"Is that the 'Emperor's' trainer? He really doesn't look like much. Such a brilliant Uma Musume saddled with such a mediocre trainer."
"What? The 'Ruler of the Century's End'? You mean T.M. Opera O? She's truly an outstanding talent, but it's a shame her trainer is such a hack. I thought the trainer who raised such a powerful Uma Musume would be exceptional, but it turns out he's just a mediocre guy who got a lucky break."
"Onii-sama… I'm sorry. Rice is a useless girl… But I'll prove that you're not a hack, Onii-sama! I'll do it at the next Takarazuka Kinen."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… Even though you worked so hard, Trainer, I still…"
Sorry?
No, the one who should be saying sorry is me. I'm sorry for wasting your talents. I couldn't even add another brick to the glorious stories you were meant to build; I only became a burden.
But maybe this is just who I am. A guy with no talent, just like they all say… a hack.
It's time to face reality. I am not a trainer worthy of exceptional Uma Musume like you. You all deserve better lives. Our meeting was a huge mistake from the very beginning.
…
"Ugh."
Waking with a start on the train, Kitano Ryuichi realized he had been dreaming—a dream about his past. But now, he could no longer afford to dwell on that past life.
"Did I fall asleep? How rare to dream of the past. But remembering these things now is not a good sign for me."
"Time to get a grip, Kitano Ryuichi. Face reality and prepare to live a quiet, ordinary life."
Kitano Ryuichi, a perfectly ordinary person. Yes, everything about him was ordinary. Aside from a handsome face that was his only advantage in social situations, his life was completely mundane.
Since elementary school, his grades were always in the bottom ten of his class, and his school-wide rank never broke the top half. He was bad at studying and a bit of a loner. Though he was kind-hearted, for various reasons, few people knew it. Instead, he was bullied until high school, when he moved to a new city for a fresh start, finally escaping the rather miserable life he'd led before the age of sixteen.
Even so, his life didn't change much. The social tragedies of his youth were gone, but he still had no girlfriend through high school and college, with zero experience interacting with the opposite sex. His studies were unremarkable, and so, naturally, he became just another corporate slave after graduation.
But then, his life took a turn. He was transported to another world—the world of Uma Musume.
He had to admit, he was grateful. If he'd been thrown into a world incredibly hostile to transmigrators, like Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, or Goblin Slayer, he wouldn't have had enough lives to last.
Just when Ryuichi thought his uneventful life would finally change, that he could make his mark like the protagonists of other transmigration stories, he discovered that his "cheat ability" wasn't god-like. In fact, it was practically useless.
Well, it had one use. He could "restart."
Yes, a literal restart. Whenever Ryuichi felt so disheartened, so desperate that he wanted to end his own life, he would unhesitatingly choose to restart. Then, everything in the world would return to its starting point. Everything he had ever done in that world would be erased as if it had never happened.
This gave Ryuichi countless chances for trial and error. At first, he was thrilled with this ability. He knew exactly what he had to do in the world of Uma Musume: go to the legendary Tracen Academy and become the trainer he had always dreamed of being!
—And so, in his first loop, he was still trying to pass the Central Trainer license exam at the age of 40.
Yes, transmigration couldn't change the fact that Kitano was a complete and utter hack. The trainers who made it to the Central circuit were one in ten thousand. How could someone like him, with mediocre talent in every respect, pass so easily? In his first loop, Ryuichi spent nearly half his life studying for that certificate.
He watched as his seniors from the trainer academy were accepted, then his juniors. Meanwhile, he was held back, year after year… until finally, under a special clause from the Central committee, he became just another ordinary trainer at Tracen Academy.
Of course, that was his first loop. The current Ryuichi had lost count of how many times he had restarted. His mind and body, forged through countless trials, were now like steel. And he hadn't been completely without progress through all those loops.
—For instance, he could now pass the exam and enter Tracen Academy at the age of 21, a legendary speedrun by any measure.
But this had nothing to do with talent. Anyone who took the same exam countless times, even with different questions, could memorize the entire question bank. Using this brute-force method, even a hack like Ryuichi could become a Central Trainer.
This time, however, Ryuichi was a world away from the passionate, hot-blooded self of his first loop. He had restarted so many times, taken on one Uma Musume after another, and through this long process, he had come to understand one thing:
Enough is enough. These horse girls are all good kids. A hack like me should stop ruining their potential. They'll succeed with or without me, so I shouldn't drag them down.
Therefore, Ryuichi had come to Tracen Academy once again. He hadn't given up on being a trainer, but he had completely abandoned his former lofty ambitions and the idea that he was some kind of chosen one.
If I accept my own weakness, then I am invincible! Kitano Ryuichi thought to himself.
Yes, even after being transported to this new world, Ryuichi had reluctantly accepted the fact that he was a hack. After so many restarts, so many heart-wrenching experiences with the Uma Musume and their unfulfilled dreams, he figured it was an achievement in itself that he hadn't given up on this path entirely.
But this time, Ryuichi didn't plan on "restarting" again. He intended to live a more relaxed life—one perhaps devoid of honor and responsibility, but at least free from the jealousy, scorn, and self-reproach that had plagued him before.
"Now arriving at Tokyo, Tracen Academy Station. Passengers please take all your belongings with you."
"Here again, Tracen Academy."
Following the crowd, Kitano Ryuichi walked through the station he'd passed through countless times, once again standing before the familiar school gate that looked like a small palace at first glance.
"Alright, I'm not entirely sure what the timeline is for this restart… It seems the more I restart, the further the timeline gets pushed back… though the timeline in the Uma Musume world has always been a bit chaotic."
...But that has nothing to do with me anymore, does it? Having already decided not to take on any particularly gifted girls and risk ruining their lives, Kitano Ryuichi arrived this time with the full intention of coasting.
Steeling his resolve, he took a deep breath and, with a completely different mindset, stepped through the gates of Tracen Academy.
Many Uma Musume were running towards the school today. Although Tracen Academy was a full-boarding school, many students stayed off-campus for various reasons. Whether those reasons were legitimate… Kitano couldn't say. He'd seen it all before. It was just a part of Tracen's "corporate culture," an essential experience.
The strange thing was, despite his many loops, Ryuichi had never once experienced this "corporate culture" himself… It made him wonder if he was some kind of romance repellent. No luck with women in his past life, and still no luck in this one.
Even in those loops where my relationships with my担当 (tanto/assigned) Uma Musume weren't bad at all… why did I never get that chance?
At the Tracen Academy gate stood a familiar figure in green. Though he had experienced this meeting many times, the well-practiced Ryuichi showed no hint of it, treating her as if it were their first encounter.
"Good morning, Ms. Hayakawa."
"Good morning."
"Morning, Ms. Hayakawa!"
"Good morning."
After a few Uma Musume had passed, Ryuichi found an opportune moment to approach her, speaking with the reverence of a newcomer.
"...Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kitano—"
"Ah, good morning, Trainer Kitano."
Before Ryuichi could finish, the woman in green, whose name was Hayakawa Tazuna, replied with a reflexive smile. In that instant, both of them froze.
Huh? Why does Ms. Hayakawa know my name? Didn't I just restart?
Huh? Why… do I know this person's name? I'm sure this is the first time I've ever met him…
-------
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