Chapter 47: ■

The Autumn Fan Appreciation Festival ended without incident.

Hoshino Wilm’s project, “Wilm’s Advice Corner,” drew an unprecedented crowd for a Classic-tier Uma Musume, and the academy staff seemed more than satisfied with the results. No suspicious individuals appeared as feared, no scandals occurred, and everything concluded peacefully. …Well, when Agnes Digital—before enrolling at Tracen Academy—showed up, I nearly let out an audible gasp. And when Digital was later carried out unconscious in Bourbon’s arms, I almost panicked, wondering what on earth had happened.

The survey results we collected were overwhelmingly positive, and even a quick search on social media turns up nothing but praise. “Best value ever—getting to talk directly with a star Uma Musume is god-tier,” “Wilm was such a good girl. I’m never washing the hand she shook,” “She shakes hands and even signs autographs within the time limit. Please do this again next year.” From the operations side—meaning me—there were no particularly glaring mistakes either. …All in all, it’s safe to say Hoshino Wilm’s project ended in a resounding success.

And after going through that massive festival, Hoshino Wilm herself was—

"It was soooo much fun, so I’m claiming my ‘reward right’ now!"

She was grinning from ear to ear. A dazzling smile with no hint of pretense or polite exaggeration. As someone certified at Level 4 in the Hoshino Wilm Examination, I can say this with confidence: she genuinely enjoyed the festival from the bottom of her heart. Seeing an expression so completely opposite to what I’d witnessed that morning beneath the hollow of the great tree, I almost let out a sigh of relief. Yeah. If she was able to enjoy the festival like that, nothing more could be asked for.

Being respected and liked by people—by other Uma Musume. Being supported, being loved. That sense of connection is surely something precious to Hoshino Wilm. Horino’s ideal image of a trainer is, above all, someone who stays close to their trainee’s heart and guides them in a healthy way. I’ve already strayed from that ideal myself… but even so, I don’t think the philosophy itself is wrong. That’s why I intend to continue our current policy of prioritizing Hoshino Wilm’s and the others’ mental well-being above all else.

Of course, aside from managing their condition and stamina, researching rival forces, studying data, and handling schedules—the basic duties of a trainer—this is about all I can really do. For the sake of their bright futures, I want to do whatever I can… even if the question remains of what someone as emotionally obtuse as me can truly accomplish.

Now then, that’s Hoshino Wilm. As for my other trainee, Mihono Bourbon—

"Master. Butterfly stroke, two hundred meters, completed. I request your next order."

"Good. Do one more."

"Understood. Mihono Bourbon, commencing."

…Yeah. She hasn’t changed at all. Well, I suppose that’s only natural. For her, the Appreciation Festival was probably nothing more than another routine event. Judging from the background she told me shortly after we signed our contract, Mihono Bourbon’s past and nature—while not identical—don’t differ all that much from her incarnation in the previous-life app. There are some differences in the details, such as seemingly not having met an app trainer immediately after the selection race, but still.

Taking that into account, the current Bourbon must be fully focused on achieving an undefeated Triple Crown. Until the Classic races begin, we probably can’t expect any major emotional changes from her. What I can do right now is simple: make sure Bourbon reaches the Classic races and can run without regrets, supporting her properly every step of the way.

Which brings us back, inevitably, to the immediate issues… the three weaknesses.

Mihono Bourbon has three weaknesses: “lack of stamina,” “insufficient aptitude for middle-to-long distances,” and one more. The first two already have countermeasures in place, so they aren’t a problem. The real issue is the final one—the weakness that doesn’t show up in numerical values, even with my “app reincarnation.” First, I need to acquire concrete data on that weakness.

Inside my head lies a vast store of knowledge passed down through the Horino family. If I can grasp the nature of her weakness through both numbers and intuition… then devising a countermeasure shouldn’t be that difficult.

If that’s the case, then Bourbon needs to gather data on her weakness and become aware of it herself. Meanwhile, Hoshino Wilm is gradually regaining her strength, and she needs opportunities to sharpen her racing instincts again. Those are things that can only be obtained through races. In that sense, the proposal Hoshino Wilm brought to me was extremely useful.

Right after the Appreciation Festival ended—immediately after I granted her the “reward right”—she said this:

"Trainer, I’ll be exercising my ‘reward right’ right away. Please let me have a mock race with our junior, Rice Shower-chan, and with Bourbon-chan."

…I did briefly wonder where she had even managed to make contact with Rice.

Rice Shower.

A girl distinguished by her long, slightly unruly dark bay hair and the black hat she always wears. She’s small, about the same size as Hoshino Wilm, and her eyes are a pale, light purple. She’s a Junior-tier Uma Musume this year, and like Mihono Bourbon, she possesses undeniable ability—yet until very recently, she hadn’t been contracted with a trainer.

She has even shown behavior that seems to shy away from racing itself, leading to suspicions that she might harbor fear toward races where she has to compete against other Uma Musume. Such cases aren’t particularly rare. Timid girls can be overwhelmed by the heat and pressure of racing and end up afraid of competing with others. …That said, this theory is wrong. Rice Shower is an Uma Musume with unbelievable grit—the kind who despairs, yet never gives up on herself.

Of course, from the perspective of trainers in this world, none of that is obvious. Tracen Academy exists for Uma Musume who run. Trainers have little interest in Uma Musume who appear to lack the will to race. As a result, Rice Shower hasn’t drawn much attention from trainers so far.

…But Rice Shower isn’t just any Uma Musume. She’s a named one. In other words, in the previous-life app, she had a name, a unique skill, and a real-life racehorse as her origin. In that app, she was one of the outstanding stayers who fought for the Classic Triple Crown against my current trainee, Mihono Bourbon.

As for the real-life racehorse who served as her origin… well, I only looked into it briefly a long time ago, so I don’t know all the fine details. But Rice Shower was a pure stayer, with a small frame and seemingly inexhaustible stamina. Unfortunately, she didn’t leave behind a consistently stable record, but thanks to her jockey’s relentless marking, she claimed victory in the Kikuka Sho and went on to win the Tenno Sho (Spring) twice.

Winning three G1 races among the Eight Major Races—especially the Kikuka Sho, which you can only enter once in a lifetime, and the prestigious Tenno Sho—is an astonishing achievement. It’s fair to say she stands among the strongest stayers ever to leave their mark on history.

…However. In the world of Uma Musume, Rice Shower is rarely spoken of as a great. The reason is that Uma Musume Rice Shower is often portrayed with heavy emphasis on her role as a villain.

To begin with, the racehorse Rice Shower wasn’t particularly celebrated early on. Her pedigree was excellent, but her small build led to doubts—or so they say. Even looking at her actual race results, after winning her debut, she struggled to shine, and by the time of the Kikuka Sho, she had only managed a single Open race victory, or something close to that.

Normally, if such a racehorse went on to win the Kikuka Sho, it wouldn’t be strange for it to be remembered as a Cinderella story. It wouldn’t be—except for one thing. In the same generation, there was an undefeated two-crown horse: Mihono Bourbon.

Enduring unbelievably harsh training, Mihono Bourbon transcended her sprinter bloodline to enter the Classic races. She demonstrated overwhelming strength and calmly racked up win after win. By the time she reached the Kikuka Sho, having cleared both the Satsuki Sho and the Japan Derby, she stood at seven wins from seven starts. Naturally, people hoped for it. A new legend, unseen since Symboli Rudolf: the birth of an undefeated Triple Crown horse.

…But that dream was crushed by a black assassin. To fans who had pinned their hopes on Mihono Bourbon, it looked like “some out-of-nowhere horse that wasn’t even a real rival stole the undefeated Triple Crown dream.”

In the Uma Musume app—especially in the main story—Rice Shower’s portrayal strongly reflects these anecdotes. Winning on the grand stage of the Kikuka Sho, only to be met not with cheers but with jeers, for example. From what I’ve heard, the real-life treatment wasn’t nearly as harsh as in Uma Musume, but that aside.

After that, Rice Shower went on to win the Tenno Sho (Spring), where Mejiro McQueen was aiming for a historic three-peat. The nickname she earned as a result was “Record Breaker.” A black assassin who destroys legends etched into the record books.

As a result of reflecting those historical facts, Rice Shower in the app was characterized as an Uma Musume who, through sheer bad luck, ended up cast in the role of a villainous heel. Well, it’s precisely because she keeps running—overcoming that curse, striving to someday become an Uma Musume who can make someone happy—that Rice Shower is so precious… but anyway.

That said, the circumstances differ greatly between the previous-life app and this world. The burden placed on Rice Shower here should be significantly lighter.

First, regarding Bourbon and the Kikuka Sho. I believe that Hoshino Wilm will become an undefeated Triple Crown frontrunner this year. Because of that, I expect the public’s fervor surrounding an undefeated Triple Crown won’t reach the same fever pitch it did in my previous life. Of course, the idea of back-to-back undefeated Triple Crowns is a dream in its own right, so who knows how it’ll really turn out. …Though, frankly, it’s not something I want to dwell on too much—there’s no absolute guarantee that Bourbon herself will even secure an undefeated double crown. Naturally, I intend to support her with everything I’ve got.

As for McQueen’s Spring Tenno Sho three-peat as well. In the very first year—this year, of all times—her glory was snatched away by Seiun Sky, who revived herself and rewrote her fate. On top of that, Hoshino Wilm is scheduled to run next year. Call it favoritism if you want, but if she can perform at her full potential, I simply can’t envision a future where she loses to McQueen. Forget a three-peat—unless McQueen can defeat either Hoshino Wilm next year or Rice Shower the year after, even a single Spring Tenno Sho victory becomes uncertain.

…Hah. My stomach hurts.

McQueen was also one of the Uma Musume I loved in my previous-life app. From indulging in playful antics and spilling Mont Blanc cake all over the floor, to clouding over when expectations placed upon her clashed with her own feelings, to boasting such overwhelming strength that she left no room for others—she was a hybrid Uma Musume who could handle both comedy and seriousness. I raised her countless times. Honestly, a big reason was that she had great inheritance compatibility with Sky.

And yet, it was me who shattered the Spring Tenno Sho of this year—the race that was supposed to be her honor and destiny. To prepare the strongest possible rival for Hoshino Wilm, I stirred Seiun Sky into action. As a result—well, not by my efforts alone, but thanks to the fans, the trainers, and above all Seiun Sky herself—Sky won the Spring Tenno Sho. …She won the race that Mejiro McQueen was originally supposed to win.

This world—the Twinkle Series—is cruel. When someone who was never meant to win becomes a winner, it means someone who was meant to win becomes a loser. If Seiun Sky wins, Mejiro McQueen loses. That’s simply how it works.

…Really. Things never go the way you want them to.

Symboli Rudolf’s ideal—a world where all Uma Musume can be happy. I do think that would be the best possible world… but how could such a world ever be realized without sacrifices? As long as there’s a first-place finisher, there will always be those from second to eighteenth. Holding hands and crossing the finish line together might be allowed in elementary divisions, but in the world of athletes, that kind of indulgence isn’t permitted.

Within that reality, a trainer must cast seventeen Uma Musume into defeat for the sake of their own trainee’s victory. That has to come first.

And as the result of that egoism… an Uma Musume I loved lost the Spring Tenno Sho and went on to suffer a crushing fourth-place finish in the Takarazuka Kinen.

When I stirred up Seiun Sky, I resolved myself to accept that cruel outcome. I resolved myself… but that doesn’t make it any less painful.

Mejiro McQueen… will she be able to find happiness in this world?

…Huh? Wait. Why was I even thinking about McQueen in the first place?

"Trainer."

"Master."

"Hm—yeah?"

Someone called out to me, and my vision returned from my thoughts to reality.

Standing in front of me were two Uma Musume. My trainees: Hoshino Wilm and Mihono Bourbon.

"Are you all right? You seemed completely lost in thought."

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about it."

I waved lightly in response as Hoshino Wilm looked up at me with concern. She then glanced toward Bourbon and spoke.

"Bourbon-chan, begin check."

"Order acknowledged. Commencing assessment. Please excuse me… Pupillary response normal. Pulse within acceptable variance. Core stability within acceptable variance. Respiration shows slight irregularity. Body temperature slightly low. Conclusion: mild fatigue detected, but overall health is deemed satisfactory."

"Hm. We’ll have you rest later, then. So for now, that means it wasn’t a lie."

"All I’ve learned is that my words apparently carry zero credibility."

"Of course they don’t."

Apparently, my trust rating had dropped to rock bottom without me noticing. Especially when it comes to self-reported health, they haven’t believed me at all lately. I thought I’d been managing myself properly—at the very least, making sure not to show any outward signs of trouble. Though, well… it clearly wasn’t perfect.

The reason they—or rather, Hoshino Wilm—started paying such close attention to my condition… yeah, that would be since Bourbon’s debut race. I slipped up then and let them see straight through my fatigue. On top of that, I ended up receiving a lap pillow from Bourbon, which Hoshino Wilm witnessed—an outright public execution. …Thinking about it calmly, I suppose it’s fair if I’m judged as a useless adult who can’t even manage himself. Haha…

A-anyway. My reputation doesn’t matter right now. I need to deal with what’s in front of me.

"Did you finish stretching?"

"Just a light routine."

"I am fully prepared."

Stretching before exercise is basic common sense. Especially before an Uma Musume runs, it’s absolutely essential. If an accident happens during a race, it doesn’t just affect the runner herself—it causes trouble for the others too, and in the worst case, could even trigger a pileup involving many Uma Musume.

That’s why girls who take training seriously are such a relief. Both of my trainees are impressively rational for their age, and I’m grateful for it.

"Good. Then I’ll explain today’s plan."

It’s early October. Today is the day of the three-person mock race that Hoshino Wilm requested, going so far as to invoke her “reward right.”

“Reward Rights” are absolute command authority.

“This is what I can do for you, in return for how hard you worked.” That’s what I say every time I grant one—and it only has value because I always make sure to honor it. That’s why, when I’m given an order using it, I generally make a point of complying. …To the extent that I even accepted the embarrassment of having one of my trainees—who is essentially my student—give me a lap pillow.

That said, the key word is “generally.” There are, of course, exceptions—orders I simply cannot follow.

First, anything that would severely interfere with my duties as a trainer. If I’m told, “die,” I can’t comply, because I can’t abandon my contract with that girl. If I’m told, “let me slack off for a year,” I can’t do that either, because there are races she needs to run. However, if I’m told, “terminate the contract,” I would be willing to accept it. What I’m obligated to uphold is “my work as a trainer,” not “managing a specific girl at all costs.” If it’s truly for her benefit, then stepping away is also one possible choice. …Of course, I plan to make sure Bourbon never says something like that. And Hoshino Wilm probably wouldn’t either.

Second, I can’t comply with instructions that are simply impossible. If someone tells me to shoot beams from my eyes, that’s not happening. If there’s a method, I’ll try—but I’m still just an ordinary human. Some things are genuinely impossible.

Lastly, I can’t follow orders that are clearly not for that girl’s benefit. It’s rare, I think, but… if someone said, “Please break my legs,” I’d refuse outright. I don’t believe that would lead to a brighter future for any Uma Musume. This is supposed to be a reward, after all—it has to be something that benefits them.

Those are the three exceptions. Which means that, aside from those, I fully intend to comply with anything.

"Let Rice Shower run a mock race with Mihono Bourbon" doesn’t fall under any of those categories. So, of course, I handled the scheduling for my own trainee, Mihono Bourbon, then set out to find Rice Shower’s trainer, get in touch, and propose the mock race…

Well. I never imagined Rice’s trainer would turn out to be that man. Completely beyond my expectations—an outcome I never could’ve predicted.

While thinking about that, I was watching the three Uma Musume on the turf when someone called out to me. It feels like it’s been quite a while—probably because of Hoshino Wilm’s recovery period—but when it comes to a man who talks to me during mock races, there’s only one possibility…

"Horino-kun…"

A familiar—no, not familiar—voice. Or rather, it is familiar, but compared to usual, it’s unbelievably hoarse.

The one who lined up beside me—or more accurately, collapsed against the outer rail—was my now all-too-familiar colleague: Nice Nature’s trainer.

Normally, he greets me with a constant, suspiciously cheerful smile, but today something was clearly wrong. …His face was pale, his gaze unfocused, and his whole body trembled slightly. Even without Bourbon’s diagnostics, I could tell—this guy was completely exhausted.

"You don’t look… okay."

"…Yeah. Well. A bit… haha."

"Shouldn’t you go home and sleep?"

"…No, um, I’m fine."

"You really don’t look fine."

"No, see, I’m… her… Rice’s trainer, after all."

Ah. Yeah. This is bad. His eyes aren’t focusing at all, and the conversation is slightly out of sync. I’m not even sure he’s fully conscious.

…To my surprise, Rice Shower’s trainer turned out to be this man, right here, on the verge of passing out in front of me.

I didn’t hear the full details, but apparently he’d had several chances to interact with Rice, and things naturally led into a contract. He said something like, “It would be such a waste for this girl not to run—there’s no way that’s right. I want to support her somehow.” A fateful meeting, just like the one her trainer had in the previous-life app.

After that, there were various developments—barely scraping by during negotiations with Chairwoman Akikawa through sheer enthusiasm while taking on an additional trainee, receiving both a warning and an offer of support from Tazuna-san, and an oddly heavy atmosphere during Rice and Nature’s first meeting… apparently, a lot happened.

In the end, though, he was allowed to take on a second trainee. For a rookie trainer, that’s remarkable—though maybe I’m not the one who should be saying that.

Still, judging by how he looks now, it was clearly too much. Managing two trainees is brutal for an ordinary rookie trainer. Even for me—after training for twenty years at the Horino household—it was barely manageable. Ending up this exhausted is understandable. If anything, a bit of burnout could be taken as proof of how hard he’s trying…

…But still, this is painful to watch. He’s in no condition to calmly observe a mock race. Even a short nap until it ends might help.

"Haa… hey. Close your eyes."

"C-close my eyes?"

"Just do it."

"…Okay…"

Ah. He’s out.

Even with the warm autumn sunlight, that was far too fast. Just how close to the edge was he? Honestly, it’s impressive he managed to hold out this long. Pushing through on sheer willpower, huh? Seriously—this guy’s something else.

For now, I catch his collapsing body and lay him down on the grass, folding my suit jacket beneath his head. I’ll hand him over to his trainee, Rice, once the race is over.

"…I don’t really want to teach this kind of underhanded stuff, but… ah. So this is how Tazuna-san felt back then."

I don’t like getting overly involved—but I don’t want a colleague dropping dead on me, either. I finally understand that feeling.

I scribble a few notes into my planner. They’re about maximizing time efficiency—a slightly dishonest, reckless way of doing things.

“Sleep in thirty-minute intervals, at least six times a day. The moment you judge your concentration is gone during work, give up immediately and take a nap—combine sleep and rest.”

“Don’t abandon a cultured lifestyle. Especially bathing, eating, and exercise—do them regularly, even if briefly. Neglecting these lowers efficiency and makes your Uma Musume worry.”

“Train facial muscles and throat. When fatigue starts showing, mask it with a neutral expression and emotionless voice to deceive outside observers.”

“Tazuna-san’s vigilance drops in the early morning and evening. If you’re going to push work through, aim for those windows—but be careful. Getting caught means getting scolded and losing time.”

Stuff like that.

I’ve pushed myself pretty hard up to now, so I’ve learned these tricks. Thirty-minute naps are hard to oversleep, and breaking sleep into multiple segments somehow makes it feel like you’ve slept more—and gained extra usable time. Placebo effects matter. Push it too far and you risk headaches and other issues, but it’s still better than snapping from overwork entirely.

Skipping meals or baths leads to stomach pain, foggy thinking, itchiness, and a general sense of bodily imbalance—everything becomes less efficient. Maintaining the basics actually improves productivity, and neglecting them just makes your trainees worry.

Managing expressions and voice is also about keeping your trainees at ease. …Back when I barely slept, I worried my family a lot. That’s how I honed those techniques.

Finding gaps in Tazuna-san’s surveillance network… is the result of refinement born from countless battles over the past nearly two years.

That woman gets furious when you overwork yourself. I mean, I’m trying to quietly handle things assuming unpaid overtime, and she still explodes—does she really have to get that mad?

I can’t even count how many times I was caught and scolded before learning the tricks. Honestly, Tazuna-san’s abilities go beyond human.

Now then—just a bit more advice about the trainer job, mostly paperwork-related… alright. Tear out the page and slip it into this guy’s pocket.

…He’ll notice it, right? He won’t just leave it there and toss it into the washing machine, right? The jacket doesn’t look washable anyway, so it should be fine… probably.

"…Still, Tazuna-san didn’t stop him, huh. Or maybe she did, and he charged ahead anyway."

He looks gentle, but he’s a schemer. Looks like a schemer, but at heart he’s hot-blooded.

If a girl appears whom he truly wants to support, he’ll throw reason aside and charge straight ahead.

That kind of heart—one perfectly suited to being a trainer.

That’s why I’m not all that worried about him.

By increasing his number of trainees from his very first year with little preparation, he’s almost certainly going to face countless problems, and the difficulty of his work will rise more than ever before…

Even so, he’s the trainer who brought Nature this far.

I’m sure he’ll overcome those problems together with his trainees, step by step.

…Still. Rice Shower, huh.

For Hoshino Wilm, it was Nice Nature.

And for Mihono Bourbon, it’s Rice Shower.

This guy really does keep signing with girls who end up facing my trainees in the Kikuka Sho.

It’s almost like it’s not the Uma Musume, but him and me, who are destined to collide…

"Same class, rookies, lacking experience—unchanged conditions… guess that makes us what you’d call rivals."

Looking at my colleague sleeping with a face like he’s about to throw up, I feel a twinge of nostalgia and remember when we first met.

…Correction. He’s actually sleeping while slightly puking. Better put him in the recovery position.

When we first met, I thought he was a very pure, straightforward young man. Too straightforward, even, to belong in the trainer profession.

But as I worked with him, I realized he had a knack for strategy. And though he seemed calm, he carried a burning passion for Uma Musume beneath the surface.

That dual nature—like ice and flame—made me realize once again that he was a trainer worthy of respect.

He often came to me to exchange training theories, and through sharing information and talking about all kinds of things, we grew close enough to call each other friends.

Even though he’s older, he once told me,

"You can be casual with me. We’re from the same generation, right?"

And I think he considers me a fairly close friend too… probably. I think.

…Still, to think he’d end up like this.

I know he’s a capable trainer—one you can never let your guard down around…

But I never imagined he’d take charge of Nice Nature—and Rice Shower as well.

Handling two named Uma Musume as a rookie… he’s practically a protagonist.

So does that make me his rival? Or maybe the antagonist?

…No. This isn’t a game. It wouldn’t do to keep thinking in game-like terms forever.

I’m me. Horino Ayumu, born into this world—not a character from some mobile app.

And… Hoshino Wilm, Mihono Bourbon, and Rice Shower are the same.

They’re Uma Musume living in this world. And the races they run are living things too.

I have my own predictions for how this race will turn out—but whether they’re correct, I don’t know.

That’s racing in this world. You never know what will happen.

"Alright… it’s about time."

I’m worried about his condition, sure… but more than that, I need to see their race through.

…Now then.

For Hoshino Wilm, it’s been a while.

For Mihono Bourbon—and Rice Shower—it’s a clash against an upperclassman, a higher-ranked generation.

The race of these three—

Begins now.