Chapter 13: Outing Event – Let’s Buy a Hair Ornament!

It was early afternoon in the trainer’s office.

For once, I wasn’t training. Instead, I was quietly reading a book—and not even one about racing.

"Huh… so that’s how their fairy tales go here. But what’s up with this weird creature? Guess it’s because there aren’t any horses in this world?"

My trainer had given me a “Training Ban Order.”
Well, maybe I had been overworking myself lately… though, come to think of it, “a little” might be an understatement. My sense of what counts as normal had probably gotten warped—thanks to Bourbon setting the standard around here.

Anyway, I decided to rest both my body and mind by reading this world’s stories for a change. And they were surprisingly interesting. I even heard that the app version of Run, Melos! had been adapted here as Run, Umas! or something.

"Ah, that’s the last one already, huh…"

I’d finished all the books lying around the trainer’s office. But there was still plenty of time left in the day. What to do now…

As I was thinking that, the office door opened.

"Lux, have you been behaving yourself?"

"What am I, a cat or something?"

"Actually, cats might be better behaved than you."

I puffed out my cheeks and gave him a flat stare, letting my expression do all the protesting.

Seriously, this trainer has no sense of delicacy. I’m still a Uma Musume, you know.

"So, what have you been doing while being ‘well-behaved’?"

"Reading. There were a bunch of books I hadn’t read before, so I went through them. Children’s stories are surprisingly good, you know?"

"You like books, Lux? Then maybe we should go to the library—ah, that’s right, it’s closed today."

"Yup. Which means I’ve got nothing to do now."

Right. Today just had to be the library’s monthly closure day.
Of all times, why did it have to be today…

Feeling restless, I decided to take out my frustration on the trainer.

"Hey, don’t you have anything else? You’re a trainer—you’ve gotta have all sorts of stuff, right?"

"Hmm, not much that counts as entertainment, really. Don’t you have anything yourself?"

"Eh? Nope."

"You don’t have any magazines you like? Or games you usually play?"

"None."

Since coming to this world, I’d barely touched any form of entertainment. I’d only ever focused on things directly related to racing. I wouldn’t even go shopping in town unless Comp dragged me along.

Naturally, the only personal items I owned were racing-related—stacks of race data, training gear, that sort of thing.

"I see… all right then, Lux. Let’s go into town."

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"I was wrong. Seems like I really do need to teach you how to take it easy."

Before I knew it, the trainer had whisked me out of the academy and into the city.

The place we arrived at was a completely ordinary shopping complex—basically, a mall like the ones from my previous world. A classic destination for shopping trips.

"Whoa, it’s huge. What kind of stores are in here?"

"Pretty much everything. If you see something you want, just say the word and I’ll take you there."

"Hmm… well, there was a race I wanted to check up on—"

"Lux. We agreed—no race talk today, remember?"

"Ugh…"

Can’t blame me, though. Racing is basically all I ever think about.

I racked my brain trying to come up with something else I could be interested in—but nothing came to mind. Come on, don’t I have any normal girl hobbies at all!?

As I scanned the mall directory, one particular shop caught my eye.

"Uh, hey."

"Did something catch your interest?"

"King-senpai told me I should take better care of my appearance…"

"Ah, that makes sense. You really are a bit too simple, you know. Honestly, I thought maybe you just didn’t have the kind of ears that could wear accessories."

"Aha-ha-ha-ha…"

An accessory shop. Normally, I’d never dream of stepping into a place like that, but given the circumstances, I didn’t have much of a choice.

Really, though—being a Uma Musume and not wearing earrings was kind of a problem. Looking around the academy, I realized I was one of the only ones without any. Honestly, it made me reflect a little.

I should at least handle the basics if I plan on getting famous someday… especially since I’m aiming for GⅠ races.

"Whoa, this place is pretty big."

"Yeah. It’s close to Tracen, so they definitely put some effort into it."

"I noticed there were a ton of Uma Musume-oriented shops listed on the guideboard, too…"

The store was packed with ear accessories, masks, and all sorts of decorations.
Honestly, since I used to be a guy, this was the first time I’d ever set foot in a shop like this.

Where was I even supposed to start?

"How do you even put this on…? Oh right, Bourbon’s hair ornament was pretty mysterious too. Is this the same kind of thing?"

Whoa, this one’s got an amazing design. I’d always wondered where everyone got those flashy accessories, but I guess these were the standard all along. Maybe it’s just an Uma Musume thing for accessories to be so bold and eye-catching.

"Hey, what kind of accessory do you think I should get?"

"The one you like best, of course. You’ve got good looks, Lux—so whatever you pick will suit you."

"Huh?"

With a soft pop, blood instantly rushed to my head, and my mind went blank.

What the hell is he doing all of a sudden!?

"Here, how about this one? Since your coat is dark bay, I think silver accessories would suit you best."

"A-ah, ahhh, ahhh, ahhh…"

"If you pick something too dark, it’ll just blend in with your hair. So I’d suggest going for something brighter like this instead."

"Eeeeh…"

He gently pressed the accessory against my ear, and my already overheating brain started to boil over.

Why do I have to get thrown off balance like this!? Being in a Uma Musume body is way too inconvenient!

"What’s wrong, Lux?"

"I-I’ll… I’ll choose one myself…"

"Ah, sorry. Was I a bit too close to your ear?"

"Y-yeah…"

Uma Musume ears are extremely sensitive. Just having someone’s hand near them can make you feel weird.

It was still manageable today thanks to the mask I had on, but still…

"Phew… okay, calm down…"

"You all right? Sorry about that, Lux. Want me to buy you something as an apology?"

"Eh!? N-no, that’s fine! You already bought me this mask the other day!"

"You don’t have to hold back. You’re a little too modest sometimes, so think of this as practice in expressing what you want."

Ugh, he’s so sneaky. When he says it like that, I can’t argue back. I keep getting talked into things… am I really that easy to sway?

No—come on, I used to be a guy. I need to toughen up a little.

"Hmm… I still don’t really get accessories, though."

"Just pick the one that gives you that ‘spark’ feeling. Overthinking it doesn’t help in cases like this."

"Ah, what about this one? Feels weird putting it on the right side, though."

I still can’t wear anything on my right ear. It’s like my body outright rejects it. Left side works fine, though.

But then another problem popped up as I tried to put it on—right, I have to remove the mask first, don’t I?

Honestly, I’m terrible at taking the mask off. These new ears that didn’t exist in my old body don’t move the way I want them to, and they’re ridiculously sensitive on top of that. Even now, I’m fumbling around trying to remove it and failing over and over.

"Argh, come on already!"

"Here, come over here. I’ll take it off for you."

"U-uh…"

That’s… not good. Ears are just, you know—off-limits.

Letting someone else touch your ears—it comes with a strong instinctive resistance. Apparently, it’s common among Uma Musume. Unless it’s someone you deeply trust, you don’t even let them near your ears.

And yet this guy just casually says something like that! What are you doing, Trainer!?

"It’s okay, I’m a trainer. I know how to handle them properly. I won’t hurt you."

"That’s not the point…"

"Come on, it’s fine. Come here."

But honestly, doing it alone was practically impossible. I’d had to get Comp’s help plenty of times before. Even in my own room—where I could take all the time I needed—I still struggled. There was no way I could do it properly here.

So… fine. This can’t be helped.

I leaned into the trainer with a soft whump.

"O-okay… please do it."

"All right, here we go. Hmm, looks like the size isn’t the issue. Probably just because you’ve only started wearing it recently."

"Trainer, a little gentler, please…"

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Guess we’ll just have to practice more. There, got it."

Not to brag, but I’m pretty short. When I lean against the trainer like this, my ears are just about level with his mouth.

And when he talks in that position—seriously, it messes with my head.

Feeling the air hit my bare ears, I quickly pulled away from him. Staying like that any longer would’ve been dangerous.

"Trainer! I’m gonna try this one on!"

"O-oh, sure. You okay?"

"I’m fine!!"

I picked up the accessory that had caught my eye and lightly held it against my ear.

Yeah, not bad at all. The design looked like a shooting star—kind of fitting for someone named “Lux.”

I wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to accessories, so maybe going with my gut wasn’t a bad idea.

"Hmm… yeah, I’ll go with this one."

"It suits you, Lux. Is that the one you like?"

"Yeah, it just kinda… clicks with me, you know? Oh, right, the mask felt the same way when I picked it."

"There are still a lot of mysteries about Uma Musume. Even their racing outfits—they look like they’d be hard to move in, but wearing them somehow boosts their motivation and performance."

There really are so many mysteries about horse girls.

But if that logic holds true, then wearing a favorite earring might actually boost my motivation and speed…? Maybe it’s worth testing out.

"All right, I’ll take this one!"

"I’m glad you found something you like. I’ll go handle the payment, then."

"Uh… are you really sure about this, Trainer?"

"Of course. Honestly, Lux, you’re way too modest. I want you to rely on your trainer properly, okay?"

Wait—this isn’t part of a trainer’s job description, right? No, definitely not. Still, turning him down too stubbornly feels wrong, too. He did talk about trust before… maybe this counts as part of that? Maybe?

Then again, a guy giving a horse girl a present—earrings, of all things—that’s kind of suspicious, isn’t it…?

…It’s fine. I’m a guy on the inside, so it’s totally safe!

"Ughhh… my brain’s turning into mush..."

While I was lost in thought, the trainer came back after finishing at the register.

"Thanks for waiting. Here you go."

"Ah… thanks…"

"Make sure to show me next time you wear it, all right? I’m sure it’ll look great on you, Lux."

"Eek…!"

Wait, my ears feel chilly… oh right, I left my mask off!

Damn it, I have to put it back on again? Being a horse girl is such a pain sometimes!

As I fumbled through my pockets, I realized the mask wasn’t there. Huh, weird. Just as I started to panic, the trainer pulled it out of his pocket.

"Ah, sorry. I still had it with me."

"Thank goodness… I thought I lost it!"

"My bad, my bad. You panicked so much—I guess you really like that thing, huh?"

"Wha—y-you idiot… grr…"

Seriously, could he be any less delicate!? How many times has this happened now!?

Why does he always barge straight into my heart like that!? Damn it, I can’t even tell if our chemistry is terrible or amazing anymore!

"What? Is it weird to like something?"

"No, it’s… nice. It makes me happy, honestly. When someone treasures a gift, that’s the best feeling."

"—!!"

Lately, things like this keep happening. For some reason, every word, every little movement from him completely throws my heart into chaos.

Maybe I’ve really lost it…

"All right, let’s head back. It’s good to take a break like this sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah… next time I’m bringing Comp with me."

"Lux, you don’t have that many friends, so it’s important to build connections. Try inviting some of the other girls too, okay?"

"What are you, my mom? I’ve been doing better lately… kind of."

We chatted idly as we walked back toward the academy. The sky was darkening, and curfew was just around the corner.

After he walked me to the dorms, I went straight to my room and flopped face-first onto the bed.

Comp wasn’t back yet. I carefully took the paper bag from my pocket—the one with the earrings he’d bought for me today.

"Hehehe, these look pretty good. Maybe I’ll try them on for a bit."

Standing in front of the mirror, I fumbled clumsily to put them on. It took a bit of time, but eventually, I managed to attach them properly.

The golden stars stood out beautifully against my bluish-brown hair. Yeah, they really do suit me. Black, white, and gold—those three colors together are pretty eye-catching.

"Nice. Maybe I’ll wear these tomorrow."

As I turned my head slightly to check the look in the mirror, the door suddenly swung open.

"I’m hoooome! —Oh? What’s that, Roo-chan?"

"Eh!? O-oh, this? I, uh, bought it from an accessory shop today."

"Ehhh!? You, Roo-chan, at an accessory shop? Alone? No way!"

"N-no, I mean, not alone exactly…"

Comp folded her arms and gave me a look that practically screamed I see how it is. What’s that supposed to mean!?

"You went with Trainer, didn’t you?"

"H-how did you—"

"It’d be weirder if I didn’t figure that out, you know? Roo-chan, you really have no idea, huh?"

"Huh?"

Comp just said, "Well, bon appétit," and went straight back to working on something at her desk.

I was left sitting there, feeling all kinds of confused, as I quietly started cleaning the new accessory I’d bought.

The Three Goddesses happened to glance down at the world below. Their gaze settled on a particular horse girl—the one who had stubbornly refused to wear any earrings. What had become of her, they wondered?

And when they looked, to their surprise, she was wearing earrings! On her left ear, no less.

The Three Goddesses knew well what that signified. A horse girl who wears an earring on her right ear is born from a male soul, while one who wears it on the left is born from a female soul.

Yet the soul that had formed this girl was once that of a human man.

In other words, the earring on her left ear meant that her soul had now fully transformed into that of a woman.

From here on, there would be even more delightful things to witness—love, romance, and racing alike.

The Three Goddesses smiled in quiet satisfaction.