"The overall quality of the Uma Musume entering the middle school division this year is quite impressive. The environment facing Japanese Uma Musume today may not be as harsh as in the past, but the competition is becoming fiercer. Because everyone's abilities are so similar, they must improve themselves as much as possible through post-natal training to stand out. Their strength is steadily rising."
"And it's no exaggeration to say that the Uma Musume who can enter Tracen Academy all have the potential to compete for a GI championship. In fact, among this year's new middle school students, many are genius-level."
Air Groove led Kitano inside the academic building. Tracen's school building was divided into middle and high school divisions. The middle school division was mostly filled with new students or rising stars who had yet to find a trainer and make their debut.
Air Groove had no intention of taking Ryuichi to the high school division. Except for a few rare cases, most of the Uma Musume there already had their own dedicated trainers. They were deeply attached to them and would never switch teams midway.
"Most of the middle school Uma Musume have not yet debuted, so they are basically still looking for a suitable trainer." Air Groove led Ryuichi past several middle school classrooms. It was still class time, and through the windows, they could see rows of Uma Musume listening attentively.
"There are a few I'm very optimistic about—for example, that one."
Air Groove pointed to a Uma Musume with a mask on, listening intently in class. "El Condor Pasa, a transfer student from America. Among the new generation, her strength is considerable."
"Of course, there's also the one next to her." Air Groove then pointed to another Uma Musume with long chestnut hair and a gentle face. "Grass Wonder. She also has American bloodlines, but her parents are in Japan. If anyone in this class can threaten El Condor Pasa, it's undoubtedly her."
"These two are both geniuses… I'm really not worthy."
The moment Ryuichi saw Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa, he knew his skill level was not enough to teach them. Grass Wonder was a future contender against Japan's "General," Special Week. If he held her back, even though the gentle girl probably wouldn't blame him, he would feel terrible.
And El Condor Pasa was even more out of the question. The strongest of the Golden Generation, who in France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, only barely lost to Montjeu against a field of European champions. Ryuichi wouldn't dare to take on such a genius.
This was why he didn't want to be a trainer for genius Uma Musume... Just keeping up with them without dragging them down was already difficult. If he, the trainer, hindered his Uma Musume's progress, the one who would suffer the most would be him.
Because Ryuichi knew exactly how far these talented girls could go. The thought of his own selfish desires causing their achievements to regress instead of advance was incredibly painful for him.
And most of the time, the Uma Musume wouldn't blame him at all. They would defend him, comfort him. This was the experience he had gathered over so many loops, and it was why he no longer wanted to train so-called "geniuses."
"Ms. Air Groove, didn't we say we'd look for some kids with relatively good talent first? I know El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder. Their talent is among the top tier in the middle school division, isn't it? That seems different from what we discussed."
Ryuichi looked at Air Groove and asked, "Aren't there any girls you think might not be top-tier in talent, but are still considered quite good among their peers?"
"Well... there are, but I don't think they're very suitable for you."
Air Groove shifted her gaze to the other side of the classroom. Not far from Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa, another Uma Musume with long chestnut hair, wearing blue earmuffs, and a delicate, flawless face was also listening intently and taking notes. She was in stark contrast to a blue-haired Uma Musume sleeping soundly on the desk next to her.
"Her..." Ryuichi recognized this Uma Musume, and it was precisely because he recognized her that he was a bit surprised. Air Groove nodded and began to speak:
"King Halo. A Uma Musume from an excellent background. Tracing her bloodline, you know she is destined to be a powerful racer."
"Her innate talent should be the highest in this class, and she works hard, putting great effort into both theory and training. She should have been the most outstanding one in this generation, but..."
At this point, Air Groove paused, as if she didn't know how to describe this highly talented Uma Musume who was still stuck at a bottleneck.
Fortunately, Kitano Ryuichi knew exactly what she meant to say. With a sigh, he spoke slowly, "It's just that King Halo has been blinded by too much pride and expectation, right?"
"...It's wonderful that you understand, Trainer Kitano."
Ryuichi's words brought a gentle smile to Air Groove's face, as if thanking him for finding a less hurtful yet accurate way to describe King Halo.
But facing Air Groove's praise, Ryuichi seemed unfazed. Because for him, there was perhaps no one in the world who understood King Halo's life better than he did.
—Because King Halo was his assigned Uma Musume in the previous loop. And it was his experience with her in that loop that made Ryuichi finally see himself clearly, turning him into the dejected person he was now.
The reason... was that Ryuichi had tried his best to change King Halo's fate of winning only a single GI championship in her career, but after doing everything he could, he still achieved nothing.
With his memories of the past, Ryuichi clearly remembered that among the five Uma Musume known as the Golden Generation, King Halo's record seemed almost mediocre, a record that didn't match her immense talent, bloodline, and true strength.
Compared to Ryuichi, King Halo was undoubtedly a genius, both in terms of bloodline and intelligence, a one-in-a-million talent. But the biggest difference between them was that Ryuichi had already accepted himself, while King Halo was still like the old Ryuichi, stubbornly charging forward, refusing to admit defeat.
In a way, King Halo was a reflection of his past self. The old Ryuichi might not have noticed this, but the now completely composed Ryuichi had a different feeling upon seeing his former partner again.
"Given too many expectations from the start because of her bloodline, and in order to prove that bloodline, she keeps pushing forward into areas she's not good at, falling again and again..."
"...That's just too foolish. Unable to recognize one's true talent, that's such a waste of ability."
"Trainer Kitano... why do I feel that your words about student King Halo seem to hold some... regret?"
Although Air Groove heard a hint of envy in Ryuichi's voice, the overwhelming feeling was one of "tough love." But she was certain that Ryuichi's regret was not because of King Halo's bloodline or family background, but because he felt she was wasting her talent.
Air Groove often felt this way too, especially when seeing Uma Musume who clearly had the talent to do better but were lazy and didn't put in the effort. But in her eyes, King Halo was clearly not one of them.
Although she felt King Halo's efforts were a bit too arrogant in their direction, King Halo was indeed quietly working towards her goals. She was overcoming her weaknesses. To Air Groove, she was a talented and capable Uma Musume, just that her proud and unyielding personality was making her progress a bit slower than her peers.
But Ryuichi seemed to find King Halo's behavior very regrettable. Why was that?
"...I've actually said it many times, Ms. Air Groove. I'm not a talented person. I just have good luck and have seen a little more than others."
Through the window, Ryuichi gazed at King Halo's serious face and said with a touch of emotion:
"But I know very well that many things can't be achieved by hard work alone. People can't overcome all their weaknesses. Many things, no matter how hard you try, you just can't do."
"Rather than banging your head against a weakness you can't overcome, it's better to choose a direction you're more skilled in. That way, you can not only show off what you're truly good at, but also not waste time on meaningless effort."
Ryuichi didn't know if his words were for Air Groove or for himself, but they dampened his own mood. Just then, he suddenly noticed King Halo's face turning towards them.
King Halo's background was excellent. Both her bloodline and her current family made her worthy of the title "Ojou-sama" (young lady). She naturally had the air and demeanor of one, and her talent and beauty kept her constantly in the spotlight.
Her face was definitely one of the most exquisite Ryuichi had ever seen. He had trained so many Uma Musume over his loops; probably a good portion of the students at Tracen had been under his care or were at least good acquaintances.
But even so, King Halo was definitely in the top three among all the Uma Musume he had ever seen based on the excellence and delicacy of her face alone. A face like a finely carved jade, but the expression on it right now was not very pleasant.
It seemed... annoyed? Was she glaring at him?
As Ryuichi noticed her expression, he subconsciously reacted.
Did I... just say that a little too loudly, and she heard me?
-------
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