After waking before dawn, Li Ze couldn’t fall asleep again.
That morning, he returned to the children’s welfare home and had a long conversation with Grandma Director.
They discussed his unusual situation.
And Tazuna Hayakawa.
Upon learning Li Ze’s secret, Grandma’s first concern was whether she’d accidentally caused trouble by asking Tazuna to help him.
Li Ze naturally refused to blame her.
Whether this turned out to be good or bad…
Only the future could answer.
Grandma became the second person to know Li Ze’s secret.
He wasn’t afraid she’d tell anyone else.
Setting aside how unbelievable the truth sounded…
The character of someone who had spent her entire life maintaining a midsized children’s welfare home was beyond what a comparatively cynical person like Li Ze felt qualified to doubt.
After handling everything at the welfare home, Li Ze didn’t stay long.
He planned to head toward his newly rented private training grounds and begin practicing.
But before he could…
Tazuna called.
She asked Natsume Reiko to come to Tracen Academy.
Apparently…
There would be an evaluation.
…
The auditing-student system.
It had existed for a long time.
Long before Symboli Rudolf became Student Council President.
“Miss Hayakawa, is Natsume Reiko really requesting auditing-student status?” “Yes.
“Rudolf, if you don’t believe me, would you like to call and confirm personally?
“You can also ask her directly when she arrives.” Tazuna smiled as she answered Symboli Rudolf’s question.
Rudolf’s confusion was understandable.
Anyone familiar with Tracen’s policies knew that transfer students and auditing students faced roughly similar evaluation standards.
But the benefits were completely different.
Transfer students fully joined Tracen Academy and enjoyed every advantage the institution offered.
Auditing students were only partially affiliated and received a limited selection of those benefits.
Almost every Uma Musume naturally chose the former.
Because Tracen Academy was the best Uma Musume academy in all of Japan.
No exceptions.
Every Uma Musume dreamed of studying here.
Training here.
Fighting here.
Growing here.
And ultimately…
Welcoming glory here.
So when Rudolf heard someone preferred to become an auditing student instead of a transfer…
It felt almost unreal.
The last person she’d remembered making a similar choice…
Had been the prematurely lost genius, Agnes Tachyon.
“Miss Hayakawa…
“What kind of personality does Natsume Reiko have?
“Any unusual interests?” There were very few things in life Symboli Rudolf genuinely regretted.
Agnes Tachyon was certainly one of them.
That story couldn’t be explained in one or two sentences.
In the end…
Perhaps a sigh said more than words.
“Agnes Tachyon…
“Natsume Reiko isn’t that sort of person.
“Don’t worry, Emperor.
“She’s a good kid.” “Then why doesn’t she want to join Tracen Academy?
“Is it because of her Trainer?
“I can guarantee that her Trainer will not be replaced.” Symboli Rudolf— The Emperor.
She was Emperor on the racetrack.
And in many ways…
She was Emperor of Tracen Academy too.
Her word was practically law here.
There were few who dared openly oppose her.
Tazuna smiled.
“Everyone has their own priorities.
“Why insist on forcing things, Emperor?
“Perhaps she’s waiting for her Trainer to enter Tracen Academy with her.” “Similar circumstances to Oguri Cap…
“But a different choice.
“Is the difference their Trainers?” Rudolf murmured.
Oguri Cap had once been the ace of a regional Uma Musume academy.
She carried that school’s hopes and prosperity on her shoulders.
At the time, she had been extremely close to her Trainer.
The Trainer couldn’t bear to lose her because the academy depended on her.
Yet for Oguri Cap’s future…
The Trainer wanted her to join Tracen Academy.
Oguri Cap herself had worried that leaving would hurt her Trainer.
So she chose to stay.
That decision forced the Trainer to make the painful choice personally.
He sent Oguri Cap to Tracen Academy.
And thus…
The Oguri Cap known throughout Japan today was born.
“And if I remember correctly, Air Groove…
“Oguri Cap’s former Trainer has been applying for Tracen Academy Trainer certification, correct?” Rudolf handled too many matters every day.
The precise details had slipped her mind.
She turned toward Air Groove.
Among the student council…
Air Groove was the person who helped her most.
“Yes.
“Oguri Cap’s Trainer applied.
“The result came out recently.
“He passed.
“You even used the story as promotional material two days ago.
“The publicity department’s main work lately has been preparing that campaign.” “Right.
“I remember now.
“See?” Rudolf turned toward Tazuna.
“Perhaps those two really are unusually close.” Tazuna smiled.
Rudolf didn’t want Natsume Reiko’s talent wasted.
The debut-race footage made one thing brutally clear.
Her fundamentals were terrible.
Stamina.
Posture.
Technique.
Everything looked embarrassingly crude.
Like an amateur who’d never received professional training.
No.
An Uma Musume like that couldn’t even properly be called a racing Uma Musume.
She was merely an ordinary horse girl.
The difference between an ordinary horse girl and a trained racing Uma Musume was like the difference between an ordinary human and a professional athlete.
No matter how you looked at it…
The athlete should win.
If the ordinary person somehow won…
You could only call it an upset.
Natsume Reiko was bizarre.
Her stamina wasn’t at racing level.
Her instincts weren’t at racing level.
Her running form wasn’t at racing level.
Yet one thing alone…
Far exceeded the other competitors.
Her techniques.
Air Groove had repeated Tazuna’s description of Reiko’s skills.
Rudolf could almost picture the scene.
Nice Nature running in front.
Abandoning Late Surger tactics and effectively becoming a Front Runner just to escape.
Natsume Reiko in second.
Her aura like the shadow beneath storm clouds…
Chasing Nice Nature endlessly.
And behind Reiko…
Every other Uma Musume swallowed by darkness.
Unable to resist.
Truthfully…
Rudolf regretted not attending the race personally.
If Oguri Cap had become a legend because of the appetite and physique she was born with…
Then perhaps this junior named Natsume Reiko could also reach the summit…
Through techniques she had seemingly possessed from birth.
“Has Natsume Reiko still not arrived?” Rudolf glanced at the clock.
There was still some time before the agreed appointment.
Yet she was already impatient.
“Emperor…
“Are you really that eager to bully a junior?” Air Groove teased.
“I simply want to finish early.
“There are still plenty of documents waiting for me in the office.” Rudolf performed warm-up stretches as she answered.
Being Student Council President represented authority.
But also restraint.
For an Uma Musume…
Mountains of paperwork were never what they truly wanted.
They wanted to run.
“Is that so?” Air Groove didn’t continue arguing.
From the corner of her eye…
She saw Tokai Teio approaching with another Uma Musume.
That girl…
Was Natsume Reiko.
Air Groove recognized her immediately from the debut-race footage.
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