Unlike Oguri Cap, Inari One was already almost a fully matured Uma Musume. What she lacked was simply the polishing of her technique and the refinement of her mind.
"I'm afraid if I open her stat panel, I'd just see a bunch of 800+ stats..."
Kuroha shook his head. Inari One was strong, no doubt—but as a Senior Horse, she wasn't a direct threat to Fujimasa March. She could be ignored for now.
Pulling himself back to focus, he watched March dash past him once more and called out loudly, "Very good, March! You're doing great with speed control—give me two more laps!"
...
Morning training ended quickly. In Tracen Academy, the daily schedule included not only trainer-led physical training but also general education subjects like Japanese language.
After all, an Uma Musume's peak racing career rarely lasted more than four years. They would eventually need to live in society like everyone else, so these classes were necessary.
Fujimasa March had gone off to class, and with his analysis work done, Kuroha found himself a bit bored. He left Central Tracen Academy and began to explore Tokyo.
His university studies had taken place in Kyoto, and though this wasn't his first time learning about Tokyo, his understanding was still somewhat superficial.
Unlike his previous life, this world was peaceful—perhaps thanks to the very real presence of gods.
Technology had advanced, but pollution was minimal. Even just strolling around filled one with a sense of tranquility.
Oh Great Three Goddesses, I praise you with all my soul!
Before he realized it, Kuroha had wandered into a park.
It wasn't exactly deserted, but there wasn't much to see either. After a couple laps, he decided it was time to leave.
Thud!
Suddenly, a heavy sound rang out from the right.
There was silence for a moment. Unable to contain his curiosity, Kuroha parted the leaves that blocked his view.
Morning sunlight gently spilled over a grassy field.
There, a girl had buried her face into the dirt like an ostrich. Only her swaying horse tail remained above the ground, revealing her identity as an Uma Musume.
"..."
Kuroha didn't even know how to react to something this bizarre.
"Hm?"
Her ears twitched. Apparently realizing someone was there, she pushed off the ground with long legs and landed on her butt.
Then her delicate, exotically beautiful face lifted into a cheerful smile as she greeted him, "Hello there!"
A foreign Uma Musume? And her Japanese was so fluent.
"What... are you doing?"
While Uma Musume were all known for their unique personalities, Kuroha had never seen one literally eating dirt.
"Haha, the grass here is just so sweet. I couldn't resist!"
The horse girl scratched her head, her smile visibly stiff—a textbook fake smile.
"You're alone? Where's your trainer?"
The glow of Kuroha's [Physique and Rhythm Recognition] activated in his eyes. It was obvious this girl had been through intense training. Her physical condition was on par with Inari One.
If there really was such a powerful foreign Uma Musume currently active at Central Tracen, he would have remembered. That could only mean she was a visitor.
Newly debuted Uma Musume weren't allowed to travel abroad alone, so she must have a trainer or guardian nearby.
"Umm, he's back at the hotel. Not sure what he's writing. He told me to just go out and have fun."
Whatever this girl was learning, she clearly had to work hard to appear enthusiastic while speaking.
A strange Uma Musume.
That was Kuroha's first impression. But since she wasn't lost and had a guardian, there was no need to worry.
He gave her a polite nod and turned to leave.
A few minutes after Kuroha walked away, the cheerful expression on the girl's face vanished. Her entire aura shifted from light and approachable to deep and unreadable.
Perhaps this was her real face.
"Tokyo's grass... really is beautiful..." she muttered softly.
...
Back at the academy.
Class had just ended, and Uma Musume were pouring out of the academic building.
At Central Tracen, knowledge classes only lasted two hours in the morning. The administration didn't want to take too much time away from training.
As for the social knowledge needed in the future, that could be picked up after retirement.
After all, major Tracen Academies like Central had a twelve-year post-retirement education system!
From junior high to high school to college, then on to master's and PhD programs. During this period, some would even get involved with URA's operations. To put it in his past life's terms, you could graduate with a doctorate and land an executive position in one of the world's top ten companies. The ultimate winner in life.
Q: Why is Symboli Rudolf still student council president despite retiring so long ago? Why hasn't she moved up like a director?
A: Because she hasn't graduated.
The twelve-year system after retirement meant that Symboli Rudolf still had at least nine more years of school ahead of her.
No wonder she was still a youthful and radiant beauty during Oguri Cap's time, but had become a refined and mature lady by the time of Tokai Teio's generation.
(Note: I won't be strictly adhering to canon timelines. There are only so many new horse girls introduced each year. I'll be accelerating the pace for new generations. After all, the anime's timeline is a mess—Vodka, Daiwa Scarlet, and Teio are generations apart, and yet the same character can appear in three different teams depending on the version...)
(End of Chapter)
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