she had fallen so terribly.

But... she didn't know how to say it, how to express it to Kitano. The current situation was that Cao Shangfei couldn't explain to Kitano the reason for her declining condition, but she didn't know how to change it.

"No, it's okay, Kousa. In fact, before the final straight, Kousa's performance was almost the same as during the Gaoyue Sho—maybe even better!"

Zhou, seeing that Cao Shangfei seemed a little down, quickly sat down beside her and said soothingly, "It's just that during the final sprint, I suddenly felt like my sprint wasn't as strong as before... It must be because you've been comfortable for too long, which has weakened your explosive power, Xiaocao!"

"This kind of thing... My mom once told me a method: if you just eat more, you'll definitely be able to use more energy during the final sprint! I've always done that!"

"Thank you, Spei-chan, but I know very well where that outburst at the Gaoyue Award came from."

After receiving Tebu Zhou's consolation, Cao Shangfei also smiled gently. At this moment, she seemed to understand why Trainer Sang had allowed Tebu Zhou to accompany her for special training even though they had a bad relationship in the past.

Trainer-san...really knows everyone on the team really well. Even though he'd only met Spei-chan a few times before she joined the team, he already knew her personality well and knew that she was a perfect match for his own.

But...Spee-chan is not a trainer after all. For Kusagami Fei at this moment, even if Kitano was sitting in front of her, she still didn't know how to express her current situation, let alone Teji Zhou.

At the Gaoyue Sho, the anger caused by Cao Shangfei's "delusion" gave Cao Shangfei a lot of strength and burst, so that her speed in the first 1000 meters on the field and the burst in the last 600 meters at the Gaoyue Sho were much stronger than usual.

Now... rather than saying that Cao Shangfei has become weaker, it is better to say that this is actually her true level. Without the blessing of anger, the power that Cao Shangfei can exert on her own is limited.

However, no matter how hard Kusanagi Fei tried, she found that she could not recall the feeling she had at the Gaoyue Award when she thought of Kitano and other horse girls being intimate. She felt angry again and burst out with stronger legs.

Now, when Fei Caoshang thought about Kitano being intimate with other horse girls other than himself, Fei Caoshang's first reaction was no longer anger, but instead he felt that... this seemed natural?

No, not only was it natural, Cao Shangfei even felt a sense of guilt after realizing it belatedly... It was as if he was Kitano's extramarital affair partner. When he thought of this, Cao Shangfei felt inexplicably ashamed, and his strength decreased a little.

What's wrong with me... Cao Shangfei rubbed his head for a long time before saying with a wry smile, "Maybe I'm just not in the right state. I've been comfortable for too long that I've forgotten the tension during the game."

"Wow... I'm sorry, Xiaocao. It would have been nice if Elu and I could have gone with you to the Kobe Shimbun Cup." Seeing Kusanagi Hibi's frustrated look, he spoke uneasily, "But Elu went to the Daily Crown, and I went to the Kyoto Grand Prix. Otherwise, Xiaocao, maybe you would have found your groove at the Kobe Shimbun Cup."

"Hehe...it's okay. Besides, in my current state, I have no chance of winning against Spy-chan and Elu."

In response to Tokujo's gentleness, Cao Shangfei chose to respond with self-deprecation. However, when mentioning the Condor, Cao Shangfei paused noticeably, then said with a subtle tone, "Speaking of which... I've been seeing Elu pestering Trainer-san lately, asking him to teach her how to win the Chrysanthemum Festival."

"Yeah, I heard that Trainer-san gave Elu a lot of advice." Te Bie Zhou nodded when she heard that. However, when she mentioned this, she didn't feel jealous towards Shen Ying at all. Instead, she said with joy, "Similarly, Trainer-san also gave me a lot of advice. My current training is completely based on Trainer-san's methods! I feel like I've really improved a lot!"

"If that's the case, I won't lose to Elu in the Chrysanthemum Contest!"

"Yes."

At this moment, Kusagami Hi's eyes couldn't help but dimmed a little. Of course, she also received a special training plan from Kitano, but unlike the special week and the strengthening of Shenying, which were obviously trainings in preparation for the Chrysanthemum Award, Kusagami Hi's training plan was simply designed to restore her to the state for the Gaoyue Award.

If Cao Shangfei wanted to prepare for the Chrysanthemum Shooting Competition, then her training intensity should have increased several times, but Kitano never put such great pressure on Cao Shangfei who had just recovered.

Compared to the game, he was more afraid that Cao Shangfei would have a second accident. Obviously, the first injury did not make Kitano relax his vigilance much.

Cao Shangfei understood, she certainly understood Beiye's concern for her... This kind of concern was what Cao Shangfei, who had always forced herself to move forward, lacked. If she had not just experienced failure, Cao Shangfei would never have regarded this concern as pressure.

But now... facing the fact that he had just been defeated and was approaching the Chrysanthemum Viewing Festival but had not yet regained his form, and looking at the relatively lighter training arranged by Kitano for him, Cao Shangfei still couldn't help but have an idea in his mind.

Had she…been given up on? Did her trainer think she was a precocious horse girl and no longer believed she could win the Chrysanthemum Sho?

"Ah, little grass, look."

At this time, Te Bie Zhou seemed to notice something. He tugged at the sleeve of Cao Shangfei beside him, pointed to a side not far from the training ground, and asked with some joy, "Trainer Sang and Ai Lu are here too! They don't seem to have seen us yet. Is Trainer Sang going to give Ai Lu a test?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Cao Shangfei looked in the direction that Tebie Zhou's finger pointed. As Tebie Zhou said, he soon saw Kitano standing next to Shenying who was warming up on the other side of the training ground.

However, Cao Shangfei almost subconsciously stretched out her hand, wanting to wave to attract Kitano's attention - as long as she waved, Kitano would definitely see it, this was Cao Shangfei's confidence.

But... just when Cao Shangfei stretched out his hand, he silently put it down. In the end, he still failed to call Beiye to tell him about his troubles.

After all… I was imagining my trainer in my head, and then using this method to exchange for power… How could I even begin to speak? And now that even this trick didn't work, what was I really like?

Pervert? If I was considered a pervert during the Gaoyue Sho, then now that I'm not even angry about this... I'm afraid even this word can't describe me anymore, right?

What was that? A hopeless pervert? If I told Trainer-san about this...even Trainer-san wouldn't be able to accept the thought of someone else...sexing him in someone else's mind, right?

What's more, my recent performance is indeed not satisfactory. If I cause trouble to Trainer Sang at this time, it would be a bit bad, right?

Cao Shangfei thought about a lot of things, but he forgot to consider that he needed Kitano's help now. But perhaps it was also because he was aware that Cao Shangfei had indeed caused Kitano a lot of trouble in the past. Especially after the incident in the dormitory where he "vented his emotions" to Kitano, Cao Shangfei had not been alone with Kitano for a long time.

But now... when he saw the scene of Shenying standing next to Kitano, a long-lost trace of dangerous black energy flashed in Cao Shangfei's gentle eyes.

Elu...is standing in the position that originally belonged to me.

It's really... a bit of an eyesore.

Chapter 369: The decline of Cao Shangfei? The emotions that were stirred up

From the Sprint Horse Championship and Kobe Shimbun Cup held in the second half of September to the Chrysanthemum Viewing Competition held in the second half of October, there is only a month's rest. For Shenying, Tebi Zhou and Cao Shangfei, who participated in the September competitions respectively, the time for them to improve their strength has passed. During this month, they will focus more on consolidation and recuperation, and see who rests better.

During this time, Tebi Zhou and Shen Ying were both extremely busy, having to take care of Cao Shangfei's rehabilitation while also catching up on the training that Kitano had arranged for them. As for Xiaocao... she had been keeping relatively quiet with the team and Kitano for her own reasons.

Obviously, Cao Shangfei was troubled by her current lack of explosive power, which made her unable to let go for a while. However, facing the chrysanthemum viewing that was approaching step by step, Cao Shangfei was not so nervous at the moment.

It seemed... she had already determined that she could not win the Chrysanthemum Contest, so she withdrew from the competition.

The time has finally come for the Chrysanthemum Appreciation. When the three women, who have now become teammates, once again embark on the final competition of the Classic Triple Crown, the dust has actually settled.