"Rice Shower, go do a few sets of stretches. Dober, switch from sprint drills to jogging. Doto, your rhythm's slowing down. Pick up your feet. Gold Ship! Take off that cow suit right now!"
Fujiwara Chiya's voice rang across the training field.
The moment the girls heard his instructions, they immediately adjusted their training.
"Trainer, this is rather different from the plan," Cesario said, raising a question.
Chiya answered without missing a beat. "Those are only rough training outlines. The details aren't written down, so follow my instructions."
"Yes!"
Cesario nodded, then began loosening up her body.
Beside them, Darley turned her gaze toward Fujiwara Chiya.
"Trainer, did something happen recently?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you suddenly make such major changes to the training plan? None of your instructions were on the schedule. If these were just spur-of-the-moment adjustments, there are far too many of them."
More importantly, Darley had noticed something.
After Chiya's on-the-spot changes, the uma musume's training efficiency had clearly improved. Even their exhausted bodies seemed to recover in a subtle way.
This was not random tinkering.
He obviously knew these adjustments would have a positive effect on them.
The familiar sight made Darley realize something. Her eyes widened slightly.
"Trainer, have you already become a senior-level trainer?"
Being able to grasp an uma musume's physical condition in real time and adjust their training accordingly was something only veteran trainers could do.
While ordinary trainers were still racking their brains over how to modify a training menu, senior trainers could already maximize an uma musume's efficiency based on her condition that day.
But when exactly had Chiya learned to do this?
Darley had been watching Chiya and Shirayuki the whole time.
She had watched them sleep. Bathe. Go on dates. Even sneak into the bathroom to secretly relieve themselves.
She had seen all of it.
And yet she had somehow missed the moment he transformed from an advanced trainer into a senior one.
How on earth had he done it?
At this moment, even a god could not understand the changes happening inside Chiya.
"Senior? No, I'm not senior-level yet."
"Then what is going on with their training? How can you make real-time changes like that? Aren't you worried you'll destroy the continuity between training items?"
"The continuity is actually just right as it is."
"That is exactly the problem, Trainer."
Darley stared at him with burning eyes, her gaze overflowing with curiosity.
"How exactly did you know?"
"By feel, I guess…"
Fujiwara Chiya scratched his head.
"When I look at them, I get this sensation. Which part of their body is tired. Which part is still in good condition. I adjust the plan based on what their bodies feel like. Just now, I could feel that Rice Shower's calves were getting weak, and Dober's breathing was unstable, so I made temporary adjustments."
As Darley listened, her eyes went round.
"Trainer, that is empathic training."
"Empathic?"
"Yes. I heard about it before. When a trainer understands an uma musume deeply enough, he can feel what she feels. Fatigue, irritation, discomfort, pain. It is as if it is happening to his own body. Trainer, you should understand what I mean, right?"
Of course he understood.
It was just like him and Shirayuki.
Except he and Shirayuki shared all their senses. With the other uma musume, he could only faintly feel their physical condition. The intensity was probably around one-tenth of what he felt from Shirayuki, barely more than a whisper.
But it was still enough for Fujiwara Chiya to notice changes.
"There was a very famous empathic trainer in history," Darley continued. "He could see an uma musume's physical condition at a glance. That person also wrote a very famous book called The Classic of Appraising Uma Musume. Trainer, you should read it when you have time. It also contains medical knowledge about uma musume. I think it would help you a great deal."
"Also, this is not some rare ability. Once a trainer becomes senior-level, most will gain some degree of empathy with their uma musume. However, someone like Trainer Chiya, who relies purely on feeling, is very rare. Your empathic ability may be stronger than anyone else's."
"Hold on. Who said I was relying purely on feeling?"
Fujiwara Chiya immediately looked displeased.
"That was just how I described it. I can see it with my eyes too. Rice Shower's push-off power is clearly weaker than when she started, which means her calves are getting tired. Dober's stride frequency is inconsistent, which means there's a problem with her breathing rhythm."
Fujiwara Chiya could list the same thing for everyone else.
"When I said 'feeling,' I meant I could sympathize with their condition. I didn't mean I was just guessing."
Fujiwara Chiya felt like his ability had been insulted.
He was an advanced trainer, thank you very much.
Spotting these issues was easy for him now. Did she really think he was still the clueless little rookie who didn't know a thing?
That idiot!
That was not what I meant!
Darley silently retorted in her heart.
Empathy could be cultivated after birth. The phrase "one heart, one body" had evolved from that very concept. Once empathy reached a certain depth, it became true unity.
Now, aside from Shirayuki, Chiya could also empathize with other uma musume. That meant Fujiwara Chiya's ability as a trainer had also undergone tremendous growth.
In fact, because of Shirayuki, Fujiwara Chiya had long since experienced this sensation. His sensitivity had already surpassed that of a senior trainer.
This would be an enormous help to his future training.
Thinking this far, Darley began to feel conflicted.
Her original plan had been to train Chiya into a powerful uma musume, unlock his genes, then, after Shirayuki or Mejiro Dober and the others passed their prime, let Chiya return to his hometown and peacefully focus on having children.
To Darley, her requirements for Chiya were not particularly high.
He only needed to keep producing foals.
But if his empathic ability was this strong, then continuing to work as a trainer was not a bad option either. He could help uma musume break through their limits again and again, allowing their genes to evolve further.
However, if that happened, he would not have time to produce foals.
Darley sank into a difficult dilemma.
Which would be better?
Should she make Chiya a stud?
Or let him remain a trainer?
"Hey, Darley… Darley?"
"Huh? What is it, Trainer?"
"Didn't you still have something to ask me?"
"Right. Trainer, I wanted to ask. Do you prefer mating with uma musume, or do you prefer working?"
"What the hell?"
They had just been talking about empathy, and now she had suddenly swerved straight into this?
What was wrong with her brain circuitry?
Also, was that something you could ask your superior?!
Don't think I won't fire you!
"I am simply curious. To Trainer, which is more important, mating or work?"
"You really dared to ask it again! Go. Finish all the paperwork on my desk. If you don't finish it, you're not going home tonight!"
"That is fine, but Trainer should at least answer my question, right?"
"I'll answer your head! Hurry up and go. Otherwise, you can forget about this month's salary!"
Seeing that he had no intention of answering, Darley could only leave in disappointment.
If he chose work, then the number of future descendants might become worrying.
After finally obtaining such high-quality seed, she absolutely had to make good use of it.