Struggling, she reached out and turned off the weight setting on her bracelets.
Instantly feeling as light as a feather, Starlight scrambled up from the ground.
"Good grief, I almost saw the pearly gates. If I could actually move freely under Level 6 weights... wouldn't I basically be a monster?"
After catching her breath, she looked down and froze.
Her body shape was perfectly imprinted into the dirt, etched in like a piece of traditional movable-type printing.
If someone laid down some yellow caution tape and traced her in white chalk, it could easily pass for a crime scene.
After steadying her breathing, Starlight went through her warm-up routine once more. This time, she cautiously switched to Level 1.
The moment it activated, she could clearly feel her legs grow significantly heavier. She lifted her left foot slightly, it felt manageable, not too strenuous.
"Alright, let's begin..."
Even at Level 1, after half a day of training, Starlight was splayed out on the ground, gasping for air. Her toes felt like they were trembling, shaking uncontrollably.
Her bangs, soaked with sweat, were plastered to her forehead. Her entire body felt as if it were burning up in a furnace.
She hadn't felt much at the start, but as time went on, the physical feedback became incredibly intense.
Unfortunately, there were no recovery potion rewards today, so the soreness she'd feel when waking up tomorrow was all too predictable.
Lying on an open patch of grass off the track, Starlight raised a hand to block out the sun, but the piercing light still seeped through to her eyes.
"So hot... so tired... I feel like I'm going to throw up."
Forcing down the waves of discomfort, Starlight used the last shred of her strength to deactivate the weights.
In an instant...
It was as if she had fallen into a cool spring. A sense of ease and coolness flooded her entire body. Closing her eyes, Starlight actually drifted off into a nap right there on the grass.
"Starlight? Why are you lying down again... honestly, this girl has no sense of moderation when she trains herself."
The speaker was Inami, who had just rushed over. They had originally agreed to meet in the afternoon, but Inami felt it was better to come early. As soon as she finished her tasks, she hurried over.
Looking at the scene of the girl collapsed on the ground, drenched in sweat and exhausted, Inami's heart felt conflicted.
She wanted to move her to the shade, but she lacked the physical strength to carry her.
Instead, she grabbed a parasol, opened it nearby, and sat down on the grass.
She gently rested Starlight's head on her lap.
Inami was wearing a short skirt, and her thighs were soon covered by the girl's sweat-soaked hair. Despite the slight discomfort, she didn't pull away. Instead, she reached out and softly brushed aside Starlight's bangs.
She looked down at that fully revealed, cute little face with a serious expression.
Since it was only a light nap, Starlight woke up before long. She opened her golden eyes to see Inami's pretty face looking down at her with a gentle smile.
"Eh, Trainer? Why are you here? Didn't we agree on the afternoon?"
Seeing that she was trying to get up, Inami placed a hand gently on Starlight's forehead, making her lie back down.
"That's right. Didn't we agree on the afternoon?"
The two of them stared at each other for a long time before simultaneously breaking into laughter.
"Hahaha..."
A young girl's laughter is as pleasant as a silver bell, and when paired with the vibrant energy of midsummer, the sound becomes incredibly infectious. Around the two girls under the parasol, it felt as if dreamlike, warm white bubbles were floating in the air.
When the laughter subsided, Starlight looked seriously into the purple eyes behind Inami's glasses. She took a deep breath and spoke.
"Trainer, do you think I can become a Graded-race Uma? Can I take the Triple Crown? Can I become the best in the world?"
As the words fell, the atmosphere turned quiet. With a gentle breeze fluttering through Inami's black hair and the sound of cicadas rising in the background, she asked a question in return.
"Do you want the lie or the truth?"
Starlight rubbed her chin, her star-shaped pupils flickering as she spoke with a smile.
"The lie first..."
"You can do it."
It was the answer Starlight expected.
"I knew it... and then the truth is that I'm just daydreaming, right?"
Slowly shaking her head, Inami rejected the answer Starlight had tried to jump the gun on. Instead, she spoke with a face full of smiles and pride.
"I believe... that you can do it!"
Starlight was currently hesitating, not even daring to guarantee her performance in the next race. Yet, when faced with even more delusional and grander boasts, her trainer answered with such unwavering certainty.
They say that "Swift Uma Musume are common, but a true judge of Uma Musume is rare."
In this case, the reverse was true, the Trainer before her had found her Uma.
Even if reality suggested this Uma might not have the capacity to be world-class, Inami remained firm in her heart, believing Starlight was the racer she had been waiting for all this time.
'Waiting for a mediocre Extra like me... waiting even when people forget what I look like or what my name is.'
'She really is a weirdo.'
"Well then... let's get back to it, Trainer."
"Aren't you going to rest a bit longer?"
"I've rested long enough. It's time to start running."
Standing up, Starlight slowly walked onto the training track. After a brief warm-up, she looked back at Inami, who was watching her from the sidelines. A smile played on her lips.
She placed her hand on the weighted bracelet.
'I'm no Elite Racer, and she might not be a a Elite Trainer... but since she believes I can do it, then I ought to make her a true Elite Trainer.'
She clicked the weight up to Level 2.
This was the maximum pressure she could currently endure while maintaining her form. Even without any recovery potions, even if she might struggle to walk tomorrow, she had to give it her all to win the upcoming race.
Setting aside all other factors, there was one thing:
Since becoming an Uma Musume, she had discovered... the purest love for running.
She pushed off hard. The heavy force left deep imprints on the turf. Her power even sent clumps of earth and pebbles flying.
Under the continuous strain of Level 2 training, Starlight's overall stats began to show significant improvement. But there was a price to pay.
Whether it was during class, meals, or sleeping, her daily life became extremely difficult. Her legs were sore and weak, sometimes she would even trip and fall for no reason.
Though she suffered some bumps and bruises, fortunately, none of them were serious.
Finally, it was three days before the race.
The competing Uma Musume entered their relaxation period to ensure they would be in peak condition for the event. That night, thanks to some simple dialogue options that popped up, Starlight finally obtained the Recovery Fluid she had been longing for.
With trembling legs, she made her way to the bedside. Clutching the recovery fluid, she was overcome with emotion.
"Awesome! Finally! I've been waiting for you~!! Thank goodness... I didn't give up!!!"
After her dramatic outburst, she downed the recovery fluid. By the next day, her physical condition would return to its peak.
She flopped backward onto the bed, so moved she almost cried.
"These last few days have been hell. Thank god it's all over tomorrow, waaaah..."
Along with her physical recovery, she had also finalized her tactical strategy. It was determined based on her data testing.
Starlight's Pace Chaser aptitude was A, Late Surger was B, while Front Runner and End Closer were both F.
There was no point even thinking about those last two.
"You have to do your best, Starlight! We can't stay a background character forever, right?"
Time flew by, and the day of the race arrived.
Under Inami's lead, Starlight finally arrived at the venue— Nakayama Racecourse.