“Ding-a-ling…
Welcome!
How many in your party?” The warm door of the cafe was pushed open, and the bell above chimed loudly as Rice Shower, wearing a lovely white dress, stepped softly inside.
The clerk at the counter greeted the new customer, and Rice Shower politely replied: “I’m meeting someone.” She scanned the room, spotted Kouki browsing on his smartphone, and walked over to his table.
“Onii-chan!
Sorry to keep you waiting!” Rice Shower sat down across from Kouki, her white dress fanning out neatly as she flashed a bright, happy smile.
“I just got here myself,” Kouki smiled back.
In reality, he had arrived early, having learned his lesson from past events.
He had arranged with campus security to notify him on LINE whenever Rice Shower left campus.
So while waiting, he had spent time at the arcade next door playing the *Umamusume* arcade cabinet, picking Symboli Rudolf to dominate the competition, go undefeated, and sweep international races—though in real life, Kaichou wasn’t quite that unstoppable.
After completing the arcade run, Kouki entered his initials ‘KK’ into the high-score leaderboard.
Since it broke the venue record, the machine dispensed a physical Symboli Rudolf SSR promotional card complete with a foil signature.
‘If Teio behaves well during training, I’ll give this to her as a reward,’ Kouki thought, glancing at the security update on LINE before strolling over to the cafe, ordering two drinks, and waiting for Rice.
He truly was a master of time management.
“I ordered a honey-lemon radish juice for you I wasn’t sure if it suited your taste.” “Mmm, thank you, Onii-chan.” “I’ve also finalized the custom Racing Silks designs for your official Debut, so you can relax and enjoy the rest of the day with me.” “Eh?
Have you really decided on them, Onii-chan?” “Yep, let me show you.” Kouki unlocked his phone and showed Rice Shower the official Racing Silks designs he had commissioned for Special Week and Tokai Teio.
For an Umamusume, her custom Racing Silks were an exceptionally important outfit, representing her unique identity and visual recognition on the track.
Not only did official Racing Silks help fans spot their favorite runners during a fast-paced race, but they also added a spectacular idol flair during post-race Winning Lives.
Thus, Racing Silks were typically tailored with idol-style aesthetics, tailored to reflect each Umamusume’s personality and her Trainer’s design vision.
The Racing Silks Kouki had designed for Tokai Teio and Special Week matched their iconic game outfits perfectly, and Rice Shower praised them enthusiastically, saying they looked stunning and fit their personalities flawlessly.
As they chatted, lunch hour arrived, so they moved from the cafe to a nearby Family Restaurant.
While discussing food preferences, Rice Shower sheepishly confessed that despite her name, she was actually a huge bread lover.
Kouki burst out laughing, teasing her that even though her name was ‘Rice’, she was a bread girl at heart.
Rice Shower puffed out her cheeks in cute annoyance.
“So, Onii-chan, do you prefer rice or bread?” Rice Shower asked curiously.
“I like Rice,” Kouki answered without a second thought.
“Eh…” Rice Shower’s hand holding the menu trembled, and the menu slipped right onto the table.
Her horse ears and tail twitched frantically as her face flushed bright red.
She stammered softly: “S-Sorry…
Onii-chan…
could you repeat that?” “I like Rice,” Kouki repeated with a warm smile.
Hearing the answer a second time, Rice Shower quickly picked up the menu to hide her beet-red face, but her cute horse ears twitched wildly atop her head, completely betraying how overjoyed she was.
‘Rice is just way too cute,’ Kouki thought, admiring the shy girl across the table.
He really wanted to wrap her in a hug, but restrained himself—they were in a public restaurant, and causing a scene would be embarrassing.
When the waiter arrived to take their order, Rice Shower finally recovered from her flustered state to pick out her side dishes.
But when it came to ordering the main dish, remembering Kouki’s words *”I like Rice”*, her face flushed red again, making her stammer uncontrollably.
Seeing Rice Shower acting so sweet and innocent, Kouki couldn’t hold back a soft chuckle.
Hearing his laughter, Rice Shower pouted playfully and mumbled under her breath: “Onii-chan is so mean…” In the end, amidst Kouki’s laughter, Rice Shower pointed shyly at the chicken katsu rice set.
Catching the waiter’s knowing smile, she hid her face behind her hands in embarrassment.
*Rice, you are just too adorable!* *** After lunch, Kouki and Rice Shower took a leisurely stroll through a winter botanical garden.
Despite the cold season, the garden featured temperature-controlled greenhouses filled with lush, vibrant flowers and green trees.
Walking along the stone path, they chatted about various lighthearted topics until the conversation naturally turned toward their personal backgrounds.
“Eh?
Onii-chan, you didn’t want to become a Trainer when you were little?” Rice Shower asked, surprised.
To her, Kouki seemed like a natural-born Trainer.
Every Umamusume on Team Lord had made astonishing progress under his meticulous guidance.
Even Silence Suzuka never stopped praising his customized training plans.
And…
his post-workout leg massages…
were also…
amazingly comfortable.
“That’s right.
When I was a kid, I never dreamed of becoming a Trainer I actually wanted to be a regular civil servant,” Kouki smiled.
In his previous life back on Earth, his biggest goal in college had been securing a steady desk job—an office with air conditioning, a computer, free tea, and fixed working hours with zero overtime.
That had been his ultimate dream.
Later, when he became a corporate employee, he had ground away for years without achieving that peace, eventually turning to full-time streaming, which served a similar purpose.
Yet those corporate years had given him sharp communication skills, allowing him to interact smoothly with viewers and grow his channel until his family finally accepted his career choice.
And funnily enough, his current role as a Central Trainer matched his past-life dream perfectly—in fact, it far exceeded it.
Streaming had been fun, but where else could he work alongside such wonderful, talented girls?
“A civil servant?
Then why did you enroll in the Trainer Academy?” Rice Shower asked, tilting her head.
“Well…
to be honest, I was young and impulsive,” Kouki scratched his head with a sheepish chuckle.
To him, his past life and his present life were one and the same.
Recalling the silly motives of his youth felt embarrassing, but he shared it openly with Rice anyway.
“I remember back then, a relative of mine was a local Trainer.
Every holiday, he’d bring his team’s Umamusume over to visit.
Seeing how close, affectionate, and happy they were together, I was super envious.” “So I declared to my parents: ‘I want to take the Trainer exam too!
I want to recruit cute Umamusume!’ And that was pretty much it…” “I was just a clueless kid back then.
Looking back now, it sounds pretty silly, doesn’t it?” Kouki smiled warmly.
‘Recruit…
cute Umamusume…’ Rice Shower’s face flushed red, and she bowed her head shyly.
“It’s getting late, let me walk you back to the dorms,” Kouki glanced at the garden clock tower, noting that it was already past 9:00 PM.
“Mmm…” Rice Shower nodded gently.
“Um!
Onii-chan…” “Yeah?” “Can you…
hold my hand?” “Hmm?” “N-No…
never mind…” “Of course we can,” Kouki smiled, gently taking Rice Shower’s small hand in his.
“Mmm…” “Alright, let me walk you back.” “Mmm!”