It's April. And with April comes the start of the new fiscal year.
In the world, it's a turning point: new employees join companies, "shining first-graders" start school, and students move up a grade.
Although Rice finished in 3rd place in the Osaka Hai the other day, we don't have time to be down.
Urara's schedule is packed: if her next race is the Fukunaga Stakes, it's in early April; if it's the Tango Stakes, it's in late April.
Rice also has the spring Tenno Sho in late April, so we need to decide how to manage the interval between her races.
Currently, both Urara and Rice are more fired up than ever. Urara has learned the bitterness of defeat, and Rice's loss to Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen has fueled her with an unprecedented passion for training.
Rice's enthusiasm, in particular, is incredible. Perhaps feeling responsible for her loss at the Osaka Hai, she's pushing me for a training regimen that could easily lead to overwork.
While I welcome her enthusiasm, I have to refuse a training load that could cause injury. I absolutely cannot allow her to risk re-injuring herself, especially now that her muscle balance is finally in order. This is one line I refuse to cross.
Seriously, I really appreciate her dedication. But I have to draw the line at her trying to sneak out of the dorm for extra training after a grueling session.
It's gotten so bad that I've had to ask Hishi Amazon, the head of the Miho dorm, to exchange contact information with me so she can let me know if Rice tries to go out for a late-night session.
I'd previously allowed Rice to do her own training now that her body was in better shape, but I'm pushing her so hard during our afternoon sessions that she has no energy left. If she were to do even more, she'd risk injury, so I've had to forbid her from doing extra training again.
With less than a month until the spring Tenno Sho, I understand why Rice is so anxious, but it would be a disaster if she got injured from increasing her training.
Urara is also training harder than before. Since her body isn't as developed as Rice's, pushing her to her limit during training leaves her with no energy for extra sessions.
However, I recently received an angry phone call from King because Urara sometimes falls asleep without even taking a bath after I drop her off at the dorm. She eats a lot for dinner, and apparently the full feeling makes her drowsy.
As a result, it's become King's daily routine to wake up a sleepy Urara and take a bath with her. I'll have to bring her some gifts to apologize for the trouble.
I'm trying to train Urara as hard as possible without causing injury, but she still seems to have no energy left for her daily life.
Although she gets muscle aches, she's usually not tired the next day, so the training volume should be fine... but should I reduce it? No, this is the most difficult but also the most crucial time for her growth. Once she gets through this, she'll have more stamina. And when she does, I'll increase the load even more.
So, in short, despite the start of a new school year, I'm working just as hard—if not harder—to train Urara and Rice.
Any free time I have is spent researching their rivals, coming up with new training methods, and developing new recipes for them. I really have no free time at all.
"So, yeah, I really don't have time... Please don't add any new team members. Unless you're going to let me work all night."
I was in the director's office for my annual performance review with the director and Tazuna.
The meeting was to review my performance over the past year. It was supposed to happen last year, but we postponed it because of Rice's race at the Osaka Hai.
"Unfortunate! Unfortunate in two ways! I can't allow you to work all night, and I understand that it would be difficult for you to train new team members right now!"
The performance review went pretty much as expected. Since I created Team Kitalpha, I've been getting a little more attention than my peers.
And Tazuna must be keeping them informed because they are well aware of my actions, Urara and Rice's training and race history, and our relationship.
As a result, my spring performance review score was a bit higher than my winter one, at 96 points. However, while I got a perfect score for training, I received a deduction for my regular work. I was told to work faster, more accurately, and at a higher level, which are not things you say to a second-year rookie trainer. Tazuna is truly a strict person.
I'll try to think of it positively, as a sign that they have high expectations for me... And I get paid a high salary, so it's only fair that management's demands are also high.
Although I got a high score as a trainer, my score for team management was 70 points, a score that I couldn't immediately tell if it was high or low.
My expense reports and team fund usage were all in order and deemed appropriate. The team's track record of 1 win in 4 races wasn't great, but they seemed to have appreciated the 100% in-the-money rate.
The reason for the deduction was the lack of team members.
Having more team members is difficult, but if teams with fewer members receive higher scores, it could lead team leaders to decide to reduce their team size.
If that were to happen, with the current shortage of trainers and the limited number of girls they can be in charge of, the number of girls with trainers would decrease even more.
The situation might have been different if Urara and Rice had gotten great race results without a doubt, but Urara's results were a 3rd and a 5th place in open-class races, and Rice's were one GII win and a 3rd place in the Osaka Hai. These are apparently good enough for a rookie trainer, but the score was 70 points after deducting for the lack of team members.
Apparently, they deduct 10 points for each missing team member, so 70 points is the highest score a team can get, which means I'm being well evaluated.
However, for me right now, getting permission to work longer hours is more valuable than a high performance review score.
"Conclusion! Your performance review for the past year is—an excellent mark!"
The director smiled and raised her hands to make a circle above her head. It was endearing, but I never thought I'd get an "excellent mark" as an adult.
Tazuna handed me a new document, and when I looked at it, I saw my performance review for the past year. It was as the director said... well, I don't know if I'd call it an "excellent mark," but my combined score as a trainer and a team leader was around 90 points.
I guess that's a high score. But a high score doesn't help me train the girls, so I just listened to her as if it were a polite formality... No, with a good team performance, maybe we can have a training camp in the summer? And maybe a bigger budget? Hey, this is useful! I immediately changed my mind. My mind is very fickle.
Perhaps seeing the rapid change in my expression, Tazuna let out a little laugh.
"We agreed that you don't have to add new members for the first year after the team's establishment, but I'd like you to take on a new girl... However, excessive overtime is prohibited."
"If you hadn't added that last part, I might have considered it... but no, it's impossible in our current situation. I believe this is the most important time for Urara and Rice."
Rice is on fire to beat Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, and Urara is at the peak of her growth period.
For the sake of the future, I should probably scout at least one new member, but right now I have no room to focus on anything other than Urara and Rice.
"Unfortunate! But a promise is a promise! We won't force you! We look forward to your continued success!"
"Thank you. If you'll excuse me."
I bowed to the director and Tazuna and left the director's office. I headed to the shared space for trainers. I wanted to do my usual post-review chat with Kiryuin-san.
(Ouch, the stares from the seniors are intense. They're like little daggers.)
As I stepped into the shared space, I felt the piercing gazes of the senior trainers. At the same time, my male peers waved at me, so I waved back and went to them.
(Huh... Kiryuin-san isn't here... Well, it's not like we planned to meet.)
Usually, she would be waiting for me in the shared space with an excited expression after my performance review.
"Hey. It's been a while since you've been over here."
"Hey. Gotta visit once in a while. How's business?"
"Just getting by... I wish I could say that, but the classic route is brutal..."
I joked around, and my peers joined in. But from their tired expressions and shaking heads, it seems the classic division is a real battlefield.
"Even Kiryuin's Happy Meek hasn't won anything! My girls are just barely in the running, so don't expect a round of drinks on me anytime soon."
"Don't worry. My Urara hasn't won a major race yet either... in fact, she hasn't won since last year."
"Rice Shower won the Kyoto Kinen, didn't she?"
"Yeah, well... she was strong to begin with..."
Since I didn't raise her from scratch, I'm not sure how to react when someone praises Rice Shower. But I'll still brag about her whenever I can. I'll brag about how cute and strong Rice is.
"She still lost to Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen though..."
As I was talking with my peers, I heard that voice. It was a murmur, but just loud enough for me to hear. It must have been one of the senior trainers.
"You're not wrong. She lost despite setting a race record, so all I can do is praise Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen."
I smiled and replied to the direction the voice came from.
A loss is a loss, but she lost after setting a race record. For me, all I can do is praise Rice and congratulate Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen.
But if they had directly insulted Rice instead of just commenting on the race results, it would have been war. I would have challenged them to come out and race in a G1. They might have called it "polite rudeness," and I could have handled it more gracefully, but if someone insults my girls, it's game on.
However, the senior trainer must have known that Rice lost after setting a race record because they didn't say anything else. So I backed down, bowed my head, and turned back to my peers.
"What's the turf situation like for the classics? And the dirt... well, there's someone insane there."
"There are a bunch of insane ones here, it's like a bargain sale... and isn't your Urara-chan plenty insane herself?"
"Urara's gotten stronger, but there's a truly insane one... you know? I'm training Urara to be able to win, but her next race... I don't know..."
Urara's motivation to train has increased even more after learning the bitterness of defeat, but she's still no match for girls like Oguri Cap or Smart Falcon.
Oguri Cap will likely charge into the turf division, but Smart Falcon's aptitude doesn't seem to be suited for turf, so they'll likely clash many times in the future.
As I chatted with my peers, I began to see how chaotic the classic division really is.
Since there are so many strong girls, they're all fighting tooth and nail in open-class races and major races to rack up wins. The open-class races are apparently brutal as everyone tries to build up their prize money to challenge for the Classic Triple Crown.
From what I've researched, even Happy Meek has 0 wins in 4 races so far this year.
In early January, she ran in the GIII Shinzan Kinen, where she lost to Narita Taishin and placed 4th.
In early February, she ran in the GIII Kisaragi Sho, where she lost to Special Week and placed 5th.
In early March, she got lost in a sea of powerful rivals like Oguri Cap in the Yayoi Sho and didn't place.
In late March, she ran in the open-class Wakaba Stakes and lost to Biwa Hayahide, placing 4th. She's really struggling.
Although she's placed in the money three times, she hasn't placed 3rd or higher, so she hasn't been in a winning live show. I'm sure Kiryuin is taking good care of Happy Meek, but she's just running into the wrong rivals... or rather, there are too many strong girls in open-class races.
Since Happy Meek won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, it might be a good idea for her to aim for the Triple Tiara instead of the Classic Triple Crown. The Triple Tiara consists of three G1 races: the Oka Sho in early April, the Oaks in late May, and the Shuka Sho in the fall.
(Even though she won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, she seems to want to go for the Classic route instead of the Tiara route... Maybe it's because of her family?)
Kiryuin's family is a famous family of trainers, so maybe they're telling her what to do.
There are three stepping stone races to the Satsuki Sho, the starting point of the Classic Triple Crown: the GII Spring Stakes, the GII Yayoi Sho, and the open-class Wakaba Stakes. A top-3 finish in the Spring Stakes or Yayoi Sho, or a top-2 finish in the Wakaba Stakes, grants a priority entry pass to the Satsuki Sho.
Kiryuin must have entered Happy Meek into those races to get a priority entry pass, but the results were disappointing. However, since Happy Meek won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, her prize money is higher than other girls'. It's likely that her application to run in the Satsuki Sho will be approved.
(Well, it's not my business to say anything about other teams...)
Having reached that conclusion, I chatted with my peers for a bit longer before leaving the shared space.
Now, it's April. As I've said before, it's the start of a new school year. This means it's the season when new girls enter the Tracen Academy. For me, it's a bitter season of memories when all my scouting attempts failed.
When I looked at the training course after school, there were a ton of girls hoping to participate in the mock races and selection races held by each team.
They were filled with hope from being accepted into Tracen Academy and their eyes were shining as they looked to join the strongest team they could.
(I wonder how many of them will still be here next year...)
I thought as I watched the girls lining up to participate in Team Rigil's selection race.
There are countless reasons to leave Tracen Academy: getting disheartened, getting injured, or losing races. I've gotten to know all of them over the past year.
Luckily, Urara and Rice haven't gotten disheartened; they're on fire instead. But what will happen to these new girls filled with hope? Well, it's no use thinking about it.
Listening to the new students' chatter, I went to the team club room to meet up with Urara and Rice. Although there were mock races and selection races going on, it was still training time for us.
"Alright, you're both changed. We're training outside Tracen Academy today. We're going to work on your leg strength using that long, steep staircase Urara and I found before."
I need to be careful not to put too much strain on their knees, but we'll work them hard today, too. By the way, yesterday, I had them pull a giant tire. There was a giant tire in the Tracen Academy training equipment that I couldn't move on my own, so I had them put a rope around their bodies and pull it slowly. That's also a great way to train your legs.
As a side note, several new students who were looking for a trainer came to talk to me, but they left with a strained look on their faces after seeing Urara and Rice pulling the giant tire. They muttered things like "Is this torture?" and "That's insane, isn't it?" But it's not insane, and it's not torture. When I asked "Do you want to try pulling it too?" they got scared and ran away.
Also, Symboli Rudolf happened to pass by and saw me. "When you ask them if they want to pull, they get scared and run away... Hehe," she joked, and Air Groove gave me a cold stare, but I'm innocent.
Recalling those memories, I borrowed a car from Tracen Academy and drove Urara and Rice to today's training location. I really wanted them to run, but I'm going to work them so hard that they won't have the energy to run on the way back, so I borrowed a car.
The place I took Urara and Rice was a shrine far away from Tracen Academy. The shrine was built on the side of a mountain, and the long, steep stone steps made people stay away, so it was a hidden gem with almost no visitors. Other teams sometimes use this place too, but today, we were the only ones there.
"Be careful not to miss a step when you go up the stairs. Also, change into non-slip shoes. The horseshoes on your shoes will get worn down, and so will the stone steps."
I cautioned Urara and Rice as I looked up at the stone steps. I wondered how many steps there were, just as I did the last time we came here.
(A wish... a wish, huh...)
I muttered to myself as I stared at the torii gate far in the distance.
I'm not very familiar with religion, so I only come to shrines or temples when I have a wish, for New Year's visits, or for weddings and funerals. I mean, I'm reincarnated, so I wonder if a virtuous monk would try to exorcise me?
Thinking about that in the back of my mind, I looked at Urara and Rice doing their warm-up stretches. It's not exactly making a wish, but I thought I'd check in on their plans for the future.
"Urara, I'm thinking of entering you in the Tango Stakes next. What do you think?"
"The one in late April? Not the Fukuryu Stakes?"
Urara made a confused face at my question.
It would be more than a month since the Shoryu Stakes in early March, but Urara's training growth is truly remarkable right now. She would probably do well in a race, but I wanted her to be as strong as possible before her next race.
And, if we skip the Fukuryu Stakes and go for the Tango Stakes, there's something that will motivate Urara.
"Yeah. Since the Oka Sho and Satsuki Sho are in early April, Oguri Cap and the others will be in those races. So if we wanted to avoid strong girls, we could go for the Fukuryu Stakes... but I think a lot of other dirt girls will have the same idea and apply to race there."
So I decided we should just skip that race from the start. If we apply and then don't get in because of the lottery, it could kill our momentum.
Also, while Oguri Cap and the others could run on the dirt, if they're also aiming for the Japan Derby, they wouldn't go out of their way to race in a dirt open-class race. So the next opportunity after the Satsuki Sho in early April—late April—should be relatively safe.
I'd like to train Urara and pit her against Oguri Cap and the others, but since Urara has finally gotten the will to win, I want her to get her first open-class win.
That's why I'm pushing for the Tango Stakes. And it's also for Rice's sake.
"Rice's spring Tenno Sho is the 11th race at the Kyoto Racecourse. The Tango Stakes is the one before that, the 10th race."
When I said that, Urara's expression changed. We could still go for the Fukuryu Stakes, even though there's a high chance we won't get in, but the Fukuryu Stakes is a 1,800-meter mile race. The Tango Stakes, however, is a 1,400-meter short-distance race, which Urara is good at. Even if Smart Falcon shows up, Urara has a chance of winning now.
And, the Tango Stakes is the 10th race at the Kyoto Racecourse.
"So, what that means is... Urara, you're going to win the Tango Stakes and pass the baton to Rice. Rice, you're going to follow up on Urara's win with a win of your own in the spring Tenno Sho... Doesn't that get you fired up?"
When I asked them with a grin, Urara's body shivered. Then, she perked up her tail and started wagging it back and forth.
If Urara were to lose—especially if she were to get soundly defeated and not place at all—Rice's motivation would probably drop, but I believe that Urara will win and that her chances of winning will be even higher by then.
"Yeah... yeah! I'll pass the baton to Rice-chan! Then Rice-chan will win too!"
"I'm going to win this time... I'll win first place with Urara-chan, Onii-sama."
After hearing my plan, Urara and Rice's eyes shone with even more motivation. I nodded with a smile when I saw that and clenched my fist, thrusting it into the air.
"Alright, it's decided! Team Kitalpha, let's go!"
"Yay!"
"O-Oh!"
Urara jumped and threw both hands into the air, and Rice raised her fist in a more subdued way.
And so, my second year as a trainer began.
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