Let's rewind to when Nearl was still training in peace.
"What?! Are you serious?!"
One day, Kitahara Jo suddenly received a phone call that made his face turn pale. He stood up and confirmed the contents of the call several times.
"I see..."
"The situation is terrible. It's actually this bad already? Damn it!"
After hanging up, Kitahara threw a furious punch into the air, venting his frustration.
"This is trouble. Although I anticipated this kind of situation, it's all happening too fast." He put down his phone, clasped his hands behind his back, and began pacing around his office.
"Avoiding her... Damn it, it's hard to prevent in this situation. But Nearl's only ran two races. For this to happen so early?"
"Should we tell Nearl to hold back a little?"
The thought flashed through Kitahara's mind, but he dismissed it just as quickly.
'What am I thinking? Running is in an Uma Musume's blood. How could there be any sense in deliberately holding back just to win? Besides, there's no way Nearl would suppress herself just to avoid being avoided.'
"Sigh, I guess discussing it with Nearl is the best option after all?"
He glanced at the race entry form on his desk and let out a helpless sigh.
Meanwhile, Nearl was outside, going through her daily training.
Though her 'daily' routine was perhaps a bit different from everyone else's.
"Nearl-senpai, maybe you should take a break."
Everlamp, watching Nearl who had already been training for two or three hours, tried to dissuade with a hint of fear. This was her first time training with Nearl.
She had originally hoped to get a sense of Nearl's daily life to better inform her future support work, but the scene before her had completely surpassed her understanding.
"Um, Mr. Rope can't take much more either. It's been groaning for a long time," Everlamp said hesitantly, pointing at the rope tied around Nearl. In her eyes, the taut rope was just one small step away from snapping.
"It's fine. I'm very familiar with this brand of rope. I have a good sense of its limits," Nearl reassured the anxious dapple-gray Uma Musume, never stopping the movement of her feet.
Hearing Nearl's steady reply, Everlamp felt somewhat relieved.
"So, Senpai, the reason you like using this brand so much is because its quality is especially good? Good enough to handle this much pulling force?"
"No, not at all. Who said it was good quality?" Nearl turned her head and asked, puzzled, causing Everlamp's train of thought to derail instantly.
"Huh? But what you just said about knowing its limits meant...?"
"Of course I meant the point at which it's going to break. For example, right now, I can feel it's about to snap."
"Senpai!"
Everlamp cried out in fear, tightly covering her ears.
SNAP!
A dull, heart-shuddering CRACK rang out, strong enough to send faint vibrations through the ground.
The sound even carried across the vast training field, reaching the teachers in the school building. It was like a clap of thunder on a stormy day.
Yet, neither the teachers nor the other students training nearby seemed fazed. At most, they glanced in Nearl's direction before going back to their own business.
"Looks like Nearl broke another rope."
"Isn't that normal? Pulling two giant tires stacked together... even oxen plowing fields don't work that hard."
"I'm so jealous of that stamina and strength. Speaking of which, Nearl doesn't eat that much more than me daily. How does she maintain that physique?"
Only such matter-of-fact comments occasionally surfaced.
"Ahhh~ I can't, that was so loud..." Everlamp lowered her hands from her ears, her face a mask of pain. Seeing the culprit approach made it even worse.
"Senpai! Why would you use it expecting it to break? I thought you meant its quality was good!"
"How could that be? This is the weight of two giant tires. No rope could possibly hold up under that." Nearl comfortingly patted Everlamp's head, then began unwinding the rope from her body. "This brand is cheap, and the quality is passable. The only issue is the noise it makes when it breaks, but considering its advantages, I find it tolerable."
"I don't think it's the rope's problem. I think it's just that you're way too overpowered, Senpai." Everlamp pouted as she stepped forward to help Nearl clean up the rope fragments.
"Ow! It's hot! Why is this rope so hot?" She tossed the broken rope away with a look of disgust. A pile of similar debris had already accumulated nearby.
With Everlamp's help, Nearl quickly tidied up and then stood once again before the tires.
"Alright, next is flipping the tires. How many sets this time—"
"Nearl!"
Just as Nearl was about to begin, the familiar voice of Kitahara Jo called out from a distance, accompanied by his hurried footsteps. And that alone gave Nearl a sinking feeling.
She knew her trainer reasonably well.
While he seemed to be studying hard every day now, at his core he was an easy-going person, a trait evident in all aspects of his life.
He'd cut corners if he could, never went out of his way to enthusiastically help others, and had a generally relaxed, unhurried attitude towards life. So his current demeanor was unusual, and it put Nearl on alert.
"Trainer, what brings you to see me?" Pausing her training plans for the moment, Nearl walked towards Kitahara.
"Sorry, Nearl, but I can't make this decision alone. I need your input." Once he was close, Kitahara rubbed the back of his head anxiously, seemingly at a loss for how to begin.
"Just say it, Trainer. Let's figure it out together." In contrast, Nearl's expression was perfectly calm, her composure offering Kitahara some reassurance.
"Then I'll be direct, Nearl. There's a problem with your entry for the Kasamatsu Year-End Prize. A large number of Uma Musume, upon learning you're participating, have chosen to avoid the race."
"Right now, including you, there are fewer than five Uma Musume left who haven't withdrawn."
The cold words stated a cold, hard fact, freezing the expression on Everlamp's face.
"How can that be? It's the year-end celebration race for Kasamatsu! Only five participants?"
"It might end up being fewer than five." Kitahara shook his head with a bitter smile. "For all we know, more might be dropping out as we speak."
"..."
Everlamp fell silent, unable to process this reality. Putting herself in that situation, she could only feel a chilling cold spreading from the soles of her feet.
If even the opportunity to race is taken away, what is left for a Uma Musume?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.