The day after I became Haru Urara's trainer, I met up with her after classes and we immediately started training.
I had been called into the chairman's and Tazuna's office that morning, and I had no idea what was going on, but I had declared that I would train Haru Urara and left. The two of them seemed to have something they wanted to say, but I wasn't going to let them separate me from the promising Haru Urara. They might have wanted to entrust her to a veteran trainer instead of a rookie like me, but I wanted her, and Haru Urara accepted. I didn't have any trainer's pride as a rookie, but I had no intention of handing over Haru Urara, who had accepted me, to another trainer.
"Alright, let's start training... or I'd like to, but Haru Urara!"
"Yeah! What is it?"
"First, I want you to take a test!"
I, who had changed into a tracksuit, declared this in front of Haru Urara. Haru Urara, also in a tracksuit, tilted her head and drooped her ears.
"A-a test? I'm not good at studying..."
She said, letting her tail droop uncertainly. I smiled wryly and showed her the stopwatch I had prepared.
"It's not a study test. I just want to see how fast you can run."
Uma Musume are all different, with varying aptitudes and abilities.
The races Uma Musume participate in are categorized by distance: short, mile, middle, and long. The required aptitudes and abilities differ greatly depending on the race.
A sprinter is good at short-distance races.
A miler is good at mile races.
A middle-distance runner is good at middle-distance races.
A stayer is good at long-distance races.
There are some all-rounders who can run any distance, but they are very rare.
In addition, each Uma Musume has a running style that they excel at.
Escaping is a style where you take the lead from the start of the race and run to the finish line. There are also different types, like a great escape or a held escape, but we can just call it escaping.
Leading is a style where you stay behind the escaping Uma Musume but in front of the pack, and you take over the lead at the first opportunity.
Stalking is a style where you stay in the middle or slightly behind the pack and accelerate from the final corner to pass the Uma Musume in front.
Chasing is a style where you wait at the back of the pack until the end of the race and pass everyone on the outside in the final straight.
Basically, you choose the style that suits you best from these four and take on the race.
An Uma Musume can show her strength by running her best distance with her best style, but she can also be blocked, marked, or even crashed into by other Uma Musume depending on the situation. The other Uma Musume in the race, the track, and the weather are also important factors, but the most important thing is to know what kind of Uma Musume Haru Urara is. This will determine the future training plan and the races she will participate in.
"...And that's the kind of test I want you to take. It's to find out what kind of Uma Musume you are."
When I explained, Haru Urara looked blank. But then she immediately smiled and started jumping up and down excitedly.
"Whoa... that's amazing! Trainer, you're like a trainer!"
"Well, I am a trainer, right? I have a license, you know?"
It was knowledge that even a casual observer of Uma Musume races would know, but it seemed to be enough to impress Haru Urara. There was a chance she was subtly making fun of me, but looking at her innocent smile, I thought that was impossible.
"So, Haru Urara, I want you to... hmm. After you warm up, I want you to run one of each distance. There are no other Uma Musume, but I want you to run as if it were a real race... What's wrong?"
While I was giving instructions, Haru Urara was staring at me. When I tilted my head, wondering what was wrong, she broke into a wide smile.
"I want you to call me Urara! Is that okay?"
"Hmm... If you don't mind, then I'll call you that. Uh... Urara."
"Yeah! Okay, I'll warm up now!"
Watching Haru Urara—Urara—start warming up, saying "one-two, one-two," I scratched my head.
She seemed to be very friendly, but since it was my first time training an Uma Musume, I didn't know the appropriate distance. I had heard that some trainers call their Uma Musume by their nicknames, but I never thought it would happen to me on my first day. However, after being rejected so many times, I was happy about her closeness.
"Trainer! I'm all set!"
"Alright, then let's start with a short-distance run! It's okay not to push yourself too hard, but run as fast as you can! Run in any style you like, Urara!"
I raised my voice to match Urara's cheerful report that she had finished her warm-up. Urara was so enthusiastic. As her trainer, I couldn't be gloomy.
"Okay! I'll do my best!"
"That's the spirit! Are you ready? Then... on your marks, get set, go!"
I excitedly pressed the stopwatch button. At the same time, Urara dashed off and started running on the course.
The first run was a 1,200-meter short-distance race on the turf. Since Tracen Academy had many Uma Musume, there were many practice courses, and we were using one of them for the time trial.
(I just started training, and it's not a real race. I should aim for about 13 seconds per furlong... No, maybe cutting 14 seconds would be good enough?)
Uma Musume are creatures that can run over 60 km/h, but they can't maintain their top speed from start to finish. Still, it's a world where Uma Musume can easily reach speeds of over 70 km/h and have an average speed of over 60 km/h.
In a real race, a Uma Musume running a short distance would run 200 meters (one furlong) in about 10 to 11 seconds. Running a furlong in 12 seconds is about 60 km/h, and 13 seconds is about 54 km/h, but a short-distance Uma Musume running a furlong in 13 seconds would be very slow.
Still, Urara was just starting her training, so she would get faster and faster. Even if her time was bad, she might just not be a short-distance Uma Musume.
She might not be able to give her all since there was no competition, but it also meant she could get a good time without being blocked by other Uma Musume.
I was thinking about this while watching Urara run and measuring her lap times.
(Her form is all over the place, and she looks tired before even reaching the halfway point. Am I imagining things?)
When I saw Urara run, I couldn't help but think that. I had seen many Uma Musume run at the training school and the racetrack, but Urara's running was clearly amateurish and lacking spirit.
"Hah... hah... Goal!"
And now, Urara had finished the 1,200 meters. She was out of breath, and sweat was dripping from her forehead, but she had a big smile on her face.
"..."
And I tilted my head, looking at the time on the stopwatch. I had told her to run however she liked, but looking at the time, she was fastest right after the start, and her time got slower and slower as she got closer to the finish line.
Based on that, I thought she might have chosen the escaping style, but at Urara's speed, she would be caught by other Uma Musume right after the start and be left behind.
"Hah... hah... That was fun! Trainer! How was it!?"
I handed her a sports drink for Uma Musume and smiled vaguely at Urara, who was running toward me with a happy smile.
"Oh, yeah! Well... what do you think? After a break, we'll do the mile run. Can you do it?"
I couldn't ask her if she had run her best. We had only met for one day, but it didn't look like she was holding back.
"Yeah! Urara is in great shape today! Mile? Bring it on!"
Urara didn't complain and ran happily to the starting position after her break.
"I... I see... in great shape, huh..."
I watched Urara's back and muttered in a low voice.
(Is she not good at short distance? No, even if she's not good at it, she should still get a decent time... So maybe she's good at long distance? She got tired right after starting...)
Training had just begun, but it wasn't uncommon for Uma Musume who could enroll in Tracen Academy to have been fast runners since they were children and undefeated in their hometowns. Even if she would grow a lot from now on, she should have some ability when she enrolled.
I measured her mile time, pondering what was going on.
"..."
And after checking the time, I let Urara rest again and measured her middle-distance time.
"..."
And finally, I measured her long-distance time.
"..."
Each time, my expression got weirder. I didn't know what kind of face I should make in a situation like this. Unlike me, Urara was smiling the whole time.
"Hah... hah... Trainer, how was it?"
Even though we took breaks, she must have been tired from running each distance. Urara asked me while breathing heavily, but I could see a sense of accomplishment in her smile.
"Yeah... right... yeah..."
I muttered meaningless words and nodded for no reason.
(She's still slow... right? Her time is considerably... no, ridiculously slow compared to the average time I learned at the training school...)
I thought I had studied hard at the training school, but based on Urara's time, it was a time that was close to the worst for an Uma Musume, not even average. At this rate, if Urara were tired, a human might even be faster in a 100-meter dash.
As the distance increased, Urara's time per furlong got worse, but that was natural when comparing short and long distances. Even Uma Musume aren't so superhuman that they can maintain the same speed for a long distance.
But in Urara's case, the time was getting so bad that she couldn't even blame it on the distance. In the latter half of the long distance, she was so tired that I couldn't tell if she was running or walking. I even thought I could run faster than her in that state.
Compared to other junior high Uma Musume, Urara's ability was quite inferior. I was even concerned that she might be inferior to a local Uma Musume.
(Did Tracen Academy really allow her to enroll with this level of ability? But it doesn't look like she's holding back... She's smiling, but she's covered in sweat and breathing heavily... So, this is her full effort?)
I only had her run each distance once, but for now, she was only suited for short distances—to be precise, she could only last for a short distance. And even then, she was exhausted by the middle of the race, so "short distance" was just the best option. In a real race, it would be difficult for her to perform as she did in practice, so she might get exhausted even earlier.
(Her suitable distance is short. And her running style... chasing to conserve energy? No, that's impossible. With Urara's legs, she might just pass the finish line while still at the back of the pack... And if she escapes, she'll run out of energy midway... So, that leaves stalking.)
It depended on how Urara would grow with training, but stalking seemed to be the safest bet.
First, I had to fix her running form, improve her stamina, increase her top speed, and teach her how to run depending on the race. Could I train her to a level where she could run other distances or choose a different style?
(What else... Is there anything else? What could be her strength...?)
She had so many weaknesses that even an average-level skill for other Uma Musume would become a strength for Urara.
(There must be something... Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen the name Haru Urara so many times in my previous life. Maybe she just can't win at first, and she'll get incredibly strong later? A late bloomer?)
If that were the case, it would explain why Urara was slow and lacked stamina before training. But if so, my training skills from now on would determine Urara's future.
"...Urara, how was it, running all those distances?"
I stopped analyzing Urara and asked for her thoughts. Urara, who was drinking water, smiled as if a flower had bloomed and said contentedly.
"It was so much fun! Running is so fun!"
"Fun... huh."
This applies to all Uma Musume, but they are born to run and live to run. Running a racetrack even a little faster than other Uma Musume is their reason for being and their way of life. I've heard there are some Uma Musume who are interested in things other than running, but for them, running is close to a human's three basic needs.
And yet, Urara, who seemed to be enjoying running from the bottom of her heart, might fall and lose her smile depending on my training.
"..."
I shivered quietly without saying a word, making sure Urara didn't notice.
I knew from my knowledge that a trainer holds an Uma Musume's future in their hands, but I foolishly felt it strongly at this moment.
Thinking about it, I could understand why the Uma Musume in the mock races hadn't even given me a second thought. They must have judged that they couldn't entrust their future to me, even before considering that I was a rookie trainer.
"Trainer, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Are you okay?"
Noticing my state, Urara's smile disappeared, and she looked at me worriedly. I immediately put on a faint smile and shook my head to show her I was fine.
"No... I'm okay. Let's run on the dirt track after your break."
"Dirt?"
"Yeah, dirt. Not the grass course, but the one over there... see? The one with the sandy ground? We'll run there."
When I explained to Urara, she smiled again and ran energetically. She had looked so tired just a moment ago, so I was impressed by her recovery.
And after having her run the short, mile, middle, and long distances on the dirt track, I was sure of one thing.
(This girl is incredibly slow on turf, but she's better on dirt... Does she perform better on uneven ground? What's the logic behind running faster on uneven ground than on turf?)
The dirt track is difficult to run on because the sand slows you down. And yet, Urara's time was better on dirt.
Was this something that happened only because she was an Uma Musume, or was it a phenomenon unique to Urara? Even when I had her run the long distance, it seemed she had more stamina on the dirt course than on the turf.
Her turf time was hopelessly slow even in the short distance, but on the dirt course, she could run the short and mile distances.
In other words, Urara was a Uma Musume specialized in dirt and short-distance races.
If she trained her stamina, she might be able to run middle distance or more, but looking at her lap times, her time was clearly getting worse in middle distance and beyond. I should probably stick to mile races at most.
(Avoid turf races and only do dirt ones. I've heard that escaping is better on dirt and stalking is difficult, but her running style is still stalking... I think chasing might work too, but it's better to train with one style first.)
I wrote down my thoughts on the notepad where I had been writing the lap times.
Since it was the first day of training, new problems might arise in the future, but I could at least plan a training schedule for now.
"Hafu... Hey, hey! How was it!?"
As I was writing on my notepad, Urara, who had gotten her breath back, ran up to me. I smiled at her, a genuine smile this time, unlike the ones before.
"You were much faster than on turf! You did great, Urara!"
"Really!? Yay! Yay!"
She wasn't even in a real race, and I was just a rookie trainer praising her, but Urara was overjoyed. Her jumping up and down with her arms raised suited her well because she was so small.
Her turf time was incredibly slow, but her dirt time was at least watchable. It was still quite inferior to other Uma Musume, but I saw a ray of hope in her dirt running.
At the same time, I had a hallucination of the chairman and Tazuna, whom I had declared to train Urara to that morning, smiling sweetly, and I shivered secretly.
—It'll be okay, right? After all, she's Haru Urara...
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