Chapter 171: Favorite Trainer Announcement: Wilm

Two days after the Prix Foy.

We celebrated the victory by going out to eat at a delicious restaurant. It was incredibly fancy, and the flavors were completely different from anything in Japan. After that, since we also needed to shake off the fatigue, Ayumu-san and I went on a date somewhere a little outside Paris—going around the city itself would have drawn too much attention. The scenery was completely different from Japan, which made everything feel fresh and exciting.

Several peaceful, happy days passed like that, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And then the day came when it was time to start running again.

"Well then… let’s begin our strategy meeting for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe."

"Yay!"

Clap, clap, clap. I greeted the announcement with a round of applause.

In our camp, the general plan is usually announced right after the previous race ends. Then, about a month before the next race, we hold a detailed strategy meeting.

Since there is exactly one month between the Prix Foy and the Arc, the strategy meeting begins immediately today.

"…That said, you could argue we don’t really need a strategy meeting at this point."

In truth, the recent Prix Foy proved that my running can compete just fine in the West.

Well—"proved" might not be quite right. The reality is that we spent two months gradually getting me used to things here.

My reincarnation cheat, Anime Reincarnation, may be subtle, but it’s actually quite versatile. It’s especially well suited for adapting to things like track conditions and environments.

When I’m running, my thinking ability spikes dramatically. Because of that, I can take into account things like how my feet contact the ground, how soft the turf is, and various other conditions—then optimize my running with every single step.

If I had to explain it for people who don’t have a thought-acceleration cheat… let’s see.

It’s kind of like playing a competitive action game. If you play without thinking, you don’t improve very much. But if you consciously think about things—like how to break line-of-sight, control your character more precisely, or maintain awareness of positioning—you improve much faster, right?

It’s probably a similar principle. When I use my cheat, the speed at which my aptitudes improve increases dramatically.

During casual conversation at dinner the other day, Ayumu-san even speculated, "Maybe that’s why your aptitude was so high from the start."

Apparently, when I first enrolled, my aptitudes were already extremely high—especially for wild turf, front-running, and long distances. They were so high they were practically unheard of by normal standards.

His theory was that it came from two things: the slight passive boost in thinking ability from Anime Reincarnation, and the countless hours I spent running on my own before I ever had a trainer—even if that training wasn’t particularly efficient.

It made sense. The logic checked out.

Considering how my hearing becomes abnormally sharp while running—or more accurately, how my information-processing ability improves—it seems Anime Reincarnation has a small effect even when it isn’t fully activated.

That would explain why my stats and aptitudes were high from the very beginning.

When I joked that maybe I could win a G1 in dirt or sprint races too if I started special training now, Ayumu-san started agonizing.

"No, that’s… hmm… but then again…"

He looked torn between the absurdity of my cheat and the common sense built up by racing history. Honestly, I felt a little bad.

…Anyway, I got sidetracked.

Back to the topic of turf aptitude.

According to Ayumu-san, my aptitude for European turf has risen—at a speed that "no one else could possibly replicate even if heaven and earth flipped upside down"—to an estimated B.

More precisely, he thinks B- is probably the fairest evaluation.

Most girls competing at the front lines of G1 racing typically have A aptitude as a given.

So for fighting at the absolute top level, B is a little lacking.

But considering that El Condor Pasa-chan, when she challenged the Arc three years ago, reportedly only had C aptitude for European turf… apparently my current value is already considered quite high.

Honestly, I can’t tell whether I should be proud of my cheat—or just marvel at how amazing El-chan was for nearly conquering the world with that level of aptitude.

Anyway.

Despite having only B aptitude, I crushed the Prix Foy.

I beat the runner-up, Witch Evening-chan, by a huge margin—thirteen lengths—and even set a new race record.

And to be honest, I still had plenty of stamina left. I’m pretty sure I could’ve kept the same pace for another two hundred meters.

If I do say so myself, using multiple Domains at the same time is incredible.

Given all that, it honestly makes me wonder whether we even need some special strategy for the Arc.

If Witch Evening-chan is supposedly one of Europe’s top racers… doesn’t that mean I can’t lose to anyone?

It’s basically the classic overpowered reincarnation protagonist scenario.

My running is weird? That just means I’m ridiculously fast, right?

…Well.

To be honest, I was getting a bit carried away for someone my age.

But Ayumu-san’s next words completely shattered my inflated ego.

"No. To be honest, I think our current win probability for the Arc is about fifty percent."

Hearing that, I nearly spat out the green tea I was drinking. I saw the documents on the table at the last second and tried to swallow instead—only to gulp it down the wrong way.

"Bwah—what—ah—my nose! The tea went up my nose!"

"Yeah, that stings… sorry, I startled you."

As he spoke, Ayumu-san placed the tablet he had been holding on top of the documents.

Displayed on the screen was—

Ah. Understandible-chan.

The up-and-coming European Uma Musume who apparently admires me.

After coughing a few times—cough, cough—I wiped the tears from my eyes and asked,

"Well, sure, I thought she looked pretty strong… but is she really that big a threat? According to my intuition sensor, Witch Evening-chan seemed more dangerous."

"When are you talking about?"

"Huh? When I met her… shortly after arriving here. About two months ago?"

"Yeah, I would’ve agreed back then. Two months ago, Understandible ranked below Witch Evening in threat level."

"Right… huh? Two months ago?"

I mean, Uma Musume don’t change that quickly.

I’m not fond of this comparison, but it’s like cramming the night before a test—you don’t gain real ability that way.

What matters is consistent daily effort.

Uma Musume train every day, steadily refining their running technique and growing stronger little by little.

Just like real athletes, there are no shortcuts.

That’s why, in just two months, the best she could probably do would be catch up to Witch Evening-chan.

Closing the massive gap between her and me? Honestly, that sounds impossible.

…Though I guess it sounds less convincing coming from someone like me, who used a reincarnation cheat to massively improve my aptitude and even achieved simultaneous Domain activation within two months.

…Wait.

Could that mean Understandible-chan is also a reincarnated cheat-type Uma Musume like me?

If she had some kind of growth-type cheat, catching up wouldn’t be strange at all…

Tilting my head in confusion, I watched as Ayumu-san operated the tablet and showed me race footage.

"This is the race she ran a month ago—her third Oaks, the Yorkshire Oaks."

"Oh yeah… come to think of it, I haven’t heard anything about her recent races."

Every morning at breakfast, Ayumu-san gives me updates about the European racing scene like it’s the news.

But now that I think about it, I don’t remember hearing much about Understandible-chan at all.

…Wait. Did he hide it on purpose?

When I get absorbed in something, I tend to lose focus on everything else.

Maybe he cut out unrelated topics so I could concentrate on the Prix Foy.

Over here, I can’t read magazines or hear rumors directly from people.

Ayumu-san is basically my main source of information. If he keeps quiet, I won’t hear anything.

…Actually, wait.

Teio and Nature—who I talk to almost every day in our LINE group chat—never mentioned her either.

Did someone issue a gag order or something? Is this trainer seriously running a full information blackout?

…Well, whatever.

Let’s just watch the race.

If Ayumu-san is this serious about it, it must be something incredible.

"The Yorkshire Oaks is run at York Racecourse in England over eleven furlongs and 188 yards.

Converted to meters, that’s roughly 2,370 meters—close enough to 2,400. In other words, the same distance as the Prix Foy and the Arc.

The course itself is flat with a long straight—basically a track where differences in ability show clearly."

"From what you’re saying… it sounds kind of like the Japanese Derby?"

"Pretty close. Of course, the turf and race dynamics differ.

In Japan, the English Oaks and Irish Oaks are sometimes collectively called the ‘Anglo-Irish Oaks Triple Crown’ or the ‘Anglo-Irish Tiara.’

It seems Understandible entered this race partly out of rivalry toward your undefeated Triple Crown."

While the horses were being loaded into the gates, Ayumu-san gave his explanation.

As I listened, I watched the Uma Musume in the gates.

Understandible-chan stood in Gate 3 of Stall 2, staring at the turf with blazing eyes.

Wow. She’s seriously fired up.

…Actually, that look—like she’s baring her fighting spirit at the race right in front of her—feels strangely familiar.

Specifically, from replays of my own races.

"Do you think she’s imitating me? Or is that just natural?"

When I muttered that, Ayumu-san stroked his chin.

"Just a tentative theory, but I think it’s natural.

And while it resembles yours, it’s also completely different."

He understood my vague question perfectly. After all, we’ve known each other for years—we can read each other’s thoughts to some extent.

…But ironically, I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant. Frustrating.

"What do you mean?"

"You burn with fighting spirit because you love running and racing itself.

But judging from her interviews and statements… she seems to be fired up less by racing and more by the difficulty of the obstacle in front of her."

"I see."

Yeah… that is a little different.

What I enjoy is the race itself. Whether I’m chasing someone or being chased doesn’t really matter.

Even competing from a slightly advantageous position is still fun.

What matters is having someone near my level around me. Whether they’re above or below me doesn’t matter—as long as they shine with potential.

But if Ayumu-san is right, Understandible-chan probably wouldn’t enjoy being ahead.

What excites her is challenging difficulty.

Right now, that means overcoming the towering wall that is me.

If she’s already beaten someone—or believes she can beat them easily—they probably don’t interest her much.

A runaway locomotive charging straight toward the target she’s chosen.

…In other words, she’s the same type as Rice-chan—the most frightening type for strong racers like us.

Though in Rice’s case, it’s less about a wall and more about battling her own ideals.

Anyway.

When the race started, Understandible-chan took second position, just like Rice.

A forward stalking position that carefully maintained distance from the front-runner.

"As expected, she’s running near the front."

"Understandible is a very orthodox stalking-type racer.

That said, she’s apparently quite adaptable too. Her running style was similar to Teio… at least until a few months ago."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head at the confusing comment.

Did he mean she studied Teio’s running and tried to imitate it?

…No way.

We’re talking about that Teio.

Can someone really imitate her?

Her running is the definition of genius—almost like a prodigy blessed with pure instinct.

In chess or shogi terms, she’s the scariest type of opponent: someone who instantly identifies the best possible move available in the moment and takes it.

And "imitating her running style"…?

Honestly, it sounded like Ayumu-san might be mistaken.

…Or so I thought.

"…………Why did she suddenly raise the pace just now?"

"Maybe she sensed someone behind her about to pressure her, so she took the initiative to disrupt their rhythm."

"She’s two lengths ahead of them, though."

"Coming from someone who can perceive up to ten lengths away, that doesn’t mean much…"

"Oh, she sped up again. Isn’t it a bit early to start a spurt?"

"Coming from someone who can sustain a spurt for about a thousand meters, that doesn’t mean much either…

If she attacks from that position, the other Uma Musume will panic and chase. And since Understandible excels in stamina, she probably judged she could still hold on even if she faded a bit."

“…She finished the race without running out of stamina, though?”

“She used about five high-level stamina preservation skills—techniques. In other words, she brute-forced it.”

At this point, I wasn’t even sure if what I was seeing was real anymore.

That was, without question, the running of a true genius.

She instinctively judged what was correct, moved her body as if tracing an answer already written somewhere, and reproduced techniques she had only seen or heard about on the spot through pure improvisation.

To put it modestly, it was extremely close to Tokai Teio’s style.

…Seriously?

……………Seriously!?

"D-D-Does that mean there are two Tokai Teios in the world!?!?"

"Calm down. There’s only one Tokai Teio."

"R-Right! But then what is that movement!?"

"No, calm down and watch carefully."

Ayumu-san tapped the tablet and restarted the video from the beginning.

"See? Compared to Teio, this is still pretty mild. During the Tenno Sho, that girl was casually chaining over ten skills in a row. …When you think about it calmly, she’s an absolute monster."

"No, no, no! But this razor-sharp movement is exactly like Teio! It’s practically identical!"

"Well, there’s no doubt she’s imitating Teio."

She can imitate it!?

That can actually be imitated!?

Honestly, I had always thought Teio’s style was something like a unique personal trait—almost a special skill that only she could use.

The idea that someone could copy it—even imperfectly—was shocking.

The world… the world really is huge!

"You could do something like that too when your thought acceleration is active," Ayumu-san said.

"That’s different! That’s when I’m using my cheat—well, a slightly strong technique!

She’s doing this normally!

Maybe it doesn’t fully click for you since you’re not the one actually running, but this is seriously incredible!?"

Ayumu-san made a strange face, but no—this really was amazing.

She was doing things that normally require my reincarnation cheat—naturally.

What’s going on inside that girl’s head!?

Well… if we’re asking that question, we might as well ask what’s going on inside Teio’s head too.

"Understandible-chan is amazing…! I guess if you search hard enough, there really are other geniuses out there!"

"…Well, if we’re talking about the very pinnacle of that category, I’d say you’re standing right at the front of it," Ayumu-san replied.

---

Since my excitement wouldn’t settle down, I spent about two minutes waving my arms around energetically.

Once I finally calmed down, I realized I had just shown an embarrassingly childish side of myself in front of the person I liked. I cleared my throat awkwardly to cover it up.

"Well, yes. I understand what you’re trying to say, Trainer.

Not a copy ninja, but a copy Uma Musume. Understandible really could become a threat to me."

She already possessed outstanding natural physical abilities—especially stamina—and on top of that, she could steal other racers’ techniques simply by watching them.

That alone was terrifying enough.

And the style she copied happened to belong to someone on my level: Tokai Teio.

Teio’s running balances stability and explosive potential.

Because she can intuitively select the optimal strategy, her thinking never wavers. And by improvising techniques mid-race, she can even overcome differences in physical specs.

Just that alone makes an Uma Musume unbelievably dangerous.

To be honest, the Prix Foy had been such an overwhelming victory that it felt a little anticlimactic…

But now things were getting interesting.

At least, that’s what I was thinking.

Until—

"Wilm. Did you forget?

That footage we just watched was from a month ago."

I blinked in surprise.

"…You’re serious?"

"Completely serious."

The trainer slid the screen, and the tablet switched to a different video.

Another race.

"The English Oaks, the Irish Oaks, and the Yorkshire Oaks. Understandible won all of them undefeated.

After that, she declared, ‘Now that I’ve matched the undefeated Triple Crown, next I’ll surpass it.’

The race she entered next was a G1 held last week at Doncaster Racecourse in England—the St. Leger Stakes.

A 3,000-meter race on European turf that measures long-distance aptitude.

And Understandible won it… by eight lengths."

Whoa… that’s impressive.

European turf requires more power and stamina than Japanese wild turf.

If I had to guess, running 3,000 meters on European turf probably consumes stamina similar to 3,400 or even 3,600 meters on Japanese turf.

Japan doesn’t even have a G1 race at that kind of distance, so I’ve never run anything like it.

"If she won by that much at that distance, she must have incredible stamina. You said she’s a stayer—so is she like Rice-chan?"

"…Well, just keep watching."

Tilting my head at the suggestive reply, I looked back down at the tablet screen.

Just like the previous race, she started in a forward stalking position.

Understandible-chan ran smoothly, possibly using stamina preservation techniques again, while following the pace set by the front-runner.

But at least through the middle stages of the race, nothing looked particularly different from the previous one.

"…I mean, nothing strange is happening, right? It’s a clean stalking run, but there’s nothing especially unusual."

"Well, yes. For now."

"I see… so something happens in the final stretch? Ah—I get it. She probably activates some amazing Domain or something, right?"

I quickly caught on and nodded in understanding.

When it comes to an Uma Musume’s trump card, it’s usually a Domain.

The Domain she copied from Teio turned into a monster after it evolved, and Witch-chan’s Domain the other day was incredibly unique too.

So I figured Anne-chan’s Domain would also be extremely powerful.

…At least, that’s what I thought.

But if I’m being honest, my expectations were far too naive.

The race entered its final stretch.

In the footage, Anne-chan—

—suddenly pitched her body far forward and began her sprint in an extreme forward-leaning posture.

"…Huh?"

I was left speechless.

Impossible.

No—there’s no way that should be possible.

Because that’s… that’s my—

My Heavenly Star Sprint… a copy of it!?

"Ah, uh—wh—w-w-whaaat!?"

"You’re more shaken than I expected."

Of course I am!

I’m using a cheat here—a cheat!

And even with that, the Heavenly Star Sprint is barely achievable!

And she’s… she’s using it in a completely natural state!?

…To be precise, the “super forward-leaning sprint” itself is technically possible as long as someone has enough flexibility. You don’t absolutely need massively boosted cognitive processing to do it.

In fact, I accidentally pulled it off in the Japanese Derby and barely managed to edge out Teio.

But that unreasonable posture eliminates almost all air resistance at the cost of putting extreme strain on the ankles.

Maintaining that stance while also reaching top speed is incredibly difficult. Instead of conserving stamina, it usually ends up wasting even more energy.

But—

"She’s… she’s doing it…!

Not as perfectly as I can, and honestly there’s too much wasted motion for me to acknowledge it as a proper Heavenly Star Sprint. If anything, it’s closer to a Stardust Sprint at best. Calling that Heavenly Star Sprint is practically slandering the brand.

But even so… she’s almost completely neutralized the ankle damage!?"

As mentioned earlier, the super forward-leaning sprint eliminates wind resistance but drastically increases the difficulty of controlling the body and multiplies the strain on the legs.

Heavenly Star Sprint works by brute-forcing through that problem with extremely precise terrain adaptation and delicate body control.

If I had to compare it…

In Armored Core terms, it’s like temporarily becoming a modified human.

By using processing power that far exceeds normal human thinking, every wasted motion in the body is eliminated and optimized.

That’s the true essence of this sprint.

And yet…

In the race footage before me, Understandible is pulling it off.

She’s not doing it with the same precision as me, so her thinking ability probably isn’t on the absurd level of my “Anime Reincarnation.”

But even so, the fact that she can do this at all is abnormal.

Teio’s version barely made sense to me, but this one… this one is practically beyond what either humans or Uma Musume should be capable of.

Anne-chan’s form still has a bit of roughness to it.

But even with some awkwardness, she’s completely eliminated the strain on her legs and is producing enough speed to qualify as a true finishing sprint.

European turf. Three thousand meters.

She ran that extremely stamina-draining distance at more than sufficient speed.

That sprint must be the reason why.

"Pl—!"

"Pah?"

"She copied it!! That’s cheating!! That’s patent infringement!!!"

"Calm down. You never filed a patent."

That’s the part you focus on!?

"Ughhh! I know, okay!? I know!

Racing is basically a giant universe festival of copying and being copied, and pulling every trick in the book!

But still—! My Heavenly Star Sprint! My one and only Heavenly Star Sprint!"

"There, there. I don’t fully understand what you’re saying, but I do understand that you’re frustrated."

I flail and complain while buried against Ayumu-san’s chest. I’m not actually crying, though.

Honestly, I might be exaggerating my emotions a bit.

But the frustration is real.

To me, the Heavenly Star Sprint is the running style I discovered during the Takarazuka Kinen.

A run that belongs only to me.

Something no one else could imitate. Something no one else could reach.

A shining star that’s both one-of-a-kind and number one.

That’s why it’s called the Heavenly Star Sprint.

That’s why it’s the fastest.

And yet—even if imperfect—she copied it.

At this point, it’s basically the same as having my running style defeated.

Frustrating.

So frustrating. So frustrating. So frustrating!!

"Identity theft! NTR! Weapon confiscation! Grand larceny!"

Gyaaaah! This is so frustrating—!!

---

After wrinkling Ayumu-san’s suit for more than ten minutes, I finally calm down a little and slump my shoulders.

"…Sorry. I lost my composure."

"That was certainly a unique way of losing composure. But don’t worry about the suit.

More importantly, let’s get back to talking about Understandible."

"Okay…"

Feeling properly ashamed, I sit back down in my chair.

Suits are pretty expensive after all. My sense of money is still very much that of a regular person, so I always worry that I might have ruined it.

…Though honestly, this isn’t even the first one anymore.

Still, Understandible… I can’t believe she managed to copy even my Heavenly Star Sprint…

"Do you think she’s… a genius? Like Teio?"

"To be precise, she’s not the same type as Tokai Teio—the kind who can endlessly refine her own running style by herself.

Understandible is probably the type of genius whose growth speed increases exponentially depending on the difficulty of the obstacle in front of her."

"I see…?"

Well, Uma Musume all have a bit of that trait.

They sense rivals competing alongside them, seniors running ahead, or juniors chasing from behind—and that’s what drives them to run faster.

But if Ayumu-san says so, then her trait must be especially strong.

"Honestly, Understandible’s growth rate has tripled since you came to Europe."

"That’s terrifying."

Triple. Triple.

That’s not just a steep growth curve—that’s insane.

"…Ah, so basically—

Because an absurdly tall wall named me appeared, Understandible is growing at explosive speed?"

"That’s right. And we still haven’t seen her growth cap.

Tokai Teio’s improvised running style, and your Heavenly Star Sprint. Even if they’re imperfect imitations, Understandible has shown extraordinary talent by managing to acquire them at all.

And on top of that, she’s basically telling you, ‘Look—I can do this too.’

…Well, Wilm. Doesn’t that sound exciting?"

Ayumu-san grins at me.

I grin right back and clench my fist.

"Of course it’s exciting!!

One more month! Just one more month—how far will Understandible grow by then!?

Maybe she’ll push me into a corner… maybe she’ll even reach the point of surpassing me!?

Honestly, after crushing the Prix Foy so hard my motivation for the Arc was dropping—but now it’s skyrocketing!"

"I figured you’d react like that, which is why I didn’t tell you until now. Come on, let’s work hard in this afternoon’s training."

"Waaah, Ayumu-san, you understand me way too well! I love you, love you, super love you—!!"