Just like Orfevre, Deep Impact was one of the bottom tier horse girls at Tracen Academy.
To be precise, aside from a few top class prodigies, any horse girl who hadn’t debuted or won any major races was considered bottom tier at Tracen.
Everyone had their own lives to live.
Even if they were local geniuses back in their hometowns, once they stepped onto the grand stage of the Central circuit, many simply blended into the crowd.
Overwhelmed by the intense training and crushing pressure, some even dropped out entirely.
Actually, in terms of their circumstances, she and Orfevre were quite similar.
After all, Orfevre’s older sister was the world famous Dream Journey—an Uma Musume with such a wild temper she could probably kick open the dean’s door and yell at the staff for the way they treated her little sister.
Orfevre herself might deny it, but everyone knew Dream Journey truly cared for her.
Orfevre was the little sister of a G1 champion, and Deep Impact herself was the little sister of Black Tide, a G2 stakes winning Uma Musume.
Their families might not be super close, but they both lived under the glaring spotlight of their sisters’ fame.
As the younger sister of a G2 winner, Deep Impact naturally attracted a lot of attention.
However, just like Orfevre, there was a reason she had been relegated to the bottom tier.
For Orfevre, it was her extreme timidity.
Because she was born late in the season, enrolled very early, and was bullied by her classmates, she developed a cowardly and easily frightened personality.
With that kind of nature, running or training normally was almost impossible.
Every time she went to class, she tried to hide.
Most people simply didn’t believe she could ever compete on the turf.
After all, if she trembled in fear just from another horse girl walking past her, how was she supposed to race against them?
Deep Impact’s personality, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.
But during her physical exams, Tracen Academy’s teachers and trainers severely questioned her physique.
Her body was incredibly petite, but it wasn’t a simple case of being a “late bloomer” or just being short.
Deep Impact was gradually maturing, but her frame simply couldn’t support the strain.
Because she was too thin and tiny, they believed she couldn’t handle fierce competition.
Despite being Black Tide’s little sister, very few people held high expectations for her.
Because of this, she hadn’t lied to Orfevre earlier.
Although their personalities were completely different, their situations were essentially the exact same.
That was why Deep Impact had been secretly keeping an eye on this other girl who was in the same boat.
And through her observations, she realized that Orfevre—who used to be so introverted she could only take private classes—was actually doing much better.
She was still nervous, but she could handle basic social interactions now.
When talking or acting, she didn’t look nearly as anxious as before.
It was as if she had finally found someone she could rely on.
This made Deep Impact incredibly curious, so she followed them to see what was really going on.
But a janitor…?
At Tracen Academy, rumors about trainers and horse girls getting into trouble were common, but a janitor and a horse girl?
That was a rare combination.
She decided to see with her own eyes exactly what was going on between these two!
If Orfevre was just too gullible and had fallen into some weird guy’s trap, Deep Impact had a responsibility to save her.
That’s what a hero would do!
(TL:That’s what Himmel would do)
Feeling like she was catching someone red handed, Deep Impact held up two leafy tree branches as camouflage and secretly peeked at the two figures by the abandoned shed.
They seemed quite close.
Her ears twitched, tense and rigid, determined not to miss even the slightest sound coming from inside.
Soon, clear voices rang out from the scrap yard.
“Alright, today let’s try a starting gate test.
Ultimately, exiting the gate is all about reaction time and instant acceleration.
I happened to find an old prototype starting gate over here in the junk.
Let’s give it a try.”
“A-Ah, okay.”
“Dashing out the moment the gates open sounds easy, but it’s actually quite hard.
You need to explode with focus and jump out at the perfect time.
Even a 0.1 second delay can cost you a neck’s length in a race.
Let’s try it ten times first to see your reaction speed.”
“I-Is that so?
But without other horse girls or distractions getting in the way, doesn’t it feel a bit unrealistic?”
“Since we don’t have a proper track here, this is the best we can do.
Anyway, just try it first.
I’ll hang some empty cans and wind chimes here for distractions, and I’ll bring some other things to mess with your vision later.”
“Okay.
Basically, I just need to dash out as fast as I can without being distracted by anything, right?”
“Yeah.
The gate is made of solid steel, so don’t get too nervous.
If you panic and rush too much, it’s easy to scrape yourself inside.
Observe your surroundings and find a good stance.
Here, give me a hand, let’s lift this together.”
“Yes.
Understood…”
“…”
(Wait, are these two actually being serious?!)
Deep Impact stared from the bushes.
Why did it feel like she was the only one not taking things seriously here?
Watching the two of them walk out of the junkyard carrying an old, narrow starting gate while chatting casually, Deep Impact’s head filled with question marks.
Hold on, isn’t this training method a bit too old school?
Is this really Tracen Academy?
Since when did Tracen produce such intensely serious people?
Most trainers and horse girls aren’t even this hardcore!
Do they not realize how out of place they are?!
Just as she was hiding behind the tree, deeply lost in thought, Akira—who had just carried the heavy gate out with Orfevre—suddenly called out.
“Deep Impact?”
“Ah, yes!”
“If you don’t mind, could you come help us out?”
“Sure, what do you need help with?”
“Since you’re also a racing Uma Musume, it’s perfect.
We don’t have a good high speed camera here, so it’s hard to tell exactly who starts faster.
Could you run alongside Orfe as a reference for her training?”
“Eh…”
Wait a minute, that actually sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it?
Deep Impact thought to herself.
Her own body was weak, and no trainers expected much from her.
Being called just ‘Black Tide’s little sister’ was an objective reality she dealt with every day.
But seeing how Orfevre had transformed from a girl terrified of people into someone training with actual fighting spirit, maybe this fake trainer’s methods weren’t so bad after all.
Giving it a try herself couldn’t hurt, right?
“Yep, I’d love to!”
Completely ignoring the suddenly terrifying, freezing glare coming from Orfevre, Deep Impact excitedly raised her hand.
“…Tch.”
Clicking her tongue in a very un-ladylike manner, a vicious red flash streaked across the bottom of Orfevre’s eyes.
Driven by a sudden, intense burst of territorial competitiveness, she obediently stepped into her side of the starting gate, staring coldly at the bouncing black-haired figure with a look full of raw hostility.
(As expected, Uma Musume are creatures whose true potential can only be awakened through rivalry…)
Akira felt like he had just learned something new and profound.
Watching the two girls step into the gates, clearly showing intense signs of rivalry, Kato Akira nodded firmly and reached out his hand to press the manual release switch.
“Start!”