As one month quickly passed, the new year began.
During that time, I, as the trainer for Team Kitalpha, was busy with the daily training of Urara and Rice.
The increase in work that came with forming a team was somehow manageable thanks to Ms. Hayakawa. She was true to her word about her support and guidance, providing me with precise assistance and advice as I struggled with the unfamiliar team-related tasks.
To be specific, her support was so effective that I hadn't worked overtime in a while. She left all the work I needed to do for me, but she took care of the other miscellaneous and minor tasks in no time.
And she seemed to be doing a perfect job assisting the Director, as I hadn't heard of any problems so far. When I saw her, she always had a smile on her face and handled her work with an efficiency that was incomparable to mine. That being said, she didn't spoil me. If something was wrong, she would return the documents and have me fix them immediately. If I tried to work too much overtime, she would smile and kick me out of the team room.
Her confidence in her physical strength seemed to be real, as she never looked tired. Sometimes, she would go back and forth between the Director's Office and the Team Kitalpha room in such a short amount of time that I would wonder if she had a clone. Was she really the same species as me?
So, there were no problems with the paperwork thanks to Ms. Hayakawa's help. In fact, it was so much easier than when I used to work overtime in the shared trainer space that I was a little flustered.
That meant I could pour all my energy into training Urara and Rice—but...
"Hmm... what should I do about this..."
I was in the team room during Urara and Rice's classes, staring at the documents I had compiled about their upcoming races, and I muttered that to myself.
The basic policy of having Urara earn prize money in open races so she could run in major races hadn't changed. I wanted her to win as many races as possible in the first half of the year, when only classic-class Uma Musume competed in open races, but since the prize money was low, she would eventually have to run in open races where senior-class Uma Musume participated as well.
The problem was Rice. I was still undecided about whether to aim for the Spring Senior Triple Crown, but Team Spica's stayer, Mejiro McQueen, had returned from her injury and announced that she would be going for it. Also, Tokai Teio, also from Team Spica, had declared that she would also be aiming for the Spring Senior Triple Crown. Two Uma Musume from the same team, rivals Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, were going to compete for the Spring Senior Triple Crown.
Furthermore, there was talk that Nice Nature and Ikuno Dictus from Team Canopus would also be running.
I wanted to say that my Rice wouldn't lose, but the 2000-meter distance of the Osaka Hai was on my mind. I didn't know how well Mejiro McQueen would run after her injury, but against the middle-distance runner Tokai Teio, it would be a very tough race.
Nice Nature from Team Canopus was also someone I couldn't ignore. Rice had won against her at the Arima Kinen, but there was no guarantee she would win again. However, Rice said she wanted to run now that she knew so many strong opponents were entering. She said it with a motivated look in her eyes, saying she wanted to win against anyone and test her own strength.
As for Rice's body, her imbalanced muscle strength had finally been corrected. It had taken almost three months, but the real work was just beginning. I had to be careful not to let her muscles get imbalanced again while also boosting her physical abilities. This required more care in her training than ever before to prevent overwork and injury.
(Rice said it's much easier to run now and that she's faster, but being able to run faster also puts a greater strain on her body... The balance between bone strength and muscle strength... No, the power an Uma Musume can generate in an instant is...)
I mumbled to myself and did some calculations in my head. To make Rice faster, she needed a stronger body. It wouldn't do for her to be able to run faster but then break a bone because her body couldn't handle it. While I was correcting her muscle balance, I also tried to make sure she had a balanced diet, but the sturdiness of a person's body is a lot like talent. Some people are born with weaker bodies, and some are born with stronger ones. Rice had trained her body with an insane amount of effort, but there had to be a limit.
Maybe it was because she was training with Urara, but she was always very motivated. Urara also seemed motivated because she was training with Rice... Wait, Urara was like that from the start.
(If Tokai Teio is also running in the Osaka Hai, I should just have Rice focus on training instead of running in the Osaka Castle Stakes... but I want her to run in a race... Maybe I should have her run in the Kyoto Kinen instead of sticking to the Osaka Racecourse? Her condition is good, and the Kyoto Kinen is 2200 meters, a right-handed course...)
The Kyoto Kinen is a G2 race held at the Kyoto Racecourse. There was still time to register, so if Rice was interested, it would be a good idea to have her run. However, I could also hide Rice's current abilities and have her make a grand debut at the Osaka Hai.
(Yeah, I'll decide with Rice. It's up to her.)
From a strategy standpoint, it would be a good idea to hide her abilities, but I also wanted her to run a race to keep her from losing her racing senses. So I waited until after school and asked Rice about it during training.
"Yeah, Rice wants to run, too. Lately, I've been feeling so good running in practice, so I want to run in a race, too."
Rice said, with an unusual amount of motivation. It wasn't as much as at the Arima Kinen, but she was very enthusiastic.
"O-okay... which one do you want to run in, the Osaka Castle Stakes or the Kyoto Kinen?"
"The Kyoto Kinen. A G2 has stronger people than an open race, right? Rice wants that one."
"P-probably?"
Since she heard that Mejiro McQueen was back and that Tokai Teio was also aiming for the Spring Senior Triple Crown, Rice's enthusiasm had only grown.
Even when she won the Kikuka Sho, she had a certain level of confidence in her racing, but winning the Arima Kinen might have given her a newfound, unwavering confidence.
She wanted to fight the strongest opponents—she sounded like a character from a battle manga, but Rice was very stoic when it came to training and races.
"Alright, I'll go through the procedures. But I admit you're in good shape, so don't get careless. And don't get hurt. And... yeah, I guess."
I looked at Rice's face and saw that she wasn't being careless at all. She would be careful not to get hurt, but at the same time, she would go for the win with everything she had.
"This is the first memorable race for Team Kitalpha. You have to win, okay?"
"Leave it to me, big brother."
I said that with a laugh. I believed Rice would win.
The runaway Breeze Plane has finally been caught! It's Mini Cactus who's in the lead! The marker for 400 meters is passed! The only thing left is the final straight... Oh, here comes Rice Shower! The Uma Musume who won two G1s is finally baring her fangs! Rice Shower is catching up to Mini Cactus!
The tenth race at the Kyoto Racecourse, the Kyoto Kinen. The weather was unfortunately rainy, and the track conditions were a little heavy. Since it was the tenth race, the course was not only affected by the rain but was also in very bad condition due to the Uma Musume who had already run on it.
"Seriously..."
Even so, watching Rice run through the rain, I couldn't help but mutter that.
"Wow... Rice-chan is amazing!"
Despite the bad track conditions, Rice caught up to the leading Uma Musume at the 400-meter mark. And this was a race where there weren't many famous Uma Musume, so she had sealed her usual late-runner strategy and gone for a different approach.
Maybe it was because she had been strengthening her legs by running on dirt with Urara? She accelerated without any regard for the rough track conditions and passed the leading Uma Musume with ease.
Rice Shower has passed Mini Cactus! What incredible speed! She's increasing the distance! Three, no, four—five lengths! She's pulling away even more and now, the finish line!
"Seriously..."
I repeated to myself, watching Rice easily win a G2 race.
I looked at the order board, and Rice was confirmed to be in first place. The difference between her and second place was an incredible six lengths. She didn't set a race record, but her time was unbelievable for running in the rain and on a rough track.
(I guess you could call it a sumo wrestler's win... Let the other Uma Musume lead and then pass them in the final straight... It sounds easy, but it should be difficult to do. I knew her body had recovered, but I didn't think she would improve this much. I did tell her to win, but she doesn't look like she overworked herself, so I can't say anything... Yeah, all I can do is praise her.)
I was watching the race with Urara under an umbrella when I noticed it while cheering for Rice. "Ah, she's going to win."
The Uma Musume in a major race, especially a G2, were inferior to those in G1 races, but they were still at the top of Tracen Academy. There might have even been some Uma Musume with the talent and experience to run in G1 races, but against Rice, who had already won two G1s, they were simply no match.
Rice waved to the audience, who were cheering despite the rain, and smiled happily. When Urara and I moved to the exit of the course, Rice noticed us and ran toward us with a smile on her face.
"Big brother, Urara-chan, Rice was first!"
She reported to me with a smile. But I saw the mud and rainwater on her face and tracksuit from running in the rain, so I smiled back and took out a handkerchief from my pocket.
"I saw, Rice. That was an amazing run."
"Yeah! Rice-chan is so amazing! You were so fast!"
As Urara praised her, I wiped the mud from Rice's face. Then I took off my jacket and put it over her.
Her body was probably still warm from the race, but it was still cold out since it was winter. She would catch a cold if she stayed like this.
"Whoa... big brother? Your clothes will get dirty..."
"Don't worry about it. You're all wet from the rain, aren't you? It's more of a problem if you catch a cold. There's some time until the victory live, so don't let your body get cold. Try to get as much water off of you as possible... okay?"
"O-okay..."
She probably had her own clothes in the dressing room, but it wouldn't do for her body to get cold before she got there. Rice smiled at me with all her heart, happy that I had lent her my jacket.
The next day.
I bought a sports newspaper from a convenience store near Tracen Academy that covered the Uma Musume races. I was relaxing in the team room and smiling as I read the article.
Team Kitalpha, a great start with a win.
Under that headline, there was an article about Rice's race yesterday. It praised Rice's overwhelming victory despite the rain, and there was a picture of her crossing the finish line.
There was also a headline that said, "Is the next race the Osaka Hai?!" and I couldn't help but smile wryly. It was true, but I still wasn't used to seeing the Uma Musume I was in charge of in a newspaper that people all over the country could read.
I thought about making a scrapbook of Rice's articles later and looked through the other articles. Suddenly, I stopped when I saw the name Oguri Cap.
(She beat Biwa Hayahide at the Kyodo News Hai and won first place...)
The article said that Oguri Cap, who had run in the Kyodo News Hai the other day, had won first place.
The Uma Musume who came in second, Biwa Hayahide, was the same age as Urara, but since Urara's main field was dirt, I didn't pay too much attention to turf races. However, my colleagues had told me that she was a head and shoulders above the other Uma Musume of her generation.
(So she ran in the Kyodo News Hai... Does that mean Oguri Cap is going for the classic route after all? She won first place at the Crocus Stakes on turf last month, too... But the Crocus Stakes is 1400 meters... a distance I thought Oguri Cap was bad at. Could she be an all-distance runner like Happy Meek?)
Oguri Cap had quickly distinguished herself since transferring to Tracen Academy, already with two wins in two races.
In the race video I had seen before, she did run in a sprint—an 800-meter race since it was a local one—but from the way she ran and her composure after, it seemed like she was better suited for mile distances or longer.
However, from my own experience of seeing her run, I knew that with her physical abilities, she could win even at distances she was bad at. Or rather, she could easily crush any local Uma Musume at any distance.
If she continues to go for turf, she won't run into Urara, but she might get chosen for the Arima Kinen this year and race against Rice.
Right now, the Uma Musume who are distinguishing themselves in the classic turf races are Special Week, Narita Taishin, Biwa Hayahide, Winning Ticket, Oguri Cap, Happy Meek, and more... So many of them were standing out that I could tell turf races were a battlefield.
I was also interested in Urara's roommate King-chan, Seiun Sky, and Team Rigil's El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder. However, El Condor Pasa rarely runs in races, and Grass Wonder got injured in January even after winning the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.
I thought the same thing when I was researching the Uma Musume who would race against Rice in the Arima Kinen, but turf races are just too much of a battlefield. Not only the senior class but the classic class this year is also a battlefield. I watched some race videos for research, and there were a few Uma Musume who looked like they could already challenge the senior class.
I'm just a rookie trainer who was assigned this year, so I might be wrong, but maybe Tracen Academy is creating a battlefield like this every year. No, from what I remember from my research at the academy, this kind of brutal situation has only happened in the last few years.
(It would be fun to watch the races... I'm a fan myself, so I'm also excited.)
I guess it was easy for me to be relaxed since I wasn't in charge of a classic turf Uma Musume. But at this rate, my peers were going to have a very tough time.
Right now, Happy Meek was the only one of my peers who had a chance of winning. The other Uma Musume would have a very tough fight. Even Happy Meek might have a hard time placing depending on the situation.
(In that regard, the dirt races have a much thinner field of competitors compared to turf... Urara's condition is good, too, so if all goes well, we might even be able to aim for a G1 this year...)
While I was thinking about that, there was a knock on the team room door. I answered, and Urara and Rice peeked their heads in.
"Hello, Trainer!"
"Hello, big brother."
"Hey, hello. Go change, and then it's time for training!"
Since Urara and Rice had arrived, I grabbed my newspaper and left the room. Even though I had set up a screen, it was still awkward to have them changing right next to me.
And then, late February began.
I was busy with work in the team room that morning when Ms. Hayakawa showed up in the afternoon.
"Good work, Trainer. A letter has arrived from the URA."
"At this time... it's here."
I took the envelope from Ms. Hayakawa and immediately checked its contents.
Based on the timing, it had to be the documents for the Hyacinth Stakes that Urara had applied for. It was the first race we had set for this year, and if she didn't get in, we would have to change some of our plans—but...
"....Seriously?"
After checking the contents, I muttered with a bit of a gasp.
Urara hadn't been left out of the Hyacinth Stakes. But the problem was the entry list that came with the documents.
There were two names I didn't want to see among the Uma Musume that Urara would be racing against.
El Condor Pasa, from the strongest team at Tracen Academy, Team Rigil, led by Trainer Tojo.
And Oguri Cap's name was also on the list.
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