"Air Shakur! Air Shakur! Air Shakur is catching up!"
"It's been a year! Three hundred and seventy-four days! Air Shakur has returned to the racecourse once again!"
"Everyone thought Air Shakur would never be able to win again! But Air Shakur and her Trainer never gave up! They believed in each other!"
"So fast! She's really fast! Air Shakur is still charging forward! She's opened nearly a six-length gap from second place! She's still accelerating!"
"The Hope Stakes! This is Air Shakur's new hope!"
"Across the finish line! First place goes to—Air Shakur!""
Air Shakur breathed heavily, sweat running down her cheeks and through her hair, ignoring all the surrounding noise.
She looked to the stands immediately, and when she saw Tsukimori Yuu pumping his fist and shouting at the top of his lungs, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"How embarrassing, Guinea Pig-kun."
...
Air Shakur and Tsukimori Yuu stood before a crowd of reporters.
The flashing lights made it hard for Yuu to keep his eyes open, but Shakur looked completely unfazed.
"Hello! Air Shakur, how do you feel about winning another G1 Race?"
She held the microphone, smiling.
"Of course I'm happy. I can see new possibilities."
"New possibilities? Do you mean you and your new Trainer? It seems like the two of you have sparked something new together!"
She nodded lightly.
"You could say that. I've never met a Trainer more outstanding than him."
Her words plunged the venue into brief silence. No one expected this Uma Musume to give her Trainer such high praise.
After a few simple questions, everyone turned their attention to Tsukimori Yuu. To be precise, he was their real target all along.
He reached out and pushed the microphone that was almost shoved into his mouth forward.
You can stick it out if you want, but why does it smell weird?
"Trainer Tsukimori, hello!"
"Hello."
"May we ask you a few simple questions?"
Yuu grinned.
"Um, if I say no, can we skip the interview?"
Once again, the reporters fell silent for a few seconds.
"Haha, just kidding. Ask whatever you want."
He straightened up and adjusted his clothes slightly.
The reporters all let out a sigh of relief. This Trainer and Uma Musume pair felt… kind of dangerous.
...
"May I ask, you're very famous in the medical field. You could even say that, at such a young age, you've already reached a level most people can't hope to achieve. Why did you choose to become a Trainer?"
Yuu organized his thoughts, then spoke.
"It's simple. I studied medicine because I wanted to become an excellent Trainer. If I didn't want to be a Trainer, I wouldn't have studied medicine at all. Medicine helps me train Uma Musume better. It lets me raise the Uma Musume I want to raise."
Wait, you can do that?
"Then why not hire a team doctor?"
Yuu blinked.
"A team doctor? Would a team doctor be better than me?"
Silence fell again. Somehow… he had a point.
One reporter opened his notebook. Yuu's answer was so unexpected that he'd forgotten what he was going to ask next.
He glanced at the page. Right, there was still this one.
"I have one more question. Why didn't you choose a brand-new Uma Musume? Instead, you chose one who was about to retire—"
Halfway through, a chilling pressure crept up his back.
"Ah! I'm just curious! I absolutely don't mean anything bad about Air Shakur!"
Shakur smiled at him.
"I don't mind."
Staring into her eyes, completely devoid of light, the reporter almost wet himself.
You don't mind?! Your eyes are about to kill me!
"Because I like her."
Silence. A long silence.
Yuu looked puzzled. Had he been too vague?
"What I mean is, I really like Air Shakur. Her personality, the way she runs, I like all of it. I wanted her to be my Uma Musume, so—mmph!"
Before he could finish, Shakur covered his mouth.
The Uma Musume who usually made countless Trainers and racers tremble now had a faint blush on her face.
"That's enough. You don't need to say any more!"
"Mmph! Air Shakur is number one in the world! Mmph!"
The reporters looked at each other. Somehow… it felt like they were completely unnecessary here.
Are we part of their play too?!
Air Shakur returned to the racecourse after 374 days. After 411 days, she claimed victory once more.
...
Shakur looked at Yuu as he packed away the equipment.
"Idiot Guinea Pig-kun. Do you really say everything out loud?"
He put the horseshoes away without even looking up.
"It's the truth. Why wouldn't I say it?"
She crouched down as well, watching him.
"But this could affect your future. People might report that you're just chasing attention or desperate for traffic."
Yuu placed the cloth bag into the suitcase and looked up at her from close range.
"Hey, I can't take this! Air Shakur is my Uma Musume. Even now, it still feels like a dream—ow!"
She pulled her hand back.
"I'm talking about something serious right now, idiot."
"If I wanted attention, would I need to leech off them?"
He smiled and leaned forward slightly.
"Shakur, did you forget something?"
"W-What?"
"Besides being your Trainer, I'm also the best Uma Musume doctor in the world."
"How arrogant. Such an arrogant Guinea Pig-kun."
"If I've got the skill and don't brag, wouldn't that be a waste~"
He zipped up the suitcase, stood up, and held out his hand to her.
"Let's go. We should head home. This race exposed a lot of problems. We'll review it once we're back, then we'll plan the next races. Right now, you need more races to bring your body back into competitive shape."
"So strict, Guinea Pig-kun~"
She naturally placed her hand in his, looking at him with smiling eyes.
"Oh, right. Guinea Pig-kun, after winning this race, you should be able to officially join Tracen Academy, right?"
"Probably. We'll talk about it tomorrow! My Shakur's soft little hand~ Hehehe~"
"Guinea Pig-kun, that's disgusting~"
Nearby, a staff member's mouth twitched.
When did I get force-fed dog food? Is this some kind of illusion?! When did it happen?!