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This time is from the Trainer's perspective.

▼Show Foreword

Interlude 2

Being a trainer is a remarkably difficult job. While the beautiful side of walking hand-in-hand with an Uma Musume is often highlighted, the reality for the vast majority of trainers is far removed from that image.

Only a tiny fraction of Uma Musume can grasp glory, and even fewer are even able to challenge for it. They endure rigorous training, maintaining their condition through mental and physical care. Even then, they are forced to face the reality that they cannot reach even a fragment of that glory. And even if they do climb the ranks, it is not uncommon for a single injury to reduce everything to nothing. This is the trial imposed upon the majority of Uma Musume, and it is precisely because of this trial that glory shines so brightly.

I realized this after becoming a trainer. No, numerically speaking, one could say I knew it long ago. There is no one taking the trainer exam who doesn't memorize those statistics. However, it was only when I began facing Uma Musume as a trainer that this knowledge descended as a harsh reality before my eyes.

Since childhood, I aspired to be a trainer. I won the fierce entrance competition and finally secured a seat as a Central Trainer. Even in that process, I was aware of similar phenomena. The more competitive the gate to entry became, the more I realized that effort alone wasn't enough; without talent, there was nothing to be done. I had seen people who gave up on becoming trainers despite putting in the same or even greater effort than I did.

For the first two years after becoming a trainer, I learned the know-how of training as a sub-trainer for a team.

Perhaps because I was good at connecting the theoretical knowledge of racing and sports science I learned in class with practical guidance, I was able to become an independent, dedicated trainer with my own charge in just two years.

In the end, I never achieved a single win with her, but the time we spent together was not solely painful. In our daily training, the two of us racked our brains, constantly trying new methods. Because of this, sometimes she ran better than usual, and at other times, we felt absolutely no effect.

Form, muscle building, analysis of opponents, prediction of race developments. The whiteboard in my trainer's room, which was smaller than my current one, was always filled with such information. Sometimes we went out to eat together, sometimes I accompanied her on shopping trips.

After finishing fifth in her Maiden race, she was forced to run in a non-winning race.

At first, there was some leeway. It was common to place second or third in non-winning races, and I thought that with a bit more strength, she could move on to the next level.

Then, right at that moment, an injury. Fortunately, it was something that would heal in about a month, but her condition dropped.

By the time she finally regained her full form, almost no chances remained. Uma Musume who cannot win by the autumn of the year following their debut must leave the world of racing.

I couldn't stop her from repeating reckless training, even though she didn't want to give up.

No, in a way, I made her do it.

The result was a fracture during training. Her racing career ended right there.

What was missing between her and me?

Guidance? Certainly, I lacked experience.

Training? Could I have done more than that?

Talent. I had been looking away from it for so long. In the end, she simply lacked talent. From the way her muscles were built to the analysis of her skeletal structure, the knowledge I had learned about finding suitable training and forms to become faster all pointed to the fact that her weapons would not be effective.

From there, I returned to being a sub-trainer for a while and began searching for an Uma Musume with talent sufficient to grow.

And that was how I found Witlum Pedes.

An elementary school race. The first time I saw her run was when I had found the time to go and look, ostensibly to search for talent.

To be blunt, it was a race of a low level; it might have been closer to escaping reality than discovering talent.

Until the last 100 meters, it looked like a typical elementary school race, with no one making a big break or aiming for a final chase; the pack was compactly gathered. Just as I thought it would end like that, one Uma Musume burst out from the pack.

That was Witlum Pedes.

With a ferocious acceleration, she quickly opened a gap behind her, broke away in an instant, and crossed the finish line in the blink of an eye. Her final kick was so eye-opening that one might mistake it for the Twinkle Series, resulting in a finish that left the others seven horse lengths behind in the final 100 meters.

Perhaps it was at that moment I truly understood the phrase "a different engine is installed."

Captivated by that run, I went to see every race Witlum Pedes entered. In every race, the pattern was the same. She would leave everyone behind in the final 100 meters.

However, as I watched, a rumor reached my ears. Rumors that Witlum Pedes was sickly, or that there was instability in her legs.

From there, I began my analysis using the latest Uma Musume athletic theory I had studied for the sake of taking charge. I analyzed the race footage, the muscle strength estimated from her physique, and the forces applied during acceleration.

The results were shocking. When estimating the muscle strength required for acceleration and cornering, it seemed she should be able to achieve even higher speeds on the final straight. Of course, this is estimated based on how muscles typically develop in average Uma Musume, but for an Uma Musume who has undergone proper training, it is almost certain that the final straight is not their maximum speed.

If the muscles in each part were properly trained and utilized, there was a possibility she could reach the theoretical maximum speed estimated from her physique.

However, something even more terrifying was discovered simultaneously. That maximum speed is close to the limit that a biological organism can endure.

Even with such talent, how much effort must have been required to build such a body? And with so many victories in races, the desire for an even higher level of physical capability would inevitably arise. It must. That is how Uma Musume are made.

If that happens, her body won't hold up, and she will be destroyed somewhere. Whether it's due to racing or training, I don't know...

But either way, it will surely turn out terribly.

Ah, what a cruel fate.

However, precisely because of that, she has the right to grasp glory. I want to achieve that with her.

Can I make her run while holding back her power? Will the world around us accept that?

There are certainly no fools among the Central Trainers who would let such talent go to waste.

It is almost certain that various trainers will try to recruit her before even seeing the results of selection races or mock races.

Therefore, my target is the first week. In most cases, recruitment is not conducted immediately upon enrollment. This is a kind of gentleman's agreement, and also because the Uma Musume side is not in a hurry to decide on a trainer until they get used to their new life.

So, what to do? I cannot choose my means.

I approached her under the lie of being a "trainer candidate for recommended students." Such a system does not exist, but given the small number of recommended students, I gambled that it would work.

I adopted a behavior designed to gain her trust as much as possible, and to my surprise, I got her OK on the contract quite easily, leaving me slightly deflated. Honestly, I ended up using a lot of sports science jargon halfway through, but since she was watching the footage so intently, that might have been the winning factor.

The subsequent adjustments went smoothly. As expected, she seemed to feel the strain on her own legs and apparently wanted to avoid away trips that would cause such a burden.

I was a bit taken aback, but if I couldn't accept this immediately, I shouldn't be a trainer. A trainer's job is to fulfill an Uma Musume's wishes together, and if I showed hesitation here, she would think I would force her into unreasonable races and lose her trust.

Just as I was about to start training, surprisingly, Witlum Pedes pinched her ears. From her gestures, it seemed she felt dissatisfaction or discomfort. Thinking about the cause...

Ah, right.

"Alright! Well, about today's training... before that, there is one thing I need you to keep in mind. If you feel any fatigue or pain, you must tell me immediately. Under any circumstances, if you feel those things, we will stop the training."

When I told her this, her usual listless face lit up, and her ears turned forward.

It feels like she is showing the greatest emotion of joy since we met. I'm relieved that I got the right answer.

I must deepen our interaction step by step, connect our hearts, and gain her trust. Forcing her to do too much was never my true intention anyway.

Heading out to the grounds, we started with stretching. Her movements were slightly stiff, but Witlum Pedes's supple muscles demonstrated astonishing flexibility.

By the way, that Emperor [Special Week] also had such a supple body...

After stretching from the upper body to the waist and lower body, I told her to run a lap around the course as a warm-up.

With the start signal, Witlum Pedes shot off like a spring.

It was supposed to be just enough to warm up the body and check her condition for the day, but with that smooth acceleration, she reached speeds that made it seem like she was in the middle of a race. With a stride length disproportionately long for her small body, she kicked up the turf alternately with her left and right, generating terrifying propulsion power, running as if she were flying. Yet, her upper body maintained a beautiful posture despite that speed.

I forgot to stop her and just continued to watch her figure.

When did I start thinking that something... somewhere was wrong?

I think the sense of unease itself had already begun during the few days after contracting with Witlum Pedes when I was excited. And it probably started from the common-sense recognition that Uma Musume are greedy for strength and love to run.

In this past month, Witlum Pedes has completely settled into the trainer's room.

She has settled in to the extent that it wouldn't be strange to say she thinks of this place as her home. She has started exchanging light banter with me, and I am certain that I have successfully built a good relationship of trust.

However, looking around the trainer's room...

The shelves that used to hold indoor training equipment are now, without me noticing, completely filled with various game consoles. Books on athletic theory and race analysis are peeking out from the gaps between shonen magazines and tankobon volumes, looking cramped.

On the PC used to analyze and store race footage, icons for PC games I don't know are dancing on the desktop. The fridge is overflowing with carbonated drinks, and on top of it, snack foods are spilling over. Finally, the HDMI cable that was plugged into the DVD player is now connected to a game console.

The training content has not changed since the first day, but the time spent playing games after massages has gradually increased. Now, conversations about racing and training have decreased, and inversely, I find myself playing fighting games with her more often.

Something is wrong. It is a mistake. But who can I consult? I cannot give up on her, nor can I lose her trust.

Her personality must be an unconscious defense instinct to avoid exhausting her legs as much as possible...

Probably...

Surely...

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