Chapter 14: The Terrifying Hungry Beast, Oguri Cap
"I didn't figure it out either. Who knew that only the first place gets prize money in the debut race? I saw that other races just require placing... Don't worry, sis. I'll just enter another non-winner race."
Another sunny day.
Stardust Mirage sat in a Saizeriya, a plate of nearly finished spaghetti with meat sauce in front of her.
She was currently talking on an old-fashioned mobile phone, the pair of white-tipped, red-based ears on her head twitching, clearly in a good mood.
Today was the day Stardust Mirage was supposed to meet Oguri Cap. To avoid being late, she arrived here early, while reporting her safety to her still-hospitalized sister.
The voice on the phone was a slightly weak gentle female voice.
"Stardust, I'm very satisfied as long as you're serious about what you're doing. But you don't need to send the prize money home. I heard from Uncle in town that being a Uma Musume requires a lot of money..."
"It's fine, I'm okay here!"
Stardust Mirage quickly interrupted. Although they weren't speaking face-to-face, she still instinctively smiled to reassure the other person.
"The family isn't at a point where we need your support yet." The voice on the phone suddenly turned serious.
"Stardust, when you told me a month ago that you wanted to participate in Uma Musume races, I was truly happy, because it was the first time you seriously told me you wanted to do something. Sister believes you can definitely succeed."
"But if I end up becoming a burden to you now, what kind of situation would that be?"
"I've never felt that you're a burden, sister. On the contrary, this matter is my motivation."
Stardust Mirage immediately refuted the other's words.
Although she was just someone who transmigrated into this world, ever since arriving here, she had seen how much her sister had done for her.
Even at a time like this, her sister was still thinking of her...
"Standing on that track, I truly felt the joy of running. But running just for joy alone isn't enough to win first place."
Recalling the details of her previous race, Stardust Mirage confided her inner thoughts to her sister on the phone.
"The weight in Tokai Teio's steps far exceeded mine. This is determined by how much she carries. So... carrying the responsibility for you and our family will only make me run faster. It's absolutely not a burden!"
"Stardust..."
"Well said! Only a Uma Musume whose steps carry sufficient weight has the qualification to obtain the highest honors!"
An old man with a white beard, wearing sunglasses and dressed fashionably, suddenly approached and sat down opposite her, chiming in on Stardust Mirage's words.
And over at the counter, she saw a white-haired Uma Musume who had arrived at some unknown time, carrying a dozen bowls of food in each hand as she walked over.
Stardust Mirage quickly apologized to her sister and hung up the phone, then stood up and proactively bowed to the two newcomers.
"You must be Oguri Cap and trainer Musaka Ginjirou, I presume?"
She might not have been able to recognize the old man, but Oguri Cap's familiar appearance and figure were something she knew very well. Before transmigrating, Cap-sama was her most frequently used character.
Even after transmigrating, the Uma Musume who demonstrated the Holy Night Runner to Stardust Mirage was the Christmas version of Oguri Cap.
Not to mention the fact that this Uma Musume in front of her had brought over roughly ten times the amount of food she herself would eat. Who else could this big eater be if not Oguri Cap?
Old man Musaka Ginjirou's attitude was very polite. He reached out to help Stardust Mirage up and then laughed heartily:
"Hahahaha, I didn't expect it to be a young lady like you."
He casually took a plate of food from Oguri Cap's hand and placed it on the table. Despite his advanced age, his grip strength seemed very reliable; he held the plate piled high with food without the slightest tremble.
"Here, Oguri, say hello to Stardust Mirage too."
—!
The moment Oguri Cap looked at her, Stardust Mirage felt her heart suddenly tighten for an instant.
But before fear could set in, the feeling had already vanished without a trace. She only saw Oguri Cap turning her head with a dazed, cute expression, her cheeks stuffed full and bulging, speaking indistinctly:
"Hello, I'm Oguri Cap!"
So this is the monster on the track...?
Stardust Mirage sat back down opposite the two. Oguri Cap, without a word, started pouring bowls of rice into her mouth, while the old man across from her smiled at her friendly.
"Let's get straight to the point. I hope you don't mind, but our time isn't very plentiful, so we can only talk during the meal," the old man said.
"Regarding the recording of your debut race, Stardust Mirage, Oguri, another trainer, and I have reviewed it repeatedly. That running style is indeed very suitable for Oguri. Even my good-for-nothing nephew thought you were Oguri's disciple."
"This running style..."
Stardust Mirage didn't know how to explain it to the two people in front of her either. Festive Miracle skill from the system was clearly from the same school as Oguri Cap's own style. She couldn't just shamelessly claim she figured it out herself, could she?
"You've misunderstood."
Ginjirou, seeing the troubled look on the Uma Musume's face, quickly waved his hand. "I'm not trying to ask about the origin of this running style, I'm just expressing admiration."
In Musaka's eyes, this Uma Musume's running style, which matched Oguri Cap's so perfectly, was probably the result of her secretly observing every one of Oguri Cap's races to achieve such similarity.
Her troubled expression now clearly indicated she was embarrassed to explain this situation. But the horse racing world never prevents Uma Musume from learning from each other; in fact, it encourages this behavior.
Because only in this way can Uma Musume continuously improve their speed and create more and more exciting races.
"Anyway, we need to ask you to teach that running style to Oguri. As for any requests you might have, Stardust Mirage, we will do our best to fulfill them. Even if we can't fulfill them ourselves, we will find a way to have someone else do it."
Regarding learning this running style, Musaka Ginjirou was determined to succeed.
After Oguri Cap almost swept the Central circuit in the first two years, injuries greatly increased in her third year, preventing her from achieving good results. Thus, it was decided that this year's Arima Kinen would be her final race.
This retirement race is also Oguri Cap's third Arima Kinen. Oguri Cap decided this herself because she felt she needed to push herself to possibly break through to an even higher level.
As her trainer, Musaka Ginjirou absolutely did not want Oguri Cap to have any regrets. As long as there was any opportunity to make her stronger, Musaka would seize it.
"My conditions are also simple. Since you need me to teach that special running style to Oguri Cap, I hope that both of you can guide me in my running training. Anything is fine."
Stardust Mirage stated the condition she had long planned.
After researching the system during this time, although this Uma Musume training system couldn't make her reach the top instantly, as long as she persisted in various trainings, her basic stats would increase after a certain amount of time.
Moreover, depending on the training intensity and adaptation, the attributes increased in the same amount of time could differ – this was a conclusion she reached by comparing the effects of training materials from the local academy with her own haphazard practice.
Therefore, if she wanted to achieve her goal of standing on the Classic Triple Crown stage and defeat Tokai Teio, she must obtain the best training methods and practice partners.
Namely, the two people in front of her: the Gray Monster, Oguri Cap, and the trainer who nurtured this Umamusume of the Year, Musaka Ginjiro.
"Oh?" A light flashed in Musaka Ginjirou's eyes, and he chuckled. "I didn't expect you'd set your sights on this old man, and even want Oguri as a training partner."
"No problem. But before Oguri's race, she can't afford to be distracted, so only I can free up my hands to make a training plan for you."
"As for the training partner, after she finishes the final Arima Kinen, we won't refuse then, right, Oguri?"
Oguri Cap struggled to emerge from her sea of food, nodding vigorously in agreement with Musaka's words.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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