Chapter 33: About Unknown Feelings and Contracts

That morning, my mood was downright terrible.

Even making my favorite coffee in the trainer’s office didn’t help me calm down. Something just felt… off.

“Where is it… It should still be here, right? I just bought some—aha! Wait, whoa—!”

As if to say “let’s start the day with a jab,” I couldn’t find the coffee beans no matter how hard I looked. And when I finally spotted them, I lost my balance and nearly fell over.

From there, everything just went downhill.

“Ugh, what the heck… It’s awful—and it’s spilling, it’s spilling!”

I almost poured without grinding the beans, overflowed the cup, and then forgot how many spoonfuls of sugar I’d already added, so I threw in too many. It was a complete disaster.

My concentration was shot. Things that normally came naturally just weren’t working at all today.

“Wait, did I add too much sugar…? This is way too sweet. But I’m sure it was two spoonfuls… or was it four? Ugh, whatever!”

Thinking back, it all started when I saw my trainer this morning.

I’ve finally made it as a GⅠ-class Uma Musume, so the media and other racers have been talking to me more often. That’s great.

But at the same time, my trainer—also started getting more attention from other Uma Musume.

“Damn it, should I brew another cup? But these are good beans… would be a waste. Fine, I’ll just drink it.”

Even today, he was surrounded by other girls asking, “Aren’t you interested in training beyond sprint races?”

I’m his Uma Musume, damn it!

Ugh, I can’t calm down at all!

While I wrestled with my sugar-heavy coffee, the door to the trainer’s office opened.

“Phew—sorry, Lux. I got caught up with a reverse scout out there.”

“Hmph, whatever. Here, this is the data I got from Agnes Tachyon on Tamamo Cross the other day. I skimmed it, but as usual, it’s amazing.”

“…Lux?”

I stirred the coffee with my teaspoon and spoke curtly.

Honestly, thinking about it, it’s kind of a miracle we’ve made it this far as a solo pair under an exclusive contract.

A short-distance chaser with temperament issues—that’s me. Normally, a trainer would build a small team and divide focus among several girls.

Making someone like me an exclusive partner is an insane risk.

Though, I guess “exclusive” probably just means a one-year deal anyway. The contract period should be ending soon, meaning he’ll be free to scout a new girl.

“What, you’re not even looking at it? The ‘White Lightning’ nickname isn’t just for show, you know. That acceleration—though, not sure I can pull it off myself.”

“Are you okay? You seem kind of off today. Don’t push yourself, alright?”

“Hmph.”

New students have started arriving, and selection races are popping up here and there. Some of them will probably go on to become future GⅠ Uma Musume.

If my trainer decides to build a team—well, I’d find that incredibly not fun. But… I suppose I could accept it. I’d hate it, but I’d accept it!

“Hmm… Did I do something to upset you?”

“Ah—uh—no, I mean, this is, uh—ugh!”

I want to accept it, but what’s this weird feeling?

I ruffled my hair in frustration, but the restlessness wouldn’t go away.

It just bugs me—seeing my trainer getting all that attention from other Uma Musume, and the mere thought of someone else hanging around this office makes me squirm.

Maybe I should just take the day off…

“Sorry, Trainer. Guess I’m not feeling great after all. I already copied the data, so I’ll analyze it on my own.”

“Ah, Lux!? Wait—!”

Ignoring his call, I bolted out of the room.

My feet carried me to the rooftop—one corner of it, to be precise. I let the wind brush against my face as I tried to sort out my thoughts.

When I glanced down at the training grounds, the new students were running laps on the course. Hmm… that one’s got potential.

“But with that speed, she’ll never make the corner cleanly…? Yep, there it is—down she goes. Still, that boldness could be her strength.”

What am I even doing up here? Running would be easier. When I’m running, I can forget everything else and just focus on the race.

While I was watching the practice and losing myself in thought, the rooftop door creaked open behind me.

“Ah, so this is where you were. What’s wrong with you? Your trainer’s been looking everywhere.”

That refined, aristocratic voice—King Halo.

Looks like she saw me storm off and came to stick her nose in. Always the responsible one, huh…

"Ahaha… I don’t know, everything’s just been going wrong today. Even talking to my trainer felt so awkward I ended up running away."

"You really are something… So? What happened? Tell me everything, from the top."

Under King’s sharp, half-lidded stare, I gave up resisting and started talking.

Honestly, I wanted to tell someone—these tangled-up feelings I couldn’t even put into words. So I spilled everything to King, every single thought and frustration.

It must’ve taken well over ten minutes before I finally finished. King Halo let out a long, heavy sigh.

“Haaaaaah… You really are—good grief! Why are there so many troublesome girls around me!?”

“Ehh, am I really that bad…?”

“Yes! That’s exactly why you have to say what you feel! Right now, you need to go back to your trainer and tell him, ‘I want to stay as your exclusive partner!’”

But… I don’t want him to think I’m some clingy, high-maintenance Uma Musume…

Besides, the trainer’s opinion matters too—it’d be weird to just declare on my own that we’ll stay exclusive.

While I mumbled excuses to myself, King let out another exasperated sigh.

“Listen, you’re allowed to be that selfish. It’s not even unusual for a GⅠ Uma Musume to have an exclusive trainer. And losing focus just because you can’t say what you feel? That’s ridiculous.”

“Ugh… but still…”

“And let’s be honest—you’ve been a high-maintenance Uma Musume for ages! Not just a little, either—an exceptionally troublesome one! Everyone can see that!”

“W–wait a second, that’s—”

Okay, I’d like to argue that, but… yeah, no. She’s got a point.

Bottom of the rankings every selection race. A short-distance and mile runner who only knows how to close from behind. On top of that, a total race addict and a slob in daily life. Doesn’t even bother with earrings…

Yeah. That’s… definitely the profile of a pain-in-the-neck Uma Musume.

“Alright, listen closely! First, you need to accept that you’re a ‘hopelessly troublesome Uma Musume’—then, you go and reaffirm your bond with your trainer!”

“My… bond with my trainer?”

“Yes! Think about it—he’s put up with someone like you for a whole year! Do you really think he’d just end your exclusive contract and toss you aside? Absolutely not! You need to talk it out properly!”

Now that she says it… yeah. We’ve never actually sat down and talked seriously about our contract before.

“Honestly, you’re such a handful. And besides… well, this part’s something you’ll have to realize on your own.”

“Huh? Wait—what’s that supposed to mean?”

King gave me this strange look. Not scolding, not pitying—just… knowing. Like she understood something I didn’t yet.

What’s that supposed to mean? Something I haven’t noticed?

“For now, focus on the contract talk. You can be shy about a lot of things, but not this. You need to push forward, got it?”

“Push forward…?”

“Say something like, ‘I want to stay your exclusive trainee until I retire!’ Trainers are happy when their partner trusts them enough to say that.”

Well… now that she mentions it, that’s exactly how I felt back when I used to play the Uma Musume app.

Trust, huh… Maybe it’s okay to be a little selfish. Just a little.

“Once you’ve got that straight, go talk to your trainer properly! Understood?”

“Y-yes, ma’am… I’ll talk to him properly…”

“That’s better. Honestly, you’re such a handful, little sister.”

Guided—more like pushed—by King Halo, I made my way back to the trainer’s office.

After storming out like that, the air felt so awkward. My hand froze on the door handle, and King sighed at me again, clearly exasperated.

Come on, give me a break! It’s not like I’ve ever done something like this before!

While I was hesitating, King suddenly reached forward—and flung the door wide open.

"Lux’s trainer! I’ve brought your trainee back!"

"Whoa! L–Lux? Are you feeling better now?"

"Ah—yeah. Uh, sorry about earlier."

"Good. Then I’ll leave the rest to you two. Talk things out properly, alright?"

Once King saw that the two of us were awkwardly facing each other, she disappeared as swiftly as the wind.

"So, um… where do I even start… Trainer, about our contract."

I don’t think I’ve ever felt this nervous in my life.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my reflection in the cabinet glass—ears folded flat, looking meeker than I’d ever seen myself before.

"Ah, right. Well, our current exclusive contract is set for three years. Why, did something come up?"

"…Huh? Wait, three years!?"

"Most exclusive contracts last about three years. If things go well, we can extend it. On the other hand, if the results aren’t there, it might get cut short early."

My jaw just dropped.

Three years… it was a three-year exclusive contract all along? I didn’t even know that…

Wait—King totally knew! She must’ve pretended not to, just to light a fire under me!

"Honestly, I just couldn’t stand the idea of handing your talent over to anyone else. And besides, aiming for GⅠ wins pretty much requires an exclusive setup anyway."

"A-ahh…"

Wow. Now I just feel embarrassed. I wasted so much energy worrying for nothing!

sigh …So in other words, I don’t have to worry about another Uma Musume stealing my trainer away.

"Given my limits as a coach, handling a single GⅠ-level Uma Musume is about all I can manage. And you’ll be entering more GⅠ races from here on out, right?"

"Of course. I still want to run against strong rivals. I’m tied two-to-two with Bourbon, after all."

Still… hearing him say he didn’t want to hand me over to anyone—that made me kinda happy.

To be honest, my strengths are all over the place. Even trainers who know my abilities would probably hesitate to take me on.

But for him to say that—to want to keep me exclusively under his guidance—it makes me realize how lucky I am as an Uma Musume.

"Heh, fine then♪ I’ll brew us some coffee. I’ve still got some of the good stuff left."

"You sure bounced back fast. Well, I’m just glad you’re feeling like yourself again. When you stormed out earlier, I really didn’t know what to do."

"Ahaha… yeah, sorry about that, really."

Once again, I owed King a lot. I’ll have to thank her somehow…

I keep racking up debts to that senpai. Maybe I should plan something big as repayment.

I pulled out the coffee beans I’d stashed away—premium quality, bought with my GⅠ prize money—and started brewing.

"Here you go. Take your time and savor it. Oh, milk and sugar the same as always?"

"Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks. You know, Lux—you’ve gotten pretty domestic. Hard to believe you’re the same girl who didn’t even wear earrings at first."

"Please don’t remind me. I’ve learned my lesson, seriously…"

I placed the coffee on the desk and sat down beside my trainer.

Now that everything’s been cleared up, it only feels right to sit like we always do—side by side.

I leaned against him just a little, pressing closer until the warmth settled in. Ah… yeah. This feels right.

"Mmm, this is really good. Maybe your brewing skills have improved?"

"No way. It’s just the beans—they’re the good kind. I told you, this was my special stash."

In the quiet of the trainer’s office that afternoon, the two of us drank our coffee together.

Well, this kind of peaceful moment isn’t so bad every once in a while.

A calm spring afternoon—nothing special, really. But as we sat close together, it felt like time itself had slowed down just for us.