“Alright, all done.” After typing out the final summary line, Kouki hit ‘Send’, emailing his official inspection report to Tracen Central’s General Affairs Department.
In addition to accompanying Rice Shower back to her hometown, this trip included a formal evaluation of the local academy—qualifying it as an official business trip, complete with reimbursable travel expenses.
He meticulously listed the pros and cons of the school and summarized his professional observations.
On the surface, his report was filled with high praise.
Setting aside the bullying incident for a moment, the academy was actually managed quite admirably.
Kouki deliberately omitted the bullying issue for now, intending to give the school administration a chance to handle it internally.
If they knew how to offer a sincere apology, he would take the opportunity to suggest strengthening ethics education and fostering healthy sportsmanship among their trainees.
If they didn’t…
it wouldn’t be too late to file a formal complaint with Central’s Public Affairs Division upon his return.
Central would cut off their annual funding without a second thought—after all, freezing grant money looked great on Central’s quarterly financial statements, and the department certainly wouldn’t miss such an easy win.
Kouki wasn’t a vindictive villain, and cutting the school’s funding brought him no personal gain.
However, Rice Shower had been subjected to bullying from those girls for years before transferring to Central.
Even if Rice Shower herself had no desire for revenge, if the school administration refused to acknowledge their failures…
…shouldn’t they suffer the consequences of their own negligence?
“Onii-chan…
dinner is ready.” Rice Shower’s soft voice called out from the living room.
Currently, Kouki was staying at Rice Shower’s family home.
Aside from her father, who hadn’t finished his workday yet, her mother was at home.
After learning that Kouki was Rice Shower’s contracted Trainer, her mother had been exceptionally warm and hospitable.
She pulled him aside to ask all sorts of questions, even saying things like, “Even though our Rice is a handful, please take good care of her,” which once made Kouki wonder if she thought he was introducing himself as her boyfriend rather than her Trainer.
Checking the time on his laptop, it was almost 6:00 PM.
Kouki hadn’t expected drafting an official report to take so long.
It seemed that for future business trips, he would need to request a higher per diem allowance.
Kouki closed his laptop and walked out into the dining room.
Rice Shower and her mother hadn’t picked up their chopsticks yet instead, they waited politely for Kouki to wash his hands and take his seat at the table before starting dinner.
From there, the dinner atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
The meal was quite lavish, featuring three main dishes, a soup, and a dessert served neatly at each place setting.
Unlike the family-style shared platters common in his previous life on Earth, Japanese households strictly adhered to individual serving portions, where each person received their own set of bowls and plates.
Yet ironically, when dining out at restaurants, people often preferred communal hotpots or shared dishes—which Kouki found quite an amusing contrast.
“Is Rice’s father not back from work yet?” Kouki asked casually.
“Rice’s father went out for drinks with his colleagues tonight, so he’ll probably be home quite late,” Rice Shower’s mother replied calmly.
Perhaps for her, this was simply an ordinary part of daily life.
Kouki wasn’t surprised.
Salarymen in Japan had a deeply entrenched post-work drinking culture, where colleagues hopped from bar to bar taking turns buying rounds.
Sometimes they drank past the last train, making it impossible to get home.
Since taxi fares were astronomically expensive, it was common for them to crash in internet cafes or even sleep off the alcohol on a curb.
It would have been a major issue if Rice Shower’s mother couldn’t accept it a lack of tolerance for that lifestyle often led to mounting friction, where divorce eventually became the only outcome.
Back in his previous life, Kouki had read about the trend in Japan where housewives filed for divorce right after their husbands retired, splitting the pension and marital assets.
The husbands were often forced to sell their homes and move into tiny apartments, left with nothing after working their whole lives to support the family.
Fortunately, there was no trace of such resentment in the Rice household.
Although the quiet dynamic between the couple might seem unromantic, it was precisely this steady, comfortable simplicity that had allowed them to support each other through the years.
After finishing the meal, Kouki offered to help wash the dishes, but Rice Shower’s mother immediately waved her hands in refusal: “How could I possibly let a guest do household chores?” She gently shooed Kouki away from the sink, insisting he sit down on the living room sofa.
And so, Kouki and Rice Shower sat together watching racing highlights on TV, accompanied by the gentle clinking of dishes coming from the open kitchen.
Looking at the screen, Student Council President Symboli Rudolf—”The Emperor”—commanded the highest screen time in almost every highlight reel.
Following her were legendary Umamusume veterans like the shadow-masked monster Narita Brian, “Super Car” Maruzensky, and the “Phantom Triple Crown” Fuji Kiseki.
Interestingly, recent broadcasts had also begun featuring Silence Suzuka’s spectacular victory in the Valentine Stakes, with her Great Escape footage placing in the top three of several trending video countdowns.
Kouki snapped a quick photo of the TV screen and sent it to Silence Suzuka via LINE, adding a message: *[“Suzuka-san, you’re quite the celebrity on TV these days~”]* Silence Suzuka quickly replied: *[“Please don’t tease me, Trainer Kouki…”]* She attached a cute sticker of a chibi Silence Suzuka letting out a soft sigh.
These character stickers could be purchased on LINE for a few hundred yen, featuring popular Umamusume drawn by famous illustrators.
Naturally, the Umamusume themselves received a royalty cut from the sales, serving as both merchandise and a fun metric of their popularity.
Kouki typed back: *[“By the way, I won’t be back for a few more days.
Please help me oversee Rice’s training while I’m away.
Also, Spe-chan hasn’t had formal starting gate practice yet.
I’ll contact a senior Trainer tomorrow to set up a gate drill, so please inform her and make sure she prepares.”]* Suzuka sent back a chibi sticker of herself flashing an ‘OK’ sign, followed by text: *[“Understood.
Trainer Kouki, please don’t overwork yourself either.
Take care of your health, and take good care of Rice…”]* “You and Suzuka-san sure have a great relationship…
even while sitting right next to Rice watching TV.” Just as Kouki finished his LINE chat with Silence Suzuka and put his phone into his pocket, he heard Rice Shower’s voice beside him, dripping with subtle annoyance.
“Ah…
haha…” Kouki let out two dry chuckles.
It was true—he had been chatting with Rice Shower just a moment ago, only to get distracted by his phone, which was indeed a bit rude.
Facing Rice Shower’s pouting, resentful gaze, Kouki was scrambling to think of an excuse to smooth things over.
*Ding-dong!* Hearing the front doorbell chime, Kouki practically leaped off the sofa and sprinted to the entryway to open the door.
‘A savior!
An absolute lifesaver!’ Opening the front door, he found the bald Trainer, Yamada-san, standing on the porch.
He was holding an elegant gift box containing high-grade yōkan.
The moment he saw Kouki, Trainer Yamada bowed deeply and presented the box: “Trainer Kouki!
I am deeply sorry for bothering you at home!
This is just a modest token of my apology, please accept it!” Kouki knew exactly why he had come.
If it had been the arrogant school principal, Kouki would have adopted an icy, official demeanor.
However, Trainer Yamada hadn’t done anything wrong himself.
In fact, he had generously shared practical dirt track insights that Kouki couldn’t have learned in textbooks.
Kouki had no reason to treat him coldly.
And so, under Rice Shower’s bewildered gaze, Kouki invited Trainer Yamada inside, presented the box of premium yōkan to Rice’s mother (earning a beaming smile from her), and led Trainer Yamada into his room to talk.
Half an hour later, the previously anxious Trainer Yamada stepped out of the house with a bright, relieved smile on his face, while Kouki returned to the living room to resume watching TV with Rice Shower, a satisfied grin on his lips.
Over the next few days, every major local sports newspaper in Noboribetsu published massive, full-page headlines: **”CENTRAL VS.
LOCAL!
2,400 METERS!
THE BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE!”** Splashed right underneath the main title were photos of Rice Shower alongside the local Umamusume bullies.
The entire quiet town was instantly thrown into a frenzy!