The day after Rice's victory at the Arima Kinen.
Yesterday, after the victory live and the winner's interview, I had to calm down Rice, who was still bubbling with excitement. She was so high-spirited that she hugged me with an energy far beyond her usual, so I ended up lifting her up high with Urara. But since she still couldn't settle down, I just listened to her joyous chatter. Eventually, assuming she must be tired, I sent her back to the dorm.
I really wanted to throw a victory party for her, but my priority was to let her rest. At the same time, I told her to contact me immediately if she felt any discomfort in her legs or body, no matter if it was the middle of the night or early morning. I promised to be there right away.
The long sprint Rice showed at the end of the Arima Kinen was magnificent, even in hindsight, but it was not her usual way of running. A little muscle soreness after a good night's rest was acceptable, but if there was any sign of injury to her tendons, joints, or bones, I was ready to take her to the hospital immediately. I even thought a severe injury might require hospitalization.
"Are you really not in pain anywhere?"
"Oh, come on... it's true, Trainer-san. Rice isn't in pain anywhere."
After a full night's sleep, she seemed to have recovered. The next day, she was smiling as usual.
Perhaps her win at the Arima Kinen and the victory live afterwards had helped her let go of everything that had been bothering her. If so, that would be great. But Rice was surprisingly patient and could be hiding her pain.
"I'll know even if you try to hide it, you know? You can't fool me when I check by palpation."
I admit I'm a worrier. If Rice says she's not in pain and feels no discomfort, I should believe her. But the excitement from yesterday could be dulling the pain, or the pain could surface in a few days.
I wasn't going to have her train today. It was supposed to be a day off to celebrate her victory, so Rice was in her casual clothes.
Urara hadn't arrived yet. She had been just as, if not more, excited than Rice last night and had slept in. When I called her phone, King Halo, her roommate, answered and said, "Urara-san is still sleeping, but...?" The feeling of despair I got from that was something else. Apparently, King Halo had been listening to Urara excitedly retell the story of "Rice-chan was amazing!" and "She won the Arima Kinen!" over and over again until Urara finally fell asleep. She told me this with a wry smile, but even over the phone, I could tell she didn't mind. Was she Urara's older sister or her mother?
There was no problem with Urara sleeping in, since it was a day off. I just wanted to go to the shopping district to buy ingredients for Rice's celebration. I'm a bit of a penny-pincher, and with Urara, the greengrocers and other shop owners give good discounts, so I wanted to bring her along if possible.
Hearing my comments, Rice gave a faint smile.
"Hehe... then, do you want to check? If it makes you feel better, Trainer-san, you can check me as much as you want."
Huh? What was that look? Her demeanor has been a little strange since she won yesterday, hasn't it?
As Rice giggled and made her suggestion, I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit awkward.
"Ah, well... Urara seems to be taking her time, so how about we just go to the shopping district, just the two of us?"
"Okay... Urara-chan was so happy for me... I'm so glad."
As I started to walk, Rice smiled, genuinely happy. She came up to walk beside me, then looked up at my face as if to say something.
"Um, Trainer-san, Rice... Rice wants to call you, b-bro..."
"Huh?"
What? What did she say? Bro...? Brother?! Was the training so hard she wanted to call me a demon trainer? Or was the Arima Kinen strategy that brutal?!
"N-no, it's nothing! Let's just go to the shopping district, okay?"
"Ah, okay..."
For some reason, Rice looked down, embarrassed, and I was secretly shocked.
After confirming Rice's walk seemed fine, I took her to the shopping district. I planned to buy ingredients to make a celebratory carrot hamburger steak, which was Rice's request.
"Oh, it's Rice-chan!"
"Rice-chan, congratulations on yesterday."
"Winning the Arima Kinen, how amazing!"
As soon as we arrived, the shopkeepers came over. They surrounded Rice and showered her with congratulations.
"Ehehe... Rice did her best."
Rice bashfully smiled, happy from their sincere blessings. She had won the Arima Kinen, so she had every right to be more confident, but her modest smile was just her nature.
If she had said, "I won the Arima Kinen! Bow down, you peasants!", I would have immediately taken her to the hospital. If a post-race side effect was something like that, I wouldn't know what to do.
"Hey, Trainer, isn't Urara-chan with you today?"
"Hello. No, Urara was up late talking to her roommate about Rice's run yesterday... so she was still sleeping. I figured I'd get the shopping done first."
"Haha, that's so Urara-chan. This is a celebration for Rice-chan winning the Arima Kinen. I'll give you a discount, so buy lots!"
Even with a discount, buying a lot would still add up. But I didn't want to be a cheapskate for a celebration.
(Both Urara and Rice eat a lot, so if I pay for it all myself, it's going to be tough... If I had a team, I could use the budget... Oh well. I got my winter bonus anyway... Huh? I feel like I'm forgetting something...)
A question crossed my mind for a moment, but I decided it was nothing important.
If I had formed a team, the school would have allocated funds for team activities, but you generally need five or more members to be recognized as a team, so it wasn't an option. There were a few teams like Team Canopus that were recognized with fewer than five members, but Team Canopus was at the very top of Tracen Academy's hierarchy.
The fact that two of their members competed in the last Arima Kinen showed that while they might be below Team Rigil and Team Spica, they were still one of the best teams in the school—in the top ten, even.
Besides, I didn't think I could handle more than five Uma Musume anyway. I was already swamped with just Urara and Rice. With the Arima Kinen over, things were settling down for Rice, but in the new year, Urara would be in the Classic class, and Rice would be in the Senior class, and they would be competing in all sorts of races.
(Every time I think about teams, I remember Trainer Tojo is a monster, no offense... Not only does he have a lot of members, but he wins with all of them.)
When the number of Uma Musume you're in charge of increases, the amount of time you can spend with each of them decreases. In my case, Rice was already a pretty complete Uma Musume, and since my focus was on injury prevention rather than training, it wasn't too difficult. For now, at least.
(Rice's muscle balance is slowly getting better, so from now on, I have to think about training that will help her grow, not just take care of her... I can't neglect Urara either, and I have to research and study our opponents... It's exciting, but I might just turn into ash from the effort...)
Even if I'd gathered and analyzed all the information once, our opponents were also growing. If I didn't continuously gather information, I could get blindsided when I least expect it.
As I watched Rice being blessed by the people in the shopping district, I was lost in thought.
"B-bro... Trainer-san, are you really okay?"
On the way back from shopping, Rice, who was carrying a heavier load than me, asked me that. She had been on the verge of saying something earlier. What was she trying to say? It sounded like "Demon Trainer-san."
"I'm fine... Rice, you're carrying a heavier load. Should I take some of that?"
Meat, vegetables, rice, seasonings. The shopkeepers were so generous with their discounts that I ended up buying a lot, and the distance to Tracen Academy was a decent walk, so my arms were starting to hurt. But I couldn't let Rice carry everything, so I was struggling along with a 10kg bag of rice.
"By the way, Rice, have you been trying to say something? If there's something you want to say, I'm here to listen."
I was confident that if she said, "I actually hated your training, Trainer-san...", I would drop the bag of rice and collapse right there. But judging by her expression, I didn't think it was something like that. I wanted to believe that we were almost of one mind, or at least our hearts were in sync.
But even with that confidence, I had no idea what she was trying to say today. She was a girl who wasn't very assertive about herself outside of races, but today, she kept trying to say something, then looking away shyly.
Was it something difficult to say? I had checked myself in the mirror before meeting her, and there was nothing strange. If she told me my face was weird, I would cry later.
As we walked, I saw Urara running toward us. Dressed in her usual overalls, she saw us and broke into a full sprint.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm so sorry, Trainer! Rice-chan! I overslept! I was up late telling King-chan how amazing Rice-chan was!"
Urara slammed on the brakes in front of us and started bouncing up and down. Oversleeping wasn't a good thing, but I just thought, "Well, that's Urara for you." I wasn't going to get mad, but Rice was so happy to hear what Urara said that she was smiling with all her heart.
"Yesterday's race was amazing, after all... I told you it was a day off, so it's fine. Are you hungry yet? It'll be lunchtime in about an hour, can you hold out until then?"
"I ate some carrots already! So I'm okay!"
I wondered if that was really okay, but I just went back to Tracen Academy with Urara and Rice. We borrowed the kitchen, and I immediately started making the carrot hamburger steaks.
"Hi there. It's Mikawaya."
"Oh, Sub-cha... wait, why'd you make me say that, Gold-chan. Huh? What's with the getup?"
The kitchen door slid open, and for some reason, Gold Ship appeared. It wasn't strange for someone to come into the kitchen, which was open to everyone, but Gold Ship's outfit was. She was wearing a sturdy long-sleeved shirt and pants, with a life jacket on top. She had a huge cooler box on her shoulder and a fishing rod on her back. She also wore a hat that said "Great Catch" and sunglasses. Seriously, what was with her outfit?
"Hey, Rice. Congrats on yesterday. Gold-chan brought you a present!"
Ignoring my question, Gold Ship called out to Rice and put the cooler box on the counter with a heavy thud, so it must have been full.
"G-Gold Ship-san... thank you. Rice won the Arima Kinen, you know?"
"Yeah, I saw it, I saw it. That was a great long sprint. Well, you'd still lose to me, though."
"...Rice wouldn't lose even if it were you, Gold Ship-san."
"Don't be a fool. Gold-chan is amazing when I'm motivated, you know? When I'm not, I don't even want to leave the gate."
I wondered what kind of Uma Musume she was. Gold Ship, who had entered the kitchen as if she owned it, spoke to Rice in a friendly manner.
Well, I guess they must be friends, even if I didn't know it. Gold Ship also showed up during the mock race, so she must be close to Rice.
"The victory live was pretty good, too. Was it fun?"
"...Yeah. It was the best."
"Good, glad to hear it. So, here, a celebratory sea bream."
As she spoke, Gold Ship took out two sea bream from the cooler box. One was about 20 centimeters, but the other was over 30.
"You eat it on happy occasions, so it's a happy... fish... Heh, maybe I should try saying this to the student council president."
"Stop it... I think you'll cause trouble for people other than the student council president..."
I'd never met her, but the student council president of Tracen Academy was Symboli Rudolf, wasn't she? If she heard a pun like that, she'd probably get angry, and everyone around her would have to try to calm her down. It would be a mess.
"But that's a fine sea bream... Did you catch it this morning?"
"Can't you tell?"
When I asked, Gold Ship gave me a smug look. First the microphone broadcasting, now fishing. She was a very talented Uma Musume.
"I bought it at Tsukiji."
"How was I supposed to know?!"
If you put a fish in a cooler box, I'm going to assume you caught it. And you were carrying a fishing rod, too...
While I was reacting, Gold Ship took a carrot out of the cooler box for some reason.
"This one I caught. I just caught it, so it's super fresh."
"It looks exactly like a carrot, though?"
Even if there are Uma Musume in this world, there's no way you can catch a carrot in the ocean.
"It's a carrot trevally. Don't you know?"
"No, I don't..."
This Uma Musume was too free-spirited. But she had come to celebrate Rice, so I couldn't kick her out. What a dilemma.
While I was dumbfounded, Gold Ship put on an apron with practiced ease and started preparing the sea bream. The fish had already been prepared, so she just sprinkled some salt on the smaller one and put it in the oven. Urara was watching Gold Ship with great interest, her tail wagging excitedly.
"By the way, Gold-chan, I appreciate you coming to celebrate with Rice, but what about your team? Don't you have training?"
When I asked this, Gold Ship took out a sashimi knife from who-knows-where and started filleting the bigger sea bream. Where did she even get that knife?
"It's my own personal day off. I went to Rice's victory live yesterday, and Teio got all sulky. I was just trying to cheer for Rice to light a fire under Teio's butt since she had such a lame race. So I figured I'd wander around until things cool down a bit."
She said this while filleting the sea bream. I was impressed by her skill, but I was more concerned about what she was saying.
"...What happened to Tokai Teio?"
"Huh? Nothing... She just lost her goal since she couldn't get the Triple Crown because of her injury, she's no longer undefeated, and my Macqueen is also hurt. Motivation is important, you know."
You can't just say "nothing happened"... I looked at Rice to see if she was worried, but she was nodding in understanding.
"S-so that's why Teio-san was like that... She wasn't scary at all."
"Even if she was super motivated, I don't think she would have beaten you, Rice. If Teio was fine, you would have marked her, wouldn't you?"
"She saw right through me... Well, you're right. Even if Tokai Teio was fine and full of motivation, my Rice would have won."
When I said this with pride, Gold Ship gave a wry smile for some reason.
"Yeah, yeah, get a room. Anyway, yesterday's performance by Rice seemed to have an effect. Teio looked a little better, so I brought the sea bream as a thank you. She's sulking now, but she'll probably bounce back soon."
Gold Ship laughed. She seemed so carefree, but she must care for her friends and teammates after all.
"Here, live sashimi."
"You just casually did something amazing, Gold-chan."
I was in the middle of thinking what a heartwarming story it was when I saw a plate with beautiful sea bream sashimi. Not just the fish, but slices of carrots were also arranged on the plate.
"Alright, I'm heading out now. Rice, congrats again. And Urara, don't open the oven yet. The timer will go off when it's ready to eat."
Gold Ship seemed satisfied after saying what she wanted to say and started putting away her cooking utensils. I didn't know what to say, but I sighed and spoke.
"Thank you, Gold-chan. Also, could you tell Tokai Teio to not push herself too hard and to be careful of injuries?"
"Got it. I'll tell her Rice's Trainer-bro said that even if she gets back on her feet, she won't be able to beat his Rice."
"I didn't say that! Well, my Rice would win, but still!"
When I yelled that, Gold Ship just laughed and walked away. She really was too free-spirited. But I think she was genuinely happy for Rice... Yeah, probably.
I put the sea bream sashimi in the fridge for now and started preparing the carrot hamburger steaks for Urara and Rice.
The celebration for Rice's Arima Kinen victory went smoothly. Rice cried tears of joy from being celebrated again, but that wasn't a bad thing at all.
By the way, the salt-crusted sea bream and the sashimi Gold Ship made were unbelievably delicious. It gave me a strange sense of defeat, but that's a secret.
"So, a win at the Arima Kinen... It's all over the news, and after a night has passed, it's finally starting to feel real."
As someone who eats less than Urara and Rice, I finished my meal early and looked up articles about the Arima Kinen. There were photos of Rice crossing the finish line, giving a peace sign to the crowd, pictures from the victory live, and a photo of her and me together during the interview.
Yeah, seeing it as news like this, it finally hit me that Rice had won the Arima Kinen.
She was probably already being watched by other trainers and Uma Musume after winning the Kikuka Sho, but winning the Arima Kinen would make that a thousand times more intense.
Even so, as I told Gold Ship, I believe Rice can win. And I'll be there to support her. That's all.
With that thought, I felt that just a meal wasn't enough to celebrate Rice's victory. It was her second G1 win, after all. Maybe I should have gotten her a present.
"Rice, is there anything you want to celebrate your Arima Kinen victory?"
When I asked this, Rice's eyes widened, and then for a moment, they seemed to light up—no, maybe I was just seeing things. A visual illusion. Yeah.
"I-I don't really want anything... but, there is something I want to ask you for."
Rice's cheeks were flushed, and she was fidgeting with her fingers. I tilted my head, wondering what she wanted to ask, and replied.
"Anything, as long as I can do it. What do you want to ask for?"
I felt like a belated Santa Claus. Hehe, Santa the Trainer will grant any wish.
As I was thinking that, Rice's eyes twinkled, and she said,
"T-then, I want to call you... my big brother..."
"....?"
Big brother? Huh? Big brother why? Did Gold Ship's "Trainer-bro" comment strike a chord? And your wish is just to change what you call me? Are you really okay with that? Isn't that a little too selfless?
While I was completely bugging out, Urara, who was happily eating her carrot hamburger steak, almost spat it out in surprise.
"What?! Trainer, you were Rice-chan's big brother?! I didn't know!"
"There's no such fact that would make my parents' relationship a living hell... right?"
Should I ask my mom or dad later? Do I have an Uma Musume sister I never knew about? If I ask, "I have an Uma Musume claiming to be my sister," would it... yeah, it would definitely be a living hell.
I was confused, Urara was munching on her hamburger steak, and Rice was fidgeting.
I was at a loss for how to respond, but I noticed Rice looking at me with hopeful eyes and just nodded.
"Well... if you really want to call me that, I guess it's fine."
For a moment, the thought, "An incident of a trainer letting his Uma Musume call him 'big brother' has occurred," crossed my mind. But Rice was in high school, and I was still a relatively young, new trainer, so it was probably okay age-wise.
But for Rice, this was a genuine wish.
"Then I'll call you that... my big brother!"
She said it with a smile that was so happy it surprised me.
After the celebration and cleanup, I decided to take the rest of the day off and went home. When I got there, my phone vibrated, so I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen.
"...Huh? An email from Ms. Hayakawa?"
An email instead of a phone call was unusual. I opened it, thinking it must be something important since she was using a communication method that leaves a record.
I opened the email and my eyes widened at the subject line.
—Regarding team formation.
I received an email asking me to go to the Director's Office as soon as I got to work tomorrow.
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