Chapter 8: Run! Toward My Debut

Since then, I’ve gone to karaoke a few more times and tried singing songs that might be used for a Winning Live performance. What I learned was this: if I sing any song mechanically, without thinking about anything, I score almost a perfect 100 every single time. I also learned—much to my dismay—that when I try to sing with emotion, my pitch slips, and when I sing energetically and try to have fun, my rhythm becomes a complete disaster. By the way, the song I sang right after Trainer-san apologized with, "It’s kind of jarring when you suddenly miss the pitch with such a pretty voice," earned a flawless 100.

The same thing happened during my dance lessons. My body is so convenient it can watch a practice video once and then almost perfectly trace the choreography. And apparently, my form looks its most beautiful when I’m thinking about unrelated things—like the games I plan to play after the lesson. Unfortunately, the moment I consciously think about how to move, my balance collapses and I nearly fall over. For some reason, Trainer-san patted my head, but at least it seems I won’t mess up during the Winning Live and get scolded. So I guess it’s fine.

Around the time I was practicing for the Winning Live with dead eyes, Suzuka-san won two races in a row—the Yayoi Sho and the Satsuki Sho—both in wire-to-wire fashion, and she danced "winning the soul." But just when it was almost time for the Derby, she twisted her left leg during training. It swelled up, and she had to withdraw at the last minute. She seemed really disappointed she couldn’t run, but it wasn’t the kind of injury that lingers, so she plans to return as scheduled by autumn. When I heard that, I’d already seen her running again at the training grounds, so it didn’t look like there was anything to worry about. Apparently, when the swelling was discovered, Spe-chan cried harder than she did, which helped her calm down instead.

Speaking of which, the Uma Musume who shares my dorm room is from the same generation as Suzuka-san, but she only just won her maiden race shortly before the Derby, so she couldn’t enter. She said she’ll aim for the Kikuka Sho instead. According to her, the Derby isn’t something you can win without luck—whether you make it in time, whether your condition peaks at that exact moment, everything matters. Last year I was too scared to talk to her much, but recently we’ve been able to chat a little. I just wish she’d stop inviting me to join her in suspicious-looking training routines.

Once summer hits full swing, the Uma Musume from our year begin making their debuts.

"Wee-chan, your debut is on September 6th? That’s the earliest among us," Trainer-san said.

It seems Spe-chan and King-chan have also decided on their debut races with their trainers.

"King-chan, you’re scheduled for October?"

"Yes. I will make a first-class debut!"

It seems King-chan will debut in Kyoto, and Spe-chan in Hanshin.

While we were chatting, a quiet-looking chestnut Uma Musume approached from behind Spe-chan.

"Spe-chan."

"Ah, Grass-chan."

She seemed to be an acquaintance of Spe-chan—calm and elegant like a true Yamato Nadeshiko, yet carrying a strange pressure around her.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Grass Wonder. I overheard the word ‘debut,’ so I couldn’t help but join in. Thank you for always getting along with Spe-chan."

"Come on, don’t say weird things—Grass-chan, your debut is next week, right?"

"Yes. I hope you will both go easy on me."

Those words jogged my memory. I think this girl was also a famous Uma Musume. And didn’t she have a famous catchphrase or something? Grass was… Grass was… what was it again?

Ah—right. Grass is ○○ DESU.

So that was the tone she used, wasn’t it?

The moment I tried to recall it, a chill ran down my spine.
Grass Wonder was smiling at me, radiating an aura like she had a demon perched on her shoulder.

Faced with her, all I could manage was a tiny, trembling:

"Th-thank you for your kindness…"

Trainer’s Perspective

The legs of Witolum Pedes are fragile.

At least, that’s what I had always believed.
When did that belief start to feel wrong?

The first sign of something strange was during what should have been a simple warm-up run. She suddenly took off at an absurd speed. In Uma Musume training, you rarely run anywhere close to race-level top speed. Most running is done at less than half that pace, and even when top speed is used, it’s limited to very short bursts.

I suggested slowing the pace several times, but each time Witolum Pedes refused with her ears and tail. I couldn’t afford to get on her bad side, so instead I focused on preventing injuries through thorough massages and frequent, detailed checkups.

The turning point was the mock race we held last summer. King Halo and Special Week—both highly regarded in their generation—joined in. Somewhere in the run, as if she got intoxicated by the thrill of competition, Witolum Pedes went completely out of control.

I thought she would burn out before the finish line, but instead she unleashed a terrifying late charge and ran 1600 meters in the 1:32 range. A young Uma Musume, more than a year away from her debut, with no understanding of race flow or pacing, ran a time you’d rarely see even in serious graded stakes. Looking back, she must have been starved for racing. The moment she tasted it, she got high off it and couldn’t hold herself back.

Panicked, I checked her legs immediately but found no abnormalities. I prepared myself for swelling or heat later, but none of that happened.

Most likely, running at normal training speeds simply doesn’t deal much damage to her legs. Of course, training strain should never be taken lightly. Two-thirds of Uma Musume injuries occur during training, and gradually accumulating fatigue is difficult to detect unless you monitor daily changes very carefully.

But now that I was paying closer attention, I noticed something: after running a full lap of the course, Witolum Pedes didn’t look tired at all. In fact, she returned to the trainer’s room looking lighter on her feet than when she went out.

From there, I gradually tried shifting the direction of her training. I introduced things rarely used outside handicap races—heavy horseshoes, tire-pulling to build muscle, and so on. She accepted the horseshoe change surprisingly easily, but after pulling a tire for one lap, Witolum Pedes looked absolutely miserable.

I tried other ideas as well, but she showed clear displeasure toward that kind of training. It seems she simply doesn’t like “training.”

Wondering what to do, I decided to consider race planning instead. She didn’t seem to dislike racing itself, and if I gave her a clear goal, she might agree to train properly. She wasn’t fond of long travel, so she preferred races at Tokyo or Nakayama. Based on that, I began choosing possible options.

While I was picking out races that could lead toward a major goal—the Derby—Witolum Pedes walked into the room just as her classes ended. The moment she saw the documents, her eyes sparkled unmistakably.

When I asked if she liked racing, she said she wanted at least one week of rest between races. I agreed immediately, but what shocked me was that she had actually considered the possibility of running every single week.

Come to think of it, she had already grasped the sense of the Zone of Domain after just one mock race. The Zone of Domain is said to reflect the very essence of an Uma Musume. The fact that she approached it in a single race may be proof of just how deeply she craved racing.

Considering Witolum Pedes’ love for racing, spacing out her races too much could actually cause her excitement to overheat, leading to another runaway performance. Running her frequently and then giving her proper rest might even place less stress on her legs. After all, we still don’t know how much her runaway legs can endure on their own.

That being the case, her debut race becomes crucial. If she runs her Make Debut without any awareness of pace, she’ll almost certainly go out of control again. And given her raw ability, trying to make her adjust her pace by watching the other Uma Musume might only frustrate her.

Hmm…

Perhaps for the Make Debut, I should treat it like a timed practice and train her to run with proper pace awareness. I once read a book by a legendary trainer who used races as training, but I never imagined I’d end up doing something similar myself.

Of course, teaching Witolum Pedes the basics of pace distribution was an entirely separate challenge, since she didn’t even understand what a furlong marker was.