Too sweet… way too sweet.
Just one sip was enough for an overwhelming, merciless assault of sweetness to invade every corner of my previously peaceful mouth—like Alexander the Great conquering the known world. And once I swallowed even a drop, that syrup-like thickness—so viscous it felt like it was challenging the very concept of "drink"—clung stubbornly to my throat and refused to leave.
"Ughhhh… I really shouldn't have ordered it extra-strong and extra-sweet…"
"I told you so, Neicha. You should've just ordered your usual."
"I just… wanted to try something new for once… Ugh. Ryan, let me have some of yours later."
"Yeah yeah, just a little."
With just a tiny bit of adventurous spirit, I ordered something I don't normally get—and Ryan replied with a laugh that said she was completely exasperated.
Today was our first completely free day in a while. Well, we're students, so we do get breaks each week, but even so, everyone here is an athlete in training. Even on off days, they train in the morning or afternoon, or study on their own in the library or their rooms…
Watching them work so hard without complaint—looking so lively and motivated—makes me feel like, "Alright! I'll work hard too!"
So I've also been training and studying to be a trainer… but even I want a true rest day every now and then.
That's why, when Ryan invited me to go shopping with her today, I happily jumped at the chance to enjoy a real day off together.
"Still, this is unusual. You always order your honey drink thin and normal strength, right? Why'd you go extra-strong today?"
"Like I said, I just wanted to try something new. You know, like when you see a new product and get curious and buy it… something like that?"
"Ahh… yeah, I get that. When something says 'now even tastier,' it kinda gets your attention."
"Right? So this extra-strong one caught my eye. I wondered what it'd taste like… it was a mistake, though."
I let out a strained laugh as I looked at the imposing, heavy honey… honey-drink in my hands. Like Ryan said, I usually drink honey drinks whenever I'm out, but I'm always satisfied with the thin, normal version. Yet today I'd ordered the extra-thick version favored by Teio—Tokai Teio, who was a rival in the original story—out of half curiosity.
And as you can see, I regretted it deeply. I was certain I would never order this extra-strong version again.
To make things worse, this extra-strong drink alone had the same calories as a full meal for an average Uma Musume. Was Teio really okay drinking this all the time? I couldn't help but worry about a protagonist rival I had never even met, all while trying to figure out what to do with this sugary disaster.
"So, Neicha, where do you want to go after this? I kinda want to check out that new sports shop for Uma Musume."
"Oh, the new store on the main street? Are you buying something?"
"They just released a new Uma Musume protein powder. The previous one didn't suit me, so I'm curious about this new one."
"Oh yeah, you mentioned that before. The last one wasn't tasty, right?"
"Right. I drink it all the time, so I want something that tastes good. But protein tubs are heavy, and I might buy other things too… so depending on your plans, maybe we should go later."
Ryan's bright smile made me forget all my regret, and I smiled back. It's our precious day off after all—might as well forget this sugary punishment and enjoy ourselves.
"Then I'll go to that store too. Recently sports shops also carry training books, right? Could be useful for my trainer studies."
"Alright, let's go at a nice easy pace!"
"Oh, that's surprising… I thought you'd say we should run there."
"Come on, Neicha! Even I don't run on my day off! Today is rest day for my muscles."
"Hahaha, I know, I know… Suzuka, on the other hand…"
"Ahh… yeah, Suzuka would totally run."
Ryan didn't know. Last week, when I went out with Suzuka and Air Groove, Suzuka actually did start running…
Which is why today Suzuka was out under Air Groove's supervision. If anyone could stop Suzuka from turning every outing into a training run, it was Air Groove.
"Well then, shall we go?"
"Yeah!"
"—But first, a smoke. Just one."
"…Seriously?"
Ryan answered my declaration by pretending to slip like in a comedy sketch. Truth is, I hadn't smoked even once today, and I was getting restless.
I used to smoke one aroma cigar on the dorm balcony every morning as a routine, but the dorm leader, Monte Prince, scolded me. Aroma cigars are medicine, not real tobacco, and there's no harmful secondhand smoke—but still, because of appearances, I was told not to smoke in the dorm.
It's true—my friends know I smoke aroma cigars, not cigarettes. But someone who doesn't know me—a random student, trainer, or teacher—might see me and assume I'm a delinquent smoking tobacco.
So lately I'd changed my routine: every morning and night, I'd walk to the designated smoking area on campus and smoke there. But since I went out with Ryan today, I hadn't had the chance yet.
"Then let's stop by that convenience store over there. They have a smoking area."
"Sorry, it'll be quick!"
Ryan pointed toward a familiar convenience store. We'd smoke there and then head out shopping.
"By the way…"
"What is it, Ryan?"
"You want to be a trainer, right?"
"I do, yeah."
Ryan's sudden question about my dream made me tilt my head a bit—but I nodded.
"Yesterday in history class, I realized something… We barely learn anything about races before the URA era. I thought maybe you'd know more since you want to be a trainer."
"Ohh… sounds like someone's getting curious about racing history."
"What's with that tone… But yeah, kind of. My grandma used to tell me stories about her racing days, but I was little, so I don't remember much."
Her thoughtful expression made me nod in understanding. It was probably her grandmother's stories that sparked this curiosity.
"Alright then! Teacher Nice Nature shall now educate you."
"Thank you, Teacher Nice Nature."
We laughed together as we walked toward the convenience store.
⏱
"So, where do you want to start? From the beginning? Or just before the URA era?"
"Hmmm… from the beginning, please."
"Got it. Gimme a second."
At the smoking area, Ryan asked for the lesson to start from the very beginning—meaning the origin of Uma Musume racing. So I pulled out an aroma cigar and lit it.
I plucked one from the vanilla-scented pack, put the filter in my mouth, and flicked open my Zippo lighter. The flint was worn down, so it took several tries before the flame lit the cigar.
I really needed to replace that flint soon…
I exhaled the white smoke away from Ryan as courtesy, then began my lesson.
"Well, Uma Musume racing—like the Twinkle Series or local races—actually doesn't have a long history in Japan compared to overseas."
"Really? But Uma Musume have been running since forever, right?"
"There were traditional festival races. Stuff like running straight several hundred meters, or shooting arrows at targets while running—basically ritual performances. The closest modern thing would be something like the Ibis Summer Dash. Actual modern racecourses came only after Western-style racing was introduced from abroad."
I explained the origins as the smell of burning aroma cigar drifted upward.
"Western-style racing in Japan started in 1860, late in the Edo period. The earliest confirmed race was held in Yokohama."
"Oh? That's older than I thought. But why Yokohama?"
"Because Japan had just ended its isolation and signed treaties with the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and the Netherlands. Yokohama had foreign settlements, so they set up races for foreign Uma Musume living there."
"Ahh, makes sense."
"Other cities—Hakodate, Nagasaki, Niigata, Hyogo—had foreign settlements too, but there's no surviving evidence of races there."
"So those early races were basically for foreigners, right?"
"Pretty much. In 1865 they hosted an invitational race for Japanese Uma Musume, but the organizers were still foreigners. Japan didn't have the knowledge to run Western-style races at that time."
(I'd learned that historically the participants were samurai, but in this world it seems they gathered general Uma Musume by public recruitment. Even with unfamiliar rules and foreign competitors, tons of people applied. Uma Musume truly never change.)
"In 1870, a 900-meter oval racecourse was built at Tokyo Shokonsha—modern-day Yasukuni Shrine. That was the first domestically run Western-style race."
"Only five years after the invitational? That's impressive."
"It was the Meiji era—Japan was modernizing fast."
"By the way, you keep saying 'keiba.' What's that?"
"That's what races used to be called—keiba. And racers were called kyoso-ba. They only switched to English terms like 'race' and 'trainer' after the URA was founded and Japan started aiming for global racing."
"Wow… no wonder we never learn that in class."
Classes focus only on current rules and race types, not history.
I paused to drop the ash into the bin, then lit a second cigar—since the first one had burned down almost untouched while I was talking. Ryan would just have to forgive me.
"So, skipping unrelated parts: the real origin of the modern URA came in 1954, when racing shifted from national to civilian administration. That's when they formed the Japan Central Racehorse Association. From there came the central races—probably the era your grandma raced in, during the Eight Major Races."
"You're good, keep going."
"The Eight Major Races were the five classics—Oka Sho, Satsuki Sho, Oaks, Derby, Kikka Sho—plus the three senior races: Tenno Sho (Spring & Autumn), and Arima Kinen. Some magazines at the time counted Takarazuka Kinen, Japan Cup, and Queen Elizabeth Cup too, calling them the Eleven Major Races."
"I think I've heard of those from my grandma… But wait, there's no Shuka Sho?"
"That one was created in 1996. So it didn't exist back then."
"Ohh… surprising."
"And then in 1984, aiming to internationalize racing, the association revamped everything—introducing international grading, switching terms to English… That's when they became the Uma-musume Racing Association—the URA we aim to race in."
"I see… But Neicha, those international grade races—G1 and such—couldn't have been recognized instantly, right?"
"My dear Ryan, if only it were that easy."
She snorted.
"They started with their own domestic grades—JpnI and JpnII—and slowly upgraded races over time until they were recognized as international G1, G2, etc."
"I get it now…"
When I finished summarizing, Ryan looked strangely moved—maybe imagining her grandmother's era.
(Well, if that explanation worked for her, great. I wasn't confident I could explain it any better.)
I tapped the ash off my cigar and took a drink of the dreaded honey drink—only for the sticky sweetness to dry my throat even further.
"Well then, Ryan. If you're satisfied with the history lesson, shall we head to our destination?"
"Yeah… and hey! You totally smoked a second one! You said 'just one'!"
With white smoke drifting from my lips, Ryan puffed her cheeks at me. I apologized with a laugh; she eventually laughed back with a "good grief."
I stubbed out the nearly-finished cigar.
"Alright then, time is limited, stock is limited… let's go, Ryan."
"Yeah yeah… seriously, your smoking habit is a problem."
"Want to try aroma cigars someday?"
"No thanks. I don't want police mistaking me for a delinquent."
"…Don't say that, Ryan. I'm scared of being questioned too."
We continued our silly banter while I carried my heavy honey drink toward the store.
And of course, I had no idea that while Ryan spent forever choosing protein powder, I'd sneak outside for another smoke… and actually get stopped by the police.
Just for the record—yes, it ended fine. Everything was cleared up.
…Good thing the officer was an Uma Musume.