Chapter 104: Third-Year Uma Musume

For a front-runner Uma Musume, what is the single most crucial skill overall?

When asked that, I don’t hesitate for a second—I answer, “Concentration.”

Just as the endgame decides things for closers and late chargers, for front-runners, the race is decided at the start.

A front-runner runs at the head of the pack, so she doesn’t get boxed in by other Uma Musume or have her path blocked. If she gets a good start, all that’s left is to run at her own pace—to keep sprinting so no one can catch up.

But flip that around, and if she messes up at the start… in other words, if she breaks late, things turn disastrous.

Many girls choose the front-running style precisely because they’re bad at running in a tight pack. If they stumble at the start and get surrounded, losing their rhythm is basically unavoidable. On the other hand, if a front-runner doesn’t fail at the start, you could say her condition is guaranteed to some extent.

And honestly, even setting front-runners aside, every fraction of a second matters enormously to Uma Musume. It’s common for first and second place to be decided by a tenth of a second—and it’s hardly rare for that difference to come down to the start.

That’s why, for front-running and pace-setting styles, the start dash is an absolutely vital skill.

Because of that belief, with the two Uma Musume I’ve trained so far, the very first thing I taught them—above all else—was that skill.

“Concentration.”

An advanced version of “Focus,” and a top-tier skill for launching an outstanding start dash.

…And now.

Right now, in my field of view, there are two Uma Musume who both possess “Concentration.”

On one side is Mihono Bourbon, my trainee—the one I personally taught that skill to.

On the other is Rice Shower, Bourbon’s rival, who just a month ago didn’t even have “Focus.”

G2, the Spring Stakes.

At the end of March in the Classic season, when it’s still not uncommon to see Uma Musume without advanced skills, these two just happen to share the exact same one, as if by prior arrangement.

Is it mere coincidence… or fate?

…Yeah, no. Of course not.

This is blatantly intentional.

“Wilm. What did you teach Rice?”

“Huh? Ah—no, I mean, nothing special.”

“‘Concentration.’”

“You saw right through me…”

She sticks her tongue out cutely—my very first trainee.

Honestly… yeah, it’s pretty cute.

That said, I can’t help thinking, you really went and did it, didn’t you?

In this world, skills aren’t something you can just pick up easily by spending points like in my previous life’s app. They’re systems of techniques refined over a long history—crystallizations of the sweat and tears of those who came before.

Even just “Concentration” is a start-dash technique so refined that anyone can use it without relying on special talent. Naturally, getting it established as a skill took countless trials and failures.

Even now, for an average Uma Musume, mastering it would take about half a year. Even a gifted standout would need two or three months of intense training. It’s a highly advanced technique—even for top athletes… or at least, it was supposed to be.

…Well, there are absurd prodigies who can pick it up in just a week.

That was probably thanks to her former conditions like “Life-or-Death” or “Sharp Mind ○.” But Rice doesn’t have any special conditions like that. For her to master it in such a ridiculously short time can only be because of Wilm’s influence.

The principle is still unclear, but it’s well known that Uma Musume grow dramatically by running with other Uma Musume. In terms of the old app, it’s basically friendship training through support cards.

That’s why I suspected that the concept of support cards from my past life might have some kind of influence in this world too…

Maybe Support Card: Hoshino Wilm gives you a hint for “Concentration” when you clear her event chain.

…Yeah. Let’s just go with that explanation.

It’s hard to believe Wilm’s teaching ability surpasses that of professional trainers, so this is probably yet another strange phenomenon tied to Uma Musume souls. Something like souls resonating, sharing sensations, and speeding up skill acquisition—probably something along those lines.

I don’t really get it, but at this point, that’s the only explanation I can live with.

Seeing me grimace, Wilm flutters about in a slight panic.

“I-I mean, Ayumu gave permission too, and I thought if we’re strengthening Rice-chan, this would be a good place to start…”

“At least it means my teaching is paying off, so that part makes me happy. As Mihono Bourbon’s trainer, though… yeah, this development is a bit of a headache.”

“D-Did I maybe overdo it…?”

“…No. You don’t need to worry about that. It just means I need to make Bourbon even stronger.”

And really, that’s the truth.

A trainer is a specialist whose job is to forge racing Uma Musume. More than ordinary people—and certainly more than the Uma Musume themselves—we’re the ones who must draw out their full potential.

So there’s no need for Wilm to fret over this. I’ll train Mihono Bourbon to the utmost—

And I will make her win the Classic Triple Crown.

Her wish. Her hope. Her dream… I’ll make them come true.

For that, I need to digest the shock and refocus on the girls right in front of me. I give my head a small shake and gently pat Wilm to reassure her.

“Ah… eheh.”

“‘Concentration’ is a very powerful technique, but it’s not enough on its own to decide a race. If you taught it to her, that makes sense—and I have no intention of complaining about it.”

In reality, Rice Shower’s advanced skills are just “Concentration” and “Arc Line Professor.” Bourbon, on the other hand, has four: “Concentration,” “First Strike,” “Mind and Body as One,” and—though it won’t activate this time—“Pathbreaker.”

As for stats, Bourbon is superior in everything except stamina.

Even with Wilm favoring Rice, it’s fair to say Bourbon’s advantage hasn’t disappeared.

…If anything, Bourbon herself is kind of abnormal.

She doesn’t have a special condition like Wilm’s “Wholehearted Effort,” and even viewed through the lens of “app reincarnation,” her listed growth rates aren’t particularly high. And yet, her stat growth is outrageous.

I’m aware my sense of balance is warped thanks to Wilm, but even I can tell—something’s off here.

Most likely, it’s her naturally trainable physique… plus the positive effects of training alongside Wilm.

As a result, at this stage, there’s no Uma Musume in her generation who surpasses Bourbon in raw stats. And on the technical side, I’m supporting her properly, so there are no issues there.

The remaining concerns would be aptitude and her tendency to overexert, but this is a mile race, so aptitude isn’t a problem, and her overexertion has been improving.

Even looking at things through “app reincarnation,” it doesn’t seem like Rice has unlocked her Domain this time. Unless Bourbon suffers some catastrophic accident, she should win without trouble.

…At least, this time.

“Now then, gathered here at Nakayama Racecourse for the G2 Spring Stakes are the Uma Musume aiming for the Satsuki Sho. The weather is unfortunately rainy, and the track condition has been announced as heavy.

Alongside the Yayoi Sho and Wakaba Stakes, this is a trial race offering priority entry to the Satsuki Sho. This year’s trials have been turbulent overall—what will happen today?”

“Today’s top favorite is the chestnut newcomer, Contest Rival! With a solid record of three wins from five starts, her sharp finishing kick has earned high praise.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Junior-class champion Mihono Bourbon has settled for second favorite. Concerns about her distance aptitude and her severe overexertion in the Asahi Hai likely played a role.

Third favorite is the declared front-runner, Sakura Bakushin O. She’s shown almost monstrous speed in sprint races—can she deliver results over 1,800 meters?

Personally, those are the three I’m watching closely. If there’s an upset, perhaps it’ll be the fired-up sixth favorite, Rice Shower.”

At the sound of the commentary, my gaze drifts to the edge of the turf.

There she is—the bay front-runner, Sakura Bakushin O, the third favorite.

Today, as always, she’s energetically stretching—a classic committee-chair-type Uma Musume…

…And for me, one I’m quite emotionally attached to.

Back in my previous life, shortly after a friend convinced me to start playing the Uma Musume app, I managed to win with Daiwa Scarlet—but I just couldn’t stabilize my clears of the URA Finals. I was at my wits’ end.

By design, the app only gives you the money needed to raise support cards if you actually complete training runs. But to clear training, you need well-raised support cards.

In other words, to raise support cards you needed money, to get money you needed to train, and to train you needed raised support cards—a vicious cycle.

The one who blew a hole straight through that problem was none other than Sakura Bakushin O—Bakuchan, the committee chair.

Without understanding the game’s convoluted systems, you could just stack speed support cards, spam speed training, and win. That gloriously brain-off approach solved my money shortage in one fell swoop.

Anyone who’s played Uma Musume was probably helped by her at least once—the ruler of the three 1,200-meter gauntlet, the great long-distance (not actually long-distance) front-runner.

That is Sakura Bakushin O herself—well, herself as a horse girl.

And in this world too, Bakuchan the committee chair is incredibly strong.

In her 1,200-meter debut and open races so far, she’s crushed the competition with wins by four lengths and five lengths.

Winning by four lengths or more in two out of three races is the kind of record that gets you noticed. Among her peers, there’s probably no Uma Musume who can beat her in a sprint.

…However.

Bakuchan the committee chair is unbeatable—but only in sprint races.

Naturally, she’s drawn plenty of attention in this world as well, but realistically speaking, her optimal distance caps out around 1,600 meters.

…No, honestly, given her current stats, even 1,600 might be pushing it.

In fact, back in January, she ran a 1600-meter open race and narrowly lost, finishing second.

True to form, she’s still very much “Bakushin-ing” in this world—her stats are heavily specialized in speed, with only slightly above-average power. As for stamina…

Unfortunately, it’s fair to say she simply doesn’t have enough to run out the full 1800 meters of the Spring Stakes.

Well, that’s something I can tell thanks to “app reincarnation,” though.

The longest official race she’s run so far was that 1600-meter open, where she finished a strong second by a head. While there’s no denying the lack of aptitude, the same could be said of Mihono Bourbon.

The reason Sakura Bakushin O is the third favorite is precisely because people think she might manage this distance.

That said, compared to Bourbon—who’s been trained specifically for middle-distance racing with stamina and grit—her fundamental strength at this distance is clearly inferior.

Realistically, she’ll start slowing down after the final straight and sink back…

Now then, on the other hand.

This race has so many notable names that it hardly feels like a G2. Aside from Bourbon and Bakushin O, other well-known entrants include Matikane Tannhauser and Rice Shower.

…And yet, their popularity is surprisingly low—Matitan sits at fourth favorite, while Rice is all the way down at sixth.

The popularity of G1-class Uma Musume is often shaped by Classic races and the Eight Major Titles.

At this stage of the season, it’s hard for popularity to concentrate on specific girls, and with so few races run, judging true strength is difficult. Of course, public training sessions and race-day condition offer some clues—but the lack of data remains an issue.

As a result, popularity during this period doesn’t always correlate with finishing order.

If we judge purely by ability, then in this Spring Stakes… frankly speaking, Bourbon stands head and shoulders above the rest, with everyone else falling into a fairly questionable range.

Thanks in part to Wilm’s support, Rice does edge out the others slightly in stats and skills—but unfortunately, her mile aptitude is only C. Factoring that in, she’ll probably be just a step ahead of the rest.

Next, we should look at today’s race conditions.

On a heavy track like today’s, front-running and pace-setting strategies gain a clear advantage. On top of that, Nakayama’s straight is short as always, meaning runners from the back may simply not make it in time.

The stretch from the start to the first corner is reasonably long, and the distance itself isn’t especially long either. This setup heavily favors front-runners and leaders.

If there’s one caveat, it’s the two-meter elevation change starting around the final 200 meters. On a heavy track, getting bogged down there and losing stamina could prove costly.

If Mihono Bourbon were to overexert herself, that could be a problem—but with “Concentration” and “First Strike” mastered, her start dash is practically perfected.

If she opens a gap there and maintains steady laps at her preferred high pace, the others will be dragged along and burn themselves out.

The only Uma Musume with the stamina to resist that is Rice—but again, her low mile aptitude means she likely won’t be able to catch Bourbon.

Unless something truly unexpected happens, Bourbon should take first place cleanly, with the rest finishing anywhere from four to eight lengths behind her.

The most likely candidate for second is Rice Shower—but this is her first time running 1800 meters. How calmly she handles the race will decide things.

That said, Rice is in excellent form right now. Most likely, she’ll finish right behind Bourbon.

…And so.

As usual, while I was explaining my predicted race development—

Wilm, having listened to all that, rested a hand on her chin and muttered, “Maybe I still didn’t train her enough…”

I can guess what she’s thinking—that she should’ve trained Rice even more.

Honestly, though, just improving her base stats and teaching her “Concentration” is already a massive boost. To be blunt, if Wilm hadn’t been involved, Rice probably wouldn’t even have made second in this race.

…That said, maybe that strengthening has reached its limit.

I’ve never taught Wilm how to run as a pace-setter, and her skills are specialized toward front-running. Stats aside, passing on new skills might start getting difficult.

Aside from “Concentration”… wait, no—there’s also “Mind and Body as One” and “Arc Maestro.” Yeah, I really can’t let my guard down.

“Mind and Body as One” in particular is terrifying. Strengthening Rice’s finishing kick would be dangerous.

Tokyo Racecourse, where the Derby is held, has a long final straight, and the Kikuka Sho is a grueling 3000 meters. Both are races where it’s hard to win by leading from the front.

If “Mind and Body as One” activates there, the risk of being overtaken skyrockets.

Meanwhile, “Arc Maestro” is just as threatening. If Rice learns how to control her breathing and pacing, her already-high endurance will only grow—and that makes her late-race explosiveness in the Kikuka Sho downright frightening.

If Bourbon’s stamina is worn down and Rice enters the final straight in peak condition, the only thing waiting there is defeat.

That’s exactly how it played out in my previous life—in the app, and in actual history—so this is something I absolutely can’t afford to ignore.

…Seriously, what do I even do about this?

Considering Rice’s trajectory in the app, the chance that she awakens her Domain in the Kikuka Sho isn’t low at all.

At the very least, if Bourbon’s long-distance aptitude stays at C, the risk of losing becomes impossible to ignore.

Ideally, it needs to be raised to A—or at the bare minimum, B.

I let out a wry smile at Wilm’s muttering—

But beside me, Masa was also wearing a conflicted expression.

“Same as always… or maybe I should say, how do you even come up with predictions like that?”

“Well… I’ve got that, and then I gather data and do the math.”

I gave a vague answer.

With Wilm right next to us, there’s no way I can bring up something as outlandish as “app reincarnation.”

Masa is the only person in this world who knows I’m a reincarnator—and that I possess the mysterious power known as “app reincarnation.” She also knows I don’t plan to tell my trainees or anyone else.

So when I dodge the explanation like that, she’ll understand exactly what I mean.

…Still, no matter how much I try to gloss over it, there was no avoiding Wilm tilting her head in confusion.

“? What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, just my observational skills.”

“Ah—Ayumu-san’s observation skills are like… innate talent. Honestly, they’re basically cheating.”

“Hnnngh—!!”

“E-eh!? W-wait, are you okay!?”

N-no, this is just a coincidence, right?

Natural talent… cheating…?

There’s no way she’s noticed… right?

Now then.

While we were talking, the time for the race steadily approached.

The G2 Spring Stakes.

It was our team’s first official race of the year—a crucial trial that would determine the course of Bourbon’s Classic Road. Among all the races I’d ever watched, this one probably ranked second only to the Arima Kinen in terms of how many big-name runners were gathered here.

Gate 1, Post 1: Mihono Bourbon.
Gate 2, Post 3: Rice Shower.
Gate 2, Post 4: Sakura Bakushin O.
Gate 4, Post 7: Machikane Tannhauser.

With Nishino Flower pursuing the Tiara route, nearly every notable Uma Musume of this generation was present.

Mihono Bourbon was, without question, a thoroughbred of the highest caliber.

Her bloodline itself was an obscure one, not well-suited for the Triple Crown. And yet, her physical potential was so exceptional that “head and shoulders above the rest” hardly felt like an exaggeration. At mile distances—around 1,600 meters—she was strong enough that an undefeated career wouldn’t have been unrealistic.

And yet, here we were, having her run a middle-distance race that didn’t suit her at all.

As her trainer, I had a responsibility to do everything in my power to support her. I needed to understand Mihono Bourbon as an Uma Musume—to train her, test her, and refine her to perfection.

Today’s Spring Stakes was part of that “test.”

A distance 200 meters longer than the 1,600 meters I believed to be her optimal range. A direct confrontation with Sakura Bakushin O, a powerful front-running Uma Musume.

If she could still deliver her best performance under these conditions…

Then this race could become the first step toward victory in the Satsuki Sho—and beyond that, the Japan Derby and the Kikuka Sho.

That was why I watched this race with more than a little tension—

…Or at least, I should have.

“They’re off! All eighteen runners break cleanly! And right away, Mihono Bourbon surges ahead—she’s pushing from the inside and takes the lead!
Sakura Bakushin O follows in second, but can she reach her? These two are already separating from the pack!”

“They enter the first turn. Contest Rival is currently fourth from the back, while Narcissus is dropping slightly.
They’re already through the second corner, and Mihono Bourbon is clear—she’s opened up a three-length lead!”

“Mihono Bourbon is running with astonishing composure. Perhaps learning from her Asahi Hai defeat, she shows no signs of overexertion—maintaining a steady, slightly fast pace without panic.”

“Sakura Bakushin O follows in second, Rice Shower in third. Jewel Rubellite presses along the inside as they head down the backstretch!”

“They pass the 800-meter mark and enter the third corner. Mihono Bourbon remains in front! Sakura Bakushin O gives chase, but the gap is still just over two lengths.
Three lengths back comes Rice Shower—and along the rail, a small dark bay keeps her eyes locked forward!
Another length behind, Mushamusha is slipping smoothly into contention!”

“Here comes Machikane Tannhauser from the outside at the fourth corner! Contest Rival moves up as well! The field tightens as they pass the 400-meter marker!
They exit the final turn almost as one—and now they’re into the home stretch!”

“Mihono Bourbon leads on the inside—and she’s pulling away again! A tireless sprint, the gap widening to five lengths! This is dominance!
Rice Shower breaks from the pack in second and is closing steadily—but will she make it in time!?”

“They’ve passed the 200-meter mark! Mihono Bourbon is firmly in control! Rice Shower is chasing hard, but the distance just won’t close!
This is turning into a landslide victory—she charges through the wire with power to spare!”

“Rice Shower finishes second, four lengths behind! Mihono Bourbon displays overwhelming strength!
What incredible speed, what rapid growth! Has she overcome the wall of distance aptitude—and could she be the one to claim the Satsuki Sho!?”

“Following last year’s victory by Hoshino Wilm, will Mihono Bourbon once again transcend bloodline limitations? Expectations rise for the birth of a new legend!”

…Yeah.

There was never anything to worry about.

The Uma Musume who once said, “I will show you my growth,” had done exactly that—delivering a performance worthy of those words.

A flawless start. A calm, unshakable run, as though she didn’t even sense Sakura Bakushin O pressing behind her. A near-constant pace with barely any fluctuation, and strong legs preserved all the way to the finish.

The result Mihono Bourbon carved out was—

A four-length victory with room to spare in a G2 race, against some of the biggest names of her generation, at a distance 200 meters beyond her supposed specialty.

“…No, seriously. That was incredible.”

Mihono Bourbon.

Just how far would she go?

That honest, beautiful stride. That almost unnervingly precise running form—where would it ultimately lead her?

The Satsuki Sho?
The Japan Derby?
The Kikuka Sho?

…Or perhaps even further?

“Big brother? We should go meet Bourbon.”

Masa’s voice pulled me back from my drifting thoughts.

Right. That’s right.

I needed to go greet Bourbon after that incredible run—and then…

I needed to make my wish to her once more.

And so I returned to the underground passage, where Mihono Bourbon stood—visibly fatigued, yet composed. I told her to take a moment to catch her breath.

Her shoulders rose and fell as she waited silently for my words.

“Magnificent. It was the kind of run you can’t help but stare at in awe.
Once again, Mihono Bourbon… let me share the same dream as you.”

At those words—

Mihono Bourbon did something exceedingly rare for her.

She smiled, just faintly.

“Yes. I look forward to working with you, Master.
My dream… my father’s dream… and Master’s dream.
Please—let us pursue them together.”