Chapter 102: The Measure of Three Steps

"So, in the end, by the time that race entered the second half, the loss was already decided."

"Yeah. There was nothing to criticize about how you ran in the latter half. If anything, you could say the defeat was caused by the mistake you made early on. That’s hindsight talking, of course."

"Hmm… Is that really something I should be happy about?"

"It was a run you could call flawless—no mistakes at all. You should be proud of that. …Except for the hesitation at the 500-meter mark."

"Seriously, how many times are you going to bring that up?"

"That’s how regrettable it was. If it had happened the day before… no, even a week earlier, I could’ve prepared you to run in perfect condition."

"…Is that regret?"

"Hmm… no. It’s more like lingering attachment. As your trainer, I always wanted to be there supporting you. Not being by your side on race day is something I’ll regret for the rest of my life."

"Well… I feel bad for you, Ayumu-san, but I’m honestly happy to hear you say that."

It was early March, just before the G1 races truly began in earnest.

Hoshino Wilm—my assigned Uma Musume—and I were sharing a laid-back, slightly absent-minded conversation.

The topic was essentially casual chatter mixed with a bit of post-race reflection.

It was related to racing, one of her primary professions, but it wasn’t particularly important. If anything, it was just a way to pass the time.

In fact, just earlier, Wilm had been talking about Uma Musume she’d recently become close with, and about next year’s classic races.

In short, as long as it helped stave off boredom, the topic didn’t really matter.

As long as I was talking with her, I enjoyed it no matter what the subject was. Casual conversation had its place.

I just hoped she was enjoying it too…

Thinking that, I glanced to the side—only to find Wilm wearing a faint, unsettling smile.

At the very least, she didn’t seem to dislike being here… I think. If so, that was a relief.

Now then. What we were talking about might’ve been little more than idle chatter.

But that didn’t mean it was completely pointless.

For racing Uma Musume, physical training is important—but at the same time, a high level of knowledge is also required.

To acquire that, they need classroom study—what, in the previous-life app, would be called Intelligence Training.

But my first assigned Uma Musume truly loves running.

You could even say that all of her interests and motivation stem from it.

So when I tell her, "You need this to run races properly," and ask her to spend training time on studying, she does accept it…

But just a little—so slight I probably wouldn’t have noticed back when we first met—she always looks a bit sad.

Horino Ayumu is Hoshino Wilm’s contracted trainer.

Making her win races, supporting her as a racing Uma Musume—that is my job.

Which means that, if necessary, I have a duty to make her do things she might dislike.

…And yet.

As an individual who’s grown fond of her, I want her to smile as much as possible.

Deepening her understanding of racing during moments like this, and reducing classroom study time as much as possible, is—at least to some degree—a beneficial thing.

And so, even if it was nothing serious and just casual talk, Wilm and I were discussing that race.

"But still, at that moment… should I have ignored Turbo hanging on, or made my move a bit earlier to begin with?"

"Yeah. At the 500-meter mark, you probably would’ve made it. At 600, though, it was too late."

"So in the end, Turbo holding on delayed me, and that’s what hurt?"

"You could say that, but… making precise judgments during a race is difficult. Unless you’re using your ‘Cognitive Acceleration Ability,’ you can’t be certain. This time, your cautious decision just happened to backfire."

"Rather than cautious, I guess I got too fixated on the strategy we’d planned. This might sound like an excuse, but the strategies you’ve given me so far, Ayumu-san, have been extremely effective… so this time, I ended up relying on the planned tactics without really thinking."

"Ah… yeah. I’m… sorry."

"You don’t need to apologize. I just relied too much on a familiar weapon because it was easy to use. Then, the moment it left my hands, my strength dropped drastically. In other words, it was a mistake born from my own complacency."

"Racing really is hard without you, Ayumu-san—unlike this."

Saying that, my assigned Uma Musume lightly shook the fishing rod she was holding.

"…Hey, this isn’t easy either, you know? I haven’t caught a single thing yet—everything keeps getting away."

"That’s just because you’re terrible at it, Trainer."

"‘Terrible’? That’s slander. In this day and age, that kind of talk gets you canceled."

"You’ve had bites but lost two out of three, and on top of that you even got your rod taken away. If that’s not terrible, then what is?"

"The truth can hurt people sometimes, you know."

I regripped the spare fishing rod I’d brought for Wilm and let out a small sigh.

---

For a racing Uma Musume trainer, when is the busiest time of the year?

The answer depends on circumstances, and there are several possibilities…

But for me, it would be April and December.

December is obvious.

It’s the end of the year, so there are all kinds of adjustments, communications, and formalities—and on top of that, the year’s biggest race, the Arima Kinen, is held then.

They say even teachers run around in December, and this period leaves absolutely no room for leisure. It can get so busy that you might end up working nonstop without sleep.

Then there’s April… more precisely, late March onward.

It’s not widely known, but this period is also busy for trainers.

It’s when the year’s graded races really get going, and when so-called spring G1 races like the Osaka Hai and Tenno Sho begin.

On top of that, since it’s the start of the fiscal year, paperwork piles up—and in early April, there’s the Twinkle Series Spring Fan Appreciation Festival.

…Actually, thinking about it again, why do they even hold the Fan Appreciation Festival at this time?

It’s right before the Satsuki Sho, and the Osaka Hai is held just days after the festival.

Worse still, there’s even a rule that G1 Uma Musume and other top contenders must submit a project, so promising Osaka Hai runners end up accumulating fatigue.

Wouldn’t February or March make more sense…?

Maybe I should submit a suggestion to the URA next time. Not that it’ll probably go through.

…Anyway, I digress.

In short, for us trainers—especially G1 trainers—April is an extremely busy season.

And since I’m responsible for two G1 Uma Musume, Hoshino Wilm and Mihono Bourbon, I’m no exception.

Work that had been calm up through this month would become hectic again starting next month.

This month is the last chance to rest with some breathing room.

From the start of next month… it won’t be as bad as the end of last year, but it’ll still be a fairly frantic daily grind.

That’s why I’ve been having Masa take more days off lately, letting her prepare for the storm.

It wouldn’t do for her to collapse in the middle of peak season. …Though, honestly, I’m not exactly in a position to lecture others about that.

As for me, I need to give myself some rest too.

In my current, more relaxed mental state, nonstop work would wear me down both mentally and physically.

If it were only mental exhaustion, that’d be one thing—but if it narrowed my perspective, I could end up causing trouble for Wilm and the others like I did last year.

And if physical fatigue piled up, I could become a useless wreck again—one who doesn’t even notice danger, just like back then.

As the trainer of two G1 Uma Musume, I need to be at full capacity at all times.

And so, in early March, I entrusted my assigned Uma Musume—and their training menus—to Masa, and took a full day off.

That was only possible because Masa was there. Sub-trainers really are invaluable.

…However, a problem arose when I told my charges about my day off.

Wilm latched right onto it.

"Huh? A day off… what are you going to do? Sleep all day?"

"I do plan to catch up on sleep, but in the afternoon I’m thinking of going fishing."

"Fishing? …You mean picking up girls?!"

"Why would that be the conclusion? I mean actual sea fishing."

I’d felt it before, but sometimes this girl’s thought process really takes some wild leaps.

Interpreting ‘going fishing’ as ‘going to flirt’ is a pretty extreme stretch—honestly, it’s more like outright misinterpretation.

I’d thought that after two years together, I understood her pretty well… but spending time together always reveals new sides.

I didn’t think she was the type to jump to conclusions, but it seems she has some age-appropriate tendencies after all.

I’ll need to be more careful about how I phrase things, so misunderstandings like this don’t happen.

"I won’t be able to watch you that day, so keep your self-training moderate. According to my calculations, as long as Masa doesn’t push you too hard, there shouldn’t be any accidents—but if you feel anything off in your legs, don’t hesitate to consult me, Masa, or even the school nurse—"

"Ayumu-san."

Wilm cut into my stream of instructions.

I stopped mid-sentence and looked into her eyes.

There was a mischievous—and at the same time slightly embarrassed—look there.

"It’s been a while, so I’m exercising my ‘reward privilege.’ …Please take me with you."

---

And so, the day off arrived.

Just in case, I’d prepared a fishing rod for Wilm as well, and together we headed to that familiar seaside spot—she carrying a surprisingly solid, brand-new rod of her own.

While teaching her the basics as a complete beginner, we cast our lines as usual…

And while I failed to catch a single fish—on top of losing my grip and having my rod taken away—Wilm managed to reel in about six.

"Why can’t I catch anything…?"

"I’d like to ask the opposite—how do you struggle that much?"

"I’m just trying to fish normally."

"Why does it take you three whole minutes just to change bait? And why did you drop it—or stab your finger—three times in the process? Aren’t you way too clumsy???"

"Well, I’m a beginner, so that’s just how it—no, wait. You’re doing it just fine."

…Yeah. I really don’t have any talent, do I?

The words slipped out, and I sighed.

No matter the activity, Horino Ayumu is inefficient.

Manual dexterity, quick comprehension—those sorts of things are uniformly poor. It takes me a long time to get the hang of anything.

The things I can manage—daily life, work, table manners, negotiations—I can only do because I’ve drilled them into my body over many years.

At a fundamental level, Horino Ayumu is a talentless person who can’t do anything naturally.

…Even the fishing skills I’d hoped would become a hobby were bad enough that I was overtaken by a beginner in just a few hours.

"Ah—no… hmm."

"Hey, there’s no need to comfort me, you know? I’ve been living with my own incompetence for a long time now. I’ve come to terms with it—no complexes left. You’re an Uma Musume, I’m a human. Just like that, you have talent, and I don’t. That’s all there is to it."

"I see… so that’s how you see yourself. W-well, um… even so, I… I really like—n-no, I mean, I trust you, Ayumu-san. Including those parts."

"It feels like the logic jumped a bit there, but thanks."

Being trusted for being incompetent isn’t exactly ideal… or so part of me thinks. Still, trust is trust, and I’m grateful for it.

If anything, all I can do is make sure that, over time, that trust shifts from trust in my character to trust in my competence.

Wilm made a slightly awkward expression, then—without arguing back—cast her gaze out toward the sea.

"That got a little gloomy, didn’t it? Let’s get back to talking about races."

"Yeah, got it. The topic was… countermeasures against Silence Suzuka, right?"

---

What Wilm and I had been discussing was the cause of her loss at the Arima Kinen two months ago.

At last year’s Arima Kinen, Hoshino Wilm suffered her first-ever defeat in an official race.

If it had been a loss despite her being in perfect condition and delivering a flawless run, there would’ve been no need for reflection.

She could simply train harder and win the next time.

But that race wasn’t like that.

My collapse before the race. The resulting imperfections in her final workouts—ones that even Masa couldn’t fully prevent. Insufficient research on her rivals. The narrow scope of the strategy that emerged as a result. And Wilm’s momentary hesitation, born from having relied too heavily on my tactics up to that point.

If one were to fault racing Uma Musume Hoshino Wilm in that race, it would be for those three points.

The three-centimeter gap at the finish line would never have existed if even one of those factors had been absent.

That’s precisely why that race is worth analyzing—to find lessons that carry forward.

…Well, if we’re being honest, the root cause was me falling into a coma.

The fact that my own dysfunction led to her defeat still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

But three months have passed since then, and both my regret and the shock of her loss have softened to some extent.

That’s why we can talk about it so casually now.

And now that we can talk about it, there’s only one thing left to do.

Make sure that, next time, she never loses to them again—Silence Suzuka and Special Week.

---

Finding it strange that my fishing rod hadn’t reacted for nearly an hour, I reeled the line in—only to find there was no bait on the hook.

…Yeah. Well. That happens.

As I sighed and struggled to bait the hook again, I spoke to the girl sitting beside me.

"For you to beat Silence Suzuka, you have to take the lead in the latter half—before she opens her Domain."

"If you don’t shut down her trait of ‘limitless stamina as long as she’s in front,’ you’ll end up losing on sheer specs to a Domain specialized in infinite stamina and speed."

"Yeah, I get that in theory, but…"

With an expression that clearly said you’re asking the impossible, Wilm took the hook from my hands and baited it one-handed with practiced ease.

…Wait, are you really a beginner? She’s absurdly efficient. I might actually be a little jealous.

"It’s easy to say, but Suzuka-san is incredible. Honestly, if I fight her head-on, it doesn’t feel like I could surpass her without using ‘Ani’—I mean, ‘Cognitive Acceleration.’"

"Yeah. Figured as much."

Nodding, I swung my arm to cast the line into the sea—only to snag the bag I’d placed behind me.

…Right. That happens too. I am a beginner, after all. Only been at this for three months.

Anyway, setting aside those minor mishaps, back to Suzuka.

"Silence Suzuka’s running is a kind of ideal form for Uma Musume."

"An unrivaled start dash that surpasses anyone. A flawless, waste-free form. A headlong sprint that never yields the lead, backed by infinite stamina. Every part of it truly belongs to another dimension."

You either beat her outright in raw specs, or break through with special techniques or abilities. Without that, you simply can’t surpass Silence Suzuka.

And even in terms of base specs, she stands near the pinnacle of the Twinkle Series in every category.

That’s why, unless you perfectly synchronize powerful Domains and skills—or possess a special ability like Wilm’s—there’s no way to beat her.

Because a “normal Uma Musume” can’t overcome her, she’s called the “Runaway from Another Dimension.”

The Uma Musume who never once relinquished the lead—until Wilm finally broke through her—was no fraud.

She’s already graduated from the Twinkle Series and moved on to the Dream Trophy League, but she’ll probably put on a brilliant showing there as well.

"She’s moved up to the Dream Trophy League, but sooner or later, you’ll be standing on that same stage."

"It wouldn’t hurt to have a complete countermeasure ready ahead of time."

I finished my thought while untangling the fishing line.

For now, Wilm won’t be facing Suzuka anytime soon.

The Twinkle Series and the Dream Trophy League.

The two major racing series for Uma Musume rarely intersect. They run different races to begin with.

The only chance would be a mock race—but even those are usually held within the same race series, so unless both parties strongly request it, cross-series races don’t happen.

And all of Silence Suzuka’s close acquaintances and frequent mock-race partners are Uma Musume who’ve already advanced to the Dream Trophy League.

Which means that Hoshino Wilm and Silence Suzuka running the same race…

Realistically speaking, that probably won’t happen for at least another year.

But even so, preparation is never wasted.

Hoshino Wilm is an exceptionally strong Uma Musume, and at present, she has no clear weaknesses that directly lead to defeat.

In that case, building pinpoint counters—tactics specialized for specific situations—is hardly a waste of time.

And that’s why, lately, I’ve been having her undergo training specifically for that purpose.

"So, to beat Silence Suzuka, you have to get in front of her."

"But while she’s in the lead, she can expend stamina infinitely. Since she can keep ramping up her speed without limit, once she’s up to pace, it’s extremely difficult to beat her in a straight contest."

"Like what you did, there are ways to overtake her from a certain distance—but if you do that, the exhaustion is enormous, and you’ll be forced to play your hand early."

"In that case…"

"Win at the start, before she’s fully accelerated. That’s why we’ve been doing so much start-dash training lately."

"Exactly. I appreciate how quick you are to catch on."

I finally cast the hook—now returned to my hands—back into the sea.

…Man, it’d be nice if something bit soon.

When I go fishing, I usually spend an entire day just to maybe catch one fish. More accurately, I get about five bites, but never actually manage to reel one in.

And today, I’ve got an absurdly scary Uma Musume next to me, hauling them in nonstop… yeah, my chances feel pretty slim.

Come to think of it, the very first time I fished in this world—the day I first talked with Sky.

The fact that I caught so many that day must’ve been some serious beginner’s luck… or maybe Sky had been chumming the water or something.

Just like I promised Sky, I’ve been fishing whenever I have spare time since then…

But no matter how much I research or experiment, I just don’t seem to be improving.

Well, it’s not like I’ve ever mastered anything in just three months before.

I’m still a beginner. It’s fine. I’ve got time.

While reassuring myself, I recalled Suzuka’s start dash at the Arima Kinen—the so-called “Maximum Focus.”

"Silence Suzuka’s lack of openings comes from how absurdly good her start is—good enough to call it a supreme technique."

"Once she takes the lead at the beginning, her special ability grants her effective invincibility. …Put another way, if she doesn’t take the lead, she’s nothing more than a mediocre runaway runner."

…Okay, I just realized how weird that sounds. What even is a “mediocre runaway runner”?

Runaway runners are rare to begin with—calling one mediocre feels off.

Well, semantics aside.

Once Silence Suzuka loses the lead even once, she drops off sharply.

That’s exactly what led to her eighth-place finish at the Arima Kinen.

Ideally, you’d pass her early on, before she’s fully accelerated—but that’s prevented by Suzuka’s skill, “Maximum Focus.”

Think of it as a superior version of “Concentration.” It lets her achieve an outstanding start.

"She compensates for that sole risk—her early phase—with an overwhelming start technique that surpasses even yours."

"That’s why Silence Suzuka has no openings in the early, middle, or late stages, and why she remained undefeated for so long."

In the early phase, she breaks away instantly with terrifying acceleration.

In the middle phase, while everyone else conserves stamina, she alone freely monopolizes the lead.

And in the final phase, she pulls away with her Domain, “Runaway from Another Dimension,” and infinite stamina.

Thinking about it again… she really is close to invincible.

Even with my cheat-like ability of “App Reincarnation,” and access to data accumulated by a prestigious family, I can barely think of ways to counter her.

…That said.

There is exactly one clear answer.

"…But. In other words—"

Before I could finish, the perceptive Hoshino Wilm furrowed her brow.

"If I learn start technique on par with Suzuka-senpai… no, even beyond hers, then countering her becomes easy?"

"Not just easy. The moment you win at the start, Silence Suzuka is already sealed."

As long as Silence Suzuka is never allowed to take the lead, she’s just another runaway runner.

And in that case, Wilm—my Uma Musume—would never lose.

"Well, the only one who could realistically pull that off would be someone with specs rivaling Silence Suzuka, who can also run as a runaway… meaning you."

Twin Turbo—the only other graded-level runaway runner of this generation besides them—has “Focus,” but hasn’t reached “Concentration.”

And even if she did, in raw power… acceleration alone, Wilm would still come out ahead.

In short, the only one who can shut down Silence Suzuka from the very start—without facing her head-on—is this girl.

Just as Suzuka is Wilm’s natural enemy, Wilm is Suzuka’s natural enemy as well.

As I finished saying that, Wilm muttered, "Oh," and began reeling in her line.

At the end of it was… wow. A fish, cleanly hooked.

Meanwhile, I still hadn’t caught a single one—and that made it her seventh. Isn’t that a bit too much?

She really is a genius who can do anything. She reminds me a little of my older brother.

"But start technique that surpasses Suzuka-san’s level… do you really think I can reach that? Honestly, I feel like my technique is already pretty much perfected."

"……"

"Huh? Ayumu-san?"

I hesitated, trying to figure out what to say to the puzzled Wilm looking at me.

The special skills held by Special Week and Silence Suzuka.

“Big-Eater General.” “Dream-Chasing Late Kick.” “Maximum Focus.” “Runaway from Another Dimension.”

Original techniques—likely evolved forms of existing skills.

To defeat Silence Suzuka… and for Wilm to ascend to the next stage, she’d need that.

Silence Suzuka possesses both “Maximum Focus” and “First Move, Certain Victory.”

Wilm has “Concentration” and “First Move, Certain Victory.”

That gap—between “Maximum Focus” and “Concentration”—is exactly why Wilm loses at the start.

If she’s losing on skills, one could try to win on physical ability—but against Suzuka’s perfected specs, brute force alone probably won’t be enough to overturn that difference.

Which means, to guarantee surpassing Silence Suzuka’s start…

Wilm would have to acquire that special skill as well.

But within my knowledge from the previous-life app, nothing like that exists.

I don’t know how to acquire it. I don’t know how to make it Wilm’s strength.

…And so.

Despite not knowing, I came to a conclusion anyway.

"Three steps."

"Three… steps?"

I nodded slightly and told her.

A challenge unlike any before.

"Win against Silence Suzuka in three steps."

"That is… Hoshino Wilm—the next technique you must master."

Tug.

The rod in my hands gave a small twitch.