Chapter 8: Summer Camp Begins!

Summer vacation. For students, it’s the long-awaited time of year—and that includes the Uma Musume of Tracen Academy.

However, in our case, there’s no room for leisure. The moment the break began, we headed straight for Tracen Academy’s training facility. Yes—the same one from the app that’s only open during the summer camp period.

"It's bigger than I expected. I heard the facilities here are top-notch too, so I guess I’ll have to give it everything I’ve got."

"Right. Especially the beach training—it’ll do wonders for your legs and core. You’ve been training with Sakura Bakushin O lately, right? Did you manage to pick up anything from her?"

"Yeah. If I can turn it into something solid…"

Sprint Turbo. The lower-tier Sprint Gear skill isn’t enough. If I can master that perfected technique, maybe—just maybe—I can beat Bourbon in the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.

It’s a mile race, but that doesn’t matter. The move Sakura Bakushin O, the sprinting queen, devised isn’t bound by distance. I’m sure it’ll work even up to a mile… though the difficulty of mastering it skyrockets because of that.

"You can drop your stuff off in your room. I’ll handle the training facility registration and paperwork."

"Thanks, Trainer."

The room is a standard single, but unlike the dorms, it’s a Japanese-style tatami room. That alone gets me a little excited.

I tossed my bag aside and flopped down onto the tatami mats. My mind, of course, went straight to one thing—countermeasures against Mihono Bourbon.

Getting Sprint Turbo into usable form is essential. But that alone won’t be enough.

"Bourbon sensed me coming and accelerated even more that time…"

I recalled the final stretch of my debut race.

She’s terrifying. Truly. But she’s not unbeatable. Mihono Bourbon is still incomplete—and that’s where my chance lies.

"Still, she’ll probably be in top form by the Asahi Hai FS."

Her training volume is monstrous. I don’t even want to imagine how strong she’ll be by then. But that’s no excuse to look away.

No, the most important thing right now is to strengthen my body and refine my technique.

"I’ve gotta push myself hard this camp. If my base stats aren’t good enough, I won’t even be able to keep up."

I changed out of my uniform into a tracksuit and headed for the beach. The Trainer probably wouldn’t arrive for a while, so I decided to start some self-training.

I dug my feet into the sand—but it was nothing like running on turf.

"Man, I can’t get any traction, and balancing is a nightmare. I’m kicking off the ground, but my speed’s just not there."

Way tougher than I imagined. Even after sprinting across the beach, I wasn’t hitting half my normal pace. And the strain on my legs was far worse than usual. Ugh, at this rate, I’m definitely going to be sore tomorrow…

"Lux, already started, huh? You could’ve waited, you know."

"Yeah, couldn’t help myself. But wow, this sand’s something else. Feels like amazing training."

"That so? Good to hear. You’ve been working hard lately, so let’s make sure you really sharpen up during this camp."

He handed me a printed training schedule.

It was well thought out—but not impossibly packed. Since this is my first summer camp, he probably left some flexibility in it so I could adjust as needed.

"Alright, let’s get started! Uh, first up—beach sprints?"

"That’s right. But don’t overdo it, okay? If it feels too rough, tell me right away. Beach training puts a lot of strain on the body."

"Got it! Time me, yeah?"

"Okay! Start from that stick there and run all the way to the flag on the other side!"

Even as the sand sucked at my feet, I pushed through, dashing along the beach.

One run, then another… gradually, I started to get the hang of it. Yeah, if I adjust my footing like this, maybe I can reduce the strain…

It’s not just leg training—it’s also helping me learn how to manage the physical load across my whole body.

"This might actually be the perfect training for me right now!"

"Good. I’ll keep an eye on things and adjust your routine as we go."

"Alright, one more!"

"Keep it up! Your time’s getting better!"

Of course, it wasn’t something I could master in a day. By the time we wrapped up, I was completely wiped out.

Honestly, that beach training was brutal. My legs were shaking, and since it works every muscle for balance, my whole body ached.

"Ugh… I might not be able to move anymore…"

The rush of training had long faded, replaced by overwhelming fatigue. I hadn’t eaten dinner or bathed yet, but even sitting up felt impossible.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that before I heard a voice from the doorway.

"Lux! You okay in there? You didn’t show up at the cafeteria, so I came to check on you!"

"T-Trainer… help… me…"

"Lux!? I’m coming in!"

Trainer rushed over the moment he saw me collapsed on the tatami.

Yeah, I probably do look bad. I’m fine—just completely exhausted—but still.

"Did you injure yourself? Or—"

"Too tired… can’t move… my whole body’s dead…"

"Huh?"

He must’ve realized I wasn’t actually hurt, because I heard him let out a relieved sigh. Then I felt a firm push against my back—ahh, that feels so good…

"Geez, don’t make me worry like that, okay?"

"Sorry, Trainer…"

"If it’s too much, you have to tell me. Pushing too far and hurting yourself helps no one."

His massage worked wonders. The tension drained from my body as my stiff muscles slowly relaxed. Pure bliss…

Although… I might be making sounds I shouldn’t be. Oh well—it feels amazing, so whatever.

"Haaah… that was so good…"

"I’m glad. Maybe we should scale back the schedule a bit tomorrow?"

"But if you give me another massage like that, I’ll be fine, right? I feel totally refreshed now!"

"Uh, well… yeah, maybe, but still…"

He trailed off awkwardly. That’s weird—he usually agrees right away. Maybe he’s feeling a bit off from the heat?

"You okay, Trainer? Hmm, your forehead’s not hot."

"L-Lux? What are you—"

"You were acting kinda weird earlier. If you’re not feeling well, just say so, alright? Even if I’m fine, it’d be pointless if you collapsed."

Trainer stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a long, resigned sigh.

Uh… what’s with that reaction?

"Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Got it. We’ll keep tomorrow’s training volume the same. But right after you’re done, you’re getting a massage. No exceptions."

"Yes! Thanks, Trainer!"

"And don’t forget to eat properly and take your time in the bath to recover, got it?"

"Okay!"

Dinner was buffet-style, just like the cafeteria back at school. Meat, veggies, carbs, fruit—yeah, that should do it.

I piled my plate high with everything that caught my eye and headed back to my seat—only to find someone already sitting across from me. Someone with a blue headpiece and a green ribbon, wearing a confident, smug grin.

"Oh, pardon the intrusion."

"…King Halo… senpai."

One of the famed Golden Generation from the Classic class herself.

Wait—there are plenty of empty seats, so why here? Look, even Special Week’s over there building a literal mountain of plates!

"You’re wondering why I’m here, aren’t you? I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while."

"Me? Uh… did I do something?"

"So you really don’t know. There’s been a rumor going around—about a certain junior doing brutal training sessions on the beach."

"Brutal training…?"

I mean, I was just doing normal practice. Sure, my whole body’s sore, but it didn’t seem that extreme to me. Once I get used to it, even the soreness should fade, right?

"…You seriously don’t realize it? What you were doing isn’t something a junior should even be attempting. That’s the kind of regimen we Classic-class girls use."

"But… I need to train that hard if I want to beat the opponent I’m aiming for."

Mihono Bourbon’s training is probably on this level—or tougher. I still remember how much worse it felt back then.

That’s why I can’t ease up now. If I do, I’ll definitely be left behind.

Gripping my chopsticks tighter, I reaffirmed my resolve.

"I see. In that case, tomorrow, I’ll join you for training!"

"…What?"

"I said, I’m granting you the honor of training with King Halo! Feel blessed!"

"R-really!?"

Lately, I’ve been running into a lot of these “special event” moments. Not that I’m complaining—training with King Halo is a huge opportunity. Her finishing speed is legendary.

Some say she lags behind the other Golden Generation members, but I don’t buy that. Not for a second.

"Uh, so… what should I do tomorrow?"

"Don’t worry about that. I already have a program planned. The King herself designed it—so look forward to it!"

Through that training, I might be able to learn something—no, steal something valuable.

Caught up in the excitement, I instinctively grabbed King Halo-senpai’s hand. Wait—was that rude? I hope not. Knowing her personality, she’s probably pleased rather than offended.

"Good! And no staying up late, understand? Be at the dorm entrance by six in the morning!"

"Yes, thank you so much!"

Man, talk about lucky. There’s still nearly five months until the Asahi Hai FS. That’s plenty of time to learn from King Halo and turn her technique into my own.

Feeling fired up again, I dove into my food. As expected from a Tracen-owned facility, the meals were amazing.

"Phew… this summer camp’s turning out way more eventful than I expected."

Was the first-year summer camp this packed with events? In the app, it was way more straightforward than this…

Still, this is a massive opportunity. And because of that—

"I’ll make sure to seize it… no matter what."

One of the Golden Generation—King Halo.
The next morning, I would learn what her true strength really meant.

The Three Goddesses guided her to meet a host of Uma Musume—
Miho no Bourbon, Sakura Bakushin O, King Halo… each one a powerhouse, worthy of being called an elite.

Through her encounters with these formidable rivals, her fate only continued to accelerate—ever faster, ever brighter.
In time, their paths would cross in earnest.

And as the Three Goddesses envisioned that moment still to come, they smiled softly.