Chapter 194: Wilm, it’s time for work.

This is something I went through myself last year, too.

Around the time the Tiara route and the Classic season wrap up—so, roughly October—the Classic-class girls start entering mixed senior races. The competition shifts from being between generations to the entire Twinkle Series as a whole.

The other day, Ayumu-san told Bourbon-chan, "It’s difficult to keep winning even in senior mixed races."

…Honestly, I agree.

For Classic-class Uma Musume, winter might just be the toughest period of all.

What makes it so harsh is the overwhelming difference in specs compared to senior-class runners.

In last year’s Japan Cup, the race distance was 2400 meters—a middle distance—and since McQueen-senpai’s aptitude leans more toward long distance rather than being a perfect match, I somehow managed to win…

But during the Arima Kinen, even I—a reincarnated, cheat-level Uma Musume—couldn’t beat Spe-senpai or Suzuka-san in a pure specs contest.

Even someone like me, who’s been running since childhood and training under Ayumu-san since January of my Junior year, couldn’t win on specs alone.

So for Bourbon-chan—who doesn’t have any reincarnation advantage and only started training under Ayumu-san around July… or was it August?—there’s no way she can outmatch Teio, Nature, or especially Anne-chan in raw specs.

If we go by the numerical scale Ayumu-san uses:

Top-tier senior-class Uma Musume average around 900 to 1000 in stats.

As for me, I was just under 900 last year, and now I’m around 1200.

And Bourbon-chan, who stands out among the Classic class… is still only around 700 at the moment.

…And Anne-chan, who’s basically bugged in every way, is just slightly behind me at a bit under 1200.

Of course, races aren’t decided by specs alone.

Running technique and race development—things like pacing and luck—also play a huge role in determining the outcome.

They do… but in the end, the foundation supporting everything is still those specs.

This is just an analogy—a rough image, but…

Specs and skills are like multiplication.

If you have 100 specs and 100 skill, your total power is 10,000.

Even if you have 150 specs but only 60 skill, your total is 9,000—worse than someone balanced.

On the other hand, even with just 80 specs, if you have 130 skill, your total becomes 10,400—surpassing the balanced type.

Of course, depending on the race, skills may or may not come into play. There’s also whether you can actually use them properly, and your level of understanding and mastery.

So it’s not nearly this simple in reality…

But that’s the general idea.

You can’t lack either. Mind, skill, and body—all three are essential for a racing Uma Musume.

Still, even the skills you acquire depend on how much time you’ve spent learning them.

And naturally, senior-class runners—who’ve had more real racing experience—tend to surpass Classic-class girls in that area as well.

Just one year—but also only one year.

The difference between two and three years is a factor of 1.5, and that gap is enormous.

The more you think about it, the clearer it becomes: winter in the Classic year is a trial for any Uma Musume. It’s no wonder even Rudolf-san lost the Japan Cup.

If both specs and skills are superior on the opponent’s side, then unless luck is heavily in your favor, winning becomes extremely difficult.

For Bourbon-chan, this winter—following the Kikuka Sho—will be another decisive period.

…But the more I think about it, Anne-chan is seriously broken, isn’t she?

In terms of total specs and skill, she’s basically just a slightly downgraded version of me…

And yet she’s still in the Classic class (though apparently they call it something different in England).

How is she nearly on my level in less than two years? Isn’t she way more of a cheat than a reincarnated cheat like me?

Now then, shifting the focus from Bourbon-chan to the Twinkle Series as a whole—

Strictly speaking, there are still races like the JBC, Queen Elizabeth Cup, Mile Championship, and Tokyo Daishoten…

But if we limit it to races involving our camp, friends, and main rivals, there are three left.

The Tenno Sho (Autumn), featuring Nature and McQueen-senpai.

The Japan Cup, featuring Teio and Bourbon-chan.

And… the grand finale of the year, the Arima Kinen.

And just recently, Anne-chan officially announced her entry into the Japan Cup—and her arrival in Japan.

With that, the autumn races—or rather, the Japan Cup—are now set to become a hellish showdown: Emperor vs Hero vs Undefeated Triple Crown.

What is this insane race!? Damn it, I seriously wanted to run in it…!

From my perspective, the Autumn Tenno Sho—featuring my one and only best friend and my deeply respected rival—is just as worth watching…

But from the fans’ point of view, it seems the Japan Cup is what everyone’s focused on.

Hoshino Wilm, the offensive ace of Japan, who ended the epic of the Hero Princess and claimed the Arc de Triomphe.

Then Tokai Teio, the defensive ace of Japan—can she stop the Hero Princess’s comeback?

Or will the new-generation front-runner, the new prodigy trained by Horino Ayumu, defeat them both?

The narrative is just too strong. Of course it’s drawing everyone’s attention.

And naturally, since I’ve raced against Anne-chan, there are a lot of people who want to hear my opinion…

"Willm, a job that sounds like your kind of thing just came in… You’ve been buried in training lately—want to take it as a change of pace?"

And so, a certain job came my way.

---

"Hello, everyone. I’m Hoshino Wilm. …Is this live?"

Under the clear but chilly sky just before the end of October, I give a small wave to the camera while checking the comments on my phone.

"Looks good—it seems everything’s working properly.

Once again, hello everyone. I’m Hoshino Wilm. Thanks for coming.

Today, I’ll be doing a running stream—something like a touring stream—with a senior I deeply respect.

So with that… Meek-senpai, please take it away."

"…Yes, nice to meet you, Wilm-chan. V-sign."

I step aside from the camera, bringing my senior into view.

An Uma Musume with rare, beautiful white hair and soft, slightly absent-minded sakura-colored eyes—Happy Meek.

My proud, absolutely ultimate Pretty Girl senpai.

She’s my co-star for today’s job.

"As you all know, this is Happy Meek-senpai—one of the Twinkle Series’ finest racing Uma Musume.

A legendary runner who achieved full-distance G1 victories—something even I haven’t done. A great senior known for taking care of her juniors. My roommate in the Ritto dorm, one of my rivals, and someone I owe more than I can ever repay.

Without a doubt, one of the cutest Uma Musume in the world.

Everyone, please watch while shedding tears of joy at the chance to see Meek-senpai run."

"Oh, you’re curious about the running stream?

You know how touring streams are popular—where people chat while showing the scenery?

This is something like that. We’ll be lightly running while chatting and talking about upcoming races.

We have to spend time training, but it’s also important to connect with our fans.

So we thought—why not do both at once? That’s the idea behind this experimental stream."

"…In this stream, Wilm-chan and I will be looking back on this year’s races and talking about what’s ahead.

…If it’s well received, there might be more running streams from other girls on the official URA channel, so please like and subscribe."

Standing beside me, Meek-senpai raises both hands in a double peace sign with a faint smile.

Cute.

"Haha, don’t worry—we’ll keep it at a light pace.

…Well, light for me."

"…I can keep up with Wilm-chan.

…I’ll do my best."

As Meek-senpai and I respond to the lively comments, the stream begins to pick up energy.

Racing Uma Musume have a dual nature—both athlete and idol.

Neglect either side, and things get tough, so under a trainer’s supervision, everyone finds their own balance.

This is also an attempt to make the idol side more accessible by combining it with training like this.

Of course, running makes it harder to think clearly, and our conversation might suffer.

In the end, we won’t know how effective this is—or how well fans receive it—until we try.

It might sound like I’m going off on a tangent, but as for me—Hoshino Wilm—I seem to be fairly well trusted not just on the athlete side, but on the idol side too.

I do try to take good care of my fans on a daily basis, and I put a lot of effort into fan service. Sometimes I even play the villain, and other times I step in to smooth things over.

As a reincarnated Uma Musume, I think I handle those kinds of things better than most girls my age.

And so, since I’m easy to work with and have ridiculously strong drawing power, I ended up being used as the test case for this project—on the assumption that I could handle even something still in the trial phase.

Put nicely, it means they trust me… Put less nicely, you could call it being thrown into the deep end.

As for why Meek-senpai was chosen—well, we’re close and have some history together, she has the stamina to handle long-distance running without burning out, and since she’s focusing on the Arima this autumn, her schedule isn’t too packed.

Meek-senpai is… how should I put it—very much at her own pace when it comes to both races and work.

We don’t overlap that often, so getting to work together like this makes me really happy.

She’s someone who’s been there for me longer than almost anyone besides Ayumu-san, an incredibly strong rival, and a senior I truly admire.

Of course I’d end up liking her.

…Well, there’s actually one more Uma Musume I like here today, though.

"All right, let’s get started with the run. Are you ready, Meek-senpai, Souri-chan?"

"Ready. Mm."

Grinning at the reaction I expected from the comments, I take the handycam from her—and then turn it toward someone else.

Toward my adorable junior, nervously brushing her pink hair.

"Alright then, surprise guest.

Joining us today as part of the filming staff—Souri-chan, also known as Souri Cross!"

"Ahaha… h-hello, I’m Souri Cross. Sorry for intruding…

Honestly, I can’t help but feel a little—well, a lot—out of place… Compared to these two senpai with 4 and 10 G1 wins, I’m still winless…

Well, I’ll focus on handling the camera, so I hope all of you fans enjoy watching these two!"

Souri-chan gives an awkward smile and dips her head.

"Seriously, so many juniors these days get intimidated too easily. It’d be nice if more of them came at us with a bit of hunger—like, ‘I’m gonna devour my senpai!’"

"Anyway, she’s my adorable junior—and one of the new-generation front-runners the current Classic generation is proud of. I’m sure her trickster performance in the Kikuka Sho left an impression on a lot of you, right?

Without her help, none of this would even be on camera—she’s the real MVP of this project. Alright everyone, give her a round of applause~"

…

There was actually another purpose behind this project.

To create opportunities for Classic-class girls—the next generation—to interact with senior-class runners.

Especially for those who have the talent but haven’t yet had their moment in the spotlight.

Until winter, Classic-class girls don’t usually race against seniors, so it’s difficult for them to build relationships.

Aside from naturally getting along at the academy, there just aren’t many opportunities to connect.

So by having the URA officially assign jobs like this under the label of "cooperation," they’re creating connections while also drawing public attention.

Some girls have the ability but lack opportunities and end up stagnating.

This acts as a kind of safety net to make sure they don’t get buried.

You could say they’re trying to ride on Hoshino Wilm’s popularity—which doesn’t sound great…

But from my perspective, I’m just happy to get to interact with promising Uma Musume.

In a way, it’s a win-win.

"I’ll try to talk with Souri-chan too if there’s time—though, haha, you don’t have to shake your head that desperately.

Alright then, let’s start chatting while we run. First topic: looking back at this year’s spring races."

---

Running along a relatively quiet road some distance away from Tracen, Meek-senpai and I—and occasionally Souri-chan—talk about the spring races.

Both of us are long-distance types.

Our stamina is high enough that, at this pace, we can easily keep up a conversation while running.

…Though Souri-chan looks like she’s struggling a bit. That’s probably just the difference in specs between a senior and a Classic.

We briefly touch on races like the Kawasaki Kinen, February Stakes, and Takamatsunomiya Kinen…

But when it comes to us, the focus naturally shifts to the Spring Senior Triple Crown route.

After all, Meek-senpai and I faced each other directly in the Takarazuka Kinen.

The Osaka Hai, where I clashed head-on with Teio.

The Tenno Sho (Spring), where McQueen-senpai joined in.

And the Takarazuka Kinen, where I settled things with Meek-senpai and was recognized as the strongest in Japan.

Ahh… nostalgic. Every one of them was an incredible race.

…Well, I did mess up a bit in the Osaka Hai, so it’s not all good memories.

"The Takarazuka Kinen feels nostalgic too. That day, by winning that race, I felt like I inherited the will of Meek-senpai… and the Golden Generation.

I think the reason I was able to win the Arc de Triomphe… is because the feelings of everyone in Japan—the regrets of those who came before, and the dreams that had yet to be fulfilled—pushed me forward."

"…We actually watched the Arc together, with everyone from our generation.

It was… an incredible run.

Even El-chan… was tearing up."

"—Wait, was El-chan really watching?"

"…Heeey, El-chan, are you watching~?

Your cute junior that you were keeping an eye on… is working together with me~"

"Ugh, please don’t use NTR phrasing—that’s a landmine."

We joke around while checking the comments on my phone, continuing our race talk without slowing down, maintaining a steady, comfortable pace.

…Then I glance at the screen again and can’t help but be impressed.

The handycam… isn’t shaking much at all.

When I looked back earlier, Souri-chan did seem like she was struggling a bit…

But her core is steady, and her running form hasn’t broken down at all.

Mm-hm, mm-hm… she’s trained her stamina well.

At this rate… maybe she could even become someone who can push me to the brink, in place of Turbo, who’s been out recovering for so long.

I’m really looking forward to the Arima.

---

After about an hour, we wrap up our review of past races and move on to the next topic.

Finally—the main subject of today: the autumn races.

"So, how do you see the Tenno Sho (Autumn)? It’s right around the corner."

"…Wilm-chan—or rather, what did your trainer think?"

"Well, we’ve got a proper G1 lineup—Helios-senpai and Palmer-senpai’s all-out escape duo, Ikuno-senpai, Grimoire-senpai—but… the ones Ayumu-san had his eye on were still Nature and McQueen."

The tactician, Nice Nature.

One of the strongest of my generation—a shining star among them.

She’s been out for nearly a year due to what seems to be periostitis, but now she’s returning.

Depending on how you look at it, that recovery period may have given her the time to refine her techniques even further… which only makes her schemes all the more terrifying.

She hasn’t shown it yet, but as her friend, I can say this much with certainty—she hasn’t dulled.

And then, the great actress—Mejiro McQueen.

The best of the generation above me, a pure-bred stayer.

Distance-wise, the Autumn Tenno Sho isn’t exactly her ideal, but her overwhelming specs are as monstrous as ever.

Her relentless pace crushes most runners outright—not just physically, but logically as well—never allowing an easy escape.

As expected, these two will likely be the key players in the race.

"Still… I’ve heard it’s a difficult race to predict.

After all, they’re practically each other’s counters… or anti-picks."

"…Meta? Anti-pick?"

Meek-senpai tilted her head slightly, and I couldn’t help but smile as I explained.

Yeah… using terms like that is a bad habit of mine. I should watch it.

"Nature excels at using strategy to take down stronger opponents—especially those with superior specs. She’s gotten really used to fighting like that, especially with me in mind.

On the other hand, McQueen uses a straightforward, orthodox style—crushing strategy with sheer specs. Simple, but effective."

"…So they’re each other’s ideal opponent."

"Exactly. Which means… it’ll come down to who executes better.

…Though honestly, Meek-senpai, you were thinking the same thing, weren’t you?"

"…Hehe."

Without giving a clear answer, Meek-senpai just smiled smugly.

She’s seriously too cute. Damn it. If she were my junior, I’d spoil her rotten.

"Then what about the Japan Cup?"

"…To be honest, I don’t really know much about Understandable-san.

…If anything, Wilm-chan, you probably know her best. What kind of girl is she?"

"Hmm… how should I put it…"

I searched for the right words, my gaze drifting slightly…

"She’s… a bug."

"…A bug?"

"A broken character that shouldn’t exist in this world. More like a natural disaster than a genius. Way more of a cheat than me. Did she leave her sense of restraint in a past life? Less ‘Uma Musume’ and more ‘Godzilla Musume’? Like a middle schooler’s Mary Sue?"

"…………?"

"Still, the one who’ll stand against her is my strongest rival—one of the only three who have ever stood on equal footing with me. A true genius: Tokai Teio.

…This is a very personal opinion, but I don’t want Teio to lose—to anyone but me."

No, really—I don’t want her to lose.

How do I put it… Teio is that kind of character for me—the kind you get ridiculously attached to.

You know, like in battle manga—when a character’s story just hits you and they become your favorite.

That’s what Teio is to me.

Which is why I don’t want her to lose to power creep. I want her to always remain a top-tier powerhouse, right at the front lines.

—She has to always be the “strongest” who challenges me.

The second brightest star after Hoshino Wilm—the one most capable of defeating both me and Ayumu-san—that has to be Tokai Teio.

Because she is—

My ideal protagonist.

"…They call this a ‘heavy emotional attachment,’ right?"

"Now, as for the Arima Kinen…"

"…There’s no need to discuss it."

"Right. Let’s settle it there—once and for all."

"…This time, I’ll become the strongest."

"No—Hoshino Wilm, under Ayumu-san, will be the strongest."

---

The stream continued for about two hours.

Meek-senpai and I kept running, keeping an eye on how tired Souri-chan looked on screen and taking breaks whenever the camera started to shake too much…

"And that’s it for today’s running stream.

This was an experimental attempt—what did you think? If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to the official URA channel, leave a like, and check the description for links to mine and Meek-senpai’s Umatter and Umastagram accounts."

"…Hehe, it was a fun time.

…Until next time. Let’s meet again at the races."

"That was amazing! You could really feel how Uma Musume run—what a great stream…!"

"Had a blast."

"More than just entertaining, this was actually super helpful for understanding races."

"Subscribed! Looking forward to a second stream or different pairings!!!"

"GG."

"Great work~!"

"GG!"

"Please do this again, and if possible, enable superchats too!"

…

…I think it’s safe to say the stream ended as a huge success.

From our side, it felt great while we were doing it, and the response wasn’t bad at all.

Peak concurrent viewers was… whoa, 3.3 million?

That’s insane. Seriously… that’s just incredible.

It was probably watched not just in Japan, but all over the world. By tomorrow, there might even be translated clips circulating.

Anyway, that’s tomorrow’s problem. Right now, I need to take care of the two who stuck with me.

"Great job today, Meek-senpai, Souri-chan."

"…Good work."

"G-good… job…"

Meek-senpai didn’t look all that tired, but Souri-chan—who had been holding the camera—was bent over with her hands on her knees, her shoulders rising and falling.

"Hehe, Souri-chan—this is what senior class is like. Tough, wasn’t it?"

"Huff… huff… yeah… this is… pretty rough… The fact that you two senpai still look fine is just… amazing…"

"…For the record, I’m actually pretty tired."

"Huh!? Y-you don’t look it at all…"

"…I’m good at hiding it. Peace."

One of Meek-senpai’s remarkable traits is how hard it is to read her emotions from her expression or voice.

…Honestly, I couldn’t tell at all. Maybe I pushed her a bit too much.

As for me—well, thanks to Ayumu-san, my stamina’s been trained to the extreme, so it didn’t feel that tough.

Running while talking gave my lungs a good workout, and it just felt like a nice, satisfying sweat.

"Sorry… I think I got a bit too carried away."

"…No. I had fun too."

"Ah—m-me too—cough, cough!"

Souri-chan really has guts.

Or rather… she’s the type who pushes herself forward through sheer determination.

As I thought that, a bit impressed…

Souri-chan steadied her breathing, then suddenly bent forward sharply.

"It was fun! And it was an incredibly valuable experience!

Wilm-senpai, Happy Meek-senpai—thank you very much for today! I’ll use this as fuel and chase after you both—even if it’s just a little!"

After that deep bow came the words that make any racing Uma Musume happiest.

Hearing that, Meek-senpai and I exchanged glances…

…and smiled.

"Hehe… See? I told you, senpai. Souri-chan’s a really good girl—and more importantly, she’s ‘the same’ as us."

"…Yes, that’s right.

…I’m looking forward to it. The new era… and a new Uma Musume who is ‘the same’ as us."

Drawn here by faint, nameless threads of fate—Meek-senpai and I.

And now, running after us—Souri Cross.

Unlike others, we never had a clear path laid out for us, no guiding force pushing us forward…

And because of that, the harder we strive, the more we can carve out a bright future for ourselves.

…Yeah.

I can’t help but feel excited.

Do your best, you great front-runner of the new era.