In Tracen, Good at Doing Time

After warming things up with a few positive stories, Zhou Yuang began handling relationship problems on today's show.

By the time Zhou Yuang announced that it was time for the next segment, someone had already called in.

Chapter Thirty-Two: UMA Relationship Radio

"Hello, Mr. Z."

The voice on the other end was female. She was probably an Uma Musume.

"Hello. Miss, what troubles have you encountered?"

"Well, my Trainer's birthday is coming up soon, and I'm a little nervous. I don't know what Trep likes, and I don't know how I should ask him. Could Mr. Z help me?"

The Uma Musume on the other end was completely frank. She wanted to give him a present, but she had no idea what he liked.

She sounded like a very innocent young girl.

Zhou Yuang did not find anything strange about it.

All that mattered was that this Uma Musume did not do what Meisho Doto had done in her Valentine's Day story—fail to make chocolate, then say, "A substitute for chocolate—is me!!!"

And she definitely should not imitate Meisho Doto by putting her hands on her hips and looking proud after saying it.

"This is pretty simple. If you want to ask him, just ask him directly. Of course, you don't have to ask. You could also give him a pleasant surprise."

"You could ask his coworkers, or pay attention to see whether Trainer has been showing interest in anything lately. But if you don't ask him directly, it's better to be discreet about it. You don't have to sneak around too much, either. If you're doing something kind, you have nothing to feel guilty about. Just keep a normal frame of mind."

Zhou Yuang gave his advice and told the Uma Musume how to handle the matter.

Uma Musume were pure children, so they needed to be treated seriously. This was not the Livestream Room, and Zhou Yuang did not need to act like some obnoxious internet troll.

That had been his attitude toward his own Uma Musume from the moment he decided to enter Tracen Academy.

Be appropriately gentle, be serious when seriousness was called for, and patiently teach the Uma Musume how to become dependable adults.

That was the original intention he had established when he became a Trainer.

"I'm a Trainer. To be honest, I feel that my Uma Musume is too outstanding, and I feel that I... shouldn't be by her side."

As soon as one problem was resolved, another appeared.

This caller was a Trainer. Compared with the ultra-competitive Zhou Yuang, he had probably only barely made it into Tracen Academy—or perhaps he was a regional Trainer.

Zhou Yuang had no interest in finding out where the man worked, however. That was private information.

This radio show was just like the Livestream Room. Zhou Yuang had repeatedly stated that callers should not reveal their identities. They only needed to submit their troubles anonymously, like speaking into a confession tree.

Zhou Yuang would think of the solutions.

"Hmm, I understand the general situation. Sir, you feel that your Uma Musume is outstanding in every way, comes from a wealthy family, and that you yourself are lacking in comparison... This isn't a serious problem. Tracen Academy has no shortage of young ladies from prominent families."

To be honest, Tracen in Japan was still relatively good.

There were Uma Musume from ordinary backgrounds, such as Nice Nature and Admire Vega.

The Tracen Academy in Seres, on the other hand, was practically a pure aristocratic academy.

In the real world, horse racing in Seres was different from Japan's horse racing, which everyone paid attention to.

It did not have Japan's approach of building everything around a single horse, nor did it have public races, because hardly anyone paid attention to it.

In the real world, horse racing in Seres was something wealthy tycoons enjoyed behind closed doors, like a private cricket fight.

They simply wanted to entertain themselves. They did not care about anything else, including how many spectators there were.

It was more like the horse-racing circles of other countries, using horse racing as a platform for wealthy tycoons to socialize.

In this Uma Musume world, most of them were wealthy young ladies with formidable connections and financial resources.

None of them were easy to deal with.

That was also one of the reasons Zhou Yuang's parents had supported him studying abroad and becoming a Trainer on the spot.

"First of all, since she signed a contract with you, that means she doesn't look down on you. She has already decided to work with you and strive together for three years. Please don't doubt yourself, but don't let your guard down completely, either."

"A Trainer isn't an ordinary teacher, but he is still a member of the school's staff. To an Uma Musume, you're an elder—a senior who helps her grow. For that reason, you can't be timid and submissive. You have to shoulder your responsibilities."

"Being a Trainer is only a profession, not the endpoint of your life. No matter what profession you take up, or where and when you are, you can spend time and effort improving yourself and becoming better."

"Only when you stand tall will the people who trust you feel at ease. So you need to have confidence in yourself. You have to respect yourself first, and you also need to work hard to become outstanding, so your Uma Musume won't regret choosing you as her Trainer."

"Oh, and there's one more important point. You need to think about your attitude toward her. This is very important. It will affect your future together."

Zhou Yuang did not know how certain Uma Musume and Trainers had ended up becoming partners.

But he felt that if they were going to join hands for three years, then even if they could not become lovers, they should at least become friends.

Even if they parted after a long time and went their separate ways, when they met again, they should at least be able to look at each other with a smile when they talked about the past, sighing over how wonderful those three years of youth had been.

"Whether you're her teacher, partner, or friend, the most important thing is not regretting the three years of youth you spent striving together."

"Ah... I understand. Thank you, Mr. Z."

Hearing the caller's tone as though the clouds had parted and he had suddenly understood everything, Zhou Yuang let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

He did not know how things would develop in the end. Whether they became an ordinary coach and athlete, or ended up together, as long as the Trainer and Uma Musume were happy, Zhou Yuang would be happy too.

He was happy when others were happy, happy when others were blessed, angry when others were angry, and sad when others were sad.

Zhou Yuang felt that he could not completely empathize with others, but he was still affected by their emotions.

Zhou Yuang had helped resolve the problems of quite a few Uma Musume and Trainers before. Later, they had sent him private messages to provide feedback. Watching one Uma Musume and Trainer after another free themselves from their troubles gave Zhou Yuang a strong sense of accomplishment.

In no time, Zhou Yuang's radio show had reached two million followers.

Unfortunately, all he could do was help everyone by offering advice.

When he entered Tracen Academy, Zhou Yuang was only a new Trainer. He could barely take care of himself. If he tried to help others, he would most likely receive the question, "Who the hell are you?"

There had never been a shortage of kindhearted people, but many places had no room for them.

If Zhou Yuang had been a Trainer who was also a member of the Student Council, doing this would have looked like part of his job.

Air Groove seems to be... Forget it.

Going to Air Groove for that reason alone would only make people feel disgusted.

Zhou Yuang continued handling problems, one after another.

He listened while drinking water to moisten his lips, helping everyone resolve their troubles.

The listeners enjoyed the atmosphere, and some of them were learning from it.

As for Silence Suzuka, she listened to the radio while sitting on her bed and drinking juice.

She enjoyed the atmosphere as well. She began wondering whether she should find a way to record it, so that she could listen to it while lying in bed and preparing to sleep.

Should I put the equipment on the bed when the time comes?

She thought about it innocently. She desperately wanted to feel this comforting way of falling asleep when she went to bed.

At the same time, she hoped this teacher might be able to help her with her own problem... Hmm?

"Perhaps I could..."

Silence Suzuka's eyes lit up as she planned to do something.

Before that, however, Zhou Yuang was left somewhat stunned.

"Well, I feel that my Uma Musume has been acting a little strange lately..."

Once again, the caller was a Trainer. But this time, Zhou Yuang found the voice and tone familiar. Wasn't this Passerby T, the man who had previously sought Air Groove's help in the hallway?

Air Groove should have left this to the Student Council to handle... Oh, right.

Zhou Yuang suddenly remembered that Air Groove had been dragged into a joint training session by him before. Could she have forgotten about it after the training?

This is bad. This is my fault.

Zhou Yuang reached up and tapped his head, feeling that he ought to apologize to Passerby T.

But what use would apologizing now be? It would only expose him.

So Zhou Yuang listened until Passerby T finished explaining, then spoke.

"Have you tried talking to her properly?"

"I have, but she's strange every time. She just silently watches me, and she always has a smile on her face!"

Passerby T sounded terrified. Naturally.

If you were talking to someone and that person kept staring at you with a smile, wouldn't you be frightened?

"Then have you spoken with her parents?"

That was a relatively reliable solution. If he reported the matter directly to her parents, they would certainly take care of it.

But he had to contact her parents directly.

"I have, but they work away from home year-round. Earlier, I wanted to ask for her parents' contact information, and then... She actually said, 'Why are you in such a hurry?' Something like that... I basically..."

Judging from Passerby T's account, the problem he had encountered was not child's play.

It was practically a nightmare.

How was this supposed to be handled?

Even if Zhou Yuang offered advice, the forceful Uma Musume in question would probably use every impossible attitude imaginable to strip Passerby T of all his defenses.

Her parents or the Student Council had to intervene.

"Hmm, I roughly understand. Your Uma Musume is the sort of strong-willed woman who is extremely forceful and has very firm ideas of her own."

Zhou Yuang sincerely hoped that no Uma Musume would imitate this sort of behavior after listening to the radio broadcast.

"As for my personal opinion... Note that this is only my personal opinion. In a relationship where one side is forceful and the other is weak, the relationship is unequal. That means the two of you are in an unhealthy state."

That Uma Musume was obviously a yandere. She even treated the other person as something already in her pocket. Fortunately, there had been quite a few innocent Uma Musume speaking on the radio before this, or Zhou Yuang might have thought this wretched place was Trep.

But there were good and bad people everywhere. It was normal for an occasional yandere to appear.

"First, Trainer, you must at least avoid letting her lead you around by the nose. If the two of you genuinely want to be together, you can express your own thoughts more often and ask her to respect you. You should also make some commitments to each other."

"If you can never achieve an equal position, your life together will certainly be difficult in the future. So... you must communicate with her parents, then talk things over with her. If that doesn't work, you can try contacting the Student Council."

"As far as I know, the Student Council doesn't oppose that kind of relationship, but it does oppose unhealthy ways of interacting. I'm sorry, but I don't have the authority to intervene. I can only help you by offering advice and speaking out against mistaken ideas."

That was all Zhou Yuang could do. As a new Trainer, there was practically nothing he could accomplish. Apart from offering support, he could not help in any other way.

"Is that so... I understand. Thank you for your advice, Teacher Z."

Passerby T's voice came over the phone, sounding somewhat exhausted. At least, if this Trainer did not want things to go wrong in the future, he would take action and save himself.

"Let me add one more thing. To all the Uma Musume listening to the radio, if you fall in love, remember to give the other person some privacy and space, and to show them respect. Every relationship should involve both sides moving toward each other. If one side disregards everything else, it will be a tragedy for both of you."

Zhou Yuang's disguised voice came through the phone, and Silence Suzuka, sitting at the head of her bed with her phone in hand, smiled.

"Mr. Z's views on love haven't changed at all."

He was gentle and respectful toward others. Whether the other person was an Uma Musume or a Trainer, he always offered gentle advice.

She immediately began dialing the hotline. She really wanted to speak with Mr. Z and tell him that she wanted to find AT, but was afraid that the Student Council would dismiss him.

She wanted to ask for good advice.

But as she dialed, her phone showed that the call was still connecting, while another woman's voice came from the other end.

"Hello, Teacher Z. I've been troubled lately."

It was a mature and aloof female voice. Anyone could tell at once that the woman was extremely beautiful.

Her tone seemed to warn strangers to keep their distance.

Listening to the voice, Silence Suzuka looked at her phone with a troubled expression.

It didn't connect.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Rift Between Sisters... Holy Crap! A Box!

So the hotline really wasn't that easy to get through?

But she did not lose heart. As long as she kept calling, she would eventually get through, right?

"No matter what kind of trouble you're facing, you can tell me. Please speak without worry. I'll definitely do my best to help you."