Race Schedule

For Yasui Makoto's unconventional and remarkably "precocious" son, his parents in this life had always been patient and accepting, never interfering with him too much.

As time went by, he gradually came to accept the affection he had never experienced in his previous life, and became willing to listen to others and even open up to his parents a little.

During this time, Hokubu Genkoma's energetic and lively nature had moved him. Before he knew it, he had begun to understand what people meant by youth.

So he was willing to talk more with his Uma Musume and hear more of her thoughts.

"The answer... Oh! I forgot!"

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

"I meant to tell Trainer the day after I talked to Light Diamond-chan, but I got so caught up thinking about that stone that I forgot..."

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

"I've made up my mind, Trainer.

"I want to challenge the Triple Crown."

Yasui Makoto didn't mind his own Uma Musume's absentminded slip.

He wasn't surprised by her answer, either: the Triple Crown.

Spring Emperor's Prize, Autumn Emperor's Prize, Takarazuka Kinen, Arima Kinen... These were all top-tier races, and even among G1 races, they were exceptionally special.

If they had to pick the most special of all, every Uma Musume would name the Triple Crown without hesitation.

A Uma Musume had only one chance in her lifetime. That restriction alone made it infinitely more significant.

In the past century, among tens of thousands of Uma Musume, only seven had won all three races of the Triple Crown, while only a dozen or so had won two.

Tokai Teio was one of the Uma Musume who had won two of the three, and she had done so without a single defeat.

It didn't take much thought to guess why Hokubu Genkoma, who idolized that kind of Uma Musume, had chosen this goal.

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

Yasui Makoto nodded and began scrolling on his tablet.

"I'll register you for the Spring Stakes first, then we'll prepare for your Debut Race based on that."

"Okay! No problem... Wait!"

Hokubu Genkoma nodded emphatically on instinct, then froze.

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

"Why wouldn't we?"

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

"It's January now, and your Debut Race is in January.

"In February, depending on how things go, we'll register you for a race to build up the necessary number of fans.

"In March, the three prep races for the Satsuki Sho—the Yayoi Sho, Spring Stakes, and Wakaba Stakes—are all held then.

"Then the Satsuki Sho is in April. If we don't register now, are we supposed to waste money on late registration later?"

The late-registration system had only gradually been established over the past few generations of the Shining Series.

In the past, if you missed the deadline to register for certain races, that was it. There was no second chance.

This had long been a source of complaints, but the URA Association had never paid it much mind.

Only after the "Eternal Big Three Generation" sent shock waves through the industry did they draft a proposal and refine it over the following years.

One of the central figures in that upheaval was Oguri Cap, who had delivered food to Yasui Makoto and Hokubu Genkoma earlier.

Because she came from a regional circuit, the legendary Uma Musume and her Trainer hadn't initially considered entering the Triple Crown.

Later, at a regional race, Symboli Rudo, the former Student Council President, recognized Oguri Cap's talent and invited her to compete in the more prestigious races in the central circuit.

However, with no late-registration system in place, Oguri Cap never entered the Triple Crown.

If her performance in the central circuit had been unremarkable, that would have been one thing. But in a series of major races, she repeatedly defeated the winners of the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho, proving herself so strong that no one could question her ability.

Fans and the industry alike were deeply disappointed and unhappy, and only then did the URA Association introduce the late-registration system.

The system later prevented many other regrets. Good Opera, known as the "Overlord," had missed the registration deadline and entered through the late-registration process.

As he recalled it, the Hokubu Genkoma of the parallel world had also lacked popularity when she debuted, and her training team had only belatedly registered her for the Satsuki Sho.

Although it was possible to register late, the fee was steep: a full two million yen. It was the same in this world.

Yasui Makoto wasn't short on money.

Besides the living expenses his family provided, he had saved up quite a bit from part-time jobs since his first year of high school. He had even paid out of pocket for the training equipment he'd bought for Hokubu Genkoma recently.

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

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

After hearing Yasui Makoto's plans and question, Hokubu Genkoma started blaming herself.

"I don't know much about these things. I should have learned about them with you..."

"It's not your fault. You've only just started school, and they haven't covered a lot of this yet."

Yasui Makoto shook his head.

"And this is the Trainer's job in the first place. I'll explain it to you gradually, and you'll learn about it in class, too."

After adding that, Yasui Makoto resumed filling out the application.

"So, your Debut Race in January, a conditions race in February, a prep race in March, and the Satsuki Sho in April.

"If you don't have any objections, I'll register you for those in that order."

"Okay. I'll leave it all to you, Trainer."

Hokubu Genkoma nodded obediently and leaned over curiously.

She watched Yasui Makoto enter all kinds of information into the application, then blinked and asked in confusion,

"By the way, Trainer, if I'm entering a prep race for the Satsuki Sho, why not the Yayoi Sho or the Wakaba Stakes?

"I actually..."

She pressed her lips together, looking a little hopeful.

"I actually wondered if I might face Crown-chan in the Yayoi Sho."

"Satono Crown?"

Yasui Makoto looked up in surprise and thought for a moment.

"Did the two of you happen to promise to settle who's better or something?"

"Nothing like that. It's just..."

Hokubu Genkoma scratched her head, looking embarrassed.

"It sounds a little defeatist, but Crown-chan really is a lot better than me.

"She comes from a prominent family, and lots of people in her family work for the association or the academy. She also has seniors who are still active racers.

"She's well-mannered and does really well in class. She's always been one of the top students in our class.

"She also debuted last year and has already won two races in a row.

"If I really had to race Crown-chan, I think... I'd feel pretty pressured.

"But!

"If I back down just because I feel pressured, how can I say I want to become an Uma Musume like Senior Emperor?"

The black-haired girl's earlier bashfulness vanished, and she spoke with unprecedented seriousness.

"To talk about pressure, what Senior Emperor went through was far more painful than anything I've faced.

"Those experiences couldn't break her, so how could I give up before I've even started?

"So don't worry, Trainer. No matter who I face, I'll fight with all my strength to the very end!"

...I never expected someone who usually seemed so silly to show this side of herself.

"Good."

Yasui Makoto smiled warmly and spoke in a deep voice.

"As your Trainer, I'll be with you all the way to the end, too."

"Yeah!"

Hokubu Genkoma beamed with excitement and nodded emphatically.