Chapter 6: Outing Event (First)

The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes—a G1 race run over 1600 meters on turf.

Getting into a G1 isn’t easy. You need talent, effort, and luck—all three, and in large amounts.

Once you set your sights that high, the path ahead naturally becomes steep.

"So, our next target is the Keio Hai Junior Stakes."

"A G2, huh? But… does it have to be that one?"

The Tokyo turf course, 1400 meters long, is notorious for being unpredictable. With a straight stretch of nearly 530 meters and more than two meters of elevation difference, it’s one of the tougher short-distance tracks. Sure, there aren’t many sprint races to choose from—but still, couldn’t we pick something safer?

"No, see—if we finish in the top two at the Keio Hai Junior Stakes, we get priority entry into the Asahi Hai FS."

"Ahh, so that’s the reason. Yeah, in that case, we can’t skip it."

"Fourteen hundred meters is on the long side for a sprint, though…"

"Doesn’t matter, right? If you want to beat Bourbon, you’ve gotta handle a mile—1600 meters."

I might’ve puffed out my chest when I told Bourbon we’d “settle things,” but realistically, the odds weren’t in my favor. My strength lies in short-distance races, and the longer the track, the worse I perform. Over a mile, my suitability drops by about a full grade—if this were the app, it’d probably show something like Affinity: B (conditional).

Good thing the Asahi Hai FS is 1600 meters. If it were 1800, I wouldn’t even have hope.

Once the race was set, there was only one thing left to do.

Train first. Then train again.

"Haah… nghhh…!"

"Just a bit more! You can rest after this set!"

"D-damn it!"

Getting to experience Bourbon’s training firsthand was a huge stroke of luck.

That hill course—brutal doesn’t even begin to describe it. But it was exactly the kind of thing I needed, so I started incorporating it into my own routine.

It’s an insanely efficient way to build both stamina and burst power. On top of that, learning how to handle inclines properly? Practically priceless.

"This is seriously insane… she does this much in a single day?"

"She’s probably been doing hill work since she was a kid."

"You’re kidding me…"

Run up the slope, cool down, then run again. Repeat until your legs give out.

By the end of the day, I was completely spent and dragged myself back to my room. The moment I hit the shower and collapsed into bed, sleep came crashing in within seconds.

Yeah… this is gonna be hell until I get used to it.

"So, what do we do about this?"

"Hmm, yeah. If you can’t do anything after coming back, that’s a problem. We still need to work on your course positioning."

"Exactly! I don’t even have the energy to look at the training binder you gave me."

I groaned, rubbing my temples.

While we were thinking, something caught my eye—a pile of old traffic cones marked for disposal. Cracked, worn out, completely useless… which meant I could probably destroy them without anyone complaining.

Wait… this could work.

"Trainer, what if we use these cones on the slope for course training?"

"That’s a good idea. If I rearrange them each time while you’re cooling down, it could make for solid training."

The trainer flipped through some documents, pulled out a few sheets, and spread them on the table.

"Yep. We’ve got plenty of straight-course data. Let’s give it a try."

The result? The training was a success—though the workload was brutal.

"Uwaaaah!"

Focus too much on speed, and you’d crash into a cone. Focus too much on avoiding them, and your time would plummet.

After a few runs, I collapsed in exhaustion.

"Yeah, this looks tougher than I imagined."

"I-it’s insane… but it’s gonna help a ton…"

"Glad to hear it. Then let’s go for one more set."

"Ugh, fiiine…"

I forced my tired legs back into motion and sprinted up the slope once again.

That night, just like before, I was asleep the instant I hit the bed.

"So, what was that again?"

"You’ve barely talked to me lately, Rue-chan! You just come back and pass out!"

Half a month into this routine, my roommate Bridge Comp stomped up to me, clearly upset.

Ah. Yeah. Guess I really haven’t talked to her much…

"So what, you’ve stopped caring about me now?"

"No, no, it’s not like that! I’m just tired, that’s all. Don’t sulk, okay?"

"Then make it up to me—let’s go out! You need a break too, right?"

Well… she wasn’t wrong. I haven’t done anything but train lately. Even my trainer said it’s about time I take a proper rest, and tomorrow’s a day off.

But still, an outing? To where, exactly?

"Let’s see… we should get you some new clothes, and there’s that new dessert place I want to try! Oh, and, and—"

"Wh—"

Her girl energy is off the charts!

And so, the next day, she dragged me by the hand straight into town.

"Rue-chan, try this one on! Yup, I knew it—this kind of thing looks perfect on you!"

"Uh, this really isn’t… my style, or, you know, my thing…"

"Aww, but it suits you! Not many people can pull off these frilly styles!"

"I just feel… super uncomfortable…"

I was basically her dress-up doll. She kept swapping outfits on me, one after another, and every single one of them screamed cute. For someone who used to be a guy, this was torture.

There’s no way I’d wear this stuff in public.

"Then what kind of clothes do you like, Rue-chan? Oh—what about this one?"

"Something not frilly… and preferably not a skirt…"

"Ehhh!? But skirts are cute! You have to wear them!"

"I don’t even like the uniform skirt! I can only wear it with tights on!"

See, all the Tracen Academy uniforms are skirts. They feel breezy, insecure, and exposing… showing bare legs still feels wrong. For a former guy, it’s honestly a nightmare.

Give me loose pants and a T-shirt any day. It’s not like anyone’s judging my casual clothes anyway.

"This is serious, huh. Hmm, oh! I know!"

"Whatever you’re thinking, I’m not buying a skirt."

"But you need cute clothes to show your Trainer, right?"

"…What?"

What the hell is she talking about?

Show my casual clothes to my Trainer? That’s not a thing. Well, okay—in the app there were outing events like that, but even if that were the case, why does it have to be cute?

I gave her a flat stare, and she shoved yet another outfit into my hands.

"Just imagine it for a second. Like—‘Ah, it’s Trainer!’—and then he sees you dressed in something totally lame. Got the picture?"

"Uh-huh."

"And then Trainer makes that awkward, stiff smile. What if he ends up hating you for it? Could you handle that?"

"Ah, u-uhhh…"

I don’t want Trainer to hate me.

No, not like that—it’s purely about trust! But still, being disliked would be unbearable!

"But if you were wearing something cute, maybe he’d say, ‘You look adorable,’ and your bond would totally level up, right?"

"S-so what outfit do you recommend, then…?"

"My top pick is the one I just handed you! Go on, try it on!"

I did as she urged and slipped into the outfit she’d given me. My legs felt way too exposed, the knee-high socks dug in, and there were frills everywhere.

Sure, maybe it was cute—but I couldn’t help feeling incredibly self-conscious.

"I-I put it on…"

"I knew it! My fashion sense never fails—Rue-chan, you look amazing!"

"U-um, are you sure this is actually cute? I don’t look weird or anything, right?"

"You’re fine, totally fine! Curren even said this was her number one pick on UmaStar!"

"Wait—hold on, that’s a name I can’t just ignore!"

"Okay, let’s wear that and head back as-is! Clerk, we’re ready to check out!"

Did I just hear the name of a certain sprinter among Uma Musume that I’m definitely not supposed to ignore?

But right now, that didn’t matter—I had a much bigger problem. I’m going home wearing this!? No way!

And so, despite my protests, I ended up walking back in that ridiculously cute outfit.

"I feel so exposed… I can’t calm down at all…"

"Relax! Be more confident. Rue-chan, why are you so self-conscious?"

"It’s not about confidence—it’s just that wearing stuff like this isn’t me, okay?"

And just as we reached the front of the academy, the one thing I feared most happened.

That’s—Trainer!?

"Hm? Rue, isn’t it? Were you out shopping?"

"Ah, u-uh, yeah…"

Why did it have to be now of all times!? Seriously, the timing couldn’t be worse!
This guy, I swear—!

"Hello there! I’m Bridge Comp, Rue-chan’s roommate!"

"Nice to meet you. I’m Rue’s Trainer. Thank you for always looking after her."

"Oh, absolutely! Rue-chan’s way too lazy! You should scold her a little, Trainer-san! Today she didn’t even have a single casual outfit, so I finally made her buy one!"

Mortified, I hid behind Bridge Comp. When it came time to actually show the outfit, the embarrassment hit me like a truck. It didn’t feel like me at all.

But Comp grabbed my shoulders and pushed me right out in front of Trainer. H-hey! Stop that!

"See? She’s got good material—you’ve gotta dress her up properly! Isn’t she cute?"

"Yeah, she is. You look adorable, Rue."

"H-huh, wha, ahhh…"

He didn’t laugh or say it didn’t suit me—he just said it straight.

And somehow, that made it even worse. Way worse. I wanted to melt into the pavement!

"Well then, I’ll be going. I was just called somewhere."

"Okay! See you next time!"

Trainer always throws my rhythm completely off. It’s not that we’re incompatible—it’s just… stuff like this keeps happening! Why!?

When I glanced over, Comp was grinning at me like a cat who’d found something juicy.

"Aww, I got to see something really good today. Can’t believe Rue-chan can make that kind of face."

"C’mon, give me a break. Anyone would get embarrassed wearing something this weird."

"That’s not what I meant… But, eh, you wouldn’t admit it right now anyway."

I wasn’t sure what she meant, but before long, we made it back to our room without further incident.

What do I even do with this outfit now? It wasn’t cheap, so just letting it sit in the closet feels wasteful. Should I actually wear it as casual clothes?

Groaning in front of the closet, I noticed Comp watching me with that same amused smile.

"…I’m taking a bath and going to bed."

When in doubt, the best solution is to sulk-sleep.

Soaking in the bath and curling up in bed, I came to a firm conclusion: this is all Trainer’s fault. Every single bit of this turmoil is his doing!

Feeling oddly refreshed after deciding that, I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.