Of course, what reassured Yugi the most was the new boost he received on the Basic Attributes Viewer.
After the riding training, Oguri Cap’s intimacy had increased by 1 point.
“Only 1 point…
I probably won’t be able to tell the difference.” Yugi muttered as he glanced at the clock.
“It’s time to get ready for work.
Today is the first day of the new semester, so I need to finalize the team registration for Oguri Cap and Berno Light.”
As for Fujimasa March, who was the focus of his colleagues’ attention, he had no interest in her now.
“In Kasamatsu, I only need to focus on the Uma Musume I am responsible for.”
With that thought, Yugi got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Because he had to prepare the team registration, Yugi arrived at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy earlier than usual today.
After entering the office, he scanned the room, which was empty save for himself, and quietly sat down at his desk, beginning to research how to process Oguri Cap and Berno Light’s team registration.
“It’s funny.
Though I’ve had experience training Uma Musume, it wasn’t until yesterday that I truly had a Uma Musume under my direct responsibility for the first time.” Yugi mused to himself while glancing at the application forms of senior trainers.
“I can’t disappoint Oguri Cap and Berno Light, who trust me.”
Thinking of this, he felt an even heavier burden on his shoulders.
After Yugi had written the application, filled out the forms, and printed them, he prepared to take the documents to the relevant department of the academy to complete the procedures.
Stepping out of the door, Yugi unexpectedly found Kitahara-san standing by the entrance, as if waiting for someone.
“It couldn’t be me, could it?” This thought popped into his head, so he proactively greeted his good friend.
“Kitahara-san, good morning!”
“Yugi-san!” Kitahara-san heard Yugi’s greeting, came to his senses, and with lightning speed, hugged Yugi’s left arm.
“What’s wrong?” Yugi pulled his left arm out of his friend’s embrace.
“I’m not interested in men.
Don’t get so close to me.”
“I heard Yugi-san recruited a Uma Musume he wants to train?” Kitahara-san took a step back, scratching his head as he asked.
“So I wanted to ask about the situation.”
“Yesterday, when Yugi-san, Shibasaki, and I were watching the race, he seemed distracted.
I thought Yugi-san was worried about not finding a suitable Uma Musume, but after asking around the academy’s Uma Musume, I learned that Yugi-san actually recruited one yesterday.”
“What’s her name?
To be chosen by Yugi-san, her talent must be quite good, right?”
Watching his friend ramble on, Yugi sighed helplessly and showed him the documents he held in his hand.
“Kitahara-san, please let me finish the procedures first.
We can talk properly after the academy’s new students start their mock battles today.”
“Alright.” Kitahara-san shrugged, making way for Yugi.
“Then it’s a deal.
You’ll accompany me to observe this year’s new students, and tell me why you’re so optimistic about that Uma Musume.”
“It’s a deal.” Yugi wiggled his pinky finger and started walking.
Looking at his friend’s retreating back, Kitahara-san secretly rejoiced.
“Luckily, Yugi-san didn’t try to get a head start with Fujimasa March.
Otherwise we wouldn’t have had a chance at all.”
After verifying the situation with Oguri Cap and Berno Light, Yugi’s procedures were successfully completed.
“Phew—” He let out a long breath.
“Next, after the morning’s mock race ends, I’ll be guiding their training.”
Thinking of this, Yugi was still a bit nervous.
“It’s been over half a year since I participated in Uma Musume training.
I hope I don’t seem too rusty later.”
With that thought, he quickened his pace, preparing to return to the office to draft his plans for the morning training.
Every Uma Musume needs different training content at different stages.
Sitting at his desk, Yugi anticipated the likely situations Oguri Cap and Berno Light would encounter in the morning’s mock race.
He pre-wrote some tips on “what to do in what situation.”
However, these were not for Oguri Cap and Berno Light to memorize rigidly.
“Situations in a race change in an instant.
Rigidly dealing with various situations won’t work.” He muttered as he bound these tips into a booklet.
“But as simple popular science, it’s fine.”
Through Oguri Cap’s performance yesterday, Yugi clearly realized that this Uma Musume he had taken a liking to had a very superficial understanding of “racing,” perhaps even close to zero.
“I must cultivate her competitive spirit in races.” This was a major task he set for himself.
Originally, Yugi had considered letting Oguri Cap compete with Berno Light, but after looking at the attribute difference between the two, he feared that Berno Light would be so suppressed by Oguri Cap that she would lose the courage to continue being an Uma Musume.
So he decided to handle it himself.
“Yugi-san!” Just as Yugi was deep in thought, Kitahara-san arrived outside the office door, calling his name.
“The mock race is about to start!
Let’s go to the training ground to watch!”
Yugi snapped back to reality and quickly stood up, responding, “Okay, Kitahara-san, let’s go.”
And just as the two trainers arrived at the training ground and found a good spot to sit down, Kitahara-san was about to ask Yugi about Oguri Cap’s situation, but Yugi stood up again.
“What’s wrong?” Kitahara-san looked confused.
“Stop!
Don’t start the race yet!” Yugi shouted loudly to his colleague responsible for opening the gates.
“What’s going on?” Both the trainers on the sidelines and the Uma Musume on the track were full of questions.
===
In this atmosphere, only Miss Mini, inside the gate to Oguri Cap’s left, felt her heart pounding.
“I wasn’t seen, was I?” Her eyes darted around, completely avoiding Yugi’s direction.
Oguri Cap, however, furrowed her brow, wondering, “Why does the trainer feel more agreeable than yesterday?”
“Yugi-san, is there something wrong?” The colleague in charge of opening the gates also frowned.
“If you stop the mock race for no reason, I will report Yugi-san’s actions to the academy for disciplinary action.”
“There is indeed a problem,” Yugi smiled apologetically, then turned to look at the gray-haired Uma Musume he was responsible for, pointing to the ground.
“Oguri Cap, check your shoelace.”
“Huh?” Hearing the trainer call her name, Oguri Cap lowered her head in the direction he pointed.
“The shoelace…
it’s untied.” She widened her eyes, muttering softly, “I remember checking it before entering the gate.”
Yugi saw that the Uma Musume he was responsible for had re-tied her shoelace, nodded slightly, and then glanced at Miss Mini.
He let out a soft “hmph,” said no more, and turned to leave.
“I was seen after all!” Miss Mini trembled.
“My action of untying this ‘mud rabbit’s’ shoelace was discovered!”
She stared intently at Yugi’s retreating back, praying he wouldn’t report what she had just done to the staff in charge of managing the mock race.
Yugi had no such intention anyway.
Because he only suspected that Oguri Cap’s shoelace had been untied by Miss Mini, and had no actual evidence.
“Oguri Cap checked her preparations before entering the gate, but after entering the gate, her left shoelace suddenly came loose.
No matter how you think about it, Miss Mini, who was to her left, is the most suspicious.”
“I don’t know why she has such ill will towards Oguri Cap.
Afterwards, I’ll remind Berno Light to help Oguri Cap pay more attention.”
Mulling over these thoughts, he returned to his seat on the bench by the training ground.
“Well, Yugi-san, your eyesight is really good.
You can see a loose shoelace from this far away?” Kitahara-san couldn’t help but speak.
“Also, that gray-haired Uma Musume is the one you recruited, right?”
“Yes, that’s her.
Her name is Oguri Cap.” Yugi adjusted his collar and casually replied, “As for my eyesight, I inherited it from my mother.”
“Inherited, huh?” Kitahara-san shook his head with a smile.
“This mock race is about to begin.
I have to see what kind of level the Uma Musume chosen by Yugi-san is at.”
“Just wait and see.” Yugi smiled confidently.
“Oguri Cap will surprise everyone.”
Kasamatsu Tracen Academy’s mock races are fixed at 800 meters on dirt.
All Uma Musume who don’t yet have a trainer will give their best performance in the mock race, striving to be noticed by trainers and thus gain the qualification to participate in local series races.
Among the Uma Musume participating in this mock race, Oguri Cap was the only one who already had a trainer.
However, her mindset did not relax because of this special circumstance.
“This is a race, and I need to be serious.
I can’t let down my mother’s care for me.” Thinking of this, Oguri Cap focused her attention.
Meanwhile, Yugi on the sidelines frowned.
“It looks like Oguri Cap’s race attitude is quite good, much stronger than those Uma Musume who mess around in local series races,” Kitahara-san said to himself, slumping back in his chair.
With a “click,” the starting gates opened simultaneously, and all the participating Uma Musume rushed out, except for Oguri Cap, who stood rooted to the spot.
“What’s going on?!” Kitahara-san’s eyes widened, then he quickly turned to look at Yugi.
The young man’s face showed an “as expected” expression.
“This late start is too fatal, isn’t it?” Kitahara-san whispered to his colleague.
“Yugi-san, you really need to have Oguri Cap practice her gate starts in the future.”
“I appreciate Kitahara-san’s good intentions,” Yugi waved his hand and replied, “but her late start problem has nothing to do with her gate start ability.”
And while the two of them were talking, Oguri Cap also started moving, beginning her race about a second behind her opponents.
“Moreover,” as Oguri Cap’s speed picked up, Yugi’s tone also became firm and powerful, “Kitahara-san, just watch.
You’ll soon understand why I chose Oguri Cap.”
“Really?” Kitahara-san mumbled, shifting his gaze to the track.
Under normal circumstances, Oguri Cap, who started a second late, should have been about six lengths behind her opponents who got a smooth start.
But today’s race was, after all, a Kasamatsu simulation race, and the opponents’ skill level could only be described as tragic.
“Run at the rhythm you want!
This race doesn’t require any tactical strategy, just swing your legs with your heart!” As Oguri Cap passed the bench, Yugi loudly gave her instructions.
“Swing my legs with my heart?” Oguri Cap caught the last phrase.
“So, I can run however I want?”
She pursed her lips, lowered her center of gravity, and then tried even harder to stride, making herself go faster.
“Since I can run however I want, I need to make up for the lost ground from the start as quickly as possible!”
With this thought, Oguri Cap swiftly caught up to one opponent after another before even entering the turn, moving from last place to third.
“Well done!” Kitahara-san excitedly sprang from his seat.
He turned his head and stared at Yugi.
“Such strong explosive power!
And this flexibility!
No wonder Yugi-san recruited her!”
Kitahara-san sat back down, shaking his head.
“I didn’t expect that this year, besides Fujimasa March, our Kasamatsu new Uma Musume recruits would also have a hidden gem like Oguri Cap.”
“I guess I was lucky,” Yugi looked at Oguri Cap’s figure on the track, a slight curve on his lips, and continued, “I noticed Oguri Cap’s running, so I went to try and recruit her yesterday at noon.
Although there are still many areas that need polishing, the raw talent of this unpolished gem is already fully evident.”
“That’s great…” Kitahara-san was quite envious.
“I still have to figure out how to persuade Fujimasa March.”
“If you really want to recruit her,” Yugi offered a suggestion to his friend, “how about tailoring a training plan specifically for her?
That would surely demonstrate sincerity more than mere verbal assurances.”
“That’s a good idea indeed.”
Just as Kitahara-san was secretly pondering how to write a training plan for Fujimasa March, Oguri Cap, with the momentum of her recent acceleration, surged past the two Uma Musume ahead of her, taking the lead alone.
And at this moment, Yugi became even more focused.
He widened his eyes, trying his best to clearly see Oguri Cap’s performance after taking the lead, and made a judgment in his heart.
“Even after taking the lead, Oguri Cap doesn’t show any signs of relaxing,” Yugi nodded in satisfaction after noticing this.
At the same time, Oguri Cap’s figure was the first to cross the finish line.
“Oguri Cap is so strong…” Berno Light, who was preparing for the next simulation race on the sidelines, couldn’t close her mouth.
“She started a second late and still pulled away from second place by over four lengths at the end… This was an 800-meter race!”
Yugi scanned the surroundings.
Many of his colleagues, who didn’t yet know that Oguri Cap already had a trainer, were all starting to move, wanting to persuade Oguri Cap to join their teams.
He slowly got up, leisurely falling to the very back of the group.
Although the trainers of Kasamatsu Tracen Academy were generally of average skill, the talent Oguri Cap displayed in that 800-meter simulation race was as dazzling as a bright moon in the night.
So, apart from Kitahara-san, who knew the actual situation, all the other trainers swarmed forward.
Even though everyone had just seen the interaction between Yugi and Oguri Cap, Oguri Cap’s talent was simply too enticing.
Everyone still wanted to try their luck at poaching her from Yugi.
The trainers offered all sorts of conditions and made extravagant promises.
“Come to our team, and you’ll be the core of the team!
I’ll design a training plan specifically for you!”
“If you choose me, we can work together to challenge Kasamatsu’s major races!
Even Nagoya’s major races are possible!”
“Our team has the most Uma Musume in the academy!
Here you can get a lot of sparring partners, and you don’t have to worry about other Uma Musume in the academy bullying you!”
And Oguri Cap, surrounded in the middle, looked around, a little flustered.
At this moment, one trainer gritted his teeth and said loudly, “If you, Oguri Cap, join my team, we’ll aim for the Tokai Derby!”
“Tokai Derby?” Oguri Cap tilted her head in confusion.
“The Tokai Derby is a stage where the strongest Uma Musume of the same generation in the Tokai region, including Kasamatsu and Nagoya, compete against each other…” Berno Light leaned in and whispered to Oguri Cap, explaining.
The trainer who proposed aiming for the “Tokai Derby” scanned his competitors around him and challenged, “Who among you is confident that she can win the Tokai Derby?”
The surrounding trainers all fell silent.
The Tokai Derby, for the Uma Musume of the Tokai region, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Who could guarantee that Oguri Cap could win the Tokai Derby with Fujimasa March also in contention?
Just as this trainer was about to continue persuading Oguri Cap, a helpless voice came from behind him.
“Uh… I’m very sorry, but our goal is not the Tokai Derby.”
Yugi pushed through the crowd and came to the very center, placing his right hand on Oguri Cap’s shoulder.
He turned his head and looked at his colleague, who had just promised Oguri Cap the “Tokai Derby” as a goal, with a smiling face.
“First of all, Oguri Cap and Berno Light are both Uma Musume under my care.
Their team registration procedures were already completed this morning before the simulation race even started.”
His first sentence made the faces of his colleagues around him turn considerably grim.
“Secondly, is the Tokai Derby even a goal?” Yugi grinned.
“While it is indeed the highest-level race in our Tokai region, Oguri Cap and I will not set the Tokai Derby as our goal.”
He hammered his chest with his left hand, while simultaneously pointing his right hand at Oguri Cap’s legs.
“Our goal is to defeat Central with my ability and Oguri Cap’s legs!”
After he declared this, the atmosphere around them became less serious than it had been just moments before.
“Yugi-san really loves to joke.” Even the trainer who had just proposed the “Tokai Derby” as a goal laughed.
“What exactly counts as ‘defeating Central’?
Is it winning in the Central-Local Exchange Race?”
“That’s impossible,” another trainer chimed in, waving his hand.
“The Central-Local Exchange Race has been held for many years, but Central’s Uma Musume have won every time.
Their talent is far superior to that of local Uma Musume, especially since this is Kasamatsu.
Our strength is considered bottom-tier even among local areas.”
“Heh,” Yugi shrugged.
“The ‘defeating Central’ I’m talking about isn’t the kind of ‘defeating’ that means winning in the Central-Local Exchange Race.”
“I will lead Oguri Cap to win Central’s major races!”
The young man clenched his fist.
His gaze swept over the trainers standing around as he declared to them.