The system's voice was not unfamiliar to Terazumi Shinji. Ever since it had arrived the year before, the two of them had communicated often enough.
Even before coming to the world of Uma Musume, Shinji had never found the concept of a system particularly strange. Compared to the conventional cold, mechanical type, this one—which could actually accompany him and converse with him in a foreign world—suited him far better.
Open the beginner gift pack for me.
He said it silently in his heart. At the same time, anticipation welled up inside him, along with the thought that if he had obtained the system a little earlier, perhaps everything would have turned out differently.
He would not have had to exhaust himself studying everything related to being a trainer. He would not have had to carefully cultivate relationships with all those veteran trainers. He could have relied on the system to raise a whole group of powerful horse girls, instead of ending up where he was now—barely managing to keep his trainer qualifications.
But there was no point dwelling on that. Tōjō Hana had once praised him, saying that as a trainer, his professional ability was more than solid. That made Shinji proud, and the joy of hearing it was something that could never have been replaced by achievements gained solely through the system.
[Shinji, you'd better make absolutely sure about this. Are you really setting your Emotional Energy type to Negative Energy?]
I'm sure.
Terazumi Shinji did not hesitate. His entire selection strategy for his chosen horse girl had been built around that premise. If he changed it now, then all of his earlier efforts would have been meaningless.
[…]
The system conveyed its speechless disapproval before finally opening the beginner gift pack.
[Beginner Gift Pack opened:]
[Obtained equipment: Propulsion Horseshoes (Horse Girl Strength +20, Speed +20)]
[Obtained Rune Crest (Noble Bond +1) (Minor Rune: Speed +7, Strength +7, Intelligence +7)]
[Obtained Emotional Energy (Negative Energy): 1000]
[Obtained PT: 360]
[Obtained Attribute Points: 50]
The text scrolling before his eyes came to a stop, and what appeared next was Shinji's status panel.
[Host: Terazumi Shinji
Emotional Energy: 1000
Horse Girl: Offside Trap
PT: 360
Attribute Points: 50
Inventory: Propulsion Horseshoes, Rune Crest]
Although he had spoken with the system many times before, Shinji still did not fully understand all of its functions. But he was in no hurry.
Under the torrential rain, he turned at an intersection and bounded up the steps of Tracen Academy's main academic building three at a time.
The massive eaves blocked the equally massive downpour, and only then did Shinji find the leisure to glance back. Rainwater had pooled on the ground, and every fat raindrop that struck it sent up a splash.
Looking with mild regret at his shoes, now thoroughly soaked through, Shinji decided that once the rain stopped, he would go buy himself a pair of rain boots.
The student council office was on the highest floor of the teaching building. Standing before its doors, Shinji had no idea what kind of wood they were made from, but whatever it was, it shut out all sound completely. He clicked his tongue.
According to the rules set by the student council, if Shinji still failed to recruit a horse girl of his own, he might be demoted to an ordinary teacher for the junior or middle divisions. But that was not the main reason for his dissatisfaction with the student council.
After that horse girl had left without even trying to discuss it with him, it was the student council's principle of "horse girls first" that had truly pushed Shinji into his current predicament.
It was a principle he had once recognized and supported. In the end, however, it had become the weapon that wounded him most deeply, leaving him tossing and turning through countless nights that month, doubting himself.
Back then, he too had been a boy full of ideals.
To let horse girls who lacked natural talent but worked hard enough still stand upon the brightest stage, pouring all their passion into their performance—how romantic that sounded.
And if they could achieve victory on top of that, what a dazzling dream it would be.
But reality and ideals rarely walked the same road.
He had entered the academy with the second-highest score in the trainer professional aptitude exams that year. Out of the countless horse girls before him, he had chosen one who was utterly unremarkable. Mediocre talent—but through the trainer's effort, she had at last managed to dominate graded races. A G3 victory was already enough to make her stand out, and placing in a G2 proved she had the right to go even further.
And yet, when the drunken haze of that beautiful dream finally wore off, what Shinji was left with was only a withdrawal letter.
She wanted to pursue a higher stage. She wanted to follow a famous trainer with greater ability and more resources. Shinji should have understood that. But the moment he caught the faint hint of distrust in his own ability between the lines of that letter, he understood something else as well.
Horse girls were by no means as innocent and kind as they appeared.
Purity itself was simply the point where good and evil met.
His hand closed around the doorknob.
Four years of training. One wasted year. Five years in total, and all he had to show for it was a single G3 title. That record had dragged a once-promising genius down into the dust.
He had no resources. No team to support him. When recruiting, he could offer no guarantees, and there was no way for anyone to place their trust in him.
"You need a horse girl."
"With the situation I'm in now, I might…"
"That is for you to deal with. These are the rules of the student council, and the authority behind them is not to be defied."
Arms folded, sitting upright at the head seat, Symboli Rudolf's face had already gone blurry in Shinji's memory, thanks to how dazed he had been at the time.
From stumbling into the student council office in a haze, to stumbling out in an even deeper haze, those memories made the veins on the back of the hand gripping the doorknob stand out sharply.
[But then I came…]
The voice that sounded in his mind eased the cold severity on Shinji's face by a fraction. Then he pressed the handle down lightly.
"After Suzuka joined Spica, her strength really transformed."
Air Groove's voice reached his ears first.
Shinji disliked her voice. There was always a thorn in it. More than something meant to protect herself, it felt born to wound others, always stabbing straight at their sore spots.
"And as for Nishizaki Ryu—"
Symboli Rudolf's words stopped short. Both horse girls had noticed Terazumi Shinji pushing the door open and entering.
"You didn't knock," Symboli Rudolf said, frowning. But then her expression relaxed, and she chose not to pursue the matter. "What is it, Trainer Terazumi Shinji?"
Instead of answering immediately, he first looked to the side, at Narita Brian leaning against a cabinet. The only horse girl here who had ever shown him any goodwill. Shinji gave her a nod in greeting.
Then he pulled out the chair opposite Symboli Rudolf and sat down, his gaze drifting toward the window behind the president. Though rain lashed furiously against it, not a single trace of that assault could be heard.
He decided he liked this room.
"I have a horse girl now. I'm here to register."
"Oh?"
Symboli Rudolf seemed mildly interested. She signaled to Air Groove with her eyes to prepare the registration paperwork, while straightening slightly in her seat.
"Name."
"Offside Trap."
Shinji had never doubted Symboli Rudolf's concern for the horse girls at the academy. Unlike Nishizaki Ryu, who had looked completely blank the first time he heard the name, Symboli Rudolf was already looking toward Narita Brian.
Narita Brian gave a small nod, confirming that it was true.
A generation plagued by misfortune and injuries—Narita Brian had always had a fairly good relationship with Offside Trap, as they were from the same cohort. Shinji knew that, which was why he had not brought Offside Trap along with him to register.
"Congratulations, Trainer Terazumi Shinji." Symboli Rudolf's expression softened somewhat. That belated kindness made Shinji lift a brow, the faint smile on his lips still failing to reach his eyes. "Offside Trap is a very good horse girl. I hope you can help her step out from the shadow of her injuries."
"She has what it takes to win a G1."
Narita Brian's added comment made Shinji nod seriously. That sincere affirmation seemed to catch even Narita Brian off guard for a moment.
The conversation was brief enough that by the time Shinji rose to his feet, Air Groove had only just returned to the student council office, placing a freshly prepared form on the desk.
"Bring the form to the student council tomorrow. And don't use any weird photos."
Air Groove looked at Shinji with the same coldness as ever. The instruction itself was oddly specific, which suggested that some "senior" in the past had probably submitted something ridiculous.
Shinji, however, did not care—neither about Air Groove's attitude toward him, nor about whether someone really had done something idiotic before.
He had heard that by the end of this year, Air Groove would step down from the Twinkle Series stage. Her fans were still hoping that this Empress could, just as she had last year, claim victory again in the Autumn Tenno Sho.
Though Silence Suzuka's dramatic rise had placed enormous pressure on every horse girl in the field, the massive gap between Suzuka and Air Groove in last year's Autumn Tenno Sho, along with how narrowly things had gone in the Takarazuka Kinen, still gave those fans hope.
Unfortunately, you won't get that chance.
At the moment he closed the door, Air Groove had already turned her back to him. The window behind her was blurred by rain, and only those cold eyes remained distinct.
Her triangular eyes only added to the chill she already carried. Shinji narrowed his own eyes slightly before shutting the door completely.
Behind him, the student council office still felt like a secret realm cut off from the world, presenting only the same ancient solidity and weight as that heavy wooden door.
The corridor before him was empty, filled only with the sound of rain.
Shinji tipped his head back slightly and looked up at the pristine white ceiling.
From this moment on, all the oppression and gloom he had once felt in this place had vanished like smoke.
He knew that a new beginning lay right beneath his feet.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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