"Relax. It's fine."
Kuroha looked at the four stiff little girls and did his best to make his voice sound as gentle as possible.
But the four young Umamusume still stood ramrod straight, like four little saplings facing into the wind.
Only Nice Nature, in the brief moments when she lowered her eyes, secretly glanced at him.
Beyond the nervousness, there was also a trace of curiosity hidden in those eyes.
There was still a bit of distance between him and the four girls, which made the conversation feel somewhat awkward at first.
But that awkwardness did not last very long.
With Teio, whose energy seemed truly endless, constantly livening up the atmosphere at the side, the four girls gradually relaxed as well.
As they chatted while waiting for the race to begin, they slowly realized that this supposedly intimidating trainer was not nearly as stern or hard to approach as they had imagined.
Not only was he mild-mannered, he was also incredibly knowledgeable, and he even had his own unique insights into plenty of things outside his profession.
Before long, everyone was chatting happily.
"Teio, Teio!"
At the side, Twin Turbo suddenly planted her hands on her hips and grinned at Teio, showing off a cute little tiger tooth.
"Do you know what day today is?"
"Today?"
Teio froze for a second, laughter flickering in her eyes, but still pretended not to understand. She rubbed her chin and struck a thinking pose.
"The special sale day for carrot honey bread?"
"Nope! Totally wrong!"
Twin Turbo complained, then held up a finger.
"Here's a hint: Twin... Tur... bo!"
"Oooh..."
Teio thought for a moment, the small chestnut horse ears atop her head twitching slightly, then let out a sigh.
"Then it must be the day Twin Turbo buys carrot honey bread for me!"
"No, no!"
Twin Turbo crossed her arms in dissatisfaction.
"Why does it have to be Twin Turbo treating you every time?!"
"Ehehe~"
Seeing Twin Turbo getting a little worked up, Teio finally covered her mouth and laughed softly.
How could she possibly have forgotten that her good friend had finally won her debut race yesterday?
Teio might seem a little mischievous and black-hearted sometimes, but when it came to companions and friends, she was genuinely very caring.
She was nowhere near as much of a devil as some people thought.
The moment she realized Teio still remembered her debut win, Twin Turbo immediately beamed and happily hugged Teio's arm.
"Hmph hmph, you got it right!"
Nearby, Yamanin Zephyr, K.S. Miracle, Nice Nature, and Kuroha all watched Teio's slightly black-hearted little performance and could only shake their heads with helpless smiles.
"Like a spring breeze brushing across the water, then playfully stirring up ripples. Teio is both a gale without equal and a warm breeze that puts one at ease~"
With one hand over her chest, Zephyr spoke in her usual gentle tone.
"Huh? Am I really like that many things?"
Teio scratched her head in confusion.
"Mm, sometimes after Teio takes a bath, she really does smell a bit like body wash. Nice and sweet."
"..."
K.S. Miracle pressed her lips together, trying hard not to laugh, though her shoulders were already trembling.
"Mmm... everyone's getting along so well. That's really nice."
Nice Nature looked at her friends at the side and quietly let out a little sigh, but soon clenched her small fist.
"Yeah. I can't afford to drag everyone down either."
...
As the races below continued one after another, Kuroha checked the time, then turned to Teio and said,
"Teio, it's about time. Let's head to the prep room first."
"Hm? Is it already?"
Teio immediately jumped to her feet in excitement and waved goodbye to her four friends.
"Then I'm heading off first. You all better watch Lady Teio's glorious victory properly!"
Twin Turbo leaned lazily against her seat and waved a hand casually.
If there was one Umamusume of the same generation who had the most confidence in Tokai Teio, it was undoubtedly Twin Turbo herself.
"Teio, good luck!" Nice Nature cheered, clenching her fist.
Zephyr and K.S. Miracle also offered their well-wishes one after another.
"Hehe, don't worry. I'm invincible!"
Teio flashed a huge peace sign at everyone, then turned and left with Kuroha for the competitors' prep room.
...
The corridor leading there was very long.
Teio kept walking ahead of Kuroha, occasionally spinning in a circle, occasionally walking backward so she could keep chatting with him.
She was so full of energy it was like she would never run out.
Hummm...
The warm afternoon sunlight slanted down through the high windows, coating her chestnut hair in a pale golden glow.
It made the lively, charming little Umamusume look even more adorable.
Kuroha quietly listened as she rambled on about things like how she was going to sprint later, whether Nature and the others would be shocked, and what she wanted to eat after winning.
Every now and then, he would answer with a word or two.
After changing into her warm-up gear in the prep room, the two of them slowly made their way down the passage leading to the competitors' tunnel.
Soon, they reached the entrance.
Kuroha stopped and said with a small smile, "All right, Teio. Be good and in the stands..."
"Trainer."
Suddenly, the girl called out to stop him just as he was about to leave.
Kuroha blinked slightly.
There, at the boundary between the light and shadow of the entrance, Teio stood still.
Half of her was bathed in the corridor lights, while the other half was hidden in the tunnel's shade.
The cheerful smile she usually wore was gone.
In its place was calm determination, as if something deep within her was burning.
"Trainer."
The girl spoke softly, and her eyes seemed to blaze with scorching fire.
That light was so dazzling that, for a fleeting instant, Kuroha almost thought he could see the wings of a phoenix flickering within it.
"I'm going to become an incredibly, incredibly strong Umamusume."
"Stronger than anyone."
"...Teio...?"
Kuroha frowned slightly, not immediately understanding why Teio was saying this now.
"The Chairwoman is no longer my goal."
Teio spoke each word clearly, her voice calm, as if she had thought this through long ago.
"I'm going to surpass the girls who came before me. McQueen, that Star, all of them. I'm going to surpass them."
She raised her head and looked straight into Kuroha's eyes.
There was no confusion in those eyes. No hesitation. Only the sharp, unstoppable edge that belonged to Teio alone.
"My dream now is..."
"To stand unrivaled beneath the heavens!"
"I'm going to become the strongest Umamusume in the world and make history remember my name forever!"
"..."
Kuroha looked at her quietly.
The one standing in front of him was no longer that childish little girl from last year, the one who had only just gone through True Blooming.
That immaturity was fading away, replaced by a heroic edge, by the bearing of a true top-tier Umamusume.
After a long moment, Kuroha slowly let out a breath and replied with a soft smile,
"Yeah. Of course I believe in you, Teio."
He reached out and rubbed the head of this serious, determined little "kitten" in front of him.
Only after petting her until her cheeks turned faintly red did some of that overwhelming aura finally melt away, revealing the warm softness underneath.
"Then."
Kuroha withdrew his hand and looked at her seriously.
"Go sound the opening battle of your Classic year."
"And grind all those voices of doubt beneath your feet."
"Mm!"
Teio nodded hard.
She took a deep breath, turned around, and prepared to head deeper into the tunnel.
But almost immediately, Kuroha's voice rang out from behind her again, tinged with amusement.
"It's fine to be jealous of McQueen. But Star's still so young. Getting jealous of her already is a little too early, Teio~"
If Teio had merely been making a vow in front of him, saying something to steel her resolve, Kuroha could understand that.
But when she suddenly mentioned Star at the end, someone she had only met once, yet someone Kuroha clearly liked and had high hopes for, he more or less understood what was going on in this restless little Umamusume's heart.
"Skid."
At those words, the girl nearly stumbled out of her straight-backed posture.
Her little face went bright red as she turned around and shot her trainer a pouty look.
"I... I'm not... jealous..."
After protesting in a stammer, Teio whipped her head back around.
"I'm going to race now!"
She trotted off with quick, lively steps, her ponytail swinging in a flustered arc through the air.
Very soon, she disappeared into the depths of the tunnel.
...
Kuroha stood there for a while.
Only after a long moment did he sigh and rub his forehead.
Why did it feel like all of his girls were so precocious?
Had something gone wrong with his upbringing?
He shook his head and turned toward the stands.
(End of Chapter)
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