The first day's classes were very illustrative until I got distracted and began to digress, my mind traveling to faraway places and dreamy landscapes. However, what I remember was an explanation about the different types of races and a theory about training methods. What it's easy to understand is that the Japan Coup was the dreamscape of most of the uma, their goal, but to qualify, one must have a huge fan support, since it's picked by the public, which umas will compete in it.
'Turf... 2400 meters... seems like a pain...' It was a goal for most, but I'm still unsure if that's where I want to go. 'If it is in the Tokyo racecourse, I guess the audience would be massive too...'
For a moment, I imagined myself there in my old body running against prestigious umas and winning while the people cheered for me, but that body is gone, and also I really should focus on improving, even so... I saw a cat sitting down near the window, and my mind immediately traveled to other subjects.
"Miss Happy Meek, please explain to the class about Arima Kinen," The teacher said.
The sudden mention of my name provoked me to jump from my seat.
"The cat is cute!" I blurted nonsense for being caught without paying attention, and I blushed slightly as the class laughed.
"Please sit down and pay more attention," He said and continued his lecture.
I immediately sat down and covered my ears with a book, trying to hide from the rest of the class. The rest of the class passed kind of slowly, I was so distracted and ashamed that I started counting the seconds. I waited for most of the class to go out to finally stand and move outside, where Flashy Step was waiting for me.
"The cat was indeed cute," She said, teasing me.
"Nnn," I answered, flushing red again as we started to walk towards the office of Aoi.
Today, we were supposed to have an opening commemoration for our team. Aoi had mentioned that we would celebrate and then talk about our dreams and objectives, which would probably give her the best insight to work on an action plan for us.
'What will I say!?' Then I panicked.
I. Do not. Have a goal in mind. Of course not! I arrived in this world yesterday! All the other girls had an entire life to choose from a career path. But come on, Happy Meek stats in the game were impressive, I probably can pick anything, right? right!?
The office of Aoi was on the second floor of the academy and was very spacious, but it was still mostly filled with closed boxes, since she had been hired recently and was just moving into the office. A team composed of three new joiners, lovely, but even so... Aoi comes from a prestigious family of trainers, if I remember right from the game, and Happy Meek was some kind of prodigy... I just need to demonstrate it, putting my back into it... and then Flashy Step kind of reminds me about Silent Susuka, not in her personality, but in her potential, she is a monstrous front runner, at the mock race she was so ahead of the pack it even felt unfair thinking in retrospective... and she didnt look tired at all this morning during the training, so she is a front runner with a insane built in stamina aswell...
'Damn, that would have been a nightmare in the game to maintain a front runner in long distances without losing the power or achieving both a high amount of speed and stamina,' My gamer otaku self thought.
"Ah, girls! Over here!" Aoi said, waving a hand behind a pile of boxes.
We navigated the clutter to join her, where a small table held a plate of carrot snacks—crisp, orange slices arranged with care. "I thought we'd start with something light," she said, offering us each a piece. "These are a Tracen tradition—good for energy and morale."
I took a carrot, crunching nervously as Flashy grabbed one with a grin. "Thanks, trainer!" she chirped, munching happily. "These are delicious."
I was more of chips and snacks... actually, I think I have never eaten something healthy like this as a snack, but once I tried it, my eyes sparkled, it was delicious indeed, as Flashy had said, maybe my taste buds work differently as well... or I never properly gave them a chance before, which would be a very real chance too.
"Glad you like them," Aoi replied, settling into a chair with a smile. "It's a chance to get to know each other and bond. Flashy, you are very talented, but I wonder where your passion comes from? I noticed it wasn't just a drill for you yesterday."
Flashy swallowed, her purple eyes lighting up. "I've always loved the open track and leading the pack... I guess since very small, I always tried to go ahead and push forward," she began, her tail swaying. "My goal is to shine in medium and long races, maybe even the Arima Kinen someday. I want to feel the distance and hear the crowd's energy."
Aoi nodded, jotting notes, her expression thoughtful. "That's a strong aim—your stamina suits it. We'll refine your endurance." She turned to me, her gaze softening. "Meek, what about you? What's your dream?"
"My dream..." I repeated while hoarding a carrot, I can feel both of their eyes on me, the pressure was building, of course, probably they think I'm being mysterious or that I want to draw attention towards myself, 'I don't have a dream!'
Panic gripped me, my ears flattening, my hands clutching the carrot. My mind raced... my new body felt versatile, but I'd been here barely two days! The Triple Tiara flashed into view... a grueling series of the Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Shuka Sho, one of the pinnacle series. It was a wild leap, but it burst out in my desperation.
"Uh… winning the Triple Tiara!" I stammered, my voice cracking as I blushed furiously.
Flashy's eyes widened, and Aoi paused, her pen hovering. "The Triple Tiara?" Aoi repeated, her tone blending surprise and curiosity.
I nodded weakly, my tail flicking nervously. "I… I think so? I feel like I can try with the right training?" The words felt shaky, but Aoi's gentle smile steadied me.
"Hehehe, my rival has great ambitions," Flashy laughed, crossing her arms and nodding, her eyes dreamy.
"Rival?" Both Aoi and I asked at the same time.
"Of course!" Flashy fist was raised to the air, "I had this feeling she would push forward, even if the path ahead is thorny, her ambition will surely lead her towards me!"
'I'm screwed,' I thought as I smiled sheepishly.
"That's it, Meek! Let's do it! After you achieve your dream, let's clash at Arima Kinen!"
"Y-yes," I said, being dragged by the flow.
Aoi was taking notes and smiling, it seems she would have tons of work to do to help us achieve our goals...
'I should have said being cute or something like that, like Curren Chan...'
And so I dug my own grave.