Chapter 22: Let’s Go for New Year’s Shrine Visit!

New Year’s Day.
While the cold outside was enough to freeze my soul, I stayed wrapped in my futon inside a heated room, wrestling with an important dilemma.

“Uuugh… what should I do… Should I invite my Trainer? But then again…”

There’s a shrine near Tracen Academy — the same one we use for guts training and that kind of thing. And, naturally, it’s packed with visitors this time of year for New Year’s shrine visits.

Going alone would be depressing. But most of my close friends have gone back home for the holidays. So that leaves only one option: my Trainer.

“If it’s Trainer, they’d totally say yes, right?”

Lately, I’ve really started to realize just how soft my Trainer is on me. Like, really soft. Talking with Comp and King made me realize it’s actually rare for Trainers to fuss over their girls this much.

Apparently, going out one-on-one like this isn’t even common. I guess I’ve been spoiled — the app made it feel like it was normal to hang out with your Trainer all the time.

“Well, Trainer’s probably in their office anyway. I’ll just go say happy new year and see how it goes.”

So, I stormed into the Trainer’s office and got my greeting out right away.

“Trainer! Happy New Year!”

“Ah, happy new year, Lux. You’re lively as ever, even on New Year’s Day. Have you gone to the shrine yet?”

“Ugh… not yet…”

That tone. Like they already knew I hadn’t gone. It’s irritating… but accurate, so I can’t even argue.

Trainer sighed deeply, wearing that figures kind of look.

“I figured as much. Come on, get changed — let’s go for the first shrine visit of the year. There’s one near Tracen that’s said to bless racers.”

“…Got it. I’ll go change.”

“Alright, see you in a bit.”

“…And I’ll grab my wallet.”

Damn it. I look like an idiot for hesitating to invite them.

When we finally arrived at the shrine, it was, of course, completely packed. And there were tons of horse girls too — probably because of the whole “race luck blessing” thing.

“Trainer! Hand!”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get lost now.”

“Mm!”

How many times have we done this already? Holding hands so we don’t get separated in the crowd.

Trainer’s hand firmly gripped mine, keeping me from being swept away in the bustling flow of people. It wasn’t a bad feeling — in fact, my heart kind of raced from it.

“Uh, I think there’s a proper way to pray at shrines, right? How was it again?”

“Two bows, two claps, one bow. But don’t worry too much — it varies from shrine to shrine.”

“Gotcha. Let’s just go with the standard version then.”

“Do you have offering money, Lux? Knowing you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you forgot your change again.”

No way, I’m not that careless— …oh.
I peeked into my wallet and turned pale. Not a single coin in sight. Luckily, there was a lonely five-yen coin deep inside. Saved.

“See, Trainer? I’m not always forgetting things!”

“That’s good. Guess I don’t need to pray for ‘Lux to be more responsible’ after all.”

“Wha—! You were going to ask for that?!”

“Well, you’ll probably be praying about racing anyway. No need to double up.”

“Muuuuuh!”

Lately, Trainer’s been getting a little too comfortable joking like this. It’s nice that we’re closer, but still…

Our turn came up, so I followed the ritual and tossed my coin into the offering box.

Hmm… what should I wish for?
Probably something like, “Please let me beat Bourbon.” I’ve lost to her every single race so far. I’ve got to win next time.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trainer praying with a serious look.
Yeah, yeah. They say stuff like that, but I bet they’re wishing for my success again. That’s just how Trainer is.

“Phew. Alright, next up — the fortune slips!”

“Don’t sulk if you get a bad one, okay? You’re surprisingly easy to read, Lux.”

Hah. I’ll show them. I dropped 200 yen and drew a fortune slip.

“So? What’s it say?”

“Hmm… ‘Moderate Luck.’ Not bad at all.”

“Nice! Let’s see here…”

The overall luck wasn’t bad, but what mattered more was the content.
‘Person you’re waiting for — already arrived.’ Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?
And under romance: ‘Has not yet come true. Taking initiative brings good fortune.’

Bah, fortunes are just luck tests anyway. Best not to overthink it.

“How about yours? The fortunes here even mention races — they’re pretty popular. Supposedly accurate too.”

“Huh… I dunno, mine feels a bit vague. Oh, wait, I didn’t check the race section yet.”

Let’s see, let’s see…

“It says, ‘Many hardships ahead, but rewards will come in time.’”

“Ahh… yeah…”

“I mean, sure, it’s accurate, but… why does it sound so depressing?”

Hardships — that part’s definitely true. The mile and sprint divisions are basically a living nightmare right now. Especially with Mihono Bourbon entering the short-distance races — that’s terrifying. All her training resources that went into longer distances are now focused there.

Seriously… what’s gonna happen this season?

“But hey, it says you’ll be rewarded eventually. Let’s keep working hard, okay?”

“Yeah. First things first — I’ve gotta beat Bourbon. Next one’s my specialty, short distance.”

My finishing burst is still developing, and my ability to disrupt the opponent’s pace is improving too. If I can master both, I should be able to do really well on the big G1 stage.

Some races in the Classic class allow both Classic- and Senior-class horse girls to compete. Which means, from here on, the difficulty of G1 races will skyrocket.

“So, what about yours, Trainer?”

“Hmm? Just ‘Slight Luck.’ Pretty normal stuff, nothing special.”

“Figures. Guess we should tie them up then.”

The shrine grounds were lined with food stalls. The air was filled with delicious smells, and my stomach growled.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

“Trainer, let’s buy something before we go! I’m starving.”

“Sure. What are you in the mood for?”

“Hmm… buttered potatoes, yakisoba, taiyaki, and maybe okonomiyaki too…”

“You really can eat, huh? But since you burn it all off in training, I don’t mind.”

“Right? My weight’s gone up a bit, but my waist hasn’t gotten any bigger.”

Despite eating as much as I want every day, I haven’t put on a single bit of flab. Probably because training’s too intense — same goes for Bourbon.

That said, my uniform size did go up by one. My stomach’s fine, but it still feels tighter for some reason.
Guess that’s what they call a growth spurt.

"Actually, Lux, you might need to eat a little more. From the looks of it, you’ve still got room to grow—and in short-distance races, a bigger body tends to be an advantage."

"I’ve gotta eat even more, huh… Well, I guess I could if I tried."

Both Comp and I are on the smaller side for short-distance Uma Musume. Still, the amount we eat is definitely more than average. Maybe that’s just the fate of small, speed-oriented sprinters—bottomless appetites.

"Mm, buttered potatoes are basically a fat-and-carb bomb, huh? If I wasn’t training, this’d be dangerous."

"I’ll just have a bite or two, I think."

"Probably for the best. Here, you can have a bite of this taiyaki too."

I held out the fish-shaped pastry I’d just taken a bite from. Don’t underestimate festival taiyaki—it’s surprisingly good. Maybe it’s because we’re near Tracen, but all the stalls seem to cater to Uma Musume appetites, so the quality’s solid.

"Uh, Lux?"

"The Uma Musume industry’s really profitable, huh? Never thought I’d notice the difference in something like food stalls."

"Lux."

"Uma Musume eat a ton, so it’s probably smarter for the vendors to sell high-quality stuff in bulk instead of trying to overcharge."

"Lux."

"What, Trainer? You like taiyaki, don’t you?"

For some reason, Trainer just wouldn’t take a bite. It’s gonna get cold soon, so what’s the holdup? Don’t tell me he thinks it’s improper to let a trainee treat him? Man, what a stickler.

I pressed the taiyaki against his lips, forcing him to take it.

"Okay, okay, I’ll eat it."

"There! See? Pretty good, right? The outside’s soft and the red bean paste is super smooth."

"Mmm, yeah, it is good. Also, Lux—don’t casually share food you’ve already bitten into."

"Huh?"

Trainer gave me a serious look. Um… did I do something wrong?

"Listen, I’ve told you before—you’re a girl, remember?"

"Y-yes…"

"I really wonder if you actually understand that sometimes…"

Wait, was that about an indirect kiss? C’mon, it’s not that big a deal, is it?

Anyway, while Trainer poked at his food, we made our way back toward the academy. We’d planned to eat the rest back at the Trainer’s office, but by the time we got there, most of it had mysteriously ended up in my stomach. Honestly, I could probably still keep going.

"Phew… there sure were a lot of people."

"It’s New Year’s. It’s the one time of year when shrines are packed like that—it can’t be helped."

"Guess so. So, what now? Training or something?"

"Take a break, Lux. It’s New Year’s—at least rest today."

Trainer’s words made me reluctantly slip my legs under the kotatsu.

I turned on the TV, but every channel was some kind of New Year’s special. Flipping through them one after another, I eventually landed on a program showing Uma Musume races. Looked like a feature called “Reflecting on the Races of Last Year.”

Oh, Taiki Shuttle! She’s still as wild and powerful as ever, leaving everyone else in the dust.

"Taiki Shuttle, huh… She’s going to the Dream Trophy Series this year, right?"

"Still undefeated in mile races. She really is something else."

"And the fact that her only losses are in sprints is insane. Think she’ll take the crown as the mile queen in the Dream Trophy?"

They also showed Special Week, El Condor Pasa, and Grass Wonder. Every one of them had an incredible run. You could feel their spirit and intensity even through the screen—their energy, their fire.

A shiver ran down my spine.

"You okay, Lux?"

"Fff… yeah, yeah, I’m fine…"

This has been happening more often lately. Whenever I feel the heat of a race—when I face Bourbon, or see King run—it’s like I can’t keep myself contained.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Otherwise, I might’ve dashed straight to the track that instant.

"Oh, Bourbon’s on now."

"Lux too. That’s the footage from the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes."

"Tch… I was so close that time… though that ‘so close’ is actually a massive wall in disguise."

Watching the replay reminded me just how terrifying Bourbon is. Even after such a high-paced run, she still found another gear at the end. If not for that last burst of acceleration, first place would’ve been mine.

How far is Mihono Bourbon planning to grow…?

I can’t afford to fall behind.

"So, you’ve already got mile training plans drawn up, right? Can I see them yet?"

"Sure. Think of it as a New Year’s gift."

"Sweet! Let’s see…"

The training schedule looked denser than it had in the Junior Class. Probably taking into account how much my body’s developed. There were also more practical drills—stuff clearly aimed at real race performance rather than just fundamentals.

"Oh, more race observation too, huh?"

"Right. Your weakness in close contests mostly comes from getting overwhelmed by the atmosphere and the other racers’ pressure. You’ve been in enough GⅠs by now to start getting used to that, right?"

"A little, yeah. Still, I can’t say I’m good at it yet."

"But you don’t freeze up just because it’s the real thing anymore, do you?"

That’s true. I’m still not comfortable when someone’s breathing down my neck mid-race, but chasing from behind or passing others on the final stretch doesn’t faze me like it used to. That’s a big improvement.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Exactly. So, we’ll keep building on that this year."

"Wait, does that mean if I get used to it enough, I could maybe run as a front-runner too?"

"Hmm… I doubt it. That fear of being chased seems more instinctive than something you can train away."

Well, that’s… something, I guess. Not that I don’t get it.

"Alright, then! Time to make this another good year!"

"What’s your goal for the year?"

"Obviously—to beat Bourbon! And get into more GⅠs! Oh, and I can’t forget King either!"

"Then let’s work hard toward those goals, Lux."

"You bet!"

Year two of my life as an Uma Musume.
The battlefield known as the Classic Class awaits me—