"The exam lasts a total of two hours. If you need to use the restroom during the test, you may request a female trainer to accompany you. You are not permitted to leave on your own, and the use of communication devices is prohibited during the exam. Is that clear?"
In the room, a girl with a stylish black bob and bangs spoke.
Her captivating blue eyes, accentuated by a faint reddish eyeshadow, fixed upon the sole 'examinee' before her.
Even President Rudolf didn't know why there was an extra trainee exam today.
It had been five months since the last Tracen Academy trainer recruitment exam, and the next one wasn't due for another half a year.
Why arrange a special test just for this one person?
And the condition was even that, based on her test score, they would assign her a trainer to apprentice under.
There was simply no option for failing the exam!
Clearly, this person hadn't entered Tracen through the proper channels.
Yet, even the chairwoman had said that any position would do, as long as she could stay at Tracen...
Could she be from some influential family?
She looked very young and quite striking. At her age, she seemed more like a student than a teacher or trainer.
Since she was applying for a position at Tracen, that meant she must at least meet the age requirement.
Appearance not matching actual age... no, that's not relevant.
Air Groove shook her head.
Tracen was an institution where ability reigned supreme, for both Uma Musume and trainers alike.
Every year, hundreds applied to become trainers at Tracen, but only a handful ever made it in. Sometimes, not a single one succeeded, leaving the academy with no new hires for the entire year.
The exceptionally high bar cultivated batch after batch of elite trainers and raised a group of highly capable Uma Musume.
One could say Tracen honed itself and grew rapidly through this constant, competitive struggle.
And now, the academy was blatantly offering someone a backdoor entry?
Wasn't this just using connections to force unqualified dregs into Tracen?
It would completely lower the standard of education here.
And once you allowed it this time, who could guarantee there wouldn't be a next?
The teachers at Tracen had even refused to proctor the exam, pushing the task onto the student council.
Yielding to the chairwoman's request, Rudolf had reluctantly agreed to handle this dirty business.
'Honestly, I didn't want to come either...'
But if President Rudolf came herself, it would tarnish her image.
So, Air Groove decided to get her own hands dirty.
After explaining the rules to the girl before her, Air Groove asked, "Any other questions?"
"None."
"Good. Here are the test papers. Remember, don't exceed the time limit."
Handing over the file folder, Air Groove took a seat to the side.
'After all, someone who gets in through connections probably doesn't know much about Tracen's methods.'
Moreover, the exam content was the notoriously difficult staff trainee test. It wasn't just about scoring well; she might not even understand the questions.
How could she possibly know the proper procedures when an Uma Musume gets injured during training?
Or how to quantify training based on an Uma Musume's physical condition?
As for creating time-proportion charts—such complex knowledge—it would be a miracle if she had mastered it.
Air Groove held no expectations for her. One more or one less staff trainee made little difference.
Sitting nearby, she casually opened a book and began reading, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the girl who was writing furiously.
About half an hour passed, and the rapid tap-tap-tapping of the pen in the room never once ceased.
Another fifteen minutes later, the girl set aside a fully completed page of a simulated training schedule and, without looking up, moved on to the next question.
'So fast...'
Air Groove raised an eyebrow.
Most examinees usually took about an hour and a half to reach this point. She had used less than half that time.
'Is she just scribbling nonsense?'
'Maybe she thinks filling every blank is enough?'
Setting her book down, Air Groove stood up and walked unobtrusively to the girl's side, her eyes lightly scanning the answers.
'Assessing training intensity based on the Uma Musume's mental state, conducting tests before and after sessions to determine optimal training duration...'
Reading line after line of professional terminology and well-structured training plans, the look in Air Groove's eyes gradually began to change.
She remembered her own racing days, when her trainer had stayed up all night drafting her training schedules, detailing every hour of the day and even accounting for potential emergencies.
The simulated schedule this girl was writing gave her a feeling similar to those days with her trainer.
'Hmm... Perhaps she's not entirely useless?'
Her gaze drifted slightly to the name on the girl's paper, where she saw only a brief word.
[Silence]
Silence...?
Her name was Silence.
Finally, in less than half the time a normal exam would take, the girl organized the thick stack of answer sheets, checked for any oversights, and handed them to Air Groove.
"Your results will be notified within two days. The academy will arrange for you to apprentice under a designated trainer."
"All I need to do is wait?"
"Yes. Until then, please go to your dormitory."
"Dormitory?"
That's right. A dorm room had already been arranged before her scores were even confirmed.
'Such are the perks of backdoor entry.'
"Someone will come to fetch you shortly." Placing the exam papers back into the folder, Air Groove said, "Then, let me congratulate you in advance on joining Tracen, Miss Silence."
With that, Air Groove left the room.
'Welcome to Tracen.'
Even though she was intimately familiar with everything here, hearing those words spoken to her directly still stirred a strange feeling in her heart.
"Feels like infiltrating enemy territory, doesn't it?"
Sunday Silence's voice echoed in her ear.
"Indeed. I never thought 'I' would end up mingling among the trainees."
"True. Not a trainer, not a teacher, but a trainer's assistant—a middling position that's perfect for staying under the radar."
It was an ideal cover for hiding her identity.
And Agnes Tachyon had helped forge her papers. 'Silence' was the name she was using now.
Although she had once given the same false name to reporter Fujii, that didn't matter; he was the only one who knew.
"Finally, I can move freely within the academy."
Free from being pestered by Narita Brian one moment and Green Grass the next, she could now devote herself entirely to the races.
And with a more plausible identity, she could stay by Manhattan Cafe's side without worrying about her cover being blown.
Just as the girl was immersed in the relieved joy of it all, a knock sounded at the door.
Then, a girl with brown hair and orange eyes walked in.
The familiar face made the girl's eyes widen slightly.
"Are you the new staff trainee? Vice President Air Groove sent me."
The person approached her.
"Yes..."
"Really? I overheard from outside. Silence, right? Hello, I'm your new roommate." Extending a hand, she grasped the girl's. "I'm Belno Light. I look forward to working with you from now on!"
A warm, friendly smile spread across Belno Light's face.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.