That was true enough.
Even if she looked a bit frivolous, the woman in front of him had still passed Central Tracen Academy's trainer qualification exam. She had to have some strengths of her own.
Especially since, after getting certified, Kurokawa Ayaka had joined a team led by an A-rank trainer and was gaining experience as an assistant trainer.
Even just a tiny fragment of what an A-rank trainer knew ought to be enough for a G-rank rookie like him to chew on for quite a while.
With that thought, Urushihara Tōru explained the problem he was facing to Kurokawa Ayaka.
Of course, he did not mention the academic-faction family, nor his cheat ability, nor his anime knowledge.
He simply said that he had been convinced the horse girl he chose to sign had extraordinary potential and a future that ought to make her a legendary horse girl, yet for some reason her actual test results were extremely poor.
"So you thought you'd scouted some once-in-a-generation thoroughbred, but once she actually ran, it turned out she was just an ordinary little pony you could find anywhere."
Kurokawa Ayaka snorted, then burst out laughing.
"I get it, I get it. Since she's the horse girl you personally chose, you naturally feel she must be as outstanding as Emperor Symboli Rudolf. That's one of the classic trainer delusions."
She grinned teasingly.
"Who would've thought our rising star would run into something like that too?"
"Don't talk about my Urara like that. She's not just some ordinary little pony you find anywhere."
Urushihara Tōru frowned.
The prestige of an anime-appearance character was not something a big-breasted airhead like you could possibly understand.
"Hey. That look just now—were you thinking something rude?"
Kurokawa Ayaka seemed to sense something and shot him a glare.
Meanwhile, Urushihara Tōru's eyes remained utterly clear and innocent.
After all, someone who could hear inner thoughts without horse girls realizing it was hardly going to have his acting seen through by the likes of Kurokawa Ayaka.
Come to think of it, why could his upgraded cheat not hear Kurokawa Ayaka's inner voice?
Did his ability to hear humans' thoughts only work within some limited range?
Setting aside that irrelevant line of thought, Urushihara Tōru put on an innocent expression.
"What are you talking about, Senpai? I'm still waiting for your help here. If you keep saying things like 'delusion,' I really am going to get mad."
Faced with that triple-combo use of Senpai, Kurokawa Ayaka could only click her tongue, put away her smile, and start speaking more seriously.
"For the sake of argument, let's assume your instincts aren't wrong. Let's say that horse girl named 'Urara' really is a horse girl with what it takes to contend for the title of 'legend.'"
She crossed her arms.
"In terms of timing, you haven't actually started formal training with her yet, right?"
"While it's true that most legendary horse girls already show extraordinary qualities when they're still young, before they enter their real growth phase, there are also quite a few cases where they look completely ordinary before proper training begins. Horse girls are, for the most part, self-willed and capricious. Expecting them to train strictly and seriously before entering Tracen is basically fantasy."
"If that weren't the case, there'd be no need for us trainers to exist in the first place, right?"
"But what if her test results aren't just 'ordinary'—what if they're significantly worse than that?"
Urushihara Tōru could not help pressing the point.
It was not as if he had never considered the possibility Kurokawa Ayaka was describing.
The problem was that Urara's test results were not merely "ordinary."
If she were merely average, that would already be one thing.
But weak? What kind of nonsense was that?
"Is it really that bad?"
Kurokawa Ayaka blinked.
Urushihara Tōru had been the top of their cohort. How could a horse girl he had personally set his sights on possibly be some mediocre nobody?
Then she heard him list off a set of numbers.
Kurokawa Ayaka went rigid.
The next second, the gyaru suddenly grabbed Urushihara Tōru by the shoulders and spoke with deadly seriousness.
"While it's still only been a short time since you signed the contract, hurry to the chairwoman's office, get down on your knees, and beg her to void it. A horse girl like this has absolutely no value as a trainee!"
Those numbers were so bad that even making it through a debut race looked like wishful thinking.
Was that really the data of a horse girl?
Honestly, she would have believed it if someone told her those were the results of some naturally gifted human instead.
As a side note, probably because of generations of intermixing with horse girls, humans in this world possessed physical ability far beyond that of ordinary humans from Urushihara Tōru's previous world.
Every now and then, there were even individuals who could compare to horse girls for short bursts.
Of course, only for a short time, and only against fairly ordinary horse girls.
Expecting a normal human to replace a horse girl on the racetrack would still be sliding straight into fantasy territory.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Urushihara Tōru glared at Kurokawa Ayaka.
"You're just trying to use this chance to trick my Urara away and make her your own horse girl, aren't you? I'm not giving you that opportunity!"
"I do not need that kind of opportunity!"
Kurokawa Ayaka nearly choked on her anger.
A horse girl with those attributes did not even qualify to be considered by her in the first place!
But thinking of her peer's past achievements—especially the so-called urban legend of the "Appraising Eye" that had been spreading among trainers lately—she could not help confirming it one more time.
"You really trust that horse girl that much?"
"How many times do I have to say it? Even if there's a problem, then the only possible place that problem exists is with me. It could never possibly be my Urara's fault!"
The righteousness in his voice was so absolute that even Kurokawa Ayaka, who had already concluded the horse girl had no value as a trainee, began to waver.
"If that's how it is… then is it possible your Urara is the so-called late-bloomer type?"
Late. Bloomer.
A bolt of lightning struck Urushihara Tōru's mind yet again.
Of course!
How had he not thought of that?
Among horse girls, there was the concept of early bloomers and late bloomers.
Early bloomers were not especially rare.
Cases where a horse girl dominated like a dragon in her first year, only to turn into a worm by her classic year or veteran years, happened practically every year.
Late bloomers, on the other hand—those who started out underwhelming and only came into their own later—were much rarer.
Fundamentally, late bloomers who failed to achieve results early in their careers often retired before ever reaching their peak.
But wasn't that exactly why Urara had become a horse girl worthy of appearing in the anime?
Just like Teio, who broke down three times and still managed to stand up again and forge her own legend.
After all, what could be more compelling than the moment a dust-covered gem finally shone with dazzling brilliance?
Urushihara Tōru. Oh, Urushihara Tōru.
And here you thought of yourself as some superfan who had watched the Uma Musume anime multiple times—yet you still failed to see something this simple?
"You're absolutely right, Senpai!"
Overcome with emotion, Urushihara Tōru grabbed Kurokawa Ayaka's hand and shook it vigorously.
"My Urara must be exactly that kind of late-blooming horse girl."
"Thank you so much. Next time, I'll definitely treat you to a meal!"
And with that, Urushihara Tōru casually snatched up the notebook on the desk and dashed out of the trainer's office like a whirlwind.
Leaving only the still-stunned Kurokawa Ayaka behind, shouting after him:
"When exactly is 'next time'?!"
Naturally, her question received no answer.
"That damned horse-girl idiot!"
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