Chapter 1: The Beginning Came Suddenly

One day, the Three Goddesses discovered something truly extraordinary—a human soul. Not just any soul, but one from another world. Its original body had long since perished, leaving it to drift endlessly through the void. Out of both curiosity and pity, the Three Goddesses decided to grant that soul a new vessel.

It was a body that was never meant to exist—a body of an Uma Musume (Horse Girl). Into it, they placed the wandering soul.

However, the soul did not rejoice in this gift. He had no awareness that he was already dead.

So, the Three Goddesses thought, “In that case, let’s give him a mission.” They subtly rewove the threads of fate so that, while carrying out that mission, he would encounter a wonderful trainer.

Humans and Uma Musume alike are creatures drawn to the forbidden. Thus, the Three Goddesses forbade the very thing they wished for most—and sent him off.

And so, the pitiful soul began his second life—or rather, her new life as an Uma Musume.

April. With hearts full of both hope and anxiety, new Uma Musume gathered at Tracen Academy. The campus buzzed with life, the air filled with the excitement of those beginning their journeys.

Among them, I stood alone before the statue of the Three Goddesses, utterly dumbfounded.

“…What am I supposed to do now?”

Ears twitched atop my head, and a sleek blue bay tail swished from the base of my spine—things I definitely hadn’t possessed just a few minutes ago.

Originally, I was just one of countless trainers playing the mobile game Uma Musume Pretty Derby. But now, I had become an Uma Musume myself. And to make matters worse, someone had told me, “If you can’t complete the Twinkle Series without falling in love, you’ll stay like that forever.”

“Ah… that’s Special Week over there. And that’s TM Opera O. The one handing things out must be Smart Falcon, huh?”

Turned into an Uma Musume and dropped straight into the world of Uma Musume—sure, that’s a premise you see in fiction sometimes. But I never imagined I’d actually be the one living it.

It’s fun as a story. Experiencing it firsthand, though? Not so much. No matter what, I had to survive the next three years and return to my original world and body. There was too much I’d left behind.

My parents were still alive. I had a job. My savings were untouched. There were movies I hadn’t seen yet, bars I hadn’t visited.

And besides… I couldn’t imagine ever belonging in this world.

“Let’s see… do I at least have a name or an identity?”

I rummaged through my bag and found a student ID and a handbook.

Comparing the photo on the card with my reflection in the glass, I saw the same pretty Uma Musume with short, blue bay hair staring back. When I gave a little “Yay” and flashed a peace sign, she did the same.

Apparently, my name was Mithialx. Never heard of it before. She wasn’t in the game, and as far as I knew, not based on any real horse either.

Her right eye was half-covered by her bangs, and faint streaks of white ran through parts of her hair. Damn cute.

“As expected of an Uma Musume—off the charts in looks. Shame the inside’s a dude, though.”

The handbook listed school rules and regulations. I’d check those later. For now, I needed more personal data. I had to understand exactly where I stood—or I’d be in trouble fast.

“Let’s see… any details about my family or home address?”

There was even a physical stats section. Chest… not bad. Actually, for her height, pretty impressive. She wasn’t short, but not tall either—taller than Rice Shower, probably shorter than the so-called “Golden Generation.” Her weight seemed healthy too… though that depended on lifestyle.

Flipping through, I finally found what I was looking for.

“Oh, here we go—family info. Let’s see… huh?”

The section where family details or emergency contacts should’ve been was completely blank. Didn’t anyone find that strange during registration?

No… the one who sent me here was a goddess—or rather, the Three Goddesses. This kind of thing was probably child’s play for them.

“…Tch.”

So I really had been forcibly inserted into this world. An Uma Musume with no family—that’s me.

I already knew that, but seeing it written out hit harder than expected. For a brief moment, my chest sank.

Still, I couldn’t afford to sit around feeling sorry for myself. There was too much to do if I wanted to get home.

“Guess the first step is finding a trainer. I’ll look for someone laid-back and see if they’ll take me on.”

To compete in the Twinkle Series, a trainer was essential. In the game, plenty of Uma Musume struggled because they couldn’t get assigned one. Supposedly, showing enough motivation could earn you a second chance, but no one really knew how lenient that rule was. Agnus Tachyon nearly got expelled, and Tosen Jordan almost quit the academy herself. So I couldn’t count on much.

“Still, if all I have to do is run through it, it shouldn’t be too hard… right?”

The key phrase was run through. If that’s all that mattered, even a single victory might be enough.

After all, the game stated that if an Uma Musume stayed winless past September of her second year, her trainer contract would be terminated. A quick check of the pamphlet in my hand confirmed it. One failure, and you’re done.

On the flip side, stay above that line, and you’d earn a fair amount of freedom.

Honestly, if they started setting “Finish Top 3 in G1 races” kind of goals, I’d be doomed. With both the Golden Generation and the Overlord Generation around, not to mention Smart Falcon dominating dirt tracks, every distance category was a nightmare.

“Wait, maybe the mile races are easier…? Oh, no, never mind. Taiki Shuttle’s over there.”

In the distance, a tall, energetic Uma Musume was laughing with her friends. Nearby, another stood still and expressionless. …You’ve got to be kidding me. What kind of generation is this?

Don’t tell me Oguri and Tamamo are here too. If my aptitude’s stuck at mid-distance, I’m finished.

If they ever set a G1 victory as my goal, that’d really be “The End.” But surely it wouldn’t be that cruel… right, Three Goddesses? Please. Have mercy.

Just one win. One should be enough… probably.

“Yeah, that should do. Win once, keep my trainer from giving up on me, and just enjoy a nice, relaxing Uma Musume life. Seriously…”

My mind was still that of a guy, and there was no way I’d fall head over heels for some suave, perfect trainer like in the game’s stories!

And with that, my life at Tracen Academy began.

“Whoa… the atmosphere’s incredible. So this is what a selection race feels like, huh?”

It had been a few weeks since I’d started life at Tracen Academy.
Surprisingly, running turned out to be fun. Maybe that enjoyment came from this Uma Body of mine.

“Ha! Hup!”

And honestly, this body’s performance wasn’t half bad. Sure, I wasn’t on the same level as those incredible Uma Musume from the app, but among the new students, I could probably hold my own in the upper-middle ranks. Add in the course management, acceleration timing, and target marking I’d learned from the game—yeah, I could pull off a decent win rate.

Considering I hadn’t even done any real training yet, that was saying something. If I kept at it, maybe I’d even have a shot at a G2 race…?

“Well, that’s assuming I can actually get a trainer first.”

Which meant I absolutely couldn’t afford to lose this selection race.
Even if—say—Meisho Doto and TM Opera O happened to be running in the same one.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! This marks the beginning of my path to glory! Now, trainers, feast your eyes upon my gallant stride!”

“Hawawawawawa…”

…Honestly, it was exhausting.
Not that they were bad girls—they were actually both good-natured. We’d talked several times as classmates, and I’d even done joint training with them. I knew them fairly well. But still… could they please tone down their raw talent just a little?

Just when I started thinking I was getting somewhere, those two would show up and crush my confidence in seconds.

“Oh? You’re one of the new students too, aren’t you? How about some parallel running practice?”

When she invited me with that line, I didn’t think much of it—and that was my first mistake.

I couldn’t even keep up.
It wasn’t just a matter of speed—it was a completely different level of performance. Her start dash, her cornering, her acceleration on the stretch—every aspect of her running was on another plane. And she was supposedly still unfinished? No way.

That girl was a true Champion King. Honestly, if she was anything like her pre-trainer version in the app, she’d already be a terrifying rival. Just that one experience was enough to shatter my spirit.

And she wasn’t even the only one. The so-called Golden Generation—their running completely eclipsed even that “unfinished” Opera O.

I’d caught a glimpse of El Condor Pasa’s run once. It was monstrous—like something out of another dimension. That must be what it means to run as part of the Golden Generation.

Really, I should’ve just been grateful that my goal was simply to finish the race.

“Participants of the Fifth Selection Race, please gather. I repeat, participants of the Fifth Selection Race, please gather.”

Horseshoes—check. Ear accessories—check. After a final inspection, I stepped into the gate.

“Selection Race: 2000 meters, turf. Track condition—good.”

A mid-distance race. In the selection series, runners could choose their distance freely, but mid-range was by far the most popular. There were plenty of events in that category, and it was a necessary path for anyone aiming for the Triple Crown.

That also meant plenty of trainers would be watching.
In other words—more chances to be scouted.

“So this is the gate, huh…”

It was surprisingly comfortable inside. They said Uma Musume disliked confined spaces, but that didn’t seem to apply to me. Maybe my Uma Soul was faint—or even nonexistent.

The chestnut-haired Uma Musume next to me, however, was fidgeting restlessly in her stall.

“All runners have entered the gate.”

A silence fell—so still it felt as though time itself had stopped.
And then, not even a heartbeat later—the gate burst open!

“And they’re off! Number 4, Spring Happy, stumbles at the start! Number 6, TM Opera O, breaks away smoothly and takes the lead!”

And in that instant, I realized—I had never truly understood what it meant to compete in a race.

“Eek!”

“Coming around the final corner—every runner hits the home stretch! What’s this? Mithialx is falling behind!”

Scary. That was the only word that came to mind.

Their faces twisted with fierce intensity as the Uma Musume clashed for position at the final corner. Before the race, I hadn’t even thought of them as enemies—just fellow runners. But faced with that overwhelming pressure from girls I’d assumed were beneath my level, I panicked and gave up my lane.

Uma Musume are said to have incredibly sharp hearing—keen enough to catch the rhythm of another runner’s breathing mid-race.
No matter what, I’ll catch up. Move aside!
That’s what their heavy, ragged breaths felt like they were screaming at me.

Lost amid the pack, I couldn’t do anything. My sense of positioning blurred, my stride fell apart, and I was pushed to the outer edge.

Once I lost my rhythm, my ranking plummeted fast.

“First place—TM Opera O! Second—Meisho Doto!”

I crossed the finish line several seconds after the others. On the turf beyond the goal post, I stood there in a daze, staring up at the results board.

No scouts came to speak to me that day.

“Wait, Rue-chan, you dropped that many positions? You were doing great up until the final corner!”

My roommate, Bridge Comp, practically shouted.

“Yeah… I know. But it was scary, okay? Didn’t it freak you out, Comp? Everyone was charging forward with those ‘I’ll tear you apart!’ faces and those wild, heavy breaths—”

“Hmm, doesn’t really bother me. You’re surprisingly sensitive, Rue-chan. Which is funny, since you’re such a slob in daily life. I mean, if I hadn’t told you, you’d still be saying ore outside, right? And come on, dry your hair properly or it’s going to be a mess in the morning.”

“The ‘slob’ part was unnecessary. Ugh… at this rate, debuting feels like an impossible dream.”

It was bad—really bad.
If I had to put it in app terms, my current status would be “Main Event ×.”
Actually, wait—do I also have “Pack ×”? The moment I got swallowed by the group, my brain completely blanked out!

Isn’t this… game over?

The root of it was probably that my instincts as an Uma Musume were weak. I didn’t have that primal, animalistic drive to win no matter what. My fear simply overwhelmed me.
Seriously—what kind of person isn’t scared when a herd of horses is thundering beside them at full speed? Thinking about it that way, my situation felt hopeless.

Could I even fix this?
In the app, I’d just assign a few skill points and—boom—problem solved. But here, I had to face it head-on, working through it slowly, one step at a time.

Still, could I really overcome something like this through practice alone? Probably not. It felt more like a flaw rooted deep in who I was.

This wasn’t some minor “still in training” issue—it was a fundamental defect.

“But hey, aside from that, you were great! I mean it—the way you took that corner was amazing!”

“Ahaha, thanks. Hearing that does make me feel a bit better.”

“Yep! Rue-chan looks best when she’s smiling like that!”

“Right,” I muttered, slapping my cheeks to refocus. I had to get rid of those “Main Event ×” and “Pack ×” debuffs, no matter what.

Maybe the front-runner position just didn’t suit me.
Front-runners have to be aware of both the ones ahead and the ones closing in from behind—it’s mentally exhausting.

Then maybe… I should try a runner style instead. I’d heard Twin Turbo, who used to be timid and afraid of the pack, managed to win by taking massive early leads.

Yeah—that’s it. A full-throttle runaway! I’ll seize victory before they can even touch my shadow!

…Or so I thought.

What I would soon learn was just how brutal the runner style truly was—
and that Tracen Academy might as well be called the biggest marriage market in the world.

＝ NDF

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