Chapter 65: The probability of overtaking Silence Suzuka is displayed as 0%.

Just the other day, we were talking about things like the Fan Appreciation Festival and the autumn G1 campaign, and before I knew it, November was already drawing to a close.

Autumn had completely passed, and a biting cold had settled over Tracen Academy.

That said, Uma Musume bodies are far more resistant to the cold than human ones. Even when the temperature drops sharply, you can still see them running outside like it’s nothing—some in nothing but jerseys, some even in shorts, and depending on the girl, bloomers.

Bloomers, huh. So they didn’t go extinct in this world after all. Well, compared to underwear-style gear, they’re less likely to let sand get inside, so it’s not all bad.

By the way, whether an Uma Musume wears shorts or bloomers is entirely a matter of personal preference. Obviously, I’m firmly on the shorts side. Because it’s embarrassing. Wearing bloomers when you still have memories of a past life is just… too much.

…Wait. What was I even talking about?

Anyway—back to the point. Winter had properly set in, and the cold was no longer something you could brush off.

Even though Uma Musume are naturally tolerant of low temperatures, that just means their threshold is higher. Cold is still cold.

If it’s for training, we grit our teeth and endure it. But if we’re being honest, we’d rather not go outside at all. If possible, we’d much prefer to stay holed up under a warm kotatsu or in a nicely heated room. That’s the unvarnished truth.

In that sense, November 25th—the day after the Japan Cup—might have been one of the calmest and happiest days imaginable.

After all, we didn’t go outside to train at all. We stayed indoors the entire time.

---

"Well then… let’s properly begin our strategy meetings, shall we?"

The trainer’s voice echoed through the well-heated trainer’s office.

Bourbon-chan and I, who had been chatting while seated, immediately straightened our posture at his words.

Our trainer, Ayumu-san, is extremely cautious. As a rule, training is prohibited the day after an official race, since heavy fatigue tends to accumulate in the legs. Of course, we’re firmly warned that even voluntary training is absolutely forbidden.

Sometimes, as a way of saying “good job on the race,” the entire day is designated as a complete rest day… but this time, we couldn’t really afford to be that relaxed.

If we can’t move, then we still have to do what we can for the next race, even while staying put.

After all, the next race is the Arima Kinen.

A hellish lineup. A hellish kaiju battle royale.

And so, today—the day after the Japan Cup—the few hours leading up to the evening victory party were devoted to strategy meetings for the races ahead.

"By ‘each,’ does that mean there will be discussion about my operation as well?"

As if confirming the details, Bourbon-chan, seated beside me, raised her hand and asked the trainer.

The only one who couldn’t run right now was me, having just raced in the Japan Cup. Bourbon-chan, on the other hand, could have trained as usual.

Even so, the trainer deliberately gave her the day off and aligned her schedule with mine.

Apparently, Uma Musume can improve their training efficiency by training together with other Uma Musume they’re close to.

So when a trainer has multiple charges, it’s more efficient to synchronize rest days and build shared training schedules whenever possible, rather than training everyone separately.

Setting that logic aside, from my point of view, getting to train with a cute underclassman is pure luck. And I’m honestly happy that even strategy meetings like this are something we do together.

I’m happy… but.

Bourbon-chan’s strategy meeting should have already been done the day after the Begonia Sho. I missed it because I was busy with my final workout, so I don’t know the details—but it’s fair to wonder whether she really needed to attend another one now.

Tilting her head slightly, Bourbon-chan listened as the trainer pulled out his notebook and replied with a wry smile.

"It’s not like we’ve obtained any critically important new information, so this will mostly be a review and confirmation of the strategy. …But your senior here is a worrier. If I don’t explain the analysis properly, she won’t be able to stay calm on race day. Humor her."

…Needless to say, I turned a little red.

Hey! Don’t tell unnecessary things like that to my cute junior…!

---

Pulling myself together—back to race talk.

Bourbon-chan’s next race is the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.

It’s one of the four G1 races held at the end of the year to determine the junior-class champion.

A gateway race for junior-class girls, said to have a direct impact on entries and results in the following year’s classic races.

For Bourbon-chan, it’s both a goal imposed as a condition for earning the trainer’s approval and an essential foothold she absolutely wants to secure if she’s aiming for the Triple Crown.

Excluding the dirt race, the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun, the three G1s are the Hopeful Stakes, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.

Any Uma Musume who conquers these draws significant attention as a strong contender for the classic races.

To be blunt, if you win this, you can essentially secure a spot in the Satsuki Sho even if you never race again afterward.

Conversely, if you don’t win here, you’ll need to enter multiple other races to build fan numbers, or aim for high placements in trial races.

That naturally restricts your rotation and schedule, making it difficult to assemble ideal training… or so it seems.

I wouldn’t really know, since I’ve never lost. But according to the trainer, who’s familiar with the historical data, that’s how it works.

Win here, and you gain instant prestige, secure your classic race entry, and free up your schedule. It’s not just killing two birds with one stone—it’s three.

That’s exactly why the year-end G1 races for juniors attract so many precocious Uma Musume and are never something you can take lightly.

So then—who are Bourbon-chan’s rivals in this year’s Asahi Hai?

"First and foremost, the one we need to be wary of… is the G2 Uma Musume who won the Keio Hai Nisai Stakes. Fruit Parfait, with three wins in four starts so far.

"She’s hard to read—sometimes she positions herself up front, other times she comes roaring from the back—but in the Asahi Hai, she’ll likely push forward aggressively to keep up with Mihono Bourbon’s pace.

"Her final three furlongs in the Keio Hai were 35.2 seconds. Even though the Asahi Hai is 200 meters longer, she’s probably the one with the highest chance of defeating Mihono Bourbon."

35.2 seconds, huh. That’s an average of about… 11.7 seconds per 200 meters?

Wow. That’s pretty impressive. If she could maintain that pace consistently over 2400 meters on a rough track, she’d be about as fast as me.

"…That said, Mihono Bourbon, as long as you run properly, you shouldn’t lose.

"Fruit Parfait is certainly formidable, but your specs are a level above hers.

"Above all, stay calm and run the way you always do."

"Understood, Master."

The trainer and Bourbon-chan nodded to each other.

I mostly agree with that assessment.

Bourbon-chan has been getting stronger by the day.

I can’t expect her to keep up with my final workouts yet, but in regular training, she can follow along just fine now.

The other day, we ran 2000 meters as a test, and she posted a fairly respectable time. She’s probably slower than I was at the same age last year, but at this level, she likely would’ve been competitive in the Hopeful Stakes as well.

Heading into the Asahi Hai in that condition… well, considering she’s been training at a level close to mine, it’s only natural that her specs are a cut above.

After all, her trainer is Ayumu-san. Of course she’s fast.

If I had to point out one concern… it’s that this isn’t just a casual race, but an official one.

Depending on how the other Uma Musume shape the race—and on her tendency to get carried away—that advantage could still be overturned.

"Other ones to watch out for would be… Machikane Tannhauser, with two wins in three starts, and a few front-running Uma Musume who might try to take the lead."

Machikane Tannhauser-chan.

A named Uma Musume who, in my previous life’s anime, belonged to Team Canopus along with Nature.

She didn’t have any standout achievements in the anime, so I don’t have a particularly strong image of her strength—but I do remember her as a mood-maker who brightened up everyone around her.

Still, she’s a named Uma Musume.

And if the trainer specifically mentioned her, then she’s clearly not someone we can afford to underestimate.

…Come to think of it, this is a pretty late realization, but Team Canopus had quite an age range, didn’t they?

They all got along so well, didn’t really use honorifics, and called each other by name without senior titles. When I watched the anime, I just assumed they were all the same age.

It seems the Team Canopus framework doesn’t exist in this world, but those four are still apparently close. They come up often in casual chats with Nature.

There’s something kind of nice about that—like fate bringing people together.

"…All in all, this is a race you can win comfortably as long as you perform at your best.

"Above all, don’t get carried away. Don’t let your vision narrow. Focus on maintaining a steady lap pace."

"Mission reaffirmed and understood."

That seemed to mark the end of her strategy review.

The Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes. A decisive junior-class showdown that would shape her future.

Do your best, Bourbon-chan. As your senior from the same stable, I’m cheering for you.

---

After a short break, the strategy meeting resumed once more.

"Alright, let’s move on to today’s main topic."

As the trainer said that, Masa-san—who had been waiting on standby—distributed several sheets of paper to us.

This is… a single page summarizing an overhead view of Nakayama Racecourse, including its gradients and key points to watch out for.

And from the second page onward… ah, the now-familiar detailed data compiling the specs of each Uma Musume. As always, the analysis is absurdly thorough.

"These are the reference data for this year’s Arima Kinen as things stand right now. There’s still just under a month until the race, so the numbers and traits may change."

For now, I flip through the pages lightly.

The first thing that catches my eye is my own current data.

Hoshino Wilm

Status
Top Speed A  821
Stamina  A+ 918
Acceleration B+ 705
Mental Strength B+ 741
Tactical Insight B 692

Aptitude
Turf S  Dirt C
Sprint D Mile C Middle A Long S
Front-runner S Pace B Stalker D Closer G

Something like that.

There’s no clear benchmark for what the cap is or what counts as “good,” so it’s a little hard to judge—but if I’m being honest, these are pretty solid numbers. Higher than many senior-class veterans who run in G1 races.

I mean, I am an undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume, after all. Heh.

Back in the day, my stamina and mental strength were the only things that really stood out. Somehow, the other stats have caught up too. Guess that’s thanks to the trainer building me up in a well-balanced way.

All things considered… yeah. I’m pretty strong, if I do say so myself.

Boom.

Alright, let’s take a look at the other notable entrants—

Huh… whoa.

Silence Suzuka

Status
Top Speed SS 1105
Stamina  A  811 (∞)
Acceleration S  1028
Mental Strength A  802
Tactical Insight C+ 539

Aptitude
Turf A  Dirt G
Sprint D Mile A Middle A Long B
Front-runner A Pace C Stalker E Closer G

…Can I pretend I didn’t see this?

No, seriously—any arrogance I’d had evaporated instantly. What is this? Aren’t these numbers ridiculous? Her top speed is almost 300 points higher than mine?!

And so the trainer’s evaluations aren’t capped at 1000 points. Should I be happy there’s still room to grow, or dizzy at just how endless the road ahead really is?

And what’s with the infinity symbol next to her stamina? And why is her tactical insight the only stat that’s so low? Is that something I’m even allowed to comment on…?

As far as aptitude goes, setting aside how absurdly wide hers is, I should have the advantage in this Arima Kinen… probably.

Still, even Suzuka-san doesn’t have an S rank for long distance. Makes me wonder if my three S-rated aptitudes are some kind of reincarnation cheat skill.

I flip the page again, and next up is Spe-chan’s data.

Special Week

Status
Top Speed A  877
Stamina  A+ 903
Acceleration S+ 1051
Mental Strength A  886
Tactical Insight B+ 729

Aptitude
Turf A  Dirt G
Sprint F Mile C Middle A Long A
Front-runner G Pace A Stalker A Closer C

There’s basically no opening here, is there…?

I barely edge her out in stamina, but purely by the numbers, she’s almost a straight-up superior version of me.

Looking at her aptitudes, she doesn’t have an obvious weakness like Suzuka-san’s long-distance rating, either. I can’t find a clear flaw at all.

As expected, the title “Japan’s Best Uma Musume” isn’t just for show.

…Honestly, if we raced head-to-head without any tricks, domains, or special strategies, there’s no way I’d win.

I thought I’d gotten pretty strong over the past two years… but even so, I’m still no match for semi-legendary figures like Suzuka-san and Spe-chan.

Well, they’ve had one more year than me to fully mature, so in that sense, it’s only natural.

Even so… losing by this much is a first for me, and it stings more than a little.

Grr…! Just you wait. I’ll climb up there too before long!

---

Once we’d gone through a good portion of the distributed materials, the trainer spoke up again.

"Alright. First, we’ll look at the course layout and go over a rough prediction of how the race might unfold. You don’t need to memorize this, so just listen for now."

With that, he waited for Masa-san to sketch a simple course diagram, then took the marker from her and continued.

"Nakayama Racecourse. Turf. Right-handed inner course. 2500 meters.

"The biggest feature of this course is that it ‘starts with a corner.’ Because part of the outer course is used, there’s a long, sweeping turn—over 500 meters—right from the start.

"As a result, being drawn into the far outside gate is generally a disadvantage. If you try to cut in toward the inside, you need to increase speed—and increasing speed means centrifugal force pushes you outward."

"Of course, that doesn’t mean the inside gate is automatically advantageous, either," the trainer added, writing several names beside the diagram.

"Now then. Within the third and fourth corners, the front-runners will battle for position—but this time, the members involved in that fight can be narrowed down pretty clearly."

"Me, Jet-sensei, and Suzuka-san, right?"

"That’s right. The three so-called extreme front-runners. There’s a chance Dai Taku Helios could get involved as well, but… whether she can keep up with your legs or Silence Suzuka’s is doubtful."

The battle for the lead refers to the opening phase of a race, where front-running Uma Musume fight over first position.

And, well—it goes without saying, but when there are multiple front-runners, that fight becomes brutal, eventually turning into something close to mutual destruction.

On top of that, this time they aren’t ordinary front-runners. There are three extreme front-runners, the type that try to blast ahead and seize the lead from the very first stride.

"Silence Suzuka and Twin Turbo are both extreme front-runners who aim to blow the field away and take the lead outright.

"Regardless of how the other Uma Musume move, they’ll both go at a brutally high pace from the very beginning, battering each other as they run. It’ll look like the final stretch of a race—right from the start."

I don’t really think that applies to me, but Uma Musume who go for an extreme escape tend to have… difficult personalities.

For example, once they start running, they can’t rein themselves in and just go all-out. Or their fighting instinct toward other Uma Musume is off the charts.

That’s why, if extreme front-runners face each other, without question—

…Well, to be fair, cases where multiple extreme front-runners enter the same race are incredibly rare, so it’s hard to say anything with absolute certainty.

But if it does happen, they’ll likely stimulate each other, get carried away, and turn the race into something absurdly high-paced. That’s the general idea.

And if they were normal extreme front-runners, then after burning everything early, they’d inevitably fade in the second half. As long as you kept your own pace, they wouldn’t be that much of a threat.

But this time, that logic doesn’t apply.

"Twin Turbo aside, Silence Suzuka is on another level. Even though her long-distance aptitude is a step below, as long as a certain condition is met, she likely won’t slow down at all."

"…Is this the part where I’m supposed to jump in? What condition?"

"Thanks, Masa. …That condition is ‘being in the lead.’"

"In the lead…? Um, do you mean something like Seiun Sky-senpai’s domain, which activates when she’s at the front?"

"No. It’s similar, but not quite. She does have a domain, but—"

Saying that, the trainer ran the marker across the whiteboard and drew a picture of Suzuka-san’s—

A drawing.

A drawing…?

Huh?

No, wait. What is this? If I had to describe it… a deer?

A deer charred to ash, drawn by a child who doesn’t even understand the concept of anatomy yet?

Why is there suddenly a deer?

"Master, what symbol is that meant to represent?"

"Silence Suzuka."

Very Suzuka-like.

…This? This horror-movie-worthy wall scribble, like some terrifying crayon monster drawn by a child?

……Well. Okay.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

Ayumu-san is god-tier as a trainer, so it’s only natural he’d be hopeless at something else. Humans are better off with flaws, honestly.

…Come to think of it, during the Fan Appreciation Festival, he was unbelievably bad at shooting games.

Could it be that this person is completely useless at everything except trainer work…?

No, wait—that’s actually kind of cute. I might even like that. Please go out with me.

While Bourbon-chan and I exchanged awkward glances and Masa lightly held her head, clearly wondering if someone should point this out, the trainer calmly wrote beneath the deer-monster—no, beneath “Suzuka-san”—the words:

Lead = Peak Condition

"To put it very simply, Silence Suzuka performs at her absolute best when she’s in the lead. Conversely, her condition drops when she isn’t."

"When she’s in good form, Silence Suzuka basically doesn’t know how to fade. It’s like she has infinite stamina."

"Infinite…" Masa muttered, as if voicing a complaint, but the trainer shook his head.

"No. I’m not exaggerating or joking.

"I don’t understand the exact mechanism, but as long as no one is ahead of her, she keeps accelerating without slowing down. And because she keeps accelerating, it becomes incredibly difficult to get in front of her.

"And then, in the final stretch—just when the other Uma Musume finally start to accelerate—she opens her domain and accelerates even further.

"You can’t beat her. You can’t even see a future where she’s beaten. That’s why she was called ‘otherworldly.’"

This time, we looked at each other for a very different reason than before.

That’s insane.

I mean, even in my previous life’s anime, Suzuka-san’s greatness was emphasized—but I didn’t think it went that far.

In a way… isn’t that similar to my own “anime reincarnation” super mode? Don’t tell me Suzuka-san is also a reincarnator…

…Yeah. No. Probably not.

…But wait. Doesn’t that basically mean she’s unbeatable? Is this someone’s “strongest Uma Musume I thought up” OC?

"If no one gets ahead of Suzuka-san, she’ll keep running at a high pace forever. But if someone tries to catch her, she accelerates and escapes. …So in theory, beating her is impossible?"

"No. In theory, it is possible. If you overpower her in a straight spec battle before her domain activates in the late stages, or if you overtake her in a single burst with overwhelming acceleration, then once Silence Suzuka loses the lead, her condition drops and she slows down."

"…Isn’t that one of those things that’s theoretically possible but practically impossible? A textbook example of armchair theory?"

"‘Very close to armchair theory’ would be more accurate. That’s why, even though she’s been racing less frequently, she’s gone nearly four years in the senior class with only one… no, exactly one defeat."

"One defeat?"

"The Tenno Sho (Autumn). When she broke down."

Ah… I see.

I’d heard somewhere that the cause of Suzuka-san’s accident in that Tenno Sho was that her speed exceeded the “absolute limit an Uma Musume is allowed to produce.”

In other words, ever since she started her extreme escape… she’s never once lost to another runner.

"…Can we do something about that?"

"We will. I’m your trainer."

After saying that, the trainer explained his plan, along with predictions for how each Uma Musume would move from the opening stages to the final stretch.

And honestly… how should I put this…

"Well, uh… that’s a pretty brute-force approach, isn’t it?"

"If there were any way other than brute force to surpass Silence Suzuka, I’d love to hear it.

"…So, what do you think, Hoshino Wilm? Do you think this plan can work?"

The trainer may devise the plan, but I’m the one who actually runs.

I’m the only one who can judge, by feel, whether it’s feasible.

I simulate it in my head.

The Arima Kinen. The long opening corner. The fight for the lead. The flow of the race as the trainer predicted it… and my own running layered on top of all that.

…Yeah. If it’s this—

"…I don’t think it’s impossible. I can’t guarantee I’ll overtake Silence Suzuka-san, since I’ve never run alongside her—but I think it’s doable."

"So I see. …Honestly, I couldn’t think of any other way to break through her. For now, I’d say we’ve cleared the first checkpoint."

Suzuka-san is the same as me—a front-running runaway Uma Musume who wins by forcing her powerful style onto the race from the very start.

Her running style leaves almost no openings. In exchange, though, she clings to that single tactic and nothing else. Or maybe she can’t do anything else.

And the only one besides me who might realistically contest her at the front—my mentor—will almost certainly charge out with a sharp burst as well…

So up to that point, the flow of the race is basically set in stone.

Suzuka-san will… yeah. I’ll probably be able to pass her.

It’ll be reckless. No—extremely reckless.

Honestly, the real problem will come after that.

"But… with this setup, won’t the latter half be really tough?"

"…Yeah. Unfortunately."

As he said that, the trainer tapped his head lightly, his expression serious.

…Wait. Really? There’s nothing? No trick, no countermeasure, no “if you do this, you’ll win” kind of thing?

Seeing my eyes widen in surprise, the trainer spoke apologetically.

"I’ve thought about it from every angle, but without accurate data, our ability to predict the race is limited. I couldn’t find a way to completely isolate that risk. I’m sorry."

Oh…

Huh. So there really are things even Ayumu-san can’t do.

He’s always put together winning strategies, even if his predictions are sometimes a little off. Seeing him admit he couldn’t fully eliminate the risk this time—and look genuinely troubled because of it—is kind of new.

Well, even Ayumu-san is just a normal human. Of course there are things that are impossible.

"If even the trainer couldn’t come up with a countermeasure, then there probably isn’t a better one. Let’s go with this."

"Sorry. …That said, Nice Nature and Seiun Sky’s schemes probably won’t be much of an obstacle this time."

"Huh? Why’s that?"

"For them to win, they’d have to suppress Silence Suzuka and Special Week as well. Their resources won’t be focused on a single target—they’ll be spread out. In the end, the burden on you should be lighter."

Ah. I see.

At the Takarazuka Kinen, Sky-senpai targeted me because I was a runaway Uma Musume ahead of her, and because the condition for opening her domain was taking the lead.

At the Kikuka Sho, Nature stepped in because she judged that suppressing me alone would be enough to win.

But unlike those races—where all attention could be focused on me—this time, there are several threats even greater than I am.

The otherworldly escape artist, Silence Suzuka-san.

Japan’s number one Uma Musume, Special Week-chan.

The turf’s leading lady, Mejiro McQueen-san.

The all-rounder, Happy Meek-senpai.

And above all, the schemers—Sky-senpai and Nature.

To understand all of them, suppress them, and surpass them… otherwise, winning this year’s Arima Kinen is impossible.

Which means the eyes and schemes aimed at me should be far lighter than before.

"In a sense, this year’s Arima Kinen—especially the latter half—is extremely simple.

After overtaking Silence Suzuka, just keep running. Run away, and reach the goal faster than anyone else.

That’s the plan—if you can even call it one—for winning this extremely disadvantageous race."

There’s no building a safety lead. No carefully prepared board state.

Just trust your own legs and run at top speed.

…Not bad.

Actually, it’s pretty good. This is getting fun.

It’s not like I’m dissatisfied with the safe, reliable strategies the trainer usually gives me.

But—

Once in a while, I want to enjoy a battle where I’m at a massive disadvantage.

That insolent heat bubbled up from the depths of my chest.

---

That said, that’s that—and this is this.

After the strategy meeting ended and we were dismissed, the trainer’s office was left empty once Masa-san and Bourbon-chan had gone.

Using the excuse that I still had work to do, I stayed behind.

Pretending to scribble answers onto a worksheet, absentmindedly producing a growing pile of black eraser shavings, I waited for my moment.

The timing I was aiming for was when the trainer finished a chunk of work and let his guard down.

…Yes. Exactly like now, when he took his hands off the keyboard and stretched.

"Oh, right—Trainer."

Putting on an air of complete nonchalance, I spoke up.

Is my voice shaking? Did it crack? Please don’t let me sound weird.

Those pointless worries floated through my head as I continued.

"I want to use my reward privilege. If our schedules line up on my next day off… would you like to go out together?"

And just like that, I managed to secure a long-overdue date with my trainer.