Morning.
After breakfast, Minamizaka headed to the training field early, ready to help observe whether using a "Zone" for training would prove effective.
A faint trace of worry lingered on his face.
Barbatos's diligence truly made him, as her trainer, both happy and relieved.
Especially after experiencing the Oka Sho, the Spring Tenno Sho, and the Japanese Oaks, Barbatos's previous injuries hadn't flared up again—even though she had been using her Zone throughout those races.
But now... using the Zone for training.
The strain that would put on her body was easy to imagine.
Could Barbatos's physique really withstand it?
Taking a deep breath, he could now make out Barbatos and the others training in the distance.
Not far from them, Matikanetannhauser, Nice Nature, and a few others were doing their pre-training warm-ups.
Thanks to Barbatos's leading example, the bad habits Team Canopus once had—like holding endless strategy meetings and rarely training—were gradually being corrected.
Of course, strategy meetings were still an indispensable part of the process at times.
He patted his cheeks, dispelling the worried look and replacing it with his usual expression.
He didn't want his own anxieties to affect the Uma Musume under his care.
If, at the very beginning, he had constantly worried over which races Barbatos could enter and whether her condition was alright due to her injuries, now Minamizaka kept those concerns mostly to himself.
As a trainer, his job wasn't to burden the Uma Musume under him by constantly bringing up past injuries.
It was to do his homework thoroughly, to find the optimal training solutions for them, to help them avoid detours and achieve better growth through their training!
Walking closer.
Nice Nature, Matikanetannhauser, and Ikuno Dictus were currently stretching their legs in a circle.
Ikuno Dictus, who happened to be facing him, wasn't surprised to see him—she knew the trainer would come, so it was no big deal.
The Matikanetannhauser beside her, however, sounded a bit puzzled.
"Hey, Nature, what were you up to yesterday? That monjayaki place we went to was really good."
A new monjayaki restaurant had opened not long ago outside Tracen Academy. They'd all agreed to go after training, but halfway there, Nice Nature had hurriedly run off.
"Well..."
Still stretching, Nice Nature scratched her cheek with a finger, momentarily unsure how to answer.
Actually, she had gone to find the trainer yesterday. It wasn't for anything specific; she just wanted to spend a little more time with him.
Yeah, that was all—just wanted a bit more time together.
"Morning, everyone."
Minamizaka's voice came from behind Nice Nature, making her flinch mid-stretch. For some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt.
"Morning!"
Ikuno Dictus and Matikanetannhauser greeted him in unison, while Nice Nature was a beat slow.
"Mhm, let's stick with yesterday's training plan for today. I'll go check on Barbatos's group first."
Minamizaka gave his usual instructions—basic trainer work. But compared to other teams, training in Canopus relied largely on self-discipline. His role as trainer was more about providing the training plans.
If someone decided to slack off for a day, there wasn't much he could do.
As he walked away, though, Minamizaka felt a little odd.
Yesterday, Nice Nature had said Matikanetannhauser and Dictus had something going on. So why did Matikanetannhauser just say it was Nature who ran off?
Wasn't Nature with me yesterday?
The girls' conversation left him puzzled. A strange feeling flickered in his heart, but his thoughts quickly shifted entirely to Barbatos on the other side of the field.
Urara stood to the side, phone in hand, helping record data.
On the track, Barbatos, Seiun Sky, and Twin Turbo were repeatedly practicing their starting dashes.
Usually, this time would be for Barbatos and Seiun Sky to do stamina training. This time, because they were experimenting with the Zone, they went straight into starting practice.
Even from a short distance away, Minamizaka could feel the pressure emanating from them.
If that aura hit during a race, it would likely feel overwhelming, sapping the courage to run from anyone facing it.
This distinctly abnormal pressure was unmistakable. Even though Minamizaka wasn't an Uma Musume himself, he could clearly tell Barbatos was using her Zone for training.
"How's it looking, Urara?"
He stepped up beside Urara and glanced at the data displayed on her phone app.
"Ah, Trainer, you're here!"
Urara, who had been focused on recording, snapped out of it and then cheerfully began reporting the data she'd recorded for Barbatos today.
"This is... significantly better than yesterday."
Hearing the numbers, Minamizaka was momentarily stunned, but he quickly grasped the key point.
"Urara, I'll take over the recording and analysis from here."
Minamizaka pulled out his tablet and stopwatch, taking over for Urara. He imported the data she'd just recorded and began running calculations.
Could training with a Zone amplify the results?
One minute, two minutes...
Half an hour passed. Nice Nature and the others, having finished their warm-up stretches, had started their training.
Barbatos's group, however, paused for a short break, gathering around Minamizaka to peer at the complicated formulas on his tablet that they couldn't quite follow.
"The results are in."
Minamizaka took a deep breath and looked at Barbatos. "Comparing this set of data with yesterday's, training with your Zone does indeed increase the gains from the session."
"However, the improvement isn't huge, and the data is relatively limited—it might not be entirely accurate."
He left something unsaid: even with limited data, Zone training did verifiably boost results. He just didn't want Barbatos to rely on it.
The burden of Zone training was evident. Barbatos, who could previously endure hours of stamina training with almost no breaks, now needed to catch her breath after just about an hour.
But he kept that worry to himself.
"If it's effective, that's great news."
Barbatos said with a hint of excitement. Currently, she felt like she'd hit a plateau.
Stamina training wasn't doing much for her endurance anymore—after all, the track was only so long, and even doubling her stamina wouldn't be a game-changer.
The speed gains from stamina training were also fairly minimal, not something you could see clear results from in a short time. Given her innate talent, significant progress required slow, accumulated training over time.
Now that she'd acquired some useful movement speed skills from League of Legends, there were only two clear paths left for noticeable improvement.
One was honing her technique, like Special Week with her insane learning ability.
The other was unlocking her true Zone!
The outside world recognized her as an Uma Musume who had unlocked a Zone, but her "Zone" was essentially a skill, not her true, innate Zone.
If she unlocked her own, it would likely stack with her skill-based one, making her even stronger.
But for Barbatos, for an Uma Musume without great natural talent, the concept of a true Zone felt too vague, too elusive.
Improving her technique, using skill to elevate herself—that was something she could work on right now.
And now, with a method to temper her technique by leveraging her Zone, Barbatos felt an extra surge of confidence for the upcoming Takarazuka Kinen.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.