Let’s Train Together with Onii-chan!
3: Chapter 3: Making a Training Plan.
Let’s Train Together with Onii-chan!
“Team Lord is officially established!” Kouki wrote the team’s name in elegant calligraphy across the blackboard of their exclusive Team Room provided by Tracen Academy.
“Yay~” Rice Shower clapped her hands behind Kouki to offer her sweet congratulations.
*Clap, clap, clap, clap.* Even that soft, delicate applause was enough to send a surge of deep satisfaction through Kouki.
He placed his hands on his hips, wearing a thoroughly contented grin.
You had to admit, Tracen Academy was seriously loaded.
To think they’d hand over such a spacious Team Room to a brand-new Trainer like him.
The room was fully equipped with air conditioning, a wall-mounted color TV, a refrigerator, a private bathroom, a changing room, an office space, and plenty of other amenities.
It was even bigger than the single dorm room he was currently living in.
This was nothing like the run-down, dilapidated warehouse Team Spica ended up in the anime—though maybe he received VIP treatment because of his setting as a highly anticipated rookie Trainer?
Either way, Kouki was more than satisfied with his current setup.
After letting Rice Shower relax and watch TV for a bit, Kouki sat down at his office desk to draft a customized training plan for her.
Kouki knew Rice Shower inside out.
After all, back in his past life when the mobile game first launched, Rice Shower was infamous among players as the ultimate “Rookie Killer.” Even whales with stacked accounts and top-tier support card configurations would fail miserably when trying to nurture Rice Shower As a former Umamusume streamer, Kouki used to receive video requests for Rice Shower almost daily.
It wasn’t uncommon for viewers to subscribe to his channel just to get priority on their Rice Shower training guides Naturally, Kouki had his own tried-and-tested philosophy when it came to raising Rice Shower Still, a game was just a game, while reality was reality.
Kouki didn’t naively assume that his gaming experience could be applied directly to real life He began reflecting on the real-world history of Rice Shower’s racing career The real-life Rice Shower had an outstanding pedigree, but was born far too small and lean.
Even at peak weight, Rice Shower couldn’t match the lightest weight of other racehorses Because of that, most people dismissed the horse as useless—bigger horses were inherently stronger than smaller ones, which was common sense in the racing world Yet, when Rice Shower’s real-life trainer observed the horse, he heard its heart pounding.
A powerful, steady heartbeat.
The trainer instantly came to a conclusion: *This is a great horse.* The last legendary racehorse known for having such an abnormally large heart was the “Gray Monster” himself—Oguri Cap In training, Rice Shower picked up everything faster than the rest and pushed through far higher training intensity, ultimately taking first place in the Debut Race Then came the encounter with Mihono Bourbon.
Rice Shower suffered a devastating defeat, followed by a string of frustrating losses During the Japanese Derby, Rice Shower finished four lengths behind Mihono Bourbon By the time the next race rolled around, that gap had already shrunk to just a single length It was then that fans started realizing how terrifying Rice Shower’s true potential was, and popularity began to grow Finally, at the Kikuka Sho, Rice Shower shattered Mihono Bourbon’s undefeated Triple Crown dream, setting a new course record in the process.
But instead of cheers, the victory ceremony was drowned out by heavy boos from the crowd How could anyone root for the horse that ruined the crowd favorite’s undefeated legacy?
The jockey was so disgusted by the crowd’s hostility that he openly called out the fans’ behavior during the post-race interview Leading up to the Tenno Sho (Spring), Rice Shower underwent grueling, almost cruel training, shedding over ten kilograms in the process The horse’s naturally gentle temperament turned sharp and edge-prone under the intense strain, to the point where outsiders accused the trainer of animal abuse As Rice Shower stepped into the gate for the Tenno Sho (Spring), even the live commentator took notice of the ominous, razor-sharp presence radiating from the horse, praising its deadly focus That intense aura even shook Mejiro McQueen, who uncharacteristically balked at entering the starting gate, taking minutes of stubborn coaxing before finally stepping inside Rice Shower went on to conquer Mejiro McQueen, breaking yet another course record.
But just like at the Kikuka Sho, the triumph was met with cold jeers from bitter racing fans In the post-race interview, reporters didn’t even ask the jockey how it felt to win.
Instead, they asked how he felt about “denying Mejiro McQueen his historic three-peat.” Furious, the jockey replied that every runner out there fought with everything they had for victory—there were no heroes or villains on the turf, only competitors striving to win Despite that, the racing press still labeled Rice Shower as the “Black Assassin.” Afterward, Rice Shower’s race results slumped, causing fans to doubt if those legendary victories were just flukes It wasn’t until the 1995 Tenno Sho (Spring), when Rice Shower staged a heroic comeback to reclaim the crown, that racing fans finally embraced Rice Shower as a true hero However, age and fatigue had taken their toll.
The trainer considered retiring the horse to stud Yet because of Rice Shower’s small build, breeding farms showed little interest ‘Well, if breeders had that kind of money, wouldn’t it be better to just pay for a stud fee with Sunday Silence instead?’ Left with no choice, the owner decided to enter Rice Shower into one last retirement race to boost stud value—the 1995 Takarazuka Kinen Since Hanshin Racecourse was under renovation due to the earthquake, that Takarazuka Kinen was held at Kyoto Racecourse And there, on the Kyoto turf, Rice Shower suffered a catastrophic breakdown, was shielded behind green screens, and was humanely euthanized …
Kouki brought his thoughts back to the present.
The real-life Rice Shower had been virtually unstoppable in long-distance races thanks to unbelievable stamina While pedigree played a role, most of it came down to Rice Shower’s grueling dedication and sheer willpower That was also why Rice Shower had a 20% growth bonus in Stamina in the mobile game—where Stamina represented pure endurance and willpower on the track It was also worth noting that Mihono Bourbon was originally bred with a short-distance pedigree Through brutal, high-intensity training, Mihono Bourbon was forcibly molded into a long-distance champion Because of that artificial transformation, Mihono Bourbon suffered severe career-ending fractures, retiring permanently.
In the game, Mihono Bourbon’s natural base aptitude for short distance was C, while long distance was B—reflecting how his body had to be reshaped through training Reflecting on all this while typing away, Kouki finalized the training plan and opened the system’s training interface The system’s first objective for Kouki and Rice Shower wasn’t their official Debut Race, but next month’s Tracen Selection Mock Race Kouki wasn’t surprised.
If a trainee couldn’t make a splash in the Selection Race, she would barely gain any fan support starting out Entering a Debut Race with only 2nd or 3rd favorite popularity would be pretty embarrassing for a Trainer aiming for the top Still, as a system goal, clear rewards were guaranteed upon completion > **[Goal 1: Guide Rice Shower to 1st place in next month’s Tracen Selection Race.]** > > **[Completion Reward: Random Umamusume Encounter Ticket.]** Just as he suspected!
The system’s gacha didn’t just drop Umamusume out of thin air, but created natural opportunities to meet and recruit them Kouki gathered the printed training plan and stepped out of his office.
The sharp-eared Rice Shower perked up the moment the door clicked open She immediately switched off the TV and looked up with a warm smile as Kouki walked over “Thank you for working so hard…
Onii-sama.” “Onii-sama?” Kouki blinked.
Come to think of it, Rice Shower did affectionately call the player “Onii-sama” (or “Onii-chan”) in the game.
That cute honorific was the main reason why countless players remained completely devoted to raising Rice Shower, even when their docks were full of failed C+ rank runs Some players even turned their endless, tragic attempts into self-deprecating clown memes “U-Um…
I’m sorry!
Does it bother you if Rice suddenly calls Trainer ‘Onii-sama’?” Rice Shower’s ears drooped flat against her head.
Because of her petite height, she had to look up at Kouki with big, tear-filled eyes “Rice just…
really likes calling Trainer that.
Is…
is it not allowed?” “Of course it’s allowed!
From now on, whether it’s Onii-sama or Onii-chan, you can call me whatever you like!” Who in their right mind could refuse a sweet horse girl calling them Onii-chan?
Could you?
Kouki certainly couldn’t!
“Mm!
Got it, Onii-chan!” > **[Rice Shower’s Affection Level has increased!]** “Say it a few more times!” “Onii-chan!
Onii-chan!” “Awesome!
Time to get to training!” “Yay!”