Chapter 186: So these legs… are for your sake.

As the days in Japan passed, the day of the Kikuka Sho was finally drawing near.

Less than a week remained.

In that time, I had to finish polishing my trainee, Mihono Bourbon, to perfection.

…But.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t feel even the slightest anxiety about that.

Last year, when Wilm targeted this race, I had already prepared for it thoroughly. Because of that, this felt more like a confirmation process—at most, a review.

The Kikuka Sho. A 3000-meter race held at Kyoto Racecourse.

For a front-running Uma Musume, it can only be described as extremely unfavorable.

To begin with, the very running style of “front-running” becomes harsher the longer the distance becomes.

Because they burn stamina early to secure speed in the opening stages, most front-runners—aside from rare exceptions like Wilm or Suzuka—no longer have the stamina to launch a final sprint alongside the other Uma Musume in the closing stretch. They have to rely on the pace they built in the first half and simply try to hold on.

On top of that, by the final stage, it’s not just the legs that stop responding—the mind slows as well.

Not only does it become difficult to compete against sharp finishing kicks, it also becomes harder to manage stamina or even keep track of the positions of the runners around them.

Add to that the pressure of being the target everyone is chasing—the constant eyes on your back, the creeping pursuit from behind—and maintaining the ideal race plan becomes even harder.

The longer the race, the longer those brutal conditions persist.

And then there’s another major disadvantage standing in their way.

The famous Yodo Hill at Kyoto Racecourse. A slope with a four-meter elevation difference—the largest height difference in any domestic G1 race.

Every Uma Musume is forced to slow down before this cliff-like incline.

…And during the 3000-meter race, they pass it twice.

The first time comes right after the start and continues for more than 300 meters. It places a heavy burden on the acceleration front-runners need to secure the lead.

The second time appears on the backstretch as the race approaches its final phase, draining the last of a front-runner’s stamina and slowing them so severely that they may never fully recover their speed.

And after overcoming all of that, waiting ahead is a final straight of 400 meters—far from short.

In a long-distance race that many front-runners already struggle with, after being forced to expend nearly all their stamina climbing Yodo Hill twice, they must endure the charge of the pack from behind for another 400 meters.

Because of these combined factors, winning the Kikuka Sho with a front-running style is considered extremely difficult.

In the long history of the Twinkle Series, only five Uma Musume have ever achieved it.

Of course, that number includes Sky four years ago and Wilm last year. Without them, it would only be three.

For a front-running Uma Musume pursuing the Classic Triple Crown, this is the final—and greatest—barrier.

After overcoming the first two battles, only one runner in history has ever cleared that impossibly high gate—

the shining first star who ascended to the heavens and became a dragon.

That… is the race known as the Kikuka Sho.

And yet, in the face of such a race—

this trainer named Ayumu Horino was sending a front-running Uma Musume into it for two consecutive years.

If my childhood self had seen this, he probably would’ve thought, That’s impossible, right?

Well… if my younger self saw my current situation at all, Hoshino Wilm’s Triple Crown would’ve blown his mind so badly he’d probably lose the ability to think straight.

…Wait. If that happened, someone other than me would’ve ended up training Wilm.

Ugh. Just imagining that makes me feel sick. Forget I said that.

Anyway, back to the point—the Kikuka Sho is brutal.

But right now, I don’t think it’s some impossible dream.

No—more than that.

With her, I truly believe victory is inevitable.

The biggest reason for that belief is the overwhelming talent possessed by the Uma Musume called Mihono Bourbon.

When I turn my eyes to Bourbon running right in front of me, the mysterious ability that came with my reincarnation—something like an “App Reincarnation”—projects her status.

Mihono Bourbon

Speed: C+ 539
Stamina: C 406
Power: C+ 560
Guts: C+ 598
Intelligence: C 485

…Yeah. She’s strong.

Actually, scratch that—she’s ridiculously strong. What are these stats?

To put it into perspective—

Even G1-class Uma Musume competing at the highest domestic level usually average somewhere between 250 and 350 in their stats.

Machikane Tannhauser—currently probably the third strongest behind Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower—even she doesn’t reach an average of 400, despite being a named character in the game from my previous life.

Meanwhile, Mihono Bourbon averages around 518.

There’s some concern about stamina for a race like the Kikuka Sho, but I’ve already taught her stamina-preservation skills like Arc Maestro, Second Wind, and Desperate Strength.

Naturally, I’ve filled out her speed skills as well. If it comes down to raw performance, there aren’t many who could beat her.

Compared to the other girls… she’s a tier above.

No—considering her wide variety of skills and the realm that the others from her generation haven’t awakened yet…

she’s probably three tiers above them.

All of this is the result of her talent.

Most notably, her astonishing ability to absorb things—both physically and mentally.

People often say that a genius is someone who “hears one thing and understands ten.”

In other words, someone whose training improves many aspects—stats and skills—at once.

My older brother was that kind of person. Our father, who also worked as a lecturer at home, would explain something, and my brother would suddenly say, "So it works like this, right?" about something that hadn’t even been taught. At that point, you just think, Yeah, I can’t beat that.

But unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—Bourbon isn’t like that.

She doesn’t possess supernatural comprehension. If she hears one thing, she only learns one thing.

…However.

She simply hears ten things—and learns all ten.

An overwhelming volume of effort, a body and spirit strong enough to endure it without complaint, and a unique memory that never lets what she gains slip away.

All of that combined has allowed her to display growth that can only be described as genius-level—at least when it comes to running.

How genius?

Well, I never measured it precisely, but if you looked at how her stats improved over time… she might actually grow faster than Wilm did.

Well—

Wilm already had high stats when she enrolled, okay? Her training focused more on skills than raw stats. That alone doesn’t mean Bourbon is better than my Wilm, alright???

On the other hand—

Bourbon fully benefits from all the training knowledge I gained while raising Wilm, and she’s learned just as many skills as Wilm had back then. So it’s not like my Bourbon would lose to Wilm either???

…Anyway.

Cutting off that line of thought, I lifted my eyes from the binder and looked toward the turf.

Winter was slowly approaching, and a chill hung in the air.

Across that turf ran one of the Uma Musume under my care—Mihono Bourbon.

"Passing 2800 meters… remaining stamina 13%, condition orange… continuing run. Next sequence: All Out Effort. Initiating final sprint…!"

I couldn’t hear the exact words from here, but it seemed like she was muttering something as she ran.

Her stamina was clearly almost gone—her expression had tightened slightly.

And yet—

she accelerated.

My gaze moved back and forth between the binder, Bourbon, and the timer in my left hand as I measured her time while thinking about the future.

Today she was running 3200 meters—two hundred meters longer than the Kikuka Sho.

The same distance as the Tenno Sho (Spring), the longest distance of any G1 race.

The Tracen turf does have slopes—Bourbon just ran one—but its elevation difference is only two meters, far from the four meters at Kyoto Racecourse.

Considering the burden front-runners face climbing hills in both the early and late stages, setting the distance at around 3200–3400 meters should recreate something close to the fatigue she’ll feel in the actual race.

Of course, track condition, weather, and pack movement can’t be perfectly reproduced.

Ideally, you would experience the real hill itself.

Which is why Bourbon ran in the G2 Kyoto Shimbun Hai while we were racing in France.

Kyoto Racecourse, right-outer 2200 meters. A course that passes Yodo Hill once.

Her thoughts afterward were:

"I detected stamina consumption approximately 1.3 times higher than anticipated. Running it beforehand appears to have been worthwhile."

…Yeah. I’m really glad I registered her for that race.

Bourbon is the kind of runner who shows her true ability only when she executes a race exactly according to plan—no slow start, no over-eagerness. In that sense, she’s similar to Happy Meek.

Unexpected fatigue could easily destroy her entire running plan.

But now she has experienced Yodo Hill and analyzed the fatigue.

Passing it twice will increase the burden further, of course—but with her almost uncanny calculation ability, simulating that shouldn’t be impossible.

The key now is recreating the Kikuka Sho’s fatigue conditions and optimizing the plan.

"Well then…"

Today’s run was a trial at race pace.

Since I was already watching her run, I was measuring her furlong times.

They were consistently in the mid-12-second range.

Ah—there. That one dipped into the 11-second range.

…Yeah. Not bad.

No—honestly, it’s excellent.

The racing style of Mihono Bourbon is essentially complete.

Now the question is how far we can push it—and in what direction we can evolve it.

A one-pattern running style is easy to counter.

Her running has no clear weaknesses, but it would be nice if she had one or two unique strengths of her own.

---

As I watched Bourbon pass the makeshift finish board while thinking about that—

"Ayumu-saaaan!"

Suddenly, someone covered my eyes from behind. Arms wrapped around me in a tight hug.

…It looked like she had charged straight in, but the momentum was perfectly controlled—gentle enough for a human to handle.

Seriously, she’s way too considerate.

"Guess who!"

"Wilm."

"Correct~!"

The hands covering my vision slipped away, and a small girl with a bright, childlike smile—

—or rather, my beloved runner—stepped around in front of me.

Yeah. She looks happy. That’s good.

"You figured it out so quickly! As expected of my partner!"

"Of course I did. The only people who call me 'Ayumu-san' are my mother and you. And there’s no way I’d mistake your voice."

"Ehehe~"

Wilm was especially relaxed today.

Probably because she had just finished an intense training session…

and because yesterday she had a job appearance together with Teio for the first time in a while.

Wilm’s friend—and rival—the front-running Uma Musume Tokai Teio.

Yesterday, the two of them held a talk show in a discussion format.

The concept of the program was something like:

the future of the Uma Musume who reached the pinnacle of the world, and the only remaining runner in the Twinkle Series who might match—or even surpass—her.

Most of the questions directed at Wilm were about European racing and the powerful rivals over there.

Honestly, it was a story she’d told so many times I’d lost count.

But whenever the topic turns to racing, Wilm can talk about it endlessly with shining eyes.

Yesterday she was happily chattering away again.

Meanwhile, I stood behind her with my arms folded, wearing the knowing smile of someone who understood everything, nodding along smugly—enjoying the small privilege of being her trainer.

Meanwhile, Tokai Teio—

While saying about Wilm, "You can tell just by looking—you’ve gotten a level stronger," she also bragged that she herself had grown another step stronger.

Then she announced the race she would run this autumn.

According to the rotation announced in spring, the Tokai Teio camp had planned to begin the autumn G1 season with the Tenno Sho (Autumn).

However, that plan was suddenly changed.

This fall, they would skip the Tenno Sho and instead focus on the Japan Cup.

The reason?

"Wilm is out there showing the world what a Japanese Uma Musume is like. If that’s the case, then what I should do is show them what a Japanese Uma Musume is like here at home, right?"

…In other words, since people online have started calling Wilm the "Offensive General of Japan"—the one who goes out to challenge the world—Teio intends to take the role of the "Defensive General of Japan," the one who will fight to win the Japan Cup.

That bold declaration was perfectly in character for her.

Hearing it, Wilm smiled as if she had expected nothing less.

“Let me see your run, Teio. Of course you’ll win, right?”

…Or at least, that’s probably how it looked.

In reality, this girl was probably just thinking something like, Nice! If Teio’s running, the Japan Cup might actually be fun to watch!

Wilm holds Teio in extremely high regard.

According to her, Teio is “a true genius—unlike myself, who’s just a fake.”

…Thinking about it now, she probably means that Teio has talent on the same level as someone with reincarnation cheats—even though she doesn’t have any.

…Personally, I’m not entirely convinced there’s any real way—or even any need—to distinguish natural talent from reincarnation perks, considering I don’t even remember talking to a god or receiving any cheat ability in the first place.

Anyway.

Wilm’s image of Teio is probably something like this:

“I will absolutely never lose to her—never, even if it kills me—but aside from me, she’s the strongest Uma Musume who would never lose to anyone else.”

Which is exactly why she assumes Teio will win, and is excited to see just how much stronger she’s become since the time she managed to finish in a dead heat with Wilm.

…Though in reality, I’m the only one who knows that some terrifying Uma Musume from Europe are about to invade.

And that she has probably seen this talk show somewhere as well.

Even for Tokai Teio, beating her won’t be easy.

“Well… we’ll see what happens.”

…Ah, whoops. I got sidetracked. Back to the topic.

Anyway, Wilm is currently in an extremely good mood.

She trotted up beside me and stood on tiptoe, peeking over at the binder in my hands.

Cute.

“How’s it looking? How’s Bourbon-chan doing?”

“Good. Actually, I’d say everything is progressing almost exactly as expected.”

“Huh… is that impressive?”

“Your training plan used to fluctuate up and down, with an error margin of about five percent either way. But she barely deviates at all. Less than one percent.

In other words, she always completes exactly what I ask of her—no reckless overexertion, no slacking below expectations.

From a trainer’s perspective, that makes things incredibly easy.”

“Huh… I see.”

Wilm shot me a sideways glance that seemed to say, So I’m hard to deal with, huh?

…She always gets the better of me with those looks.

Maybe it’s time to get a little payback.

“Yeah. She’s easier to train than you.”

“…………Huh?”

“Well, that’s simply the truth. I can’t lie.”

Of course, that assumes Mihono Bourbon’s condition is managed perfectly—but if it is, her growth, health, and stamina can be controlled almost one hundred percent.

And what makes that so convenient is that there’s almost never a need to redesign the training plan midway.

Wilm, on the other hand—back in the early days she’d go do extra training on her own, wrecking the stamina management.

And sometimes she’d wake up with what should’ve been peak motivation, only for it to drop back to normal.

Every time that happened, I had to throw out the entire plan and rebuild it from scratch.

Compared to that, Bourbon is incredibly easy.

As long as you prepare the proper plan from the start, she almost never deviates from it.

She’s still a living being, so of course her condition occasionally dips—but never so severely that she can’t recover quickly.

All things considered, it’s undeniable that Mihono Bourbon is easier to train than Hoshino Wilm.

“…Wait. Huh? But I’m the number one, right?”

“No, I think in terms of trainer–runner compatibility, Bourbon might actually be the best.”

Wilm froze in place like a statue.

“…………”

“I think Bourbon and I have similar mental tendencies.

She approaches things through logic and theory, and if you clearly explain the necessity of something, she accepts it without emotional resistance.

Not needing to deal with unnecessary emotional arguments, flattery, or persuasion honestly makes things pretty comfortable. Of course, that’s assuming our relationship isn’t only that—but as business partners, it’s extremely smooth.”

“…………”

How should I put it?

Being with Wilm means a lot of fun, a little sadness, and having my plans derailed in spectacular fashion every now and then.

Being with Bourbon, on the other hand, means neither excessive joy nor sadness—just steadily carrying things out exactly according to plan.

Whether it’s more fun or not is debatable.

But the latter is definitely easier.

“…I see.”

“You see?”

“If you like Bourbon-chan that much, why don’t you just go live with Bourbon instead!?”

“That reaction feels a little off, doesn’t it?”

Well… okay, maybe teasing her was a bit much.

…If I don’t smooth things over soon, I might regret it later.

“Well, while Mihono Bourbon may be the best match for me as a trainer, you’re the best match for me as a person.

That’s exactly why I consider you my one and only beloved runner.”

“Eeeeh—come on! Saying I’m your one and only beloved runner… Ayumu-san, you’re being way too affectionate!”

So easy.

Almost worryingly easy.

Also—quite a lot of Uma Musume are watching right now.

Are you sure you don’t care about your public image? You used to be pretty particular about that.

…Ah, what happened to the cool, expressionless masked Uma Musume I once met under the moonlight?

The one standing here now is an adorable reincarnated Uma Musume with flushed cheeks, reacting with all the bashful affection of a girl her age.

---

While Wilm and I were bantering, Bourbon finished her run and came over.

Not at full speed—just jogging lightly for cooldown.

I signaled to Wilm with a glance, and she immediately stepped aside to let Bourbon take priority.

Honestly, she’s such a perfect partner it’s a problem. If I end up liking her any more than I already do, what am I supposed to do?

When I handed Bourbon a towel and a sports drink, she bowed slightly and reported:

“Master. 3200 meters… completed.”

“Good work, Mihono Bourbon. Your time isn’t bad—an average of 12.2 seconds per furlong.

That’s only 0.1 seconds below the target pace. At that speed, you shouldn’t lose the Kikuka Sho.”

Naturally, the longer the race distance becomes, the slower the average pace tends to be.

With Bourbon as she is now, she could probably run a 2400-meter race on good turf at an average pace in the high 11-second range per furlong…

But at 3000 meters, where stamina would become extremely tight, the pace drops into the 12-second range.

Of course, that applies to the other Uma Musume as well.

In most years, the Kikuka Sho finishes somewhere around 185 to 189 seconds on good turf.

Converted to furlong times, that averages roughly 12.3 to 12.6 seconds per furlong.

Seiun Sky’s record—when she won in runaway fashion with a front-running world-record performance—was 183.2 seconds, averaging 12.21 seconds per furlong. For reference, she crushed Special Week by three lengths, the same Special Week who once defeated Wilm.

Bourbon’s time is just slightly faster than Sky’s.

In other words, aside from Wilm, it’s the fastest.

…Last year’s record from Wilm?

Let’s just set that aside for now. She’s an exception among exceptions.

Seriously, using her as a benchmark might shatter Bourbon’s legs—and her confidence. Back then, Wilm was absolutely monstrous.

…Well, she still is.

Anyway.

Since the conditions aren’t exactly identical to the Kikuka Sho, I can’t say it’s guaranteed…

But if she can run 3200 meters in 183.1 seconds, averaging 12.2 seconds per furlong, then she absolutely has the strength required to win the Kikuka Sho.

At this point, there’s no longer any room to doubt Mihono Bourbon’s ability.

She has finally overcome the great wall of her pedigree and acquired the strength needed to win long-distance races.

…Well, technically her long-distance aptitude is still only B, so whether she’s truly surpassed that bloodline barrier is still debatable.

But thinking too much about that now would just be pointless.

Right now, all we can do is fight using everything she has.

Now then.

If there’s no problem with her own ability…

Then the real issue is, of course, her rivals.

I can’t say with certainty yet since we still lack sufficient data, but the one most likely to have the highest win rate against Bourbon is Rice Shower.

She focuses entirely on Bourbon—relentlessly marking her with almost demonic persistence.

Aside from her natural long-distance aptitude and immense stamina as a born stayer, there’s another danger: she could easily provoke one of Bourbon’s weaknesses—her tendency to become overly keyed up.

But Rice isn’t the only rival.

There’s also Souri Cross, another Kikuka Sho entrant who boldly declared in a recent interview that she would run as a front-runner—competing with the same running style as Mihono Bourbon.

In terms of raw talent, she likely can’t match Bourbon or Rice.

However, Bourbon is vulnerable to distractions when she becomes aware of other runners nearby.

For that reason alone, Souri Cross is an opponent worth being wary of.

I have no intention of underestimating the threat of a hardworking ordinary runner.

After all… speaking somewhat immodestly, I think I understand that strength better than anyone.

The Bourbon we see now has the power to defeat any Kikuka Sho runner from the past decade.

But if these rivals possess strength that surpasses even her, then that information becomes meaningless.

…Though, honestly.

There’s no real need to worry about that in the first place.

“Based on my current run… will I be able to win the Kikuka Sho?”

Standing before me, Bourbon asked the question while her shoulders rose and fell as she steadied her breathing.

When I looked into her eyes again…

I saw something faint trembling deep within them.

Without thinking, I found myself raising an eyebrow slightly.

…A few weeks ago, during Wilm’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

After witnessing that race, it seemed something had begun to awaken inside Mihono Bourbon—something like the ego and emotions of a true racing Uma Musume.

Not the childish dream she once had—wanting to win the Classic Triple Crown for her father’s sake after seeing his smile.

But a far simpler, far stronger desire born from her soul and instincts:

To surpass the strongest Uma Musume she had admired.

She became aware of that desire and set it as the next goal beyond her current one.

With her own will.

Just as Wilm once raised her head to enjoy racing again after refusing to accept defeat…

Bourbon too had resolved to run forward by her own choice, rather than simply completing predetermined objectives.

That, in itself, is something I couldn’t be happier about.

It marks the rebirth—or perhaps the transcendence—of the Uma Musume called Mihono Bourbon. As her trainer, there’s no reason not to celebrate it.

…But perhaps because of that very change—

For the first time, she might now be feeling a kind of irrational anxiety.

Until now, she only needed to run straight ahead toward her goal.

There was a single track laid out before her. As long as she ran along it at her maximum speed, she would inevitably reach the destination.

But if she begins walking by her own will…

Then there is no longer a predetermined track.

Unused to choosing her own path, she might feel as if she were walking blindfolded—wandering uncertainly.

Perhaps that instability is exactly why she asked me that question.

A question that, logically speaking, had no meaning.

Yes.

The question Mihono Bourbon asked just now wasn’t logical.

It was emotional.

From a purely statistical perspective, she can win.

With that run, there’s no problem.

She understands that logically.

It’s not that she suddenly doubts her own strength.

Nor did she question her rivals after seeing their abilities.

And yet, like a child suddenly brought to an unfamiliar town, she felt uneasy.

And so—something completely unlike Mihono Bourbon—she asked.

If that’s the case…

Then guiding and reassuring her is the role of her trainer.

“Then let me tell you again what I once said.”

After a brief moment of thought, I placed my hand on her head and gently patted it.

She closed her eyes, her ears twitching faintly as if the touch tickled, and accepted it.

“Don’t worry. If you and I run together, you will never lose to anyone else. The only thing that could defeat you… is yourself.”

“Mihono Bourbon’s running… is a battle against herself.”

“That’s right.”

Unlike Wilm—who is still physically small—Bourbon has already grown quite a bit.

Patting her head like this feels less like comforting a daughter…

and more like comforting a younger sister.

Though if I tried something like this with my actual little sister Masa, she’d probably yell at me.

Thinking that, I smiled at Bourbon.

“Your rivals are strong. The distance doesn’t suit your legs. And the course itself is demanding.

This race may indeed be a difficult one.

But even so—if you don’t lose to yourself, you will win. I can say that with certainty.”

“…Your reasoning?”

Her voice sounded almost like a girl grasping for reassurance.

She must know there’s no logical proof I can offer.

Today’s Bourbon really is unlike herself.

Of course… in a good way.

Looking at my trainee who was gradually becoming more like a true racing Uma Musume, I deliberately put on a confident expression.

“Because you’re Mihono Bourbon—the Uma Musume trained by me.

If you can’t believe in your own strength, then believe in me, your partner. The unique running style we’ve built together will surely carry you to the place you’re meant to reach.”

…Truth be told, I’m not really one to talk.

After all, I can’t believe in myself either.

Maybe that lack of self-confidence comes from our past experiences.

In my previous life, I never accomplished anything significant. Well… looking back, maybe that’s not entirely true, but I never achieved results that satisfied me.

And Bourbon was constantly told she had no aptitude for long distances—that winning the Kikuka Sho or the Classic Triple Crown was impossible for her.

That’s why neither of us can believe in ourselves alone.

But…

Just as I can wholeheartedly believe in the racing Uma Musume Hoshino Wilm—the one created through my partnership with Wilm…

Bourbon too can surely believe in the racing Uma Musume Mihono Bourbon, without needing logic or theory.

We trust each other and entrust our backs to one another.

I believe we’ve spent enough time together to earn that.

With those thoughts in my heart, I looked at her.

What returned to me was a blue, pure brilliance—more dazzling than anything.

“…Updating the definition of ‘Master.’

Master… you are my one and only ‘Master,’ aren’t you?”

It sounded like an odd statement.

But yes—I understood what she meant.

Even now, I don’t believe I’m the greatest trainer.

There are veterans with far more experience, like Teio’s trainer.

And there are geniuses like Understandible’s trainer in Europe—people with abilities so extraordinary they might as well be reincarnation cheats.

If you searched this world, you would surely find trainers better than me.

If someone like that had trained Wilm or Bourbon, they might have become even stronger than they are now.

…But.

The one who met them.

The one who became their partner.

Wasn’t someone else.

It was me.

Ayumu Horino.

I want to affirm that past—

that fate.

Even if my skills, wisdom, effort, or talent fall short…

I still want to support them in my own way.

It may be selfish ego.

But perhaps that’s exactly what partners allow each other to have.

So I straightened my back and said it proudly.

“Yes. I am your Master Trainer.”

Her eyes blinked rapidly—perhaps a little faster than usual.

And within the depths of those blue eyes—

“…Redefinition complete. Mihono Bourbon will dedicate her victory… to my Master.”

In that moment, I felt something new take root within her.

Not just her usual sharp clarity.

Not just the burning spirit of a racing Uma Musume.

But something else entirely.