Chapter 5: Decide on a target race

[Featured Newcomer Uma Musume] Mihono Bourbon—A Startling Burst of Speed

☆ Month ○× Day – 19:13 Published　Views: 24

Mihono Bourbon training hard

It’s debut season once again, and many experts are naming Mihono Bourbon as one of the most promising newcomers this year. In her debut race, Mihono Bourbon launched out of the gate with an effortlessly sharp start, quickly taking the lead and never once yielding it until she crossed the finish line.

The results: 1st place – Mihono Bourbon; 2nd place – Mithialx. She left the rest of the field trailing behind by roughly six lengths, showcasing her overwhelming ability.

Mihono Bourbon’s next race is still undecided, but she’s already being called a Uma Musume to watch in the coming season.

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Trainer’s Office
On the whiteboard, several race names were scribbled in marker.

All of them were short-distance events—potential options for my upcoming races.

"So, Lux, what do you want to do? I just realized I never asked what your ultimate goal is. I’d like to hear that clearly too."

"My goal…?"

Honestly, I’d already achieved mine. From here on, I just wanted to keep running at my own pace.

I thought about it for a while but couldn’t come up with an answer. I mean, seriously—aren’t there way too few short-distance graded races? There’s not even a G1 until after next summer camp!

"You really don’t have one? It can be anything. Something like… ‘I want to beat Mihono Bourbon,’ maybe?"

The image of Bourbon—always just a step ahead of me—flashed through my mind.

Every hair on my body stood on end. A strange sensation took hold of me—not fear, not that feeling of being swallowed up by the pack, but something else entirely.

"…You know, Lux, I still don’t know you very well. What kind of Uma Musume are you?"

"Uh, well, I’m a short-distance chaser-type Uma—"

"No, that’s not what I mean. I want to know what kind of person you are—what you like, what kind of personality you have. That’s what I’m asking."

I couldn’t say anything.

He was probably starting to feel uncertain. Maybe he thought I hadn’t opened up to him yet—and to be fair, he wouldn’t be wrong.

But it couldn’t be helped. Smooth communication with your trainer was essential. If things went south and my contract got terminated over something like this, I’d have no one to blame but myself.

"Alright, alright, fine. How about this? I’m Mithialx. I like Uma Musume."

"I’ve been wondering for a while—why were you using ‘watashi’ as your first-person pronoun and acting all proper?"

"Ah, that? It just sounded better, right? I really wanted to get scouted, you know?"

At that, my trainer sighed softly and reached out to pat my head.

…Seriously, again with the head-patting? What am I, a cat or something?

"That’s one way to go about it, but maybe you should try being yourself a little more. Keeping up that kind of act must have been stressful, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Putting on a personality might help when getting scouted, but it rarely lasts. A lot of newcomers don’t realize that. At least when you’re with me, I want you to relax a bit."

Huh. Now that I thought about it, that actually made sense.

Imagine trying to build a bond with someone who never shows their true self. Of course you’d start feeling distant. Without trust, things would only go downhill—training gets sloppy, performance drops, and the relationship cracks even further.

"Also, Trainer… your hand."

"Oh—sorry. You didn’t like that?"

"It’s not that, but… why do you keep petting me? Do you do this to everyone?"

Man, he really threw me off balance. When I was with him, I just couldn’t seem to keep up my usual act.

"No, of course not. Only you."

"Huh. …I see."

Even so, I did trust this trainer. After all, he’d brought me that close—to beating Mihono Bourbon herself.

Which was exactly why I wanted to hear his thoughts.

How far could I go?

There was still so much I didn’t know about this body. In fact, sometimes I suspected the trainer understood it better than I did.

"So, Trainer—what do you think? What should I be aiming for?"

"…That’s not for me to decide. It’s something you need to choose for yourself—something you truly want to reach."

"Yeah, well, that’s kinda the problem. It’s not like I ever had a goal in the first place. I just… ran because I was supposed to run."

My trainer gave me a look that said he wasn’t sure how to respond.

Uh oh. Did I just say something dumb?

"I see. In that case, let’s go out for a bit."

"Huh? Go out—where?"

"You’ll find out soon enough. Come on."

"Wait—hey!"

He led me out of the office and over to the training grounds.

Once there, he took out his phone and made a call.

"Yeah, that’s right. Don’t worry, I won’t be too hard on her. Yes, we’ll be waiting at the track."

A few minutes later, an Uma Musume came running toward us.

It was her—the Iron Maiden herself, Mihono Bourbon, the one who’d beaten me in my debut. One of the future strongest, standing right before my eyes.

"Good afternoon. I heard we’ll be training together today?"

"That’s right. I already spoke with your trainer. I’ll be counting on you for the day."

"Understood. But are you sure you want to follow my regimen? Everyone says it’s… well, ‘overwork.’"

Mihono Bourbon’s training was infamous for its intensity—both in real life and among Uma Musume. Hill sprints, high-load drills, nonstop repetition… brutal stuff.

And when I checked the training menu she handed me, I almost felt my soul leave my body.

Wait—seriously?

"Uh, this… this is for the whole week, right?"

"No. That’s just today’s plan."

Whether she was strong because she could handle such intense training, or could handle it because she was strong—I couldn’t tell. But one thing was certain: this training itself was the embodiment of Mihono Bourbon’s strength.

And so, the session began.

"H-hff…!"

"Your pace seems to be dropping. It’s fine to rest if you need to."

"I—I can still go…!"

"Understood. Then let’s do another set."

Hell. That was the only word for Bourbon’s training.

Even she, who usually kept her expression as calm and unreadable as a machine, now showed clear signs of exhaustion. She wasn’t doing this effortlessly either. And that fact alone set my heart ablaze.

The sight of Bourbon’s back, always ahead of me—
I didn’t want to lose to it.

"Haaah—!"

"Hff, hff…!"

We dashed up a steep incline, and for a fleeting moment, I pulled ahead of her.

I did it—! Or so I thought. Within seconds, Bourbon passed me right back.

"Phew… I didn’t expect you to overtake me first. That was impressive running."

"Hff—hahh—"

"Let’s wrap it up here. Any more and you’ll strain your legs."

"Hhh—y-yeah…"

After the session, we began our cooldowns. Bourbon massaged her legs carefully and thoroughly. Her training truly deserved the word merciless. Skipping a cooldown would almost guarantee an injury.

We worked in silence for a while.
Then Bourbon spoke, breaking the quiet.

"Why… do you run?"

"Huh? Well, I just… run because I have to, I guess."

"I don’t think that’s enough to endure my training. Please—tell me. Why did you try to pass me at the end?"

That question stung. Because, honestly, I didn’t even know myself.

Before I realized it, my body had just… moved. That was the only way I could describe it.

No—there was something behind it. That feeling I had in that moment—

"Rivalry… or maybe it was the desire to win."

"You… want to win against me?"

"Um, it’s just that your running was incredible, Bourbon-san. I think, without realizing it, I wanted to win next time."

Bourbon fell silent.

Uh-oh. Did I just break her? MihonoBourbon.exe has stopped responding.

"In that case…"

"Huh?"

"In that case, the feeling I had when you passed me—would that also be called a ‘desire to win’?"

"Uh, um…"

Before I knew it, her face was right in front of mine. She stared straight at me, waiting for an answer.

"I think… yeah, that’s probably what it is. Haven’t you ever felt that before, Bourbon-san? The desire to beat someone?"

"I’ve always been the one in front. This is the first time anyone has ever overtaken me."

"Wait, seriously…?"

You’ve got to be kidding me—Mihono Bourbon, undefeated even in training runs? That’s insane.
Or maybe she’d just never trained with anyone before?

Oh, right—people did say no one could keep up with her workouts. Honestly, if I hadn’t been warned about how brutal they were, I might’ve thought she was trying to kill me.

Still, the emotion she’d felt… it was probably the same as mine.

"So this is what it means… to want to win. Thank you. This was a very meaningful training session."

"Uh, y-yeah… same here?"

"By the way, Lux-san—have you decided on your next race?"

"Ah, not yet. I’m still figuring that out."

Hearing that, Bourbon let out a small, relieved breath.

Then she turned toward me, her expression solemn and unwavering. The words she spoke next would define the path I’d take from this day forward.

"I’ll be waiting for you at the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes."

…Wait, what?

"In a G1 race, I want to settle things with you properly—one more time. So please, make sure you’re there."

Her eyes shone with fierce determination, piercing straight through me.
And in response, I—without fear or hesitation—answered clearly:

"I’ll be there."

Just a few words, but they were enough.

And so, my goal was set—a steep, daunting summit, but one I chose myself, and swore to reach with my own strength.

Once cooldown was done, all that was left was to head back to the dorm, eat, and crash for the night. After waving goodbye to Bourbon, it was just me and my trainer again.

"Trainer… did you see this coming?"

"I’m no prophet," he chuckled. "I just thought that if you trained alongside Mihono Bourbon, you might come away with something valuable."

I frowned, puffing out my cheeks a little as I glared at him.

Seriously—don’t just casually throw me into a session with a monster like her! For the first half-hour, I was half-convinced I wouldn’t survive it!

"Still, to think you’d come out of it with a goal like ‘settling things with Mihono Bourbon in a G1 race’—I didn’t see that coming."

"Ahaha… yeah, it just kind of… happened, I guess?"

"No, it didn’t ‘just happen.’ The desire to enter a G1 race isn’t something that simply pops up on a whim."

He wasn’t wrong. There were plenty of Uma Musume who avoided G1s.

Some called it a broken spirit—a quiet collapse that came from seeing the truly great runners up close.
When faced with their overwhelming talent, those girls stopped thinking I want to win and started thinking I can’t win.

Bourbon’s performance was the kind that could scar hearts. I’d seen it myself, so I could easily imagine how those girls must have felt.

"That’s why you should be proud. That drive you feel—it’s yours and yours alone. Don’t ever lose it. Keep it, for the sake of being who you are."

For the sake of being who I am…

But who am I, really?

I run using a body that was simply given to me—effortless, unnatural. Can someone like me really call herself an Uma Musume?

That thought scared me. I clenched the hem of my tracksuit, trying to steady my trembling hands.

"Lux? What’s wrong?"

My trainer’s voice was calm, concerned. I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell anyone this.

"I…"

Then I met his eyes—serious, sincere.

And in that instant, I knew. If there was anyone who could hear me out and give a real answer, it was him.

But I couldn’t tell him everything. Not yet.

"Trainer… what would you do if you suddenly gained power that didn’t match your own strength?"

"That’s a hard question," he admitted with a thoughtful smile. "But… I think if I were in that position, I’d believe that power came to me for a reason. And I’d try to use it meaningfully."

"Aren’t you scared? To use something that wasn’t part of you before?"

"It’s kind of like when a Uma Musume ‘comes into her own,’ don’t you think? That sudden leap in ability? It’s not so different."

"Ah…"

I couldn’t help but let out a sound.
So that’s what it was—something like maturing as a racer. Thinking of it that way made it a little easier to bear.

I’d only managed to share a small piece of what was on my mind, but even that much lightened the weight on my heart more than I expected.

"Thanks, Trainer."

And so I decided—the reason my heart was pounding wasn’t fear.

It was because, for just a moment, the heaviness inside me had finally eased.

Because if it wasn’t that… then this feeling would’ve been far too terrifying to face.

The Three Goddesses were in high spirits once again.
The soul of the man they had sent forth had already grown perfectly accustomed to the body of a Uma Musume—far faster than they had ever expected. It was a delightful surprise.

At the same time, traces of the Uma Musume’s instincts had begun to awaken within her, little by little.

Uma Musume seek victory. Uma Musume are driven by desire.
Now that she had inherited those primal instincts, what path would she choose to walk from here?

To find out, the Three Goddesses continued to watch over her—and her trainer—with gentle, unwavering eyes.