Chapter 20: Let’s Go to Town—It’s Christmas

Christmas. For children all over the world, it’s the most anticipated holiday of the year—but for the Uma Musume, it’s just as important. After all, Christmas coincides with the Arima Kinen, one of the biggest races of the season. Even now, a fierce battle was unfolding on the monitor in front of us.

"Now, onto the final stretch! The Uma Musume are surging forward all at once! Breaking through the pack to take the lead—it’s Grass Wonder!"

"Looks like Seiun Sky’s in trouble. She’s about to get overtaken."

"Yeah. If she didn’t widen the gap before the final stretch, she won’t hold out."

Plans for Christmas? Yeah right—like I’d have any.

I don’t have any family nearby, and both Mihono Bourbon and Bridge Comp went home the moment winter break started. The girls who specialize in mid- to long-distance races are off watching the Arima Kinen live.

So here I was, alone in the trainer’s office, poking at a slice of cake I’d brought from the cafeteria.

"Grass Wonder! Grass Wonder is strong! She’s completely overtaken Seiun Sky! Her momentum isn’t fading at all!"

"That’s it. Looks like Grass Wonder takes this year’s Arima Kinen."

"Winning an Arima as a Classic-class runner, huh… The mile division’s gonna get fierce. Ugh, my head already hurts."

"Guess that means we’ll just have to work harder."

"Mm."

Ever since Mihono Bourbon announced she’d be taking on the short-distance route, I’d been forced to rethink my entire plan.

Given her aptitude, she’d definitely compete in the mile races too. Avoiding that and focusing only on short-distance events? Yeah, that wasn’t an option anymore.

I’d originally planned to concentrate on the sprints and face King Halo head-on… so how did it come to this?

"Man, what are we supposed to do about the mile races? Honestly, I can’t see us winning an 1800-meter one."

"For that, give me a little more time. I’m reworking your training menu."

"For real, Trainer?!"

Yep. My trainer really is the best. I’m so glad this person’s mine.

"By the way, Lux—don’t you have any plans for today?"

"Not really."

"…Huh?"

Trainer froze like they couldn’t process what I’d just said.

What? Isn’t it normal not to have plans?

"I mean, even you, Lux… I thought you’d have at least something going on for Christmas."

"Eh, I’m eating cake right now, so that’s good enough for me."

"Haaah…"

Trainer let out a deep, exasperated sigh. Uh, that face looks kinda scary?

"Lux, we’re going out. Get changed and meet me at the front gate."

"Eh?! Out of nowhere, why—"

"The fact that I even have to say it proves you really need this."

Before I could protest, they pushed me out of the office.

What was I supposed to do with that? For now, I went back to my room and opened the closet.

Where once only uniforms and tracksuits hung, now a few sets of casual clothes had joined them.

Hmm… what should I wear?

"Ugh, whatever—this’ll do!"

I grabbed an ordinary shirt and jeans. My eyes flicked—just for a second—to another outfit: the frilly one Bridge Comp had talked me into buying. No way. Absolutely not. That thing was way too embarrassing.

But still… she did say it looked cute on me, didn’t she?

"Uuugh… but still, argh…"

Hesitantly, I picked up the outfit and held it against myself. In the mirror, my black hair contrasted nicely with the white frills. Okay, fine—it was cute. With a decent figure and the approval of an actual girl, I guess it really did look good.

But wearing this in the middle of town?

Yeah, no. Impossible.

"Ugh, why do I have to suffer like this! Arghhh—fine, this one!"

Overthinking it was just wasting time anyway. Whatever I grabbed first—that’s what I’d wear!

I shut my eyes and reached out. My fingers brushed against plain, unadorned fabric. Cheap, simple clothes.

Phew. Thank goodness.

"Haah… guess I’ll get changed."

I hadn’t even left yet, and I already felt exhausted. Having spent way too much time on this, I hurriedly changed.

Hair—check. Earrings—check. Wallet—check. After making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything, I headed for the front gate.

Waiting there was Trainer, for once not dressed in a suit.

"You actually came. I was half-worried you wouldn’t."

"Of course I would. So, what now?"

"Knowing you, you didn’t prepare dinner, right? So I thought we’d go have a nice Christmas dinner."

"Isn’t it gonna be packed everywhere?"

"It’ll be fine. I’ll figure something out."

Trainer’s look—different from the usual business suit—felt surprisingly fresh.

Navy jacket, checkered slacks, patterned shirt. Pretty standard overall, but probably all high-quality pieces.

I glanced at my own outfit. Not bad, but… the quality gap was staggering. Damn it, maybe I should have worn the frilly one?

"Still, Lux, I didn’t expect you to own normal clothes."

"What’s that supposed to mean? I do have casual clothes, you know!"

"Well, with you, I half-expected you’d just show up in your tracksuit…"

Guh—he saw right through me. Honestly, if King, Trainer, and Comp hadn’t kept nagging me about it, I probably would’ve shown up in a tracksuit.

But that was the old me. Even if it’s plain and boring, casualwear is still casualwear.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Let’s start by heading downtown. It’s not too crowded yet, so if we hurry, we’ll be fine."

"Got it. Let’s go, then."

Side by side, Trainer and I began walking. It had been a while since we’d taken it easy like this—probably not since the summer festival.

It wasn’t even that crowded, but still, I reached out and took Trainer’s hand.

Whoa—cold!

"Lux?"

"See? Your hands are freezing. C’mon, I’ll warm them up for you."

"You're warm as always, Lux. I’ve heard Uma Musume have higher body temperatures because of their metabolism."

"Now that you mention it, yeah. Even with light clothes, it’s not that cold."

Our idle chatter gradually shifted toward racing talk—or rather, that’s probably the only topic I can really handle. Okay, maybe let’s stop the self-analysis before I spiral.

"Next year’s gonna be wild, huh? You probably already know, Trainer, but King Halo-senpai’s heading for the short-distance circuit too."

"Yeah, I heard. But King Halo, huh… Her compatibility with short-distance races will be the deciding factor."

"I wouldn’t worry about that. I think she’s actually pretty good at shorter races."

"What? Where’d you get that idea?"

"Didn’t we train together during summer camp? I figured it out back then."

Uh oh—that might’ve been a slip. King Halo’s distance aptitude is kind of a mystery. Even in the real world, her race choices were all over the place, and in the app, her target races and distance range are… chaos incarnate. And in this world, her only win so far is the Hopeful Stakes. Saying she’s good at short distances sounds… pretty implausible.

So yeah, it probably sounded strange that I picked up on that.

"I see… Still, a short-distance runner with the same rear-charging style as you, huh?"

"Yeah. I saw it during camp—her finishing burst was insane. If we want to compete with that, we’ll have to get better at running in tight packs too."

"That makes sense. Up until now, you’ve rarely had to deal with other closers, but that’ll change soon enough."

Exactly. The only reason I’ve been holding my own so far is because there are barely any rear-runners in the short and mile divisions. Once someone with a similar chasing or late-surging style joins the field, things are going to get rough. I’ll have to find a way to overcome that.

"Well, knowing you, Trainer, you’ve already got a plan in mind, right?"

"I’ve got something in the works. We’ll adjust your body for mile races while also training you to handle duels better."

"Roger that."

As we drew closer to the city, the crowd thickened. Most people walked in groups, and I could spot several pairs that were clearly out on dates. The streets glowed with Christmas lights, turning the cityscape into something almost magical. My excitement shot through the roof.

"Whoa! Trainer, this is amazing! I didn’t think it’d be this flashy!"

"I’m glad I brought you along. Just don’t get too carried away—you’ll get lost."

"Got it! Oh, look over there—they’re handing something out!"

"Samples, maybe? Want to grab one?"

"Nah, we’ve got dinner coming up, right? I’ll pass."

Come to think of it, I still had no idea where we were going. Hopefully Trainer had this all planned out. I followed as they led me through the busy streets.

Eventually, we stopped in front of a restaurant just off the main shopping district. It looked… kinda pricey.

"Hey, Trainer, are you sure about this place?"

"Hm? Yeah, don’t worry—there’s no dress code here."

"That’s not what I meant. I meant, uh… money-wise."

"Hah. You’re strangely mature about this, Lux. Don’t worry—I’m paying."

"Wait, wait, what? That’s not right!"

Getting treated like this again—seriously, I felt bad. But I had finished second in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, so I had some prize money saved up. I could easily pay for myself.

"It’s fine. You did great in a G1 race, so let me celebrate that with you."

"Still, I—"

"Or… do you hate being celebrated?"

Ugh, this person! They really know exactly how to handle me. After that line, how am I supposed to say no?

"Fine. I’ll let you treat me this time."

"Good. Then let’s head in. Excuse me!"

It was a pretty stylish place, honestly. But how’d Trainer even find this restaurant? Then again, the Trainer for Mayano Top Gun in the app knew fancy traditional spots too. Guess top-tier central trainers just operate on that level.

"Um, table for two—no reservation."

"Perfect timing, we just had a cancellation. Right this way, please. May I take your coats?"

We followed the waiter and sat down. I opened the menu—and nearly choked. Yikes. Okay, not impossible to afford, but one wrong move and that’s a week’s worth of food money gone.

"Order whatever you like. And don’t you dare hold back."

"A-are you sure?"

"Lux, you’re not the only one who earns money when a race goes well, you know."

"Oh. Ahaha… right."

Right. Totally forgot that. Wow, I just embarrassed myself. Overthinking, as usual.

Well, if we’re celebrating, might as well enjoy it properly. I picked out a main dish and added a few sides for good measure. Once we ordered, we relaxed, waiting for the food to arrive.

"It’s getting packed. Looks like they’re turning people away at the door now."

"Good thing we made it in time. We were just on the edge."

"Heh. Guess that means I’m lucky tonight!"

The food would probably take a while, but before I could think of another topic, Trainer pulled something out—a small bag.

"Lux, merry Christmas. I was going to give this to you back at the office, but this works too."

"Whoa, seriously? I didn’t get you anything though!"

I wasn’t expecting a gift at all—completely caught off guard, with nothing to give back. What should I even do? The bag felt lighter than I expected.

"It’s fine. Go on, open it."

"Okay then… oh, it’s a hair ornament?"

"Right. Your racing outfit has that knightly vibe, so I figured this might suit you."

Somewhere between a tiara and a crown—a simple but elegant design. Not flashy, but refined. Something I could even wear casually. Totally my kind of thing.

"Eheh… this is great. Thanks, Trainer."

"I’m glad you like it. I figured you probably don’t buy accessories like that for yourself."

"Ugh… hey, I’ve been trying to pay more attention lately, you know!"

"True, you’ve slowly been building up your wardrobe, haven’t you?"

Wow. This might honestly be the happiest Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten. I couldn’t stop smiling; my face must’ve looked ridiculously soft. As I admired the ornament, our food arrived.

"Thank you for waiting. From the left side, we have—"

"Oh, that one’s mine, and the soup goes over there."

"Man, this smells amazing!"

I dug in eagerly. The cafeteria food back at the dorms was good, but this—this was on another level. My taste buds were practically melting. Bite after bite, I cleared every single plate in front of me.

"Whew, that was incredible. Hey, Trainer, mind if I order dessert?"

"Of course. Anything catch your eye?"

Ever since becoming an Uma Musume, my sweet tooth has gone wild—especially for carrot-based sweets. They’re like instant happiness. I polished off the dessert too, and soon enough, we left the restaurant.

"Man, I’m stuffed. Thanks for the meal, Trainer."

"As long as you’re satisfied, I’m happy. Ready to head back?"

"Yeah. I’m pumped now. Next year’s gonna be intense, huh?"

The end of the year—my junior season—was almost over. I squeezed Trainer’s hand a little tighter, shivering slightly as I thought about what lay ahead.

King Halo, Mihono Bourbon, and countless other rivals yet to come… Our battles weren’t far off now.