When Yugi arrived at the classroom door of Oguri Cap with anticipation, he was not surprised to find the class’s trainer speaking from the podium.
“She’s giving a basic introduction to common knowledge,” he mused after reading her lips.
“Then I’ll just wait here until it’s over.”
Yugi stood opposite the door, leaning against the wall, and lost himself in thought.
“Most of the series races in most places are on dirt, with only Morioka arranging turf races.
First, let’s assume Oguri Cap has good dirt adaptability.
If her dirt adaptability isn’t good enough, then we’ll find a way to try the turf races in Morioka.”
“So, if Oguri Cap joins my team, how should I plan her races?” Yugi pondered.
“First, I need to go to the hospital to check her Identification situation, then go to Nagoya to challenge a capability test to see her current level.”
“No, I can’t go to Nagoya.” He immediately rejected his own idea.
“If Oguri Cap’s talent is really as excellent as the stats I saw, the local trainers in Nagoya will definitely try to poach her, and I might not be able to keep her.”
For Yugi, Oguri Cap was his first real attempt to leave Kasamatsu and reach Central.
He didn’t want his efforts to fail before they even began.
After the trainer in the classroom finished her long speech, she pushed the door open and left.
Catching the sound of the opening door, Yugi snapped back to reality.
“Time to go say hello to Oguri Cap.” He shook his head, rubbed his cheeks, and tidied his sideburns before stepping forward, ready to enter the classroom.
The moment Yugi walked in, he immediately saw Oguri Cap, who seemed to have just woken from a dream.
“She fell asleep in class?
That senior’s speech was really quite hypnotic.” He chuckled inwardly.
Since he had found his target, Yugi didn’t hesitate and walked straight over.
For the Uma Musume in the classroom, a trainer was not a rare sight.
After enrollment, as long as they had the qualifications to stand on the racetrack, they would definitely welcome their own trainer.
But Yugi still attracted their attention.
“So handsome…” Norn Ace sighed in her heart.
“If all the trainers in Kasamatsu were this good, it would be great.”
And Berno Light, sitting next to Oguri Cap, watched this young, handsome trainer walk toward her step by step.
Her heart pounded.
“Could it be that he has taken a liking to me and wants to invite me to join his team?
But how does the trainer see our talent as Uma Musume?”
But things didn’t go as she wished.
Yugi didn’t stop in front of Berno Light.
He halted when he reached Oguri Cap’s desk.
“Oguri Cap, right?” he said.
“Good afternoon.”
“?” Oguri Cap looked up, scrutinizing the young man in front of her with confusion.
“My name is Yamoto Yugi, and I am currently working at this Tracen Academy as a—”
Before Yugi could finish his self-introduction, Oguri Cap’s stomach rumbled loudly.
“Grumble—”
“I’m going to the cafeteria,” Oguri Cap interrupted, then stood up, wanting to leave.
Yugi didn’t want his attempt to fail.
“I can’t let Oguri Cap just walk away like this!” His brain worked at full speed as he thought of how to call out to the gray-haired Uma Musume he had set his sights on.
“What if another trainer invites her to their team on the way?
That would be bad!”
Yugi had been in Kasamatsu for half a year, and he had finally seen hope of entering Central.
“As long as I can get Oguri Cap into my team as soon as possible, I won’t feel bad no matter what the cost!”
So he turned around, stared at Oguri Cap’s back, and said loudly, “If you’re willing to listen to me, Oguri Cap, how about I treat you to lunch?”
“Hmm?” Hearing the offer, Oguri Cap stopped.
She turned her head silently and blinked.
Although Oguri Cap didn’t speak, Yugi could read “Is that true?” in her eyes.
“I’m a trainer who works here, so I wouldn’t lie,” he said, patting his chest.
“Don’t worry, Oguri Cap.
I’ll treat you to lunch at a family restaurant outside of school.”
“The school cafeteria is fine,” Oguri Cap spoke for the first time in front of Yugi.
“Going out is too much trouble.”
“Miss Oguri Cap is a new student, so you probably don’t know,” he raised an eyebrow.
“The cafeteria at Tracen Academy is free, and here in Kasamatsu, it’s buffet style.”
“So if I’m treating, it definitely can’t be on campus,” Yugi explained.
“Then let’s talk about it at the cafeteria,” Oguri Cap’s eyes lit up after hearing about the buffet, and she quickly started walking.
Yugi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed her.
When Yugi walked into the cafeteria, Oguri Cap had already piled up a plate of fried potato cakes as tall as half a person and a large bowl of rice.
She had chosen a table and was ready to start eating.
“Oh my god!” His pupils constricted.
“That appetite…
she eats as much as five Uma Musume, doesn’t she?”
Yugi didn’t go directly to talk to Oguri Cap.
Instead, he checked his wallet.
“Let me see if I brought my Visa card.
If not, I’ll have to go back and get it later.
Otherwise, I might only be able to pay by face tonight.”
After confirming that his Visa card was safely in his wallet, he let out a long breath, then got his food and sat down next to Oguri Cap.
Oguri Cap glanced at the young man beside her, then continued to focus on her meal.
Watching the Uma Musume devour the potato cakes like a whirlwind, Yugi’s mouth twitched.
“It’s okay to eat slower.
Although Kasamatsu is a rural area, there has never been a problem with the supply of ingredients here.”
“I’m already eating very slowly,” Oguri Cap mumbled in response while chewing.
“What do you want with me?”
“I just introduced myself, didn’t I?” Yugi showed a helpless smile.
“I am a trainer at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, and this time—”
“What’s a Trainer?” Oguri Cap stopped picking up a potato cake and tilted her head in confusion.
Berno Light, sitting not far away, saw Oguri Cap ask such a common-sense question and quickly interjected, “A trainer is someone who supervises and guides us Uma Musume, you know!
We must have a trainer to participate in races!”
“Nice!” With Berno Light’s explanation, Yugi was spared from having to explain again.
He couldn’t help but cast a grateful look at Berno Light.
“I see,” Oguri Cap suddenly understood.
“So you want to be my trainer?”
“That’s right,” Yugi hadn’t expected Oguri Cap to be so straightforward, but he immediately gave an affirmative response.
“I think you will become a very good Uma Musume, so I hope you can join my team.”
Upon receiving this invitation, Oguri Cap nodded without even thinking.
“Since—”
“Oguri Cap, don’t agree rashly!” Berno Light interjected again.
“Although he’s very handsome… looks alone aren’t enough.
As Uma Musume, we must find a trainer who can supervise us well and bring out our strengths.
How about we visit a few more teams this afternoon to see what their trainers are like and compare them.”
Berno Light had a reason for making such a suggestion.
On one hand, as a fellow Uma Musume who had come a long way, she had unilaterally considered Oguri Cap her good friend and didn’t want her to fall into a trap.
On the other hand, she vaguely felt that the young trainer sitting next to Oguri Cap seemed to have an unspeakable motive.
“Since this young lady seems to distrust me so much, I’ll introduce myself again,” Yugi glanced at Berno Light, then looked back at Oguri Cap.
“My name is Yamoto Yugi, and I majored in Trainer studies at West Coast Tracen Academy in the United States.
After graduation, I stayed in the academy’s team as an intern trainer.
Later, due to disagreements in training techniques, I resigned from the academy and chose to come to Japan.
However, because I am relatively young, the URA Association has not yet issued me an appointment letter for Central Tracen Academy.
With the help of the Student Council President of Central, that ‘Emperor,’ I came to Kasamatsu to look for an Uma Musume who could prove my abilities.”
He said this while staring intently at Oguri Cap.
The fervor in his eyes was impossible to hide.
“I am convinced that you are the Uma Musume worthy of my training, and only I can fully unleash your talent.”
“My… talent?” Oguri Cap’s eyes, to Yugi’s surprise, dimmed.
“What talent do I have?
My knees were very fragile when I was little.”
“Childhood is childhood, of course.
Now that you can enroll, Oguri Cap, it already proves that past injuries are not worth mentioning,” Yugi clenched his fist.
“Trust me.
I will make you the star Uma Musume of the Tokai region!”
Meanwhile, Berno Light had been stunned halfway through Yugi’s self-introduction.
“Is that true?
The trainer of an American Classic Race-winning Uma Musume, appearing in Kasamatsu?”
Oguri Cap’s emotions had already been stirred.
“Can I really do it?”
“Of course.
I swear on my honor.” The young man raised his right hand.
“I will definitely make Oguri Cap the most brilliant Uma Musume in the regional series!”
“Then I’ll join.” Oguri Cap no longer hesitated.
“Please take care of me, Trainer.”
“From now on, just call me ‘Yugi-san’,” Yugi said, successfully persuading Oguri Cap.
He was in a great mood.
“Then, Yugi-san will keep his promise and take me to a restaurant outside school for dinner tonight, right?” Oguri Cap immediately made her request.
Yugi glanced at the potato cakes that Oguri Cap had already devoured and felt a pang in his wallet, but he replied stubbornly, “Of course, no problem.
We’ll meet at the school gate after school!”
“Thank you, Trainer.”
After saying this, Oguri Cap got up and went to the serving window.
“Another bowl!”
The cafeteria auntie silently closed the window.
Yugi offered a silent prayer for the family restaurant he had already reserved to take Oguri Cap to.
===
At 8 PM, after sending Oguri Cap back to the Kasamatsu Tracen Academy dormitory, Yugi returned alone to his rented apartment.
With a “bang!”, he turned on the bedroom light, revealing the same bedroom he had woken up to that morning.
“Anyway, I’m going to sleep soon.
I’ll definitely clean it tomorrow.” Yugi muttered to himself.
After school, he had fulfilled his promise to treat Oguri Cap to dinner, successfully making the owner — whom Yugi was quite familiar with — turn beet red.
Incidentally, Oguri Cap had also “helped” Yugi pull Berno Light, who had doubted him at noon, into the team.
It was just that Berno Light’s stats weren’t very impressive… Yugi even doubted if she could win even a single race in Kasamatsu.
“But since Oguri Cap wants her on the team, I’ll train her well too.” Although Yugi’s wallet took a big hit that night, he wasn’t without gains.
Yugi concentrated and summoned the basic attribute viewer interface in his mind.
Compared to the crude data from this morning, there was a lot more information this time.
“Track adaptability: Turf A, Dirt B.
Distance adaptability: Sprint E, Mile A, Middle Distance A, Long Distance B.
Skills: None yet.
Preferred race strategies are Front Runner and Chaser…”
After understanding Oguri Cap’s attributes, Yugi silently willed the interface to close in his mind.
He sat down at his desk, preparing to start formulating training plans for Oguri Cap and Berno Light based on the information he had gathered.
“The intensity of Kasamatsu’s regional series is indeed not great, but because I belong to Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, I can’t let Oguri Cap debut in Nagoya.
So, Oguri Cap’s debut race is destined to be the Kasamatsu Racecourse Dirt 800 meters.”
An 800-meter dirt race — such a super-short distance race only existed regionally.
For Oguri Cap, whose adaptability to short distances was only E, this was definitely not her forte.
“But fortunately, this is Kasamatsu.
Even if she’s not adapted, she can still crush it with her exceptional talent and ability!” Regarding Oguri Cap’s debut race, Yugi already had a good idea.
When Yugi finished formulating the training plans for the two Uma Musume, he looked up at the clock on the wall.
“Good heavens, it’s almost past 12 o’clock without me realizing it.” He pouted.
“Time to sleep.
Tomorrow is the official start of school.”
As a trainer, Yugi’s work would officially begin tomorrow.
After a simple wash-up, he changed into his pajamas and fell onto the bed, quickly drifting into dreamland.
When Yugi opened his eyes again, he scanned his surroundings and felt his perspective was a bit lower than normal.
“Didn’t I clear all the stages?
Why am I still having dreams like this?” He frowned, very puzzled.
The concept of “lucid dreaming” was proposed in 1913, and Yugi was also familiar with it.
After all, ever since he resigned from the West Coast, he would fall into a state of “lucid dreaming” every night.
Just as Yugi entered a state of self-doubt, someone patted him on the shoulder.
“Don’t space out, rookie.
Today is your first day working as a jockey.
If you even zone out during regular riding training, the trainers won’t let you ride their horses in races.
If you want to get ahead, do well in your regular riding training part-time job.”
Yugi turned his head, and what greeted his eyes was a middle-aged man in a tracksuit whom he didn’t recognize at all.
“Hmm, I know.
Thank you, Ando-senpai.” But Yugi instinctively knew how to address the other person.
“How strange.” After Ando left, he rubbed his head.
After receiving some peculiar memories, his eyes flickered.
“This dream of mine is very different from before.”
Before yesterday, when Yugi fell asleep, he would challenge different races with a partner named Sea the Stars.
Only by winning first place in a race could he challenge the next stage.
The day before he met Oguri Cap, he successfully won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which also ended this series of dream challenges.
But after falling asleep today, he suddenly returned to Japan.
According to the memories he had just received, Yugi had become a rookie jockey.
And according to the feedback in his memories, as long as he completed training or won races consistently every day, he would get some good things that could help him train Uma Musume in the real world.
“It’s also thanks to the knowledge I accumulated over the past six months while challenging those stages, and the riding skills of a colleague named Moore that I gained after clearing them,” Yugi secretly rejoiced.
“Otherwise, it would be a question whether I could even learn to ride before being kicked out by the people here.”
Following the guidance of his memories, Yugi quickly quickened his pace, rushing toward the stable where he was interning.
“I can’t be late on my first day of work.”
The trainer who accepted him for internship in this world was named Sagami Masayuki.
When Yugi arrived at the stable, this middle-aged trainer, already over 50, was directing his assistants to conduct morning checks on the horses he trained.
“They all look very healthy.” Yugi said casually after greeting Sagami Masayuki.
“‘Looking’ healthy isn’t enough.
We’re not horses.
All conclusions must be made after examination.
Although horses, like humans, only have one life, they are much more fragile than us.” Sagami Masayuki glanced at the rookie jockey under his charge and instructed, “You absolutely cannot harbor a lucky mentality like ‘if it looks fine, it should be fine’.”
“I understand.” Yugi shed his lax attitude and nodded seriously.
“Trainer Sagami is right.
His words also have guiding significance in reality.
The physical condition of Oguri Cap and Berno Light must be monitored.
I must do my best to prevent them from getting injured due to training or races.
To achieve this, I will need to frequently ask a doctor to check them… I estimate the Academy won’t reimburse this expense.”
When he came back to his senses, Sagami Masayuki had just finished checking on the horses he was responsible for.
The trainer turned and looked at Yugi.
“Today you are responsible for training five horses, including a new one that just arrived two days ago.”
“Oh?” Yugi became interested.
“Which one is it?”
Sagami Masayuki pointed casually to a gray-haired horse.
“See, it’s the one eating breakfast right now.”
Yugi looked over, and a seemingly docile gray-haired horse was heartily devouring its meal.
Watching it eat with such relish, the scene he had witnessed in the cafeteria yesterday noon involuntarily flashed through his mind.
Yugi asked in a low voice, “What is this horse’s name?”
“Oguri Cap.” Sagami Masayuki replied with a smile.
“This child had leg problems when she was young, so be careful when you ride her.
Don’t make the intensity too high.”
“!” Upon hearing Sagami Masayuki’s answer, Yugi was completely dumbfounded.
He never imagined that he would meet the Oguri Cap of this world in his dream.
“Although I don’t really want to admit it, looking at her appetite, it really feels exactly the same.” Yugi muttered to himself, then went to prepare for today’s riding training.
After waking up, Yugi rubbed his head.
“I was exercising constantly in the dream, but I don’t feel tired after waking up.”