Chapter 17: Pushed to the Limit
"Ughhhh... Oysters..."
Starlight Mirage, hunched over a trash can, was vomiting violently, almost starting to doubt her very existence.
The pasta she had for lunch had long since been thrown up. Now, her lungs and stomach were filled with a burning sensation, every breath feeling like swallowing hot coals.
Beads of sweat dotted Stardust Mirage's entire forehead, continuously dripping down her cheeks.
Her hair clung tightly to her skin, and her two ears drooped listlessly, completely devoid of energy.
Stardust Mirage was utterly drenched, as if pulled out of water. Her body felt as if it had been run over by an otherworldly teleportation device, leaving her without even the strength to squat properly.
Before starting the training, she had thought that, no matter what, she was still a Uma Musume. Even if the training was tough, she shouldn't be completely unable to handle it. At worst, she could rely on sheer willpower to meet old man Musaka's demands.
She never imagined that just a few hours into the training, she'd end up vomiting like this.
First, it was 20 sets of 100-meter sprints. Each one required her to run at her absolute maximum speed, and any set where she fell more than 2 seconds behind Oguri Cap didn't count and had to be repeated.
Moreover, after finishing each sprint, she wasn't given any rest time; walking back to the starting line was considered her cool-down.
At first, she thought it was only 2000 meters in total. After some rest, completing it shouldn't be too difficult.
But by the last ten or so sets, she was barely able to catch her breath, while Oguri Cap was only slightly sweaty and panting.
The gap between them grew larger with each subsequent sprint. In the end, she had to run four or five extra sets just to barely meet the requirement.
By the time she finished, she was practically collapsing on the ground, not wanting to move a single finger.
But old man Musaka just helped Stardust Mirage stand in place, waiting for Oguri Cap to finish her 50 sets of 100-meter sprints, before saying to her unhurriedly:
"Alright, next is 200-meter sprint training. Also 20 sets. This time, you can't fall more than 3 seconds behind Oguri. Let's begin."
Then, before she could even finish the 20 sets, she ended up vomiting like she was now.
Finally having vomited almost everything, Stardust Mirage raised her head with difficulty, looking towards Oguri Cap, who was still seriously practicing her 200-meter sprints on the track.
While she was focused on her own training earlier, she hadn't noticed. But now, Starlight Mirage was surprised to see that within Oguri Cap's sprinting form, the shadow of her ultimate skill, Festive Miracle, was already beginning to appear.
"Does... Oguri Cap... do this kind of training... every day?" she asked, turning her head.
"Of course not."
Musakastood beside her, arms crossed, and replied.
"Oguri is actually just recovering from an injury, so many of her trainings have been reduced. You have to understand, she's a Uma Musume specialized in middle to long distances. The upcoming Arima Kinen is a full 2500 meters. If her stamina isn't sufficient, then there's no point in discussing anything else."
"As for you, Stardust Mirage, do you want to continue training today?"
Musaka asked casually, but in his view, a Uma Musume experiencing true endurance training till they hit their limit for the first time probably wouldn't be willing to continue.
In his many years as a Central trainer, he had only trained one Uma Musume who could persevere through this – Oguri Cap, who was currently sprinting on the track.
"Of course I'll train!"
Stardust Mirage replied immediately. She casually wiped her mouth with her sleeve, slowly stood up, and walked back towards the training ground.
Musaka Ginjirou was somewhat taken aback by her completely unreserved attitude.
Watching her retreating figure, Musaka suddenly remembered what the Student Council President had said during their last meeting:
["That Uma Musume has the potential. She might be able to take Oguri Cap's place and become the new Cinderella... If possible, why don't you persevere a bit longer?"]
The Cinderella Gray, that was a nickname people loved to use for Oguri Cap.
A girl from the countryside, underestimated by everyone, yet she step by step carved out a monster's reputation in the Central circuit, becoming a hall-of-fame level Uma Musume.
"Could this be the reason the Emperor asked for me to guide her through the basics…"
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Stardust Mirage, who had already stepped onto the 200m track, didn't hear old man Musaka's muttered words behind her.
Right after she finished vomiting, she had already opened her system panel to check.
Since her debut race, Stardust Mirage had been persistently training on her own, but the results hadn't been great, only increasing her total attributes by about ten points per day.
But just from those few hours of training earlier, she found that today alone, her Stamina had increased by 10, and her Power had increased by more than 10.
Although Stardust Mirage knew this was mainly because her base Power and Stamina were too weak, so the initial improvements from proper training would be significant.
But as long as she could see the training effects, she didn't want to give up – otherwise, just as old man Musaka said: if she can't even handle this bit of hardship, how can she compete for the Uma Musume's highest honor, the Classic Triple Crown?
No matter what, she had to finish these remaining sets, right?
In the end, Stardust Mirage gritted her teeth and completed all 20 sets of 200m sprints. By the end, she couldn't even stand steadily, and only by leaning on the equally sweat-drenched Oguri Cap did she avoid collapsing directly onto the ground.
"You look very weak," Oguri Cap said in a somewhat flat tone.
Even though she had run so much distance, and was also breathing heavily, her condition was clearly much better than Stardust Mirage's.
"Let's call it a day for now. The afternoon is almost over anyway."
Under the slightly yellowish sky, old man Musaka walked towards the two with a smile and handed them two towels.
Watching Oguri Cap and Stardust Mirage haphazardly wipe their faces with the towels like kittens, the old man's expression was full of affection.
After the two properly wiped off their sweat, Musaka Ginjirou turned and walked towards the exit. Stardust Mirage, quickly supporting herself on Oguri Cap, followed him and asked:
"Huh? Where are we going now?"
"That's strange, Stardust Mirage. Of course, it's time for dinner now," Oguri Cap replied, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth.
"Huh, already time to eat?!"
Only when this topic came up did Stardust Mirage realize her stomach was completely empty.
She hadn't eaten much for breakfast or lunch originally, and she had just thrown up violently earlier. Now, her hunger was protesting loudly in her brain.
"Mm." Old man Musaka, walking at the front, nodded. "Today, we're having Oguri's favorite, carrot curry over rice. Want to join us?"
"Yes!!!" Stardust Mirage, who was currently worried about living expenses, immediately agreed. "Please let me join you for this meal!"
"Hahahaha, make sure to eat a lot. It's because Oguri has a good appetite that she could train to have such endurance for long-distance running."
Musaka Ginjirou said this.
Oguri Cap, standing beside her and supporting her, nodded her head rapidly, indicating that she eats a lot precisely because she wants to run better.
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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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