After returning from the library to the trainers' office, Urushihara Tōru neatly arranged the books he had borrowed across his desk.
Though running into Rice Shower had been an unexpected delight, the issue that most needed his attention right now was still his own horse girl.
He opened Fall in Love with Running: How to Improve a Horse Girl's Speed Attribute and began reading seriously.
The contents were quite systematic. From analysis of horse-girl muscle structure to detailed training methods, from diet adjustments to mental conditioning, it covered nearly every aspect of speed training.
And yet, the more he read, the deeper his frown became.
All of the training methods described in the book assumed that the horse girl already possessed a certain basic level of speed.
As for Urara's case…
How should he put it? It was like trying to teach a child who had only just learned to walk how to sprint the hundred meters.
Her foundation was simply too weak.
"So I'll have to start from the absolute basics…"
Urushihara Tōru let out a sigh, closed the book, and began scribbling notes in his notebook.
The first thing to address was Urara's acceleration problem.
Even if her acceleration on dirt barely qualified as passable, that level was still nowhere near enough to gain an advantage in a real race.
Second was her speed ceiling.
That was a thornier issue, but not one without hope.
According to the book, while a horse girl's maximum speed depended heavily on natural talent, scientific training could still improve it to some extent.
The key was finding a training rhythm that suited Urara.
As for stamina…
Urushihara Tōru considered it for a moment, then decided not to make it a top priority for now.
Given Urara's current condition, dirt short-distance tracks were clearly the battlefield best suited to her.
At those distances, stamina mattered relatively less.
"Alright. That settles it."
Urushihara Tōru drew a heavy circle in his notebook.
From here on, the training plan would focus on improving acceleration and raising her speed ceiling, with basic physical conditioning as support.
As for whether it would succeed…
He glanced out the window at the darkening sky and smiled with firm resolve.
After all, Urara was a late-blooming type of horse girl.
No matter how hopeless she looked right now, as long as they kept going, one day the moment of her full bloom would come.
And as her trainer, what he had to do was accompany her through this darkest hour before dawn.
…
The next morning, at Tracen Academy's training grounds.
"Urara, starting today, we begin formal training!"
Urushihara Tōru called out with full energy.
"Okay! Please take care of me, Trainer!"
As lively as ever, the pink-haired horse girl nodded hard, her round eyes shining with anticipation.
We're finally starting real training! Urara has to work really hard and not disappoint Trainer!
Hearing that inner voice, Urushihara Tōru could not help the small upward curl of his lips.
Having motivation was good.
Now then, let him see just how far Urara could improve once she underwent proper systematic training.
"First, we'll start with warm-up training. Jog two slow laps around the grass field."
"Got it!"
Urara immediately took off, her pink tail swaying gently in the morning breeze.
Urushihara Tōru remained at the edge of the field, his eyes fixed on her figure.
He watched her running form, her stride frequency, her stride length, the rhythm of her breathing.
Mm…
It really was the same old problem.
When Urara ran, the position where her feet landed always drifted just slightly away from her center of gravity.
The deviation was not large, but when those little errors added up, the effect on speed became quite significant.
"Urara, stop for a second!"
"H-Huh? What is it, Trainer?"
Urara, who had only just finished half a lap, halted at once and looked at Urushihara Tōru nervously.
Did Urara mess something up again?
"It's nothing. I just want to correct your running form a little."
Urushihara Tōru walked over to her side and crouched down to examine her legs.
"When you run, the spot where your feet land is a little off. Here, I'll show you."
As he spoke, he stood up and demonstrated a few movements for Urara while gesturing.
"See that? When your foot lands, it should come down directly under your body's center of gravity. That way you can make the best possible use of the force from pushing off the ground."
"I see!"
Urara nodded with sudden realization.
"Urara understands!"
So that's how it works. Nobody ever taught Urara things like this before.
Hearing that thought, Urushihara Tōru paused for a moment.
Nobody had taught her before?
Did that mean that before becoming his horse girl, Urara had basically just been training by trial and error on her own?
Thinking of that, he could not help asking,
"Urara, did you never receive any proper running instruction before?"
As far as he knew, Tracen Academy was supposed to provide public lessons for horse girls who did not yet have dedicated trainers.
"There were classes, but lots of horse girls asked for help, and Urara didn't want to take up too much of other people's time. So…"
As she said that, Urara once again showed that trademark smile of hers.
"Besides, as long as Urara can run, that already makes her happy."
And anyway, no trainer ever wanted to spend time on a horse girl like Urara…
Urushihara Tōru fell silent.
I see.
No wonder Urara's fundamentals were this poor.
In a place like Tracen, where strong competitors gathered in droves, a horse girl like Urara—whose aptitude looked completely average at first glance—would indeed have a hard time drawing a trainer's interest.
And yet she had held on until now, feeling her way forward all by herself.
That kind of toughness…
As expected of the future Demon King!
"Don't worry, Urara."
Urushihara Tōru patted her shoulder and smiled with confidence.
"Starting today, you have me. I'll teach you everything I know."
"Trainer…!"
Urara's eyes reddened slightly.
I'm so happy… Is this what it feels like to have your very own trainer?
"Alright, alright, don't cry. Come on, keep running! This time, pay attention to where your feet land!"
"Okay!"
After wiping at the corners of her eyes, Urara pulled herself together and started running again.
This time, her form was clearly much better than before.
She still slipped out of alignment now and then, but the improvement was obvious.
Urushihara Tōru nodded in satisfaction.
It seemed Urara's ability to understand instruction was actually pretty good.
Given enough time, she would surely bloom with a light all her own.
…
In the days that followed, Urushihara Tōru trained Urara every day.
From the most basic corrections to her running form, to specialized acceleration drills, to attempts at raising her top-end speed.
The extent of the improvement was not dramatic, but it was undeniable.
She really was improving.
That gave Urushihara Tōru confidence in Urara's future.
"Trainer, how did Urara run today?"
After another day of training, Urara wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at Urushihara Tōru expectantly.
"0.3 seconds faster than yesterday."
Urushihara Tōru looked at the stopwatch in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
"It's only a little, but progress is progress. Keep it up!"
"Okay!"
Urara nodded hard, her face blooming into a radiant smile.
0.3 seconds! Urara got better again! If I keep working hard, I'll definitely get stronger!
Watching an Urara who was trying this hard, Urushihara Tōru felt his own mood lighten as well.
There was still some time left before her debut race, but at their current rate of improvement…
There should, maybe, perhaps, possibly…
still be at least a tiny little bit of hope, right?
Just as Urushihara Tōru was sinking into that pleasant fantasy, a voice suddenly rang out behind him.
"Yo, genius boy. How's the training going?"
It was Kurokawa Ayaka.
At some point, that gyaru-like peer of his had appeared at the edge of the training field and was now watching Urushihara Tōru and Urara with clear curiosity.
"Pretty well."
Urushihara Tōru answered simply, then turned to Urara.
"Urara, go rest for a bit. I'm going to talk with this… senpai for a moment."
"Okay, Trainer!"
Urara obediently nodded and ran toward the rest area.
Once she had gone far enough, Kurokawa Ayaka leaned in beside Urushihara Tōru and lowered her voice.
"Honestly speaking… does that girl really have as much talent as you say? I just watched her run a bit, and honestly…"
"Honestly what?"
"Honestly, she just seems like an utterly ordinary horse girl."
Kurokawa Ayaka spoke with a helpless look.
"I seriously can't figure out how you managed to see 'legendary potential' in her."
"That's because your eye for talent isn't good enough, Senpai."
Urushihara Tōru shot back immediately without the slightest mercy.
"Hey!"
Kurokawa Ayaka stamped her foot in frustration.
But when she saw how serious his expression was, she swallowed back the words at the tip of her tongue.
Forget it, forget it.
This guy had always been this stubborn.
When the debut race came, he would naturally understand how cruel reality really was.
At that point, she could comfort this horse-girl idiot properly. She might as well consider it repayment for all those times he had treated her before.
Thinking that, Kurokawa Ayaka waved a hand and left the training field.
Meanwhile, Urushihara Tōru looked toward the direction where Urara was resting, determination shining in his eyes.
No matter what anyone else said, he believed in his own judgment.
Urara was definitely going to become a legendary horse girl.
After all—
she was a horse girl who had appeared in the anime.
-------
April Special Days *Sale 20%*
patreon.com/RuneA
-------
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty...then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (95 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (90 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (75 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (110 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (100 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Ch'en Hui-chieh, I'm Done Being the Good Guy! (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Family Simulator? Why Am I the Family Heirloom? (40 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail : The Trailblazer Only Wants a Peaceful Life (45 Chapter)
Arknights: The Unlucky Dad? But I've Got the Chronicle of Time! (55 Chapter)
The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Elemental Blaster of Orario (45 Chapter)
Playing Honkai in Star Rail (30 Chapter)
As an Alien, I'm Solo Leveling in Warhammer 40K (30 Chapter)
Arknights: A Symbiote's Survival Guide (70 Chapter)
My Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck Is Built Entirely from Stuff I Picked Up (30 Chapter)
I Can Hear the Thoughts of Uma Mutsume (30 Chapter)
Dead-Men Chat Group: Winning the Resurrection Bracket (40 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: Saving the World While Falling in Love! (40 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: My Breathing Techniques Can Be Leveled Up (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon Age of Gods: Starting with a Simulation as Heracles (10 Chapter)
Terra Love Trap: They All Want Me to Themselves (10 Chapter)
Dimensional Ranking: Top Ten Saviors (10 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen: Naoya Zen'in Wants to Stay Alive! (10 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it