The summer training camp, which lasted for about a month and a half, finally came to an end.
And with the camp over, the second semester at Tracen Academy was about to begin, so we returned to the academy... but.
"I'm sorry to call you in as soon as you arrived."
"No, that's fine... Is there a problem?"
As soon as I arrived at work, I was called into the Chairman's office and was now tilting my head in confusion in front of the Chairman and Tazuna-san.
Did something happen? I wondered, but nothing came to mind. I had been working during the training camp, and no Uma Musume had suffered any major injuries. At most, there were only minor scrapes, cuts, or slight sprains. The sprains were so minor that they were back to training in a day or two.
Urara and the others weren't injured, but there were a few Uma Musume who got a little too excited and got injured during their first training camp this year. Still, minor scrapes, cuts, and slight sprains are a daily occurrence in Uma Musume training, so none of the trainers were panicked...
"First, here are some new Rice Shower merchandise that was sent from the URA."
"Thank you."
Tazuna-san handed me a cardboard box that was about the size of an embrace... and it was surprisingly heavy. Tazuna-san handed it to me so nonchalantly that I accepted it with a calm expression, but it was heavy enough to make me almost drop it. Do you need arm strength to assist the Chairman?
But since it was so heavy, I put it on the floor. Then Tazuna-san handed me an envelope.
"Next, here is the deposit slip for Rice Shower-san's prize money from the Summer Dream Trophy. Please have a proper discussion with Rice Shower-san about the percentage that you and she will receive, okay? You can't just transfer the full amount to Rice Shower-san, all right?"
"Haha, of course I wouldn't do something like that."
I replied with a big smile to Tazuna-san, who was also smiling as she gave me a warning. Was it 55 million yen? Even 10% would be about half a year's worth of my salary, including bonuses. It's a generous amount, but I'll just take 5 million and transfer the rest to Rice's account.
"By the way, I heard that in Team Rigil's case, they split it 50/50."
"That's a result of Tojo-san's training skills, so that's to be expected."
"By the way, in Team Spica's case, the Uma Musume gets 70% and the trainer gets 30%."
"Is that something I should be hearing?"
I thought it was a clear case of information leakage, but Tazuna-san gave me a very intimidating smile.
"All the other trainers receive 30% to 50% as well, and Team Rigil and Team Spica said they don't mind as long as it's you who is being told."
What does that even mean... Is it a sign from my senpais that I should properly accept it? I guess I have no choice. I'll take 30% and secretly put it into the club's fund...
"By the way, we are also strictly checking the deposits and withdrawals for the accounts managed by each team."
"...I guess they're worried about people putting money into the team's account to evade taxes."
Into the club's fund? I can't do something that scary. No way. I'll just use it for ingredients for things like carrot hamburg steaks to feed Urara and the others. If I say I'm using it as a reward for my Uma Musume, Tazuna-san probably won't get mad. Since the amount is what it is, I'll probably retire as a trainer before I can even use it all.
As I was thinking that, Tazuna-san let out a small sigh and then smiled again.
"Next, please take a look at this."
"What is this...?"
She handed me another large envelope, but I genuinely had no idea what it was. The sender was... the Chamber of Commerce of the region we had our training camp in?
"We also have some for Team Rigil and Spica, but they sent us letters of appreciation."
Huh? Why?
"There were also talks about offering donations to Tracen Academy and sending gift certificates to the teams and trainers who participated in the training camp, but we've declined those as they could be seen as a form of favoritism. So, we've only accepted the letters of appreciation, as they were very insistent."
"Oh... I thought we were more of a nuisance to them."
I had even included a phrase like "revitalizing the local economy" in the homework that Tazuna-san had given me, but the number of people was so overwhelming before and after the mock race that I wondered if it would be better to choose a different location next year.
But if the Chamber of Commerce is sending us a letter of appreciation, does that mean they don't mind... I guess so? Are they all just that business-savvy? I've never been involved in business in my past life or this one, so I can only guess, but I'm happy if we were able to make them that happy.
As a result of the training camp, I can proudly say that not only Urara and King, but also the Uma Musume of my colleagues, juniors, and newcomers have improved significantly, even if Rice's best outcome was to maintain her current level. It was probably many times more effective than just practicing normally.
If the place we used for the training camp also expresses their gratitude like this, I can say that this year's training camp was a great success.
"Appreciation! Tracen Academy's name has been sold in an unexpected way! We've also received positive feedback from the URA regarding this matter!"
"We'll have to worry about where to hold the training camps in the future. We've already received a few requests from other municipalities asking us to hold it there next year..."
Is that a good thing... I wonder? The scale of the story is too big for me to decide.
"For now, there's nothing for the participating trainers and Uma Musume to worry about regarding the training camp. We'll take care of all the troublesome matters. And... let's see."
As I tilted my head, Tazuna-san gave me a meaningful smile.
"Depending on the results that the Uma Musume who participated in the training camp achieve in the upcoming races... I think the training camps in the future will change their form."
I scratched my head with a wry smile at Tazuna-san, who was smiling as she said that.
And after I left the Chairman's office, I walked with the cardboard box and murmured.
"Next year, huh..."
I think Urara and King will still be running in the Senior Grade. Rice will probably also be running in the Dream Series unless she gets an injury that forces her to retire.
But what would I be doing if I failed to scout and train new Uma Musume like this year?
(No, that's still a long way off.)
I murmured that to myself and walked to the club room.
In autumn... to be precise, from September onward, the number of graded turf races increases. The number of G2 and G3 races for both the Classic and Senior grades increases, and a few G3 races are also held for the Junior grade. Including open races, there is some kind of race almost every week, and the students at Tracen Academy get excited about who will run in which race.
I was working in the club room when I suddenly started to think about our future schedule.
Most of my colleagues and juniors are planning to have their Uma Musume run in graded races.
My team is aiming for G1 races... or rather, Urara only has open races on dirt that she can run in. There is the G3 Sirius Stakes in late September, but other than that, she only has open races until the JBC series in early November.
We could have her run in the Sirius Stakes or an open race for adjustment, but on the other hand, it has no meaning beyond that. We had mock races almost every day during the training camp, so her race sense has been sharpened, not dulled.
Perhaps because of all the training at the camp, Urara, whose growth had been stagnant, was now growing noticeably again. However, it's not like she's growing at an explosive rate just by training, like she did when I first started training her.
Her growth rate is now within the normal range for an Uma Musume, but she's growing even more from a point where I thought she had reached her limit. And she's still continuing to grow.
What would happen if we had her run in a race for adjustment purposes, even if it's a G3 or an open race, while she's in such an unstable state?
(Knowing Urara, she'll probably run at full speed... It's one thing to run at full speed, but if she accidentally goes beyond her limit...)
I'm happy about Urara's growth, but she's in a somewhat unstable state right now. She's getting stronger today than yesterday, and stronger tomorrow than today. I can't tell her to hold back in a race, and Urara isn't good at holding back either.
It would be a disaster if she got injured in a race for adjustment purposes and couldn't run in her main G1 race. If her prize money was insufficient or she needed to win that race to be able to run in a G1 race, I would have her run, but Urara's prize money is already top-class for a dirt Uma Musume.
However, she hasn't put a lot of strain on her body, as she only ran in the February Stakes in late February and the Teio Sho in late June this year, and she will run in the JBC series in early November. Compared to King, the accumulated fatigue is probably night and day.
Of course, if she were to run in the JBC series in early November, the Champions Cup in early December, and the Tokyo Daishoten in late December in quick succession, it would put a strain on her, so this pace is just right to prevent injuries.
(If we skip the Champions Cup, it would be even less of a strain... I'll have to discuss that with Urara.)
Does she want to win the race, or does she want to beat Smart Falcon this time? I need to confirm her intentions on that.
Urara beat Smart Falcon in the Teio Sho, but Smart Falcon's body was in perfect shape at that time, while her mind was a mess. A win is a win, but it's a bit questionable whether it was a satisfying victory.
I thought about all of that, and then I smiled wryly as my chair creaked.
(Asking for a satisfying victory, huh... I've really come a long way.)
The days when I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to make Urara win feel like a lie. But now, Urara is undoubtedly one of the top-class dirt Uma Musume in the country. That's not overconfidence or conceit; it's an objective fact.
However, if you ask me if Urara is the strongest in her generation, I have to tilt my head. Many Uma Musume fans would probably say that Smart Falcon, who is the other half of the dirt racing world, is the strongest.
Her record is currently two wins and three losses, and she can't say that she's beaten a full-throttle, serious Smart Falcon.
But what about the current Smart Falcon? I saw her in the mock race at the training camp, and the precariousness she once had is gone. On the contrary, she seems to have had a mental breakthrough and is even tougher than before.
I'll confirm if Urara wants to beat the current Smart Falcon... No, Smart Falcon is special to her, too. The question is, which race will they fight in?
The JBC Sprint at 1200 meters, the JBC Ladies' Classic at 1800 meters, and the JBC Classic at 2000 meters. Also, the Champions Cup at 1800 meters and the Tokyo Daishoten at 2000 meters.
The JBC series is held on the same day, so there are three chances for them to clash in a G1 race this year. I don't think Smart Falcon will run in the JBC Sprint, so the JBC Ladies' Classic, which Smart Falcon won, would be the most recent race for them to clash.
Well, knowing Smart Falcon, she might also come looking for the race Urara is in, like she used to.
(And then there's King...)
She currently has four G1 wins, and while it's counting our chickens before they hatch, if she wins the autumn Senior Triple Crown, she will tie with Symboli Rudolf with seven G1 wins. If she wants to surpass her this year, she needs to win one more, and I'd like to have her run in the Sprinters Stakes. Any other G1 race would be too difficult because of the short interval between races. Well, having her run in the Sprinters Stakes is also quite a lot.
(Sprinters Stakes in late September, Tenno Sho (Autumn) in late October, Japan Cup in late November, and Arima Kinen in late December... Even though many G1 races are held during this period, there's a limit.)
Well, it might be easier than last year's schedule of the 1200-meter Sprinters Stakes, the 3000-meter Kikuka Sho, and the 1600-meter Mile Championship.
If I make her run in a G1 race every month from now on, I can't complain if King's fans throw raw eggs at me. But if King wants to, I also want to let her run as long as she doesn't get injured.
"So, King, do you want to run in the Sprinters Stakes?"
"I'll run."
When I asked her after school, she answered immediately. And she said, "I'll run," not "I want to run."
"If you do that, you'll be running in a G1 race every month. You don't have to push yourself so hard. You can still run in the Senior Grade next year, you know?"
"Are you sure? There's a possibility that the URA might make a request, and I'll have to move on to the Dream Series next year."
"That's... well, I can't say it's impossible, but..."
King is in middle school and just became a Senior Grade student this year. If she doesn't get injured, she can run for another three years.
King can run in all distances and has already won a G1 race in all distances. What would happen if King were to continue running in the Senior Grade for three more years?
(Excluding the G1 races held at the same time, the G1 races King can run in are... about 10 a year. Even if she wins one G1 race a year from now on, she'll still reach seven wins...)
In reality, she would probably avoid races that are held close to each other, so she would probably be able to safely run in six to seven G1 races a year.
And well, objectively speaking, is it even possible for King to continue running in the Senior Grade for three years?
Symboli Rudolf's seven G1 wins are still talked about as a legend. But King could win more than seven G1 races, even a double-digit number.
(As King said, is there a possibility that the URA might make a request next year?)
It might be fine at first. But if King were to continue winning G1 races, they might say something. Of course, there's the question of whether King can continue to win, but this girl is tough, and while she's at her peak now, her limit is still a long way off.
There's also the possibility that an unbelievably strong Uma Musume, even stronger than the Golden Generation, will appear next year and King won't be able to win anymore, but...
(Next year, it's Narita Brian, and the year after that, it's Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, and T.M. Opera O...)
But King can run in all distances, so if she only wants to increase her G1 wins, it's easy. She just has to run in G1 races where there are no strong rivals.
However, knowing King's personality, she would strongly refuse that. I also want her to compete with strong Uma Musume when she runs in a race. But it's not a given that a strong opponent will always show up.
(Wait... can she really run in the Senior Grade next year? Is this okay...? What if the URA tells us that if she achieves a certain level of results, she'll have to move on to the Dream Series from the next year?)
I don't want to think that the URA would do something like that, like the management taking measures to prevent someone from breaking the great records left behind by their predecessors, but nothing is absolute.
I'll think about that as well. How much of a strain would it be on King if she runs in the Sprinters Stakes and then the autumn Senior Triple Crown?
(We trained a lot during the summer training camp, so her stamina is better than before. Her body's toughness is guaranteed. Or rather, I'm not going to let her get injured in a random accident... The problem is fatigue.)
Team Canopus often runs twice in one month, but that's because the Canopus senpai are good at helping their Uma Musume recover from fatigue. Also, the members of Canopus are tough. Still, they sometimes get injured and have to rest, so it's not a guarantee that they'll be okay if you just help them recover from fatigue.
So, while I'll support King with all my might if she wants to challenge it, I'm also feeling a bit uneasy. Of course, I won't show it overtly.
However, King seemed to understand something from my expression and smiled softly.
"I'm happy that you're worried about me. But I want to take on this challenge. President Rudolf won four G1 races in the Classic Grade and three in the Senior Grade. I want to surpass that and prove that your King is the best Uma Musume."
"King..."
As King said, Symboli Rudolf's seven G1 wins were the result of four wins in the Classic Grade and three wins in the Senior Grade. And she won those three in her first year in the Senior Grade. In her second year and beyond, she tried to race overseas and came back with a sixth-place finish out of seven.
I believe that King can surpass Symboli Rudolf's seven G1 wins if she takes her time. But King only has a chance to surpass Symboli Rudolf in the true sense this year.
"Right... that's right... Let's challenge it."
"Yes."
King nodded with a satisfied expression at my answer.
And in late September.
King challenged the Sprinters Stakes for the second consecutive year and won, achieving her fifth G1 win.
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