For an Uma Musume, training is an absolute necessity.
Many horse girls have bad natural habits, such as messy strides, a lack of mental focus, or an inability to properly gauge their stamina distribution.
But training can effectively transform these weaknesses into personal strengths.
That is why every horse girl looks utterly exhausted after a race.
Why is it that Uma Musume, who are physically far superior to normal humans, collapse from exhaustion after running just a few kilometers?
It is because they burn through every single ounce of their power within that short distance.
In fact, if a horse girl isn’t completely burned out after a race, it usually means one of two things: either she is so overwhelmingly powerful that her opponents couldn’t make her feel any sense of crisis, or she is simply an unqualified racer.
Precisely because they have to burn through all their stamina in such a short amount of time, training and stamina distribution are incredibly necessary.
If they burn out too early, they will stall out before the finish line.
If they save too much stamina, their final sprint won’t be fast enough, likely resulting in defeat.
Moreover, racing isn’t just about stamina distribution.
Positioning, finding the right path, exiting the starting gate, running on the inside or outside lanes, track conditions, and even whether the track runs clockwise or counterclockwise—all of these factors massively affect an Uma Musume’s performance.
Some horse girls excel at the clockwise Nakayama track, while others are better at counterclockwise tracks.
Running left or right, excelling at uphill climbs or struggling with tight turns—these tiny movements and slight advantages are all the crystallization of countless drops of sweat and endless training.
Even a horse girl like Orfevre, who seemed to care very little about racing on the surface, would still do independent training with Deep Impact during their free time.
Perhaps it was their own pride, or the hopes they placed in another person, that ultimately made them step forward and choose this path.
“Get ready to start, Orfe.”
(Damn it.)
Watching the narrow starting gate instantly fly open, Orfevre dashed out half a beat too late.
Deep Impact immediately clicked the stopwatch.
“Another late start.
On average, you have a late start four out of every ten times, and you haven’t been above average a single time.
At this rate, you’ll be significantly behind right out of the gate.
Probably about three horse lengths.”
“I know!
Again!”
(Damn it.)
Pinning her ears back and gritting her teeth, Orfevre returned to the starting gate.
With countless crimson flashes flickering deep in her eyes, she glared furiously at the closed gates in front of her.
But it was as if her anger was actively interfering with her judgment.
When the gates slammed open again, her thoughts froze for a brief moment, and her body slowly followed suit.
She didn’t even need Deep Impact to tell her.
She knew she had started late again.
“Major late start.
About four horse lengths this time.”
“…Again!”
“It’s already time to rest.
“Tch.”
(Damn it…
why…)
Looking at the time Deep Impact showed her, the sweat drenched Orfevre, radiating heat, pinned her ears back, gritted her teeth, and furiously kicked the dirt.
She didn’t even want to talk to Deep Impact right now.
With a face full of anger, she rushed into the ruined cabin, turned on the hot water, and quickly began washing the sweat and exhaustion off her body.
(Too weak.)
(Why am I so weak?)
(Why can’t I even protect the person I want to protect?)
Bathing under the hot water, Orfevre lowered her eyes and stared at her reflection in the wet tiles.
Her pale, adorable cheeks were twisted with symbols of gloom and fury.
Even her cute, light purple eyes were tainted with a terrifying streak of blood-red.
She didn’t know why things had turned out like this.
Standing in the shower, the horse girl could only feel her heart aching uncontrollably.
(What did Ojisan do wrong?
What did I do wrong?
Is it a crime to just want to chat and be together?
Is it a crime to just look forward to the future?)
(Just because I’m young and powerless right now, do I have to listen to that Emperor?
Does he have to become a slave to her plans?
Do we have to obey Mr.
C.B.’s whims?)
(If that’s how it is…
the day I finally gain power, I will definitely get my revenge.)
(I will absolutely, undoubtedly, definitely get my revenge.)
Turning off the hot water, Orfevre bit her lip and stepped out of the shower.
She carefully dried herself with a towel, changed into clean clothes, and slowly walked out to meet the deeply concerned gaze of Deep Impact.
“Orfe?
Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.
I just wasn’t feeling well.”
Looking at her worried friend, Orfevre sat exhaustedly on the stool outside the scrap yard shed and stared down the path leading through the woods.
“I believe in Ojisan.
Even though he looks a bit unreliable on the surface, he actually has a lot of good ideas.
He’ll definitely find a way to escape from the clutches of those two hateful women.
I believe in him.”
Even though I haven’t known him for long, I can tell Kato-san is a good person and someone we can trust.
Besides, there’s no right or wrong in a situation like this.”
“…In the end, it’s just because we are too weak right now.”
That woman.
Those two women.
They are both Ojisan’s enemies.
Staring at the path covered in fallen leaves, Orfevre clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, hating herself deeply for being just a powerless, un-debuted horse girl.
If she were a Triple Crown Uma Musume, she would be able to protect Ojisan properly.
Even if she were just a graded stakes winner like her older sister, she could march into the principal’s office and slam her hands on the desk.
But she was just an unknown, bottom tier horse girl who hadn’t even debuted yet.
No matter how much she cared for Ojisan, no matter how much she wanted their story to have a happy ending, the truth was that the beginning and end of this story were entirely out of their hands.
When Mr.
C.B.
approached them, she wasn’t threatening them; she was offering a so called “trade.”
She wanted to use Ojisan to help her, because Ojisan had accidentally gotten tangled up in the Emperor Symboli Rudolf’s grand plan.
That arrogant Emperor needed an example right now—an example to prove that even with a reduced staff, Tracen Academy’s Trainer system could succeed.
And Ojisan was the perfect candidate.
Because Ojisan desperately wanted to become a Trainer, he fit the role perfectly.
And because he cared about their safety, he had stepped forward that day and agreed to become Symboli Rudolf’s pawn.
He did it all to protect Orfevre and Deep Impact, who hadn’t even debuted yet.
Orfevre felt her mind and emotions burning fiercely.
“You haven’t reached your blooming period yet.
Even if you somehow awakened a Domain right now, it wouldn’t be much use, you know?
Neither of us has the power to do anything right now.”
“…I’m so pissed off.”
“Being mad won’t change anything.
Kato-san swallowed his pride and accepted it just for us.”
“That’s exactly why I’m pissed off.”
Staring at the makeshift track covered in leaves and sawdust, Orfevre slowly stood up.
“Let’s continue training.
It’s my turn to time you now.
Only by constantly training and getting real results will we ever have the right to speak.”
Watching Deep Impact step into the starting gate, Orfevre pressed down on the stopwatch, engraving a fateful vow deep into her own heart.
(The title of Emperor, the title of Freedom—I will steal both of them!)
(Just wait, Ojisan…
I will act like a good girl for now, and then I’ll give them a massive ‘surprise.’ For every ounce of suffering they put you through, I will make them pay it back a hundred times over!)
“Start!”
The gates flew open, and the black shadow shot out like an arrow released from a bow, carrying the ambition and blazing fury of two young horse girls into the distance.