The next morning, when Yasui Makoto saw Hokubu Genkoma, he could tell that his Uma Musume looked much more energetic than she had in the past few days.
After asking a little, he learned that she'd been encouraged and supported by a friend. He offered her a few words of encouragement too, then began the morning training.
First came a light jog to warm up, followed by a review of the homework he'd assigned the night before: the hand gestures and sitting posture.
Once he'd confirmed she had them down, he taught her a few new gestures and a standing pose.
"Trainer, this pose... it's so weird..."
She stood on tiptoe on one foot, with her other leg dangling behind her, knee bent.
Both hands hung in front of her like a kangaroo's, while she stretched her back and head straight forward.
Holding the pose, Hokubu Genkoma felt like she looked as if she were sneaking around, up to no good.
They were training on the school grounds, where other students were also doing their morning workouts.
Seeing Hokubu Genkoma in that bizarre pose, quite a few students glanced over strangely or covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
"It is a little weird."
Yasui Makoto didn't deny the pose was odd. He remarked casually:
"But so what if it's weird? Are you going to stop practicing?
"Or are you going to look around like that during a race, too?"
Hokubu Genkoma jolted.
"Oh, right. I definitely need to focus during a race...
"I understand, Trainer. I'll train seriously!"
Yasui Makoto nodded to himself. Once he was sure Hokubu Genkoma was focused on her training, he scrolled through his tablet and opened the trainer-only interface.
The trainer interface was linked to the Uma Musume's racing account, so he could see how her follower count had changed.
501... She'd gained a little over a hundred followers since yesterday?
It seemed that not only the industry, but even the fans... didn't think much of Xiao Bei.
According to the racing procedures, once an Uma Musume signed an agreement with a Trainer, Tracen Academy would report it to the URA Association right away. The Association would create her racing account within one or two business days.
At the same time, the Association and its partner organizations would share information about the Uma Musume across various platforms.
If fans spotted an Uma Musume they liked, or one who already had some fame, they could follow her and interact by commenting or casting fan votes on different platforms.
Compared to the others in her year, Hokubu Genkoma's pre-debut reputation was clearly poor.
Take the young lady from the Satomi Family he'd met yesterday, for example.
Though the Satomi Family had only entered the Shining Series in recent years, they were a wealthy and powerful family, and they spared no expense in funding and training.
Some of their Uma Musume had also performed well in races. As a result, Satono Crown had already gained over ten thousand followers before even completing her Debut Race.
After two consecutive victories, her follower count had now surpassed one hundred thousand.
A hundred thousand followers was a threshold in racing. An Uma Musume needed that many to compete in OP-level races or higher.
Otherwise, she could only keep competing in Pre-OP races or switch to dirt races, steeplechase, or local races.
By comparison, Hokubu Genkoma had nowhere near even a fraction of Satono Crown's followers, whether before or after her debut.
Still, seeing his Uma Musume's rather dismal follower count didn't discourage Yasui Makoto. He nodded, closed the linked interface, and opened the training screen.
Hokubu Genkoma wasn't the sort of Uma Musume who looked like a genius at first glance.
If he had to name a genius, it would probably be someone like Tokai Teio, who debuted as the most popular horse girl, won the debut race, and went on to win the Japanese Derby.
That didn't mean his Uma Musume lacked any exceptional qualities. Many Trainers had noticed her extraordinary strength and healthy constitution.
The problem was that turning those qualities into actual racing ability wasn't easy, which was why she hadn't earned much recognition since enrolling.
Under those circumstances, it was only natural that she didn't have many fans.
But he happened to know how to make that transformation, and he had a perspective and training methods that were ahead of their time. There was no need to worry about followers.
"Good. Hold it there."
As Yasui Makoto worked on his tablet, he kept an eye on Hokubu Genkoma's training. This time, he'd set a timer, and he told her to stop as soon as the tablet gave its alert.
"Do this pose the same way as the one I taught you yesterday.
"Once in the morning, once at midday, and once at night. Don't do more, and don't do less.
"I'll gradually teach you the whole set of poses. It'll take about half an hour to complete them all.
"Once you've learned everything, I'll adjust your training times."
When Yasui Makoto called a halt, Hokubu Genkoma obediently straightened up. She moved her legs and arms a little, then looked surprised.
"Trainer, your training methods... they're really unusual.
"It felt uncomfortable and awkward at first, but I got used to it after a while.
"And even though I held it for so long, I'm not tired. This method..."
She tilted her head, curious.
"What does it actually do?"
When he'd taught her yesterday, Yasui Makoto hadn't told her what the poses were for.
They were part of a special training regimen he'd practiced in his previous life. They wouldn't do much in the short term; their value came from sticking with them over time.
But he'd already thought of how to explain it. Yesterday, Hokubu Genkoma had been so caught up in the novelty that she hadn't asked, so he hadn't mentioned it.
"You can think of it as a special kind of cultivation."
After giving her a casual explanation, he looked around. Spotting a flower bed nearby, he motioned for the startled Hokubu Genkoma to follow him.
At the edge of the flower bed, he searched for a moment, then picked up a flat pebble about the size of his fist.
"Could you..."
He held the pebble up in front of Hokubu Genkoma, pausing to choose his words.
"Break this with a punch, or kick it in half?"
"...What kind of joke is that, Trainer?"
Hokubu Genkoma stared at Yasui Makoto in confusion. When she saw that he seemed serious, she looked both stunned and troubled.
"B-but that's a pretty big pebble. If it were a roof tile or something, I could kick it apart, but a pebble like this..."
"Oh. Then watch."
He nodded, set the pebble on the edge of the flower bed, and crouched down. After studying the stone's midpoint for a moment, he gathered his strength and raised his hand. With a low shout, he held his palm like a blade and struck the pebble in the middle.
"Tra-Trainer?! You..."
Hokubu Genkoma had watched Yasui Makoto's preparations with uncertainty. Only when he struck did she realize her Trainer was serious. She let out a couple of startled cries, then abruptly fell silent.
A moment later—
"Huh?! Y-you split it?!"
"Yeah. I split it."
Holding half the pebble in each hand, Yasui Makoto looked at Hokubu Genkoma.
"My strength is definitely nowhere near yours, but there's no doubt I have far better control over it.
"There are plenty of tricks to splitting a pebble like this, but you don't need to learn any of them.
"You only need to know that the poses I taught you are meant to help you control your own terrifying strength.
"When you've fully mastered that strength, and can concentrate all of it in your feet and legs...
"I can guarantee that no one will be able to match your speed."
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