In an Izakaya in Tokyo, the place was peaceful and lively as usual. However, inside one of the private rooms, three young men were currently sitting together, seemingly celebrating something.
"Congratulations to the three of us for successfully passing the Central Trainer Qualification Exam just after one month of transmigrating! Ikezoe and Wada, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Led by a young man who was clearly more authoritative, they raised their glasses and then started to drink. The authoritative young man drank a glass containing oolong tea while the other two equally young men were drinking draft beer. After the three of them downed the entirety of their glasses, they happily sat back down.
"Ah, this is great! After a month, we finally passed the Central Trainer Qualification Exam. Starting from tomorrow, we are officially becoming Trainers." The man called Ikezoe said excitedly while rubbing his hands. "One month after we had been transmigrated, and we're finally back on track!"
"It's all thanks to the advice of Imanami-san, who managed to find the special characteristics of this world, that we were finally able to know what we should do."
The other man, referred to as Wada, smiled at the authoritative man.
"To be honest, we had no idea what we were supposed to do during the first few days after we transmigrated. It was thanks to your composure, Imanami-san, that we were able to quickly accept reality."
"Haha, I just gave you two a bit of advice. Passing the Central Trainer Qualification Exam was a testament to your own abilities."
The man named Imanami, although appearing young, spoke with a slow, calm, and gentle tone, as if he was an old man with rich experience. He then said warmly,
"I am quite confident in my deep knowledge and experience, but your current success is also due to your own efforts. It shows that over the past month, you have managed to pull yourselves together and decide what you want to do in this world."
"That's right... Uma Musume... this world really is a real strange one, isn't it..."
Imanami's words caused both Ikezoe and Wada to sigh deeply. They had almost forgotten how they had transmigrated a month ago.
Ikezoe Kenichi and Wada Ryuji were their names. Their profession in their original world was a jockey—that is, jockeys who specialized in riding Racehorses, racing across vast racetracks, adjusting tactics, and achieving victories alongside their Racehorses. (T/N: Ikezoe Kenichi is a jockey known for riding temperamental horses like Orfevre, Dream Journey, and Sweep Tosho, while Wada Ryuji is most known for being the jockey of T.M. Opera O.)
Moreover, neither of them were ordinary jockeys either; they were both excellent jockeys well-known in Japan, having achieved many victories while riding Racehorses. It could even be said that they were celebrities in the world of horse racing, acknowledged by the JRA.
As for Imanami-san, whose full name is Takatoshi Imanami, he was a veteran figure. He was already a well-known jockey long before the other two debuted. Now, due to his age, he became a Racehorse stable hand, spending most of his time interacting with horses. Even the two younger men had to respectfully call him "Senior." (T/N: Takatoshi Imanami is most well known for being the groomer for Gold Ship.)
Just a month ago, on a whim, Ikezoe and Wada decided to visit Imanami-san and check the quality of the new generation of Racehorses. However, they were suddenly attacked by a strange white pony, and all three of them passed out, and then... they arrived in this world.
This world looked no different from their original one, except for the mysterious and magical beings called "Uma Musume."A humanoid species that was stronger, faster, and generally more beautiful than humans. They are all females with delicate features, with no exceptions. Aside from their inhuman strength, horse ears, and tails, they were no different from humans.
In this world, Uma Musume are the single most watched beings. Their races attract millions, and their brilliance shines brightly on the racetrack—this was the special characteristic that Imanami and his companions immediately found after transmigrating. They then proceeded to think about their former professions...
Since they were jockeys, coming to this world and becoming a Trainer was perfectly reasonable, right?
"To be honest, in novels, transmigrators usually become overpowered heroes that fight monsters and get all the women when they arrive in the other world. Why do we still have to train Uma Musume?" (T/N: Title drop)
Ikezoe further grumbled, "And the Trainer certification in this world is so hard to get! A Trainer is like combining the jobs of a jockey, a horse trainer, and a stable hand all into a single job! If it wasn't for our past experience and a month to study, whether Wada and I could've passed the exam would have been put into question."
Wada, who was beside him, did not say anything, but he clearly agreed with Ikezoe's words. This Central Trainer certification was truly difficult to obtain; when the results were announced, he found out that he had barely scraped by.
However, Imanami-san glanced at Ikezoe, placed down his cup, and asked, "Ikezoe-kun, don't be so anxious. I know you had some grievances about your past job as a jockey and suffered quite a bit, but now that we have transmigrated to this world, we can utilize our experiences to become Trainers. Isn't that a good thing?"
"Or do you and Wada-kun have any other skills that would have allowed you to live more comfortably than being a Trainer?"
"..." x2
Well, after thinking it through carefully, the two realized that they really had no extra skills besides being jockeys, so they reluctantly accepted this fact.
Since they had been transmigrated for a month and now earned their qualifications, the lives of the three men were about to get back on track. They will continue to live in this world by relying on these Uma Musume.
"Speaking of which, this academy called 'Tracen' that the URA assigned us to is really quite something. A whole academy specifically for training Uma Musume?"Saying this, Ikezoe took out the URA assignment list that each of them possessed. The three men felt very lucky to be assigned to the same academy, which was listed as the Japan Umamusume Training Center Academy or Japan Umamusume Training Schools and Colleges, which was also known as Tracen Academy.
"'The best Trainers must be matched with the strongest Uma Musume'—that line on the list is quite reassuring." Wada Ryuji said excitedly, looking at the description of Tracen Academy on the list.
"I really wonder what kind of Uma Musume we will be assigned to."
"Hahaha, you idiot, you're not still hoping you'll be lucky enough to get an Uma Musume like T.M. Opera O again, are you?"
However, upon hearing this, Ikezoe laughed heartily and slapped Wada on the shoulder. Wada gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond, as Ikezoe was, strictly speaking, his senior.
"It's not just that, Ikezoe. I also heard some details about Tracen Academy."
At this moment, Imanami proactively spoke to the two juniors in front of him. "Tomorrow, when we head to Tracen Academy, we must first meet the Chairwoman and the Student Council President of Tracen Academy, among others, so that the Uma Musume we choose can be accepted based on our characteristics."
"Guess what the name of the Student Council President we are going to meet is?"
Imanami's words caused Wada and Ikezoe to exchange glances. They had no idea. They had been frantically and diligently studying for the past month, barely managing to obtain the Central Trainer Certificate using their jockey experience and knowledge. Where would they have had the time to know such things?
Seeing that the two were completely unaware, Imanami coughed a few times and said lightly,
"The Student Council President of Tracen Academy is named Symboli Rudolf."
"—WHAT?!" x2
Sure enough, upon hearing the name, both Ikezoe and Wada instantly cried out after a brief silence. Even Ikezoe, who was usually restrained, was so shocked that he stammered,
"Sy-Symboli Rudolf?! The—'Emperor'? The Undefeated Triple Crown winner, the Seven-Crown Horse Symboli Rudolf?!"
"I was surprised when I first heard it too." Imanami nodded upon hearing this, confirming the news. After this, Wada, who had been quiet on the side, raised his hand and slowly asked after his shock subsided,
"Does that mean... some of the Racehorses we were familiar with might have also become Uma Musume in this world?"
"It's highly possible." Imanami nodded. He noticed that Wada Ryuji had fallen into deep thought but didn't pay it much mind, continuing,
"In any case, we will be going to Tracen Academy for an interview tomorrow. Gentlemen, let's get some good rest today, gather our wits tomorrow, and go meet the Chairwoman and the Symboli Rudolf of this world."
"We're going to meet the Uma Musume form of that 'Emperor'... just imagining it makes me a little nervous." Ikezoe rubbed his hands in expectation. He was already excited. As a jockey, being able to meet the highly revered "Emperor," especially in the form of an Uma Musume, would be quite a thrilling experience.
Wada Ryuji, however, was still contemplating the words Imanami had just spoken... if some of the Racehorses they were familiar with had also become Uma Musume in this world.
Then, there was one Uma Musume he absolutely had to verify was real, one he absolutely had to meet...
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And just like that, Chapter 1 is done! This is one of my most favourite Uma Musume fan fics, and the previous translations of this on Webnovel had subpar translations and were dropped, so here I am.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it, and I will fix it as soon as I can.