Inside the entry tunnel.
Kaito and Rice Shower followed the crowd inside, but soon parted ways with the flow of people and headed to the registration desk for contestant check-in.
At the registration front desk, Sachiko let out a yawn, her face worn with fatigue as she slacked off, scrolling through information on the latest cosmetics.
She had initially become a registration clerk out of her love for Uma Musume, but the workplace quickly extinguished her passion.
She had turned into an apathetic slacker just counting down the hours, with insomnia and decadence becoming the norm, and her enthusiasm for Uma Musume was no longer what it used to be.
Seeing Kaito and Rice Shower approach, Sachiko simply spoke in a routine, indifferent tone.
“Please state the contestant’s name and the race they are entered in.” “Rice Shower, entered in the Heather Stakes.” “Rice Shower, is it?” She found Rice Shower’s name on the computer, her dull, lifeless eyes quickly scanning her career record of three races, one win, and two finishes outside the top ten.
Moreover, her first three races were all sprints, and now she was suddenly switching to 2000m.
Was her Trainer just messing around?
Sachiko let out a light sigh.
Both Kaito and Rice Shower saw it.
Sachiko didn’t care that her attitude was noticed.
Even setting aside the fact that she had long since become a numb slacker, she wouldn’t give a good face to a Trainer who simply let an Uma Musume take risks by entering her in such a race.
“Check complete.
Third race of the day, Gate 6, Number 4.
Current live popularity is…
8th out of 13?” Sachiko’s eyes widened slightly.
Given the girl’s performance in her previous races, this support rate wasn’t exactly low.
But she didn’t pay it much mind.
She handed the number bib to Kaito, read through the rules and regulations once more, and then let the two of them into the contestants’ tunnel.
Kaito looked at Rice Shower, and the information from the “Scouting Eye” appeared before his eyes.
[Assignment: Rice Shower] [Status: Insecure, timid, nervous] [Mastered Skills: Straight Accel, Mountaineer] She’s a bit nervous.
Kaito asked softly.
“Rice Shower, are you alright?” Rice Shower secretly grasped Kaito’s hand, squeezing it tightly, and nodded.
“Yes.” After that, the two of them stepped forward at the same time.
…
[The third race is about to begin.
The third race—the Heather Stakes.
2000m, right turn, turf, weather: sunny, track condition: good…] Passing through the dim and narrow contestants’ tunnel, Kaito and Rice Shower were instantly overwhelmed by the glaring sunlight and the massive roar of the crowd, among which a few voices were particularly prominent.
“Go for it, Northern Rainbow!” “Stay undefeated!” “We’re all rooting for you—” In the stands, a massive crowd of spectators was cheering for a certain Uma Musume.
Following the direction of the voices, they saw a sharp, athletic-looking Uma Musume warming up on the track, enthusiastically responding to the crowd’s support.
Northern Rainbow, the first favorite in the Heather Stakes.
During training, Kaito had already told Rice Shower about her.
At this moment, Rice Shower’s face was equally serious.
In terms of pure strength, she was an Uma Musume capable of competing in the G1 Asahi Hai Future Stakes.
“I heard Rainbow-chan broke her personal best in her most recent training, reaching a top speed of 11.6 seconds!” “She’ll definitely win this time too and make a run for next year’s Classic Races, right?” “It’s a shame she didn’t enter the Asahi Hai, but Trainer Riko must have her own reasons.
After all, there’s no way Rainbow-chan could lose in a Condition Race.” The surrounding spectators chattered, their tones full of relaxation and cheerfulness.
It seemed no one thought Northern Rainbow would lose here.
But Kaito was equally fearless.
He and Rice Shower had done everything they possibly could.
He believed in his training abilities, believed in Rice Shower’s talent and capabilities, and believed in the hard work they had put in over the past half month.
They would win.
Thinking this, Kaito hesitated on whether to cheer Rice Shower up a bit more.
He turned his head, only to find Rice Shower taking a deep breath, suppressing her trembling hands, and then looking at him with a calm and resolute expression.
“Onii-san, I’m heading over too.” Above Rice Shower’s head, the information updated.
[Status: Insecure, brave, nervous] Kaito was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded.
“Go ahead.” “Don’t hold back, and take the lead with all your might!” After watching Rice Shower walk away, Kaito also followed the tunnel through the crowded people and made his way up to the spectator stands.
Ohhh— The Uma Musume entered the field one by one to warm up, and the voices of the spectators grew louder and louder.
Kaito had just pulled out his binoculars when he felt his elbow bump into something soft.
Turning his head, he saw Hana standing with her arms crossed, looking at him speechlessly.
“Hana-senpai!
Are you recovered from your illness?” “Ah, being cooped up for the past half month was killing me.” Hana sighed helplessly.
Half a month ago, she had caught a fever and was sent to the infirmary for treatment, only to be told it was caused by accumulated overwork.
As a result, Chairman Akikawa forced her to take a long vacation, and she only forcefully demanded to return because she simply couldn’t stand being idle.
“I heard Rice Shower-san was racing today, so I dropped by to watch.” “Thank you for your concern, senpai!” Hana shook her head, her face showing worry.
Because of her recuperation, she had missed Kaito’s training sessions and therefore didn’t know Rice Shower’s current level.
But she was very well aware of Riko and Northern Rainbow’s strength.
If Rice Shower was still at her previous level, this race would have absolutely no hope.
She thought for a moment and still decided to remind Kaito.
“Northern Rainbow, that girl is very fast, and just like Rice Shower, she uses the Stalker running style.” “Given Riko’s personality, she won’t let her Uma Musume take risks or face unexpected situations, so she’ll likely adopt a strategy of stalking in the early stages to maintain an advantageous position and exerting effort in the mid-to-late stages.” “In that case, it’s best to have Rice Shower use the Midfield or Chaser running style.
If she tries to force a Stalker position to keep up with Northern Rainbow, she might exhaust her stamina before the final straight.” Based on Hana’s previous impression of Rice Shower’s running style, this was the most reasonable advice she could offer.
“I believe in Rice Shower.” Kaito said only this.
Hana sighed helplessly.
On the other side.
In the slightly more serious section of the stands, Northern Rainbow’s Trainer, Riko, wore a sharp, tailored women’s suit, her expression calm and serious.
Although her calm and majestic aura made those around her instinctively straighten their posture, her undeniably beautiful face made people want to steal glances at her even if they were being scolded.
“She’s a beautiful Trainer…” Someone in the surrounding crowd murmured in admiration.
Riko ignored this.
At the moment, she was holding her opponents’ information for a final check, and then flipped to Rice Shower’s page.
The assistant trainer beside her explained.
“This girl is in Gate 6, Number 4, right next to Rainbow-chan.
Her previous results aren’t very remarkable, and her Trainer is also a rookie who just recently became official.” “Finished outside the top ten twice?” Riko frowned slightly but still asked a question.
“Tell me again if there’s anything to watch out for with this girl.” “There shouldn’t be anything.
Ah, it’s just that the training menu that Trainer prepared for her is very strange.
Some Uma Musume claimed to have witnessed him training someone until they threw up, and he even forces that girl to call him ‘Onii-san’, making her eat three to five times the normal amount of food an Uma Musume eats every day…” Riko’s beautiful brows furrowed even tighter.
What a reckless guy.
Riko was a firm believer in strict management.
She strictly controlled the daily training volume, relaxation time, activity range, and types of activities for her Uma Musume.
Especially after she softened her heart and agreed to Northern Rainbow’s request for extra training, which led to an injury, Riko became even more devoted to strict management.
She understood that for an Uma Musume, no matter how much entertainment and spiritual support they received, as long as they failed to win the race, it was all just painfully wasted time.
Precisely because she and her assignment both yearned for victory, they had to take a path that allowed for no unexpected incidents, and Northern Rainbow understood this as well.
Therefore, for a reckless guy like Kaito, Riko genuinely believed he wasn’t fit to be a Trainer at all.
She was going to make Kaito realize just how irresponsible his methods were.
“I’ll use this race.” Riko murmured, her resolute gaze stretching out toward the sunlit track.
On the track, the spectators’ cheers were still deafening.
Rice Shower walked into her starting gate, folded her hands over her chest, and took a deep breath.
In Gate 7 right next to her, Northern Rainbow also walked into her gate and greeted her.
“Yo, you better do your best too.” “Okay…” Roar—————— Before Rice Shower could even finish her reply, the wave of cheers from the spectators surged over.
“Go for it!
Rainbow-chan!” “You’ll definitely win!” “We all came to support you!” “Ah, Trainer, everyone, I’ll win this race for you all to see!” Northern Rainbow responded with great momentum, and the other Uma Musume also waved to their supporters.
Rice Shower looked at the others enviously, but she was long used to it.
After all, the fact that no one supported her had long since— “Go for it, Rice Shower!!!!——————” The roar that echoed across the entire track was like a rainbow piercing the sun, ringing clearly in Rice Shower’s ears.
In the stands, Kaito’s roar startled Hana beside him, but anyone could feel the deeply emotional support in his voice.
Rice Shower’s mouth hung open in a daze, and then— “Go for it, Rice Shower-san!” “Rice Shower-san, we came to support you!” “Run as fast as you did when chasing that motorcycle, and you’ll definitely win!” On the other side of the stands, Berno and the Police Officer, along with the people from the Ichibangai Shopping District, held up signs saying “Run, Rice Shower!” and cheered in unison.
“Ah…” Rice Shower let out a slightly trembling voice, but it wasn’t out of fear or sadness.
Northern Rainbow beside her looked surprised, then looked at Rice Shower again, her gaze much more serious, and offered her a smile.
“Quite a lot of people are cheering for you, but the one who will win is me.” Rice Shower replied with utmost seriousness.
“No, the one who will win…
will be Rice Shower!” [All contestants have entered the gates, the race is about to begin—] Over a dozen Uma Musume stood in their starting gates, assuming their starting positions.
The air was incredibly tense, and even the spectators’ cheers paused for a moment.
Time seemed to stand still.
Kaito could hear his own heartbeat.
Bzzzt!
[The race has begun!] Accompanying the starting signal, the Uma Musume burst out of the gates almost simultaneously, and the track once again erupted with deafening cheers!
“Go for it!” “Charge!” “Win this race!” In the crowd, Kaito bit his lip, staring intently at Rice Shower after she broke from the gate, sending out the most sincere prayers and encouragement from the bottom of his heart.
Take the lead, Rice Shower.
Take the lead, Rice Shower!