Chapter 15: The Season of the Past, Satsuki, and Reincarnation Cheats

Hoshino Wilm had entered the Classic class, and about two months had passed. The Yayoi Sho, held in early March, was approaching… but I wasn’t particularly worried about it. The reason—though it sounds arrogant—is that at this point, she’s far beyond the level where a G2 race could trip her up.

Well, strictly speaking, historically and in my previous life, no matter how strong you were, the Yayoi Sho was something to approach with caution… but this is the world of an app game. If your stats are overwhelmingly high, you basically don’t lose.

…Basically—but still.

If you had seen Nice Nature in the mock race a week ago, you couldn’t possibly say stats were everything. It might’ve been some kind of awakening, but she didn’t feel traditionally “strong.” Or maybe it was a type of awakening that hides its presence—a covert type, so to speak. If so, that would be very Nature-like; she is the cunning strategist type, after all.

From a camp like ours, which wins through information and specs, she’s an incredibly frightening opponent.

By my assessment, even at her absolute peak, she should’ve been three lengths behind Teio. And yet she closed that gap to a neck. A performance far beyond her stats. If I hadn’t prepared a third contingency plan just in case, Hoshino Wilm might well have lost. Well… on the other hand, one of our cards is now exposed. But compared to her victory, that’s a cheap price to pay.

…Even if she’s an opponent who looks inferior on paper, we can’t afford to let our guard down. Father always said it: Uma Musume will always exceed your expectations. I’d better go into the Yayoi Sho—and then the Satsuki Sho—with full preparation. Luckily, I still have tactics I can test.

"Still… Nice Nature, huh."

"Is this about the race?"

"No."

In truth, the damage—or rather, the influence—Nature caused didn’t stop at my shift in mindset. Or rather, she has, completely unintentionally, caused an absolutely massive impact.

"Trainer, we should do another mock race with Nature."

"No."

"Let’s do one."

"No."

"Just once. No—just the tip is fine."

"What does a ‘just the tip race’ even mean…?"

"Then how about pairing up during tomorrow’s joint training?"

"How is that different from a mock race to you?"

"Then… how about a race-around-the-park?"

"Your persuasion is sloppy on every front."

Pop quiz: who am I talking to right now?
Hint: up until a week ago, she was a quiet, cool-type, petite bay-colored escape-runner Uma Musume.

…Yes. As much as I hate to admit it, this is my own charge: Hoshino Wilm.

To me, Hoshino Wilm had been the kind of Uma Musume who seemed low-maintenance, but was actually a colossal handful. She basically did what she was told—but only what she was told. Sometimes she even ignored instructions entirely. But with proper trust-building, clear explanations of decisions, and firm lecturing not to overtrain on her own, she would listen. Her motivation dropped, but she listened.

Lately she had started asking for detailed instructions during races, and she wasn’t dropping motivation as often. I was just beginning to fully understand the best way to work with her.

She was—well, let me correct myself—extremely training-addicted, but earnest, straightforward, a good girl, and someone terrified of losing. That was Hoshino Wilm as I saw her.

…Was.

"So when can I run with Nature?"

"…The Kikuka Sho, maybe."

"That’s eight months from now."

"Sure is."

"……???"

"Don’t look at me like that."

"If I go eight months without eating, even an Uma Musume will die, you know?"

"Are you thinking mock races are a food group?"

I mean—what is this? No really, what happened to her? Ever since that mock race, Hoshino Wilm has been completely broken.

Hoshino Wilm sensed something in that race. Conveniently interpreting it, I’d say it was the primal fighting instinct all Uma Musume should have—the pure bliss of competing against someone strong and surpassing them. …If that’s it, I’d be thrilled. But the truth is, I still don’t know what it actually was. Asking directly would be… yeah, no.

What’s certain is this: in that mock race, she felt something toward Nice Nature she’d never felt before, and it influenced her enormously—truly enormously.

"Then let’s do this. Let’s compete, Trainer. I’m going to run in some random street race around here. If I win, let me run against Nature."

"Absolutely not. I am not accepting that match."

"Wh—why not? Have you come to hate me?"

"I don’t hate you, but in some ways, our relationship has regressed to back when I didn’t understand you at all."

"No way… all I want is to race Nature…"

And so she started craving races with Nature as much as—or more than—her usual unauthorized self-training. From training junkie to Nature-race junkie. I knew she had a tendency to hyper-focus, but wow—once she fixates, she really stops seeing anything else.

Mock races with another team’s Uma Musume aren’t like training. They’ve got their own schedules, obligations, and agreements, so you can’t just do them whenever you feel like it. And with her this fired up, if Nature had an accident or became unable to run, Wilm’s motivation could crash and get stuck at the lowest possible level. Becoming this dependent on Nature is dangerous in all sorts of ways. So lately, I’ve been sighing to myself, wondering how to fix it.

And with this change, she’s also become a bit more talkative. She used to stick to minimal conversation… but now it’s enough that I genuinely wonder, “Did your personality change?” And 90% of her additional conversation is just demands for races with Nature.

"I don’t want you to hate me… but I do want to race Nature. What should I do?"

"You could try being patient."

"Impossible. I can’t suppress this urge to race Nature."

"Just suppress it by force."

"If I do that…"

"If you do?"

"I’ll do an absurd amount of self-training instead."

"That sounds like a threat."

…Also, it’s not quite full regression to childhood, but I can’t help thinking she’s mentally a little younger.

Hoshino Wilm had always had a certain “mature” quality. Even as a first-year middle schooler, she possessed remarkable self-discipline, and when you explained something logically, she understood—it was rare to see a child like that.

But now… well, hmm.

"Anyway, I really want to race Nature. Please!"

"No, you can’t race."

"I want to."

"No."

"I really want to!"

"No!"

She’s really turned into a spoiled kid, hasn’t she?

Whether this counts as regression or just a temporary impulse is hard to say. Maybe I should ask my older brother, who knows a lot about Uma Musume psychology… I’ll have to bring him some sweets—or rather, Hoshino Wilm’s data—next time I go home. Then I can discuss the childish traits that have started appearing in her.

"…Hm, no, maybe that’s wrong?"

"About tomorrow’s joint training? Should we stick to pairing up?"

Maybe it’s not that she’s become immature. Perhaps the “mature” qualities she originally had—her mental fortitude—were actually somewhat distorted.

Clearly, there’s some flaw in her mind. Something that undermines her mental well-being.

And if she forced herself to appear mature to cope with real-world issues… then maybe this clingy, middle-school-girl behavior is actually the way she’s supposed to be.

…Then again, ordinary middle-schoolers don’t train all day, and they complain when something’s hard. The fact that Wilm calmly endured everything was probably abnormal in the first place. Being extraordinary isn’t a requirement, but abnormal growth can sometimes bring dangerous consequences. If it’s unnecessary for her healthy development, then it’s just a defect to eliminate.

Thinking that way, maybe she should lean on me and other adults more. And I need to play the part of a dependable adult she can rely on.

"…Alright. Once the Yayoi Sho is over, I’ll gather some top-class Classic-level Uma Musume and hold a mock race."

"Will Nature participate?"

"I don’t know… but if you tell her, she might. She’s your friend, right?"

"That’s reasonable. I’ll go tell her."

"No, it’s almost training time. Let’s get to the dirt dashes. Let’s go."

"Got it. I’ll tell Nature after training."

…Well, anyway.

I’m a little worried seeing her this fired up, but for now, I’m glad she’s back to her normal self. The few days before the mock race were terrible. She wouldn’t notice me talking to her, wouldn’t focus on training, and at worst, she didn’t even train on her own—just lay in her bed. Hoshino Wilm had never been in such terrible condition before.

I don’t know what made her fall that far.

Even now, whether she’s depressed or overexcited as a reaction, I’m not foolish enough to ask her why.

…But I’m an idiot. I have to ask to understand.

Seeing her with Nature, I think she can probably assess an Uma Musume’s strength just by looking at them. That’s why she was shocked by Teio. But if all she thought was “she’s strong,” she should’ve been happy like she was with Nature.

Whether Hoshino Wilm has reconciled internally or is forcing herself to push through… I don’t know. I can guess her emotions, but I can’t truly know them. That’s why the first step is to address the root cause.

This time, it’s undeniably the presence of Tokai Teio that caused it. The moment she saw—or rather, recognized—Teio, Hoshino Wilm fell into a slump.

It’s very similar to what happened when she first met Nature. With Nature, she got excited, tried to make friends, and suggested joint training to me. With Teio, she was stunned, distressed, and became so unwell she couldn’t even get out of bed.

Nature and Teio—what determined the positive versus negative reaction inside Hoshino Wilm, I don’t know. But one thing is certain: Hoshino Wilm reacts strongly—positively or negatively—to some Uma Musume.

If her motivation keeps fluctuating like that, it’ll mess up her rotation.

So two days ago, I decided to fix it. Specifically, I shared information about the top-ranking Uma Musume currently at Tracen with her.

…Well, it’s not so much about “strength” as it is an introduction to named Uma Musume.

I mentioned a few mob-level Uma Musume whose names hadn’t appeared in the app, but she didn’t react to any of them. Judging from the situation, it seems she only reacts to named ones. Of course, even if she knows them, she might react again when she actually meets them… still, it’s far better than doing nothing at all.

Now, about the named ones…

Excluding Hoshino Wilm, there are eighteen active Uma Musume registered in the Twinkle Series that I can confirm.

First, among the G1 Uma Musume, the only senior equivalent—fourth-year—is Silence Suzuka. However, she’s currently on break from Twinkle Series races and competing overseas. Most likely, she’ll go straight into the Dream Trophy League. I just listed her for reference. Hoshino Wilm twitched slightly at the mention—she probably knew of Suzuka, given how loudly she was hailed as a successor.

Next, in the third year of the senior class, there are three active ones: Special Week, Happy Meek, and… Seiun Sky.

Ah, Sky… she existed, huh. She was my beloved from my previous life—a strategic gray escape-runner who would suddenly burst forward on the final corner. She had apparently debuted long before the year I became her trainer.

Embarrassingly, I only noticed her existence after Hoshino Wilm’s selection race ended and life settled down. During the first couple of years before getting my license… I had focused too much on self-improvement and drifted away from central races. Missing Sky’s Kikuka Sho like that is one of the major blunders of this life—truly facepalm-worthy.

Back on topic: of the three—Special Week, Sky, and Meek—except for Meek, the other two had essentially semi-transferred. Special Week hadn’t officially raced since her first senior-year Arima Kinen. Meek, on the other hand, ran about five or six races per year, mostly graded, with stable results. Her win-place rate after her second senior year exceeded 90%.

…Man, the Kiryuin Trainer in this world is insane. Only in his fifth year and already allowed to run a team, producing G1-level Uma Musume one after another with flawless training, all with steel determination. I can’t believe he’s the same person who got smashed at the year-end party and sang the Umabyo-i Legend with full gusto.

Skipping the second-year seniors, since there don’t seem to be any named ones there.

Among first-year seniors, the standout is last year’s Kikuka Sho winner, Mejiro McQueen. Unlike the others, she’s clearly active. Everyone knows she’s a classic stayer. She sometimes appears at baseball games or struggles with weight management, but overall, she’s an excellent Mejiro Uma Musume. Now that she’s a senior, her goal is the Tenno Sho. She’s slated to run the G2 Hanshin Daishoten next month. Hoshino Wilm will likely compete with her soon—probably around this year’s Takarazuka Kinen.

McQueen is the main focus, but there are five other first-year seniors: Mejiro Ryan, Mejiro Palmer, Daitaku Helios, Ikuno Dictus, and Aines Fujin. Quite a stacked group—three Mejiros in one batch. Since only McQueen and Ryan were available as trained Uma Musume when I played before, I’m not too familiar with the others’ styles or skills. I’ll have to be careful in mixed-class races; Ryan is formidable.

For the Classic class—the same-year rivals of Hoshino Wilm—there’s Tokai Teio, Nice Nature, and the late-blooming, still-undebuted Twin Turbo. Wilm already knew Teio and Nature, but the instant I mentioned Twin Turbo, she fell off her chair. I wonder what that emotion was.

Finally, the juniors—also stacked. All are still debuting: Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower, Machikane Tanhoiser, Sakura Bakushin O, and Nishino Flower. Impressive. Bakushin O, a short-distance champion; Bourbon and Rice, neck-and-neck in the Kikuka Sho. Flower wasn’t implemented as a trained Uma Musume, but I don’t think she was a Urara-tier competitor. I believe she was a rival to Bakushin O in the mile races.

…It’s frustrating that I barely grasped the generational concepts in my previous life. I’m not sure if the generations here match those from before. Still, the “five golden generation”—Teio, Nature, Bourbon, Rice—were likely the same group, so the big picture is probably correct… I think.

Now, how did Hoshino Wilm react to these names?

For Suzuka, Special Week, Meek, McQueen, Teio, and Nature, she already seemed aware—slight twitches, but nothing major. Sky, Ikuno, Machitan, Bourbon, and Rice made her ears and tail perk up. No change in her face, but those movements were blatant—definite reactions. Good call mentioning them.

On the other hand, Bakushin O, Flower, Ryan, Palmer, Helios, and Aines Fujin—no reaction at all. …By the way, how do you even shorten Aines Fujin? I never interacted with her support cards. Aines? Fujin? Fujin sounds cool—strong.

Finally, Twin Turbo—just saying the name made her fall off her chair.

…………

What is she basing her reactions on?

Hmm… for Hoshino Wilm, maybe she senses something fateful just from the names or descriptions. But if strength were the basis, she would react to Bakushin O, the short-distance powerhouse. Conversely, Twin Turbo and Machitan reacted, but they weren’t overwhelmingly strong by record alone.

Could it be running style? No, Rice isn’t a front-runner, so she’s not just reacting to escape types. Machitan and Flower weren’t implemented yet, so I can’t say. Even considering overall versatility, it doesn’t completely add up… Maybe it’s G1 or graded wins in history, or pedigree? Trouble is, I don’t know most of those details.

No, I really don’t get it.

What criteria determine her reactions? What separates positive and negative responses?

…Yeah, I might have to examine this from a different angle.

As I was thinking about all this, Hoshino Wilm called out to me.

"Trainer, aren’t you going?"

"…Ah, sorry. Let’s go."

Crap, I must’ve been lost in thought for a while. Dirt track, dirt track. Since we’ve borrowed the grounds, I need to make good use of them.

How do you define “can run on turf” or “can run on dirt”? That standard really varies between trainers.

Some trainers consider only the surface where the Uma Musume can perform at her best. Others say she can run on both if she’s not completely hopeless on one of them.

…In the first case, an Uma Musume with turf C and dirt D might not run well on turf at all. In the second, turf A and dirt C might mean she’s decent on turf but can’t really handle dirt.

You just can’t capture an Uma Musume’s running ability with words. In the end, you only truly know how much she can run by seeing it with your own eyes… at least for trainers other than me.

Even so, if I were to evaluate Hoshino Wilm deliberately, I’d say: “Can run on turf. Cannot run on dirt.” Her dirt aptitude is C—good enough to hold her own—but if I told her she could run dirt too, she would eagerly dive into dirt races. That could create risks, no matter how high her stats are. Just like in the first mock race. As her trainer, that’s something I absolutely must avoid.

…Besides, there’s no need to put her on dirt. She can fight on turf. Her turf aptitude is S—an impossible level, a realm beyond pure talent.

"If I win a dirt open race, could we do a mock race with Nature?"

"Do you think I would say yes?"

"I believe miracles aren’t things that happen—they’re things you make happen."

"Miracles only happen rarely, which is why they’re called miracles. Since we’re going to hold a mock race anyway, wait another week or two. Now, training begins."

"Understood. Starting dirt run."

…So why was I thinking all this while joking with Hoshino Wilm?

It’s because I want to clarify, once and for all:

Who—or what—is Hoshino Wilm?

I think I’ve gathered enough material over this past year. All that remains is to assemble it in my mind.

First, she is undeniably some kind of exceptional being. She has broad aptitude, even if she isn’t great on dirt, and she has S-level stats. She acquired high stats and condition from the beginning. I’ve scouted the named junior-class Uma Musume this year, and nothing this unusual occurred. She is a named Uma Musume, and on top of that, she surpasses even other named ones in some unique way.

Second, she reacts strongly to named Uma Musume. The biggest reactions were Teio, Nature, and Twin Turbo—same-generation peers. Suzuka, Special Week, Sky, Bourbon, and Rice also drew comparatively strong responses.

Third, she’s unlike other Uma Musume. When I first took charge, she had striking gaps in knowledge. Likely, this stemmed from her lack of enthusiasm for racing itself. She didn’t enjoy races… perhaps that changed a little after the recent mock race. I confirmed with my brother, and yes, this state is abnormal for an Uma Musume—actually, “abnormal” isn’t quite right. She’s in a heretical state.

Excessive power. Reactions to named ones. Heretical nature as an Uma Musume.

From all this, the conclusion is… yes.

Hoshino Wilm is, like me, a reincarnated person.

…Well, putting aside such laughable delusions.

I did consider the possibility that she’s a reincarnated person for a while, but it’s probably impossible. First, even though she reacts to named ones, she didn’t react to Bakushin O—someone any former trainer who played the app would know from the start. Based on the traces of childishness that have recently appeared in her, it’s much more likely that something in her growth process influenced this state.

…Honestly.

I can’t deny feeling a little lonely thinking she might be the only other reincarnated person in this world. But that’s probably just my own imagination building fantasies.

Even if someone claims to have memories of a previous life… well, who could believe that? I’ve told my father and brother, and both treated it as either a mental issue or a joke.

The only one who believed me… well, maybe “believed” isn’t even the right word—was my little sister.

“…Well, there’s no reason for you to lie, so at least I’ll trust you.”

Whether I should see that as mercy or pity is… a tricky question.

My sister’s words made me happy, but from the perspective of most people, it was probably my father and brother who were “reasonable.”

Anyone claiming to have memories of a previous life is suspicious. People who can believe in something they themselves don’t possess are extremely rare.

And… that’s exactly why.

As her trainer, I can’t just ask Hoshino Wilm, “Do you have memories of a past life?”

If she weren’t a reincarnated person, she’d likely ask back, tinged with worry or suspicion, “Why do you think that?”

And I couldn’t give her a rational answer. If I said, “Because I am,” she’d probably think I was crazy or trying to recruit her into some cult, and it could ruin our relationship.

…Well, we’ve been together for over a year now. I think I’ve built enough trust that a few strange comments won’t break it.

But there’s no need to take that risk in the first place. My priority should be my relationship with Hoshino Wilm, not my own loneliness. I’m her trainer. I’m part of the Horino family team.

Now, assuming the reincarnation theory is impossible, then what is Hoshino Wilm?

I have one fairly strong hypothesis.

That is: Hoshino Wilm might be a rival Uma Musume.

Like Teio in the early stages of Nature’s scenario, or Mihono Bourbon in the middle of Rice’s chapter in the main story—rival Uma Musume prepared as “loss events,” overwhelmingly strong opponents.

I think Hoshino Wilm might be that for someone.

Of course, I can’t narrow down who that someone might be.

Teio, in reality, had won her two crowns easily, and in Nature’s scenario, I don’t remember her facing a stronger opponent than Teio. That means Hoshino Wilm could be a rival to a completely different Uma Musume, one that isn’t named.

…Still, she’s just too strong for that.

Considering her abilities, she has the presence of a formidable rival who could stand in the way of an otherwise unbeatable Teio.

So there are two possibilities.

Either the generations in this world differ from the app’s previous life, or she’s a completely original Uma Musume, like Meike in the app. This is, after all, a game world. Just because I don’t know, it’s entirely possible that Hoshino Wilm was added to the app after my time. After that, inflation could have brought outrageously strong original rival Uma Musume. It’s not something I can outright deny.

If I assume Hoshino Wilm is a rival Uma Musume, a lot starts to make sense.

Her high abilities? That’s because she’s the “boss” of a loss event. Her reactions to named Uma Musume… could it be that she’s meant to react strongly to those who would be her rivals? That might be a stretch, though. And her not acting like a normal Uma Musume is simply a character choice. Rivals look better with strong personalities.

Hmm… among the possibilities I can think of right now, this seems the most on target. For the time being, I’ll operate on the premise that Hoshino Wilm is a rival Uma Musume for someone.

"Trainer, excuse me. May I have a moment?"

"Hm? What is it?"

Looking up from my binder, I saw Hoshino Wilm standing right in front of me.

There’s still plenty of time. She isn’t the type of Uma Musume to get bored of training and start small talk… or so I thought.

"I forgot to mention this earlier. You’ll probably forget again after training, exhausted, so I want to say it now. …If it’s alright with you, could you meet my parents before I run in the Satsuki Sho?"

"…Your parents, you say?"

"Yes."

She nodded once, speaking in her usual expressionless tone.

"They have already passed away. I want to report at their graves that I can safely challenge the Triple Crown. Running in the classic races was my late mother’s dream, one she couldn’t fulfill."