Could She Become a G1 Uma Musume?

When Yasui Makoto happened to see Kitajima Saburo give that interview, he was deeply moved.

Even with the experiences from his previous life, he was no genius. He'd met plenty of geniuses while studying at the Trainer Academy.

Some of those geniuses came from humble backgrounds, while others, like him, came from Trainer families.

Some had even better connections. As soon as they enrolled, influential figures came to them, saying they wanted them to train their family's Uma Musume.

Yet in the end, not one of those geniuses had outperformed him. Some had transferred halfway through, while others were still studying at the academy.

Now, recalling that interview and thinking back on all the time he'd spent with Hokubu Genkoma, Yasui Makoto suddenly understood where his Uma Musume's personality came from.

She was passionate and cheerful, lively and generous.

She could feel anxious and sometimes hesitate.

But when she trained, she was absolutely meticulous and obedient. If given a task, she'd give it her all—never settling for less.

A lot of the time, she seemed a little clumsy, just putting her head down and moving forward, heedless of everything around her, taking one solid step after another.

But in the end, she always got it done.

She was just like her grandfather.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone! Thank you for listening to Grandpa and me sing... Trainer?!"

Just as he was musing, a delighted cry rang out in the distance. Yasui Makoto instinctively looked over.

The black-haired girl's excited face came rushing toward him in the blink of an eye. She threw herself at him and hooked both arms around his neck.

"Trainer! You saw it, right?! I won my second race too!!"

"Yeah, yeah, congratulations, Xiao Bei. But..."

Feeling the weight hanging from his neck, Yasui Makoto gave a wry smile.

"Could you get down first? My neck... feels like it's about to snap..."

At the same time, he couldn't help thinking:

...I'd already seen the stats before, but...

She really was so much heavier than the other Uma Musume...

"Ah, ah?! S-sorry, Trainer! I got too excited again..."

She quickly let go of Yasui Makoto's neck and took two steps back, her expression still excited but her eyes full of concern.

"Trainer, is your neck okay...?"

"That was just an exaggeration. I'm fine."

He rubbed his neck and rolled it around a few times, then smiled at Hokubu Genkoma and looked behind her.

"But enough about me... Xiao Bei, this must be your grandfather, right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Hokubu Genkoma turned around, trotted over, and took the hand of Kitajima Saburo, who had already come over. She then tugged her grandfather along.

"Trainer! This is my grandpa!

"Grandpa! This is my trainer, Yasui Makoto!"

Though Kitajima Saburo was a household name in the music world and across Japan, he didn't put on airs.

His eyes were still bright. When he looked at Hokubu Genkoma, they were full of affection; when he looked at Yasui Makoto, they held clear admiration.

"Teacher Kitajima, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hokubu Genkoma's trainer, Yasui Makoto."

Yasui Makoto bowed. "I'm honored that you found time in your busy schedule to come watch Xiao Bei's race."

"Hahaha, what are you talking about?"

Kitajima Saburo laughed heartily, then said warmly:

"Of course a grandfather should come see his granddaughter race.

"I should've come last time, really. But this girl didn't want to attract too much attention. Otherwise, I'd have come no matter how busy I was."

"That's because you're too famous, Grandpa."

Hokubu Genkoma smiled, but her voice held a hint of childish complaint. She glanced around as she spoke.

"Look, so many people gathered just now.

"If you'd come to the racetrack last time, everyone would've been watching you instead of my race."

Just as Hokubu Genkoma had said, quite a few people had gathered at the entrance to the rest hall.

Most of them were staring at Kitajima Saburo, their faces full of excitement and admiration.

They hadn't come closer, probably because most of them were managing to keep their excitement in check—and because a number of burly men in black suits were holding them back.

One glance was enough for Yasui Makoto to see that they were well-trained bodyguards.

After all, Kitajima Saburo was practically a national treasure among musicians, and there were so many people at the racetrack. Security couldn't be taken lightly.

"All right, all right. It's all Grandpa's fault, all Grandpa's fault."

Kitajima Saburo smiled apologetically at Hokubu Genkoma's complaint.

"Shall we go inside first?"

"No."

Hokubu Genkoma shook her head without hesitation, then explained seriously:

"Only Uma Musume, trainers, and staff are allowed into the rest hall, so you definitely can't go in, Grandpa.

"Besides, after I rest for a bit, I have to get ready for the Winner's Stage.

"Just wait for me over by the stage, Grandpa. I promise my performance won't disappoint you!"

"All right, all right. I'll wait eagerly."

After nodding repeatedly, Kitajima Saburo looked at Yasui Makoto.

"But I'd like to have a word with your trainer. Is that okay, Xiao Bei?"

"Sure! No problem!"

Hokubu Genkoma nodded repeatedly too.

"I've wanted you to meet my trainer for ages!

"Grandpa, you know, my trainer is really good. You'll understand as soon as you talk to him!"

"Of course. Xiao Bei won her race, so Trainer Yasui must have had a hand in it. Grandpa knows he's good."

After smiling and agreeing, Kitajima Saburo watched Hokubu Genkoma say goodbye to Yasui Makoto and enter the rest hall. Then he turned to Yamato Akagi and Vodka and bowed slightly.

"I'm terribly sorry. I was so caught up talking with Xiao Bei that I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to you two.

"But I've been following the Shining Series for a while. You're Yamato Akagi and Vodka, right?"

"You're too kind, sir."

Yamato Akagi quickly returned his bow, along with Vodka, and smiled. "We grew up listening to your songs. We should be the ones to introduce ourselves."

"That's right, sir. Xiao Bei has told us about you many times, but we never found the right chance to pay you a visit."

Vodka spoke with some excitement.

"Your singing is full of manly spirit. I especially love your songs! I... Huh?"

Just as Vodka was about to continue, Yamato Akagi smiled and discreetly brushed her with her tail.

"We're only here to cheer Xiao Bei on, so we'll go help her prepare for the Winner's Stage. Excuse us."

Vodka caught on too.

"Right, right. The Winner's Stage is important. We'll help Xiao Bei get ready!"

Then the two Uma Musume bowed together and entered the rest hall, just as Hokubu Genkoma had.

Yasui Makoto had remained silent the whole time.

He'd long thought that if he ever met Hokubu Genkoma's family, they'd probably ask him questions or bring up other topics. After all, she was their child.

The question was, what would this old gentleman ask him...?

"It's wonderful to be young. You have seniors supporting you, classmates competing alongside you, and, of course, mentors to guide you. Those are the opportunities that come only when you're young, hahaha."

As Yasui Makoto pondered, Kitajima Saburo chuckled and mused aloud, then slowly turned to him.

"Mr. Yasui, perhaps this is a bit direct, but I'm sure you can understand how I feel.

"In your eyes, that girl Xiao Bei...

"Can she become a G1 Uma Musume?"