The day after the Hyacinth Stakes.
Just like after the Kyoto Kinen, I bought a sports newspaper specializing in horse girls from the convenience store and was reading it in my office while drinking coffee.
(Yesterday's race... they're focusing on Oguri Cap, as expected.)
Oguri Cap, who took first place in the Hyacinth Stakes, was featured prominently, which was to be expected since she won. The fact that the second place went to Team Rigil's El Condor Pasa and third place went to Urara, who set a race record in a maiden race, must have also been a factor.
It was a three-way battle between Urara, Oguri Cap, and El Condor Pasa.
It was a race where the three of them had a gap of over seven lengths between Urara in third and the horse girl who came in fourth. The newspaper was full of praise for not only Oguri Cap, but also for Urara and El Condor Pasa.
However, Oguri Cap was simply stronger than Urara and El Condor Pasa. That's all there was to it.
Although it was in black and white, there was also a photo of the Winning Live, with Oguri Cap in the center. Urara and El Condor Pasa were dancing on either side of her. I also watched the Winning Live. El Condor Pasa, who had already gotten over her loss in the race, was smiling, and Urara... well, she was dancing with her usual smile. You could even say it was too "usual."
(She didn't get the center position, but she was happy just to be in the Winning Live... But that wasn't the feeling I got... Was she as frustrated as El Condor Pasa?)
I could see the passion in El Condor Pasa, that she had lost this time but would win the next. Compared to her, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Urara was lacking in fighting spirit.
For Urara, that's both a strength and a weakness. But when she was running in the Hyacinth Stakes, she didn't have that "sense of impending triumph" that she had when she won her maiden race.
(She's lost her desperation, huh... Ms. Tōjō was right.)
I don't recall ever taking it easy on Urara's training. It was definitely tough having to train Rice as well, but I can say for sure that I didn't cut any corners.
But if you asked me if I was desperate—
"Nngh!"
The newspaper in my hand crumpled with a rustle.
Rice's physical condition was my top priority, so I focused on helping her recover to prevent injuries. Urara was the picture of health, so I paid attention to prevent injuries while trying to give her as much of a training load as possible—or so I thought.
(She was winning against other horse girls with ease... But she lost to El Condor Pasa because of a difference in training skill, and to Oguri Cap because of...)
I thought about why she lost to Oguri Cap and El Condor Pasa, and I let out a big sigh.
Ms. Tōjō said that Urara might have won against El Condor Pasa, but she was passed at the very end. Urara was in her best condition and ran her best race possible, and there were no accidents.
That must have been due to the difference in training that Ms. Tōjō gave El Condor Pasa. El Condor Pasa seemed flustered when Urara caught up, but she still stayed calm and passed Urara at the very last moment to get second place.
But what about Oguri Cap compared to her? Maybe I'm just a fool, but she seemed less complete as a horse girl compared to El Condor Pasa and Urara.
Even if she had been training at Kasamatsu before, the training she's received in the less than two months since moving to the central circuit shouldn't have been enough to bring out her full power.
So, why did Urara lose?
—Is it the skill of Oguri Cap's trainer?
That's probably a factor. Oguri Cap's trainer is a veteran who's been in the business for decades. I think his name was... Roppei-san? If we're talking about training experience, I'm obviously no match for him, and maybe even Ms. Tōjō isn't.
—Is it Oguri Cap's own talent?
That's also a factor. The second acceleration that Oguri Cap showed at the end... That's not something an average horse girl can do. In fact, I wonder if even the top-tier horse girls at Tracen Academy can do that.
—Is it the fighting spirit that Oguri Cap showed at the end?
That, too, is probably a factor. It's something Oguri Cap has that Urara doesn't. Urara also wants to win races, but the fighting spirit that Oguri Cap showed at the end was on a completely different level. Even as a classic-level horse girl, Oguri Cap had a fighting spirit that could rival Rice's.
I don't want to say that she lost because of Oguri Cap's talent, and I won't. No matter how talented a horse girl Oguri Cap is, she couldn't show that much power without a trainer.
The problem is that she showed that much power after less than two months of training since moving to the central circuit.
(Will she continue to run on the dirt route? It's frustrating, but the current Urara can't beat her... And the more time passes, the bigger the gap might get...)
Maybe the trainers who judged that Oguri Cap would show up and avoided the Hyacinth Stakes were right. It was only because it was Urara that she could just say, "That was so fast!" after losing to Oguri Cap. That was a level of strength that could break a horse girl's spirit.
But I can't just avoid future races by saying, "Oguri Cap might show up." How can I tell Urara, who genuinely enjoys running, "We're skipping the next race because we'll lose if Oguri Cap shows up"?
Urara might even enjoy a race that she knows she'll lose. But that won't lead anywhere.
If Urara was just a horse girl who wanted to run in races, then this would be fine. If she's happy to run for the rest of her life without winning, then that's one path she can take.
If she's satisfied with getting second or third place and dancing in the Winning Live sometimes, then that's just the limit of the horse girl named Haru Urara.
"I can't accept that!"
I brought my fist down on the desk, filled with anger from the bottom of my gut. The desk shook with a loud sound and impact, and the skin on my knuckles peeled off, but I didn't care.
That girl, Urara, can become stronger and faster. She can handle the training needed to do that with a smile.
Everyone hates and wants to avoid difficult things. No matter how much horse girls are instinctively driven to run fast, there's a limit. When they get tired, they want to rest, and if they train every day, they'll start to hate it.
Urara, except for when she forgets about her training time, works hard with a smile every day. That's a kind of talent, and it's making the body of the horse girl named Haru Urara stronger and faster little by little. She enjoys training, and she doesn't get injured, which I'm careful about. She obediently listens to what I say, and she doesn't get jealous or discouraged even when she's training with the superior Rice.
I don't think Urara's talent as a horse girl is inferior to Oguri Cap's.
It's true that Urara isn't good at turf courses, and she's not good at leading or early charges. She might also be lacking in fighting spirit and resolve for races.
But still—she's Haru Urara, you know?
I've only been with her for less than a year, but I'm confident that her limit is still far away. And even if she reaches her limit, she can just break past it.
In that case, what I can do is already decided. I'll train Urara more than ever before and help her grow stronger.
(Urara's body has developed more compared to before... which means I can put more of a load on her training now.)
Of course, I still need to be careful not to let her get injured. No matter how much I want to make Urara stronger, it's all meaningless if she gets hurt.
Ms. Tōjō said that caring and being overprotective are different, but I won't compromise on the point of not letting my horse girls get injured. Injuries during a race are sometimes unavoidable, but I'll do everything I can to prevent any other injuries.
For example, a scenario I don't even want to think about, but let's say Urara gets injured from a training I gave her and can never run again.
For a horse girl, not being able to run is the greatest pain imaginable. It's a much tougher situation than retiring because you can't win races. She might even commit suicide.
Urara's smile might disappear, and she might live with a lifeless look—just thinking about that makes me feel a pressure so great that I want to take it easy on her training.
But I'm a trainer, even if I'm still a rookie. That's why I'll train her to be stronger and faster without getting injured. Since Urara's body is also developing, I can reduce the safety margin compared to before.
I'll make her practice more, rest more, and study more than ever before—come to think of it, Urara's test scores were a disaster.
"I need to add more classroom lessons on race strategy... And for that, I need to find some example race videos... Rice's Osaka Hai is also coming up, so I can't neglect that either... How much can I train both of them at the same time? I need to come up with more efficient training methods... There's not enough time..."
I muttered to myself as I organized my thoughts. I could feel the anger that had been simmering inside me slowly turning into motivation. I'm sure my eyes are bloodshot if I look in a mirror.
I lost this time, that's for sure. It was a complete defeat. But Urara has a next race. So, I'll make that next one even better.
(Ms. Tōjō said that a trainer's skill is about how much of a loss you can turn into a learning experience for a horse girl... But it's not just the horse girl who learns from it. I'll learn from it, too...)
I also need to think about Urara's next race. The Shoryu Stakes is in the first half of March, but the next one, the Fukuryu Stakes, is in the first half of April, which is almost a month away. There's the Tango Stakes in the latter half of April, but what about the racing schedule?
(Should I have Urara run one more race before Rice's Osaka Hai, or should I wait for the Fukuryu Stakes in early April... If Rice doesn't have any issues, the Tenno Sho (Spring) is in late April and the Takarazuka Kinen is in late June. There's a two-month gap, so I could have her run one race in between... Maybe the G2 Meguro Kinen in late May is a good option? Urara has the Seiryu Stakes in early May and the Hoshu Stakes in late May... The Unicorn Stakes is in late June... What should I do...)
I have a lot to do: training Urara and Rice, adjusting them for races, and getting them in top condition before the races. But it's much better than having nothing to do.
"Alright, I'll just have to pull an all-nighter to come up with a training menu, create study materials for Urara, and research our rival horse girls."
"You can't do that."
The moment I was about to clench my fist and make that decision, I heard a voice and stopped.
I turned around like a rusty robot, and for some reason, Ms. Tazuna was standing behind me.
(Huh? When did she come in? And why is she behind me?)
There's only one door to the office. The window is closed because it's cold. And yet, for some reason, Ms. Tazuna is in the office, and she's behind me. This is... a little bit of a horror movie.
"You have a strange look on your face, but I just opened the door and walked in, you know? You must have been so engrossed in your thoughts that you didn't notice... Were you thinking about something?"
"Oh, is that so... I'm sorry..."
It seems I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice Ms. Tazuna coming in. I felt a bit embarrassed about it, so I cleared my throat to cover it up.
(...Wait a minute? I get that she came in, but why did she get behind me...?)
No matter how focused I was, I feel like I should have noticed that. But when I looked at Ms. Tazuna, she just smiled, so I didn't ask anything.
Instead, I smiled back at her.
"Then I won't pull an all-nighter. I'll just work until midnight."
"No."
"I'll take the work home with me."
"No."
"...What about three hours?"
"I'll allow up to two hours. But you can't do that every day."
Ms. Tazuna said with a troubled look. But I couldn't give in.
"It's to make Urara and Rice stronger."
"Then finish your other work faster and use the remaining time to think. You can't start with the intention of working overtime."
"Ugh, she's right..."
I also have work assigned by Tracen Academy, but once I finish that, I can use all the remaining time to train Urara and Rice. It's perfectly logical that the faster I finish my work, the more time I'll have for training.
"By the way, doesn't your right hand hurt?"
"Huh?"
Ms. Tazuna said that, and I looked at my right hand. The skin was peeled off from when I hit the desk, and it was bleeding and starting to swell up red.
"Don't tell me... it's broken?"
"It's not... broken. Oh, but it hurts... Ouch! It's throbbing!?"
I opened and closed my right hand, and the pain gradually increased. It's moving normally, so it's not broken, but the throbbing pain started as soon as I lost my focus.
As I held my right hand and did a weird dance to endure the pain, Ms. Tazuna sighed and brought over a first-aid kit. I had prepared it for the office.
"Oh, goodness... there's no helping it. Please sit in a chair so I can treat it."
"I'm so sorry..."
Hitting a desk when you're angry and getting hurt, am I a child? I'm a grown man on the inside, and I'm so embarrassed.
"Hehe..."
As I looked dejected and down, Ms. Tazuna let out a small laugh.
"Is this about yesterday's race?"
Ms. Tazuna asked, intentionally omitting the subject, as if she knew what I was thinking about. She expertly disinfected my right fist, applied an ointment, and put on gauze and a bandage.
"...Yeah, something like that."
"Yesterday's race was so close. The final spurt was just a little bit short..."
"Do you think so? A loss is a loss... Urara was in great shape, she got stronger from training with Rice, and maybe I was overconfident... While I was wondering what I should have done, well, my right hand ended up like this."
I would never admit this to Urara or Rice, but I was naturally venting to Ms. Tazuna.
"Hmm... I can't really say since I would've just passed Oguri Cap and El Condor Pasa all at once."
"Huh?"
"Huh? ...It was a Tazuna joke."
Oh, it was a joke. She's beautiful and has a great personality and body, but she's also a mischievous one. She's just a perfect person.
Ms. Tazuna cleared her throat sweetly and continued to speak as she wrapped the bandage around my right hand.
"I know that you and Haru Urara are always working hard. Looking at yesterday's race, it wasn't a race you couldn't have won. It's just that fate wasn't on your side... Thinking of it that way might make you feel better."
"You really think it was a matter of luck?"
I asked Ms. Tazuna, who had tried to lighten the mood with a joke. I can't just chalk up yesterday's race to luck. If it were just El Condor Pasa, we might have won if fate was on our side, but I can't imagine the current Urara beating Oguri Cap.
"I tried to put it in a gentler way just now. Do you prefer a harsher approach, Trainer?"
"It's not that I prefer it, but I think it's necessary."
"I see, that's wonderful."
Ms. Tazuna finished wrapping the bandage and said as she put away the first-aid kit.
"My role is just to guide and support Team Kitalpha's operations until they are on track. Normally, I'm not supposed to get too involved with a specific team because it would be showing favoritism..."
Ms. Tazuna then looked at me and smiled sweetly.
"Since you're a rookie in your first year, I'll show a little favoritism, okay? I'm sure Ms. Tōjō from Team Rigil had a lot to say to you..."
"I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, but did you hear anything from Ms. Tōjō?"
Did Ms. Tōjō report our conversation from yesterday to the chairperson or Ms. Tazuna? Or did the chairperson or Ms. Tazuna ask her to talk to me? If that's the case, it would definitely be favoritism.
"No, I didn't hear anything. Oguri Cap from the Hyacinth Stakes, El Condor Pasa from Team Rigil, and you entered Haru Urara. Based on Ms. Tōjō's personality, I just figured she would take a promising rookie under her wing."
That's terrifying. I'd rather the chairperson or Ms. Tazuna had asked her to do it.
She must have guessed what could have happened based on Ms. Tōjō's personality and the horse girls in the Hyacinth Stakes, and then guessed what happened by looking at me today.
It's easy to say, but I feel like I've just had a glimpse of how much Ms. Tazuna understands the trainers and horse girls at Tracen Academy.
"And if I have anything to add to that... it's that you shouldn't just take Ms. Tōjō's advice at face value."
"...What do you mean by that?"
I swallowed the words, "But she's my senior as a trainer," and asked.
"Ms. Tōjō, as the leader of Team Rigil, has a level of training skill that I believe is top-class not just in Tracen Academy but in the whole country. She might even be considered top-class on a global scale."
"Then shouldn't I listen to her advice?"
If she's a top-class trainer among a group of people whose numbers are unknown worldwide, shouldn't I listen to her opinion? In fact, a lot of what Ms. Tōjō said struck me.
"Trainer, listen to me. While Ms. Tōjō is an excellent trainer, there is no one right way to train a horse girl."
"That's... true. Even with just Urara and Rice, the elements needed for their training are different."
I was enlightened by Ms. Tōjō's words, but what Ms. Tazuna said is also true.
The personalities and abilities of horse girls are all different, and you need to give them the right training for them. I learned this in training school, but I started to feel it firsthand while training Urara and Rice.
"Considering Ms. Tōjō's personality and your past... she probably told you that you've lost your desperation compared to before, didn't she?"
"...Were you there?"
That was too on the nose. It's really scary.
"I'm just guessing. It's true that you, a rookie trainer, were given the incredible opportunity to train Rice Shower. And it's also true that your actions and thoughts have changed through training Haru Urara."
"...Yes."
"You now, compared to when you and Haru Urara were struggling together, have changed a lot. It's true that you were more desperate back then, but I think you had a narrower view in your desperate efforts to bring out Haru Urara's motivation."
Ms. Tazuna continued to speak, looking at me with a serious expression.
"Now that you're in charge of two horse girls, you're acting with an eye on both of their futures. You're trying to make them stronger without getting injured and win races... You're a little timid because you care so much about Haru Urara and Rice Shower."
"..."
Ms. Tōjō said that I've lost my desperation, and Ms. Tazuna says that I'm fine the way I am. I can understand both of their opinions, but—
"So... you're saying that since there's no right answer, I have to keep thinking and choose the best option for the horse girls I'm in charge of?"
And that I, the trainer, need to grow as well as the horse girls so that I can make the best choices. This seems like a perfect example of "easier said than done."
"Exactly. If there was a training method that worked for all trainers and all horse girls, then the job of a trainer wouldn't even be necessary."
"You're right... So, I just need to take Ms. Tōjō's advice and Ms. Tazuna's advice... and use the necessary parts for myself as a learning experience?"
When I said that, Ms. Tazuna smiled as if to say, "Good job."
I think I have a decent understanding that there's no right way to train a horse girl, even though I'm only in my first year as a trainer. In fact, I'm understanding it as I go. Every day, there are new discoveries and failures in Urara and Rice's training.
I don't think anything will change dramatically from this conversation. But it's also true that my motivation is bubbling up inside me.
(I have to find the best for Urara and Rice... But the problem is that my "best" might not be their "best," or even "second-best," and the "worst" might be the best option...)
The tricky part is that I won't know if it was the best choice until after time has passed. Even if I think it's the best choice at the time, I might find out later that it was the worst choice I could have made.
"Ugh... I'm tying myself in knots. The more I think about it, the deeper I fall into a hole..."
"Sometimes things work out when you act without thinking, but most of the time, you'll fail."
"You're right. I need to think even more than before..."
What's the most important thing right now? Rice's Osaka Hai is coming up, but between Urara and Rice—
"Alright... I've decided."
First, I need to give Urara a firm goal.
"Urara, would you like to try the Shoryu Stakes in two weeks?"
I made that proposal to Urara and Rice when they came to the office after school. At first, I just wanted to earn prize money, but after hearing what Ms. Tōjō said and talking with Ms. Tazuna, I changed my mind.
"Huh? I can run in another race? Yeah, I want to! I want to!"
Urara immediately nodded at my suggestion. She just ran a race yesterday, but she doesn't seem tired at all. So, there shouldn't be any physical problems.
Two weeks is enough time to fully recover and train. I'll make her even a little bit stronger than she was at the Hyacinth Stakes and send her to the Shoryu Stakes.
"I see... Then I'll go ahead and apply for you. Also, this time, I think there will be a lot of horse girls in the race. And... "
I paused for a moment, and though I hesitated a little, I said,
"I think there will be competitors that the current Urara can't beat. Are you okay with that?"
"...Yeah! Is Oguri-chan going to be there?"
There was a slight pause before Urara answered. I noticed the subtle change in Urara's expression and muttered to myself.
(Urara thinks she can't beat Oguri Cap... Her performance must have made a strong impression on her.)
The impression Oguri Cap made would be different for me, who only watched, and Urara, who actually ran against her.
"No, it's not Oguri Cap. It's a different horse girl. I think... or rather, I'm almost certain she'll be there, and if you want to continue fighting on the dirt route, you'll be racing against her many times from now on."
"Hmm... I wonder who it is? I'm excited to run with her!"
Urara said with an excited look, but her reaction seemed different from her usual self. Rice opened her mouth as if to say something, but when I gave her a look, she immediately closed it.
And two weeks later, in early March. I received an envelope about the Shoryu Stakes that was delivered to my office and immediately started to read it.
As expected, other trainers must have been avoiding a matchup with Oguri Cap. The Shoryu Stakes is an open race, but there are a full gate of 16 horse girls participating.
When I looked at the names of the horse girls, I sighed in frustration.
"One of them is as planned... but the other one is unexpected, or rather, I didn't want her to be here."
The names of the two remaining horse girls I was wary of on the dirt route, Smart Falcon and Taiki Shuttle, were listed there, excluding Oguri Cap and El Condor Pasa.
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