Chapter 200: Trainer Junkie (Masa)

"Horino-kun."

"That’s not it."

"Horino-kun, even for you, I really think this is going too far."

"Just hear me out."

"I fully acknowledge that you’re an Arc-winning trainer—an exceptional one at that. Truly a point of pride for Japan, and as your colleague, I’m genuinely proud.

But that doesn’t mean you get to hijack a mock race just to run your ‘ultimate race lineup’ fantasy."

"I told you, that’s not what this is…"

This mock race had been set up for Wilm and the others.

And right before it began, I was getting thoroughly grilled by Nature’s trainer.

…Well, I guess I can’t blame him for seeing it that way.

There were twelve Uma Musume entered in this mock race.

From the Star Generation: Hoshino Wilm, Tokai Teio, and Nice Nature—the so-called “three lesser stars.”

Alongside them were Mejiro McQueen, who frequently races against them, and Happy Meek, the last fragment of gold.

Then there were Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower, and Souri Cross—the symbols of the new era.

On top of that, two challengers had stepped in from the Dream Trophy: Silence Suzuka and El Condor Pasa.

And then… when you ask who the “greatest Uma Musume” is, the names that stand alongside Wilm’s—legend-tier runners, Symboli Rudolf and Oguri Cap.

To put it mildly, this lineup surpassed even last year’s Arima Kinen. It felt like something out of another dimension.

With a field like this, there was no way anyone would think this was just for training anymore.

They’d assume I simply wanted to watch this race—or see my trainee win against a lineup like this.

…And honestly, I can’t blame them for thinking that.

But they’d be wrong.

"Don’t misunderstand—it's not like I personally invited everyone running today.

Actually, the number of people I reached out to directly was pretty small."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just yours, Souri Cross, Symboli Rudolf, and Oguri Cap. Everyone else came through open applications."

It’s true I invited a few legends to raise the race’s level—but I never expected them to actually show up. At best, I thought, “It’d be nice if they came.”

The only others I personally invited were Nature and Rice—key rivals within my stable.

As for Souri Cross, I added her because she could serve as an anti-pick against Wilm and Bourbon… and, well, I’ve always had a soft spot for the type who makes up for a lack of talent with sheer effort.

After that, since it was a mock race, I opened applications within the academy to fill out the roster…

…and somehow, within a day or two, I received hundreds of entries.

Even more surprising, a large number of Dream Trophy runners applied. This is a Twinkle mock race, you know? Silence Suzuka and El Condor Pasa submitted their applications within twenty minutes of it opening.

Right before I shut down applications—because I realized things would spiral out of control if I let it reach eighteen runners—I’m pretty sure I saw names like Maruzensky, Mejiro Ramonu, and Tamamo Cross pop up.

But there was no way I could accept them too.

At that point, the whole purpose of the race would’ve changed. It would’ve turned into a full-blown Dream Trophy event.

This time, it just wasn’t meant to be. I can only wish them the best in their future endeavors.

…After explaining all that, Nature’s trainer gave me a flat, unimpressed look.

"So… you do realize this lineup is completely insane, right?"

"I do."

"Then how are you making that ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’ face…?"

…?

I mean, sure, I selected some strong runners—but only those who could instill a sense of urgency in Wilm. In other words, opponents she could face on equal footing.

It’s no different from selecting suitable rivals within the same generation. I don’t think I’ve broken any rules or crossed any lines.

Even in terms of “class,” Wilm has long since reached—if not surpassed—the level of Rudolf and Oguri.

At this point, inviting them isn’t an issue.

"No, seriously, I’m thinking purely about my trainee here. This isn’t about wanting to watch some dream race—it’s about constructing the most efficient environment for growth."

"That’s… strange. I always thought you were a reasonable guy, Horino-kun. Where did it all go wrong…?"

He clutched his head in disbelief.

Why? I thought he’d understand. Has he betrayed me?

"I mean, if you could invite them, you would too, right? Nature grows by experiencing a variety of races, and chasing stronger opponents would benefit Rice immensely.

If you had the chance to race against Symboli Rudolf and Oguri Cap, you wouldn’t pass it up, would you?"

"Well, no, of course not—I’d even beg on my knees if I had to…"

"Exactly."

"Don’t ‘exactly’ me. Have you even considered the impact this will have on the public?"

"I have. But improving my trainee’s performance comes first. That’s all there is to it."

…Of course, public perception matters. I come from a prestigious family—I understand that much.

When I proposed this, even Masa said, “Don’t do it! Seriously, don’t! Are you trying to kill your little sister!?”

So I’m well aware this isn’t exactly the most advisable move.

It’s simple—holding a mock race with this kind of lineup would have an enormous impact on fans and public opinion.

So much so that it might spiral beyond my control.

But honestly, I don’t care.

The feelings of fans and the public are important.

But making sure my trainees can run in a healthy and enjoyable way—that matters far more.

If I have to choose, I’ll always prioritize the latter.

No—more than anything else, I’ll prioritize the latter.

If it’s for raising Uma Musume, I’ll do anything.

That’s what it means to be a trainer.

…No. That’s not quite right.

This is the path I chose—the one I embraced after falling for Wilm and leaving behind my old identity as Horino the trainer.

"…Man, having your brain burned by your trainee is scary. Not that I can talk."

"Tell me about it."

I’m aware I’ve gone a bit overboard, so I nod honestly.

Once this race is over, I’ll finally have to open those screaming emails from the URA I’ve been avoiding…

…Well, I’ll leave the boring paperwork to my future self tonight.

Right now, all that matters is the race in front of me.

"By the way, how do you see this race playing out?"

At Nature’s trainer’s question, I can’t help but groan.

I’d like to confidently say my trainee will win…

…but for some of them, this is going to be an extremely harsh race.

There’s no point in posturing now—it’s too late to give instructions.

So I simply give my honest assessment.

"To be frank, it’ll be a difficult race. Especially for the three in the Classic class."

"Well… yeah."

The current Senior-class runners are already nearing their peak.

In terms of raw physical specs, the gap between them and Dream Trophy runners isn’t that large.

…In fact, Wilm surpasses even Rudolf and Oguri in every stat. Teio is roughly on the same level, while Nature is a step below.

But the Classic-class runners are still a year behind.

That gap is massive—nearly a 400-point difference, an outright chasm.

Struggling is inevitable… honestly, they probably don’t stand much of a chance.

But that’s the point of a mock race.

Failure and defeat are allowed.

This isn’t the real thing—it’s preparation.

That’s why I want each of them to take something away from this race, even if it’s not victory.

That’s one of the reasons I set this up.

Especially Bourbon… she’s the type who draws fire from those ahead of her.

So let her take in a second flame—another spark beyond Wilm’s back.

"Now then, as for the Dream Trophy runners who joined as guests… honestly, it’s hard to fully gauge their strength."

"Even for you?"

"I have my limits."

"You do…?"

Does this guy think I’m some kind of superhuman?

At best, I’m just a hardworking, ordinary guy with a cheat ability—and even then, the cheat does most of the heavy lifting.

And that cheat… is exactly the problem.

My so-called reincarnation ability—“App Reincarnation”—lets me see an Uma Musume’s stats, skills, and aptitudes in detail.

It’s saved me countless times. If a god really gave it to me, I’d have to prostrate myself in gratitude.

However—

It doesn’t let me understand everything.

A prime example is skills.

For instance, I can tell that an Uma Musume has a skill called “Full Power,” but I don’t know the exact conditions under which it activates, or its precise effects.

I can see the name and general idea—but not the details.

That’s one of the few limitations of this seemingly overpowered ability.

That said, I haven’t ignored this weakness.

By combining knowledge from my past life with trial and comparison in this world, I can narrow things down to some extent…

…but once they reach the Dream Trophy level, my past-life knowledge becomes almost useless.

Normal skills are marked with white frames.

Higher-tier skills use yellow frames.

Then there are evolved skills with pink frames.

Beyond even those, Dream Trophy runners sometimes possess skills with deep red frames…

…and beyond that, what appear to be further evolved—pitch-black framed skills.

At the level of runners like Rudolf and Oguri, they have those.

At that point, the skills are so uniquely evolved that they’re basically impossible to decipher.

They’re like the kind of broken abilities you’d see in a gacha game after years of power creep.

Honestly, that’s not even much of an exaggeration.

When I played the game in my previous life, it was still early days—there wasn’t even a concept like evolved skills yet.

So when something like these ultimate, fully evolved skills shows up, my knowledge stops being useful.

…So yeah, it’s a bit embarrassing, but even I can’t fully measure the strength of Dream Trophy runners.

Well, if we eventually break into that level together with Wilm, I’ll gather plenty of real data—but for now, that’s where things stand.

"That said, Wilm still has a chance… I’d say about a 30 to 40 percent chance of winning."

"That’s… pretty bold, considering the lineup."

"Six months ago, even in a mock race, Wilm pushed Symboli Rudolf—who was going all out—to the brink of defeat.

Since then, she’s refined her body even further. At this point, there’s not a single Dream Trophy runner who can beat her physically.

Even if she’s behind in technique, she can brute-force it with raw stats.

In the end, pure strength is the strongest force there is."

"…A physical monster, huh."

That said, it’s easy to forget lately, with Understandable’s rise, but Wilm’s original style has always been one that overwhelms opponents through sheer physical dominance—much like Mejiro McQueen.

Her stats now all exceed 1200, surpassing what I once believed to be the absolute cap before I ever met her.

At this point, it’s not even about having no weaknesses anymore—it’s on a level where finding someone who can beat Wilm in even a single stat is the real challenge. As expected of my ace. It makes me proud.

"Even so, there’s no way her win rate reaches 100%. The truth is, we still don’t know how this will play out.

I watch Dream Trophy races regularly, and they operate on a completely different level from the Twinkle Series. Technique, running style, and above all… their ‘domains.’

Even though Wilm has raced Symboli Rudolf in a mock race before, we still don’t know what happens when multiple Dream Trophy–level runners clash, or how far Twinkle-level runners can push back against that.

This should be a good opportunity to measure something that normally can’t be measured, but…"

"Yeah… the explosive potential of Uma Musume is scary. Sometimes they show power that shouldn’t even be possible."

…Wait, you’re the one saying that?

You—the guy who turned Nice Nature into a nightmare and pushed Rice Shower that far?

"I’ll just throw that right back at you. You’re the one who trained two underdog frontrunners into undefeated Triple Crown winners, remember?"

"No, no, that’s just because those girls had absurd natural talent—"

"If you’re going to say that, then the girls in my stable were just as absurdly talented—"

"...Fair enough. Guess we’re even."

We share a wry smile.

Just as I’ve developed something close to trauma from the explosive potential of other stables, they’re probably just as wary of Hoshino Wilm’s explosive power.

This kind of perspective is exactly why exchanging views matters.

That’s why having someone like him—both a friend and a rival—is a plus for me… and for Wilm and Bourbon too.

"Now then… how far can our girls push themselves?"

"Or maybe… they’ll take down the strongest and show something truly beyond their limits…"

"I’m looking forward to it."

---

In the end… we got crushed.

Well, “crushed” might be a bit much, but…

"Waaahhh, Ayumu-saaan! Third place! It’s my first time getting third plaaace!!"

"Alright, alright, there there. It was frustrating, huh? But you did great."

After the race, Wilm threw herself into my chest—crying.

Not just tearing up—full-on sobbing, hiccuping and all.

…Well, that’s only natural.

Up until now, she had hardly ever lost.

And even in the only three times she had been defeated, she had always placed second.

But this time, she fell to third—dropping her top-two rate below 100%.

…Well, it’s an unofficial race, so technically her record is still perfect, but still.

The mock race was chaotic right from the start.

Actually, with three front-running specialists in the same race, there was no way it wouldn’t be.

Hoshino Wilm and Silence Suzuka exploded off the line, immediately clashing for the lead, while Souri Cross clung on with sheer determination.

The opening seconds felt as intense as the final 200 meters.

In the end, Wilm barely seized the lead—her raw specs overcoming the gap in skill.

Souri Cross tried desperately to keep up, but couldn’t quite match them.

That should have settled the lead battle—

—but then Bourbon charged in.

Until now, she had only experienced the “heat” of her own generation… or at most, the pressure from Wilm alone.

That was the limit of her tolerance.

But this time, the combined intensity of three runners—Wilm going all out, Suzuka pushing for the lead, and Souri Cross desperately clinging on—multiplied and crashed into her.

It was only natural that she couldn’t contain it.

As a result, Bourbon surged forward, completely shattering the standard pace.

The entire pack stretched out vertically, and the race accelerated.

The first to capitalize on that was Mejiro McQueen.

The moment she secured a forward position, she tried to drag the race into a stamina battle.

But Oguri Cap, running alongside her, shut that down.

Positioning slightly ahead, she applied pressure and blocked McQueen’s inward path.

Oguri’s optimal distance is mile to middle-distance, and her stat distribution leans heavily toward mile specialization.

Which is exactly why she moved to prevent a stayer like McQueen from controlling the pace.

Then, as if in sync, Teio joined in—

—and together, it seemed like they would take control of the race’s tempo.

…Or so it seemed.

Because El Condor Pasa smashed that balance apart.

She took an extremely aggressive approach, pushing up from a forward position in the rear group and driving the pack ahead, throwing the entire race into chaos.

She’s likely a Teio-type runner—someone who imposes her own strength onto the race.

Her movement was aimed entirely at her ideal pace, with little regard for how it affected the rest of the field.

As a result, the chasing group behind the frontrunners descended into total disorder.

Those trying to slow the pace and those trying to speed it up clashed—

The pack warped and distorted.

Nature tried to stabilize things, but even she seemed overwhelmed, unable to fully regain control.

Meanwhile, two runners moved calmly through the chaos.

Symboli Rudolf, who secured a perfect mid-pack stalking position—

and Happy Meek, who seemed to have predicted all this and held back for a late charge.

Detached from the chaos of the front and mid groups, they ran their own race.

Then, exploiting the fatigue and gaps in the field, they broke away at the third corner.

From there, a fierce chase began as they closed in on the leaders—

And in the end, the winner of this mock race was—

Symboli Rudolf.

With a terrifying, simultaneous domain deployment, she tore through and overwhelmed every other runner’s domain.

Next, just half a length behind, Oguri Cap unleashed a miraculous burst in the final 200 meters.

And Wilm—

fell just a neck behind them, overtaken by the terrifying finishing speed of the Dream Trophy elites.

…That was how the race played out.

And as a result—

"Domain-breaking domains are so unfair! Way too strong! Nerf them already! I mean seriously—destroying a domain someone worked so hard to build—how is that not just a higher-tier ability?!

And what’s with Oguri-senpai’s ‘anti-domain-breaking domain’? That’s just countering meta with meta—this is turning into a full-on meta game in Dream Trophy! This is basically a supernatural battle at this point!

There’s no way I can beat two top-tier monsters stacking double domains without even having one myself!!! And Rudolf-senpai even hinted at a third layer for a second there!?!

But no, no, no—I hate this! Losing sucks!! It’s not allowed for Ayumu-san’s Uma Musume to lose!!! Gyaaaaaaaah!!!"

Wilm had completely entered tantrum mode—crying into my suit like a child and soaking it with tears.

…Well, you know.

Three years ago, she was a girl who buried all her emotions deep inside.

And now she can express herself this openly.

That’s… actually a wonderful thing.

She cries when she’s frustrated. She lets it out instead of bottling it up.

Mentally, that’s far healthier.

In that sense, she’s learned how to properly deal with her emotions.

The only problem is…

she just did all that in front of an audience of about 3,000 people.

…She’s going to regret this tonight, isn’t she?

Thinking that, I gently pat her head.

"For now—welcome back, Wilm.

That was a great run. And we’ve confirmed your turf compatibility is back where it should be.

That means you’re cleared to run in the Arima Kinen. Congratulations."

"Really!? Yay!!"

Amazing—she’s already stopped crying. More than that, she looks ridiculously happy.

This girl tends to mentally regress a bit after racing against overwhelmingly strong opponents… and this time, with a race of this scale, it feels like that tendency has gone all the way.

Well, from my perspective, it’s adorable, so I don’t mind. I could dote on “loli Wilm” forever.

Now then, on the other hand—

my other trainee, Bourbon…

She stood there, blinking repeatedly, as if unable to process the result of the race.

Her placement…

Out of twelve runners—eleventh.

She was overtaken even by Rice Shower, finishing four lengths behind, and was passed by everyone except Souri, who had run out of gas.

By any definition, it was a crushing defeat.

And because of that, Bourbon now stood in a state of deep confusion and disorientation.

"...Was that… a poor run?"

"Yeah. To be blunt—it was."

Still gently patting the sniffling Wilm, I nodded at Bourbon’s question.

There was no need to explain it—but I chose to say it anyway.

"You got carried away early on by the three frontrunners and lost sight of pace control, wasting your stamina.

You’re not built for endurance, so you should’ve taken the inside, but you drifted too far outward. And in your excitement, you couldn’t properly apply your technique—you were swinging too wide on the corners.

As a result, you couldn’t maintain speed in the final stretch and fell off.

Overall—it wasn’t a good run. That kind of race won’t bring out Mihono Bourbon’s strengths."

"..."

Bourbon is a very intelligent girl. She’s capable of objectively assessing herself.

Which means… she already understood all of this without needing to ask.

But she had to ask anyway.

Because she hadn’t fully accepted reality yet.

And that blankness—that sense of loss, that near-despair—

that was the greatest reward she gained from this race.

"How do you feel right now, Bourbon?"

At my question, she furrowed her neatly shaped brows and answered.

"...I am experiencing intense disorientation.

My sense of self… my definition—my identity—feels unstable, as though it is wavering."

…Yes. Good answer. Exactly as expected.

Relieved, I spoke.

"Remember it well. That’s the taste of defeat.

The frustration of not even being worth consideration. The emptiness of being overlooked. The pain of being overtaken.

It’s the despair you’ve made countless others feel—and the same despair you’ll taste again whenever you lose."

"...This… is defeat."

Her quiet murmur carried something utterly unlike her usual self—

raw emotion.

No… not just emotion.

Fury.

Mihono Bourbon.

The truth is—until now, she had never once been overtaken in a race.

She had been left behind by Nice Nature during training runs, but that wasn’t the same as being overtaken in a race.

Even when she ran mock races against Wilm, she had always been chasing from the start—never passed mid-race.

She had never experienced her legs failing her, her strength falling short, and being overtaken.

Even as she had been left behind by Wilm—and sometimes by Nature—she had never truly experienced having her own running decisively surpassed.

In essence… throughout her life, she had always been at the front.

But today—

that undefeated state finally came to an end.

Whether it’s Hoshino Wilm, Mihono Bourbon, or any other elite runner—

it doesn’t matter.

As long as an Uma Musume runs races, defeat is always a possibility.

The belief that one can always win is nothing more than delusion.

Reality brings speeds and threats far beyond expectation.

This is a world where the careless are devoured—

a world of survival of the fittest.

That is its true nature.

The very lesson Hoshino Wilm learned in her first selection race after entering this academy…

Mihono Bourbon has now, at this very moment, finally learned it.

And that is why—

"Master."

The flame burning in her eyes now was fiercer than ever before.

…Yes. That’s right.

That’s exactly what I wanted to see.

Be angry, Mihono Bourbon.

At this result.

At this pathetic finish.

At your own immaturity.

Over the past year, I’ve come to understand something for certain.

Mihono Bourbon is not an Uma Musume who simply runs like a cold, emotionless machine.

Her exceptional ability to measure and calculate—and her restrained emotional expression—

only make her seem that way.

But that’s not her true nature.

At her core—

you are an Uma Musume who runs fueled by intense emotion.

In that sense, you’re actually closer to Wilm.

That uncontrollable heat from the heart.

That impulse that makes your legs move on their own.

The moment you stop suppressing it—and instead turn it into strength…

The moment you can integrate it not just into your “domain,” but into your very running itself—

that’s when Mihono Bourbon’s racing will truly be complete.

And when that happens—

you’ll have an absolute style of running that no one but Wilm could ever break.

"Please revise the operation.

For the Japan Cup—I require the most demanding schedule possible, to secure absolute victory."

At that request, burning with intensity, I nodded without hesitation.

"Very well. I’ll tune it right up to the limit.

I won’t let you break—but I’ll push your body to completion within this month."

Even now, Mihono Bourbon’s body carries accumulated strain.

All the relentless training since childhood—

everything poured into achieving the Triple Crown—

has built up like a debt in her legs.

That’s why the original plan was to ease that burden somewhat going into the Japan Cup.

But…

No. Forget that.

Neither of us wants a half-measure result.

…Even with my eyes, I judged Rice Shower during the Kikuka Sho to be at—or beyond—the brink.

And yet, her trainer managed to bring that dangerously risky conditioning to fruition.

As a rival, I can’t afford to fall behind.

As Mihono Bourbon’s contracted trainer—as the one responsible for refining her running—

I should be able to make her legs stronger, faster, and more beautiful.

Of course, I won’t allow injury. I absolutely won’t.

With all the power I’ve gained in this life, all the knowledge I’ve accumulated—

I’ll ensure her legs are pushed without breaking, worked without ever collapsing.

And then—we’ll challenge the Japan Cup.

With a perfect schedule.

With training pushed to the absolute limit.

And then we’ll face the Hero and the Emperor.

At this point, the race result itself is secondary.

Of course, we’ll aim to win—but even if we lose, it won’t matter.

No matter what happens—

my girls will shine brighter than ever.

And they’ll enjoy racing even more.

And that—

is something more valuable than anything else in this world.