I wonder if this is what they call the "soothing breeze."
For a fleeting moment, the fresh, vibrant air of May enveloped me.
"Pooouuuh!!!"
The one who blew that refreshing air away was none other than our King of Otaku, Deji-tan.
Today, I had come to the training grounds for a certain reason, but from the moment Deji-tan stepped into the spectator seats, she had been letting out wild cries. Her incredible observational skills were entirely devoted to her fan activities, leaving no opportunity for her to miss anything precious.
"Did you see that just now?! The teammate quickly snatched the bottle another girl was drinking from, gave her a teasing smile, took a sip of the drink… and then immediately turned around as if hiding something… covering her bright red face with her hands!! …Ahh! I see! That's exactly what it is! What the hell, that's way too lethal… ah, ah, ah, ah…"
"Maybe she wanted attention and teased her, but then got embarrassed afterward… Ah, she's dead…"
She's still dying in awe with that expression. Today, too, Deji-tan is in top form.
But there's something more important to focus on right now.
"Hey, you need to watch carefully. You're going to use this as a reference for choosing your team, right?"
"Yes, yes… that's right… To choose a team, I first need to know various things about it… Hah!? If I join that team, I could constantly watch the sublime interactions of the Uma Musume!? But if I'm there, maybe the other girls won't be able to concentrate on practice… Ugh… but I don't want to give up on debuting! What should I dooo~!!"
At Tracen Academy, Uma Musume are generally assigned to a team.
Except for a few exceptions, teams usually consist of five or more Uma Musume, where they receive various benefits including specialized training from a dedicated trainer. One of these benefits is being able to register for races.
In other words, when Deji-tan says she doesn't want to give up on debuting, it's because without belonging to a team, she can't participate in races.
"Haah… I wonder if there's a team somewhere that's perfect for an otaku like me…"
"You could probably do well in any team… but it won't hurt to choose carefully."
A talent with a versatile running style that can adapt to any battlefield would be coveted by any team. But that also means having too many choices. Deji-tan seems quite indecisive.
As for me… I can handle both turf and dirt and have a wide range of distance aptitude, but I can't compare to Deji-tan.
Moreover, I've already decided I'll join the same team as Deji-tan. There's no doubt in my mind.
"In any case, we still have time. You can think about it slowly… your troubled face is super cute, so I hope you'll stay indecisive for at least another six months… hehe…"
"…! No, I'll decide quickly! Hesitation will only kill me! Yes!"
"Oh… okay."
She stepped back. Sad.
"Teams, huh…"
After the end-of-class bell, I walked out into the hallway and muttered to myself without thinking.
Ever since talking to Deji-tan about teams, the topic has constantly lingered in the back of my mind.
It's been a month since I entered Tracen Academy. Some of my classmates have already joined teams.
But since I plan to join Deji-tan's team, I'm neither anxious nor troubled about that. In fact, I'm excited.
What interests me isn't myself, but the teams I saw in my previous life.
Within the academy, the name "Team Regil" comes up frequently.
Regil, renowned as the strongest team at Tracen Academy, is essentially the rival team to Team Spica, which the anime protagonists belonged to.
Spica, home to Special Week in the first season, Tokai Teio in the second, and the familiar Golshi-chan, has a relaxed, free-spirited environment under a laissez-faire trainer. In contrast, Regil is a highly disciplined and rational team under the strict guidance of trainer Hana Tojo, a team of top-tier talent.
Two completely opposite teams. The trainers are also polar opposites, yet they are each other's greatest confidants… Ah, that's so good.
In the anime, there were scenes where they went out drinking and vented to each other, and the trust between them, the indescribable emotional depth, was beautifully depicted.
I love Uma Musume. Not just the species, but the meaning it holds for someone like me with memories from a previous life.
In other words, trainers are precious too! That's what I want to say.
Well, Deji-tan probably won't join Spica or Regil, so I won't either. But I still want to see in person those numerous precious scenes I saw in the anime.
…Hmm, if I use Golshi-chan skillfully, I could…
"…Hey, Aurora. I have something I want to ask you."
"Hmm… Live Spica… huh? …Scarlet. What is it?"
It was Daiwa Scarlet, the tsundere of Team Spica. Behind her is also Vodka.
"I want your opinion on what you just muttered… about teams, various things…"
"Why are you asking me about… teams?"
"Well… it's just… by chance…"
She fidgeted as I asked, her cheeks turning red, fingers moving nervously. Very cute. I like it.
"Haa… Scarlet wants to maintain her honor student persona. In class, I'm the only one who knows her true nature, and she wants advice from someone like you, who's smart, on picking a team."
"Oh, I see…!"
What a precious creature. Balancing her cute pride of maintaining the honor student image and the fierce pride of wanting to be number one in races, she came to me caught in the middle.
Vodka points it out, and Scarlet's face quickly turns bright red. …This is starting. Something precious.
"Wha, Vodka!? What are you saying all of a sudden!"
"Heh! That reaction means I hit the mark, Scarlet! You don't have anyone else you can talk to honestly, so you came to Aurora, didn't you?"
"Muah! …You're the one without friends! You act all cool and delinquent, so you don't have anyone to talk to in class, and that's why you followed me!"
"Ugh… S-shut up! You idiot! Fool!"
"You're hitting the mark too! You carrot-brain!"
…!
Yes, yes! Just as expected, this couple doesn't disappoint! Their heated bickering brings their faces so close that even their eyelashes almost touch!
And the "carrot-brain"! To hear that live… What even is that…! Too cute! Scarlet's vocabulary for insults is hopelessly lacking!
…Not the time to be impressed. Their public squabble right next to me draws too much attention. I need to stop them for now.
"Calm down, both of you… You're fighting even though you came to me for a reason."
"Ah… sorry. …Yes, the main topic is here, but Vodka…"
"Ah!? You started it first, Scarlet…"
"Alright, alright. Let's move on. …So, this is about teams, right?"
I restrained Vodka and steered the conversation back on track.
The two of them… honestly, the team they will join is already decided. In the anime, they appeared as members of Spica.
…Always aware of each other, training seriously for themselves and each other, and supplying immense preciousness, they are indispensable to Spica.
I don't know exactly when, but they will surely join Spica. Drawn by posters saying something like, "Join Team Spica – perfect for you!"
So, there's no need for me to intervene.
"…It's important to choose your team carefully, but in the end, you decide. Follow your intuition, that's all I can say."
"Such a simple conclusion. I was expecting more… like analyzing personality, running style, and reasoning…"
"…Follow your own path! That's cool."
"Yes. The best way is to decide your path simply, yourself."
Follow her own quirky sense, attracted by those flashy posters. Spica really isn't the same without these two.
…Still, truly mysterious. Strange taste. I like Spica, but I don't understand the trainer's or these two's taste at all.
"…Thanks. I'll do as you say… follow my intuition."
"Me too! I'll seize the future with my own hands! Cool! …See you, Aurora!"
"Yeah, see you."
Watching their departing backs, I gradually felt the emotion swelling inside me.
…Spica, here I come!!
Alright! Let's go to Golshi-chan!
"So… here we are, in front of the clubroom… just kidding."
Since Deji-tan isn't beside me, my voice drifted away with the wind.
She's training right now, so I'm quietly hiding near Spica's clubroom by myself.
At Tracen Academy, each team has a separate clubroom in a different building.
So, I'm hiding in nearby bushes, waiting for someone from Spica to pass by.
…I wonder what state Spica is in now.
In the anime, there were depictions of Spica's condition before the story began.
Due to the trainer's laissez-faire approach—which some might call neglect—members kept quitting. I know that.
And amidst all that, Golshi-chan alone stayed. Usually so lively, she turns into a reliable, impressive figure when needed. That's Golshi-chan. I like her.
Now, in reality, Spica exists, but what is it like now? Are the members…
"Oh, what a fine thigh…! This… amazing! Incredible potential… soft and plump… able to run on both turf and dirt… a true raw gem!"
"…"
Calm down, Aurora. Be cool.
…This person is someone I know. Only he would talk so technically while touching thighs.
Spica's trainer.
"…H-hey! What's your name?!"
He asked seriously while still holding my leg.
…What to do.
Watching was one thing, but being touched like this… I can understand why someone would want to kick back.
In the anime, Uma Musume sometimes—no, often—kicked him, and he was fine… Should I do it?
No, their legs are way too strong… I have to be careful… here!
"Seii!!"
I grabbed his leg, jumped backward, trapping his neck with my foot like a piggyback! But keeping the momentum, I fell backward onto the ground, hands touching down! Then, pivoting like a backflip! He still holds my leg! So my body soars smoothly into the air!
"Take this! Leg Back Drop!"
"Chowabaaah!!"
Ha… nailed it…!
At the end, I supported his shoulder with my foot, leaving only facial pain enough to cause a nosebleed and the fear of one rotation. No major injuries.
"Ughhh…!!"
He's still alive. Slowly getting up, groaning… like a zombie.
"Phew… interesting… a non-kick method, first time…"
"You've been kicked before…"
Is he really human? Suspicious.
From what he says, he's been kicked many times. His nose was bleeding seconds ago, now stopped, skin back to normal, and he even has candy in his mouth. Maybe you have to abandon humanity to be a trainer.
"Are you a vampire? Or some dark clan?"
"What!? I'm human! I'm a trainer for Team Spica. And your name?"
"Aurora Frigate. Call me Aurora, Ameman-san."
"Wait, did you just say Ameman-san?"
In the anime, Spica's trainer's real name isn't revealed, and this guy didn't either. I'm not joining Spica, so I can't call him trainer, and calling him "Spica's trainer" is too long.
…He always has candy, so… Ameman it is.
"Well, the name doesn't matter. …Aurora, you're not joining Team Spica…?"
"I'm not."
"…Come on!!"
Before he finished, he dropped to his knees, bowing his head desperately. Sorry, but I'm not joining Spica.
"…Sorry! I can't answer your feelings… I'm a student, you're a trainer… This really shouldn't happen!"
"Don't put it that way!? It's just an invitation to the team, nothing wrong—Goffaah!!"
Suddenly, he was hit from the side and flew. Spinning, drawing a red line in the air, then thudding down.
In the spot he was bowing moments ago stood a silver-maned gray Uma Musume, just having delivered a dropkick.
"Oi, trainer! You really did it! Touching an innocent girl… I didn't think you'd do that… I'm disappointed… hey, are you okay…?"
Golshi-chan suddenly froze, looking at me. Somehow, her face seems to be losing color.
"Hey, Golshi-chan. That was a pretty sharp kick."
"Gah, Aurora! It was you…"
"Gah? What's that?"
"So, you two already know each other… Then Golshi, tell him too. I really want him to join our team."
"Oi, really trainer? You should do some research first…? Also, Aurora will never join us."
Exactly, Golshi-chan. She knows my feelings for Deji-tan perfectly.
"Golshi-chan is right… Your hands were… invasive, but it's not that I dislike you. It's just that what I want to do can't be done in Spica. That's all."
"Oi, watch your words! Golshi's ready to kick again! It's pretty painful, you know!?"
"…Choose your words carefully, perverted trainer. Otherwise, Golshi-chan's kick will ignite!"
Even though Uma Musume's strength isn't a joke, he gets away with "pretty painful"? This guy is extraordinary.
"Sigh… fine. I won't force you… but if you ever change your mind, come to me. I'll always accept you."
After the silly exchange, he scratched his cheek. …But I won't join Spica. I'd rather watch from the outside.
"…I probably won't, but I'm coming here to admire Golshi-chan and the others, so please take care."
"Admire…?"
"You'll understand later, trainer. …Aurora. By the way, there's something I haven't told you."
"Something you haven't told me?"
Golshi-chan nodded seriously, walked to Spica's clubroom, and opened the door.
"I'm the only one in our team right now."
"Oh…"
From the empty room, a lonely wind blew toward me.
Spica now is after everyone else has quit. …No wonder he was desperate enough to bow down.
"Hey, Aurora…"
At night, in our room.
Golshi-chan, who had been silently facing me, spoke my name under the moonlight.
She had taken off her usual headgear, hair down, wearing a black tank top.
"I said it before, but I'm the only one in Spica. …If no Uma Musume come, the team will collapse. So…"
Golshi-chan…
She would stay behind even alone. She really loves Spica.
Her saintliness within me rises. She hasn't been her usual lively self lately, which makes it even more so.
But I still want to join the same team as Deji-tan, sorry.
"…Sorry. But a team with such a good trainer will surely attract members. I can guarantee it… I even know two girls who might join soon."
Vodka and Scarlet.
From today's conversation, I imagine they'll soon join Spica.
"…I see. Then I'll be the senior here. I need to get it together! That's more like Golshi-chan!"
"Yeah, Golshi-chan looks best when she's smiling."
…Knowing that they will join Spica, I feel no urgency.
Instead, I'm thinking about Golshi-chan.
…What a goddess.
Silvery hair illuminated slightly by moonlight, lips as delicate as cherry petals!
And the black tank top creates a contrast that highlights her precious face! Too beautiful!
Her serious expression makes her shine even more divinely, my eyes almost overwhelmed.
A different charm from her smile drives me crazy.
Ah, the roommate is a divine beauty. Perfect!