After Good Opera had been gone for a while, Hokubu Genkoma stared in the direction she'd left for a long moment. Then, as stiffly as if her neck had rusted, she turned toward Yasui Makoto.
To her, Good Opera was one of the only "Seven-Crown Champions" in Uma Musume history. She'd also achieved the astonishing feat of going unbeaten for an entire year, and was a Hall of Fame Uma Musume.
Hokubu Genkoma hadn't known much about the trainer of a senior like that, but surely he had to be incredibly good, right?
That thought made her nervous.
"Tra-Trainer... Is that, is that for real?
"Pounding's trainer... no, I mean, Pounding's classmate's trainer...
"Is Good Opera's trainer..."
Hokubu Genkoma froze.
She suddenly noticed that Yasui Makoto, Yamato Akagi, and Vodka all wore strange expressions. Stammering, she asked,
"Trainer, seniors... what's wrong?"
As if on cue, Yamato Akagi and Vodka exchanged a glance, then silently looked toward Yasui Makoto.
"Don't worry about that."
Yasui Makoto shook his head and replied calmly,
"Even the best trainer can end up with an Uma Musume who leaves you at a loss for words.
"And even the worst trainer might produce an Uma Musume who shines brighter than anyone else.
"That uncertainty is probably what makes the Shining Series so captivating.
"I think I know what's on your mind, Xiao Bei, so let me ask you something.
"You've found out that your opponent's trainer is incredibly good. Does that mean you're not going to run in this race?
"Or maybe there's no need to race at all. We could just see whose trainer is the best and hand her the championship trophy. Don't you think?"
Hokubu Genkoma shook her head without hesitation.
"Of course not!"
Then she let out a long breath, and the nervousness in her eyes gradually gave way to determination.
"I understand what you mean, Trainer.
"I'll prepare properly for the race. I won't let you down!
"And before I came here, I told you that Grandpa and the others were already on their way. I'll definitely win so they can see!"
Yasui Makoto smiled with satisfaction, then pointed at the plate in front of the black-haired girl.
"Good. That's the spirit. Now..."
"First, I'm going to eat my fill! Hehe..."
Before he could finish, the black-haired girl jumped in with a silly laugh. She pressed her hands together, said, "Let's eat!" and tucked into her meal with gusto.
Yasui Makoto smiled again, pleased, and began eating too.
Beside them, Yamato Akagi and Vodka swiftly exchanged a glance. Without a word, they pointed at their pockets, picked up their chopsticks, and pulled out their phones.
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: Seriously? ∑(Дノ)ノ Is this trainer really a rookie?]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: I told you ages ago that Trainer Yasui was something special ￣へ￣ Though I was pretty surprised at first, too.]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: How could I not be surprised?ヽ(ー_ー)ノ Plenty of veteran trainers can't even handle pre-race pep talks. You've seen Uma Musume throwing a tantrum right before a race, haven't you?]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: You mean Abune (￣_￣)?]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: I didn't say thatヽ(￣▽￣) You did. I took a screenshot, and I'm sending it to Abune later.]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: ψ(*｀ー)ψ Why are you still so annoying?!]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: Just kidding. Hehe (<ゝω)☆ But I really am interested in this trainer now.]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: What do you mean
[_?]]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: Being a dorm supervisor shouldn't be too much trouble, right?]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: What, are you going to copy me again?]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: Not the time for jokes. I'd already been wondering whether my research would be suitable for the academy. If you can do it, why can't I?]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: Fair enough. And after seeing Fuji Senpai apply for a transfer, and hearing that Amazon Senpai was thinking about it too, I'll ask around for you.]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: You really get me. Thanks for the trouble.]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: It's no trouble. But you'll have to talk to Teio yourself.]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: OK. By the way, Xiao Bei doesn't seem to know about Good Opera Senpai.]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: She probably doesn't. That's normal—we didn't know when we first enrolled, either.]
[Tracen's Handsomest Uma Musume: True... But this trainer probably knows what happened back then. So he's deliberately keeping it from Xiao Bei, right?]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: Probably. Xiao Bei's got plenty of talent; she's just as airheaded as you sometimes. Keeping it from her will give her a little pressure before the race. That's just right.]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: (﹁"﹁)]
[Tracen's Prettiest Uma Musume: All right, enough. If we keep chatting, someone might notice.]
Putting her phone away first and ignoring the resentful stare beside her, Yamato Akagi wore a triumphant smile and happily dug into her lunch.
Hokubu Genkoma finished eating first.
Her lunch consisted of energy-rich, high-sugar, low-fat foods like bananas, oats, corn, and carrots. They gave her plenty of energy and helped her feel full.
She also ate quickly, and the food digested quickly.
This kept things efficient, without blood staying in her digestive system for a long time as it would after a meal high in carbohydrates, fat, or protein. It was ideal for the race ahead.
"I'm full!"
She picked up her tray and stood. Seeing that Yasui Makoto had finished his ramen too, Hokubu Genkoma turned to Yamato Akagi and Vodka.
"You two seniors..."
"No need to wait for us," Vodka said with a smile. "Your race is in an hour, so go get ready in the prep room.
"Yamato and I will cheer you on from the stands.
"By the way, Trainer Yasui, where do you usually watch the races?"
"Right at the front," Yasui Makoto replied matter-of-factly. "You can see Xiao Bei best from there, and afterward I can adjust her review and training based on what I saw during the race.
"I noticed that the trainers are all standing there. Isn't that common knowledge?"
Vodka glanced at Yamato Akagi, then smiled.
"Fair enough... We'll meet you there later, then. Xiao Bei's in your hands."
She and Yamato Akagi waved together, watching Yasui Makoto and Hokubu Genkoma leave. Then Vodka nodded thoughtfully.
"He's really different from most Japanese trainers..."
"Hm? What did you say?" Yamato Akagi asked, puzzled. She hadn't heard her friend.
"I've met a lot of foreign trainers and Uma Musume in Europe," Vodka explained.
"Things there are much more straightforward.
"For example, trainers who prove their ability get outstanding rookie Uma Musume to develop, and the academy gives them more resources.
"Here, it depends on seniority, rank, and all sorts of other rules.
"If I remember right, your trainer struggled with that from the start, didn't he, Yamato?"
I didn't make the recommendation list last time. Damn it.
There's not much I can do. Uma Musume really is a pretty niche fandom, and a lot of readers say the racier, more bizarre stories dominate. I took a look, and there really aren't many stories about training, so I have to spend a lot of time working out the plot.
But I'm not saying this to complain. If anything, it makes me feel like I should work even harder on the story.
When I start slacking off, I rewatch Season Three.
Then, in a fit of rage, I find myself with even more motivation to write.
If you haven't seen Season Three, I don't recommend trying it.
I also highly recommend Season Two and Gray Cinderella. Season One and the OVAs are great too, so give them a try.
Anyway, here's an extra chapter. Please keep reading. Thanks (ω)
I'll keep working hard (￣▽￣)／
Before you continue