Chapter 66: Heh. A date, huh

Before anything else, let me say this upfront.

Going out with one’s assigned Uma Musume is not, in any way, abnormal.

An Uma Musume’s running performance is deeply tied to her mental state. This isn’t some obscure or fringe idea. It’s not something formally taught in training seminars, nor is it backed by widely published academic papers. Still, anyone who makes a living as a trainer has heard of it.

In particular, I’m a trainer from the Horino family, which places heavy emphasis on the mental state and inner balance of Uma Musume. Ever since I was young, I was told again and again: “An ordinary Uma Musume with a calm, steady heart will surpass a first-rate Uma Musume whose heart is in turmoil. That is why you must always place their feelings first, and be the guiding light that leads them.”

Looking at historical records, you can clearly see this principle borne out. Compared to the era when training volume was prioritized above all else, the current approach yields higher win rates and far fewer unhealthy fixations or breakdowns. The numbers make that much obvious.

On top of that, I’m also a reincarnator with “app knowledge.”

I know very well that an Uma Musume’s condition—more precisely, her motivation—is divided into five stages: Excellent, Good, Normal, Poor, and Terrible, and that these states directly affect performance.

All things considered, maintaining an Uma Musume’s mental well-being is critically important when supporting them.

…Which brings me to this.

It’s not at all rare for an Uma Musume to want to go out with her trainer.

The athletic life of a racing Uma Musume begins in middle school. Girls at that age still need guardians. Many haven’t fully developed self-control yet, and most have never experienced human malice or true frustration. Protecting and supporting their mental well-being is an essential part of a trainer’s job.

And when you look at it that way, perhaps it’s only natural.

Uma Musume grow attached to their trainers—no, that wording isn’t quite right. Maybe studying history too much has skewed my perspective. It’s simply common for Uma Musume to feel affection and trust toward their trainers.

We trainers act as guardians, and the Uma Musume are those under our care. When a trainer supports them properly, they may come to feel deep affection toward that trainer as a second parent—someone they can rely on.

And when that happens, it’s only natural that, like a child asking a parent, they’ll say something like, “Would you like to go out together on our next day off?”

There was an “outing” command in the app in my previous life, but that was never just for fun. By going out together on a day off, you communicate with your assigned Uma Musume and help bring her mental state into balance. If rest days are physical rest, then outings are mental rest.

…So, after all that rambling, what I really want to say is—

"Trainer, what’s wrong?"

"...Nothing. I was fighting myself."

"Ah, mental self-discipline? As expected of you, Trainer."

I want you to understand that this situation is not abnormal in the slightest. It’s an extremely healthy one.

---

Early December.

It was quite chilly, but that only made the strong sunlight feel pleasantly warm—one of those rare days off.

Hoshino Wilm and I had left Tracen Academy behind and headed out into the city.

This was to use her reward privilege—earned from the recent Japan Cup. Or rather, since two had piled up, you could say we were using one of them.

…That said, strictly speaking, this outing wasn’t necessary.

One of Hoshino Wilm’s defining traits since the Takarazuka Kinen is how easy she is to manage mentally. The reason is simple: when she runs, she naturally shifts into Excellent condition.

Of course, she’s still an Uma Musume, and there are times when her condition drops. It’s not like the app, where it can plunge for some absurdly unfair reason, but things like, “I really wanted to run today, but the dorm supervisor caught me, so I couldn’t do any solo training.”

…Actually, now that I think about it, that’s still pretty unfair.

But the stress that builds up from not being able to run is relieved by running. Whether it’s solo training or scheduled practice doesn’t matter—after about thirty minutes of running, Will’s condition improves by one stage. And active racing Uma Musume, especially those in their prime, spend far more time running than resting.

As a result, she’s basically always in Excellent condition.

That’s also one of the reasons Hoshino Wilm boasts such an exceptional growth rate.

And of course, today was no exception—she was in Excellent condition.

As mentioned earlier, outings are primarily about mental rest. Going out while already in Excellent condition is like taking a day off with a full stamina bar. The small amount of stamina recovery you get hardly matters when you’re not even tired to begin with.

Honestly speaking, there’s almost no tangible benefit to going out right now.

…But if my assigned Uma Musume wants it, that desire holds value beyond any calculation of merits and drawbacks.

Because of their kindness and sincere dedication to their goals, they rarely make selfish requests. A single day out is something I’d normally agree to even without using a reward privilege. And when she goes so far as to use one, it’s only natural to hurry and fulfill her wish.

A few days had passed since the Japan Cup.

Interview requests, confirmations for increased merchandise production—somehow, we managed to push through an overwhelming rush of work. Well, to be precise, there was still plenty left, but Masa’s eyes had gone vacant, and I was starting to feel the fatigue myself, so we decided to draw the line there.

That day, partly as a break, I finally carried out the outing she had asked for.

Yes.

This outing was undertaken out of necessity.

There is absolutely nothing abnormal about the sight of Will and me walking side by side. It’s just a trainer going out with his assigned Uma Musume.

And, as usual, Will is in disguise.

She’s wearing a large newsboy cap that hides her ears, along with a loose poncho and bottoms that obscure her figure and make her tail hard to see. Because I told her not to catch a cold, she’s also wearing a neck warmer and gloves. On top of that, a large black mask covers her face, so unless someone is extremely perceptive, they wouldn’t recognize her.

There is the matter of the height difference between us, but around Tracen, couples like that aren’t unusual at all. If anything, people might even mistake us for a parent and child.

So yes. Nothing strange.

Objectively speaking, there shouldn’t be anything strange about this at all—and yet…

Why am I so restless?

I’ve gone out with her on a day off before. Not long ago, after the Japan Derby, we went to an aquarium.

I don’t remember feeling this unsettled back then.

…Though, at the time, I was desperately trying to make up for a massive screw-up and rebuild our relationship. Or maybe not. It’s been a little over half a year since then—it already feels oddly nostalgic.

Still, why do I feel like this now?

…Is it her fame?

Hoshino Wilm’s recognition is now top-tier, not just in Japan, but worldwide. In terms of my previous life, it’s like an idol who’s also an Olympic-level athlete—attention naturally follows.

And when that person is setting unprecedented records in a globally watched sport, it’s only natural that eyes from all over the world would be drawn to her.

If her identity were exposed, she’d be surrounded by fans in an instant.

Am I tense because I’m trying to avoid that…?

…Tense? Am I even tense?

I honestly don’t know.

Lately, I feel like I’ve been like this all the time.

Ever since I stopped being “the Horino family’s trainer”… no, maybe ever since I saw Will return after the Takarazuka Kinen?

My thoughts feel like they’re running out of control in directions I don’t understand, for reasons I don’t understand. Maybe I should talk to my older brother about it sometime…

"Trainer."

Will’s voice cut through my pointless thoughts.

Right. We’re out together right now. I shouldn’t be thinking about unnecessary things.

I gave my head a light shake and looked back at her.

"Hm? What is it, Will?"

"Where are we going first? You’re the one who made the plan today, right?"

"Well, you did ask me using a reward privilege."

I’d spent several hours yesterday thinking it through… but if I said that out loud, knowing how kind she is, she’d probably say something like, “You’re busy with work, so it’s fine if it’s something simple!” So I won’t.

This is about my assigned Uma Musume. There’s no way “simple” would be good enough. Of course I took the time to plan it properly.

"First, the gym and the treadmill—"

"No, today is anything except running."

"……Huh!?"

"Um, what exactly do you take me for…? Ah—no, this might be my own fault, but still…"

…This is bad. I’m stuck.

Given that it was Hoshino Wilm, I’d assumed she’d want to run today, just like every other day. I couldn’t even imagine any other possibility.

That was why the plan I’d put together revolved primarily around running, with rest breaks slotted in between.

Now, thanks to her words, that plan had been utterly and completely obliterated.

Damn it… in that case, I’ll have to think of something on the spot…!

Anything will do—something that kills time nicely, gives her a good experience, and makes it easy to communicate…!

…That’s it!

"Then… let’s see. ……A movie, maybe."

In this life, I’ve had almost no experience with entertainment, but there was one time when Masa dragged me along to see a movie.

What was it again…? I remember that, unusually for a film from this world, there wasn’t a single Uma Musume in it.

Back then, even Masa—whose attitude had already grown quite stiff—ended up chatting animatedly with me about our impressions afterward… I think. Probably.

If the goal today was to communicate with Will, then this seemed like a suitable choice.

That was my reasoning—but what would her reaction be?

"A movie! That sounds great—let’s go!"

Will smiled, grabbed my hand, and took off running.

Thank goodness. It looks like my suggestion at least cleared the minimum bar.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I shouted after her to stop, because my shoulder was about to pop out of its socket.

---

The movie we picked was about an Uma Musume who discovers an unknown creature and ends up living together with it.

At first, she’s confused by the creature—its ecology and appearance are completely different from hers, and they can’t even communicate—but as they spend their days together, they slowly begin to understand each other.

Eventually, it’s revealed that the creature came from another world.

It has its own life, its own family. Though she feels lonely, the Uma Musume searches for a way to send the creature back to its original world, to restore the life it once had.

Broadly speaking, it was similar to that movie where a kid flies with an alien on a bicycle.

Mixed into that were themes unique to Uma Musume—loneliness, anguish, and longing.

…Or at least, I think so.

The problem was that the “creature” itself was… well, extremely distinctive.

It stood on four legs, with a form close to that of a deer. Its build was solid and muscular, and most notably, it had ears and a tail shaped very similarly to those of an Uma Musume.

Yes. That fictional creature looked almost exactly like a horse.

If you looked closely, there were subtle differences, but it was so horse-like that I honestly wondered whether someone on the film staff was a reincarnator.

It was too much of a horse—so much so that I couldn’t focus on the story at all.

And I know this sounds like an excuse, but…

Even when Will and I sat down in the food court to share a meal and discuss our impressions, nothing resembling a proper opinion came to mind.

As for Will, watching me space out, she herself looked oddly absentminded too—perhaps lost in thought about the mysterious creature.

As an Uma Musume, maybe seeing a horse-like being stirred something within her.

"…Somehow, it really felt like a creature bound by fate."

"…Yeah. It was an extremely unknown being."

Horses don’t exist in this world. Instead, Uma Musume do.

Which means that, to the people of this world, a “horse” is an entirely unknown existence.

That’s precisely why this film could be a heartwarming story—about interacting with a strange creature from another world that nevertheless feels oddly close to Uma Musume…

But honestly, as a reincarnator, I was so distracted by the sheer impact of the horse that I couldn’t even concentrate properly.

From my past-life perspective, the existence of Uma Musume feels strange. From my current-life perspective, the existence of horses feels grotesquely alien. Having both side by side nearly made my head spin.

"…Um, it was moving, right?"

"…Yeah. It was a touching story… I think."

Well, movies are usually meant either to move you or to make you laugh. Saying “it was touching” is basically the safest possible answer.

And honestly, the scene where the Uma Musume clung to the horse and mourned their farewell hit me harder than I expected. I’m not too familiar with the franchise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if fan works with that kind of theme had existed even in my previous life.

"That was… totally a horse, wasn’t it?"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Ah—n-no, nothing."

I could have sworn I heard something like “that was totally uma-dacchi,” but what did that even mean?

"Umapyoi Densetsu" exists in this world as a live performance song, and Uma Musume who achieve exceptional results—or win the URA Finals—are forced… no, permitted to sing it.

So the phrase “uma-dacchi” doesn’t sound entirely out of place, but…

No, wait. It does sound out of place. What even is uma-dacchi?

And what is “umapyoi” to begin with? And what about “umapoi” and “sukidacchi,” anyway?

Judging by how naturally Will used the word, maybe it’s a term that resonates specifically with Uma Musume.

Hmm… a mystery. Just what is Umapyoi Densetsu? What profound meaning could possibly be hidden within that phrase…?

---

After the movie left us in an awkward mood—and deepened the mystery of umapyoi—we headed out shopping.

"Well then, maybe some running shoes—"

"No running-related things today, remember?"

…What?

This is Hoshino Will we’re talking about. I thought her pent-up urge to run would finally boil over, that she’d at least say browsing shoes or athletic wear would be fine… but it seems my expectations were naïve yet again.

Still, compared to her old self—who found meaning only in running and in never losing—this was clearly a healthier state of mind.

That said, I was now completely at a loss as to where we should go next.

Things a girl might be interested in… that would be…

"……Um, clothes?"

"Hmm, not a bad idea. Let’s go. …You’re going to coordinate an outfit for me, right, Trainer?"

"Well… to be honest, I’m not very confident."

"It’s fine. I’ll be happy if you just pick something you like, Trainer."

She said that, then flashed a sly grin.

…No, this wasn’t false modesty. I genuinely had zero confidence here.

"No—this isn’t modesty at all, you seriously have no sense, do you!?"

"Yeah."

I’ve been consistently bad at things ever since my previous life.

Not just in one specific area, either—it’s fair to say I lack talent and intuition across almost every field.

I have a poor memory, no flexibility to speak of, I barely gain muscle no matter how much I train, and my artistic sense is practically nonexistent.

I spent twenty years thoroughly training myself in fields related to being a trainer, so I do have confidence that I can outperform others there… but by the same token, everything else is pretty much fatally lacking.

Fashion sense, in particular, has nothing to do with trainer work. It’s cultivated through awareness of trends and an eye for color and balance.

In other words, it’s catastrophically incompatible with me.

The reason I wear nothing but suits every day isn’t just because I want to appear diligent at work—more than that, a suit simply looks better on me than any ill-chosen casual outfit ever could.

Masa has practically drilled it into me. “Brother, never choose your own clothes. If it comes to that, I’ll pick them for you. Seriously, don’t.” She’s said it so many times my ears hurt.

"I-I mean, still… even so, would you really choose something like this?"

What she was trying on consisted of a pitch-black outer layer, a khaki long skirt, and a glossy dark-purple enamel shirt printed with a silver dragon and the words “GO GO DRAGON!”

"The outerwear and skirt are fine, you know? Those colors can work. But what is this shirt!? Where did you even find it!?"

"Well, I thought I’d add a pinch of surprise here…"

"Why do people who don’t have the basics down always go chasing ‘surprise’!?"

Honestly, why is that? I don’t fully understand it myself, but I always end up thinking that adding some kind of accent would help.

Maybe it’s because I don’t understand the fundamentals, so I try to compensate by doing something flashy—but since the basics aren’t there, the “technical” part ends up completely missing the mark. Something like that.

"…Trainer, you can’t cook, can you? That’s subtraction too."

"No, I can. I trained back home—Japanese, Chinese, French, and Italian, at least to a decent level. Not enough to open a restaurant, but still."

"Why can you do that!?"

"My father used to cook fairly often for the Uma Musume assigned to him. I figured there might be occasions like that."

"Then didn’t it occur to you that you might have to pick outfits for your trainee, too?"

"That’s asking too much."

It’s true that, historically, there have been trainers who built relationships like that… but I’d decided from the start to keep a certain distance from my trainee.

Even if there was a slim chance I’d cook as a reward, I never imagined I’d be choosing her clothes.

In that sense, my assumptions were naïve—or rather, the fundamental idea of what it meant to be a “Hoshino-style trainer” was flawed to begin with.

Looking back now, I wish I’d studied more broadly. I want to believe it’s not too late to start—but that’s easier said than done.

"Then start training now. In the future, um… so you can pick my outfits!"

"It’ll probably take about five years to master. Is that okay?"

"That’s way more leisurely than I expected!"

"No, trainer work has to come first, and for things like this you need to study history, understand trends and patterns over time—"

"Gh, this is what being bad at things looks like…! This stuff is fine if you just keep up with current trends and make it look right!"

She puffed up angrily in an adorable way, then said, "Anyway, make sure you coordinate an outfit for me someday!" before pulling the fitting-room curtain closed.

Compared to the past, Will shows her emotions much more openly now.

Whether those were feelings she’d been suppressing before, or emotions that surfaced as she matured, I can’t say. Either way, for a trainer whose job is to build trust, it’s something incredibly precious.

The fact that she shows me that side of herself means she trusts me. That much hasn’t changed.

…Though it would’ve been even better if her anger hadn’t been caused by my own inadequacy.

In the end, Will put the purple shirt back, but bought the outerwear and skirt.

On top of that, for some reason, she even picked out clothes for me.

"…Isn’t this too plain?"

"Trainer, your face is… well, it’s actually quite well put together, so plain works for you. Bright colors don’t suit you. So please put those pastel pink pants back. Seriously, where did you even find those!? Why does this store even stock something like that!?"

---

After that, we went to an amusement facility and bowled, where she beat me so badly the score gap was nearly triple.

"You get gutter balls like it’s nothing… can you really curve it that much?"

"I’m throwing it straight."

"What?"

"I’m throwing it straight."

We went to karaoke, where I sang the few songs I barely knew and ended up with a score of 72.

"How do you miss both pitch and rhythm that badly!? You couldn’t do that on purpose!"

"It’s not like I’m trying to—I am singing properly…"

"…Alright, then let’s start by training your sense of pitch and rhythm. Clap your hands in time with my voice. Here we go—one, two, three, four… why are you already off!?"

We went to an arcade and tried the crane games.

"Alright, I dropped one but got four. Twelve Paka-Plushies in three plays—not a bad haul, right?"

"Why are you freakishly good at crane games of all things!? This has nothing to do with trainer work!"

"It does."

"It does!?"

"Recovery and motivation boosts—and hints for straight-line recovery—are important."

"Um… sorry, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about."

"Then I’ll give these to you."

"I don’t need twelve of them! …Well, I’ll take some—for me, Nature, and Teio."

Stuff like that.

Will and I walked all over the city until the sun sank low and the sky turned red.

---

"Yeah… today was really fun."

At the family restaurant we stopped at last, she wrapped up the day with those words.

"Trainer, when you’re not working, you’re really different from how you usually are. I didn’t expect you to be so… um… like that."

"Sorry for being that."

"Don’t sulk. I’m joking, you know?"

I’m not sulking.

I’m fully aware of my lack of talent and my poor aptitude, and I’ve long since made my peace with it.

After all, it’s been this way since my previous life. Being bitter won’t change anything—and more importantly, there are things I have to do.

If I have only half the talent of others, then I’ll put in twice the effort.

That’s how I’ve lived my life, and it’s probably the only way I’ll ever be able to live.

…But still.

Letting someone else see that side of me—no, letting this girl see it—leaves me feeling strangely uncomfortable.

Is this… pride?

In order to maintain an appropriate relationship between trainer and Uma Musume, I shouldn’t show myself in too pathetic a light.

So is that why I feel resistant to letting her see it…?

No—but if that were the case, I could have planned today’s outing more carefully. Even now, if we’d gone to a more formal restaurant, I could have relied on the manners I learned back home.

The fact that I didn’t do that—even unconsciously—must mean…

That I unconsciously want Hoshino Will to know me better…?

It seems that, right now, there are two contradictory guiding principles inside me.

One is the desire not to let Will see such an unseemly side of me.

And the other is… the desire to have her see exactly that side.

For humans and Uma Musume alike, being mentally torn between two choices—a so-called dilemma—is nothing unusual.

But for me, it was quite… rare.

Why had this desire—to be known by her—even surfaced in the first place?

I rummaged through my thoughts, searching for a cause…

"Ah."

Suddenly.

A faded scene resurfaced in my mind.

"Trainer?"

"Oh—no, sorry. …I just suddenly remembered something similar happening once."

"Something similar?"

"Yeah. A long time ago… back when I was in elementary school, I spent an entire day playing with a little girl."

Maybe running around with someone smaller than me had stirred it up—memories I’d long forgotten began to surface.

Faded memories from my previous life, from when I was still a child.

She wasn’t an acquaintance or anything like that—I didn’t even know her name.

I’d gone to the library to call for my friends, but they were nowhere to be found. Instead—almost as if in their place—that girl was there.

She was sitting in a chair, looking down, her face expressionless. Somehow, though, she looked lonely. And so, I invited her to play.

A nostalgic, sepia-toned memory—one of those things you can look back on and think, Yeah… that happened.

Before I realized it, the words slipped out.

"She was shy and quiet—frankly speaking, gloomy. Just an ordinary girl.

She was distant at first, too, but little by little she started to smile more… huh? Will?"

Pulling my gaze out of the recollection and back to reality, I looked at my assigned Uma Musume—

—and found her cheeks puffed out impressively.

No, not because she was stuffing her mouth with spaghetti. She was clearly sulking.

"Uh… did I say something that upset you?"

"…Right now, this is time you’re spending with me, isn’t it? Please don’t bring up other girls."

"No, I was just remembering something from elementary school. ‘Other girls’—"

"Even so! …At least for now, couldn’t you just think about me?"

She said that, then turned her face away in a huff.

Watching her, I felt my lips loosen into an involuntary smile.

…A childlike possessiveness, huh.

Hoshino Will is a girl who never received her parents’ love.

That’s why—even if she usually appears calm and composed—deep down, she’s still at an age where she wants affection.

All I can do is respond to that, at least a little.

"Alright. You’re right—sorry about that.

I decided today would be a day with no work and no running, just spent with you. Until I see you back to the dorm, I’ll be thinking only about you."

"V-very well! Th-then… until the end… please take care of me."

With that, she broke into a sheepish grin.

It resembled the smile of the little girl in my memories… and yet, it was completely different—an awkward smile that belonged to her alone.