"All right, we'll stop here for now. Rest for half an hour, then continue."
On the training field, Fujiwara Chiya gave the instruction. No matter how summer had passed, the things trainers and Uma Musume had to do would not change. Fujiwara Chiya once again focused his attention on training.
After the summer training camp, it was clear that every Uma Musume's stamina had improved dramatically. Their average times in mock races had improved by more than a second. This was also connected to the fact that they were gradually entering their growth period and developing rapidly.
Fujiwara Shirayuki's improvement was the largest. Compared with before the summer training camp, her 1,800-metre time had improved by a full 1.9 seconds.
However, behind that dazzling result, Fujiwara Chiya discovered a serious problem.
He walked over to Fujiwara Shirayuki. She was sitting on the grass, having taken off her shoes. Her white knee socks were soaked with sweat, and smooth skin showed faintly through the fabric. In the mild weather, white steam rose from Shirayuki's shoes and feet.
Yes. This was the problem.
Shirayuki's speed had improved significantly, but what followed was the intense heat generated by rapid tendon extension and repeated high-speed movement. After passing 1,800 metres, Shirayuki's feet began to feel as though she were stepping on hot iron. The heat became unbearable. This phenomenon had appeared before. Her delicate skin could not release heat very well, and after her strength improved further, the problem became even more serious.
Fujiwara Shirayuki took off her socks and handed them to Chiya, then kept moving her feet to enjoy the cool and comfortable breeze.
Even the socks were frighteningly hot.
After putting the socks away, Fujiwara Chiya took out a handkerchief and bent down to wipe Shirayuki's feet. As the damp cloth brushed over her skin, Fujiwara Shirayuki felt a wave of comfort. Being looked after like this felt very nice. It helped her relax completely while cooling the places that needed it most. Shirayuki slowly lifted her foot higher, letting Chiya wipe her lower leg too.
"Gah..."
A shocked sound came from beside them.
Mejiro Dober's eyes widened as she stared at Fujiwara Chiya holding Shirayuki's foot and carefully wiping between her toes with a towel, while Fujiwara Shirayuki lay on the grass and let him move her foot around. Dober quickly walked over and took the wet wipe from him.
"...I'll do it."
"Hm? Ah, I'll leave it to you."
Seeing who it was, Fujiwara Chiya hurriedly looked away. He was a little afraid to look at Dober's face now. After all, Dober and Shirayuki were already in a special relationship. Although that relationship was not with him, remembering how Mejiro Dober had looked yesterday still made shame surge uncontrollably in his heart.
Taking the wet wipe, Mejiro Dober gently wiped Shirayuki's foot. Beads of sweat clung to Shirayuki's thigh, shining like pearls beneath the sunlight. Seeing this, Mejiro Dober swallowed and could not help noticing the faint scent in the air.
"It must smell bad, right? It's all sweat, after all," Fujiwara Chiya said beside her. The socks in his hand had already cooled down, and the strong smell of sweat was still irritating his nose.
"Nonsense. It doesn't smell bad at all! Shirayuki's feet smell sweet, like flower nectar!"
Hearing Fujiwara Chiya's words, Mejiro Dober immediately refuted him loudly. Realizing she had lost her composure, she quickly lowered her head. "No, um, what I mean is that Shirayuki has a very pleasant scent. It doesn't smell sweaty like Cousin said."
Dober... I know you're trying to protect my feelings, but you don't need to go that far. I know what Shirayuki is like.
Soon, Fujiwara Chiya noticed that Mejiro Dober's behaviour was a little unusual. She would occasionally hold Shirayuki's foot closer as she wiped it, as though she really had noticed some kind of pleasant fragrance.
Seriously?
Fujiwara Chiya wondered whether something was wrong with his own nose, or whether Uma Musume sensed scents differently from ordinary people. He was quite shocked, but out of consideration for Mejiro Dober's feelings, he chose to ignore her slightly strange behaviour.
After finally wiping Shirayuki's feet clean, Mejiro Dober showed a very satisfied expression. Shirayuki lay comfortably on the grass.
Now, they needed to consider how to improve Shirayuki's physical condition.
Shirayuki had speed, and her stamina was sufficient too. But because of her heat-release problem, the temperature in her legs rose rapidly while running, accumulating a large amount of heat. After 1,800 metres, Shirayuki's speed would noticeably drop. At 2,000 metres, it would fall to its lowest point.
If she entered races in this state, then forget running a 3,000-metre race like the Kikuka Sho. She might not even manage the Satsuki Sho properly. Her races would be limited to short-distance and mile events.
That would not do. Central's graded races were mostly middle-distance and long-distance races. The same was true for many overseas races. If she wanted to step onto the world stage, she had to extend her racing range.
After dismissing the team, Fujiwara Chiya asked several seniors for solutions.
The first was naturally Nase Fumino.
"Ah, heat dissipation?"
Fujiwara Chiya explained the situation to her.
"Maybe have her wear less. For example, have your sister take off her socks directly, or wear very breathable shoes."
That was not a bad method.
However, Shirayuki accumulated heat faster than natural cooling could handle. Even if Shirayuki ran bare-legged without socks, it would not reduce the temperature effectively enough.
Then what could they do? They could not exactly spray water on her while she was running, could they?
Nase Fumino had never encountered this kind of problem before. The Uma Musume she had trained were all very normal and did not have special physical conditions, so she had little experience handling this issue. Fujiwara Chiya had no choice but to ask others.
After asking Nishizaki Ryu, Nansaka, and several other seniors without success, Fujiwara Chiya sat in a chair. Everyone had given him similar answers: reduce clothing as much as possible.
But how much could they reduce it? It was not as if Shirayuki could go onto the track barefoot with horseshoes attached.
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was sitting alone in deep thought, a gentle voice suddenly sounded beside him. A girl with long black hair, golden eyes, and a mysterious aura walked over.
"You seem troubled, Trainer Chiya."
"Manhattan Cafe." Fujiwara Chiya called the girl's name. "Why are you here?"
"I smelled a pleasant floral scent and followed it here. I didn't expect the end of the scent to be Trainer Chiya."
A floral scent?
Fujiwara Chiya sniffed himself, but he did not smell anything.
"What are you troubled about, Trainer Chiya? If you don't mind, you can tell me."
Although telling a student like Manhattan Cafe about this might not be useful, having someone listen to his worries was still a good thing. Fujiwara Chiya explained his problem. Manhattan Cafe listened carefully, then finally nodded.
"I see. It's a training problem. I'm sorry, I don't understand that field very well... but I do know someone who might be able to help you. She's a rather troublesome person, but at certain moments, she can always suggest unexpected solutions."
"The person you're talking about wouldn't be..."
"Mm. One of the Uma Musume under Trainer Chiya: Agnes Tachyon."