Considering that Oguri Cap still had a race to run, Yugi didn’t choose to go toward the food street.
Instead, he headed south to Tomihama Park.
“This is Ise Bay over here.
Beyond Ise Bay is the Pacific Ocean,” Yugi said, standing at the southernmost point of the park and pointing at the sea surface not far away.
He spoke to the two Uma Musume behind him.
“Wow—” Berno Light’s small mouth opened slightly, letting out a long exclamation of wonder.
However, Oguri Cap wore an expression of having seen it all before.
After all, she was born and raised in Hokkaido, so the so-called sea was nothing new to her.
Oguri Cap’s attention was focused on something else.
“Crossing the Pacific Ocean, that’s Trainer’s hometown, right?” She looked up and asked the trainer in front of her.
Yugi was taken aback for a moment, then firmly shook his head.
“No, it’s not.”
“That place is no longer my hometown,” he waved his hand.
“I don’t have something like that.”
Yugi paused and turned his head.
“For me, the most important thing right now is to send you, Oguri Cap, to the highest stage we can reach.”
“I won’t let Trainer down,” Oguri Cap met his gaze, her eyes flickering, her tone firm.
“I’ll help too!” Berno Light raised her hand, joining the conversation.
===
Just as Yugi and his group of three were killing time at Tomihama Park, a small-statured gray Uma Musume wearing a Central Tracen Academy uniform got off the train at Nagoya Station.
“In two weeks, I’ll be going to Hokkaido to prepare for a 1-win class race.
I’ll be staying there the whole summer, so I have to eat my fill of the local specialty, kishimen, before I leave.” She glanced at the map standing by the station and muttered to herself.
The so-called “kishimen” is a noodle dish that uses flat noodles, common in the Nagoya area, as the main ingredient.
It features a sauce broth that falls between the Kanto and Kansai styles, mixed with slightly sweet cooking sake.
Thin fish cakes, chilled spinach, and fried tofu slices are then added, and bonito flakes are sprinkled on top before eating.
This dish is only found in Nagoya.
After successfully escaping the maiden race in Osaka in April, this gray Uma Musume tried kishimen at a street stall in Nagoya on her way back and fell in love with the food.
“Summer is the time for kishimen!” She randomly found a small roadside shop, happily enjoyed a bowl, and then left.
“It’s just past noon now.
Going back to the academy right away would be too rushed.
Let’s see what Nagoya has to kill time?” With this thought, the gray Uma Musume inadvertently walked up to Nagoya Racecourse.
“A local racecourse, huh…” She put her hands on her hips, looked up at the information board by the field, which listed the races scheduled for today.
“The main event is an OP race limited to debut year… Truly a local track,” the gray Uma Musume squinted her eyes and complained.
“Having an OP race for debut year at this time?
In Central, there are barely any horse girls debuting right now.”
“Let’s go in and take a look.” This thought kept echoing in her mind.
Standing at the entrance of Nagoya Racecourse, the gray Uma Musume hesitated for a moment, then stamped her foot forcefully.
“I, Tamamo Cross, am a Central horse girl after all.
What am I afraid of!”
So she puffed out her chest and prepared to step into Nagoya Racecourse.
“Miss!
You need to buy a ticket!” Just as Tamamo Cross was about to enter the racecourse, the staff at the ticket booth nearby quickly called out to stop her.
“Huh?!” Tamamo Cross’s face flushed red.
She turned around and hurriedly ran over.
===
In the afternoon, after having a simple lunch outside, Yugi led the two Uma Musume back to Nagoya Racecourse.
“It’s 1 PM now.
Oguri Cap, you can head to the waiting room,” he glanced at the clock and turned to the gray Uma Musume behind him.
“Okay, I’m off then!” Oguri Cap nodded and chose to temporarily part ways with her teammate and trainer.
“Go for it, Oguri!” Berno Light waved from the side, cheering her friend on.
Oguri Cap didn’t look back.
She just raised her hand and waved, casually responding, “I will.”
“Absolutely no problem,” Yugi clenched his fist.
“This race has no match for Oguri Cap.
I’ve thought so since I saw the entry list.”
…Up in the stands, Tamamo Cross was already dozing off.
“Should I say it’s expected of a local track?
The level is really average.
Even though I’ve only just escaped the maiden race in Central, I feel like if I were to race here, I could probably beat second place by two lengths over 1400 meters.” She squinted her eyes, dozing off, complaining inwardly about the level of competition in Nagoya.
If not for her curiosity about today’s eleventh race, the main event Wakakoma Sho — and not wanting to waste her ticket money — Tamamo Cross would have already gotten up to leave.
“Just over two more hours, and I’ll see the race I want to watch,” Tamamo Cross told herself.
Before the eighth race of the day at Nagoya Racecourse, the on-site commentator loudly introduced the Uma Musume participating in today’s main event.
The introductions of the first ten or so Uma Musume were all very boring to Tamamo Cross.
Until the on-site commentator mentioned the last one.
“Gate 12, the only Uma Musume from Kasamatsu in this Wakakoma Sho!” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Kasamatsu?” Tamamo Cross perked up instantly.
“That place seems to be like my hometown, the countryside of the countryside.”
“I never thought a Uma Musume from a small rural place would come to challenge in Nagoya.
That’s really bold.” Her curiosity surged.
“Oguri Cap!
In her debut race at Kasamatsu Racecourse, she clocked a time typical of a heavy track despite the track being rated good.
She hasn’t raced since then, resting until now, and directly chose to come here to challenge Nagoya Racecourse’s OP race.
This kind of route is unprecedented.
It makes one wonder why Oguri Cap’s trainer made such a bold arrangement.”
“It is indeed bold,” Tamamo Cross agreed with the on-site commentator’s view.
Although there is an almost insurmountable gap between Central and local tracks, the level between different local tracks also varies greatly.
In the Tokai region, there are only two racecourses: Nagoya and Kasamatsu, each serving as a base for two local Tracen Academies.
Without a doubt, the racecourse in Nagoya, the largest city in the Tokai region, is the one with the higher level in the area.
Looking at past records, when Kasamatsu Uma Musume come to Nagoya to challenge races, regardless of the grade, their win rate is very low.
In the eyes of the audience and experts, Oguri Cap’s challenge this time is an even more baseless and reckless act — aside from Oguri Cap, all the other local Nagoya Uma Musume have raced more than twice, giving them much richer race experience.
For debut-year Uma Musume, understanding and learning about races is a required course.
And the best way to study this course is to participate in more races.
There’s also a superstitious angle — Oguri Cap is the only gray Uma Musume on the entry list.
Don’t forget the superstition, unique to Japan, that “gray horses can’t run fast.”
So, even though Oguri Cap’s finishing time in her Kasamatsu debut was impressive, experts and audiences still don’t have high hopes for her prospects in this race.
Initially, Tamamo Cross thought the same, but when she glanced at the information board, she noticed that next to Oguri Cap’s name, it was marked that she was a gray Uma Musume.
“She’s a gray, just like me!” She instantly became energized.
“Everyone says grays can’t run fast, but I don’t believe it.
Yet, I haven’t even broken through to 1-win class in Central yet, so I really don’t have the confidence to refute it.” Tamamo Cross stood up from her seat.
“So, gray Uma Musume from the local track, can you break through the prejudice here?”
Oguri Cap didn’t know Tamamo Cross’s thoughts.
Right now, her mind was filled with only one thought: to win the Wakakoma Sho before her.
“Only by winning this race can Trainer and I go to Hokkaido and continue climbing to a higher stage,” Oguri Cap sat alone in a corner of the waiting room, talking to herself.
She scanned the opponents in the waiting room.
They were all Uma Musume from Nagoya Tracen Academy, who usually train and study together at the academy, so naturally, they were all familiar with each other.
“Not much different from everyone in Kasamatsu,” Oguri Cap, observing coldly from the sidelines, made her assessment.
“Before the race, they’re all chatting and laughing happily.
An atmosphere I can’t blend into surrounds them.”
Just like in Kasamatsu.
She closed her eyes and focused her attention.
“Then today’s result will be the same as my debut race in Kasamatsu!”
“I won’t lose to any of you!” Oguri Cap rose from her seat and strode out.
At the same time, the staff reminded the Uma Musume in the waiting room that it was time to check in at the registration desk.
After checking in, the presentation segment began as scheduled.
Having drawn the outermost gate, Oguri Cap obediently walked at the very back of the line.
Gazing at the large screen broadcasting the presentation stage, Tamamo Cross’s eyes quickly settled on Oguri Cap.
“She really is a gray Uma Musume, just like me.” She was quite satisfied.
“Then for this Wakakoma Sho, I’ll be cheering for you!”
…Bearing the expectations of Yugi, Berno Light, and Tamamo Cross, Oguri Cap was the last to step into the starting gate.
She stopped paying attention to how the opponents on her right side were sizing her up, an interloper who had barged into this Wakakoma Sho.
“Give it my best performance, unleash everything I’ve accumulated in training, and I will definitely win!”
“Click!”
Just as Oguri Cap was silently psyching herself up in her heart, the gate abruptly opened.
Oguri Cap froze for an instant, then instinctively shot out of the starting gate.
“Oh no!” Berno Light clutched her head.
“Oguri had a poor start!”
“Tsk.” Tamamo Cross, standing right beside them, shook her head.
“A poor start in a 1400-meter dirt race?
That’s not easy to recover from.”
Yugi heard Tamamo Cross’s remark and retorted, “What other Uma Musume can’t do, Oguri Cap can definitely do!”
Tamamo Cross hadn’t expected her casual grumbling to be called out, feeling a bit embarrassed and getting flustered.
She shot a sidelong glance at Yugi.
“You have that much confidence in her?”
“Of course!” Yugi declared righteously, pounding his chest firmly.
“I am Oguri Cap’s trainer!
Even if everyone else has no faith in her, I believe she can do it!”
“A trainer?” Hearing Yugi’s answer, Tamamo Cross recalled the trainer lady who had always trusted and encouraged her, her expression softening.
“That explains it.”
“But I still don’t think Oguri Cap can do it.” However, she had no intention of changing her view.
“Don’t doubt.
Believe first.” Yugi wagged a finger at the “arrogant” little gray Uma Musume beside him.
“If Oguri Cap can win—” Tamamo Cross hesitated for a moment, then decided on her wager.
“Then I’ll treat you all to a meal!”
“Forget it, Oguri Cap can eat quite a lot.” Yugi ran Tamamo Cross’s image through his mind, certain she wasn’t a Central Graded Race Uma Musume, so he didn’t intend to take advantage of the information gap to fleece her.
“Let’s change the wager.
If Oguri Cap wins, you tell me your name.
How about that?”
“Is that even a wager?” Tamamo Cross grew secretly wary.
“Just let me treat you!”
“Hmm…” Yugi truly couldn’t imagine meeting such a generous soul so eager to empty her wallet, so he reluctantly nodded, then proposed his own side of the bet.
“If I lose, then I’ll—”
“Then you tell me which place in Nagoya has the best kishimen!” Tamamo Cross cut him off — this matter was very important to her.
“Fine.” Yugi shrugged.
Although he didn’t know objectively which place had the best kishimen, subjectively, Yugi believed the ones he made were the best.
Meanwhile, Berno Light, while watching Oguri Cap racing on the field, silently “mourned” for the unfamiliar gray Uma Musume in her heart.
“Oguri is definitely going to win.
This one is bound to lose.”
…At the same time, Oguri Cap, who had a poor start, had already caught up to second place just before entering the first turn.
“Thank goodness.
Even though I had a poor start, catching up to the opponents on this straight didn’t require much effort.” She secretly felt relieved.
Following behind the pace-setting Innocent Dino, Oguri Cap entered the first turn on the outer side.
She had to squint here because every step the Innocent Dino ahead took kicked up dust behind her.
To avoid this, Oguri Cap wanted to imitate her debut race at Kasamatsu Racecourse and veer one step to the left toward the outer lane.
First, it would prevent Innocent Dino from instinctively drifting outward when entering the backstretch straight and blocking her position.
Second, it would reduce the impact of the dust kicked up by her opponent.
But on this turn, with just a slight glance to the side, she could see the movements of the opponents behind her.
“Memory Gemini, following right behind me, seems very eager to overtake me now.”
Noticing this, Oguri Cap decided to hold her position a bit longer.
“If I veer outward, the gap I leave will definitely be filled by Memory Gemini immediately.”
If that happened, Oguri Cap would be stuck on the outer lane.
In that case, while others run 1400 meters in this race, she’d have to run 1450 meters.
Compared to running an extra 50 meters, enduring the dust for now was the easier choice.
“Speaking of which, before this Wakakoma Sho, it seems the trainer didn’t give Oguri any advice.” Berno Light turned her head to look at Yugi.
Yugi nodded, glancing at Tamamo Cross who was shamelessly eavesdropping on his conversation with Berno Light.
“None of the opponents in this race can compare to Fujimasa March.
Oguri Cap has no reason to fail.”
“Aren’t you afraid of distance adaptation failure?” Tamamo Cross couldn’t help but speak up.
“Oguri Cap has only run 800-meter races before, right?”
“Not afraid.” Yugi had seen Oguri Cap’s attributes and answered quite bluntly.
“I have a good sense for judging an Uma Musume’s distance adaptability.”
“Oh?” Tamamo Cross raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Yugi.
“Then what do you think my distance adaptability is like?”
Yugi raised an eyebrow and activated the attribute viewer.
Unlike with Oguri Cap, this Uma Musume’s attributes displayed not only the pitiful “B71-W52-H73” but also her ground and distance adaptability.
“You’re a turf Uma Musume.” Yugi wasn’t surprised by this; the number of turf Uma Musume at Central Tracen Academy was quite high.
“Your best distances are middle and long distance.”
Although his tone was calm, he was quite surprised inside.
“Three A-ranks, just like Oguri Cap.
I wonder what this one’s record is like in Central.
Maybe I can use it as a reference.”
“Huh?!” But what surprised Yugi was that this gray Uma Musume before him didn’t seem to agree with the attribute viewer’s conclusion.
“I’m a turf middle-to-long distance Uma Musume?!” Tamamo Cross pointed at herself, her eyes wide.
“You must be joking!
I ran one turf 2000-meter race and only got seventh place!”
“You weren’t the pace-setter, were you?” Yugi glanced again at the running style adaptability on the attribute viewer for this Uma Musume, his lips twitching.
“Yeah, so what?” Tamamo Cross frowned.
“I use the front-running tactic in races now.”
“Have you considered changing tactics, like coming from behind, and then trying turf again?” Yugi suggested while looking at the “Chaser A” on the gray Uma Musume’s attribute panel.
“A countryside trainer, acting so confidently giving advice to a Central Uma Musume?” Tamamo Cross bit her lip.
Somehow, she felt very convinced by this unfamiliar countryside trainer before her.
“I’ll discuss it with my trainer later.” Tamamo Cross turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with Yugi.
“Suit yourself.
In any case, my advice is very useful.” Yugi, who had already turned his gaze back to Oguri Cap on the field, waved a hand.
If she didn’t accept his advice, he had nothing to lose.
After reaching the backstretch straight, Oguri Cap furrowed her brow, discovering a problem.