In Tracen, I'm Good at Serving Time

He planned to head back to school.

"It's okay. Trainer, did you watch my dance properly just now?"

Silence Suzuka spoke softly, her voice as gentle as ever.

[Uma Musume Fan]: Here it comes, an easy question! Just make a move now and everything will work out!

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: Skip straight to Silence Suzuka's bond story!

"What are they talking about?"

In front of the screen, Silence Suzuka stared at the comments, utterly baffled.

She didn't really understand what these "netizens" meant.

"You two, that's enough."

Zhou Yuang switched voice channels and spoke to the unreliable commenters.

There's no way an uma musume would fall for someone that easily. I don't believe it.

"Mm. Your performance was wonderful."

"Was it...?"

On the screen, Silence Suzuka lowered her gaze to her folded hands, then looked up at Zhou Yuang.

She had just opened her mouth to say something when a gust of wind rushed over.

"Wow! A real, live uma musume!"

Feeling that somewhat familiar breeze, Zhou Yuang spotted a certain airhead charging toward them.

Her hands were clenched into fists, her eyes sparkled as she gazed at Silence Suzuka, and she was trembling with excitement.

The first Suzuka fangirl from season one, Special Week, had appeared.

Ignoring Zhou Yuang beside her, the airheaded Special Week stared at Silence Suzuka, her round cheeks flushing pink.

"What?! A real, live... Have you never looked in a mirror?"

Startled by Special Week's arrival, Silence Suzuka took a few steps back.

When she realized it was an uma musume about her own height, she blinked.

She studied the uma musume who had interrupted her conversation with Zhou Yuang.

Come on, couldn't you just look down at your own feet?

"Ah, sorry."

At Silence Suzuka's reproach, Special Week pressed her hands together sheepishly.

Then she immediately lowered her slightly round face.

[Hates Flashes and Manic Guys]: This uma musume... Is she missing a few screws?

She'd actually said "a real, live uma musume?" to another uma musume. They were rare, sure, but not that rare, right?

The trackside had been full of uma musume earlier!

[Invincible Lord of the Seaside]: Yeah, she does seem kind of dumb.

[Uma Musume Fan]: Even if she's dumb, she's still cute.

[Invincible Lord of the Seaside]: But dumb people make mistakes easily, don't they? You can see uma musume all over the place. Didn't her mother ever take her to watch a race?

"I grew up on a ranch in Hokkaido, so I never saw any other uma musume."

Special Week raised her head, her earlier excitement noticeably subdued.

She slowly explained herself to Silence Suzuka.

"You grew up on a ranch? Wouldn't that make you even more likely to meet uma musume?"

In the real world, ranches were places for raising animals, with some occasionally growing crops. In this world, they still served that purpose.

But with uma musume competing as athletes, some ranches also operated like clubs that signed athletes.

Their procedures and operations were much like those of ordinary clubs.

So it wouldn't be strange for lots of uma musume to gather at one.

"Well, I asked my mom, but she said our place was too remote. Nobody else came by."

As she spoke, Special Week kept her head lowered and touched her index fingers together.

Her ears drooped against her head.

"I see."

Silence Suzuka covered her mouth, thought for a moment, then spoke gently.

"In Tokyo, you'll get to see lots of uma musume... Judging by your outfit, are you a new student at Tracen?"

"Yes! I'm enrolling at Tracen Academy today."

Special Week nodded. She seemed especially excited about life at Tracen Academy.

That was only natural. A girl who had grown up in the countryside without seeing anyone like herself had found a school full of them. How could she not be excited?

And it was a school for athletes, while she had loved running since she was little.

"I see. Then we can show you around Tracen Academy later."

Silence Suzuka looked at Zhou Yuang, apparently hoping he would agree.

"Sure."

Zhou Yuang nodded.

In both the anime and the game, the two uma musume were roommates. Whichever version it was, they were teammates too.

There was nothing wrong with helping each other.

"Huh? And who is this gentleman?"

Only then did the airheaded Special Week notice Zhou Yuang.

She tilted her head and looked at him.

She hadn't even noticed the huge trainer badge on Zhou Yuang's Mysterious Trainer A model.

Looks like I'll have to present it like a lawyer before she catches on.

"I'm Silence Suzuka's trainer. What's your name?"

Zhou Yuang knew who this uma musume was, but he still had to ask.

The comments were waiting for her to introduce herself.

"My name is Special Week! I'm from Hokkaido! My goal is to become Japan's number one uma musume!"

[Tracen Cold Joke Master]: Japan's number one uma musume? Not a bad dream.

Countless uma musume came to Central Academy, including plenty from the countryside.

Uma musume like Oguri Cap were few and far between. Thanks to Oguri Cap and her good upbringing, a certain Student Council president was fairly open-minded.

But in the anime, the uma musume around Special Week had laughed at her as soon as she declared that dream.

After all, anyone could talk big about a grand dream.

[Invincible Lord of the Seaside]: She can't do it! President Rudolf is Japan's number one uma musume, and after her, some other uma musume will claim that title!

[Tracen Version Higuchi Madoka]: Another hot-blooded idiot?

[Festival Girl]: What? Isn't that a wonderful dream?

[Uma Musume Fan]: A girl from the countryside is so innocent and cute, but the harsh reality of the city will wear her down until she looks so sad! I've seen too many uma musume fail to find happiness and leave in despair... Please, no more! #(sobbing) #(sobbing) #(sobbing)

"Become Japan's number one?"

That's a wonderful dream. If I could, I'd want that too.

Outside the screen, Silence Suzuka read the comments scrolling past and couldn't help imagining it.

But then a problem occurred to her: her effective range was 1,800 to 2,200 meters.

If what this trainer had said was completely correct, and there was no way to change it, she wouldn't perform well on most tracks in Japan.

Could training extend my range? Oh, right. When he introduced Oguri Cap earlier, didn't he mention something about modification?

Would that work?

Before Zhou Yuang could answer that question, he would have to know she was asking it.

But Zhou Yuang could only see the comments on the screen.

Watching them drift past one after another, Zhou Yuang switched voice channels.

"Hey, Uma... whoever you are, stop moping. Special Week isn't someone who'll be left with no place to stand. Wasn't she among the ones you could redeem right at the start?"

She was no use in the game, but she was cute... No, she had a strong presence.

Her real-life counterpart had been an incredibly strong racehorse, and she was one of the few uma musume with three alternate outfits in the game.

Unlike a certain roommate of hers, who had to wait almost two and a half years after launch for one.

"Besides, Special Week was pretty formidable. She won the Derby, achieved the Tenno Spring-Autumn Double, and won the Japan Cup."

All four were G1 races. Winning just one would give you bragging rights for life.

Some uma musume included in the franchise didn't even have a G1 victory.

[Invincible Lord of the Seaside]: Huh?

[Tracen Version Higuchi Madoka]: Huh?

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: Huh?

[Uma Musume Fan]: Yes, yes, yes! I love an inspiring story about an uma musume from the countryside! Since she's got that powerful appeal, she's my one and only favorite now!

[Side-Eyeing Lewd Manga Teacher]: "Now"? You're picking another one and only favorite?

[Uma Musume Fan]: Can you really call it "another" when I'm picking my one and only favorite?

A certain pink-haired girl's fingers flew across the keyboard as she defended herself against the charge of having multiple favorites.

She kept posting comments like "How can it count as having multiple favorites when they're uma musume?" and "Uma musume are treasures of the world" and "I think every uma musume has her own special spark"—the sort of remarks that made people question where she stood.

Wait, weren't you an uma musume yourself?

There weren't any abstract uma musume among the viewers here, so the screen soon filled with good-natured laughter.

Silence Suzuka laughed at the comments too. The joke was a little strange, but it was fun.

As she watched the screen, she felt the gloom she'd been carrying begin to fade.

This atmosphere is nice.

I wish it could last.

"Is that so? You can call me Mysterious Trainer A."

Zhou Yuang solemnly gave the name he'd made up on the spot. When Special Week showed no reaction, he wondered whether these people would tease him if he chose something even stranger.

The uma musume watching would definitely tease him, at any rate.

"Um... What's a trainer?"

Special Week scratched the back of her head and looked at Zhou Yuang in confusion. She seemed not to know what a trainer was.

"My mom never told me."

"A trainer is a coach who teaches uma musume how to run. They bring out their potential and guide their training. And an uma musume can't compete unless she signs with a trainer."

Zhou Yuang told her the truth. He had no reason to be annoyed with such an innocent girl.

Just looking at a cute airhead was relaxing.

An airhead who wasn't cute, on the other hand, would send his blood pressure soaring.

"I see... Um, could I have the same trainer as Shikika—Suzuka?"

Special Week's ears lay flat against her head as she looked at Zhou Yuang pleadingly. With her hands pressed together, she kept rubbing her little porcelain-white fingers.