Having found the name he wanted, Jo Kitahara didn't linger long at the academy. Instead, he followed the address on the list to pay a visit.
The phrase "conquer the world" might sound exaggerated, but it perfectly reflected his mindset—or perhaps some lingering fantasies from before his journey to this world.
Before crossing over, Jo had studied in Japan, majoring in business.
During his time as an exchange student, a friend introduced him to horse racing. He developed an interest in horses and learned a great deal about the racing industry.
After graduation, by coincidence, he stayed in Japan. That friend inherited a ranch and invited Jo to join, managing the business side and organizing the racing club—turning his hobby into a career.
Outside of work, he also livestreamed his daily life: horse care, racing, and games related to horse management, such as Derby Stallion, Horse Racing Tycoon, and even the national-level mobile game Uma Musume.
But when playing the game, Jo never imagined that he would actually traverse into the world of Uma Musume.
The setting of this world was identical to that of the game he had played. The most famous "Uma Musume" bore the exact same names as the legendary racehorses from his previous world.
And the horse industry of his old world had transformed into a competitive idol industry here.
In short: top Uma Musume competed in races, creating a whole ecosystem of training, merchandising, performances, stadium operations, and academy management.
Jo was no stranger to this world view—having been a ranch director and chairman of a horse racing club, he had plenty of experience.
Thus, aside from the obvious differences between raising real horses and training Uma Musume, everything else fell squarely within his realm of professional knowledge.
Fortuitously, the body he had traversed into was already a trainer specialized in Uma Musume, perfectly complementing the knowledge he lacked about training these unique athletes.
Before his journey, Jo considered himself diligent and capable, with clear goals. After crossing over more than a month ago, he quickly found a new personal objective:
"Since I'm here, I might as well become an outstanding trainer."
To become an excellent trainer, he needed an outstanding Uma Musume. Therefore, the first step was to find a truly exceptional one.
If he had tried scouting in the real world, Jo would have had little confidence.
After all, his expertise was in business and interpersonal skills, not horse selection. His friend had previously handled horse scouting, and though he had learned by observation, his experience was limited to selecting local talents. Ask him to pick a champion, and he would have no clue.
Fortunately, he had studied plenty of related materials and had encountered many Uma Musume in games and anime. Legendary horses he might not know in the real world were familiar to him.
In this world, the Uma Musume—famous or not—bore those shining names. This gave Jo the perfect advantage: simply identify the timeline, match the names, and he could find talented Uma Musume whose potential would become legendary.
After over a month of investigation, he had chosen one such Uma Musume:
Oguri Cap.
Her record: 33 races, 22 wins, 6 second-place finishes, 1 third-place finish. A hall-of-fame-level horse in Japan, recognized as one of the "kings of horses," and regarded as a "god" by the public.
"Should be here."
Following the address on the list, he took a vehicle from Kasamatsu Tracen Academy to the countryside, navigating to an old residential area. After some turns, he arrived at an aged two-story apartment building. Going upstairs and checking the door number, Jo was confident he had the right place.
Ding dong, ding dong.
Pressing the doorbell twice, he stepped back silently, observing the surroundings.
The timeline of this world was chaotic, giving a sense of temporal dissonance. For example, people might relax with 80s or 90s red-colored gaming consoles while using 21st-century smartphones for communication.
This meant that when collecting information, Jo needed to analyze data using the differences between his two worlds.
The apartment building was two stories of rented units. It looked old and cheap, likely styled after the 1980s-1990s.
This coincided with the era when the original Oguri Cap first appeared in the other world—born in 1985 and active in the late 1980s.
Although the timeline of this world wasn't exactly 1985, the periods when Uma Musume became active mirrored the timelines of the other world.
In the late 1980s, Japan saw legendary names like Tamamo Cross, Inari One, Gold City, Oguri Cap, Super Creek, Sakura Chiyono O, Mejiro Ardan, Yaeno Muteki, Seiun Sky, and Dido Shooter.
Abroad, names like Tony Bianca, All Along, Moon Madness, and American Giants also competed in Japan Cups.
It was truly an era producing exceptional, once-in-a-generation horses—or, in this world, gifted Uma Musume.
So, among this constellation of stars, what would Oguri Cap be like? Would she match her depiction in the games and anime?
Though he hadn't seen her in person before, Jo knew her appearance well from Uma Musume. He wasn't worried about recognizing her—he was eager to meet her.
As he recalled her features, the door opened. A young woman appeared—around thirty, judging by her appearance.
She had long silver-gray hair, delicate features, and a slightly puzzled expression. Her long ears were folded back slightly.
In the other world, a horse's ears expressed emotion—like "airplane ears" for annoyance. Cats behave similarly, and so do horses. Ears pinned back meant displeasure or alertness.
Uma Musume shared this trait. Oguri Cap's ears were folded back—clearly wary of the unfamiliar young man outside.
Her tone was cautious:"Ah, may I ask who you are…"
Jo quickly recognized her: Shinpo, Oguri Cap's mother.
In the other world, Shinpo had been a racehorse herself—8 races, 4 wins—retiring due to a knee injury. Her career was respectable on a local scale.
The same applied in this world. Jo had reviewed much information on this timeline's Oguri Cap, including recordings of Shinpo's past races.
"You must be Ms. Shinpo. Your three consecutive wins back then were incredible." By mentioning her achievements, Jo showed respect while subtly building rapport.
He then reached into his pocket, taking out his trainer credentials, and offered them with both hands:"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Jo Kitahara, a trainer at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy. Here is my certification. Pleased to meet you."
Jo's introduction worked perfectly. Shinpo's long ears perked up, and her expression softened.
"You must be Jo Kitahara. I didn't expect you to know about those old achievements." She smiled, humble:
"Those victories were entirely thanks to my trainer. I only did my best on the track; I didn't do anything special."
"Ah, it's rude to talk at the door. Please, come in."
Returning his credentials, Shinpo stepped aside, smiling warmly, though a hint of concern appeared on her face.
"Also, I apologize if it's rude to ask so quickly, but you're a trainer from Kasamatsu, and you've come all the way out here to the countryside…"
"Has Oguri Cap caused trouble at the academy?"
"If so, I apologize on her behalf."