“Ready…
Go!” The moment Kouki issued the command, Special Week charged forward, sprinting to the 100-meter marker before executing a sharp pivot turn and sprinting back to the starting line.
Kouki held a specialized stopwatch in his hand, clicking the split timer every time Special Week returned.
After twenty back-and-forth shuttle runs, Kouki finally stopped the timer.
Special Week took a dry towel and a bottle of salted mineral water handed to her by Silence Suzuka from the sidelines, asking eagerly: “Trainer, how did I do?!” “Your average speed is impressively high, and your cornering balance is rock solid.
I have to say, you’re improving by leaps and bounds every single day.
At this rate, your dream will definitely come true,” Kouki smiled, tilting the stopwatch display toward Special Week.
“Very impressive, Spe-chan,” Silence Suzuka added with a gentle smile.
“Yay!
Thank you, Trainer!
Thank you, Suzuka-san!
I’m gonna run a few more laps!” Handing the bottle and towel back to Silence Suzuka, Special Week enthusiastically resumed her training drills on the improvised course Kouki had set up.
“She’s usually such a clumsy girl who trips over her own feet, yet her running balance on the track is unexpectedly perfect…
I honestly can’t tell if she’s naturally goofy or just putting on an act,” Kouki chuckled, speaking to Silence Suzuka beside him.
“Spe-chan has always worked incredibly hard,” Silence Suzuka replied softly.
As Special Week’s roommate, Suzuka understood her better than anyone.
She knew that before coming to Tracen Academy, Special Week had undergone rigorous endurance training designed by her adoptive mother in Hokkaido.
Although those rural workouts weren’t professionally structured, they had laid a remarkably tough physical foundation for her.
That was precisely why she had managed to master Kouki’s customized conditioning regimen in just a few short days.
“Let me schedule an official school mock selection race for her next week,” Kouki said, watching Special Week sprint back and forth.
“I’m sure Spe-chan will pass with flying colors,” Suzuka smiled warmly.
“Yeah, she’s definitely got this in the bag.” *** [“EL CONDOR PASA CROSSES THE FINISH LINE!
FIRST PLACE GOES TO EL CONDOR PASA!”] [“SPECIAL WEEK SURGES IN SECOND AT THE WIRE!
THIRD PLACE TO KING HALO!”] “…” Kouki.
“…” Silence Suzuka.
Kouki and Silence Suzuka stood side by side, staring at each other in total, speechless silence.
“Ahem…
Well, as expected of El Condor Pasa…
she’s just way too strong,” Kouki coughed awkwardly.
“Y-Yeah…
El Condor Pasa is indeed very powerful,” Suzuka forced a polite nod.
The atmosphere between them was intensely awkward for a moment.
“Spe-chan, don’t take this loss to heart.
Selection races don’t count as official debuted record matches, so technically you’re still undefeated!” Kouki smiled comfortingly at the disappointed Special Week.
“Spe-chan, do your best next time,” Silence Suzuka clenched her small fists to cheer her up.
“YES!
I’ll work even harder next time!” Special Week shouted back with renewed vigor.
*** One week later: “Spe-chan!
High knees!
Drive your arms harder!” Kouki shouted to Special Week, who was practicing high-knee drills in place.
“YES!” Special Week instantly pumped her legs with even greater energy.
“Do your best, Spe-chan!” Suzuka cheered from the sidelines.
“Good!
Spe-chan, maintain that posture!
Now sprint to that marker and loop back!” Kouki commanded.
“GOT IT!” Receiving the order, Special Week burst toward the marker, executed a flawless pivot turn, and clocked in a set of stellar paper stats on Kouki’s stopwatch.
“This time, there’s no way she’ll lose,” Kouki grinned, pumping his fist in satisfaction.
“Yes!
Spe-chan will definitely win smoothly this time!” Suzuka chimed in happily.
“I’ll give it my all!” Special Week cheered, diving back into her daily training routine with boundless energy.
*** [“GRASS WONDER LEADS BY TWO HORSE LENGTHS AND CROSSES THE WIRE!
THE WINNER IS GRASS WONDER!”] [“SPECIAL WEEK TAKES SECOND PLACE AGAIN!
NICE NATURE FINISHES THIRD!”] “…” Kouki.
“…” Silence Suzuka.
“Well…
what can you do, right?
It’s Grass Wonder after all…” Kouki scratched his head helplessly.
“T-This is really…” Suzuka let out a forced, painful smile.
The atmosphere plummeted into awkward silence once again.
“Spe-chan, it’s alright!
Your final 600-meter sprint speed was completely stable today.
It was just a stroke of bad luck facing Grass,” Kouki patted Special Week’s head to comfort her.
“That’s right!
I see how hard Spe-chan trains every single day.
Don’t let this get you down,” Silence Suzuka added gently, holding Special Week’s hand.
“Yes…
I’ll keep trying my best!” Special Week, though a bit gloomy, managed a bright smile for both of them.
*** One week later: Kouki sat at his desk, frowning deeply as he reviewed the data from Special Week’s latest simulated track trial.
Her paper stats were top-tier across the board, so why couldn’t she unleash her full potential during actual mock races?
“Suzuka-san, what do you make of this?” Kouki handed the stopwatch and data sheet to Silence Suzuka.
Suzuka scrutinized the numbers, looking equally puzzled.
“Her training metrics are outstanding, but why…” Suzuka knitted her brows in deep thought.
The two of them fell into profound contemplation, brainstorming every possible cause—from nervous anxiety to track conditions—yet coming up empty.
Kouki finally called Special Week over and asked if her physical condition felt any different between practice and mock races.
Special Week tilted her head and replied innocently: “There’s no difference…
I just feel like I can’t muster any strength when I run.” *Can’t muster any strength?!* Kouki and Silence Suzuka locked eyes, and in an instant, a sudden realization struck both of them simultaneously!
*This time…
there definitely won’t be any issues!* *** [“SPECIAL WEEK!
SPECIAL WEEK!
SO FAST!
TOO FAST!
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE SOLO DOMINATION!”] [“SPECIAL WEEK CRUISES ACROSS THE FINISH LINE WITH A MASSIVE FOUR-LENGTH LEAD!
SECOND PLACE GOES TO KING HALO!
THIRD PLACE TO NICE NATURE!”] [“SPECIAL WEEK CLAIMS THE VICTORY!”] “I never dreamed it was because she hadn’t eaten lunch…” Kouki groaned, palming his face in utter disbelief.
Because the mock selection races took place right after noon, Kouki—drawing on standard athletic coaching wisdom—had instructed Special Week to skip lunch beforehand to avoid stomach cramps.
Little did he imagine that for an insatiable gourmet like Special Week, running on an empty stomach was the sole reason she had lacked energy!
“Should we say…
as expected of Spe-chan?” Suzuka was completely at a loss for words.
The two of them looked at each other for a second, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Trainer!
Trainer!
I won!
This time I felt like I had infinite energy!” Special Week jogged over to Kouki, her face beaming with pure joy.
Special Week’s horse ears twitched happily, her tail swishing back and forth like an excited puppy.
“This is the sweet reward for all your daily hard work,” Kouki patted Special Week’s head warmly.
Special Week giggled, leaning into his hand and nuzzling against his palm like an affectionate pet.
Such comfortable intimacy was the natural result of their past month together.
In addition to daily track training, Kouki occasionally took Special Week out for private shopping trips in town.
For Kouki, managing his Umamusume team felt just like completing daily quests in an immersive RPG.
And with a built-in affection system, as a dedicated gamer, Kouki naturally couldn’t resist maximizing his trainees’ favorability levels!
This was the core instinct of a veteran gamer—an impulse hardcoded directly into his DNA!
“Spe-chan!
Congratulations!” Silence Suzuka suddenly stepped forward from the side and wrapped Special Week in a warm hug, forcing Kouki to pull his hand back.
“Yay!
Suzuka-san!
I did it!” Special Week hugged Silence Suzuka back tightly.
‘They look so sweet together…’ Standing off to the side by himself, Kouki let out a soft sigh, feeling like a total third wheel.