Gifu Prefecture, Hashima District, Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, Trainer's Office.
Pushing open the office door with its somewhat peeling paint, Kitahara Joichi immediately spotted three people gathered around a desk.
On the desk sat a stack of name lists, and the three people were a young man in a suit, a middle-aged guy with a crew cut, and a young woman with freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose.
They were clearly arguing about something, and obviously it had to do with that stack of lists.
"I'm telling you right now, I've already got my eye on this Uma Musume. She's my number one target, so don't you dare try to compete with me!" This was the middle-aged guy, his squinty eyes showing a determined look that brooked no argument.
"Huh?! You too?!" The freckled woman reacted intensely: "There's no way I'm letting you have her! I've been keeping tabs on her since before she even enrolled!" Veins bulged on her forehead as she waved her fists, as if ready for battle.
In contrast, the suited man's attitude wasn't quite as heated, but when he spoke, his tone was equally uncompromising.
"I think we all have the same idea here."
"'Fujimasa March' is the academy's only specially recruited student this year. Whether it's speed, stamina, strength, or racing experience, she's arguably the most outstanding we've seen in years..."
"Well, of course. Otherwise I wouldn't be so obsessed either." The middle-aged guy impatiently interrupted the suited man: "So this time I absolutely have to... huh? Kitahara, what brings you here?" He suddenly noticed Kitahara at the office doorway, and the conversation naturally shifted.
Not only did the topic change, but the middle-aged guy's combative attitude also shifted, becoming casual and cheerful.
"Haha, this is rare, Kitahara." He laughed heartily: "It's vacation time right now. How come a lazy guy like you would come to the academy? Don't tell me you don't want to be a trainer anymore and came to school to resign? Hahaha!"
At his reminder, the other two finally noticed Kitahara standing in the doorway and greeted him one after another.
"Good afternoon, Kitahara."
"How's your vacation going, Kitahara?"
These three people, like Kitahara, were all trainers at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy. They were colleagues.
However, only Kitahara was aware that he was no longer the "Kitahara" his colleagues were familiar with.
His inner self, or rather his soul, was now that of a transmigrator from another world.
And this world was a parallel universe of a series of games and anime he had encountered before his transmigration.
The world of "Uma Musume."
Familiar with the gaming and anime background, he quickly accepted the reality of his transmigration.
In the world of "Uma Musume," there was no such creature as "horses." Instead, there was a peculiar species called "Uma Musume," blessed by the divine "Three Goddesses" who favored this species.
"Uma Musume" were only female, possessing body structures similar to human women, along with the physical capabilities of "racehorses" from another world.
At full sprint, they could reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour. Seeing Uma Musume on the street running faster than cars wasn't anything unbelievable.
And just like racehorses from that other world, their personalities were all very pure, with an instinctive obsession with running and an extremely strong competitive spirit.
Because of this, this world had specialized academies for Uma Musume, namely "Tracen Academy" where Kitahara and others worked.
Trainers like Kitahara were "professionals" who, after various specialized training and evaluations, educated and guided Uma Musume.
With the advantage of foreknowledge, Kitahara not only understood and adapted to this world, but also knew what his colleagues were arguing about.
A trainer's work was also tied to their Uma Musume's performance. The better they could teach Uma Musume to achieve excellent results, the better the trainer's compensation would be.
And the target of his colleagues' argument was exactly "Fujimasa March" mentioned by the suited man, whose ability and talent were indeed as he described: "the most outstanding Uma Musume" the academy had seen in recent years.
But Kitahara hadn't specifically come to the academy during vacation to compete with his colleagues for Fujimasa March.
Because he knew that Fujimasa March was only "one of the most outstanding Uma Musume" the academy had seen in recent years. There was another Uma Musume equally outstanding.
Even more outstanding.
"If a junior like Iwakun hasn't quit, how could a senior like me just up and quit?"
Kitahara understood that, as the middle-aged guy had joked, the original personality had indeed been very laid-back, lacking ambition, and hadn't taken work seriously in the past. So he responded in kind with a joke:
"I had a really great vacation, in fact I'd say it was the best vacation I've ever had. Thanks for your concern, everyone."
Smiling as he responded to his colleagues' jokes and small talk, he didn't say much more and walked straight to the desk they had been gathered around, picked up the name list from on top, and began flipping through it.
Seeing this, his colleagues all showed wary expressions in unison.
"I see what's going on, Kitahara. You're here to poach people too! But you're too late. We've already divided up the new students. You need to respect the first-come, first-served rule and can't compete with us!" The middle-aged guy was the first to voice his "warning."
"I never would have expected Kitahara-kun, who usually seems completely unmotivated, to be so proactive this semester. It looks like you've also got your eye on Fujimasa March, but..."
The suited man said this with a serious expression, only to be interrupted by the freckled woman.
"Hey, Kitahara-kun! Even if you're considered a senior at our academy, you can't use that seniority to steal people from us!" She was also worried that Kitahara might try to poach.
Kitahara hadn't planned to explain anything, but seeing his colleagues getting a bit too worked up, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"Come on, you guys don't need to be so tense, okay?"
Ignoring the gazes of the three people beside him, he put each reviewed list back on the desk one by one, searching for that particular name in his heart. "True, I have the same idea as you all, wanting to select Uma Musume for my team in advance, but the one I've got my eye on isn't necessarily the same as yours."
"Well, that's what you say, but Fujimasa March is obviously outstanding, so who knows if you..." Again, the middle-aged guy spoke first, but halfway through his sentence, he suddenly froze.
He saw Kitahara casually place a list back on the desk, and after seeing the name clearly written on it, he stared with wide, surprised eyes.
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute, Kitahara. Don't tell me your target isn't 'Fujimasa March'?"
The suited man and freckled woman were also surprised. They too saw the list Kitahara had put back, and the name on that list.
It was indeed "Fujimasa March."
However, Kitahara had looked at this list and set it aside. Anyone could tell he hadn't taken a liking to this "renowned" Uma Musume.
"Hey, Kitahara, what's going on with you? Are you just here to wander around the academy today?"
"And you call yourself a senior! What kind of eye for talent is that? Fujimasa March is such an outstanding Uma Musume, and you don't even think she's worth your time?"
Surprisingly, the colleagues who had originally been afraid of Kitahara stealing their picks were now somewhat dissatisfied, seeing his seemingly indifferent attitude toward the Uma Musume they had their eyes on.
At this moment, Kitahara had already found that name he was looking for in the lists.
"No, it's not a matter of not thinking she's worth it."
With a satisfied smile, he stared at the list in his hands and quietly responded to his colleagues' doubts. "Fujimasa March is an excellent Uma Musume. No matter what happens in the future, her name will definitely resonate throughout Kasamatsu."
"It's just that..."
Smiling, he picked up the list and waved it at his three colleagues. "My appetite is pretty big. Kasamatsu alone won't satisfy me."
"I don't just want Kasamatsu. I want to conquer the entire world."
"Since you all don't value this one, well then, she's mine."
On the list Kitahara was waving, written in pencil, was a line of text that appeared light gray and unremarkable.
"Oguri Cap."