Nakajima Shin felt his heart sink.
If Daiichi Ruby really meant what she said, they’d find out about his other trainee tomorrow and kick him out.
His free AC, free luxury dinners, free electricity, free Wi-Fi…
all gone.
The idea that she was lying, just bluffing, never even crossed his mind.
After all, the Gorgeous Clan was a top-tier Japanese aristocratic family, famous in politics, economics, and the Umamusume racing circuit.
From what he’d gathered, they were basically the Suzuki Corporation from Detective Conan, the Shimon Corporation from Kaguya-sama, or the Tsunomaki Zaibatsu from BanG Dream.
“Wealth rivaling nations” and “overwhelming power” were probably still understating it.
So it was entirely possible such a family would conduct rigorous background checks for the trainer of their sole heir and precious gem.
He’d believe them if they said daily file updates were just routine.
So let it end here.
The good times were going to end eventually anyway.
This was just an early expiration.
On the bright side, the Gorgeous Clan wouldn’t kick him out tonight.
He could enjoy the rest of the evening, grab a free breakfast, and then leave.
Letting go of all his worries, Nakajima Shin forced a difficult smile and said openly,
“In that case, I apologize.
I actually have another trainee.
We signed this evening.” “I wasted your time tonight.” He bowed slightly in apology.
Daiichi Ruby’s face showed zero reaction.
Still that calm, expressionless mask, she mentally noted to tell the butler to cancel Nakajima Shin’s candidacy and shift her focus to others.
Following social etiquette, she simply asked in a mild tone who the trainee was.
Once she got the answer, she offered a brief congratulations, then prepared to bid him farewell and leave.
And then she heard the answer that finally cracked her rarely wavering composure.
“Tokai Teio.
My trainee.” Nakajima Shin replied with a smile.
“…You mean the Umamusume with habitual fractures?” Daiichi Ruby quickly recomposed herself and asked immediately, her purple eyes flashing with an unusual light.
“Assuming there isn’t another Tokai Teio at Tracen Academy…” Nakajima Shin smiled.
“Yes, that’s the one.”
Daiichi Ruby fell silent for a moment.
Watching his genuine smile, her tail gave an involuntary twitch.
She asked, “Why did you choose her as your trainee?”
“Because she wants to run, but no one around her wants to see her do it.
She’s been tearing herself down because she can’t run.
I couldn’t stand seeing that, so I became her trainer to encourage her.
Pretty stupid of me, right?” Nakajima Shin scratched his head, sounding a bit wistful.
“To stand tall, one must be magnificent.
To act, one must be supreme.” Daiichi Ruby recited the family motto, her tone serious.
“Someone with that mindset isn’t stupid at all.”
Nakajima Shin smiled faintly, nodded in agreement, then waved goodbye.
“It’s getting late.
You should rest.
I’ll leave voluntarily tomorrow, so no need to trouble yourself.”
“Goodnight, Daiichi Ruby.” He turned to leave, but the girl called out to him.
“Wait.” He looked back.
She walked over gracefully, hands clasped at her waist, and asked, “Have you prepared follow-up training plans for Teio and Urara?”
Nakajima Shin tilted his head.
He hadn’t expected her to care about that.
Were she and his two trainees friends, and she just wanted to know?
Unfortunately, he didn’t know the details.
Even though he’d watched the anime and played the Traditional Chinese server of Uma Musume, back when he hit the Ruby banner, he’d already burned all his carrots chasing Orfevre’s support cards.
He never managed to pull her to see the story.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be second-guessing himself right now; he’d just know the answer instantly.
While he pondered, he pulled out his phone, opened his cloud drive, and handed it to her.
Since his laptop was second-hand, he worried it might break someday.
He backed up all important files to the cloud, so this was the perfect time to show her.
Daiichi Ruby took the phone with both hands.
But what caught her eye first wasn’t the cloud drive contents, but the screen itself.
His phone screen was so shattered it rivaled the map of the Holy Roman Empire.
One could genuinely wonder if a light tap would make the whole thing shatter and fall off.
Daiichi Ruby suddenly had a much deeper understanding of the butler’s evaluation of him as “poverty-stricken among the poor.” Her widened eyes returned to normal as she opened the two plans in the cloud drive, patiently reading through them despite the constant lag.
“…Looks like you’ve prepared quite a bit for both Urara and Teio.
But I noticed your plan for Teio assumes she’ll fail her allowance-tier race and drop further down.
Her legs are clearly a major factor in your planning.” Saying this, Daiichi Ruby handed the phone back with both hands.
Nakajima Shin took the phone and gave a relaxed smile.
“Plan for the worst, and you’ll never be caught off guard.
No one knows if Teio will fracture again mid-race.
Given that, I naturally had to draft my plans with the most pessimistic outlook.
That way, every future victory can be treated as a bonus.”
“I see…” Daiichi Ruby looked down, pondering for a moment.
When she came back to herself, realizing she’d left him standing there, a hint of apology crossed her face.
“Sorry, I lost my composure.”
“It’s fine.
I’ll be heading out then.” Nakajima Shin waved.
“Please wait.
I have one last question.” Daiichi Ruby called out again.
“How long did it take you to draft these plans?”
“Hmm…
about an hour, I guess.
I’m not exactly sure.
I only had time to start them back at the hotel tonight.
I’ll probably have to pull an all-nighter to finish the details so I don’t delay tomorrow’s training.” Nakajima Shin thought for a moment and answered.
“…In that case, I think you should rest first.
Your current plans are sufficient for Urara’s training tomorrow.
There’s no urgent need to finalize Teio’s debut race plans right now.
You should get some sleep to face tomorrow’s assessment.” Daiichi Ruby said slowly.
Nakajima Shin raised an eyebrow, pointing at himself in confusion.
“I can still take the assessment?” Daiichi Ruby nodded.
“I’ve looked into your situation a bit.
Staying here would be better for you, wouldn’t it?
We also wanted someone who works hard to motivate the others, helping us pick the most suitable trainer.” “I think you fit the bill.”
Nakajima Shin suspected this excuse was just a polite way to let him stay, and the real reason was probably something else.
But who cared?
He was broke.
Anyone who helped him save money was basically a benefactor.
He thanked her immediately.
“Thanks for looking out for me.
I’ll take this responsibility seriously.”
“Then I’m counting on you.” Daiichi Ruby nodded slightly.
After watching him leave, she took the elevator down to the underground parking garage, where the butler had been waiting for a long time.
She followed the butler into the car heading home.
Once seated, she spoke right away: “Butler, please bring me Trainer Nakajima Shin’s file.”
Translated PS: Actually, Daiichi Ruby’s family motto should be: “Magnificent beyond compare, supreme above all, forever shining with the brightest light.” But since I never pulled her and only watched other people’s fan videos, I felt this version had more vibe, so I went with it.