Rice Shower had never known that McQueen's trainer existed in this world too.
No—a trainer for McQueen surely existed somewhere, but whether he'd actually entered Tracen Academy was another matter entirely.
And now the P standing before her spoke his mind directly: "Rice, would you let me be your temporary trainer for now?"
P had already braced himself for rejection. He knew his request was far too sudden. But he couldn't convince himself to just ignore Rice's situation.
Trainers existed to help horse girls achieve their dreams. It was the trainer's role to draw out every ounce of a horse girl's potential.
This was the philosophy P had always upheld—something his mentor had passed down to him.
His mentor once told him that using horse girls to make money wasn't shameful, but you had to fulfill your duty as a trainer.
If you just want to make money from races, if you just want to climb to higher positions, then choose horse girls who aren't that passionate about competition.
But if what you want is to reach that supreme domain—then you can't choose your first contracted horse girl carelessly.
Back then, P had asked his mentor: how should he choose his first contracted horse girl?
His mentor's answer was: Find the horse girl who moves your heart. Find the one you believe can absolutely win.
Don't worry about what others say. As long as you believe that horse girl will definitely win in the future, then without question, she's the contracted horse girl you've been searching for.
Following his mentor's advice, P had specifically trained his observation skills and perception. Trainers had various abilities too—like eyes that could visualize a horse girl's physical data, or the ability to assess running style compatibility through touching their legs. These weren't as powerful as horse girl skills, but they provided substantial support during training.
P was a generalist type, but he'd specifically honed his observation and perception.
That was why, even though humans theoretically couldn't sense the ZONE, he'd recognized Rice's extraordinary nature at first glance.
However, he hadn't developed data-visualization eyes, so he couldn't instantly read Rice's physical stats just by looking. It had taken months of observation to compile her physical profile.
And unlike McQueen's trainer from the first world, this world's P was younger. More mature than the P from the original world, but not yet a high-level trainer.
He was still just a junior trainer, and due to his humble origins, he didn't have much confidence in his own abilities.
Yet he'd still chosen to approach Rice. Because he knew that if he didn't make this decision now, he'd regret it for the rest of his life.
Because Rice was the horse girl he'd identified at first glance as "the one who can absolutely win." According to his mentor, a trainer might only encounter such a horse girl once in their entire lifetime.
He hadn't approached her before because he believed Rice deserved a better trainer. After all, he was just a junior trainer.
But now Rice had rejected every trainer's invitation, and he'd identified the problems holding her back. If he didn't act now, when would he ever act?
Rice's eyes went wide when she heard P's words. She hadn't expected McQueen's trainer to seek her out.
In the game, Team Sirius's trainer had indeed taken in Rice Shower. But she wasn't that worrisome original version.
"Why would you want to be Rice's trainer?" she asked curiously. "Is it because of Rice's current results?"
If that was the reason, she would absolutely refuse—just like she'd refused all those other trainers. Even if this was McQueen's trainer.
There was another important reason she avoided trainers: her misfortune constitution. Unlike the original, her misfortune affected those around her far more severely.
But because this was McQueen's trainer—a trainer McQueen herself had approved of—Rice couldn't deny that she was tempted.
She wasn't McQueen. Even with McQueen's memories, she couldn't do everything McQueen could.
So if she could really find a trainer who could help her, she would definitely become stronger. Rice understood this clearly.
But most trainers approaching her now only cared about her current performance—they sought her out because she was a horse girl who'd awakened the ZONE early.
Rice wasn't just worried her misfortune constitution would harm a trainer. She was also afraid her future performance would disappoint them, because she wasn't a true genius.
In terms of talent, she felt she might even fall short of the original Rice Shower. After all, the original wasn't as slow as her—unable to even master her own skill pool.
So once they discovered her true talent level, would those trainers who came for her current results end up disappointed?
Rice was terrified of seeing that look in their eyes. That was why she'd rather go without a trainer.
But having McQueen's memories meant she knew this young man well. If it was him, he probably wouldn't be disappointed in a horse girl on his team.
Hearing Rice's question, P blurted out instinctively: "I want to see you win your races! That's why I want to help you!"
Rice hadn't expected that answer. She felt a flutter of emotion for an instant, but more than that, something felt strange.
Because of McQueen's memories, she clearly recalled the trainer once saying that McQueen was his ideal horse girl.
Could it be that he's drawn to me because I carry McQueen's presence?
The moment that possibility occurred to her, that brief feeling of being moved turned sour.
But looking at the trainer's earnest expression, Rice knew she was tempted.
Because this was a trainer even McQueen had acknowledged.
With the world level elevated, who knew how strong trainers had become? Maybe he really could solve her problems.
"If it's just temporary..."
Rice couldn't resist the temptation of potentially growing stronger. This was partly influenced by her inherited memories—after all, P's training abilities had been unanimously recognized by all three predecessors.
In fact, if P hadn't been absent from the Demon King's and Teio's worlds, those two would have prioritized him when searching for trainers.
P was likely a "protagonist"-type existence. Even if he wasn't the protagonist, his demonstrated training abilities were top-tier.
The reason the first world's P hadn't been able to help much with McQueen's training was twofold: world level restrictions, and the fact that McQueen herself was an all-capable ojou-sama.
But this was a world that had leveled up twice.
Now that skills had become commonplace, even ordinary trainers could guide horse girls in learning skills. So what about trainers who were already exceptionally capable?
Just look at the "protagonist team's" situation. Even that Trainer Okino had managed to change the fates of Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio in this world.
"That's wonderful!"
P's excitement was palpable when Rice relented. His joy was completely genuine. But after the initial elation, he quickly caught himself.
"Oh no—Rice, you need to go take a hot bath right now, and you should probably take some cold medicine too. I'll come find you tomorrow."
"..."
Rice watched P hurry away, tilting her head in confusion. He hadn't even given her his contact information.
Still, his reminder was valid. She'd been caught in the rain, so she really did need to take care of herself.
She knew from McQueen's memories that if you didn't look after your body following intense training, you could easily fall ill.
Rice returned to the dormitory bathhouse for a hot bath, took some cold medicine, and then sank into deep sleep.
Perhaps due to her constitution, Rice woke the next morning in perfect condition—not sick at all despite yesterday's rain.
Her misfortune constitution should have struck at a moment like this, but faced with Rice's superhuman physique, even bad luck could no longer target her directly.
However, that morning, every student in the dormitory encountered minor mishaps—alarm clocks suddenly breaking, stubbing toes while getting out of bed, and so on.
Clearly, when Rice's misfortune constitution couldn't affect Rice herself, it began attacking everyone nearby indiscriminately.
Rice didn't know when the trainer would come find her, so she followed her usual routine of classes and special training.
She normally avoided the training grounds during peak hours—too crowded, and trainers had already claimed all the good spots. Instead, she typically trained outside campus: a long run first, then stair training at the shrine.
Unlike other competitors, she didn't need much endurance or strength training. So she sought out locations that targeted specific skill characteristics. Running up and down stairs helped her master uphill and downhill skills faster.
As the sun began to set during her training, P's figure finally appeared before her.
"Trainer?"
Rice could see the exhaustion on P's face. He'd clearly pushed himself to do something strenuous, and if her intuition was right, it had something to do with her.
P's complexion was haggard—the fatigue of someone who hadn't slept well—but his eyes sparkled with color, his face filled with joy.
"Rice, here's the training plan I put together. I noticed you've been practicing some kind of explosive skill. I hope this plan can help you."
"Trainer, you've been busy with this the whole time?"
"...There's not much time left, right? So I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. Do you still have energy to continue training today?"
"Mm, Rice can keep going!"
"Then let's go. For that skill of yours, we'll need a special training location."
Rice followed P to this special location—a sandy beach by the sea. This was the place P had determined was most suitable for training her skill.
The conditions weren't ideal though. The sand here wasn't soft enough.
But it would suffice. Rice wasn't learning a skill from scratch—she'd already acquired it and just needed to increase her proficiency to truly master it.
Rice felt the texture of the sand beneath her feet and suddenly understood. She looked at the trainer with admiration.
He saw me activate that skill just once and immediately thought of the perfect training ground. As expected of a trainer!
"Ideally, we'd do parallel running drills, but... I'm sorry, I couldn't find a suitable partner."
P had actually invited quite a few students today, but as a mere junior trainer, he couldn't attract much attention.
At Central Tracen Academy, junior trainers had about the same status as errand boys—their only privilege was free access to the training grounds.
There were some agreeable students he could have invited, but they either already had trainers or weren't suitable for parallel running with Rice.
Parallel running required opponents of similar ability. Slightly stronger or weaker was fine, but the gap couldn't be too large.
Finding a suitable partner was too difficult, and even if he found one, P's current rank wouldn't be enough to bring them on board.
"It's okay, Trainer. Even with solo training, with your training plan, Rice will master that skill!"
With a clear direction, the rest was just a matter of practice. Rice had absolute confidence in this regard.
When it came to effort alone, she could confidently say she wouldn't lose to anyone.
This wasn't just mindset—it was also her talent. She'd already noticed she possessed the physical gifts to sustain high-intensity training.
Over the following days, Rice trained with P on the beach every day.
The experience inherited from her predecessors proved invaluable. Rice quickly mastered the techniques for running on sand and gradually developed the ability to maintain her balance.
Then came the actual skill training. The main reason Rice had failed to master that skill before was insufficient balance.
The skill's effect was to convert willpower into speed. In that state, attention focused intensely on a single point. For someone as naturally clumsy as Rice, running in this state made it easy to lose balance. But if she trained balance control into instinct, she wouldn't be affected even while using the skill.
Finally, on the night before Satsuki Sho, Rice completely mastered the skill.
Watching Rice sprint across the sand, that brilliant prismatic light trailing behind her, P's smile couldn't have been brighter.
Success!
...
"The spring Satsuki Sho—the first crown of the Classic races—is finally about to begin."
"The most anticipated competitors are undoubtedly these two."
"In second place for popularity, competitor Rice Shower. Though she's garnered slightly less attention than today's star, her ability is no less impressive."
Rice emerged from the competitor tunnel in her racing outfit. Her pitch-black aura instantly intimidated every other competitor present. Her eyes blazed with the determination to win.
Her gaze swept to the spectator seats, quickly finding P. Even if just for the trainer who'd spent these days training alongside her—she absolutely could not lose this race!
Fierce energy surged around Rice. Despite the clear weather, everyone felt as though the sky had suddenly darkened.
Taiki Shuttle, who'd been cheerfully interacting with the audience, suddenly sensed Rice's presence. She glanced back, and her smile instantly transformed into dread.
She was happy to be competing in Satsuki Sho, but still—the thought of facing Rice and Mihono Bourbon made her stomach hurt.
And today, Rice's aura seemed even stronger than before.
"And now, today's star makes her entrance. Currently undefeated at four wins, competitor Mihono Bourbon."
"In her previous race, Mihono Bourbon proved her strength by finishing with a massive lead over second place!"
"But we wonder—facing her first mid-distance track today, will Mihono Bourbon be able to maintain her performance?"
Mihono Bourbon entered with her usual expressionless demeanor, only briefly glancing toward Rice in the corner.
"Remember, Bourbon—pay special attention to that Black Assassin in this race. Don't let yourself fall within her pursuit range."
This was the tactical instruction her Master had given her. Even though Mihono Bourbon had never paid much attention to other opponents, today she took special note of the Black Assassin who currently shared her reputation. She'd watched Rice's races before, but only now, sharing the same competitive ground, did she realize just how formidable this opponent truly was.
But no matter who my opponent is, I will win.
...
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