The Three Goddesses, they are divine beings believed to be the origin of the existence of umamusume. They are the architects of the dream, the source of the burning desire that compels a girl to run.
They were never presented with a face of their own, it's so that anyone can imagine how the Goddesses would look like according to themselves.
But they do have names.
Darley Arabian, she represents freedom and bravery.
Godolphin Arabian, she represents elegance and nobility.
Byerley Turk, she represents strength and willpower.
They are the one who wrote the fate of every umamusume, but of course, everything must be balanced. Every umamusume isn't born equal. There are those who were gifted with unimaginable power, but there are also those who were gifted with little to nothing.
The strong, and the weak. The gifted, and the inept. The winner and the loser. The legend, and the forgotten. They are always balanced. One could never outweight the other.
To many people, it seemed unfair. But the Goddesses did not view the world through the lens of human envy. To them, the balance was beautiful.
The Strong were born to be the distant stars, the apex predators of the track. They were the standard, the towering walls that defined the limits of what an umamusume could achieve. They carried the heavy burden of perfection, where a single defeat could shatter an era.
The Weak were the bedrock of the dream. They were the ones who gave victory its meaning. Without the staggering depth of the field, without the sweat of those who ran just to avoid finishing last, the triumphs of the gifted would be empty, hollow things.
But the mortal heart is stubborn.
To the umamusume standing at the bottom of the mountain, looking up at the blinding light of the gifted, the beauty of the balance feels a lot like a curse.
.
.
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My name is Muichi Takeda.
Many people call me genius because I passed the URA Central Trainer test in just one attempt, not to mention I got accepted to work as a trainer in the most prestigious umamusume academy in Japan. But a race is a race, you can have a plan for everything but you can't decide the outcome.
I have a trainee, her name is Astonishing. The first time I met her is when I spotted her running alone on the track when the sun is about to set. It was then I have a feeling, a feeling that I have to train her. That she's the one.
I used to believe in the myth of the complete clean slate. I thought that with enough data, the right dietary macros, and a meticulously calibrated training schedule, any umamusume could be molded into a champion. That was the arrogance of a rookie genius fresh off a perfect exam score. But after she started racing, just then I realized, it wasn't as simple as that.
For umamusume, racing isn't just about psychic, it's about heart. That's what us, human sometimes couldn't perceive.
And then there's trust. A good relationship between the trainer and their trainees is very important. The more they trust each other, the better they can work together.
She trusted me.
So do I.
But I'm afraid I already break her trust without her knowing.
I...
... lied to her.
.
.
.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGG
"Hoaaahhhh..... let's go back already, today's class is so boring"
"Yeah yeah, I agree! But before that let's try some honey drinks! I heard there's a truck nearby selling it!"
"Are they using real honey or just syrup with a lot of sugar?"
Astonishing stared at the blackboard, not in the intention to read what's written there, she's just stared at it blankly.
"Hey, Aston-chan? Are you coming for the honey drinks too?" Dora appeared in front of her and called out.
Astonishing blinked.
"Ah, no, thank you, maybe next time" she stood up, grabbing her bag. "Sorry, Dora. I have to go"
"Ah, uhh... alright then" Dora could only stared at her friend leaving the classroom in silence.
"Aston....."
.
.
.
The hallway around her seemed to go entirely dead, the distant chatter of the other students begin to vanish the farther she goes.
The courtyard is full of umamusumes hanging around after the long day in school. Everywhere she looked, the vibrant life of Tracen Academy was on full display. Groups of girls laughed on the grassy lawns, others excitedly discussed their upcoming weekend plans. It was a picturesque scene of youth and ambition.
Yet, Astonishing walked through it like a ghost.
Her foot carried her toward the center of the plaza. There, towering above the manicured hedges and the chatting students, stood the magnificent, imposing monument of the academy: the statue of the Three Goddesses.
Astonishing slowed her pace until she came to a complete stop at the edge of the fountain surrounding the monument.
She looked up, stared at the blank, stone visages of the Goddesses, searching for an answer she knew would never come.
A few days has passed since the Japanese Derby, but the memory still lingers in her head, especially that mysterious figure. Even now she's still trying to find who or what was it.
No matter how much she slept and wakes up, the result is always the same, this is not a dream. In the end, she came out in sixth place.
Astonishing reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing the cool stone edge of the fountain. The water rippled, fragmenting her reflection. She had run with everything she had, and yet, it was not enough.
'Is this the fate you wrote for me?' she questioned silently.
She wanted to cry out loud, but then she remembers she's not the only losers. Everyone entered the race to win even if the chance was really small only to face the truth. So, she shut her mouth. She doesn't deserve to act like that when everyone else facing the same situation as her.
She pulled her hand back from the water, wiping her palm against her uniform skirt.
With her head held up, Astonishing adjusted the strap of her bag and left the plaza, walking toward the team's room.
.
.
.
CREEEEEEEKK
"Trainer...?"
Astonishing poked her head inside the room only to find it empty. She stepped fully into the room, the door clicking shut behind her. The room, as usual, smelled a lot like coffee.
Her eyes scanned the room, tt was unusual for him to be absent right after classes concluded.
Then, her eyes caught the desk.
Sitting directly on the polished center of the wood, completely exposed, was a thick manila folder. Across its tab, Takeda's precise handwriting spelled out her name:
PROJECT: ASTONISHING - LOGS.
Astonishing walked over, she set her school bag down on the edge of the sofa.
She stared at the folder, not sure if she should open it or not. On one hand, her name was written on it so it must have contained her data which she may have the rights to know. On the other hand, it's Takeda's folder, so opening it without his permission might be rude.
Ultimately, curiosity won.
She wants to know.
She reached out, and flipped the folder open.
The first few pages were standard, her profile, height, weight, shoe size, and her three sizes, is he even allowed to these 'sensitive' informations? Everything else looked orderly, structured, and entirely predictable.
But as she flipped further back, things begin to unravel.
The usual orderly structured datas were gone, upon the empty sheet is a bunch of papers covered with Takeda's raw, handwritten script.
She took one paper and begin to read the content.
This would be first time I write something just for myself, perhaps I can call this a diary? Although, I'm writing this on a sheet of paper. I don't even know where to start.
After the Satsuki Sho, when I went to check on my trainee, she was in a pretty terrible state. After a check-up, it was revealed that there was an injury in her left foot. When I walked out of the room and sees her on the bench looking down, I can feel her sadness too. All I could do was giving her some words for comfort.
I don't know if she can still participate in the Derby. For now, the focus is entirely on her recovery, the race can wait.
She took another paper and reads the content.
Finally, after twelve days of resting, she can returns to the track. Altough we might have been left behind in training, we might have a chance if I planned her regiment well.
I think that's enough for today, gotta get back to work.
She took another paper and reads the content.
This is way more complicated that I thought. After days of training I realized that her performance somehow not improving. I know it's normal for umamusume who just had recovered to lost some performance, but looking at her data, she's not just stalling, her performance is worsening.
I've tried to repeat the regiment, but the result is the same. The numbers don't lie, even if I want them to.
I don't know how to explain it to her, so I just told her everything is going as planned.
She took another paper and reads the content.
I had the withdrawal forms pulled up on my screen today. I was a single click away from submitting them. But at the last moment, I hesitated. I could tell that racing in the Derby was her goal, her dream. If I take that away, she might hate me.
But if I let her, I'm afraid she couldn't handle the pressure.
I really wish I can talk it out with her
.....
"I see... so that's how it is."
She put the papers back into the folder and put it back on the desk.
"Hmm... so even your trusty trainer lied to you"
Astonishing turned around. There, standing in front of the door is towering shadowy figure speaking a familiar voice.
"The rookie genius couldn't make a miracle, so he offered you a beautiful illusion instead. A classic tale. They want to protect the heart, yet they fail to realize that ignorance is the heaviest weight someone can carry. Tell me... do you hate him now?"
Thump... thump... thump...
She wanted to say something but her mouth wouldn't open.
"Nothing to say?" the figure chuckled, a raspy, distorted sound that felt entirely too close to her ears. "Or perhaps the realization is too heavy?"
Astonishing's fingers clamped onto the edges of the desk behind her. Her knuckles turned white as she fought against the invisible paralysis gripping her body.
"He was going to withdraw you," it whispered, dropping into a tone that was terrifyingly sympathetic. "He didn't believe your body could endure it. He only pitied your stubborness."
"Isn't that a betrayal?"
CLACK.
The door opened, and at the same time, the shadow figure dissappeared. Takeda stepped into the room, a plastic convenience store bag crinkling softly in his hand.
"Oh you're already? Sorry, I was out to the store to resupply the fridge"
Takeda stepped fully into the room, kicking the door shut behind him with his heel.
"Trainer..." Astonishing took a slow, deep breath, forcing the tension out of her shoulders.
"It's fine, Trainer," she said, dropping right back into neutral expression. "I actually just arrived a minute ago myself."
He set the plastic bag down on the edge of the desk, right next to the closed manila folder. He unzipped his jacket and slung it over the back of his chair, immediately pulling up his laptop. "At last, summer is closing in. This is going to be our first summer camp, right?"
"That's right..."
"There's a huge gap between Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho, so unlike before, we have a lot of time" He glanced up from his monitor.
Astonishing looked at the smile. Then, her gaze drifted downward, tracking toward the edge of the desk where the manila folder sat just inches from his elbow.
Her fingers tightened imperceptibly on the fabric of her skirt. "Trainer,"
Takeda stopped typing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he turned his head to look at her. "Yeah? What is it, Astonishing?"
"If..." she hesitated. "If it's possible, I... I'm not entering Kikuka Sho"
The click of the laptop keys stopped instantly.
"What... did you say?"