"The third turn is crucial. We need to secure the best possible position before entering it," Rohan Ye explained, but Jade wasn't listening at all; she had even started dozing off.
"Jade."
"Ah! Um! I'm listening!" Jade jolted awake, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
Rohan Ye chuckled helplessly. "The NAU is approaching, Jade. You should be taking this more seriously."
Jade stretched languidly, flipped over, and squinted at him, radiating indifference. "Don't worry, I'll win anyway."
Jade lacked nothing—her resources and talent were unparalleled. Yet this very abundance was what troubled Rohan Ye most. Initially, to enter the Umamusume World, they had chosen the NAU promotion station as their entry point. As the representative Umamusume of the Eastern Lands, Jade couldn't follow the usual path of progressing through initial battles like other Umamusume.
While this strategy allowed the Eastern Lands to quickly establish a foothold in the Umamusume World, it also exposed a significant flaw: Jade had become an anomaly at the NAU. Since the Eastern Lands joined, no Umamusume had ever managed to clear the Eastern Lands station, and none had even come close to rivaling her.
Jade, the only Umamusume in the Eastern Lands unable to advance through the usual promotion system, gradually developed her personality flaws under the combined pressures of her homeland and competitive racing.
But one must remember that there are always greater heights to reach. Remaining confined to her current perspective would be like gazing at the sky from the bottom of a well, a fate Rohan Ye refused to let such a promising talent suffer.
"Hey, Rohan! Come play with me! I just bought a new game last night!" Jade's mind was far from the competition as she eagerly picked up a game controller.
"I can't, the guild has urgent matters to attend to, and I haven't finished the Old Man's assignment," Rohan Ye replied, knowing further argument would be futile. "Here's a box with recordings of the Kousei Grand Prix races. I've included my analysis in the notebook. Take a look when you have time."
After casually setting down the box and offering a brief explanation, Rohan Ye left.
Jade puffed out her cheeks, watching Rohan Ye's retreating figure. "What's with him? Why's he so mad?"
Meanwhile, Kousei was engaged in a similar task on the other side.
"Even though I've watched her races, there's nothing useful to analyze," Kousei said. Her data was limited—after all, she was still a newcomer. Plus, nearly every race had been a dominant victory. All they knew for sure was that Jade always ran as the early leader.
"Indeed, it's hard to even know where to begin," Reiko agreed, equally stumped.
Under normal circumstances, an Umamusume like Jade shouldn't even be competing in the NAU; she should be shining in the Grand Prix. Yet here she was, a roadblock on the promotion path, casually winning every race with an almost nonchalant attitude. No wonder Yurei had been unable to break through—Jade had been holding her back all along.
Reiko buried herself in analyzing Jade's race footage. Kousei glanced at the clock, realizing it was time for her own training session.
To her surprise, Kousei ran into an unexpected figure at the Training Track that day. At 8:10 AM, she saw Jade actually training.
Jade seemed oddly out of place, her lips moving as if she were muttering complaints while running.
"Forget it. I should just go back," Kousei thought, convinced she was still half-asleep and dreaming about seeing Jade at the Training Track.
"Hey! Since you've seen me, don't ignore me!"
Jade suddenly called out to Kousei from behind.
"So it wasn't a dream after all," Kousei muttered, wavering. "If she latches onto me, it'll be a real headache."
Even as Kousei hesitated, Jade had already closed the distance.
"What's your problem! Why is even you avoiding me?!"
Jade brandished her fists, her face flushed like a boiling kettle, practically exploding with anger.
"Even...?"
Looks like the Young Lady got her pride hurt somewhere, Kousei thought wisely, deciding not to poke this hornet's nest.
"Well, well, what brings the Young Lady here?" Kousei said with a smile.
"Ugh! It's all Rohan's fault for being so ungrateful!"
Kousei chuckled but remained silent, knowing there were other ways to get the Young Lady to spill her story.
"I kindly invited him to play games with me, and guess what he said?"
"What did he say?"
"He said he was too busy! He never used to refuse me! Besides, what could possibly be more important than me?"
Jade stomped her foot fiercely, as if trying to vent her frustration with Rohan. Kousei stroked her chin thoughtfully. "That's pretty straightforward, isn't it?"
"He won't play with me! Kousei will play with me!"
"Huh?"
Jade pouted. "I don't need him anyway! I have Kousei, and that's enough!"
"No, I have to train! Hey!"
Even Kousei, who was just lying down, got dragged into the crossfire. Without another word, Jade dragged Kousei away, effectively ending today's training session.
Back at Jade's mansion, Kousei spent the entire day playing games with her.
"This is boring. Kousei sucks too much," Jade complained, tossing the controller aside with disinterest.
"You complain I'm terrible, yet you still want to play fighting games with me..." Kousei muttered.
From childhood until now, Kousei had only ever played claw machines, specifically to try and win a Rudolf plush.
"Why isn't he back yet?" Jade murmured, staring absently at the clock.
Kousei's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Young Lady, how about I tell you a way to make Rohan stay with you forever?"
"Really?!" Jade sat up abruptly, her face beaming with undisguised excitement. But then, as if realizing she'd given herself away, she turned her head away. "It's not like I need him to stay! But since you've already offered, I guess I can humor you."
Kousei leaned in conspiratorially and whispered a few words into Jade's ear. Jade's face paled dramatically.
"Training?! No! I don't want to train!"
"Throwing another tantrum?"
"Hmph..." Jade turned her face away.
"Don't you want Rohan to keep you company?"
"..."
The atmosphere fell silent. The wind chimes jingled softly as Rohan stepped through the gate.
"Hmm? What are you doing here?" Rohan asked, puzzled by Kousei's presence.
"Good evening. The Young Lady practically dragged me here."
Rohan glanced at Jade, who seemed visibly tense. Without a word, he continued walking deeper into the manor.
"Wait!" Jade suddenly called out.
Rohan stopped, puzzled. Kousei retreated to the side, eager to watch the drama unfold.
"I... I'll go train tomorrow!"
"Huh?" Rohan's expression turned serious. "What brought this on?"
"Nothing! It's only natural for an Umamusume to train, right?" Jade insisted, still clinging to her stubborn facade.
True, there's no logical argument against that, Rohan thought to himself. But this is Jade we're talking about. Will she really listen obediently?
His gaze shifted to Kousei, and his eye twitched involuntarily. What is that expression on your face?!
"Zun~," Kousei said, a mysterious expression on her face as she looked at them both. "It's the Young Lady's unique brand of awkwardness."
"Even though I don't know what she's thinking, ignoring it should be fine, right?" Rohan decided to dismiss Kousei.
"If the Young Lady is willing to train, I'd be thrilled! But this time, you won't try to trick me, will you?"
"Of course not! I'm serious! But..."
"But what?"
Jade stammered for a long moment.
"Since I'm training, you should accompany me as my Trainer, right?"
"If it's for training..."
"Deal!"
The gloom in Jade's heart vanished instantly, and she eagerly began selecting games. "What should we play on our last night together?"
Jade's sudden decisiveness only deepened Rohan's anxiety. What exactly is going on? he wondered. Is something strange about to happen?
Rohan desperately hoped he wouldn't end up buried alive by Elder Yu someday.