I arrived at the ryokan where we stayed for the training camp last year, but there I witnessed an unexpected scene.
(There are security guards here who weren't here last year...)
I was surprised to see multiple male security guards in sturdy pants and shirts at the entrance of the ryokan.
Huh? Did Tazuna-san hire them? I wondered, and when I asked, they said they were from a security company that the URA had contracted. It seems they handle traffic control and security at racetracks, and this time, when Tracen Academy requested it from the URA, it was immediately approved.
Also, I wonder why a temporary tent-style merchandise store was set up in the empty space next to the ryokan... There's a cramped display of Uma Musume goods, and people in URA uniforms are smiling and selling goods to the fans who visit.
"Wow... The training camp's security is more thorough than I thought."
"I was wondering how it would be, but it looks like it'll be okay."
"I'm kinda getting excited now."
My同期(dōki: peers/colleagues) and後輩(kōhai: juniors) who were in the car with me said these things, but this wasn't the case last year, you know? Team Rigil, led by Tojo-san, seems to be holding their training camp as usual, and Team Spica is also as usual... Wait, Special Week got a failing grade. I wonder if she'll be okay?
(I'll contact a senior from Spica later... I wonder if Tojo-san will do a mock race this year?)
It would probably be at the end of the training camp, but I wonder. More than half of Tojo-san's team will probably be in the Summer Dream Trophy... but I bet Uma Musume like Grass Wonder and Narita Brian would join a mock race if I invited them.
For now, we arrived at the ryokan, so I parked the car and got out. When I looked at the road in front of the ryokan, I saw a large number of Uma Musume race fans.
However, they weren't entering the ryokan grounds or spilling onto the road. No one was making a lot of noise, and they were all waiting in an orderly fashion. Some people were already rushing to the merchandise store to buy goods, though.
Ah, the people who looked like reporters, who were following us in a car, were getting surrounded by security guards as they were about to get out. They were told that parking was prohibited for anyone not involved... I heard them say that publishing companies and TV stations with permission have a permit, and they should show it.
Hmm... Tazuna-san's countermeasures are so serious it's scary. But it's helpful, so I'm nothing but grateful. I'll send her some expensive local sake next time.
As I moved from the parking lot to the ryokan, I saw a large sign that said "Tracen Academy Party." Reporters like Otome-shi-san who have permission are scheduled to stay here, but I wonder if they deliberately made it feel like it was reserved?
"For now, everyone, put your luggage in your rooms, and then we'll talk about the upcoming training."
"Got it."
"Understood."
This time, because of the scale, we won't be doing things like staying in a room next to Urara's like last year. The rooms were allocated like a school trip, with trainers and reporters on the first floor and only the Uma Musume on the second floor. This is to avoid strange rumors during the training camp. The Crazy in Love trainer, who is participating with the goal of beating Narita Brian, looks clearly relieved, which is a little funny.
By the way, those who haven't formed a team naturally don't have team club funds. While it's a small amount compared to club funds, they are being paid a training fee by Tracen Academy, which they use. There are also several juniors who are participating even if they have to pay the difference out of pocket.
It seems they are using the prize money that trainers receive when their Uma Musume wins a race, so the financial burden isn't that great. Since the juniors have won open races and graded races, they receive money in the hundreds of thousands of yen. They decided to participate in the training camp with the reason that since the money came in because the Uma Musume won, isn't it more meaningful to use it for the Uma Musume?
My peers also said that they would work hard to guide the juniors so that they wouldn't regret that choice. I'm sure it will be a fruitful training camp, yes.
---And so, the summer training camp began.
The participants in this training camp were all of my peers and half of my juniors. So there were about 15 trainers and over 50 Uma Musume, which is a large group. That's about one-fortieth of the Uma Musume at Tracen Academy... Wait, when I think about it that way, it's not that many?
Among my peers, six of us, including myself, have formed teams. Two of the juniors have also formed teams, and just with that, the number of Uma Musume is close to 40.
The other half of the juniors are not participating in the training camp... or rather, they're not. They're going to join in August because a long-term training camp is financially difficult for them. Also, this year's newcomers are scheduled to participate for a short period of two weeks and a long period for the entire month of August.
Some of the newcomers were so motivated that they said they would use the prize money from their make-debut win and their summer bonus to come. I plan to put them through a rigorous training session when they join and there's time.
It's a little crazy when you think about it to pay for a training camp yourself because the training fee from Tracen Academy isn't enough... but I think it's worth it. It's an investment in the future, so to speak.
Well, with that many people, it's impossible for everyone to train in the same place. So we'll be splitting up and using nearby practice courses, the sea, the mountains, and indoor training facilities.
When I checked, Team Rigil, Team Spica, and other teams and trainers are also having training camps, so we'll have to train while consulting with each other about when, where, and who will be using which facility.
By the way, Team Rigil is using the same luxury hotel as last year, and Team Spica is also staying at the luxury hotel that Team Rigil is using this year. They were originally going to use an old ryokan next to the luxury hotel, but because more media and Uma Musume fans than usual have flocked here this year, they decided to use the luxury hotel for safety reasons.
Since the Summer Dream Trophy is approaching, it seems there are many reporters who want to cover Team Rigil and Team Spica. Just like the ryokan we're staying at, the hotel where Tojo-san and the seniors are staying also has security guards.
Also, Special Week, who failed her final exams, seems to have desperately begged her teachers and received supplementary lessons after school and at other times before the training camp started. Urara said that she was given a lot of homework, but it's really not good to just roll a pencil for an exam... Tracen Academy promotes both literary and military arts, so you can't say that academics don't matter.
My Urara is also planning to study under King's supervision whenever she has free time during the training camp.
The schedule for the training camp is the same as last year: two hours from 9 am to 11 am. From there, we'll let each Uma Musume rest, eat lunch, and have a study time to solve their homework. Then, there will be a three-hour training session from 3 pm to 6 pm, for a total of five hours of training.
The trainers also receive work from Tracen Academy, even though it's less than usual, and they have also been given a "homework" assignment from Tazuna-san to summarize the effects of a joint training camp on Uma Musume's training.
Normally, it would be tough to have more work, but Tazuna-san went to a lot of trouble for us, and I, my peers, and my juniors are all enthusiastic about tackling it. As an amateur, I'll also summarize the effects on nearby facilities and residents. It might be helpful for future training camps.
And so, we're doing training in two sessions, morning and afternoon...
"Next is a 2000-meter middle-distance run! The target time is 2 minutes and 2 seconds! Don't hold anything back! Run as if it were a real race!"
"Yes!"
"If you feel any change in your physical condition, report it immediately. Understood?"
"Yes!"
"Ah, you and you are not good at middle distance or longer, so you'll have a separate menu over here. You'll run with all your might in the next mile run."
"Yes!"
I was raising my voice to give instructions, and my peers and juniors were giving warnings and separate instructions to the Uma Musume who needed it.
Man, when there are a lot of trainers, you can pay attention to things you might miss on your own, and when there are a lot of Uma Musume competing, their fighting spirit is different.
At first, some of them were distracted by the media and the Uma Musume fans gathered around the practice course, but the more I pushed them, the less they had time to worry about their surroundings. If they get distracted and lose focus, they'll lose to the other Uma Musume who aren't paying attention to their surroundings, so it can't be helped.
For now, after each trainer does their own training, we set up an opportunity for them to run together as a finish. If I were to compare it to a club activity, it's like we do warm-ups, running, and basic training until the end, and then finish the practice with a mock race.
—I won't lose!
—I'll be first place!
—I'll definitely win!
The Uma Musume are so serious during the joint training... or rather, the mock races with about 10 people, that it's as if I can hear those silent voices. Perhaps sensing that, the Uma Musume fans were not heckling or jeering at all, but were cheering for the Uma Musume they support.
And in response to the Uma Musume fans' cheers, the Uma Musume became even more motivated... it's a good cycle. However, if they get too motivated and get injured, it's pointless, so I'm making sure to be careful. It's summer and it's hot, so we're training while making sure they stay hydrated.
"Oh... The Uma Musume who are running so hard, not losing to the summer heat and not losing to their rivals... Just seeing this sight is already—!"
The reporters who have permission are taking pictures and pointing their cameras at us from a relatively close distance, but Otome-shi-san is still Otome-shi-san. She's in her usual neat suit, but her expression...
Apparently, she came here after directly negotiating with her superiors and management at Monthly Twinkle, saying she would give up her days off, her Obon holidays, and her overtime pay, so she could do an exclusive coverage. Otome-shi-san, who pushed through with that passion, is overjoyed that she can accompany the training camp the whole time.
She brought a large number of ballpoint pens and notebooks and is busy taking notes on anything that interests her, taking pictures, burning it into her memory, and squirming. The other reporters are also watching the training with serious expressions and are leaving some kind of record. However, they are discreetly keeping their distance from Otome-shi-san.
The reporters who weren't given permission by Tracen Academy are here and there at a distance, but perhaps because there are a large number of Uma Musume fans, they aren't making any noticeable moves. There are several thousand Uma Musume fans surrounding the practice course...
For the purpose of doing business with those Uma Musume fans, there are stalls lined up nearby, selling food and drinks. And there's another merchandise store here that sells Uma Musume goods, and the goods seem to be selling like hotcakes.
By the way, because there are so many tourists... are they tourists? temporary toilets and trash cans have been set up in the vicinity. Next to the trash cans, there are life-sized panels with pictures of Uma Musume, and a sign hung around the panel's neck says, "Uma Musume are also watching you litter, not just the local residents." It seems URA staff set this up.
There are also Uma Musume fans taking pictures with the panels of the Uma Musume they support, so the fans are moderately dispersed.
Some of the Uma Musume fans who take a picture with a panel will even go out of their way to pick up any trash they find nearby and throw it in the trash can. It seems they are doing it so that the trash doesn't show up in the pictures of the next person.
The panels are made to be the exact height of each Uma Musume, and they seem to be well-received by the fans. For famous Uma Musume like Symboli Rudolf, who has a lot of photo material, there are a variety of life-sized panels here and there: Tracen Academy uniform versions, gym clothes versions, and for Uma Musume who have appeared in G1 races, racing uniform versions, but I haven't checked all of them.
So, as for the unexpected number of people who have come with the training camp, they have taken all possible measures. Tazuna-san also rushed here because the commotion at the training camp was more than expected, and she seems to be running around doing something.
I thought, "I've created more work for her," and "I'm causing so much trouble," but Tazuna-san is running around with URA staff and smiling.
She sometimes stands behind reporters who don't have permits and talks to them with a smile, but what she talks about is a mystery. If I look away for a moment, I'll get a sighting of her in a completely different place, but my peers also just brush it off with "Well, that's Tazuna-san for you."
And so, we've been working hard at the training camp for about two weeks.
Last year, I already felt the high training effect, but this year, observing Urara's practice, I felt an unexpected effect.
(Urara has been in good form lately...)
It's a little past 8 pm. I'm in my ryokan room, entering today's training data into my computer, and I'm thinking about that.
I felt Urara's growth stagnating around this time last year, but now her growth curve has started to trend upward more than I expected.
I wonder if it's because there are so many fans around, or because she's training surrounded by Uma Musume other than Rice and King.
It's still unclear exactly how much she'll grow, and I don't think she'll continue to grow dramatically for a long time from here. However, even now, I feel like she's growing little by little every day.
It's a small but clear growth.
She ran one more lap than yesterday.
When I measured her time on the fixed-distance course that she runs every day, it was a tiny bit shorter, less than 0.1 seconds.
When she was running while pulling a huge tire, her stride was clearly stronger.
When I had her swim for a long distance in the sea, her time was clearly faster than last year.
When Goldship-chan, who appeared out of nowhere, quietly held out a stack of roof tiles and I had her break them, she broke all of them.
...Hmm? There was something weird at the end, but anyway, I strongly felt Urara's growth.
Besides Urara, King is also still in her growth phase. Her stamina, speed, and power. And her guts... are already at their maximum without even training.
Rice has regained her sharpness to a level comparable to her senior year. However, perhaps because of the fracture or because she's passed her peak, it took longer than I thought to get her back in shape.
For Rice, the talk of a growth curve passed a long time ago. Now, the key is how much she can return to her past best condition. Since she has already passed her peak, it will probably be at most maintaining her current state. However, there is a suspicion that only her stamina is still growing.
The fact that the Dream Series is held only twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter, is probably due to the time it takes to make adjustments.
Just like during the training camp, I push them to their limits every day in training, but the fatigue from a real race is different. No Uma Musume can give their all in a training session just like in a real race. It's not that they're slacking off; they're just giving their all within the scope of what they can do in training.
Like when Rice broke her bone in the Arima Kinen last year, excellent Uma Musume can overcome their own limits if they try. They train their bodies to the limit, wear their racing uniform in a real race, and are pushed by the fans' cheers to exceed their limits.
The twice-a-year pace of the Dream Series seems to be a tight cycle when you consider that they need to rest to get rid of the fatigue accumulated from training, heal any minor or major injuries caused by giving it their all in a race, and then train again in preparation for the next Dream Series.
(Tojo-san, who raises Uma Musume evenly in their senior, classic, and junior years while also having so many in the Dream Series, including Symboli Rudolf, is really amazing...)
Team Rigil currently has five members in the Dream Series: Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove-san, Hishi Amazon-chan, Fuji Kiseki-chan, and Maruzensky.
In the senior class, there's Grass Wonder, El Condor Pasa, and Taiki Shuttle.
In the classic class, there's Narita Brian.
In the junior class, there's TM Opera O.
She raises a total of 10 people at the same time and gets results, so Tojo-san is truly the Great Demon King. As a side note, even though there are a lot of people here this year, it seems that every year, tens of thousands of Uma Musume fans visit this area during the training camp period just to watch Team Rigil's training.
A team that is said to be able to rival Team Rigil is Team Spica.
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, who started to challenge the Dream Series this year. Silence Suzuka is currently challenging races overseas.
Special Week is in the senior class.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka are in the junior class.
And the mysterious Goldship-chan.
All in all, Team Spica is raising seven people at the same time.
My team can also rival them in terms of results... well, no, we can't rival Team Rigil, but Rice is challenging the Dream Series, and Urara and King are also doing well...
Now, why am I thinking about this? Because the Summer Dream Trophy will be held soon. Based on the information I've gathered, the lineup of participants is pretty amazing.
Team Rigil, Team Spica, and my Team Kitalfa. The Uma Musume of people I know are also scheduled to appear, and the current prediction is...
Long distance: Rice, Symboli Rudolf, Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, Mihono Bourbon.
Middle distance: Air Groove, Hishi Amazon, Mejiro Palmer, Daitaku Helios.
Mile: Fuji Kiseki, Ikuno Dictus.
Short distance: Maruzensky.
It's within the realm of prediction, but it's pretty much like this. It makes me think, "No wonder Team Rigil is called the strongest in Tracen Academy." While other teams are fighting in the classic and senior classes, Team Rigil is sweeping the Dream Series. Ah, but that excludes dirt races. But Taiki Shuttle will probably appear from next year, so they might really sweep them all.
Also, in terms of distance aptitude, Tokai Teio is more suited for middle distance, but since Rice, Mejiro McQueen, and most importantly, Symboli Rudolf will be running, I think she will appear in the long-distance race.
...There's a non-zero possibility that Symboli Rudolf will run in the middle distance and Tokai Teio will also run in the middle distance.
Symboli Rudolf is Tokai Teio's idol, so whether she'll challenge her again in the TMR or challenge Symboli Rudolf, who might retire at any moment, is something we won't know until the race starts.
I decided to put more effort into training for the Dream Series, which will be held in early August.
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