Fujiwara Chiya greeted the man and introduced himself. After the race ended and the crowd dispersed, the two of them went to a nearby park.
"So Fujiwara-san is a trainer from Tracen?"
The man named Kitahara Joe looked shocked.
He seemed only around twenty-one or twenty-two, almost as if he had not even graduated university yet, yet he had already entered Tracen. When Kitahara Joe was Chiya's age, he had still been wasting time at home. Later, his sixth uncle had taken him to the racetrack to watch a race, and from then on, Kitahara Joe had fallen in love with uma musume and decided to become a trainer.
Now, he was working as a trainer at Kasamatsu and had trained several uma musume. Today, he had come to Central's racetrack because he wanted to study their running techniques.
"As expected of Central. It's completely different from the local races."
Kitahara Joe could not help sighing. Compared to the local runners, the uma musume from that race just now were on a completely different level. Who knew how far they would leave them behind?
The gap in strength was too great.
"How do you train over there?" Kitahara Joe asked.
"Using the textbooks Central gives us, plus whatever we figure out ourselves," Fujiwara Chiya answered.
He looked at the notebook in Kitahara Joe's hands and could not help asking, "Did you take all those notes at the racetrack?"
"Ah… yeah."
Kitahara Joe showed an embarrassed expression.
"Last year, I thought I could try challenging the Central trainer exam, but I failed. So this year, I'm planning to change the way I study. I'll watch races at the track. Maybe that'll help me understand Central's courses better."
"I see. A senior trainer told me the same thing."
"Looks like I accidentally stumbled onto the right answer."
The man laughed a few times. His gaze shifted to Fujiwara Chiya's notebook. After hesitating several times, he asked, "Fujiwara-san, may I look at your notes, if that's all right?"
"Sure."
The man took the notebook and read it seriously.
Slowly, he clenched his fists.
"It's completely different…"
"What is?"
"What I see… and what Fujiwara-san sees are completely different."
He adjusted his cap and bit his lip.
"The gap is too big. As expected, my talent isn't enough to enter Central…"
"I don't think this has much to do with talent. I don't have that kind of talent either. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here."
"When did Fujiwara-san start studying to become a trainer?"
"University."
"So even back then, Fujiwara-san already had a clear goal?"
He handed the notebook back, showing a self-mocking smile.
"There's something I'd like to ask of Fujiwara-san. Actually, I'm Oguri Cap's trainer. I trained her during her local racing days."
"What? You're Oguri's trainer!?"
"Fujiwara-san knows her?"
I'm her meal buddy.
Of course, he could not say that.
"I'm her friend."
"That really is a coincidence. If Fujiwara-san meets Oguri, please tell her this for me. After I study for another year, I'll definitely pass the Central exam next year."
After saying that, the man bowed to him, then turned and left.
In the past, when Shirayuki had talked with Rudolf, they had mentioned Oguri Cap. Rudolf had said she saw Oguri Cap's talent and discussed it with her trainer before bringing her to Tracen. However, the conversation had not gone smoothly. Rudolf had said she regretted saying harsh words to that trainer.
If a trainer's ability could not match their uma musume, then they would be personally ruining a talent.
Fujiwara Chiya understood that.
And right now, he was in exactly that stage.
The other man said Chiya had ability, but Fujiwara Chiya knew that in different environments, the required ability was also different.
If it was a local racecourse, then a trainer capable of raising an uma musume like Oguri Cap definitely had enough ability. But placed in Central, he might not even compare to a rookie trainer.
And Chiya, within Tracen, was only around the middle level.
But on the world stage, he might be nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
At that rate, there was no way he could make Shirayuki win.
Only now did Fujiwara Chiya understand why Central said that anyone who achieved victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe would be directly promoted to senior trainer.
Without the ability of a senior trainer, there was no way to make an uma musume win the Arc.
Even someone as strong as Rudolf, if paired with a rookie trainer who knew nothing, with no proper training plan and no racing plan, definitely would not have reached her current height.
As expected, he still needed to improve his own ability.
At noon, Shirayuki carried a large plate of food and came to Oguri Cap's side. She told Oguri about what had happened that morning.
"Trainer Kitahara?"
Oguri Cap, unusually, put down her chopsticks.
"Why didn't he tell me he came to Central?"
"Maybe he's studying and didn't have time to come over."
Shirayuki ate while mumbling.
"Was he watching races?"
"Mm. He probably won't go back for a few weeks."
"Where did Shirayuki meet him?"
"Tokyo Racecourse. Chiya met him. I didn't go."
"Trainer Chiya…"
Oguri Cap thought for a moment.
"I want to go too. If Trainer goes next time, I want to go too."
"That should be fine. Chiya will be going there to watch races recently anyway. But his schedule might not be fixed."
"That's fine. As long as I follow Trainer Chiya, I won't get lost!"
This girl.
She had already been in Tokyo for over a year, and she still did not know the roads?
Shirayuki's understanding of this airheaded Oguri Cap was refreshed once again. She felt that if no one accompanied her, this girl would probably starve to death by the roadside in the blink of an eye.
"Speaking of which, Shirayuki, you asked me about eating last time. How has that been?"
"Eating? Ah… it's been fine."
"Tama once asked me something similar too."
"Tama?"
"Tamamo Cross."
"I heard someone call my name."
Suddenly, a plate landed beside the two of them. It was piled high with food. Long ash-colored hair fell behind her back, and lively blue eyes looked toward the two.
The one who had arrived was none other than Tamamo Cross, an existence famous alongside Oguri Cap.
Known as the "White Lightning," she had once achieved the astonishing feat of seven consecutive graded race victories.
"Hey there."
She greeted them.
"Tama, you didn't go to the hospital today?"
"I already came back. The old man is recovering pretty well."
After saying that, Tamamo Cross looked toward Shirayuki beside her and smiled.
"Little Empress, I went to watch your race. That thunderclap at the end was really loud. Gave me quite the scare."
"Thunderclap?"
What thunderclap?
There did seem to be one.
Shirayuki remembered that bolt of lightning inside her mind, but that should have come from Rudolf.
"I've been running back and forth between Tracen and the hospital lately, so I haven't had much time to train. If there's a chance, come play with me a little. In that race, the thunder I heard wasn't only Rudolf's, you know."
She chuckled, then polished off the food on her plate, a portion completely mismatched with her small frame.