The Rift Between Sisters... Holy Crap! A Box! (cont.)

As always, Zhou Yuang expressed how hard he was working. This wasn't empty talk.

"This is about a trainer."

So it was an Uma Musume.

Hearing this, neither Zhou Yuang nor Silence Suzuka found it surprising.

Many Uma Musume had reservations about racing. Some lacked confidence, while others worried whether their starting points were wrong.

Zhou Yuang didn't rush to offer his opinion. Instead, he quietly waited for the other party to vent to him, their emotional trash can.

"Teacher Z, you know that Uma Musume need trainers."

Strictly speaking, Uma Musume had to have trainers to debut.

Back in the day, Uma Musume at Tracen didn't need to find trainers before debuting in races.

However, after a certain incident, a rule appeared stating that Uma Musume had to find trainers.

It involved an undefeated Uma Musume. She was a Front Runner, and every time she raced, she swept aside all opposition with record-breaking performances.

For a time, she became the undefeated idol of Japanese racing.

However, after completing her tenth race, she fell ill.

It was an almost devastating illness, and the medical standards of the time were unable to cure her.

That Invincible Uma Musume retired then and there, disappearing from the public eye. The general public had no way of knowing what became of her.

After that, someone proposed that Uma Musume must have trainers before debuting.

With a trainer's assistance, Uma Musume could avoid injuries and illnesses as much as possible.

However, it wasn't a compulsory regulation so much as an accepted notion.

Although the JRA had announced that it would open examinations to Uma Musume, allowing them to debut without trainers after passing relevant knowledge tests, everyone still tacitly assumed that Uma Musume needed trainers to debut.

After all, having a trainer take care of them was beneficial to Uma Musume.

Without a trainer, an Uma Musume had to train while arranging her own training schedule and race plans. That was clearly too difficult for naive Uma Musume.

Moreover, trainers were all coaches specifically responsible for Uma Musume. Refusing to find one was actually putting oneself at a disadvantage.

You could go without a trainer, but why should everyone else do the same?

Unless you were a freak on Rudolf's level.

"I have a younger sister. She wants to debut recently, but she just can't find the trainer she wants."

"?"

The younger sister you mentioned... isn't she actually a friend?

All right, he shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Generally speaking, it was perfectly normal for Uma Musume to have sisters.

The Mejiro Family, for example, was such a case.

They didn't have to share both parents. Even cousins counted as sisters.

In the real world, racehorses from the same ranch or belonging to the same owner became sisters from the same family in the world of Uma Musume.

The most classic example was the Mejiro Family, represented by McQueen.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but could you tell me the criteria for selecting a trainer? Or perhaps what prevents that Uma Musume from finding one? If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say. You can just tell me what troubles you."

Zhou Yuang suddenly interrupted her, but she didn't find his abruptness offensive.

She murmured and fell silent for a moment, seemingly thinking about what to do.

"It's probably a matter of luck. Because of various circumstances, she didn't run the Trial Race on time. Her classmates have also been debuting one after another, so I'm worried she'll become anxious."

The seemingly mature Uma Musume avoided certain private details and described her troubles without revealing anyone's identity.

"I tried going over to tell her not to be anxious, but after that, she became obsessed with the issue. At one point, she made me think it might be better to leave her alone, but..."

Her voice carried some distress, along with a sense of elegance and helplessness.

She definitely wanted to help her younger sister, but had discovered that she was only making things worse.

Perhaps she rarely spoke with this younger sister in the first place, leaving a barrier between them.

This older sister's attempts didn't seem likely to tear down that wall easily.

If one side kept misunderstanding the other's thoughts and intentions, then everything they did would be pointless.

The worst possibility was an ever-growing vicious cycle.

"I think I understand, though there's very little information."

Zhou Yuang went through a bout of brainstorming and, with a mind that wasn't especially brilliant but could at least identify some clues, came up with an answer.

"Miss, do you usually speak with your younger sister very little?"

"More or less."

"You want to stop your younger sister from becoming too anxious and injuring herself, right?"

"Mm."

The other party gradually became stingy with her words. The situation, which could be discerned even over the phone, made Zhou Yuang increasingly certain of how to handle the problem.

First, the sisters spent very little time together normally.

Second, the older sister usually spoke very little. Perhaps she was the kind of person with an overwhelming presence, or perhaps her status was too high.

As everyone knew, people with high status were generally not simple.

Under the pressure of hierarchy, even an offhand remark could make the people around them overanalyze and sanctify its meaning.

For example, suppose a department head at a company went to the cafeteria and saw someone only slightly below him in rank getting a lot of food, then casually said, "You have quite an appetite." What would that person think?

Or suppose the boss saw an older woman from his own company sweeping the floor and said, "You're already this old, yet you're still working. Thanks for your effort." What would the people in the human resources department who witnessed it think?

It was also possible that some superiors were inherently overthinkers, but most people were complicated in their thinking.

When faced with a powerful person, the weaker party had no choice but to think carefully for their own sake, so they could live peacefully without suffering later.

Even if a powerful person was willing to lower themself, the weaker party might still misunderstand them and even think they were being mocked.

For that reason, they needed someone to act as a buffer.

"About this... why not have your trainer act as an intermediary first?"

In any case, preventing the misunderstanding from deepening was the most important thing.

"If I had one, I wouldn't be so troubled. I could simply have my trainer train her, but I don't have a trainer."

The other party's voice carried plainly audible exhaustion.

How could an older Uma Musume not have a trainer?

"Could it be that you're an Uma Musume who passed the JRA examination, miss?"

"..."

The other end fell silent, so Zhou Yuang took it as confirmation.

There were Uma Musume with such formidable abilities, but they were rare.

Only a handful could accomplish something like that. If Zhou Yuang made the effort to look up the data at the JRA, he could probably figure out who she was.

But that would be both excessive and rude.

"I'm sorry. I overstepped."

Zhou Yuang apologized at lightning speed, then quickly changed the subject.

"Since you don't have an intermediary, there are two options. One is to handle the matter coldly. This approach has both advantages and disadvantages."

"The advantage is that the situation won't worsen, and your younger sister will gain experience from it. The disadvantage is that she may suffer setbacks due to her immaturity. If you choose this approach, I suggest finding a way to observe your younger sister from a distance."

"After all, as a family member, you need to offer help when necessary."

"But you can't be too anxious. You need to give her an appropriate amount of personal space."

"You can't protect your younger sister for the rest of her life. She can't remain by your side forever. If she's ambitious, she'll eventually go somewhere beyond your sight and do more things that might leave her covered in wounds."

"As for the other option, you can take the initiative, though it carries some risks. While intervening, you need to emphasize that you care about her, keep your attitude appropriately gentle, tell her not to overthink things, and observe the trainers carefully to determine whether they're suitable for your younger sister."

"If you handle it incorrectly, your younger sister may start to hate you."

As Zhou Yuang spoke, a troubled murmur came from the other end.

"Hmm... Teacher Z, do you have any other methods?"

The other party didn't seem satisfied with either option. Normally, a woman like her shouldn't be bad at handling affairs, but since this involved her personally—

Those involved were blind to the situation, while outsiders saw clearly. Even a dentist couldn't save themself from a toothache.

Still, for someone like her to call the hotline meant that she had been following his radio show for a long time. A passerby definitely wouldn't have called with the intention of simply giving it a try.

Perhaps she would have hung up back when Zhou Yuang had asked whether she had a trainer.

"Then forgive my foolishness. What if you don't communicate with your younger sister, but instead select an outstanding trainer yourself and have that person meet your younger sister? Would such a last resort be acceptable?"

"I choose one?"

The other party sounded somewhat surprised. This seemed almost like arranging a marriage.

"You mean I should first select a suitable candidate, have them avoid revealing that I sent them, and let them make contact? If they aren't suitable, I can choose someone else?"

That Uma Musume was very intelligent. She immediately understood what Zhou Yuang meant.

"That's right. Have both you and your choice pretend that nothing happened. But before that, remember to tell the trainer about your younger sister's circumstances."

"...I understand. Thank you for your help, Teacher Z."

She thought it over and ultimately chose this path.

Perhaps this behavior was excessive, but one shouldn't forget that her younger sister had the right to refuse. At most, she was merely giving her younger sister a multiple-choice question.

She could choose not to do it.

She feared that their relationship would worsen, and she feared that her younger sister would end up covered in wounds. Even after making her own choice, whether it was a bad one could only be seen clearly by an outsider.

"However, I need to emphasize that even after you select a trainer, you must continue observing from the shadows. They might use your name to deceive her, so please pay attention to that."

"Thank you. I'll definitely be careful."

At that moment, a red SC suddenly popped up on Zhou Yuang's livestream interface.

"Thank you for the SC, miss. I'm very grateful. Oh, right—if you do this, there's also a chance that your relationship as sisters will grow closer. Please seize this opportunity."

Another rich lady. Then again, most Uma Musume were quite wealthy.

Winning a major stakes race was generally enough to give them an annual income higher than their own trainer's.

Although he didn't know how she would select a trainer, at least she could put her mind at ease.

Afterward, Zhou Yuang moved on to the next caller, then the one after that. The next one made his smile disappear.

"Hello, Teacher Z."

Silence Suzuka spoke nervously from the other end of the phone.

She hadn't expected to be the very next caller.

But she had to seize the opportunity. Since it was her turn, she had to make her move properly!

"I'm your loyal fan... Ah, I mean, I called because I wanted to ask about something. I'm not here to cause trouble."

The girl spoke somewhat awkwardly. It was obvious that her heart was pounding.

But Zhou Yuang was even more nervous.

He recognized Silence Suzuka's voice instantly.

Holy crap! Silence Suzuka is my fan!

If I use this voice when I livestream while at Tracen, will Silence Suzuka voluntarily join my Fifth Pack?

Wait! Calm down. As a trainer, I have to rely on my own abilities to get an Uma Musume to join my team. Anything else would be somewhat contrary to a trainer's professional ethics.

"Thank you for your support. Miss, what troubles are you experiencing?"

Could she be asking about AT?