Race Arrangements

For Yasui Makoto, her parents had always been patient and understanding with their unconventional and remarkably "precocious" son, never interfering too much in his life.

Over time, he gradually came to accept this familial affection, something he had never experienced in his past life, and became more willing to listen to others, even opening up to his parents.

And during this period, Hokubu Genkoma's spirited liveliness had deeply touched him, and he found himself unconsciously experiencing what was called youth.

Therefore, he was willing to talk more with his Uma Musume and listen to her thoughts.

"The answer... Ah! Shoot!"

After a moment of confusion, Hokubu Genkoma exclaimed in surprise, scratching her cheek sheepishly.

"After I talked to Light Diamond-chan that day, I was supposed to tell the Trainer the next day, but I got distracted by that stone and forgot..."

Then, she took a deep breath and looked seriously at Yasui Makoto.

"I've decided, Trainer.

"I'm going to challenge the Triple Crown."

Yasui Makoto didn't mind his straightforward Uma Musume's minor oversight.

He wasn't surprised by the answer "Triple Crown" either.

Spring Emperor's Prize, Autumn Emperor's Prize, Takarazuka Kinen, Arima Kinen... these were all top-tier races, even exceptionally special among G1s.

If one had to pick the most special, all Uma Musume would unhesitatingly say the Triple Crown.

There was only one chance in a lifetime, and that restriction alone infinitely elevated its significance.

In the past nearly hundred years, among tens of thousands of Uma Musume, only seven had won the Triple Crown simultaneously, and only a dozen or so had won two of them.

Tokai Teio was one of the Uma Musume who had won two races, and she was an undefeated two-crown winner.

With such an Uma Musume as an idol, Hokubu Genkoma's thoughts were easy to guess without much deliberation.

"The Triple Crown, huh... I understand."

Nodding, Yasui Makoto began to swipe at his tablet.

"Then I'll register you for the Spring Stakes first, and we'll prepare your debut race based on that."

"Okay! No problem... Wait!"

Nodding vigorously as if by instinct, Hokubu Genkoma suddenly paused.

"...We're registering now, Trainer?"

"What else?"

Pausing at the race application screen, Yasui Makoto looked at Hokubu Genkoma.

"It's January now, a January debut.

"In February, depending on the situation, we'll register for a race to accumulate the necessary fan numbers.

"In March, the Yayoi Sho, Spring Stakes, Wakaba Stakes, and the three Satsuki Sho preliminary races are all held.

"April is the Satsuki Sho. If we don't register now, are we going to waste money on late entries later?"

The "late entry system" had only gradually been established in the last few generations of the Glittering Series.

In the past, if one missed the deadline to register for certain races, the opportunity was lost forever, with no chance for late entry.

This situation had long been criticized, but the URA Association had never paid attention.

It wasn't until the "Eternal Triple Crown Generation" caused a stir in the industry that relevant proposals were drafted and perfected in the following years.

One of the protagonists of that stir was Oguri Cap, who had previously delivered meals to Yasui Makoto and Hokubu Genkoma.

Due to her provincial origins, that legendary Uma Musume and her Trainer initially hadn't considered participating in the Triple Crown.

Later, in a provincial race, the previous Student Council President, Symboli Rudo, recognized Oguri Cap's talent and invited her to participate in more top-tier races in the central region.

However, without a late entry system, Oguri Cap did not participate in the Triple Crown.

If her performance in the central region had been mediocre, it would have been one thing, but she repeatedly defeated the champions of the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho in a series of major races, proving to be impeccably strong.

This caused great regret and dissatisfaction among fans and the industry, leading the URA Association to introduce the "late entry system."

This system later prevented many regrets. For example, Good Opera, known as the "Overlord," missed the registration deadline and went through the late entry process.

And if she recalled correctly, the Hokubu Genkoma of a parallel world also had to late-enter the Satsuki Sho because she had little popularity at her debut, and her training camp realized it belatedly.

However, although races could be entered late, the fee for a single late entry was not cheap, costing a full 2 million yen, and it was the same in this world.

Yasui Makoto wasn't short of money.

Living alone in Tokyo, besides the living expenses provided by his family, he had saved a considerable amount through part-time jobs since his first year of high school. The training equipment he had bought for Hokubu Genkoma during this period had all been paid for out of his own pocket.

But he was confident that he could lead this Uma Musume to achieve excellent results in the Triple Crown, so there was certainly no need to waste money on late entry fees.

"I see... I'm sorry, Trainer."

Hearing Yasui Makoto's arrangements and rhetorical question, Hokubu Genkoma felt guilty.

"I'm not very familiar with these things. I should have learned about them with you..."

"It's not your fault. You've only just enrolled, and you haven't covered a lot of this knowledge yet."

Yasui Makoto shook his head.

"Besides, this is the Trainer's job. I'll explain it to you slowly later, and you'll learn about it in class too."

He added, and Yasui Makoto began operating the entry interface again.

"So, your debut race in January, a condition race in February, a preparatory race in March, and the Satsuki Sho in April.

"If there are no problems, I'll enter you in that order?"

"Okay, I'll listen to the Trainer."

Nodding obediently, Hokubu Genkoma curiously leaned closer.

Seeing Yasui Makoto filling in various information on the entry form, she watched for a while, blinked, and asked doubtfully:

"By the way, Trainer, if we're entering a preparatory race for the Satsuki Sho, why not the Yayoi Sho or the Wakaba Stakes?

"I actually..."

She pursed her lips, looking a little expectant.

"I actually wondered if I'd get to race against Crown-chan in the Yayoi Sho."

"Satono Crown?"

Yasui Makoto looked up, a little surprised, and pondered.

"Did you two make a promise to settle who's better or something?"

"No, we didn't, after all..."

Scratching his head, Hokubu Genkoma became a little embarrassed.

"It's a bit disheartening to say, but Crown-chan is indeed much better than me.

"She comes from a prominent family, and her family has many people working in the association and the Academy, and she also has seniors who are currently racing.

"Her upbringing is excellent, and her grades are outstanding. She's always been in the top few in our class.

"And she debuted last year and has already won two consecutive races.

"If I were to race against Crown-chan, I feel like... the pressure would be quite high.

"But!

"If I back down just because I feel pressure, then what's the point of saying I want to become an Uma Musume like Emperor-senpai!"

Shaking off her previous shyness, the black-haired girl said with unprecedented seriousness:

"If we're talking about pressure, what Senior faced was far more painful than anything I've experienced.

"If those experiences couldn't defeat Senior, how could I give up before I even started?

"So don't worry, Trainer, no matter who my opponent is, I will definitely fight with all my might until the very end!"

...I didn't expect that the one who usually looks so silly could show such a side right now.

"Good."

Smiling with relief, Yasui Makoto said in a deep voice:

"As your Trainer, I will also accompany you to the very end."

"Yeah!"

Smiling excitedly, Hokubu Genkoma nodded vigorously.