Guiding Little Anemon?

After taking a bite of his taiyaki, Yasui Makoto led Hokubu Genkoma over to the gingko tree on the quieter side of the shrine.

The bench beneath the tree happened to be empty. The two of them sat down, and only then did Yasui Makoto continue.

His voice was steady, as if he were analyzing the tactics of a race, but there was more gravity in his tone than there had been amid the noisy crowd:

"I understand that you want to give it a try."

He first affirmed her desire, then moved on to the point:

"But like I said, becoming a qualified Trainer—or even just an assistant—takes a lot more than enthusiasm."

He took a bite of his taiyaki and chewed slowly, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

Hokubu Genkoma ate quietly, too, waiting for him to continue.

"For example," Yasui Makoto went on,

"you need to be able to interpret complex physiological data and performance curves, which requires a solid grounding in math and physics. To draw up sound nutrition and training plans, you need to understand biochemistry and exercise physiology. You also have to coordinate race schedules, deal with the media, and manage the team's daily operations... All of that requires systematic knowledge. You can't solve it with enthusiasm alone."

He paused, then gave her the most practical example, his gaze gentle but frank:

"Then there's the fact that very few Uma Musume who've actually switched careers to become Trainers. As you can see, even Hayashi and Yamato provide support based on their own areas of expertise. So the bar for this line of work is actually very high."

Finally, with a serious look, he voiced his biggest concern:

"And most importantly, Xiao Bei, you're in the prime of your career right now. You should be focusing all