Chapter 45: Friendship Training – Agnes Tachyon & Tokai Teio

The summer sun blazed down harder than ever as our training camp reached its halfway point. I was in the middle of my own training when I suddenly got ambushed from behind.

"Luux!"

"Ugh!"

Wha—what the heck!?

From the overly bright, half-katakana-sounding voice, I could barely make out that the attacker was Tokai Teio.
Wait—she came to the camp?

"Hey, hey, my dear Test Subject No. 2! How’s your condition today?"

"I was doing fine until I got ambushed, thanks for asking…"

"Now then, Teio-kun, would you kindly move aside? How long are you planning to cling to her?"

"Okaaay!"

And of course, there was Agnes Tachyon too. Well, she is acting as a trainer here, so I guess that makes sense. But seriously, what’s going on?

"So! Let’s get right to it—time for some joint training! Oh, and don’t worry, Lux-kun, I already got your trainer’s permission."

That was fast!
Well, if my trainer’s fine with it, then I guess there’s no problem. And honestly, I am curious about Teio’s current form. Not to mention, I’ve always wanted to see the legendary “Teio Step” in action for myself.

"All right, Teio-kun, let’s have you run with Lux-kun right away."

"Okay!"

"She’s gotten awfully friendly with you, hasn’t she? She used to act so prickly before."

How did Tachyon manage that? Don’t tell me she has some magic potion that raises Uma Musume affection levels or something… nah, no way. Still… I’m curious.

"Oh, I just showed her some footage of Symboli Rudolf’s races. She was delighted! On top of that, we seem to get along rather well."

Come to think of it, my data originally came from Tachyon’s research too.
And when she says they get along—wait, could it be that both of them are drawn to each other because they share the same fate? Chasing the Triple Crown undefeated… only to fall short due to injury?
…No, probably not. Maybe they just click naturally—they both don’t really fit inside the mold, after all.

"Anyway! With her consent, she’s now part of my experiment! Which makes her Test Subject No. 3!"

"Then that means Café-san is No. 1, right? I think she’d be mad if she heard that."

"It’s the truth, so what can you do?"

Even if it’s true, maybe find a nicer way to say it?

"Look, Teio-kun’s ready. Go on, off you run!"

"Ugh, seriously! Tachyon-san, I can never keep up with your pace!"

Teio hopped lightly on the white line marking the start position—bounce, bounce, bounce.
That unique rhythm… it must be her warm-up for the Teio Step.

Actually, in her racing days, that was the real Teio Step—something fans said you’d only see when she was in top condition. They say that during her retirement race, the Arima Kinen, some fans saw her stepping like that and rushed to buy tickets right then and there.

Still, though… that looks like it’d put a ton of strain on her ankles.

"All done talking? Then let’s run, let’s run! I’m totally winning today!"

"Uh, wait—how far are we running?"

"Don’t worry, it’s set to exactly 1200 meters. That’s the best distance for both of you, after all."

Hmm? The best distance for Teio too…?
Can’t imagine her going the sprint route, though…

"All right, here we go! On your marks… ready—"

Clap! Tachyon’s hands came together sharply.
At that signal, Tokai Teio exploded forward with incredible speed.

Teio’s running style is front-runner. She can close from behind if needed, but she’s best at leading.
Which means, of course, that her start dash is crucial.
…Then again, there aren’t many who don’t rely on their start.

"Heheh, I’m ahead!"

"Hff… ssshh…"

Holding my breath, I slipped quietly into Teio’s blind spot—just like always.
As expected of a “genius,” though—there weren’t many openings. Still, she’s a pre-debut Uma Musume, so her awareness isn’t flawless yet.

I managed to sneak right into her blind zone, sticking to her diagonal rear position, waiting for the perfect moment.

"Huh? Where’d Lux go? Did I leave her behind already ‘cause I’m too fast?"

Good, good—looks like I’m still hidden.

In an actual race, to gauge what’s happening behind you, you rely on hearing.
Turning around while running at high speed is dangerous, and your focus should always be on what’s ahead.

"Only 400 meters left! This one’s mine!"

The moment Teio became certain of her victory, I released my concealment and closed in on her.

Sensing the fierce pressure of another Uma Musume closing in fast, Teio flinched for just a split second. I’d been waiting for that exact moment.

I dug my feet into the ground, leveling out my stride in an instant. Then, converting all the recoil into forward momentum, I surged up right beside Tokai Teio.

"Wh—what!? When did you—!? Nngh, like I’d lose that easily!"

Teio’s downfall came from one thing alone—overconfidence.
If she’d maintained a stance that allowed her to accelerate until the very end, this wouldn’t have happened.

While her form broke and she couldn’t regain speed, the gap between us widened.

"Haa… Tachyon-san, is that enough for you?"

"Hmm, quite an interesting result indeed. And how about you, Teio-kun?"

Teio crossed the finish line a few seconds after me, puffing her cheeks and glaring my way.

"One more time! Let’s do it again! I’m totally winning next time!"

"That’s what she says. What do you think, Lux-kun?"

"I don’t mind. Besides, I didn’t even get to see the famous ‘Teio Step,’ so I feel unsatisfied too."

We returned to the starting line.
That race had been a textbook example of how lack of real experience can directly decide the outcome.

If Tokai Teio had ever raced in the Twinkle Series—especially in a GⅠ—she would’ve never made that mistake.
Because that’s racing. You never know what might happen.

And in a GⅠ, that’s even more true—it’s a battlefield where anyone could suddenly come flying up from behind.
Granted, I am one of those who tends to come flying up from behind.

"All right then, race two! On your marks… ready—"

Clap! Tachyon’s hands rang out once more.

Teio dashed off with explosive energy—but hmm, judging from the way her ears moved, she’s more cautious this time.
I’ll hang back a little farther this round.

I slowly released the tension in my body and eased my breathing.

"Hmm… She’s around somewhere, I can feel it… but where?"

For a pre-debut Uma Musume, that level of awareness was impressive enough. As expected of a genius.

Then came the final 400 meters. I poured strength into my legs again and surged toward Tokai Teio.

"Ah! There you are!"

She’d been waiting for this.

The next instant, after tapping out a light step-step, Teio’s body shot forward like a spring.

The Teio Step.
Just as described in the data, that motion relied on the flexibility of her ankles—using them like coiled springs to produce sharp acceleration.

Easy to describe in words. Much harder to actually do.

"Hah! But your acceleration’s still not sharp enough!"

"Wha—no way!?"

I focused all my strength and accelerated too, my shoes pressing the turf flat with each step as I overtook Tokai Teio up front.

That was my signature move—final-stretch acceleration.

This time, the margin of victory was smaller, but the outcome was still the same.
My win.

Honestly, if I lost a short-distance race to a pre-debut kid, I’d probably cry.

"So, how about it? You wanted to check something, didn’t you, Tachyon-san?"

"Hmm… Teio-kun, do your legs feel off at all?"

"Ughhh, I lost again! I really thought I had it this time!"

"Teio-kun?"

"My legs are fine! You worry too much, Tachyon!"

As she spoke, Teio began hopping in place, showing off her steps.
But that movement…

"Lux-kun, can you replicate that run?"

"Not right away. Maybe I could pull it off for one race—if I didn’t think about the aftermath."

Honestly, my ankles aren’t very flexible.
If I tried running like that, they’d be wrecked for sure.

If I adjusted the form to suit myself, I might manage it—but copying it exactly? I’d have to give up on future races.

"Heheh! My Teio Step is amazing, right?"

"It’s amazing… it really is, but…"

"Well, I figured you’d notice. Teio, from now on, that kind of running is strictly off-limits in races longer than a mile."

"Whhaaaaat!?"

Well, yeah… that figures.

The strain that kind of running puts on the body is enormous. Even with Teio’s flexible physique, if she keeps doing it, her legs will eventually give out in the not-so-distant future.

There’s no way Agnes Tachyon wouldn’t realize that.

…The real question is whether there’s a solution. Taking away that running style from Teio would be fatal. It’s basically telling her to abandon her greatest strength.

"Anyway, Lux, I’m going to need your help with this."

"What do you mean? What kind of experiment are you planning, Tachyon-san?"

"No experiment this time. I just need your running data. Don’t worry—everything will be kept strictly confidential, and I’ll only use it to help Teio’s training. I’ve already cleared it with your trainer."

Well, if that’s the case…

But why does she need my data? I’m a short-distance closer, after all.

"Your core stability is exceptional. By analyzing it, I should be able to significantly reduce the strain on Teio’s legs. Technically, your running style is the kind that could destroy your body at any moment, you know?"

"Eh!? I was running that dangerously!? But I mean… I do get tired, but I’ve never felt like I was close to injury."

"Exactly. You have strong legs and great body balance. That’s why you rarely get injured. If someone else tried to copy your running without understanding it, they’d probably break something instantly."

Come to think of it, Bakushin O also had incredibly strong core stability. I guess that’s what I picked up when I tried to imitate her running style.

"So basically, I want to study your center of gravity and how you shift it. Will you help me?"

"Of course. What should I do?"

"I’ll give you a small device later—wear it during your training for a while. Don’t worry, it’s lightweight. You’ll barely notice it."

"Got it. I just… don’t want Teio to get hurt."

After all that, our training for the day finally wrapped up—but Teio kept clinging to me for some reason.

What’s up with her?

"Hey, hey, hey! Tell me about Kaichou! You know her, right!?"

"Not exactly. I just tried to mimic Symboli Rudolf’s running style, that’s all."

"Ehhh, that’s boring! Then let’s play a game! My dorm room’s a single, so I need someone to play versus games with! I just bought a new one before camp started!"

She started rattling off the title excitedly, but I had no clue what game she was talking about.

Come to think of it, I haven’t played any games at all since I came here…

"Actually, I’ve never played a game before. So I doubt I’d make a good opponent."

"Eeeeh!? Wait, what!? You’ve never played a game!? Then what do you do on your days off!?"

"Shopping, or watching race replays while drinking coffee in my room."

"Whaaa!? …Alright then! I, the great Teio, will show you the joy of gaming!"

"Wait—hold on a second—"

"Then it’s settled! We’re going to my room!"

Teio dragged me off to her room before I could say anything.

Despite being a training camp, her room was overflowing with personal stuff.

You’re quite the trend chaser, huh, Teio. I noticed her casual clothes were pretty stylish too… well, except for that one time she wore that ridiculous outfit I saw on some app.

"Here! This is the controller!"

"Ooh…"

The screen lit up with a title logo I didn’t recognize. Looked like some kind of fighting game?

"So, this button does…"

"Hmm… I think I’ve got the hang of it."

"Alright! Let’s gooo! Loser has to groom the winner’s tail!"

"Eh—wait, hold on a sec—!"

And thus, the match began.

I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say… I ended up brushing Teio’s tail that night.

Damn it… next time, I’ll win for sure.