Ines Fujin showed up the next morning as promised, arriving early in athletic wear.
Ines Fujin even lined up with Seiun Sky and the others like she'd been there the whole time.
"Hey, Trainer, is this a new member?" Seiun Sky's voice carried an edge of displeasure.
"No, Ines Fujin is also a training partner. But Ines..." Hayato looked at her, already positioned and ready to receive training. "Didn't I say to come in the afternoon?"
"Eh, really?" Ines Fujin blinked, genuinely surprised. Then she shrugged it off with practiced ease. "It's fine. I'd be sitting around doing nothing anyway."
Since she put it that way, Hayato couldn't really argue. Her current job was helping King Halo awaken several breakthrough and positioning skills anyway. It wasn't urgent yet.
Seeing Ines Fujin looking so energetic made him feel better about the whole thing.
She smiled slightly, her expression turning a bit sheepish. "Hehe, salary aside, can Trainer Hayato teach me the great escape?"
"Don't you already know how to run as a front-runner?"
"I know, but there's still a difference. The rhythm distribution isn't the same, so I really want to learn from you."
The way she said it made her real goal obvious. Learning the great escape was the biggest reason she'd come here in the first place.
"You've already retired, though, right?"
"Even though I've retired, I can still participate in the Dream Cup. I've already registered for it. I want to try." Her honesty was almost disarming.
Plenty of Uma Musume chose to retire at their peak just for the Dream Cup. Participation required fan votes, it had nothing to do with actual ability.
"Seiun, since you're so diligent, work a bit harder today."
"Huh?"
Training started up like normal after that.
The day Hayato promised to Haru Urara has arrived.
Haru Urara entered the venue radiating pure confidence. The moment she spotted Hayato, she started jumping excitedly, waving her arms with enough energy.
"Great! The escape runner trainer really came to watch Urara's race!"
"This race I can definitely win! With the escape runner trainer's expectant face and Sei-chan's great escape secret technique, there's no way I can lose!"
Haru Urara was already getting herself worked up, practically vibrating with excitement.
The problem was this race: 1600 meters on turf.
Duh....
She hadn't listened to a single word Hayato said that day at the tea party.
"Alright! I'm really looking forward to Haru-chan's race." Seiun Sky appeared beside him, sounding way too cheerful.
"Sei-chan, you didn't go watch King Halo's race either?"
"Huh? It's fine to miss one race occasionally. Relax, Trainer. Nothing bad will happen." Seiun Sky waved it off like it was nothing, mostly because no matter how big the problem got, her trainer would handle it anyway.
Hayato wasn't nearly as relaxed as she was. He was already planning to rush over to Nakayama with everything he had the moment Urara's race finished.
He'd already worked out his excuse, nature calls, sometimes you just couldn't avoid the bathroom.
'If I couldn't watch King Halo's actual race, at least I had to catch the winner's stage, right?'
He'd checked King Halo's stats earlier. They were more than enough to handle the Uma Musume in the Spring Stakes. Hayato already knew the result without even watching.
"Trainer, Haru-chan's race..."
"Will lose." Hayato didn't hesitate.
"How can you be so certain..."
"One hundred percent will lose, and she'll finish in the last position. Actually, no, I think she should be able to manage second to last." Hayato's face had already shifted into something bitter.
"No way, that can't be possible, right? Is Haru-chan really that bad?" Seiun Sky still couldn't wrap her head around it.
"The main reason is that you taught her the great escape. Otherwise, she could actually make the top five." Hayato felt like laughing, but couldn't quite manage it.
How could Urara possibly use the great escape with her stats and her aptitude?
Hayato pulled up her stats in his mind, and the numbers stared back at him like a death sentence.
Haru Urara
Speed: 124
Stamina: 85
Power: 130
Guts: 127
Wits: 123
Track Aptitude: Turf G, Dirt A
Distance Aptitude: Sprint A, Mile B, Medium G, Long G
Running Style Aptitude: Front Runner G, Pace-Chaser G, End-Closer B, Late-Surger A
Each line felt like another nail in the coffin.
Urara's stats weren't actually terrible. If she ran short-distance dirt races and used the closer style, placing in the top spots wouldn't be difficult. Only first place would be challenging. The possibility of winning was maybe ten percent.
The reason?
Stamina too low, explosive power insufficient.
That ten percent chance depended entirely on her learning the late-surger running style properly and successfully breaking through her limits.
Hayato's stomach twisted as he watched Urara bouncing on her toes in the distance, radiating nothing but pure joy and confidence. She had no idea. Absolutely no idea what those numbers meant.
The cruel irony settled in his chest like a stone. Seiun Sky teaching her the great escape trying to help her, had basically sealed her fate. She was about to walk onto that track with a smile on her face and get crushed.
Whether it was the Three Goddesses or all the Uma Musume racing fans out there, they all hoped for the same thing: The miracle of Urara winning a race.
Maybe a miracle really would happen....
Hayato found the selection race staff immediately, moving with purpose.
"Mr. Hayato, we sincerely apologize. Today, we don't have any short-distance dirt races available." The staff member checked their schedule. "However, we do have a 1600-meter dirt race in the final group with only seven uma musume participating. Would you like to switch to that?"
"Switch it." Even if it was just a sliver of possibility, Hayato wasn't going to miss it.
"Um, excuse me, are you Haru Urara's trainer? If not, we can't authorize the switch."
"Yes, I am." Hayato lowered his head slightly, the lie coming easier than he expected. Not yet, but he would be soon.
"Then please sign here." The staff member pulled out the selection race entry list.
After signing, they handed Hayato a number 8 plate. The plastic number felt solid in his hands as he headed toward the field to find Urara.