Chapter 17: Intelligence Training - Unraveling the Debuff

Symboli Rudolf.
Also known as the “Emperor,” she dominated the Twinkle Series with such commanding performances that everyone who witnessed them could only watch in awe.

Yet, despite that overwhelming strength, her racing style is filled with subtle deception. Just like in the app, she has a tendency to employ what we call “debuffs.”

“Yeah, I knew it. This isn’t just plain acceleration.”

“Right, right. Look here—everyone else’s speed drops for a moment. You wouldn’t notice unless you’re really watching closely.”

The two of us sat shoulder to shoulder in front of the monitor, clutching the remote as we went through play, pause, and rewind over and over again.

Ever since that race the other day, I’ve been fixated on that “debuff” feeling I managed to experience firsthand. While the sensation still lingered in my body, I wanted—no, needed—to understand what it really was.

“Symboli Rudolf… she’s not just fast. She’s clever. A really intelligent Uma Musume. Maybe this—this kind of racing—is what I should be aiming for.”

“It’s practically an art form at this point.”

“Yeah, exactly. First, she overtakes one opponent, right? Then the girl who gets passed panics—her breathing and stride fall apart. The next one notices the disruption, realizes Rudolf’s closing in, and then her rhythm breaks too… it’s like a chain reaction.”

“She must be doing something to throw off their pace, but I have no idea what it is…”

In the app, Symboli Rudolf’s unique skill activates when she enters the final corner after overtaking three others, giving her a massive speed boost.
But here, that ability isn’t just a simple increase in speed.

It’s a hybrid skill—a combination of accelerating herself while simultaneously disrupting other Uma Musume the moment she passes them. That’s the true nature of Symboli Rudolf’s unique ability in this world.

“Ughhh… I guess this is something I won’t really understand unless I feel it myself…”

“Pretty much. Her movements are so precise, there’s no way to analyze them from just a recording.”

“Which means I’ll have to find someone who’s naturally good at this kind of racing. Not that I know anyone like that…”

“For juniors? Yeah, there’s basically no one who races with that kind of trickery. You probably won’t see that level of technique until the Classic season in summer.”

Even copying just one part of Symboli Rudolf’s racing style would be amazing. But right now, it felt hopeless.

What now? I tried to recall any Uma Musume who specialized in debuffs, but none of them were anyone I had contact with.
I racked my brain, but of course, no answer came.

“Arghhh! My brain’s boiling! I’m just gonna go for a run! Trainer, keep analyzing that for me!”

“Be careful, okay? Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Got it!”

I bolted out of the trainer’s room and headed straight for the track. After warming up along the edge of the field, I was just about to start running when—something flashed past me.

A jet-black Uma Musume. She raced by without a sound, not even slicing through the air. There was no presence to match her speed—like she didn’t exist in reality at all.
What the heck… was that?

Right after her, a blue-bay Uma Musume came chasing hard.

“Damn it! I still can’t catch up…!”

“That long black hair… no way, is that Manhattan Café…?”

If that’s her, then the one ahead of her must be—

Wait, that’s dangerous! I was so caught up staring at the strange Uma Musume that I didn’t notice Manhattan Café was closing in on me fast.

“Hah… hah… I’m sorry, I got a little too fired up… Are you hurt?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine. You just passed really close, that’s all. Um, it looked like you were chasing someone?”

“Yes… there’s someone I want to catch up to…”

So it was that “friend” she always talks about. The jet-black Uma Musume looked just like Manhattan Café herself, right down to the racing outfit.

Come to think of it, Café was also a debuff user—her “Stamina Greed” was a powerful one, and even her unique skill had a debuff element mixed in.

Honestly, if I could, I’d want to run alongside her right now—!

“Well then, I’ll keep chasing her…”

“Ah, okay—whoa!?”

“Wha—why are you so close all of a sudden!?”

That “friend” was right there—standing just ahead of me, close enough to reach out and touch her back.

She had appeared in front of us without a sound, leaving me speechless. What… what triggered her to react like that?

…There’s one possibility.
My body belongs to an Uma Musume.
If that’s the case, then maybe—just maybe—that’s why…

“Um… hello… nice to meet you…?”

“———”

“Heh… a-ha-ha…”

The racehorse she originated from must share blood with this pitch-black figure. That wouldn’t be strange at all. If the one standing before me really was that “silent” horse, she’d have countless descendants by now.

But still… why can I see her?

“Ah… she’s gone…”

“There seems to be something complicated going on here. Was it okay for me to get involved?”

“I think… it’s fine. But really, it’s unusual—that she’d show interest in anyone other than me…”

No idea! If I’d ever had a brush with death or something, maybe this would make sense—but that’s not how I ended up in this world, so… yeah.

Hmm?

“I’m truly sorry… for getting you involved in all this…”

“It’s nothing you need to apologize for. Ah—my name’s Mithialx. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m… Manhattan Café. Um, if it’s all right, would you… talk with me for a bit?”

“Of course! My trainer’s been telling me to make more friends anyway.”

We sat together on a bench beside the track and started chatting about random things.
Manhattan Café was quiet by nature, but for someone like me—who isn’t exactly the bubbly type—she was surprisingly easy to talk to.

Before long, the conversation drifted toward that friend of hers.

“That Uma Musume from before… there’s no way anyone could run without making a sound like that.”

“…You could say she’s an Uma Musume only I can see. I never imagined anyone else would be able to see her…”

“Yeah, I honestly don’t know why I can see her either.”

“I don’t understand… Do you perhaps have any spiritual sensitivity…?”

“Not even a little.”

That was the truth. I’d never had any run-ins with ghosts or spirits like Manhattan Café apparently had, and I’d never seen anything unusual at shrines either.
Even during training camps—where ghost stories are practically tradition—I’d never experienced anything remotely supernatural.

…Though, does that weird thing with money appearing in my wallet every month count as a haunting?

Nah. I already have a good idea who’s behind that.

“Seems like we could think all day and still not figure it out…”

“Yeah. Guess this one’s unsolvable.”

Café gently handed me a cup.

A rich, roasted aroma rose from the dark liquid inside. Wait—could it be?

“Here… it’s coffee I brewed myself. It’s not freshly made, though…”

“Thank you. Mmm, this is delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it…”

Manhattan Café’s coffee—something I’d always wanted to try. And wow, it was good.
Sure, the beans were probably high-quality, but her brewing skill was remarkable too.
I could almost feel my stiff, overworked brain loosening up as I drank.

“Ahh… that really helped me relax. Thank you.”

“Yes. When you’re troubled, taking a quiet moment like this is best…”

“Wait—was it that obvious I was worrying about something!?”

“Oh, very much so…”

How embarrassing. Seriously, why does everyone around me read me like an open book?
Am I that transparent?
There’s gotta be a reason for it… maybe something about me I don’t even notice myself.
Ugh, maybe I should just ask my trainer outright.

“If something’s bothering you… would you like to talk about it? Keeping things bottled up can be painful…”

“Hm, in that case… maybe just a little.”

“What kind of worry is it…?”

“It’s about racing. I just can’t seem to get the hang of that style where you unsettle the Uma Musume in front of you.”

It was the perfect chance to bring it up, so I went for it.
Maybe—just maybe—she could give me some insight.
I wasn’t expecting much, but her reply completely blindsided me.

“I see… in that case, how about running with me for a bit?”

“Huh?”

“In my training to catch up to her, there’s a technique quite similar to what you’re describing…”

“Wait, really!? Are you sure it’s okay to show me something like that?”

“It’s fine… you’re a precious friend—someone who can prove she exists.”

Whoa—heavy much!?

Ah… maybe Café hasn’t met her trainer yet. If that’s the case, and suddenly another Uma Musume appears who can see her “friend,” I guess a reaction like that is only natural.

Still, hearing her call me a friend didn’t feel bad at all.
If I can just keep being a proper friend from here on out, things will work out.
Honestly, I don’t have many people I can actually call friends, so I’d be happy if we got closer.

“All right then, Café—ready when you are?”

“Yes… I’ll chase from behind, so please try to keep your own pace as much as possible…”

Being the one chased for once was a refreshing change.
I usually start from the back of the pack and work my way forward, so having someone on my tail like this was practically a first.

The last time might’ve been that selection race, come to think of it.

“Hah… huh… sss…”

“This is… way harder to run in than I expected!”

The moment we actually started, I understood—it really was a debuff.
Her breathing, her footsteps, even her very presence came crashing down on me like waves, deliberately hounding me and throwing my rhythm into chaos.

I couldn’t focus on my own stride. My pace slipped completely out of sync.

“What’s causing this…? It’s not just her breathing, but it’s not mainly her footsteps either… dammit, I can’t piece it together at all!”

“Haah… ss… huu… sss…”

My steps tangled, and before long, I was out of stamina and down for the count.
Yikes… this was no joke.

I hadn’t realized how terrifyingly effective a refined debuff could be.
No wonder Symboli Rudolf could mount such incredible comebacks.

But where on earth was I supposed to start unraveling this?

“How was that…? I think I managed to do it properly…”

“It was… really educational… hah… wheeze…”

“Um, are you sure you’re all right? You look… pretty exhausted…”

“Short-distance races are my specialty, so I’m not used to this kind of pace…”

As I caught my breath, I organized what I’d just experienced—how I might apply it to my own clumsy “debuff” attempt from the Keio Junior Stakes.
Maybe I could mimic her breathing and footwork. But her presence? How do you even control something like that?
I had zero understanding of things like “aura” or “killing intent.”

Still, I’d have to try to copy it somehow—at least get the rough shape down.

“I see… ah, by the way—would you like to exchange contact info?”

“Absolutely! Haha, my contact list’s finally starting to grow.”

Once I’d caught my breath, I said goodbye to Manhattan Café and headed back to the trainer’s room.

Yeah, that joint run had been really fruitful.
Running alongside someone from a completely different distance class wasn’t a bad idea at all.
And trying a running style so different from my own—it was surprisingly refreshing.

“You’re late, Lux.”

“Yeah, sorry. I was getting a hands-on lesson in debuffing.”

“Oh? Judging by that satisfied look, I’m guessing you learned something that footage alone couldn’t show you?”

“Well, sure, but… I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

It was incredibly hard to articulate.
This wasn’t a defined technique so much as something rooted in instinct and sensation.
That probably explained why so few Uma Musume specialized in it.

I didn’t want to dismiss it as just “talent,” but it was obvious that aptitude played a big role.
And that, well… couldn’t be helped.

“So yeah, I have no clue if I can actually learn it.”

“In that case, why not focus on paired running for a while? I’ll ask around and find some partners for you.”

“Yeah, that’s probably best. But still, I don’t want to pour everything into just that.”

“Then how about we treat it as a change of pace from your usual training?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes was drawing near—less than a month away now.
Whether I could master a debuff technique before then would depend partly on luck.

Talent, effort, and luck.
Those who possess all three are said to be the truly great Uma Musume.
Which is exactly why I had to keep putting in the effort—to draw that luck toward me.

I clenched my fists, tightening every muscle in my body.

Less than a month until the Asahi Hai FS.
How far could I go before then…?