The first ray of sunlight pierced the morning mist, waking this uninhabited island from its slumber.
The leisure and novelty from their arrival yesterday had already settled after a night's rest.
Even in a different place, Kuroha's biological clock woke him right on time.
Stretching lazily, he got out of bed and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Swish—
The soft, non-blinding morning light flooded the room, giving him the illusion of a fresh new beginning.
After enjoying the morning sunshine for a moment, Kuroha headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Today, unlike yesterday, was the true first day of summer training camp—there was no way he could be late.
Once he was ready, he changed into light sportswear and headed out.
The morning air carried the island's unique humidity and freshness. Inhaling deeply seemed to sweep away even the last traces of yesterday's fatigue.
"Still early. Let's eat first."
Looking around, he noticed his own team of girls hadn't woken yet. Only a few other girls were up.
The summer camp training rhythm was completely different from that at the academy.
At the academy, because of classes, morning training had to start very early—done by around 9 a.m. so they could head to lessons. The remaining time was split between training and fitting in time to review schoolwork.
But summer camp had no such academic burden.
Training time instantly became much more abundant.
Yesterday, Kuroha had set the plan to begin official training at 9 a.m., with breakfast finished by 7:30 to replenish glycogen and protein.
Now it was just 6 a.m.—far from the set time.
So, instead of calling everyone together, he decided to check out the training area first.
Following the same path as yesterday, Kuroha arrived at the training grounds.
A few figures were already there.
Along the track's edge, the high-speed cameras he had noticed yesterday stood silently, their lenses catching faint reflections of light.
The indicator lights on the data collection points were already on—evidence that the maintenance team had completed startup and checks earlier in the morning.
He even spotted a work-clothes-wearing, baseball-cap-wearing Uma Musume crouching beside a piece of equipment, deftly adjusting something. Her hand speed and precision were far beyond ordinary. In no time, the machine was fixed.
"Good morning, Kuroha-san."
A respectful voice came from behind him.
Turning around, he saw another girl in a neat maid outfit, pushing a cart stocked with towels, drinking water, and basic medical supplies.
"Morning," Kuroha replied with a smile.
"The training area's tuning and maintenance are complete. The medical area is also ready and can be used at any time."
"Appreciated."
His gaze swept over the top-tier facilities again. That feeling of "obscenely luxurious" welled up in his heart once more—but quickly gave way to focused determination.
The resources were here.
The rest depended on how he used them to draw out his girls' full potential over the next two months.
After circling the island, Kuroha found himself back at the living quarters by 7 a.m.
This island was big—even just walking at a relaxed pace had taken almost an hour.
When he returned to the main dining hall, the girls were already up earlier than expected, chatting in small groups over breakfast.
"Morning," Kuroha greeted.
"Morning."
"Good morning, Trainer!"
"Trainer, I can't wait to start!"
"Trainer, morning—… Teio, don't shout while eating!"
"…Right."
Seeing their energy, he smiled.
"Once breakfast's done, meet me at the training area.
"Today is adaptation training. I'll assign each of you different programs based on your condition. The main focus is getting used to the venue and equipment—feel the track, don't rush progress."
"Understood!" came the enthusiastic reply.
After a quick breakfast, the Uma Musume scattered to enjoy the island scenery.
With nothing urgent to do, Kuroha found a sofa in the main hall, sat down, and pulled out a medical book he had brought with him.
Since he had promised Mejiro Ardan to cure her leg injury during this camp, he wasn't going to go back on his word.
At present, with his growing knowledge base, he had about an 80% chance of creating the perfect [Panacea].
Eighty percent was already high—but his [Body and Breath Perception] could only read people, not medicine.
When the person taking the medicine was flesh and blood, a 20% chance of failure was too much of a gamble. If luck ran bad… he didn't even want to imagine the outcome.
Which meant—he needed 100% certainty.
At most, another month, and he was confident he could achieve it.
Time slipped by, and before long, Mejiro Ardan came to sit beside him.
Because of her injury, she didn't move around much. And since this was her family's private island, there was nothing for her to sightsee. So after breakfast, she simply joined him.
The morning sunlight spilled gently over them. Mejiro Ardan rested her chin in her hand, her clear eyes reflecting his silhouette.
Trainer… she murmured in her heart.
Aside from her mother, it was the first time she had felt so cherished and protected by someone.
Everything around her seemed to fade into silence, leaving only the sound of turning pages and his steady breathing.
Her heart skipped a beat, an unfamiliar sense of peace blooming inside.
At the same time, a daring thought surfaced.
What if… I switched teams?
Her current trainer was her mother's close friend, chosen because of her frail health since childhood. Changing teams wasn't a decision she could make alone—it required her mother's approval.
Realizing what she had just been thinking, her face flushed bright red. She quickly turned away, patting her cheeks in a desperate attempt to cool down.
"Ahhhh—! Why am I even thinking about switching teams?!"
For the first time, the elegant Mejiro family lady felt shy and conflicted. She kept patting her cheeks and muttering things like we've only known each other for a month and this is too sudden, repeating them several times before she calmed down.
"…?"
Kuroha looked up, puzzled at the sight of her fidgeting. After staring for a while without figuring it out, he shook his head and went back to his book.
Soon, the sun had fully risen—it was training time.
Five Uma Musume stood in a line before him.
Mejiro Ardan, with her leg still in a cast and leaning on crutches, naturally wouldn't be joining.
"Morning, everyone," Kuroha greeted.
"Good morning, Trainer!"
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen answered in unison. The two little ones were dressed in identical short-sleeved training shirts, looking bright and spirited.
After Inari One greeted him, she stepped lightly on the grass beneath her feet, clearly enjoying the freshness of the environment.
Beside her, Fujimasa March and Sakura Chiyono O stood tall, eyes shining with focus.
It was a mixed group—three of them belonged to two other trainers, and two hadn't even undergone True Blooming yet.
Kuroha smiled at his diverse little "team."
"Summer camp official training starts today."
He clapped his hands and went straight to the point.
"Since each of you has different circumstances, I've made a personalized trial plan for everyone."
His gaze landed on the youngest duo first.
"Teio, McQueen—your bodies are still in the growth stage, so your current goal is still to improve your overall physical fundamentals."
Tokai Teio's face fell instantly.
"More basic training again—?"
Seeing her pout, Kuroha couldn't help but chuckle.
"Of course, once you get used to the venue, I'll add some intensity training for you."
By "intensity training," he meant incorporating [Medium Distance Aptitude] and [Long Distance Aptitude] work into their basics.
He had already taught them parts of this before, gradually. But this would be the first time he fully entrusted them with Distance Aptitude training.
Truth be told, at the moment, his focus was more on Mejiro McQueen than Teio—
For one reason only: True Blooming.
Tokai Teio's True Blooming was likely still two years away.
But McQueen's was estimated to be just a year from now.
By starting her now, Kuroha wanted to see if, in that year, Mejiro McQueen could grind her Distance Aptitude to S-Rank.
(End of Chapter)
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