Chapter 43: Helpless Phobia

Mihono Bourbon’s debut race wrapped up without incident, and before I knew it, September was already looming.
…Or rather, was it really as “without incident” as it sounded?

Bourbon’s debut itself went smoothly, but what followed was less kind to me. I had said I would rest properly once everything was over, yet Bourbon—having already used up her “reward privilege”—forced me into a lap pillow. To make matters worse, Hoshino Willm walked in on me while I was asleep. Willm promptly scolded me for saying I’d rest and then failing to do so, got angry, and reported the situation to Tazuna-san. In the end, until I got used to the workload, she ended up helping out with some of the tasks.

It’s true that my sleep time had been cut down considerably, but I figured it would improve once I adjusted. More than anything, I didn’t want to trouble Tazuna-san, who was already busy enough as it was. Still, when she smiled and firmly said, “I don’t want any deaths coming out of my workplace,” there was really no room for argument.

In practice, thanks to Tazuna-san taking over part of the paperwork, my sleep time did increase—by about an hour. In the first place, this was my own fault for not handling the workload properly. Feeling grateful for her consideration, rather than resenting it, was only natural. For now, gratitude was all I felt.

That said, Tazuna-san herself was clearly swamped. I’d heard her muttering things like “We need to call for backup” and “We’ll have to secure more personnel,” so it wouldn’t be surprising if additional staff were eventually dispatched. Ideally, by then I’d be fully accustomed to the work and able to handle everything on my own… but who knows. Even as I gradually streamlined tasks, between supporting my trainees and researching new training methods, free time never felt sufficient.

…Either way, I couldn’t afford to show any more pathetic sides to the girls under my care. Since Tazuna-san was helping me, I needed to use this time to improve and truly get used to the job. With that in mind, over the past few days I’d been pushing myself to adapt to the workload while still overseeing my trainees’ practices.

Meanwhile, as for the two Uma Musume under my care—

"Hnh… whew. Yeah, my stamina’s definitely dropped."

"Target swimming distance achieved. Entering cooldown."

"Ahaha, saying ‘cooldown’ when we’re already swimming in a pool feels kind of weird."

"…Agreed. Then perhaps, ‘hot down.’"

"I like that. Hot down."

Today as well, both of them were diligently training. What I’d assigned them was pool training. In my previous life, it was a standard stamina-building exercise, and in this world it worked much the same way. Increased lung capacity boosts stamina, and pushing through discomfort builds grit. More than that, while it didn’t show up in the old app because it was just a game, depending on how it’s done, you can also place load on the legs and raise speed and power. Pool training is a tried-and-true staple. You can’t learn skills or adapt to flat tracks that way, but it’s well suited for raising raw stats.

Lately, both Hoshino Willm and Mihono Bourbon had been centering their routines around pool training. For Willm, it was to fully recover her greatest weapon—stamina. And for Bourbon… it was to overcome her weakness.

Judging from her debut and her current stats, Mihono Bourbon seemed to have three weaknesses. Two of them weren’t things we could readily fix right now, so I set those aside. The problem we could address immediately was her low stamina. As things stood, Bourbon’s speed, power, and grit grew well, but her stamina and intelligence lagged behind. That stat spread suited sprint to mile races. In that condition, it was only natural she’d be viewed as a miler.

I already had a good idea why Bourbon—aiming for the Classic Triple Crown, meaning middle-to-long distance—had ended up with sprinter-oriented stats. She’d focused her training on hill climbs. Mihono Bourbon and hills went hand in hand. I’d heard as much in passing when I played the app in my previous life, but it seemed that in this world as well, Bourbon had centered her training around hill work. Apparently, there was a long, steep slope near her family home, and she’d been running it since she was little.

Even after coming to Tracen and entering full-scale training, she’d continued self-training on mountain slopes outside the grounds. Hill training places heavy load on the legs and is said to promote growth. It’s brutally tough, but if you have the body and grit to endure it, you can grow tremendously… or so they say. In reality, in the old app, hill training was classified as grit training. Grit training mainly raises speed, power, and grit. More precisely, in this world, other stats do inch up slightly as well—but those three are what truly grow.

Because Bourbon had almost exclusively centered her training on hills, she ended up with this stat distribution. True enough, her overall stats were high. In terms of explosive, short-burst running, there might not be a single Junior-class Uma Musume who could match her right now. But while that was fine for short or mile distances, it posed a major problem on the road toward her dream of winning the Triple Crown. At present, Mihono Bourbon didn’t even have the stamina to run the Satsuki Sho, let alone the Kikuka Sho.

The only reason she could manage up to a mile was thanks to the high grit she’d built on the hills—she was essentially brute-forcing it with willpower. But that only worked up to about 1600 meters. If she was going to aim beyond that, she needed real stamina.

"…Cool—correction, hot down complete. Mihono Bourbon, exiting."

"Then I’ll go too. Since we’re here, want to make it a contest? First to finish 100 meters wins."

"Competition that drives mutual improvement is judged efficient. Request accepted. Initiating Operation ‘Match.’"

Fortunately, Bourbon wasn’t stubbornly attached to hill training itself. Her focus was simply on taking on high-load training and conquering the Classic races. When I presented my analysis and data and suggested pool training, she nodded without hesitation.

For now, we’d proceed with a stamina-focused approach. Beyond that… things became complicated.

…So how should we handle their training from here? With Hoshino Willm, I knew that if I properly limited and controlled her self-training, she’d naturally rebuild speed and power at the cost of stamina. The plan was to have her recover stamina and grit in the pool during the day, then regain speed and power through controlled night self-training. As for intelligence, she’d studied diligently even while hospitalized, so it hadn’t dropped—if anything, it had improved. That wasn’t a concern.

Her body was exceptional. Gifted was the right word. She was regaining her strength smoothly—no, at an almost unexpected pace. If things continued without issue, she should fully recover by early October, just as planned.

The problem was Mihono Bourbon. Unlike Willm in her early days, Bourbon’s stats didn’t have glaring strengths or weaknesses. That called for balanced development… but focusing too much on balance led straight to Happy Meek from the URA Finals—so mediocre she lost even to mob characters. That kind of ending was completely unacceptable.
…Well, to be fair, the Meek of this world was a star Uma Musume with four G1 wins. That comparison only applied to the app version from my previous life.

Still, the real issue lay in how stats functioned differently between the app from my past life and this world. Grit was almost a dead stat back then, but here it was quite important. In position battles or head-to-head finishes, it helped draw out fighting spirit, and as Willm had shown in a recent mock race, it even allowed a small burst of acceleration in the final spurt. On top of that, past data suggested that front-running Uma Musume without grit tended to crumble under pressure when challengers closed in during the late stages.

And grit wasn’t the only thing that mattered. Intelligence would also be indispensable, given how Mihono Bourbon ran.
…Mihono Bourbon was a cyborg. Precise, steady, never missing her mark. That style—running at a meticulously controlled, constant pace—was what carried her to an undefeated Double Crown. It was her signature way of racing.

"Pwah! Whew—guess that makes it my win? The difference was… about one second?"

"…Defeat confirmed. Cause presumed to be difference in specs and body mechanics."

"Hehehe, I’m not done losing yet. I am an undefeated Double Crown Uma Musume, after all."

"Adjusting form. Requesting rematch."

"Sure. Let’s go until you’re satisfied."

And there was more Bourbon needed to work on than just that. Two problems remained that were difficult to solve right now. I glanced toward her as she dove back into the pool, and the “Reincarnated App” projected her aptitudes.

Mihono Bourbon
Turf A / Dirt G
Sprint C / Mile B / Middle Distance B / Long Distance C
Front-runner A / Pace E / Late G / Closer G

…Yeah. That didn’t match my memories. In the app from my previous life, her middle-distance aptitude had been A, and her long-distance was probably B. Compared to that, this world’s Bourbon was one rank lower in both.

It might be that the app version reflected her record as an “undefeated Double Crown winner, second place in the Kikuka Sho,” and therefore set her values higher than the more realistic version of her in this world… but still. That was likely her final aptitude after everything had been raised.

In this world, it truly was possible to “surpass aptitude through effort.” I became certain of that fact shortly after entering Tracen Academy. It was when I watched Silence Suzuka racing overseas via a smartphone livestream. My App Reincarnation worked even through lenses and screens, and at that moment, this string of text jumped into my vision.

Silence Suzuka
Turf A / Dirt G
Sprint D / Mile A / Middle Distance A / Long Distance D
Front-runner A / Pace C / Late E / Closer G

…The point to focus on was her long-distance aptitude. I’d never managed to pull her in the app in my previous life, but her awkwardly hopeless aptitude had left an impression on me. Silence Suzuka’s long-distance aptitude should have been E. It had risen one rank—to D.

When she was running in the Twinkle Series, her long-distance aptitude was E. I’d confirmed it myself by watching old footage, so there was no mistake. Yet now, running overseas, she was D. Inheritance of wishes via the Three Goddess Statue would be nearly impossible for Suzuka, who hadn’t returned to Tracen. Given that, I could say this with near certainty: in this world, repeated training allowed aptitude itself to grow.
…That said, this likely applied only to a handful of geniuses who put in extraordinary effort.

Looking at the vast number of race videos I’d seen so far, distance aptitude was manageable up to B, but once it dropped to C, winning a graded race became difficult. Aptitude C was such a severe penalty that it could overturn differences in raw specs. Mihono Bourbon’s aptitude was B for middle distance, and C for long distance. As things stood, the Kikuka Sho would be harsh, and even the Satsuki Sho and the Japan Derby became dangerous prospects. Somehow, we absolutely had to raise her middle- and long-distance aptitude.

…Mihono Bourbon’s almost mechanical memory ability made it possible for her to surpass the wall of aptitude. But focusing solely on that would mean abandoning other options. Naturally, running unfamiliar distances or styles would also prevent her from fully utilizing her strengths. She’d managed at her debut thanks to an overwhelming gap in ability, but it was hard to imagine things going just as smoothly in G1 races.

And then there was something else. With Mihono Bourbon in the picture, a black assassin would appear in the same Classic races. If she couldn’t fully bring out her strengths, the stayer who bore a name of blessing would easily cut past her.

So then, how did we raise middle- and long-distance aptitude? To be honest, I didn’t have a clear-cut answer. Looking at turf history, there was no doubt that harsh training was necessary. Especially for middle and long distances, it seemed you needed to repeatedly run those distances to get used to the length and pace distribution.
But unfortunately, Mihono Bourbon hadn’t reached that stage yet. First, we needed to raise her stamina to around 300. Only then could we start acclimating her to middle distance, and eventually long distance. That was why the aptitude issue—one of her three weaknesses—couldn’t be resolved immediately.

…The “stamina problem” and the “aptitude problem.” For both of these, at least provisional solutions are in place. The latter can’t be fixed right away, but we’ll raise her middle-distance aptitude by the Satsuki Sho, and her long-distance aptitude by the Kikuka Sho. I’ll make it in time. That’s my job as her trainer.

But the final problem is… probably not something I can solve myself. The only one who can resolve it is Mihono Bourbon herself—and the one who can help her do so is likely…

"Trainer—!"

At the voice calling out from a distance, I lifted my face from my notebook. When I turned around, I saw Tazuna-san—who’s been helping me these past few days—running toward me.

"Tazuna-san. Is there some work?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"I wouldn’t say it’s unfortunate, but…"

Tazuna-san handles documents on her side that don’t require judgment from me, Hoshino Willm, or Mihono Bourbon. Given that, any work she brings directly to me at this time of year can only mean one thing.
Ah. Don’t tell me.

"Is it a project?"

"Yes. This is about the Autumn Fan Appreciation Festival—the Holy Hoof Festival."

In the app from my previous life, the Fan Appreciation Festival was a spring-only event. If the director’s favor was high enough and your trainee had accumulated enough fans, you’d get a short event scene and an upgrade to the trainee’s unique skill. That was about it.
…But just like the trainer job itself, this world’s version includes many things the game glossed over.

First of all, in this world the Fan Appreciation Festival isn’t held only in spring, but also in autumn. Held twice a year, it’s an opportunity for fans to interact with star Uma Musume they normally wouldn’t get to meet. Every time, it’s packed—apparently, even just getting in requires winning a lottery with daunting odds. I didn’t have much involvement with it in my previous life either, but imagining a large-scale idol event is probably close enough.

As for what actually happens at the festival… Teams with five or more Uma Musume, volunteer groups of Uma Musume, and certain popular individuals set up stalls or host events. Everyone enjoys a break from the ordinary while entertaining visitors at the same time. The scale is enormous, but you can think of it as something like a human high school cultural festival.

…And the tricky part is the “certain popular Uma Musume” clause. G1 winners—and especially those with overwhelming popularity—are requested by the academy, and more or less forced, to put on some kind of project. There are no G1 races through Junior-class autumn, and Classic-class spring is exempt since it comes right before the Satsuki Sho, but… starting in Classic-class autumn, you move from “enjoying the festival” to “being one of the people making it lively.”

My trainee, Hoshino Willm, naturally falls under “certain popular Uma Musume.” After all, she’s already won four G1 titles—the Hopeful Stakes, Satsuki Sho, Japan Derby, and Takarazuka Kinen—and is considered one of the central figures of the current Twinkle Series. From Tracen Academy’s perspective, if they want to hype up the festival, they would absolutely want her to run a project.

To summarize everything so far… Hoshino Willm is putting on a solo project at the school festival.

That said, it’s possible the app version reflected her record as an “undefeated Double Crown winner who placed second in the Kikuka Sho,” and therefore set her aptitude higher than the more realistic version of her here… But even then, that would have been her final aptitude after everything had already been raised.

In this world, you really can “surpass aptitude through effort.”

I became convinced of that fact shortly after enrolling at Tracen Academy. It was when I watched Silence Suzuka racing overseas through a smartphone livestream. My App Reincarnation works even when viewed through a lens or a screen, and in that moment, these lines leapt into my vision.

Silence Suzuka
Turf A / Dirt G
Sprint D / Mile A / Middle Distance A / Long Distance D
Front-runner A / Pace C / Late E / Closer G

…What matters here is her long-distance aptitude. I never managed to pull her in the app in my previous life, but I clearly remember her having an almost hopeless aptitude there. Silence Suzuka’s long-distance aptitude should have been E. It had risen by one rank—now D.

When she was running in the Twinkle Series, her long-distance aptitude was E. I confirmed it myself by watching archived footage, so there’s no mistake. Yet now, racing overseas, she’s D. Inheriting wishes via the Three Goddess Statue would be nearly impossible for Suzuka, since she hasn’t returned to Tracen. Taking that into account, I can say this with near certainty: in this world, repeated training can raise aptitude itself.
…Though only for a rare few geniuses willing to put in extraordinary effort.

Based on the sheer number of race videos I’ve watched so far, distance aptitude is manageable down to B. Once it drops to C, however, winning a graded race becomes difficult. Aptitude C is a penalty severe enough to overturn differences in raw specs. Mihono Bourbon currently has B aptitude for middle distance, and C for long distance. As things stand, the Kikuka Sho will be harsh, and even the Satsuki Sho and the Japan Derby become dangerous prospects. One way or another, we have to raise her middle- and long-distance aptitude.

…Mihono Bourbon’s almost mechanical memory makes it possible to break through the wall of aptitude. But if she focuses solely on executing that, other options will be cut off. Naturally, running unfamiliar distances or styles will also prevent her from fully bringing out her strengths. She managed in her debut because the gap in ability was overwhelming, but it’s hard to believe the same approach will work in G1 races.

And then there’s another factor. With Mihono Bourbon in the picture, a black assassin will also appear in the same Classic races. If she can’t fully utilize her strengths, the stayer who bears a blessed name will easily run her down.

So then, how do we raise middle- and long-distance aptitude? Honestly, I don’t have a clear answer. Looking at turf racing history, there’s no doubt that harsh training is required. Especially for middle and long distances, it seems necessary to repeatedly run those distances and acclimate to their length and pace distribution… But unfortunately, Mihono Bourbon hasn’t reached that stage yet. First, we need to raise her stamina to around 300. Only then can we begin acclimating her to middle distance, and afterward to long distance.

That’s why the aptitude issue—one of her three weaknesses—can’t be solved immediately.

…The “stamina problem” and the “aptitude problem.” For both of these, at least provisional solutions are in place. The latter can’t be fixed right away, but we’ll raise her middle-distance aptitude by the Satsuki Sho, and her long-distance aptitude by the Kikuka Sho. I’ll make it in time. That’s my job as her trainer.

But the final problem is… probably something I can’t solve. The only one who can resolve it is Mihono Bourbon herself—and the one who can help her do that is likely…

"Trainer—!"

At the voice calling out from afar, I lifted my face from my notebook. When I turned around, I saw Tazuna-san—who’s been helping me these past few days—running toward me.

"Tazuna-san. Is there some work?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

"I wouldn’t say it’s particularly unfortunate, but…"

Tazuna-san takes care of documents that don’t require judgment from me, Hoshino Willm, or Mihono Bourbon. Given that, any work she brings directly to me at this time of year can only mean…
Ah. Don’t tell me.

"Is it a project?"

"Yes. This is about the Autumn Fan Appreciation Festival—the Holy Hoof Festival."

In the app from my previous life, the Fan Appreciation Festival was a spring event. If the director’s favor was high enough and your trainee had enough fans, you’d get a short event and an upgrade to their unique skill. That was it.
…But in this world, just like with the trainer job itself, there are many elements the game glossed over.

First of all, here the Fan Appreciation Festival isn’t held only in spring, but also in autumn. Held twice a year, it’s a chance to interact with star Uma Musume you normally wouldn’t get to meet. Every time, it’s packed—apparently, even getting in requires winning a lottery with steep odds. I didn’t have much connection to it in my previous life either, but imagining a large idol event is probably close enough.

As for what actually happens at the festival… Teams with five or more Uma Musume, volunteer groups of Uma Musume, and certain popular individuals set up stalls or host events. Everyone enjoys something out of the ordinary while entertaining visitors at the same time. The scale is huge, but you can think of it like a human high school cultural festival.

…And the tricky part is the “certain popular Uma Musume” clause. G1 winners and especially popular Uma Musume are requested by the academy—and more or less forced—to put on some kind of project. There are no G1 races through Junior-class autumn, and Classic-class spring is exempt since it’s right before the Satsuki Sho, but… starting in Classic-class autumn, you move from “enjoying the festival” to “being on the side that livens it up.”

My trainee, Hoshino Willm, naturally falls under “certain popular Uma Musume.” After all, she’s already won four G1 titles—the Hopeful Stakes, Satsuki Sho, Japan Derby, and Takarazuka Kinen—and is said to be one of the core figures of the current Twinkle Series. From Tracen Academy’s perspective, if they want to make the festival exciting, they’d absolutely want her to put on a project.

To summarize everything so far… Hoshino Willm is putting on a solo project at the school festival.

That was why I needed to compile the project Hoshino Willm would put on and submit it to the higher-ups. Of course, I couldn’t just come up with something on my own and turn it in, so I told her to think overnight about what kind of project she wanted to do.

And the result was…

"…I couldn’t think of anything."

The next day, during our pre-training meeting, Hoshino Willm said this with a slightly troubled—no, to be blunt, rather exhausted—expression.

"I mean, all I’ve really done up until now is run… I don’t have hobbies, I can’t cook… and thinking on my own about how to make the fans happy is just really hard…"

"I see. So you thought about it so much you ended up sleep-deprived."

"Eh—w, why?"

Hoshino Willm patted her face with both hands. No, it’s not like she has dark circles or anything. It’s just that her current condition now has “slightly sleep-deprived” added to it.

Still, I’m honestly glad to see her seriously worrying about something other than running. It shows her growth. Back in the early days, she would tune out half—no, more like eighty percent—of any conversation that wasn’t about running. And now she’s agonizing to the point of exhaustion over how to thank her fans…

That means she’s gained interest in things beyond running. That she’s shaken off the shackles her father placed on her.

For now, at least, she’ll be fine. Her life ahead will hold many things, but she should be able to walk it on her own two legs.

Yeah… I’m really glad. Maybe I was able to help her a little… maybe.

No. That’s wrong.

From the bottom of my heart, a slow, creeping sense of helplessness spreads. Don’t get full of yourself. As if you could save anyone. Are you really going to pretend you didn’t see it again and do nothing?

…That’s right. That’s how it is.

I still haven’t done anything. I haven’t given her anything. I need to work harder. I need to try harder—harder, and keep trying harder. It feels like I’m about to lose something important.

It’s a strange, hazy, indefinable sense of helplessness that comes over me from time to time. Like foul sludge settled at the bottom of a river—something unpleasant, whose depths you can’t see. I don’t know what it is. I don’t want to know. I don’t even want to remember.

…But thanks to that transparent, uncomfortable emotion, I was able to regain my composure.

Right. I can’t make a face like it’s all over. Hoshino Willm’s Twinkle Series isn’t even halfway done yet.

Now then, first things first—we need to deal with the problem right in front of us. “Slightly sleep-deprived” is a troublesome bad condition. The sooner it’s dealt with, the better.

"Being short on sleep will interfere with training. After today’s meeting, go take a nap in the infirmary."

"Eh, no, but—"

"No ‘buts.’"

"I’ll be fine—"

"You said you were fine before the Takarazuka Kinen too."

"……"

"Sorry, but you’ll have to give in today. Get proper sleep, and you can run again tonight."

No matter what she says, I’m not backing down this time. The reason is simple: I learned firsthand how scary “slightly sleep-deprived” can be, long ago.

…I suddenly remember my previous life’s app—right before summer camp, I got hit with the combo of Slightly Sleep-Deprived, then Sleep-Deprived, then a Tension Down event. That was a terrible incident…

Even setting aside my past-life knowledge, training while sleep-deprived should be avoided. Your focus drops, and what you learn doesn’t stick. In the long run, it’s smarter to reset your condition once, then try again.

Anyway, I’ve gone off topic a bit.

Just as I was about to say, “So what should we do, then?” out loud… Mihono Bourbon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

"The agenda concerns the project Hoshino Willm-senpai will present. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, that’s right."

"Then I propose identifying senpai’s interests by reviewing the projects and stalls that previously caught her attention at past Fan Appreciation Festivals."

At that, Hoshino Willm and I exchanged glances.

During her time here, the festival has been held three times—Junior-class spring, Junior-class autumn, and Classic-class spring—but…

"If I recall, during Junior-class spring, she was training nonstop and didn’t attend the festival. The Tracen grounds weren’t available, so she was running outside instead."

"It was the same in Junior-class autumn, right?"

"Yeah. And Classic-class spring was right before the Satsuki Sho, so we were busy with final workouts."

"To summarize, she has not participated in the Fan Appreciation Festival up to this point."

"That’s right."

Naturally, I didn’t attend any of those three either. I stayed with Hoshino Willm the entire time.

Hearing that, Bourbon closed her mouth, her expression unchanged.

"…Don’t be discouraged, Mihono Bourbon. Your suggestions are usually on point. This time it’s just… Hoshino Willm being a bit… well."

"What do you mean by ‘well’?"

As she herself said, Hoshino Willm devoted herself entirely to running up until now. Because of that, she has no particular hobbies and no standout skills outside of running. In a way, it’s only natural that she can’t think of a project she wants to do.

…Come to think of it, I feel a bit of kinship there. I’m a workaholic too.

After freezing for a moment, Bourbon nodded once and spoke again.

"In that case, I propose narrowing down ideas based on Hoshino Willm-senpai’s strengths and talents outside of running."

"My strengths… outside of running? M-my face…?"

"Don’t mutter something so sad, Hoshino Willm. You have many other good qualities."

"L-like what…?"

"Your kindness."

"So I’m just a ‘kind Uma Musume,’ is that it!?"

"Is being a kind Uma Musume not a good thing…?"

She seems oddly worked up, but I do think Hoshino Willm is a kind girl. Even after Bourbon suddenly appeared and cut into the time I spend with her as a trainer, she still teaches Bourbon various things and offers her advice.

And kindness is just the first thing that comes to mind—she has countless other admirable traits.

"You’re also serious, and outside of training matters, you’re honest and don’t lie. You’re positive, with the mental strength to face reality head-on. And above all, your stoicism. When it comes to training and self-improvement, there aren’t many Uma Musume with more passion than you. On top of that, you’re charming, and you have strong communication skills—you can make friends easily if given the chance. Even just focusing on your mental qualities, there are this many, and of course your looks as well—"

"U-um, that’s enough… really, please stop there…"

Hoshino Willm’s face turned red as she lowered her gaze.

A very cute, very age-appropriate reaction for a young girl.

…From the look of it, she really isn’t used to being praised.

Her life so far has been full of hardship. She probably hasn’t had many chances to be praised directly.

Yeah. If anything, I should praise her proactively, if only to build up her resistance. It’s not like she’s the type to get carried away anyway.

When a young child does their best, it’s an adult’s duty to praise them properly.

While I was quietly refining my understanding of her and adjusting my approach yet again, it seems she had finished organizing her own thoughts as well.

Bourbon gave a single, firm nod and spoke.

"If that is the case, I will carry out one proposal. How about a consultation booth?"

"A consultation booth?"

"Hoshino Willm-senpai has listened to the concerns of many junior-class Uma Musume, myself included. Based on the results, I recognize the level of satisfaction as consistently high. From that current state and the master’s remarks, I infer that Hoshino Willm-senpai, due to her excellent mentality, possesses the ability to either provide solutions to others’ worries or offer them reassurance. I believe there is demand for a project in which she listens to fans’ concerns."

"I see."

"H-High satisfaction…?"

Indeed, appearances aside, Hoshino Willm is quite skilled at grasping people’s hearts and guiding them.

I’ve been scolded by her and talked into things more times than I can count. I know that firsthand.

On top of that, she has a level of emotional maturity that hardly seems fitting for a middle schooler. Someone like her should be fully capable of thinking from the other person’s perspective.

…Yeah. That idea works.

"Let’s go with that. There are plenty of details we’ll need to hammer out, but I think it’s a solid proposal."

"I will also assist on the day of the event."

"Are you sure about that, Mihono Bourbon?"

"Hoshino Willm-senpai has always taught me many things. I believe I should repay that kindness little by little, in whatever way I am capable of."

"Not forgetting a debt is a good thing. In that case, maybe you can help with crowd control… or rather, handing out numbered tickets? Or assisting Hoshino Willm directly?"

Bourbon really is serious and well-behaved.

Volunteering to help at the Fan Appreciation Festival isn’t something many kids her age could easily do. She already knows, from April, that simply walking around and looking is plenty fun.

Of course, I’m grateful for Bourbon’s kindness. We’ll definitely need the manpower, so I’ll accept her offer without hesitation.

…That said, I can’t just let her work the whole time.

Uma Musume aren’t meant to do nothing but run.

This precious racing life, which only comes once, should be lived while experiencing many things and carrying many emotions. Anything less would be a waste.

That’s why I want both her and Hoshino Willm to truly enjoy the Fan Appreciation Festival as an event.

Fun things. Sad things. Happy things. Unpleasant things.

By going through all kinds of experiences and growing as Uma Musume, I want them to be able to say, when they eventually transfer to the Dream Trophy League, “It was a Twinkle Series with no regrets.”

"Still, once you’ve helped out for a while, feel free to walk around on your own. You have friends too, don’t you?"

"Friends…"

…She’s staring upward with her mouth slightly open. Is she thinking about who she’d go around with?

I’ve seen that expression in the app before too—she really does look like that ‘space cat’ meme. Cute.

"…Um, that consultation thing…"

"Hm? You don’t like it, Hoshino Willm?"

"I believe Hoshino Willm-senpai can handle it without issue."

"N-No, it’s nothing… really, it’s nothing… I mean, I’ll do it. Let’s do it!"

Something about Hoshino Willm’s reaction caught my attention, but the consultation booth proposal was approved.

If she truly disliked it, she would have said so plainly. So it probably wasn’t that bad…

…but still, what was that about?

Surely it’s not that Hoshino Willm—of all people, someone so good at communication—lacked confidence in talking cheerfully with strangers, almost backed out, then steeled herself for the fans’ sake…

No. That can’t be it.