Some time had passed since Sirius was established, and during this time, Zero had a rare fulfilling life.
From organizing the team members' information to adjusting their status, and writing training reports, although some things were troublesome, Zero never tired of them.
Haru Urara's adaptability to turf was also getting better and better. Next was the adjustment of her running style and distance aptitudes, but for now, she could participate in short-mile turf races.
McQueen had told her some time ago that she always felt an indescribable stir in her heart. If nothing unexpected happened... her full-fledged awakening was also approaching. She could apply for her debut next year.
And Rice Shower's training was also very stable, without any major problems. Recently, the main focus was still on training her strength and speed. Endurance could temporarily be a byproduct of strength and speed training and did not need to be specifically trained.
"Very good, just continue to develop according to this situation for now." After finishing the training plan, Zero stretched.
Although it was a second team, it was still a team, and the academy had even provided her with a dedicated team lounge.
Then she directly discussed with Chairman and decided to use her own home as both a training ground and a lounge.
Thanks to it not being too far from the school, Chairman deliberated for a while before Ms. Hayakawa gave the final approval.
Stable development, this was Zero's favorite state of affairs.
After all, rapid progress always came with risks. If possible, Zero hoped that the Uma Musume in her team would not casually put themselves at risk, especially during races.
Of course, she also understood that for an Uma Musume, nothing was more important than running. Therefore, if there was an opportunity in a race, they would definitely try their best, even Haru Urara would do so.
Everyone could see that Haru Urara's love for running was greater than her desire for victory, yet even so, Zero could still see her hidden desire not to lose.
Yes, it wasn't about wanting to win, but about not wanting to lose.
At the same time, her will was as strong as steel. Although she didn't know why such a cheerful child would have such a strong will, for Zero, it didn't matter.
Since Haru Urara wanted to, as her Trainer and good friend, Zero only needed to support her and provide help and guidance.
The Kisaragi Sho was also approaching. Special Week's current strength was at a level where she could easily dominate, so there was no need to worry. As long as this child didn't arrive late or impulsively charge into the crowd. Although Special Week's strength was indeed good, obstacles in a race could not be solved by strength alone.
Speaking of which, the weather had been a bit bad recently. If it continued, Special Week might have to face poor track conditions. However, she herself had excellent adaptability to bad road conditions, so it should be fine.
There was still some time until noon, so she might as well go for a run. She couldn't neglect her own training.
After changing into her swimsuit, Zero walked to her home swimming pool. Today's training was endurance, and swimming, especially the dog paddle, although not elegant, was very effective for endurance training.
Everyone, remember to do some stretching before swimming! Although in the game, they fail training due to cramps, in reality, even in a swimming pool, cramps can be life-threatening if rescue is not timely.
After warming up, Zero was about to get into the water when a sudden phone call almost made her, startled, fall directly into the water.
After barely stabilizing herself with excellent balance, Zero went to check her phone, which was placed nearby. It was a call from Emperor.
Oh no, Symboli Rudolf, I'll remember this grudge for almost making me fall!
"Hello, what's up?"
"Emmmm, it's a bit hard to explain. Please come to the Student Council Room."
Emperor's tone was a bit strange, as if she had something difficult to say.
What's going on? This feeling, like a teacher calling you to school after your child made a mistake... It must be a misconception, right?
You know, the children in her team were all as reassuring as angels!
However, when Zero arrived at the Student Council Room, besides Emperor and Air Groove, she saw Oguri Cap and Special Week.
"What happened?" Her heart sank, and Zero felt a bad premonition.
"You don't need to be too nervous. I mainly wanted to tell you..." Emperor sighed and continued.
"Because a large part of the academy's budget this year was taken by Chairman to prepare for the URA Series, and she even paid some out of her own pocket to supplement it. Yet, despite all this, the budget is severely insufficient."
"So... I plan to reduce the food supply in the cafeteria. You two (Special Week and Oguri Cap), as the two biggest consumers of food, do you have anything to say..." Before she could finish, Emperor saw the expressions on their faces, as if the sky had fallen.
"No... no way..." Oguri Cap, who usually didn't show much emotion, was now stammering, her face turning gray, as if she had lost the meaning of life.
"Pres... President... You must just be joking, right?" Special Week's eyes were welling up with tears. If Emperor shook her head, she looked like she would burst into tears the next second.
Seeing their reactions, Emperor felt a headache and heartache. As Student Council President, would her care for Uma Musume be any less?
It was she who proposed unlimited food supply in the cafeteria. However, the current situation was really bad, especially with many activities coming up. Funds really had to be saved wherever possible, and it was only for this year... But seeing the zombified Oguri Cap and the teary-eyed Special Week, she couldn't bring herself to be firm. If it were her old self, she might have announced this without question, but now... Air Groove next to her still had a serious expression. Sometimes Zero really wondered how Air Groove managed to maintain that look. And now, Emperor's expression, as she rubbed her temples with a headache, was really interesting, as if a great revenge had been exacted.
In short, she would cross one grudge off her list.
Of course, only one grudge, no more! No way to cross off more!
But then again, what was her purpose in calling her over?
After agonizing for a while longer, Emperor made a decision.
"You two go back. The cafeteria will continue to have unlimited supply!"
"Yay!"
"Oh! President is generous!"
The gloom on their faces immediately vanished, and their happy expressions were like winning a limited-edition carrot hamburger steak in a lottery.
Oh, that carrot hamburger steak was made with a very rare meat and a whole candied carrot. Basically, no Uma Musume could refuse it.
After sending the two away, Emperor sighed, looking exhausted.
And Zero naturally wouldn't give her time to rest. She immediately began to inquire.
"So, why did you call me over?"
"Ha... I knew it..." Shaking her head, Emperor's expression was unexpectedly tired, which showed how much she had worried about the budget these past few days.
"President is tired, I'll explain it to you." Air Groove, seeing Emperor's state, put down her freshly iced coffee and prepared to explain...
"No, Air Groove, let me do it." After drinking a cup of iced coffee, Emperor also perked up.
"As you just saw, the academy's budget is truly insufficient. So, I plan to rent your venue in the school's name."
"My venue?"
"Yes, the one at your house. Although it can't accommodate the entire school's number as a training ground, it should be fine to have a few more teams there, right?"
"Emmmm, alright, is that your plan?"
"That's right. I plan to have Rigil and some Trainers who haven't formed teams but are only bringing one Uma Musume to train at your place."
No wonder this guy called her over. So that was her intention.
However... having several teams train together would be a good thing for the Uma Musume. Moreover, she owed both the school and Emperor a lot, so there was no reason to refuse.
"Alright, but I hope there won't be any troublesome individuals." She was naturally referring to some bad Trainers.
"Don't worry, troublesome individuals can't even get through Tracen's door." Emperor vowed confidently.
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