"The Little Detective" and Japan Cup Intel
Just then, from the corner of his eye, Kuroha caught a furtive little figure.
He turned slightly—
—and saw a familiar face dressed in a full-on detective outfit.
"Didn't expect the Obey Your Master I've been searching for to be right here at Trainer Kuroha's track…"
Berno Light tilted her head.
Since joining Central Tracen Academy, Kuroha had become quite close with Ginjirou Musaka. In his spare time, he often visited the old man to chat and learn Central's dos, don'ts, and unspoken rules.
Over time, both trainers and their Uma Musume had gotten familiar with one another.
Today, Berno Light was acting as Oguri Cap's "intel scout", hence the detective getup.
But Berno's professional chops as an intel officer weren't the strongest. After more or less gathering the info, she'd planned to find a more technically adept trainer to help analyze the Japan Cup runners.
Naturally, she thought of Kuroha.
The moment she arrived, though, she spotted the very Uma Musume she hadn't been able to find anywhere—Obey Your Master.
Berno stared at the resting girl in the distance, suddenly at a loss.
Intel gathering wasn't really her forte; most of what she had came from walking straight up and interviewing people under the pretense of "press questions."
"But Trainer Kuroha will definitely know what I'm doing…"
While Berno was overthinking herself into knots—
something suddenly covered her eyes, and the world went dark.
"Little Light, guess who~?"
"Waaah—!"
Berno yelped, flustered.
Behind her, Kuroha chuckled at the adorable reaction.
"T-T-Trainer Kuroha…"
Berno turned and, on reflex, shielded the notebook to her chest—then realized that looked suspicious and awkwardly hid it behind her back instead.
"I—I'm here to play with March…" she mumbled, guilty as charged.
Kuroha eyed her, amused. "Really? Just to play?"
"Y-yes! Really!"
She nodded like a pecking chick.
"Oh? To play with March?"
"Perfect timing. March just finished her session—she's in the stone-cooling room now, I could go call—"
"A-ah! No, that's okay!"
Berno waved both hands, face going bright red. She clutched the notebook even tighter behind her.
"I… I just remembered I have something else to do!"
"Next time! I'll come play with March next time!"
She spun to bolt—
—but Kuroha's easy voice froze her in place.
"Not going to collect intel on Obey Your Master?"
Berno let out a tiny wail and slumped. Busted.
With the lie exposed, she could only surrender. She brought the notebook out and held it up with both hands.
"I'm sorry, Trainer Kuroha…"
"At first I just wanted your help analyzing the Japan Cup intel."
Kuroha couldn't help smiling at the sight of her honest, apologetic face. He accepted the notebook—but rather than open it, he tapped the brim of her little detective hat with it.
"Head up. I'm not mad."
"Collecting opponent intel is a vital part of competition. You did the right thing."
He flipped through the pages casually.
To be honest, it was mostly public record—things easily found online. The extra notes were mostly quotes from the interviewed Uma Musume themselves—interesting, but not exactly hard data.
"Not bad for a first try," he said anyway. "You covered the basics."
"Y-yes!" The little detective beamed.
Kuroha turned to the last entry.
It was bare bones: only a few lines.
Obey Your Master
Country: United States
Record: 23 starts, 3 wins (G1 wins: 0)
Nothing else.
That was normal—her past results were unimpressive. She had tried every running style and still had no G1 victories; even total wins were a mere three.
On paper, at best, you could stamp her as "mid-tier."
Finishing the notebook, Kuroha closed it and gave it a little shake in front of her.
"Want to know Obey Your Master's real intel?"
Berno nodded fast—then realized what she was doing and shook her head just as fast.
Kuroha laughed and handed the notebook back.
"Honestly, if you just tell Ginjirou-senpai that Obey Your Master is training here with me…"
"He'll understand."
"…Right." Berno accepted the book, suddenly thoughtful.
...
Central Tracen Academy — Ginjirou Musaka's private training room
"You truly saw Obey Your Master at Kuroha's place?"
The old man sat on the sofa, frowning at Berno Light—only half-glancing at the notebook she'd painstakingly compiled.
"Y-yes."
Berno nodded, then pointed to the pages in his hand, speaking uncertainly:
"Judging by form and paper data, among the overseas runners…the Arc-winning mare Toni Bianca should be the strongest."
Ginjirou leafed through the notebook for a while and nodded lightly.
"On paper, that tracks. Japan Cup threats should be Toni Bianca and Tamamo Cross."
"Paper data?" Berno blinked.
Ginjirou set the notebook down. "Light, what impression do you have of Kuroha?"
"My impression…?" She looked up, thinking. "Cool, young, confident… and if he raised March to be this strong, then his training level must be excellent, right?"
"Has any Uma Musume under his charge lost a race?" Ginjirou asked, abrupt as a hammer.
"Eh?"
Berno searched her memory.
"…I don't think so?"
Since Kuroha took over, Fujimasa March—starting from Kasamatsu—had swept the South Kanto Triple Crown and more.
Inari One was the same—3 races, 3 wins.
In one year as a trainer, Kuroha had guided two charge mares through nine total races—undefeated.
Including multiple G1s.
"I—" Berno began, but Ginjirou's steady voice cut across her.
"The gap between Local and Central isn't absolute."
"You yourself said March out-dueled Oguri during summer camp months ago."
"From Local… to overturning Central."
A glint flashed behind Ginjirou's lenses. "And now, that boy Kuroha has taken charge of an international top-tier Uma Musume…"
Berno's eyes widened a little more with every word.
"So you're saying…"
Ginjirou nodded. "I'm saying the Japan Cup's threats may not be only Toni Bianca and Tamamo Cross."
"This Uma Musume called Obey Your Master… might actually be Oguri Cap's true rival."
He clicked his tongue.
"Looks like the world has sent us a whole pack of troublesome opponents."
Berno swallowed. "Then… will that be bad for Ogu—"
"The Japan Cup is 2400 meters," Ginjirou said softly, reclining against the sofa. "Oguri's longest race so far hasn't even broken 2000."
"A real headache…"
"In the next parallel-running sessions, we'll need someone to help her adapt to the longer trip."
He sifted through faces in his mind—
—until one image settled: a stunning figure with long platinum hair.
"…I'll try asking her."
Then Berno piped up from the side:
"If you're looking for someone… why not ask March? She just entered Central and barely has any races this year—she shouldn't be that busy."
"Plus, she's perfectly comfortable at 2000+ meters, and she gets along great with Ogu."
Ginjirou slowly lifted his head and stared at Berno, almost dumbfounded.
"…Good job, Light."
"Eh?"
(End of Chapter)
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