Two weeks had passed since King joined Team Kitarufa.
In that time, the days had been quite busy. I'd been training Urara for the Unicorn Stakes, Rice for the Takarazuka Kinen, checking the abilities of the new team member, King, and being buried under a mountain of work that piled up after Tazuna-san left.
"Tazuna-san... help me... PLEASE HELP ME..."
Correction. I'm currently in the middle of being overwhelmed.
I plead for Tazuna-san's help in front of my laptop. Before, she would have come to the club room at a speed that made me wonder if she'd teleported, even at a slight whisper. But now that she's no longer offering support, Tazuna-san doesn't come to the club room.
"Wahh... I wanna summarize King's data... that girl's body is more durable than I thought, so I wanna create a training regimen that pushes her even closer to her limits..."
Complaining won't reduce the work, but I mutter to myself as I click away at the keyboard.
There are various tasks assigned to each trainer from Tracen Academy, but I have no involvement in things like personnel or accounting. Those are the jobs of the administrative staff hired by the academy.
Of course, creating reports on my担当 (the team members under my care), handling Team Kitarufa's expenses, and applying for the use of training facilities are my jobs. I can't assign those to anyone else.
So what kind of work is assigned? There are a variety of things that need to be looked at from the perspective of someone who actually has a trainer's license, such as checking the files of Umamusume who wish to enroll in Tracen Academy next year or reviewing the questions for the central trainer's license exam this year.
Checking the Umamusume for next year's enrollment feels like a personnel matter, but it's a check on how they are perceived from a trainer's perspective. It's the stage before the document screening—or rather, the creation of materials to be shown to the higher-ups who will decide on enrollment.
There's also checking Umamusume that scouts have found in local areas. There are many things to look at, such as whether they can be transferred to the central league without any problems and whether they have the ability. However, since all the trainers don't have the time to look at these, Tazuna-san and others assign them to a suitable person.
Here, "suitable" doesn't mean "random." It means the right person for the job.
Also, the various goods for Rice that were recently released involve negotiations with the URA, checking the money being paid to Rice, and communicating with the manufacturers, which is a surprisingly wide range of tasks.
But these are for Rice... I have to check everything carefully so she doesn't have trouble after she retires, whenever that may be... But when I see the amount of money being paid to Rice, it's an amount that makes a Tracen Academy trainer's salary seem insignificant, which is a strange feeling.
Rice, who is in high school, is earning over a hundred million yen just from prize money. When the copyright fees for her goods are added to that... I wonder if that girl will be deceived by a bad man in the future?
"Gnnnh... Alright! Done!"
Even so, I finish the work at a 50% faster pace than before and send it to Tazuna-san. This is based on calculations of the time it takes to get things done. I feel like the amount of work coming my way has slightly decreased since Tazuna-san's support disappeared, but... I'm probably not just imagining it. Maybe I should invite Tazuna-san out for a drink sometime.
The time is... still two hours until training, good! The "if late-night overtime is bad, just come to work early in the morning" strategy is a success.
The time from now until training is for Urara, Rice, and King. First, I pull out the materials from the last two weeks and consider King's training.
(Stamina isn't something that grows overnight... I have to put a little bit of solid load on her every day... But that girl's body seems even more durable than Urara's... Can she handle training at Rice's level?)
King is an amazing Umamusume with a wide range of distance aptitudes, a durable body, and a "gutsy" personality despite being a young lady. The more I train her, the more she grows, and even if it's tough, she completes the training without complaining or looking down.
She's like a combination of Urara's durability and Rice's attitude toward training, not divided by two. Of course, no matter how durable she is, there's a limit, so I have to be careful not to injure her.
(...No, not yet. Don't rush me... Her body probably can't handle the same level of training as Rice... But I'll make the training a little tougher.)
While making some adjustments to King's training, I also think about other things in parallel.
(At this pace, the October Kikuka Sho is still tough... But she can definitely gain enough stamina to aim for a middle-distance race... But middle-distance is... the main battlefield for the top Umamusume in the current Classic division...)
Middle to long distance is the main battlefield for the Umamusume who are going crazy on the turf in the Classic division. However, there are surprisingly few Umamusume who specialize in short-distance, and many of them have a distance aptitude for mile races that's just "not bad."
While thinking about that, I pick up the remote control and turn on the TV. And to raise King in the future, I play back all the races with Umamusume who are likely to become her rivals.
(In short-distance races, there are surprisingly few rivals. Meek, and then maybe Taiki Shuttle... But I don't think Meek will go out of her way to run a short-distance race, so is Taiki Shuttle the immediate tough opponent?)
However, since Taiki Shuttle is also good at mile races, it's a 50/50 chance whether she'll show up for a short-distance race.
(Earn prize money in short-distance races and then enter longer races... I still want her to run in the Sprinters Stakes. As for the mile route... there's El Condor Pasa from Team Rigil, and Grass Wonder, who seems to be close to returning. Then there's Oguri Cap...)
Short-distance has the fewest rivals, but as the distance gets longer, one strong Umamusume after another appears. The abundance of middle and long-distance runners is so amazing it makes me want to cry.
I can really understand why people say they wonder why King's mother debuted in this generation... King, who was fine last year, has been unable to get first place since the other Umamusume got into full swing this year.
(First, one win. I have to get her one win so that King remembers that she's an Umamusume who can win... She'll probably win in an open race, but I wonder what King will think... A GIII... Maybe I'll have her run in the CBC Sho in early July?)
Urara's Japan Dirt Derby is also in early July, but since the CBC Sho is on the first Sunday and the Japan Dirt Derby is on the second Wednesday, they won't overlap.
While thinking about this, I watch the TV. The race footage being played on the TV is the G1 Mile, the NHK Mile Cup.
The footage from this year's race shows El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle clashing fiercely. El Condor Pasa barely overtakes Taiki Shuttle and crosses the finish line in first place.
(As expected of El Condor Pasa, trained by Toujou-san... Taiki Shuttle is fast too...)
The two of them leave the other Umamusume behind in a head-to-head battle, finishing about 5 horse lengths ahead of third place. If King had been in there... it would have been a three-way fight, but I wonder if she would have gotten first place.
Next, I play the race footage of the Yasuda Kinen, which was held just the other day. This is also a mile G1, but what's different from the NHK Mile Cup is that both the Classic and Senior divisions can participate.
Here too, El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle are running, but as if to get revenge for last time, Taiki Shuttle wins and takes first place.
(These two don't look out of place at all even when mixed with the Senior division...)
Although Senior division Umamusume also participated, they couldn't even join the battle between El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle, let alone win, and were fighting for third place about 3 horse lengths behind.
It can't be helped since many of the top Umamusume in the Senior division are in the middle and long distances, but the look on their faces as they are torn apart by Classic division's El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle is filled with despair.
Oguri Cap didn't participate because it was around the time of the Japan Derby, but the turf mile is also quite tough. However, I believe King will be able to win.
"Trainer! Hello!"
"Big brother, hello."
"Hello. Please take care of me again today."
As I'm studying the race footage, Urara and the others enter the club room. Since they all greeted me, I reply while watching the race footage.
"Oh, good work. Go get changed, and we'll start training right away."
"Okay! I got it!"
"I'll get changed right away."
"..."
Urara and Rice go behind the partition to change. I play the Yasuda Kinen race footage one more time and carefully watch it from start to finish.
El Condor Pasa is good at front-running and chasing, and Taiki Shuttle is a complete front-runner. King is also capable of front-running but is best at chasing... In that case, if these three were to compete, the key to victory would be whether King can overtake the front-running El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle in the final straight.
(King has a natural acceleration... If I increase her stamina, she'll accelerate more and more, and with her natural guts, she should be able to maintain top speed and overtake the runaway and front-running Umamusume... But just stamina isn't enough. I also have to train her speed...)
It would be a good idea to use the long stairs at the shrine again to train her legs. That will surely train her guts as well.
While thinking about this, I'm mentally simulating what the race results would have been like if King had participated in the Yasuda Kinen—but then.
"Hey, Trainer."
"Hmm? Wait a minute, I'm at a good part right now... Hey King, if you were up against El Condor Pasa and Taiki Shuttle, when would you make your move? At the end of the fourth corner? Or would you make your move a little earlier and overtake them with a final burst?"
I ask with a serious expression while the Yasuda Kinen race footage plays. Urara and Rice, who were in the middle of changing, peek out, their curiosity piqued. I turn my gaze to King, who smiles brightly.
"I think it's good that you're serious, Trainer... But first! Get out of here since a woman is changing!"
"...I'm sorry."
Having received a perfectly reasonable scolding, I slink out of the club room. Then, King's voice echoes from behind the door.
"You too, Urara-san and Rice-senpai! It's not ladylike to start changing with a man right here!"
"I don't mind if it's the trainer?"
"Rice doesn't mind either?"
"That's not the point! Oh, come on!"
Hmm... King's educational guidance has begun. This has become a common occurrence since King joined Team Kitarufa.
I was initially bothered by it, but since neither Urara nor Rice minded, I gradually got used to it. That's why King's interjections help me regain my common sense.
However, King doesn't get angry when Urara hugs me or when Rice wants me to pat her head. So I can't quite figure out where the line is.
But well, what can I say?
"It's good that there's more life now, yeah..."
Team Kitarufa, with its third member, was going smoother than I had expected.
With King having joined Team Kitarufa, it's now mid-June.
In other words, the Unicorn Stakes for Urara is approaching.
Urara is in perfect condition, and I, having decided to have her run in the Unicorn Stakes as planned, am eagerly awaiting the entry list.
The Unicorn Stakes is a mile race held at Tokyo Racecourse, and if it's a full gate, there will be 16 runners.
Since Smart Falcon has already declared her intention to run, some Umamusume will probably avoid it. However, the Unicorn Stakes is the first major race in the Classic division's dirt route. Even though it's a GIII, it's a very valuable major race on the dirt route.
Any Umamusume who primarily runs on dirt would probably not want to avoid the Unicorn Stakes. The only ones who would avoid it are Umamusume who have judged that they don't have the ability to compete in a major race.
There will also be Umamusume who decide to avoid Urara and Smart Falcon and instead challenge an open race held at the same time. However, there are three open dirt races held in late June, and all of them are open to Umamusume from the Senior division as well.
I'm happy that Urara is being evaluated so highly that some Umamusume would avoid her and challenge a Senior division Umamusume instead...
(But this is a head-to-head battle with Smart Falcon... I can't be happy about this...)
Since this is the first major race Urara can participate in, I have no intention of avoiding it. Since she has earned a top-class amount of prize money among the Classic division Umamusume who specialize in dirt, the possibility of her being rejected if she wishes to run is extremely low.
The same goes for Smart Falcon. And since I've read Smart Falcon's comments in Monthly Twinkle, there's no way around it. It's a head-to-head battle.
(Thanks to King's addition, Urara is in perfect condition... No, that girl is usually in perfect condition. The only miscalculation is that King was so exhausted from training that Urara ended up being the one who had to put her in the bath.)
Urara's smile was dazzling as she declared, "I'll help you now, since you've always helped me." King looked embarrassed but also seemed a little happy, so she probably didn't dislike it.
Rice, who heard Urara and King's exchange in the club room, quietly placed her own stuffed animal between the two of them... yeah, that was adorable. It was probably her way of expressing her wish that when the two of them sleep together, at least her stuffed animal would sleep with them on the same bed.
So, the relationship between the teammates is good. The relationship between Rice and King is also better than I expected.
Since Rice is an Umamusume who is considered to be one of the strongest stayers along with Mejiro McQueen, King treats her with respect. Rice also seems to find King, who respects her as a senior and can also run long distances, adorable. She pampers her thoroughly, making her run alongside her until her legs give out. Yeah, it's great that they get along.
For King, there are no shortcomings in her training, as she has Urara to compete with her in short and mile distances and Rice to compete with her in middle and long distances.
Urara is also happy that King, who gets along well with her and competes with her in short and mile distances, has joined the team, which allows for more variety in her training. The only drawback is that King can't run on dirt as well as Urara, so Urara has to run alongside King on the turf course.
Rice is also happy to have a new partner to compete with in middle and long-distance training. Although there's a difference in ability right now, King uses her natural guts to desperately try to keep up, so Rice smiles and... yeah, to repeat myself, she dotes on her.
I sometimes wonder who is the senior between Rice and King when they're not training.
So, training is going smoothly, but—
"Oh, is that it?"
Knock, knock. There's a knock on the club room door. It must be Tazuna-san with the Unicorn Stakes entry list... huh?
(No, wait, what am I saying... Tazuna-san's support is gone, isn't it? I have to go get it myself...)
Since I founded Team Kitarufa, Tazuna-san would bring the entry list along with her work check, so I forgot. I have to go get it myself... Have I unknowingly become a body that can't function without Tazuna-san?
"Yes, who is it?"
I open the door while thinking about that. If it's not Tazuna-san, then who could it be? I wondered...
"You're..."
"Hello! Is Urara-chan here?"
For some reason, Smart Falcon was standing there. Smart Falcon, wearing the Tracen Academy uniform, asks with a bright smile.
"Ah, you're Urara-chan's trainer! This is the first time we've met like this! I'm Tokimeki ☆ Umadol, Smart Falcon! You can call me Falco!"
Smart Falcon strikes a cute pose.
She holds her bent arms in front of her chest, tilts her head slightly, and looks up at me. As expected of someone who aims to be an Umamusume idol, her gestures are quite well-practiced.
"Nice to meet you, Smart Falcon-san. I'm the trainer of Team Kitarufa."
"My goodness! You're a boring person! Falco is sad!"
Smart Falcon pretends to cry. That gesture is also very polished. I see, she has what it takes to be an Umadol.
However, contrary to her lighthearted atmosphere, I felt a strong sense of caution toward Smart Falcon, whom I was able to see up close for the first time.
Smart Falcon is in a cute pose, but you can tell just by looking at the so-called "absolute territory" between her short skirt and her knee-high socks, whether it's intentional or not.
(I've seen her run in a race, and she's an opponent Urara couldn't beat... I've seen her a hundred times in race footage, but she's a tough opponent...)
Her thighs are so well-toned that I wish I could get a better overall look at them. Also, her movements when changing poses are stable, which suggests she has excellent core strength and muscle balance.
"If you look at me with such a passionate gaze, Falco will be embarrassed. No touching allowed ☆"
"As a trainer, I would love to check it out for educational purposes, but... so? What is your business? Fighting Falcon-san."
"Falco's business is—hey, my name is wrong! That's a fighter jet!"
"My apologies, I misspoke. Fighting Pose-san."
"Don't lump me with fighting! You did that on purpose, didn't you? My goodness, Falco is so confused!"
Smart Falcon says, lightly tapping her head with her fist and sticking her tongue out in a "tehe-pero" gesture.
Hmm... this girl is probably quite dangerous. Not just her abilities as an Umamusume, but her overall vibe is just... something else. Every gesture is polished, and she's conscious of how to present herself.
It's like a combination of Gold Ship-chan and Mihono Bourbon's escape speed, but evolved without being divided.
I deliberately got her name wrong to try and shake her, but her eyes are staring right at me...
"So? It's not a good idea for you, a rival of our Urara, to visit our club room like this."
"My goodness, let's not be so formal ☆ Falco just wanted to talk to Urara-chan."
"Haha. In that case, you could have just talked to her somewhere else on campus, right? So, what's the real reason?"
"I just wanted to tell her that we should do our best together in the upcoming Unicorn Stakes ☆ And also..."
Smart Falcon smiles brightly.
"I'd be happy if we could also race in the Japan Dirt Derby."
"Well... there's the distance issue for Urara. I don't know if we can meet your expectations..."
I feign ignorance, stroking my chin and tilting my head, but Smart Falcon maintains her cute, Umadol-like smile. To me, her eyes don't seem to be smiling.
"Is that so? ☆ Well then, Urara-chan's trainer! Next time we meet, make sure you call me Falco, okay?"
Smart Falcon waves at me and skips away. Her steps are light, but did she come to confirm if Urara would participate in the Japan Dirt Derby? Even if she did, what's in it for her? But what I'm thinking is...
(I've trained Urara as much as possible, but... facing her, it's going to be a very tough race.)
Of course, Smart Falcon will also train herself to the fullest for the race.
I thought I had raised our chances of winning to 50/50, considering Urara's recent performance, but...
"Ah! It's the trainer! What are you doing out there?"
As I'm deep in thought in front of the club room door, Urara and the others arrive. I shake my head at their curious faces and manage to force a smile.
"Nothing... I was just thinking that since Urara's race is coming up, I have to train her well. I'm going to go get the Unicorn Stakes entry list now, so everyone, please go get changed."
I say that and leave the club room. I immediately get the Unicorn Stakes entry list and check the contents.
Gate 1, Stall 2, Haru Urara.
Gate 7, Stall 14, Smart Falcon.
After checking their starting positions, I think that luck is on our side. However, I don't know if we'll win. I won't know until the race begins.
—And then, the day of the Unicorn Stakes arrives.
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