Hachiman arrived at the track. He approached the Uma Musume he wished to take charge of and made his offer to scout her. That Uma Musume was...
(Time Skip)
"Eh... R-Really? But, Big Brother, didn't you get offers from the Chairman and the others? Maybe even Bourbon-san..."
"This is the decision I reached after agonizing over it for the last ten days. Well, if you don't want to, I'll have to look for another Uma Musume, but... how about it? Will you accept?"
"..."
"..."
"...T-Then! Please become Rice's Trainer, Big Brother!!"
"Alright, it's decided. It's going to get busy from here on out. Are you ready for the preparation, and do you have the resolve?"
"Y-Yesh!!"
"...First, let's start by relaxing your shoulders."
"Hauu~..."
Good. With this, I have taken my first step as a Trainer. But I shouldn't be satisfied just yet. My major goal now is to make Rice strong enough to win at least one G1 race during the Classic Class. As for the immediate goal, that would be winning her debut race.
"Umm, Big Brother..."
"Hm, what is it?"
"Umm... Why did you choose Rice? You received offers for others besides Rice, right? So why Rice?"
"Let's see..." I scratched my head. "If I had to give a broad reason, it's because I, personally, wanted to take charge of you. I wanted to let you win. That's the most convincing reason, isn't it? Your name is Rice Shower, but if the person herself is unhappy, you aren't living up to the name, are you?"
"U-Un..."
"So, I thought I had to make Rice herself happy first. To do that, winning races is necessary. There are other ways, sure, but for an Uma Musume here at Tracen, that's the best way, right?"
"But... if that's the reason, it doesn't have to be Rice..."
"Like I said before, it's because I thought I wanted to make you win. That's why I chose you. That's all there is to it."
"Just because... it's Rice..."
"...Does that not satisfy you?"
"No... Thank you, Big Brother! I'm happy you said that♪ Rice will do her best too!"
"Let's do our best from now on."
"Un♪"
Now then, I need to start creating a training menu specifically for Rice. Even now, Rice has sufficient ability, but she needs to build the strength to compete on the big stage. All I know right now is that she specializes in Long Distance. I need to observe the rest.
"Tomorrow, I'll need to check her aptitude for distances other than Long."
Trainer's Room
"I see. So you chose Rice Shower-san. What kind of girl is she?" Aoi asked.
"Let's see... She's not a very bright and cheerful girl, and she doesn't have much confidence in herself. However, her running is the real deal. Especially regarding Long Distance, I think she's top-tier."
"Long Distance, is it? ...But won't you struggle at the beginning then? After all, during the Junior Season, not only are there no Long Distance races, but they can only run up to 2000 meters, right?"
"That is true. At first, we'll probably be fumbling in the dark a bit. But it's not like she can't run those distances. I only know her running on a surface level right now, so I just need to deepen my understanding from here on out."
"When Hikigaya-kun says it, it sounds strangely persuasive..."
[Hachiman Side Out]
[Rice Side In]
"Ehhh!? So you became the trainee of that rumored Trainer!?"
"U-Un! I was really happy..."
"But that's great! You were saying you wanted to be that Trainer's charge too, Rice-san. Your dream came true!" Rob Roy beamed.
"Un! Training with Big Brother starts tomorrow, but I wonder what kind of things we'll do?"
"I wonder if it will be strict training after all? I've never met him, so I don't know what kind of person he is. Can you tell me what he's like?"
"Big Brother is a really kind person! I think you've heard the rumors too, Rob Roy-san, but he's very sensitive about injuries. He treasures us Uma Musume a lot!"
"I see... If Rice-san says so, then there's no mistake!"
Big Brother will surely provide good training. After all, I went to the trainer's room on the first day we met, and while I didn't really understand his menus when I saw them, Hayahide-san praised them highly, so I think he's truly amazing.
"Then, aren't you looking forward to tomorrow?"
"Un! I wonder what we'll do..."
(Zenno Rob Roy: For Rice-san to praise him this much... and she calls him 'Big Brother,' too. He must be a genuinely good person. I'm a little curious myself... maybe I should try to meet him sometime?)
"Ah, it's about time for dinner. Shall we go, Rice-san?"
"That's right, let's go!"
Rice's story starts here, too... I have to train lots and become strong so I can win lots!!
Alriiight, I'll do my best~... Oh!!
-------------------------------
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