On the day after Urara's third race, a maiden race held at the Nakayama Racecourse.
I sat in a shared space for trainers, resting my feet on the chair in a manner I knew was improper, and making the chair creak.
"..."
I was silently staring at a newspaper in my hands, a deep frown on my face.
It was an Uma Musume newspaper, the kind big publishing companies put out. It had articles about yesterday's race.
The article focused on the 1st place finisher, Feudal Tenure, and the 2nd place finisher, Duotalicar, as well as the mid-race dropout, Castanet Rhythm. Feudal Tenure had fallen after failing to slow down right after the finish line, taking Duotalicar with her. They bounced and tumbled on the ground several times before finally coming to a stop. Both were injured, and the winning live performance was canceled.
Yesterday was such a disaster that even Urara didn't have her usual smile after the race. The real problem was that the injuries, including those of Castanet Rhythm who fell mid-race, were severe enough to potentially end their careers as Uma Musume.
This morning, trainers from all over Tracen Academy were called to a meeting to be reminded to prevent similar accidents with their own Uma Musume.
The trainers in charge of Feudal Tenure and the others were apparently being called in individually by the chairwoman for questioning, and some kind of disciplinary action would be taken. Would they just get a slap on the wrist, or would it be serious enough to have their trainer licenses revoked? The shared space was abuzz with this topic, and I felt my brow furrowing more and more.
"Here you go."
As I was giving off my grumpy aura, Kiryuin-san brought me a cup of coffee.
"...Oh, thanks."
"Yesterday must have been tough."
I took the coffee, and Kiryuin-san sat down in the chair next to me, starting a conversation. I nodded without looking away from the newspaper, knowing it was rude.
"I thought something was off even before the race started, but I never expected it to turn into something like that. Seriously, what were those seniors thinking..."
The trainers who were in charge of Feudal Tenure and the others were my seniors, but they weren't known for being particularly good.
Uma Musume have superior physical abilities compared to humans, but it's not uncommon for them to get injured due to their incredible running speed. Some might get away with minor injuries like scraped knees, while others might break a bone while running.
Urara, the one I'm in charge of, often gets scrapes from falling. I wish she would stop getting scraped knees from falling in her daily life as well as during practice. I always have cute bandages for Urara in my pocket because of it.
However, the worst Urara has ever suffered is a scrape, and she's never had a serious injury that would prevent her from practicing. This is a result of my efforts to prevent injuries by making sure she always does warm-ups before practice and cool-downs afterward. As for yesterday's accident, Urara could have been caught up in it if she hadn't been a little behind them in the final straightaway.
"Phew..."
I took a sip of the coffee Kiryuin-san made for me and let out a deep breath. Urara's training was about to begin, and if I stayed in a bad mood, I might scare her.
Just as I started rubbing my brow, Kiryuin-san let out a sigh of relief.
"Let's both be careful to prevent our Uma Musume from getting injured, okay?"
"Yeah... of course."
Even though I'm a rookie trainer, I was determined never to let the Uma Musume I'm in charge of suffer an injury like that, no matter what.
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Thirty minutes later. When Urara showed up for training, she was different from usual.
She's always smiling and comes running in with an even bigger smile when she's in a good mood, but today she had a troubled look on her face. Her ears drooped limply, and her tail was curled dejectedly toward the ground.
As far as I knew, this was the first time I'd ever seen Urara look like that. What's more, she wasn't in her practice jersey but in her school uniform.
"Hmm... Oh, Trainer."
Urara had been walking while lost in thought, but when she saw my face, she ran up to me. I smiled wryly as I greeted her and pointed at her clothes.
"What's wrong? You can't train in that outfit, you know?"
When I said that, Urara tilted her head and looked down at what she was wearing. After a few moments, she seemed to realize what was wrong, and her tail straightened out.
"Ah, geez... Sorry, Trainer. I was so busy thinking that I forgot to change..."
But then Urara's tail drooped again. Her expression was sullen, and seeing that, I smiled wryly and led her to a bench by the practice course. I had planned to give her a light training menu anyway since it was right after a race. Depending on her state of mind, I might even have her rest.
I had Urara sit on the bench and headed to a nearby vending machine. I bought a carrot juice and a can of coffee, then returned to her side and sat down.
"Here, drink this and calm down."
"Wow, carrot juice! Thanks!"
When I handed her the bottle of carrot juice, her face brightened immediately. She opened it and drank the juice eagerly, letting out a satisfied sigh. I also opened the can of coffee, took a sip, and let out a breath. It tasted terrible compared to the coffee Kiryuin-san had made.
We both took small sips of our drinks, and when I saw that Urara had calmed down, I spoke.
"How was yesterday's race?"
It was a question I asked after every race, but I hadn't had a chance to ask yesterday. Urara put a finger to her forehead and tilted her head.
"Hmm... It was fun, but it wasn't fun?"
That was an unusual answer for Urara. During her second race, she said it wasn't a little fun when she was being marked, but I could tell from her face now. It really wasn't fun.
I was worried that the accident might have a bad effect on her, but from what I could see, she didn't seem to have any kind of trauma from the race.
"It wasn't fun, huh?"
"Yeah... It was fun up until the middle, you know? Nobody was in front of me, and I thought I could go all the way to the goal. I thought I could do the 'booing live' that Trainer talked about."
"You mean 'winning live'."
What's a 'booing live'? Is it a live performance where people boo the Uma Musume who came in first? Getting booed after winning could be traumatizing for an Uma Musume.
"But then, Rhythm-chan fell, and I was so worried... And then Tenue-chan and Duo-chan fell, too..."
Saying that, Urara clutched the hem of her skirt. She said in a sad voice that she couldn't enjoy it because the Uma Musume she was running with got hurt.
The fact that she didn't say it was because she didn't get 1st place or because she lost showed her personality. Should I see it as kindness or as being too soft for an Uma Musume who risks her life to run? I couldn't decide right away.
Still, a loss is a loss, and Urara couldn't pull off the win in the very end. I think if she had run the way she practiced, she could have won.
Feudal Tenure and Duotalicar, who ran like they were crazy to get 1st place, had more heart than Urara.
But I can't tell Urara to go into a race with that much determination. Of course, I want her to get 1st place, but I can't tell her to risk her career—or even her life—for a single win.
As I was trying to figure out what to say, Urara looked up at me before I could open my mouth.
"Hey, Trainer... What is 1st place that everyone tries so hard to get, to the point of becoming that? I want to get 1st place too, but I'm all confused now..."
Urara said this with her ears drooping. Her usual brightness had disappeared, and she spoke with a hint of sadness. I closed my mouth and, after moving it around a little, let out a deep, deep sigh.
"I'm not an Uma Musume, so I don't know what it feels like to want to get 1st place even if it kills you... But I do have the feeling that I want to get 1st place for you, Urara."
I was being honest. It's the Uma Musume who gets 1st place, and it's the trainer who helps them get it.
I thought about encouraging her by saying, 'Go get 1st place to find out what it means.' I thought that would probably be the right thing for a trainer to say.
But my mouth said something completely different.
"Hey, Urara. The truth is, I was called a genius until I was about to go to middle school. Can you believe it?"
"..."
Urara looked puzzled by my sudden story, but I continued without minding her.
"When I was in elementary school, I was number one in studying and number one in sports. I wasn't the most popular kid in the class by any means, but I used to be a pretty amazing guy."
Even as I said that, a wry smile formed on my face. I felt pathetic and sad that I was naturally speaking in the past tense.
"Trainer is still amazing, you know?"
"Haha, thanks... But, you know, when I got to middle school, there were people who beat me in studying, and people who were better than me in sports. I tried my best, but being number one became something I couldn't reach anymore."
Even with the advantage of having a past life, a commoner was a commoner no matter what. I think my facade lasted for a while, but over the years, it started to crumble.
That's how it was even in middle school. I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't gone to a trainer's school and had gone to high school instead. Then again, my grades at the trainer's school were nothing to brag about, and even now as a trainer, I'm losing to my classmates, including Kiryuin-san.
"Even so, one day my parents took me to see an Uma Musume race. I wasn't interested before, but it was so moving... My heart trembled. I was so excited and thought it was amazing."
When I decided to become a trainer, I also had ulterior motives. It was a profession that didn't exist in my previous life, it paid well, and it seemed kind of fun.
However, ever since I started training Urara, I've had a strong feeling.
I want to make this girl strong. I want to help her get 1st place. I want her to dance in the center during the winning live performance. That's what I've come to want.
I wanted to see Urara, who's always so happy and bright, be the first to cross the finish line.
At first, I scouted her because I couldn't find an Uma Musume to be in charge of, and because Haru Urara was a name I knew from my past life. But at some point, I started to dream with Urara.
"After the race, the Uma Musume who got 1st place was dancing and singing happily and proudly, and to me, she looked so radiant..."
I didn't think I was old enough to feel joy and satisfaction watching young people work hard. But what emotion should I use to describe what I felt when I saw that Uma Musume with a brilliant smile on her face?
"The sight of you Uma Musume running so hard and doing your best to get 1st place is... a dream, full of hope... something to be treasured."
Even I couldn't find the right words. I ended up with vague expressions and gently stroked Urara's head with a wry smile.
Many people have been number one in their childhood—being the fastest in a race, getting a perfect score on a test, or being the most energetic in the class. When you look back on it as an adult, those are small things.
But as you get older and more people enter your life, being number one suddenly becomes a distant thing. For most people, being number one becomes an irrelevant existence.
That's why Uma Musume races move and captivate our hearts. We are moved by the sight of them training hard every day and running desperately on the course to get 1st place.
"If you want to run races because it's fun and exciting for you, then that's fine. I'll just train you so you can win while having fun, and I believe that you'll get 1st place someday."
And then, I paused and smiled.
"When you get 1st place someday, let me know how you feel."
If Urara continues to wish for 1st place, I will just support her.
Haru Urara is a famous horse I knew from my past life. I've seen the name many times, and I've heard that she was so popular that they even sold plushies of her.
In this world, popular Uma Musume have merchandise. They make various goods like plushies and keychains. However, that's limited to popular Uma Musume—the ones who win GII and GIII races and are regular competitors in GI races.
The names of Uma Musume I remember from my past life are all strong without exception. Thinking about that, Haru Urara, who was so famous in my past life, must become a strong Uma Musume. With that level of fame, it's possible she set some incredible record, like winning all the GIs without a single loss or getting 1st place in the world-famous Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
The Urara sitting next to me didn't have any of the charisma of a horse that might have been that amazing. She was a maiden Uma Musume with 0 wins in 3 races, who couldn't even compete in an open race, let alone a major one.
--But, she's Haru Urara, you know?
She's so bright, positive, hardworking, and trains so hard. She's an Uma Musume who moves the hearts of those who watch her race. The fact that her name was famous in my past life doesn't matter anymore.
I am her trainer, and her first fan. I want this girl to win, and I want to help her win. I want to see her in the center of the winning live performance.
When Urara loses a race, I feel truly frustrated and strongly wonder why I can't help her win. I feel my immaturity as a trainer is regrettable and feel sorry for Urara. I think that if I were more capable, I would be able to help Urara win.
I think this every time Urara loses a race or when I feel her growth during daily training.
I became Urara's trainer for practical reasons and by chance, but now I'm this girl's—Haru Urara's—trainer.
I don't want to see her lose.
"Hmm... I guess I still don't really get it."
"Yeah..."
Urara, who had been listening to my story, blinked and tilted her head. I couldn't help but smile wryly at her reaction.
Even if I explained everything in detail, understanding is one thing, and being convinced is another. If Urara herself doesn't feel convinced and strongly wish for 1st place, nothing will change. As a trainer, I guess I just have to study more. I learned how to train Uma Musume in the training school, but I'll have to learn how to help them win through my own experience from now on.
Maybe it would be faster to just train Urara to be strong enough to win 1st place regardless of whether she's feeling off or if she gets marked or interfered with by other Uma Musume.
It's an unknown whether I can improve her abilities that much, but if she gets stronger, a desire for victory might naturally emerge within her.
I started thinking about a training method that would improve Urara's abilities as much as possible without causing injury, but then Urara, who had been tilting her head, mumbled softly.
"...But, you know. I understood very well that Trainer cares about me."
As I noticed her whisper, Urara stood up from the bench. She then turned to me with a kind of smile I'd never seen before.
"So I—I really, really! Really want to do my best!"
Saying that, Urara raised her fist. Then she tapped her chest and declared with a big smile.
"Just you watch, Trainer! I'm gonna work so, so hard!"
At Urara's declaration, I was left speechless. She wasn't talking about being confident, like winning a race or becoming stronger.
The word "ganbaru" (do my best) was her usual one. But her expression was different from before.
"Ha... Hahaha! Yeah, that's right! But don't get hurt!"
"Okay! All right! Time to practice!"
Urara then started running toward the course, but she was still in her school uniform and wasn't wearing her training shoes.
Because of this, she lost her footing on the sandy ground and fell spectacularly despite wearing a skirt, which made me smile wryly.
(Maybe she'll become a true star this way...)
I had planned to give her a light training menu today, but since she was so motivated, it might be better to let her run for a while to help her forget about yesterday's race.
I told Urara to go change and started thinking about a training menu that would help her get stronger without getting injured.
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The next race was set for a month later.
A 1300-meter dirt maiden race in early October at the Tokyo Racecourse.
It was, coincidentally, the same place and distance as her debut race.
And there, I would see something unexpected.
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