At Tracen, I'm Good at Doing Time

Zhou Yuang held out his pinky to Silence Suzuka.

Promises like this were common everywhere.

Silence Suzuka stared at his pinky for a moment, then reached out her fair hand and hooked her pinky around his.

Zhou Yuang wiggled his finger first, showing Silence Suzuka that their promise was sealed.

Silence Suzuka looked a little dazed, but quickly caught on.

After they talked for a while, Silence Suzuka and Zhou Yuang began their picnic.

Once they finished eating, it was time to rest.

Zhou Yuang used the break to tell Silence Suzuka about his plan for the Tenno Sho Autumn.

He went over the course and how she should run the race.

Since Silence Suzuka's style was to break far ahead, she had no need to worry about the other Uma Musume behind her.

Zhou Yuang had also memorized the running styles and habits of the other Uma Musume in the race while watching their races.

If he had been training anyone other than Silence Suzuka, he would have used that information to explain how to counter the other runners' tactics.

Silence Suzuka listened with her ears perked up. Meanwhile, the Uma Musume in the comments were a little surprised.

[Invincible Lord of the Seashore]: Got it. Next time, I can win the Tenno Sho Autumn too.

[Tracen's Madoka Higuchi]: Your brain learned it. I don't think your legs did.

[Horse Girl Enthusiast]: My soul left my body for a bit. I just woke up. Wait, why did I come back to a lecture?

[White-Eyed Ero Manga Teacher]: You won the revival match? Hurry up and get back to the sweet stuff.

[Horse Girl Enthusiast]: Hang on... I need... insulin!

"I need to write this plan down..."

Outside the screen, Silence Suzuka hurriedly took a pen and paper from her drawer and started taking notes.

Faced with the classroom atmosphere, some Uma Musume in the comments joked around while others took advantage of the free lesson.

It might come in handy during a race.

Zhou Yuang paid them no mind. The Silence Suzuka in front of him was listening.

Once she had rested and listened carefully to Zhou Yuang's instructions, Silence Suzuka wanted to do some extra training.

Of course Zhou Yuang agreed to the +5 training. Her stamina bar was still plenty full.

If they wanted to avoid misfortune, they had to keep working at it, little by little.

Each effort might shift things by only the tiniest amount, but if they kept at it, they would eventually leave that misfortune far behind.

Silence Suzuka ran lap after lap without feeling tired of the training at all.

She knew her Trainer was always watching over her, staying beside her as they faced the approaching future together.

Each time Silence Suzuka completed a lap, Zhou Yuang waved at the right moment for her to speed up or slow down, letting her rehearse the plan they had discussed on the grass.

As the day's training went on, the sky gradually darkened.

The story segment came to an end as well.

Back at the main screen, Zhou Yuang let out a breath.

"Come on, you could've warned me before springing that on me."

An IF-route story had suddenly appeared. He had thought there was something wrong with how he was training her.

"That's what makes it entertaining. Besides, a lamb who knows nothing isn't qualified to keep being a Trainer."

Darley said it without a shred of courtesy, but Zhou Yuang did not argue with her.

After all, he had only watched a story. Nothing had actually gone wrong for him.

Still, being unable to move during that story had felt awful.

He turned back to training Silence Suzuka.

When the comments realized the story had ended, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

But the counter at the top of the game showed how few turns remained until the Tenno Sho Autumn, and they grew tense again.

[Unbreakable Glass]: There isn't much time left before we find out whether it's a bad ending.

[Tracen Cold Joke Master]: No matter how hard you work, it's all talk until it's put to the test.

[Tracen Cold Joke Master]: Still, that course analysis earlier was fascinating. Would you be interested in discussing it with me in person?

Thinking back on it, Rudolf grew even more curious about who this Trainer was.

He sounded young, but he was talented...

"If he isn't holding back, he must be an outstanding student. Heh, that narrows it down nicely."

Rudolf, who also liked to coast before the finish line, had a clear idea now.

"Sorry, I don't go on dates with other Uma Musume. Silence Suzuka is the only sun in my heart."

Zhou Yuang turned her down with a declaration that sounded utterly faithful. But he had previously said he dreamed of marrying thirty Uma Musume, and now Silence Suzuka was his only sun?

Sure.

Rudolf saw that Zhou Yuang had refused her blunt invitation, but she was in no hurry.

Someone with that kind of talent would be discovered sooner or later.

Zhou Yuang kept clicking, and the next few turns passed in a flash.

The turn for the Tenno Sho Autumn arrived.

Zhou Yuang opened the predictions. Seeing circles across the board, he switched to the skills menu and learned a few.

"All right. Time to see the results. I wonder whether anything I said made a difference."

Practice was the only way to test whether an idea held true. There was no denying that.

[Horse Girl Enthusiast]: Is it finally time to find out if we're headed for a bad ending? You can do it, Silence Suzuka! Don't lose to it!

[Unbreakable Glass]: Come on. Don't lose.

[Festival Girl]: Go! Go!

"So it's finally time?"

The viewers were nervous, but Silence Suzuka herself was even more so.

If she could overcome that bad ending here, perhaps she would have nothing to fear in reality either.

Zhou Yuang selected the race. With the Uma Musume watching tensely, the story began again.

It was the same passageway, but this time there was no filter. Anything could happen now.

"Trainer, the day is here."

Silence Suzuka looked down the familiar passageway, then turned to Zhou Yuang.

She was worried that tragedy might happen again.

"Still scared?"

Zhou Yuang looked at Silence Suzuka and reached out to stroke her head again.

"Trainer, I'm not a child anymore."

Silence Suzuka protested, but her voice grew quieter as she spoke.

It seemed she had accepted what Zhou Yuang was doing.

She trusted Zhou Yuang completely now. He had worked tirelessly for her, and she followed his guidance without question.

For all that she was an Uma Musume, Silence Suzuka was an innocent girl who grew attached easily and could be won over with little effort.

Zhou Yuang figured his chances of winning Silence Suzuka over in real life were pretty good too.

Maybe he should go find her after the stream ended?

Oguri Cap would not mind... All right, a girl who got jealous of her own plushie would definitely mind him getting close to another Uma Musume.

But I haven't raised Oguri Cap's affection for me that much yet. She loves making friends, so I'm sure I can get her to bring Silence Suzuka into the group.

Would Oguri Cap still be angry then?

I win!

"I know."

Silence Suzuka held her hands to her chest. She knew others had placed their hopes in her, and she desperately wanted to break free of that nightmare.

The view from far ahead, with no one else around, was beautiful. Yet she always felt something was missing.

"Trainer, I long for the view at the very front more than anything."

Silence Suzuka looked at Zhou Yuang, then lowered her head.

She felt she had to say something. If she did not, she knew she would regret it.

And if that unavoidable bad ending still came, at least... she could feel some peace.

"It might sound selfish. I've always wanted a view that belonged only to me. But I want to share it with you, Trainer. And there are other things I want to share too..."

Silence Suzuka lifted her head, summoning the courage to tell Zhou Yuang what she felt. But when she looked at his face, her cheeks flushed despite herself.

"Tr-Trainer, after the Tenno Sho Autumn, we..."

Zhou Yuang raised a hand and pressed a finger to Silence Suzuka's lips.

It was better not to tempt fate with words like that. Something awful really might happen.

"Save that for when you come back, all right?"

"...All right. I understand. I'll tell you when I get back."

Silence Suzuka froze for a moment. Once Zhou Yuang took his hand away, she gave him a rueful smile.

"I have to go now."

"Good luck. I'll be waiting for you at the fi—at the view up ahead. So please stay safe. Come back safe."

Zhou Yuang did not lower his hand. Instead, he held out his pinky.

"Promise me."

"I will. No matter what happens, I'll come back safe. I promise... It's a deal."

Trainer, you made a promise for my sake. Now it's my turn to make one.

Silence Suzuka nodded and held out her hand.

She hooked her pinky around Zhou Yuang's and gave it a little shake. Then she smiled.

She felt much better.

Breaking Through Fate's Shackles

Silence Suzuka looked up at Zhou Yuang for a moment, then glanced behind him.

She blinked, then turned decisively toward the track.

She knew that no matter how far she ran, Zhou Yuang would stand there watching her, just as he had that day.

Even if she ran somewhere she could scarcely return from, he would surely wait for her. He might even come to bring her home.

So Silence Suzuka had no reservations. She would follow the plan Zhou Yuang had given her and devote herself to showing the results of their hard work in this race.

Silence Suzuka headed toward the track, but the story did not end there. Zhou Yuang found he could still move and decided to go elsewhere.

But when he turned around, Special Week was standing behind him.

She wore an expression that said she understood nothing, but was utterly shaken.

She stood there, frozen.

"Special Week? When did you get here?"

Zhou Yuang walked over to the adorably clueless girl behind him.