Chapter 43: Summer Camp Begins!

The blue sea, the white beach, and the blazing sun.
Summer training camp had come around once again—!

"Beach timeee! Lulu-chan, let’s swim together this year!"

"...Huh? I didn’t bring a swimsuit. Actually, I don’t even own one."

"What?"

Truth be told, I’ve never once taken the swimming class at Tracen.
For us Uma Musume, once you’re assigned a trainer, all the so-called “physical education” classes get waived.
Which makes sense—if classes interfere with our training schedule, it defeats the purpose entirely.

"Wait, wait—Lulu-chan, don’t joke like that! What did you do last year, then?"

"Last year...? I just trained. I went to the summer festival, but I didn’t swim at the beach or anything."

Bridge Comp stared at me like I’d said something scandalous.
Was that really so strange…?

"Lulu-chan, you’re practically throwing away your femininity... What were you even planning to do during camp?"

"Well, the Sprinters Stakes is coming up soon, so I figured I’d really push myself hard."

"I mean, I get that, but... were you seriously planning to only train? Are you really a teenage girl...?"

No comment on that one!

"I’m pretty sure there’s a big shopping mall not too far from here… I’d better talk to your trainer later…"

She started muttering under her breath, but her voice was too quiet to catch.

At the campgrounds, countless Uma Musume were already arriving—some dropping off their luggage before heading straight to training, others sprinting toward the sea.
Everyone was spending the start of camp their own way.
I made my way to my assigned room and changed into my training gear.

"Last year, I worked on my legs and hips with beach training, didn’t I...? Wow, it’s already been a year since then. Never imagined things would turn out like this."

My mind drifted back to last summer’s camp.
I hadn’t even debuted yet—I was still experimenting, still trying to figure out how to move forward.
Back then, I couldn’t even see the path ahead.
Feels nostalgic…

"Alright, it’s about time. Guess I’ll go put in some hard work."

When I reached the designated spot, my trainer was already waiting.

"Right on time. For today’s training, let’s do some beach sprints—it’s been a while."

"I’ve done dirt tracks and woodchip courses, but an actual beach like this... yeah, it’s been a while. This stuff really burns the legs…"

"The load’s heavy, but the training effect’s worth it. Just don’t overdo it, okay?"

I dashed across the beach, leaving a trail of footprints behind me.

My running style depends entirely on body control—breathing, posture, speed.
If I can’t control those, maintaining pace, accelerating, or even slipping into stealth mode becomes impossible.
That’s why my beach sprint times are actually a pretty important indicator.

"Hah!"

"Wow… That’s amazing, Lux. You’re nothing like last year. Honestly, you might even handle dirt races now."

"Ehh, I dunno… I don’t feel like I could give my all unless it’s turf, really."

Body control is crucial when the footing’s bad like this.
My beach sprint times weren’t bad—but I definitely didn’t have the spare energy to handle both turf and dirt.
Each terrain demands its own technique and conditioning—it’s tough either way.

I kept running along the beach.
By the time the sun climbed toward its peak, someone called out to me.

"Mu-mu-mu! If it isn’t Lux-san! I’m glad to see you thriving on the sprint circuit!"

That dazzling forehead could only belong to the class representative herself—Sakura Bakushin O.
Wait, she’s here from day one? Guess she managed to survive make-up classes and retests this year…

"Long time no see. Thanks to you, I’ve been managing somehow."

"That’s wonderful! It looks like you’ve fully made my running technique your own! Once again, I’ve successfully guided another Uma Musume through my model student leadership!"

Can’t even deny it, which somehow makes it more annoying.
When it comes to racing, Bakushin O’s surprisingly sharp—great instincts, too.
Guess that “intelligence stat” of hers isn’t just for show.

"So, Bakushin O-senpai, what brings you over here?"

She’s in a crucial period right now—the Summer Dream Trophy Series takes place in late August.
This should be peak training time for her.

"I happened to see a pupil I once coached! And while I’m here, would you care to run with me? Nobody else wants to when I ask!"

"Ahhh…"

Yeah, I can see why.

Bakushin O’s a great girl—truly.
But under this scorching sun, doing high-intensity training with a fireball like her... yeah, most people would rather not.

I glanced toward my trainer.
He gave me a small nod.
I took Bakushin O’s hand.

"Of course! Let’s run together! Beach sprints sound good?"

"Ooh! Yes, let us Bakushin across the sands together!"

"Alright, Bakushi~n!"

"Excellent battle cry! You have the makings of a class representative!"

“Hmm…”

Sakura Bakushin O’s running form was beautiful—so smooth, it was hard to believe she was sprinting across sand.
Actually, isn’t it kind of cheating that she can shout like that and still keep perfect form and speed!?

"Take this!"

"Excellent Bakushin! Then allow me to show you an even greater Bakushin!"

"Huh?"

In the next instant, Sakura Bakushin O drove her foot hard into the sand.

Normally, in dirt races, times are faster when the track’s in poor condition rather than good.
The reason’s simple: the wetter the sand, the softer and heavier it gets, making it harder to run fast.

But this…

"Bakushin, Bakushin, Bakushi~n!"

"You’ve gotta be kidding me..."

Where her feet struck the ground—
the sand didn’t scatter. At all.

Wait, how are you even doing that!?

It had to be an advanced application of “Sprint Turbo.” She was probably converting every bit of her step’s power directly into forward thrust, without wasting a single ounce of energy.

In theory, that would make for the most efficient acceleration possible.
But in practice—how the hell is that even humanly possible!?

"I can’t... keep up!"

"Hahaha! Can you follow the acceleration of the Class Representative?"

"Not... a... chanceeee!"

Honestly, I deserve some praise for even keeping up this long.
Sakura Bakushin O, the queen of short-distance races—her title wasn’t just for show.

"Huff… wheeze… gasp..."

"Phew! That was a great run! Thank you for joining me today, Lux-san!"

"I’m… glad I could run with you… urp…"

"Fufufu! Guiding juniors is one of the Class Representative’s duties, after all!"

Yeah, no—Sakura Bakushin O is seriously insane.
That move she used today—it was probably meant for her starting acceleration.

She reinforced the ground beneath her feet, converting all her step force into raw propulsion.
In other words—“Grounding.”

She must use that to rocket forward right after the start, hold her position near the front, and then unleash another burst of speed in the final stretch.
That’s probably the core of Sakura Bakushin O’s winning pattern.

"Still… not sure how much that helps me. I doubt I could use that kind of move for a final sprint…"

Seeing her technique up close was definitely lucky.
But if you asked whether I could directly adapt it into my own running—eh, not so sure.

I mean, if I could pull that off in a normal acceleration phase, it’d give me a huge advantage.
But mastering it perfectly? Impossible.

Well… adapting it a little might be doable.
I’ll give it some research.

If I’d ever planned to switch to being a front-runner, I’d probably be crying tears of joy right now.

"This year, I’ll be participating in the entire summer camp! So if you ever need the Class Representative’s strength, just call for me! I’ll come running immediately!"

"Haha… I’ll keep that in mind, thank you."

With a bright laugh, Sakura Bakushin O dashed away.

Seriously… what a storm of a girl.

"You okay, Lux? Still, that was Sakura Bakushin O, huh… I’ve seen her on video before, but seeing her in person is something else."

"So you think so too, Trainer? That last move of hers—if we could analyze it and turn it into a technique, it’d be worth a fortune."

"Well, that’s a big if. At least, I know I couldn’t pull it off."

Yeah, figures.
Honestly, it’s not the kind of skill you can just copy.

You’d need the innate talent of a pure sprinter—and a body honed to perfection—to even come close.
I might be able to adapt a piece of it, but a perfect copy? That’d take Bakushin O-level specs.

"The racing world really is endless, huh..."

"Yeah. But someday, I want to beat her—Sakura Bakushin O."

At those words, I found myself nodding before I even realized it.
I wanted to win against that powerful Uma Musume, someday.
Something deep inside me—the fighter within—was roaring for it.

Well… first, I need to get through the latter half of my Classic season.

As I thought that, I tried to stand up—

—but couldn’t.

"H-huh? Sorry, Trainer… my legs won’t move."

"Huh!? Hold on, let me see your leg, Lux!"

"Whoa, wait a sec, Trainer!?"

He rolled up the hem of my training wear, exposing my leg. From what I could see, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong.

"I’m going to touch it, okay? Hmm… yeah, I think it’s fine for now."

"Geez, warn me next time! At least do it somewhere a little more private!"

"Sorry, sorry! But if you were injured, that’d be a big deal. Even if your legs are sturdy, that doesn’t mean you’re invincible."

"So what’s the cause, then?"

Trainer pressed a hand to his chin, thinking for a few seconds before speaking.

"Muscle fatigue, probably. You really pushed yourself too hard in a short time. Keeping up with Sakura Bakushin O looked rougher than you realized."

"Yeah… my legs are kinda trembling, now that you mention it."

Ugh, tomorrow’s gonna be hell.
I’ll probably be so sore I won’t even be able to move.

…Wait a second. Trainer’s massages exist. I’ll be fine!

"Alright then, I’m counting on you for a massage, Trainer!"

"I haven’t had to do one in a while since you’ve cut down on overworking, but… fine. Better that than losing a whole day tomorrow."

"Yes! Score!"

Trainer’s massage skills were practically professional level—well, I guess he is a professional in a way.
Either way, just knowing I’d get that heavenly massage again was enough to make my heart race.

"So, uh… how exactly am I supposed to get back to my room?"

A new problem arose. Tomorrow’s pain could wait—right now, I literally couldn’t move!
Am I supposed to crawl there or something!?

"That’s fine. Here, Lux."

"Huh? Uh, Trainer?"

"Piggyback would be tough, right? I’ll just carry you."

Wait. Hold on. Carry me? Like… in his arms?
That’s… kind of embarrassing… but, well, there’s really no other way.
Yeah. It can’t be helped. Absolutely can’t be helped.

"Uh… be gentle, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Up we go!"

Trainer slipped one arm under my knees and the other behind my back, lifting me smoothly off the ground.

Waitwaitwaitwait—that’s the princess carry!
That’s literally the princess carry!

This is so embarrassing!

"Don’t move too much, Lux. You may be small, but it still takes focus to hold you steady."

"U-ugh…!"

I get it—Trainer’s just being practical. I know that.
But still!!

With no other choice, I gave in and let myself rest in his arms.

"Let’s start with the massage, okay? I’ll drop you off in your room first, then grab the oil and—"

"If you’re doing all that, we might as well just go to your room…"

"Ah—hmm… you’re not wrong…"

Too late to be shy now. Trainer carried me all the way to the dorm, and—well, yeah, we ran into King along the way, who teased us mercilessly.
But aside from that, no major disasters occurred.

And to top it all off—Trainer’s massage was, as always, absolutely divine.
Seriously, I could take one of those every day, Trainer… every single day.