"Pfft."
Someone let out a snicker, and soon, laughter rippled through the once-quiet racecourse, filling the air with a cheerful atmosphere.
Tamamo Cross adjusted her bangs, looking a bit anxious.
"Hey, hey, Trainer-san, is my hair messy?"
"Not at all. It looks great."
"Eh?"
What are they laughing at? How strange.
Tamamo Cross confusion.jpg.
"Trainer-san? Hey, I'm talking to you. You haven't been fooled by this guy, have you?"
Having just finished her exaggerated laughter, Eishin Flash pointed rudely at Takeda Makoto and accused him aggressively.
"No way, the Takeda Family really is 'the student surpassing the master.' Are you actually scamming elementary schoolers into entering races now?"
"That's illegal, you know. Oh wait, it's someone from the Takeda Family, so I guess that explains it. Hahahahahaha!"
Before Takeda Makoto could even retort, a figure suddenly lunged forward.
*Slap!*
Tamamo Cross slapped away Eishin Flash's pointing hand. Her face had gone dark, and her aura instantly shifted from the girl next door to a little delinquent.
"Hah?! Who are you calling an elementary schooler? I'm a proud graduate of the Ritto High School Division!"
"You...!"
The hot-tempered Eishin Flash was about to explode, but she was held back by her Trainer, Harada Kenpei.
The middle-aged male Trainer was certain that Takeda Makoto was using the name of a champion club to deceive Uma Musume from out of town who were poorly informed. He spoke to Tamamo Cross.
"From Ritto? Little girl, do you know who this guy is? His family is quite famous in Hanshin. Why would you follow a Trainer like him?"
Others chimed in with their own biases.
"She must have been tricked. How despicable."
"This poor child. She'll probably cry when she finds out the truth."
With a wave of her left hand, Tamamo's horse ears, clad in red covers, stood tall. Her angry Kansai accent reached everyone's ears.
"What do you mean, 'this kind of Trainer'? I know all about the Takeda Family and the Trainer's past. None of that has anything to do with Trainer Takeda Makoto!"
Standing behind Tamamo Cross, Takeda Makoto felt a warmth in his heart, but he was also secretly shocked. Her presence alone seemed to overpower everyone surrounding them.
Is this the 'strongest of the future'? What incredible spirit. Within her petite frame lay a hidden power that everyone was underestimating.
To stand firm against a thousand pointing fingers—this was exactly what it looked like.
At that moment, T.M. Opera O, who had been silent, stepped forward. She looked down at Tamamo Cross with disdain in her eyes and said coldly:
"Tch. A Gray Mane midget. A perfect match for a Takeda."
"Who are you calling a midget? Don't you dare look down on me!"
Tamamo Cross glared intensely at T.M. Opera O, her tail swishing angrily behind her.
"What, want to race? Let me crush that pathetic pride of yours into dust."
The two locked eyes, and for a moment, it felt as if sparks and lightning were clashing between them, neither willing to back down.
Just as Tamamo Cross was about to agree, the man in the baseball cap, Mikunami, stepped out and pulled his Uma Musume, T.M. Opera O, away.
"Get ready for your Debut Race properly. Our goal is to enter Central. We don't have time for games right now."
"Tch. Consider yourself lucky. Go play in the mud in the Local circuit for the rest of your life."
Leaving behind those harsh words, T.M. Opera O followed her Trainer away, not forgetting to turn back and make a face as she was dragged off.
"Dammit! Don't run! Come and settle this with me fair and square!"
Tamamo Cross was about to give chase when the short-haired Uma Musume, Eishin Flash, reached out to block her.
"My, my. You want to challenge T.M. Opera O? You're not qualified. Why don't you race me first, shorty? I'll show you the gap between us so you'll stop all this noisy yapping."
"Shorty?"
Tamamo Cross was already trembling with rage. No one had ever stepped on her toes like this before; she was beyond furious.
"Looked down on again... Torare-na-san, let me race her. I'll definitely win for you!"
Tamamo Cross turned back to ask for permission. For an Uma Musume to participate in a race, she must first obtain her Trainer's consent.
"I refuse."
Without responding to the expectation in Tamamo's eyes, Takeda Makoto calmly declined.
"Tch. What a spineless coward. How boring." Eishin Flash didn't hide her contemptuous gaze.
"Why? Trainer-san, this isn't just about you anymore. I'm going to defeat everyone who looks down on us."
Tamamo Cross leaned in close to Takeda Makoto, her hands clenched into fists, her eyes burning with a fighting spirit.
Takeda Makoto calmed her down before slowly speaking.
"Tama, you're right. This isn't just about one person. But we haven't even started training yet. If we race now, whether you win or lose, it would have nothing to do with me as your Trainer. I believe you will win, but I also hope you'll let me prove myself."
Takeda Makoto looked up, meeting Harada Kenpei's gaze, and spoke clearly.
"In one month, we'll settle this. How about it?"
Harada Kenpei grinned. He didn't believe for a second that Tamamo Cross could beat his Eishin Flash. Even a year of training wouldn't help; the gap in physical talent was immense.
He agreed readily and proposed an additional condition.
"Certainly. But I suggest we add some stakes. How about this: we each put up 500,000 yen as prize money and hold a Maiden Race. Any registered Uma Musume who hasn't debuted can join. There will be 14 slots in total. Aside from Eishin Flash and your Uma Musume, any eligible girl can apply for the remaining spots on a first-come, first-served basis. What do you say?"
500,000 yen per person meant a total prize pool of 1 million yen. This was higher than the prize money for some Local debuts, instantly attracting the attention of many passing Uma Musume.
Seeing the crowd grow, Harada Kenpei had effectively cornered Takeda Makoto. He could either leave in disgrace or agree to the race and hand over 500,000 yen for nothing.
In reality, this was exactly what Takeda Makoto wanted. He needed to pay off his debts to freely use the Takeda Club facilities and accumulate a net worth of 75 million to register for Central. He had no reason to refuse a race served on a silver platter.
"It's a deal. One month from now at the Hanshin Tracen Racecourse, 1600m. Rain or shine, the race starts on time."
---
After the brief interlude of the challenge, the racecourse returned to its bustling training state, though curious glances occasionally drifted toward the Takeda duo.
"Trainer-san... in one month... we have to win! Let's start training!"
A motivated Tamamo Cross marched excitedly in place on the grass track.
Tamamo Cross's training schedule for the first week was basically no different from her training at school.
It included long-distance runs, hill sprints, lower body strength training, short sprints, swimming, resistance runs, and so on.
There was a saying among Trainers: an excellent Trainer isn't one who knows the most sports theory, but one who is good at discovering an Uma Musume's unique traits and balancing the training weights based on upcoming races and her current physical condition.
During this first week, Takeda Makoto would carefully observe Tamamo's state to analyze her strengths and the weaknesses that needed urgent improvement.
Although he could check her precise data through the app on his phone, there were still many details that required observation to understand what each data point truly represented.
Perhaps spurred on by the morning's events, Tamamo Cross's training that morning was incredibly intense, with her short-distance sprint data being exceptionally good.
In July, the summer temperature in Hanshin could rise to nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Once the sun climbed high, outdoor training ended, and the Uma Musume left the scorching track for the specialized gym to begin indoor training.
Excellent!
Looking at the terrifying resistance data Tamamo Cross had produced, Takeda Makoto looked closely at her small arms and legs. How could she possess such fearsome power? Uma Musume really were miraculous.
Great strength and fast short-distance sprints meant a powerful Final Spurt. In the afternoon, he could test her data for the Last Three Furlongs. (The "Last Three Furlongs" refers to the speed over the final 600 meters before the finish line, which is the horse racing term for sprint speed.)
At noon, to accommodate individual Trainers and make money, the Tracen Academy canteen remained open during the summer break, diligently providing nutritious and delicious food.
However, it seemed Tamamo Cross didn't share that sentiment. After eating a simple meal, she used the gym's massage machine to take a nap and relax her muscles.
Training was always tedious and dull, but this process was necessary for the glory of the stage.
As the day grew late, a weary Tamamo Cross followed behind Takeda Makoto's little electric scooter. As they rode back toward the Takeda Club, the day's training finally came to an end.
At dusk, the lit streetlamps guided the way home as Takeda Makoto rode his scooter alongside Tamamo Cross.
Passing a supermarket in the city, Tamamo Cross suggested stopping to buy ingredients for dinner.
Takeda Makoto also took the opportunity to buy some fresh fruit to keep in the guest room fridge so little Kaya and Tama could get their vitamins.
Not long after leaving the supermarket and passing through Kitayama Park, the sides of the road turned into small patches of woods, and the area became sparsely populated.
The little scooter was moving slowly, so there was no wind noise to interfere with their conversation. Takeda Makoto thought for a moment before speaking.
"Tama, I'm sorry about today. I dragged you into a lot of trouble."
"—Trainer, why bring up such a heavy topic all of a sudden? Don't you have any other conversation starters?"
Tamamo Cross teased him with a strange expression, seemingly completely unbothered by what had happened.
Takeda Makoto bit his lip awkwardly.
To be honest, he wasn't very good at this. But because of him, Tama had been subjected to verbal attacks for no reason, and he still felt bad about it.
"I know it's weird, but... it's my fault they said those things to you. I'd feel terrible if I didn't say it."
"It's nothing like that. —I'm always being looked down on because of my build, so I'm used to it. You really don't need to worry about it."
It felt like Tama had said something very heavy in a very lighthearted way.
But on second thought, that was very much her style.
She was the type of Uma Musume who would keep running with confidence even if no one believed in her.
"Tama, I'm really grateful you can say that. We shouldn't care about those prejudices."
Takeda Makoto said firmly and with great spirit.
"Just because no Kansai Uma Musume has achieved great results, or because Gray Mane Uma Musume haven't performed well... those people who make snap judgments based on groundless results are wrong. You will definitely reach a peak they can't even dream of. I will always believe in you."
Takeda Makoto let out a breath, feeling much lighter.
He had gone to the racecourse early specifically to avoid this, but it had backfired and caused such a scene. He had been tormented by guilt ever since.
"Yeah! I'm going to break those prejudices, and you should too, Trainer."
The prejudice Tamamo was referring to was the idea that because Takeda's father had failed, Takeda Makoto would never succeed in the world of Uma Musume.
"By the way, Trainer-san, did you leave for the racecourse ahead of me because you anticipated this would happen?"
Takeda Makoto was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected the seemingly carefree Tama to notice his little motive, so he had no choice but to reluctantly admit it.
"You caught me. Tama, you're smarter than you look."
"Of course... wait, what's that supposed to mean?! You actually thought I was a dummy? Don't let my looks fool you; I can see right through the thoughts of the little ones at home. I'm the big sister Tamamo who knows how to take care of people!"
Takeda Makoto broke into a cold sweat. Did that mean his motives were on the same level as Tama's younger siblings? That was a bit of a blow to his self-esteem.
Takeda Makoto adjusted his attitude and said sincerely:
"I was too arrogant. But now, I'm glad. I'm so lucky to be the Trainer for someone as understanding as you, Tama."
"Being so blunt makes me embarrassed!"
"Because I'm truly happy. Being your Trainer might be the luckiest thing that's ever happened to me."
"You're way too honest!! All this straight talk is starting to worry me!! Anyway, let's just skip this topic!"
For the rest of the journey, the two shared stories from their lives, with the sound of Kansai-accented laughter ringing out from time to time.