Time moved forward, and in the blink of an eye, the day finally came to take off the weighted horseshoes.
At the training grounds, Gold Ship and Meisho Doto ran forward with all their strength.
"Whoosh!"
Letting out a cry of pure exhilaration, Gold Ship flew across the track.
This feeling was just too good. It was like being released after spending half a year in prison. Her feet felt as light as feathers, as though her whole body were floating on top of the grass.
Once she crossed the finish line, Fujiwara Chiya clicked his stopwatch and checked her time.
She was a full 0.9 seconds faster than she had been half a month ago. That kind of improvement was practically rocket-like. Even a veteran trainer would have had to gasp at that.
Of course, watching others run could never compare to feeling it yourself. Fujiwara Shirayuki removed her horseshoes and bounced lightly in place twice.
So light!
Her feet felt so light that it was almost as though they had no weight at all. Not only had her strength increased, even her flexibility had improved dramatically. When she bent her legs, her body pressed all the way down against them without the slightest resistance.
This training method had not only trained the feet, but also all the muscles in the lower body. Taking up a starting stance, Shirayuki lowered herself, lightly hooked her toes, pushed through her ankles, and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
The wind whistled past her ears, and Fujiwara Shirayuki felt that her speed had risen to an entirely new level.
Push, drive, accelerate. She got faster and faster, and before long, she finished a lap and returned to the starting point. Fujiwara Chiya looked at the stopwatch in his hand.
Compared to her previous best time, she had improved by a full 1.3 seconds.
And that meant what? It meant she had left the version of herself from half a month ago far behind. It seemed this style of training, woven into daily life, really did have a considerable effect on Uma Musume. It could definitely be used as a major training method going forward.
"Not bad."
Nase Fumino walked over and praised Fujiwara Shirayuki, who had just finished running.
"Her ability should already put her among the top freshmen now. At this growth rate, winning a graded race should be no problem."
"It's thanks to you, Fumino."
"...I just didn't want to bury this child's talent." Nase Fumino brushed aside her bangs. "And in two days, there's the mock race. We'll see what kind of result Shirayuki can produce there."
Speaking of races...
"Shirayuki ended up grouped with your runner again, didn't she?"
"Yes. Grass Wonder."
Fujiwara Chiya immediately pictured the girl with that refined, graceful Yamato Nadeshiko aura around her. She always wore a gentle smile and called out in that soft, pleasant voice, "Yuki-chan, Yuki-chan," every day.
As expected, among Uma Musume, if you had not raced each other at least once, you could hardly call yourselves friends. Finally, the time had come to race her.
"How strong is she?"
Nase Fumino thought for a moment.
"Inconsistent," she said. "Sometimes she puts out brilliant results, and sometimes she underperforms. But overall, she's quite good."
Nase Fumino gave the assessment plainly.
Strictly speaking, a runner's abilities should have been kept secret from other trainers, to prevent them from devising specific strategies against them in races. But Nase Fumino felt that in this case, it would be ridiculous. So many of Chiya's training plans had been rewritten by her, and she had personally supervised their training so often that it would not have been an exaggeration to say half his team had been trained by her hand. She knew everyone's level inside and out.
Under those circumstances, keeping her own runner's abilities hidden from him felt needlessly inhumane.
Chiya trusted her so completely that she wanted to be equally honest with him. The two of them would openly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their runners, then race each other fair and square.
Win or lose, neither of them would hold any resentment.
And honestly, Nase Fumino liked this kind of rivalry very much. Being able to remain very close, while still keeping the relationship of opponents, and not having to fear that a win or loss between their Uma Musume would crack their bond.
She would remain at Fujiwara Chiya's side and support him until the day he finally became a proper trainer who no longer needed her help. At that point, the two of them would stand on equal footing.
Though by then, surely things would already have fallen naturally into place.
Nase Fumino believed that from the bottom of her heart.
"I'll come find you on the day of the event race."
"You'll come find me?"
"Yes. Aren't we going to watch the race together?"
Fujiwara Chiya's eyes wavered.
"I have something to do that day..."
"What is it?"
Don't tell me you already made plans with someone else. And it had better not be Kiryuin Aoi. Lately, she's been doing suspiciously many joint training sessions with you.
"Well... how should I put it... my dad's coming that day, so I'm planning to run..."
"Your father!?"
Nase Fumino's eyes went wide.
Fujiwara Zenya...
A man with stubble flashed through her mind, rough hands rubbing her head as he laughed loudly and said, "I've been waiting for you, kiddo."
A large part of why Nase Fumino had wanted to become a trainer in the first place was because of Fujiwara Zenya.
And that person was coming!?
"Why didn't you tell me something this important sooner?"
"It's not like it needed to be announced to the whole world. It's not something people need to prepare for."
Nase Fumino almost stamped her foot in agitation.
How does it not need preparation!?
Gifts and deciding what to wear both took time!
Nase Fumino desperately wanted to leave a good impression on him, so she needed to change her image a little. No matter how you looked at it, if things between her and Chiya were ever going to go further, Fujiwara Zenya's approval mattered. And if Zenya-san approved, then her own father would surely have no objection either.
What should she buy? What should she wear? Something more formal, or something prettier...?
"Fumino?"
Seeing Nase Fumino suddenly freeze in place, Fujiwara Chiya called softly.
"Mm... ah, then you'll be going with Zenya-san that day, right? Understood. I'll watch the race in your place. I'll tell you directly afterward what needs work."
"Then I'm counting on you."
And it's not that I'm going with Dad. I'm planning to hide from him.
The matter of Fujiwara Shirayuki had already reached his ears. If Chiya got caught and questioned about it, he would have no way to explain himself. After all, he did not even know all his own relatives properly, so how could he possibly conjure up a pair of parents for Shirayuki out of thin air?
If only he had not used such a flimsy excuse back then.
For Shirayuki's sake, Fujiwara Chiya absolutely could not let his parents find him.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Chiya."
Waving lightly, Nase Fumino quickly headed toward the school gates.
Under Fujiwara Chiya's anxiety, the day of the Tracen mock race finally arrived. Spectators had already begun filling the stands early, and the crowd buzzed noisily. In the midst of all that, two figures stood in front of the Tracen school building.
One was a middle-aged man in a brownish-gray T-shirt, full of stubble, arms folded across his chest. His sharp, hawk-like eyes swept across the academy grounds.
"This place has really changed. When did they expand it?"
"The last time we came, it was still a little building."
Beside him, a beautiful woman with long brown hair spoke.
Time had left almost no trace on her skin. Though already over forty, she still retained the appearance of her younger years. Were it not for the faint, slightly alluring mature redness at the corners of her eyes, people might easily have mistaken her real age.
"Come on, let's go in and take a look."
"Zenya, it says unauthorized people aren't allowed inside."
"Where? I don't see anything. If I can't see it, then it doesn't count."
"That won't do, Trainer."
A voice came from the entrance hall as a green figure stepped into view.
"You mustn't cause trouble for Tracen. How many times have I said that? Look, even your wife is getting upset."
Hayakawa Tazuna pointed behind the man. The beautiful woman was indeed looking at him with a faint expression of reproach.
"Just kidding." Hayakawa Tazuna covered her mouth and laughed softly. "As if we'd stop you from entering. Rather, please think of this place as your home. Welcome to Tracen Academy, Trainer Fujiwara Zenya, and Ms. Kitachi Maito."
Hayakawa Tazuna lowered her head respectfully.
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A/n: For Chiya's father, there was an inconsistent translation a couple of chapters before, where it ended up as Yoshiya or something along those lines. I wanted to edit it, but I can't seem to find it. Just want to inform you of it; his name will be Fujiwara Zenya moving forward.