8: Umamusume: A Trainer Against the Clock!
[8] 8: Umamusume: A Trainer Against the Clock!
[8] “Seriously, that Gold Ship… What gives her the right to wander around Tracen Academy with Kitano?
He’s my Trainer…” While Gold Ship was accompanying Kitano around the academy, Nakayama Festa, who had been pushed aside, had already finished familiarizing herself with her dorm.
She had not brought many personal belongings with her; rather, it was Kitano’s things that needed to be brought over in bulk from his house in Tokyo and from the Gold Family.
After being shoved away by Gold Ship, Nakayama Festa contacted the family and had them bring over part of Kitano’s belongings from the Gold Family first.
Before long, she met her younger sister, Orfevre, at the school gate, carrying Kitano’s personal items with her.
“I brought the things Kitano-nii usually uses.
It’s just these few boxes.” Orfevre, wearing a mask and with chestnut hair that looked especially dazzling beneath the sunlight, stumbled her way to the gates of Tracen Academy while carrying several plastic storage boxes.
“By the way, where’s Kitano-nii?” Orfevre was even a little shorter than Nakayama Festa, probably because she had not fully matured yet.
And aside from Kitano, most people would likely find it difficult to imagine that within such a petite frame lay the energy of a future champion-horse calibre Umamusume, one capable of vying for a place among the top three in Japanese history.
But all of that was a story for later.
For now, Orfevre was only a young Umamusume still far from her debut.
Even so, she had already begun showing the fiery temper inherited by the Umamusume of the Gold Family.
Yet the moment Kitano came up, her entire being would unconsciously soften, and even her tone carried a faint trace of admiration.
Just hearing how she addressed Kitano made goosebumps rise all over Nakayama Festa.
Still, she forced herself to calm down and answered coldly: “Gold Ship took him around… Seriously.
They’re obviously his things, but he’s making me carry them for him.” “Well, Kitano-nii’s body…” Orfevre did not react to her sister’s complaint, because she knew very well that Nakayama Festa did care about Kitano.
Still, whenever this matter came up, Orfevre could not hide the dimness in her expression.
But very soon, Orfevre pulled herself together again.
Her gaze fixed on the sister before her, and this younger sister, who was usually timid and hesitant at home, spoke with unprecedented solemnity.
“Nakayama-nee, I can’t help Kitano-nii right now.
The final dream he wants to fulfill can only depend on you.” “So you have to keep winning!
All of us believe Nakayama-nee can definitely do it!” …Believe in me?
But what am I supposed to do if even I don’t believe I can?
Nakayama Festa carried a box large enough to block her view.
An Umamusume’s strength made it easy for her to do things that even adults would struggle with, but right now, her thoughts were not on the road at all.
Instead, she was thinking about what Orfevre had said to her a few minutes earlier.
Normally, Nakayama Festa would never doubt her own ability.
She knew her own strength and talent better than anyone.
Even at Tracen Academy, where the very best in all of Japan were trained, she might not dare call herself one of the handful of greatest geniuses, but her talent was definitely above most.
As for a goal like winning a G1 race, she had the confidence to say she could do it.
Ordinarily, an achievement like that would be enough for her to be admired by countless people at Tracen Academy, to enjoy glory without worry all the way until graduation, and to savor the heart-pounding races she loved most—until Kitano chose her.
The dream Kitano wanted to fulfill… That dream of using what little time he had left to make the Umamusume in his care into Japan’s brightest new star as much as possible.
A dream like that clearly could not be accomplished by winning a single G1.
Could she… really do it?
That man had wagered what little time he had left on her.
With stakes like that… could she, the bet itself, truly answer that daring “gambler”?
Thud.
Yet just as Nakayama Festa’s heart was in turmoil, an obstacle suddenly appeared in front of her.
It felt as if she had crashed into a soft mattress, and the rebounding force immediately threw her slightly petite body off balance, sending her down onto her backside.
The plastic storage boxes full of belongings in her arms instantly scattered across the ground.
One of them burst open from the impact, spilling out more than half of its books and handwritten notebooks covered in writing.
“Ah, I’m sorry.
I called out to you several times, but I didn’t expect you to be so deep in thought.” Nakayama Festa was still clutching her head where it had been struck by the fallen box, and before the Gold Family temper could burst out of her all at once, that cool voice with its faint note of teasing immediately caught her attention.
Before her, at some point, Mejiro Ramonu’s graceful figure had blocked her path.
Ramonu took the initiative to bend down and help the slightly dazed Nakayama Festa to her feet.
With a perfect faint smile still on her face, Ramonu glanced over the sorry state of the surroundings and could not help saying: “These are all your Trainer’s things, aren’t they?
They must be important.
Are you sure it’s all right not to clean them up quickly?” “Ah, these are all training notes he really treasures.” One sentence from Mejiro Ramonu immediately snapped Nakayama Festa back to herself, and the bellyful of anger that had risen from being knocked down vanished at once.
After all, she had been the one who failed to notice Mejiro Ramonu.
Besides, looking at the difference in their builds… to be honest, Nakayama Festa did not think she could beat her.
Although she did not know Mejiro Ramonu, she could tell from the other girl’s appearance and bearing that she was an Umamusume of the Mejiro Family.
Because of Gold Ship, the Gold Family and Mejiro Family had a fair amount of contact, so Festa knew very well that the Mejiro Family was full of tall, imposing Umamusume she really could not afford to provoke.
Seriously, why is everyone in the Gold Family so small starting from Aneki?
Gold Ship’s the only mutant… Nakayama Festa thought this to herself as, with both of them working together, the books and notebooks were put back into the box one by one.
Finally, once the storage box was clasped shut again, Mejiro Ramonu handed it back to her.
It was at that moment that Mejiro Ramonu finally revealed the purpose of her visit.
“I saw your Trainer earlier.
When he was with Gold Ship, I noticed him.
He seems to think very highly of you.” Sure enough, the moment Mejiro Ramonu said this, Nakayama Festa, who had been about to leave with the box in her arms, trembled unconsciously.
Ramonu noticed her reaction, and the smile on her lips widened slightly despite herself as she continued testing her.
“I’m also very much looking forward to seeing whether you, born of the Gold Family, can break through your own restraints, draw out all of your talent, and become the brightest new star on the track.” “I have a feeling that perhaps he wasn’t wrong.
A fledgling that breaks free of its restraints will spread its wings and soar.
But how much longer will it take before this fledgling becomes a hawk that rules the sky?” “…” However, faced with Mejiro Ramonu’s words, Nakayama Festa, who had been doubting her own ability only moments ago, said nothing at all.
She merely pretended not to have heard, silently hugging the box as she quickly left the scene.
Nakayama Festa’s panicked escape was fully taken in by Mejiro Ramonu.
In the eyes of this treasure of the Mejiro Family, a faint disappointment flashed.
Clearly, she was not satisfied with the performance of Kitano’s trainee.
To be trusted so deeply by her own Trainer, yet she makes no response and chooses to flee instead?
But such resolve… truly makes me regretful.
Being unable to answer the hopes one least ought to betray—what a difficult plotline to accept.
Then why not simply replace the heroine of this story and let that tragically beautiful man fulfill his dream?
Such a thought could not help flashing through Mejiro Ramonu’s mind, but she quickly denied it herself.
Though she had confidence in her younger sisters, such an action would not only make Kitano dislike her, her sisters likely would not accept it either.
In that case, I should learn more about this Trainer.
I don’t know his name, but he shouldn’t be hard to find—hm?
Just as Mejiro Ramonu was about to contact the Mejiro Family and properly search for information on Kitano, her eyes suddenly caught sight of something by her feet.
A notebook that blended perfectly into the grass was lying there quietly beside her.
Had she missed it just now?
Mejiro Ramonu was somewhat surprised that she had actually made such a small mistake.
However, when she bent down and picked up the notebook, seeing the name “Ryuichi Kitano” written on it in rather faint strokes, much of the doubt in her heart immediately cleared.
“Ryuichi Kitano.
Ah, so that is the name of this Venus?” As it happened, Mejiro Ramonu had wanted to learn more about Kitano.
She had not expected the opportunity to arrive so quickly.
Though she did feel that looking at someone else’s private things without permission was wrong, after a moment’s thought, she quickly found herself an excuse.
That child said these are all his training notes… In that case, they should record knowledge about raising Umamusume, shouldn’t they?
Then I’ll take just a small look at his professionalism as a Trainer.
Once I’ve made my judgment, I can introduce him to my family as well.
After that, I’ll find an opportunity to return this notebook to him.
Thinking this, Mejiro Ramonu did her best to convince herself, and with a faint sense of guilt, opened Kitano’s notebook.
The moment she opened it, she was immediately drawn in by the events Kitano had recorded inside.
But the one thing Mejiro Ramonu had not expected… was that she would not be drawn in by the training progress recorded in the notebook.
Instead, apart from the training itself, the few brief lines the writer had unconsciously left behind became the key that captured all of her attention.
As time passed little by little, Mejiro Ramonu’s gaze did not leave the notebook at all.
It was as if she had forgotten time itself, as though the notebook in her hands were some peerless treasure.
And as time went on, the expression in Mejiro Ramonu’s eyes underwent several dramatic changes.
At times, a hint of astonishment flashed through them.
At others, an extraordinary light burst forth.
Finally, only after she had read to the very last page of the notebook did she close it completely.
After a long, deep breath, Mejiro Ramonu opened her eyes again.
Her face, which had always worn a perfect smile, now revealed an unprecedented seriousness.
“I really did learn an unexpected secret by chance, didn’t I, Ryuichi Kitano?” The unexpected treasure hidden beneath that incomplete beauty… truly was not something she could simply leave alone.
— T/N: AHHHHHHHHH RAMONU-SAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA STEPPPPP ON MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE CRUSH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SIT ON MY FACE!!!!!!!!!