Chapter Twenty-Six: Oguri Cap Likes Her Trainer / Chapter Twenty-Seven: I'm Still the Faster One, Right?

Watching the man and horse leave, Passerby T sighed. Then he remembered that his Uma Musume was nearby.

He spun around in fright. The moment he turned, he saw a beautiful face—the very face that had kept him from sleeping well these past few days.

"Trainer-san, what were you doing with that woman and that man just now?"

The sweet, coquettish tone made Passerby T's face go pale.

"Well... the Student Council said they were planning to inspect the trainers' offices for contraband... Come to think of it, my office is always piled high with those sachets and things. Maybe the school will warn me."

Passerby T spoke nervously. The table covered with gifts had left him so anxious that he could barely eat or sleep.

Hearing this, the Uma Musume's expression did not change. Although she had heard Zhou Yuang's loud declaration earlier, her eyes remained fixed on Passerby T.

She reached out and patted the back of Passerby T's collar, where Zhou Yuang's arm had been.

She sniffed it, then frowned.

The scent was not bad, but it belonged to another trainer.

She did not like it.

This Uma Musume much preferred the scent of her own aroma and her own trainer.

"I understand. I won't put those aromas on your desk next time, Trainer-san."

She smiled at Passerby T. Just as he let out a sigh of relief, her tone suddenly changed.

"But it would be such a waste to throw them away. How about this, Trainer-san? I'll help you move all those aromas from the office to your house."

"Huh?"

Air Groove.jpg

Chapter Twenty-Six: Oguri Cap Likes Her Trainer

"Miss Air Groove, may I ask you something? Are there many cases like that trainer's at Tracen Academy?"

Zhou Yuang asked on a whim. After all, he had never entered Tracen Academy before.

Only seven thousand Uma Musume were born in Japan each year.

Encountering one at all was rare, and he had only recently started interacting closely with Uma Musume.

"There definitely aren't many incidents that damage Tracen's reputation like that."

Hearing this, Air Groove could not help feeling a headache coming on.

This sort of thing was extremely rare. Tracen was a proper Uma Musume academy.

How could Uma Musume often decide to get engaged to their trainers and then become jealous?

The Student Council would never sit idly by. They would certainly give both sides a stern warning and ensure they had a healthy environment in which to develop.

"That's good to hear."

Zhou Yuang secretly rejoiced. Who would want to live in misery for no reason?

"By the way, Trainer, aren't you going to find your Uma Musume? You've written so many plans."

Air Groove was tactfully telling Zhou Yuang to leave, but he did not go.

After all, the most dangerous place was the safest place.

To be honest, he had to win Air Groove over.

He could not keep letting her dig up his secrets. If Rudolf decided to investigate him as well, he would be done for sooner or later.

It would be better to establish himself as someone trustworthy while staying by Air Groove's side, then win her over.

That way, she might show him some consideration later.

"Isn't this the road leading out of the office building?"

Zhou Yuang's excuse made Air Groove pull an exaggeratedly sour face.

After saying, "Suit yourself," she planned to report to Rudolf.

When they reached the stairs, Air Groove immediately hurried away. As soon as she left, a familiar gray coat came walking over.

The Cap Sect!

"Oguri Cap."

Zhou Yuang softly called Oguri Cap's name.

"Trainer, I'm back from the cafeteria. Can we train now?"

Oguri Cap still looked as aloof as usual, but her words—and the scraps of food at the corners of her mouth—made Zhou Yuang want to laugh.

"Oguri Cap, you have something at the corner of your mouth."

Zhou Yuang pointed at it, causing the normally aloof Oguri Cap to lose her composure.

"Really? Where?"

Oguri Cap froze. Rather than reaching up to wipe it like a normal person, she simply stood there in a daze.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuang took a handkerchief from his pocket.

"Don't move."

The moment he said those words, Oguri Cap stood ramrod straight. Even her ears and tail did not move.

"This isn't military training."

Has Oguri Cap really come to trust me this much?

He had only asked to wipe her mouth as a test. After seeing that Oguri Cap truly did not move, Zhou Yuang used the handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Even through the handkerchief, Zhou Yuang could still feel how soft Oguri Cap's little face was.

"We're training afterward. Are you feeling all right?"

Exercising right after eating one's fill was not ideal, but this was Oguri Cap.

In reality, the horse Oguri Cap was based on differed from other horses. After eating feed containing grain husks, other horses could not digest those husks.

But the original Oguri Cap could easily digest every last one of them.

This was probably the result of her mother not having enough milk when she was born, leaving Oguri Cap utterly unpicky about food. She had desperately forced her body to absorb nutrients in order to survive.

As for the Oguri Cap of the Uma Musume world, common sense probably did not apply to her at all.

"I'm fine! I'm one hundred percent in top condition!"

Oguri Cap raised both arms as if showing off her muscles like a strongman. Her arms were slender and long, but they definitely possessed more explosive power than those of many strongmen.

Compared to her arms, however, Oguri Cap's legs were even more captivating. Unfortunately, she was wearing the classic red-and-white training outfit. If she had been wearing her Victory Outfit, people could admire those legs that combined strength and beauty.

It's fine. Once I win Oguri Cap's heart and marry her, I'll be able to admire them whenever I want.

Zhou Yuang thought silently, then smiled at Oguri Cap.

"Then let's go. If we're late, there won't be any good spots left."

"Mm!"

Zhou Yuang turned and walked off. Oguri Cap followed behind him, taking slow, measured steps.

As an Uma Musume, Oguri Cap naturally walked very quickly.

But she liked walking behind Zhou Yuang.

Whenever Zhou Yuang walked ahead, Oguri Cap could smell his scent on the breeze from behind him.

Oguri Cap could not describe what it was. Perhaps her vocabulary was as lacking as Narita Top Road's.

But it gave her a faint sense of security.

She liked her trainer.

Oguri Cap still remembered her first day at the academy clearly. She had gotten lost and was completely unaccustomed to the place.

She had not even realized that she had been walking in circles for half a day.

Then this trainer had come over and warmly led her to the cafeteria.

As it happened, she had been hungry.

Just like back in the Countryside, she had eagerly wanted to fill her stomach. Just like at the cafeteria on her first day there, she had carried a mountain of food to a table.

Zhou Yuang had also carried food, but as a human, he could not eat nearly as much as an Uma Musume.

Oguri Cap ate while Zhou Yuang ate as well.

But compared to Zhou Yuang's speed and appetite, Oguri Cap was like a tiger beside a snail.

When he saw that Oguri Cap had nearly finished, Zhou Yuang picked up his plate and asked whether she wanted to eat his food first. He also asked whether she wanted another serving.

Oguri Cap was extremely puzzled. Back in the Countryside, she had only eaten a few servings like this before the cafeteria closed.

When she discovered that the Central District offered unlimited food, Oguri Cap was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing that Oguri Cap did not mind, Zhou Yuang transferred the food on his plate to hers and let her eat first. Then, before long, he brought over another plate piled with the same food as before.

Oguri Cap stared blankly for a while, then began her assault. When she was about to finish again, Zhou Yuang asked once more.

Naturally, Oguri Cap wanted more. And so Oguri Cap ate while Zhou Yuang brought her another serving whenever she was nearly done.

Before long, nearly every Uma Musume and trainer in the cafeteria had noticed the man and horse who looked as though they were clearing out the entire place.

Oguri Cap was easy enough to overlook while sitting in one place. But Zhou Yuang kept walking back and forth with iron plates as large as small mountains, drawing everyone's attention.

Everyone was baffled by Zhou Yuang's constant trips. If the cafeteria staff had not been able to see him carrying food to Oguri Cap for her to devour, they probably would have come out, grabbed him by the collar, and asked whether he was there to cause trouble.

While everyone else watched Zhou Yuang, Oguri Cap watched him too.

Whether her eyes were open or not had nothing to do with eating. As she watched Zhou Yuang carry plate after plate of food back and forth, Oguri Cap thought of someone.

It was her mother back in Hometown. Her mother was an Uma Musume too.

Whenever Oguri Cap's mother returned home, she carried back mountains of food.

Of course, it had never been enough to fill Oguri Cap. Compared with now, it was far too little.

Watching Zhou Yuang busy himself for her, Oguri Cap thought more and more of her mother back in Hometown, as well as the companions who expected things of her and cared for her.

So later, when Zhou Yuang asked whether she wanted to sign a contract, she agreed without hesitation and became Zhou Yuang's Uma Musume.

Someone who treated her this way must be trustworthy, just like they were.

Oguri Cap thought about it simply, then went with Zhou Yuang to Miss Hayakawa's office and signed the contract.

That night, during a phone call with her mother, Oguri Cap happily told her, "I've made another new friend."

Several more days passed. Oguri Cap and Zhou Yuang's life was not particularly exciting, but at least Oguri Cap was satisfied.

She had only been in the Central District for a few days and had not made many friends. Without a doubt, this new friend was her first one there.

"What kind of training are we doing today?"

Oguri Cap followed behind Zhou Yuang expectantly, her ears and tail swaying.

Compared with training on her own in the Countryside, Zhou Yuang's training undoubtedly put her in a much better mood.

When they arrived at the track, Oguri Cap saw Zhou Yuang standing still. She was about to ask him what was going on, but then noticed that his gaze was fixed on something in the distance.

What is Trainer looking at?

Oguri Cap followed Zhou Yuang's gaze and saw three Uma Musume standing there.

Zhou Yuang knew all three of them. They were Silence Suzuka, Air Groove, and Agnes Digital.

The three of them had actually gathered together.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: I'm Still the Faster One, Right?

"..."

Who were those three Uma Musume?