Double Bell Light pondered for a moment, concluding that it was only natural for Fujimaru Ritsuka to know other Trainers. After all, he was a Trainer himself—and with a wealth of knowledge like his, he was undoubtedly a product of a prestigious academy, perhaps even a top-tier graduate.
It would be stranger if his social circle didn't include several veteran Trainers or even elite Uma Musume from renowned lineages.
But if that was the case, a glaring question remained: Why would someone like Fujimaru Ritsuka give up the superior treatment of Central to come to a backwater like Kasamatsu?
It wasn't that she disliked her hometown, but Kasamatsu was simply too small. It didn't even have a turf track. Such conditions struggled to retain even the best local Uma Musume, let alone a high-caliber Trainer.
The fact that Fujimaru Ritsuka chose to "go against the tide" was truly bizarre.
Double Bell Light instinctively looked at the whiteboard standing in the clearing. On it, Ritsuka had sketched a simplified silhouette of a running Uma Musume. He had surrounded the figure with numerous arrows and annotations, labeling the whole thing: "Applications of Fluid Dynamics in Racing."
Light stared blankly at the fluid lines and notes, her mind replaying the lecture Ritsuka had just delivered:
Under clear, windless conditions, once an Uma Musume reaches a certain velocity, air resistance becomes the primary constraint on her speed. An elite girl doesn't just know how to run; she knows how to harness the air itself.
For instance, by tucking in directly behind an opponent, she enters their "slipstream," significantly reducing the interference of drag.
The whiteboard displayed streamlines, marked pressure zones, and even listed formulas to calculate the optimal following distance based on the different physical builds of Uma Musume.
Double Bell Light felt as if a vast, infinite universe had just opened up before her. Within seconds, her scalp felt numb from the sheer complexity of it all.
The girl took a sharp breath, thinking: ...Never mind. I'd rather watch Trainer-san teach Oguri how to throw elbows.
She had heard about race grading and common running styles in class, but she had never seen anyone analyze running like this—as if they were deconstructing the very essence of the world.
Reynolds numbers, boundary layer separation, low-pressure vortices... even taken individually, she felt like her brain was about to overload.
Yet, Fujimaru Ritsuka had explained it all so naturally, as if these concepts were as self-evident as $1 + 1 = 2$.
She felt her head swelling just trying to keep up.
By comparison, the act of a Trainer teaching an Uma Musume how to use her elbows seemed perfectly normal. At least Ritsuka wouldn't actually knock Oguri Cap down, right?
Thinking this way, Light suddenly looked at it from a different perspective: No, what's actually terrifying is the fact that Oguri can't even touch the hem of Trainer-san's clothes...
After a brief exchange of blows, Ritsuka had realized Oguri wasn't grasping the key points. Consequently, he proactively swapped the "roles of offense and defense," allowing Oguri to feel with her body and see with her eyes how he responded to pressure.
The result? Unless Ritsuka intentionally accepted a hit, Oguri couldn't even graze him. His reaction speed actually surpassed that of an Uma Musume!
Watching their interaction, Double Bell Light stroked her chin, deep in thought. While it looks like Oguri has the initiative, in reality, the situation has been under Trainer-san's control the entire time. And the "vibe" is completely different from before.
If Fujimaru Ritsuka's offense was a display of "Vigorous Martial Arts," then the defensive maneuvers he displayed while Oguri attacked were a "Fluid Dance."
Double Bell Light's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exhale in admiration. "Incredible, Trainer-san! Even though you're the one holding the initiative in both cases, the two situations feel entirely different!"
Oguri Cap was still just a rookie who hadn't debuted yet, so this specific training was kept at a "surface level" for now. After all, she was in her Newcomer year, and the Japan Cup required trainees to be in their Classic year or older—that was a goal for next year. They had plenty of time to prepare, optimize, and perfect her style.
After a short break, Ritsuka moved Oguri and Light to the next phase of practice. This time, Oguri exposed another weakness besides her lack of theoretical knowledge.
"W-wait, Oguri! Waaaaah!" Seeing Oguri Cap perform a literal "left foot tripping over the right foot" and toppling toward her, Double Bell Light let out a panicked scream. She instinctively wanted to dodge, but she was worried that Oguri would hit the ground hard.
In that split second of indecision, Light squeezed her eyes shut and thrust her arms out toward Oguri. She hoped to catch her, or at the very least, act as a human crash pad.
She waited a moment, but the impact never came. Cautiously, she opened her right eye to check on Oguri—it would be terrible if she had already hit the deck.
The moment she opened her eye, she saw a large hand.
In the next heartbeat, Double Bell Light felt a sharp thwack of pain on her forehead.
Fujimaru Ritsuka had given her a flick.
"Light," Ritsuka teased with a light laugh, "I know your heart is in the right place, but if you take action without opening your eyes, we're going to end up with two injured people instead of one."
Ritsuka acknowledged her intent and believed her selflessness was worth encouraging, but he wanted Double Bell Light to prioritize her own safety before trying to protect others.
A look of reminiscence flashed through the young man's cerulean eyes. He really didn't want to see another strawberry cake left alone in a refrigerator ever again.
While this world likely wouldn't face a crisis that severe, he had heard about "Fate" from the Goddess, after all. Though he had successfully overcome it, won back the original world with everyone else, and achieved a "Happy Ending" rather than greeting some twisted Pretender, he still couldn't bring himself to like the concept of "Fate."
Of course, if we were talking about "Fate [Testarossa]," that was another matter entirely.
With one hand, Ritsuka held Oguri Cap by the back of her collar, preventing her from hitting the ground. He extended his other hand toward Double Bell Light.
"Let's work together to overcome our weaknesses."
The corners of his mouth curved upward, giving him an aura of refined warmth—the kind of "gentlemanly friendship as pure as water" that instinctively made people want to be near him.
Double Bell Light froze for a moment before quickly forcing a smile and responding, "Yes, Trainer-san!"
"Good. Then let's continue."
"Yes!" Double Bell Light chirped, before shrinking back slightly and asking softly, "Trainer-san, what is this next one for...?"
The last one was training for the race itself... so what is the purpose of this one?
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