The afternoon schedule mainly consisted of middle to long-distance and dirt track Horse Racing events.
After parting ways with Fine Motion, Kazuo returned to the spectator stands, but this time, he had an extra person beside him.
A senior who seemed to have burned out, as if he had lost all motivation.
Todo hung his head, his spirits low, like a figure in a black and white manga with heavy shading behind him.
With his negative emotions at MAX, Kazuo really didn't want to approach him.
But out of collegiality, Kazuo still went over and asked, "Todo-senpai, what's wrong…?"
He turned his head blankly, staring at Kazuo as if he were looking at a dead man.
"Even, even you found a team member?"
"Eh?"
Speaking incomprehensible words, Kazuo couldn't help but tilt his head, not quite understanding what he meant.
"I was rejected more than ten times all morning… Damn it…"
No, no, no, inviting more than ten Uma Musume in one morning, any normal person would become wary, right?
"Why, why did you find one!! Ya-gah!"
Huh? What did he find?
Todo didn't care about that, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously, his expression like a half-dead evil spirit.
"Wait, what are you saying? No Uma Musume joined my team, and I can't even form a team?"
"Then what about Fine Motion, who ate with you at noon?! She's a special recruit international student at the academy—"
"Uh… we just know each other, alright? How did you get that misunderstanding?"
Todo's movements froze, then he looked up blankly at Kazuo: "…Really?"
"…Really."
After a moment of silence, Todo instantly straightened his back, his demeanor changing with it, and he suddenly became refreshed and sunny.
He smiled and very warmly put his arm around Kazuo: "That's right! I knew it, how could you, kid, find a team member before me? It's nothing! Watch me, I'm definitely going to persuade one this afternoon!!"
With the brightest expression, he spoke the most vicious words; his good mood was entirely built on Kazuo's sad reality.
Kazuo didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment.
Todo, having cheered up, immediately stood up, and Tojo happened to walk over.
She immediately spotted Kazuo: "Asama, Todo, are you free now?"
"Team Leader! I need to go discuss contract details with an Uma Musume right now."
Upon seeing Tojo, Todo immediately lied and made an excuse to slip away. Just a second ago, he was crying about not finding an Uma Musume to join his team, but the next second, he was spouting nonsense.
Kazuo couldn't help but roll his eyes at his behavior.
"This is unbearable… Alright, Asama, come here for a moment."
He had no excuses to make, so he could only agree and stood up from his seat, not forgetting to give Todo an internationally friendly gesture before leaving.
Following Tojo to the first floor of the Racecourse building, she turned around and said, "I have something for you to do now. Since most of the afternoon's races are middle to long-distance, they are mostly held on different track fields. I need you to help distribute these hydrating energy drinks to each Racecourse."
Saying that, she directly opened the door, revealing several cases of energy drinks piled up inside.
Kazuo was dumbfounded by the sheer quantity.
"Do all these need to be moved?"
"Yes."
"By myself?"
"Why? Are you also going to discuss contracts with the Uma Musume?"
Tojo's tongue was surprisingly sharp.
Kazuo could only nod in resignation.
Before he left, Tojo didn't forget to add, "The reason this job was given to you is because Mr. Yoshida instructed it."
Argh!
It's you again, stirring up trouble behind the scenes!
Kazuo stood there, almost bristling with anger.
But what was the use of sulking?
He just had to do it, didn't he?
Kazuo sighed and could only pick up the heavy corrugated cardboard box and walk out.
According to the instructions, Kazuo arrived at the first racecourse, which was for the 2000m middle-distance turf race that hadn't been completed in the morning.
Lower grades generally only sign up for this event, as long distances are still too demanding for new students entering the Elementary School Division.
This was the racecourse where the first group would compete in the middle-distance race. What Kazuo didn't expect was that he happened to meet another familiar face.
"Guh…"
As soon as he arrived, Kazuo ran into Daijin, who was putting on her race number.
And when she clearly saw who it was, she instantly displayed that expression of disgust one shows when encountering an extremely troublesome presence.
Feeling a bit awkward, Kazuo couldn't help but recall what had happened that night. He truly didn't know how to approach this girl, who seemed to be covered in thorns.
Daijin merely glanced at him before turning her head away again.
Fortunately, a staff member nearby called out to him.
"Are these all energy drinks for replenishment? Please put them over here. Also, there are a few other racecourses you need to deliver to."
"Oh, alright!"
Kazuo quickly agreed, carrying the items, and turned his back to place them on the table of the judging panel nearby.
"2000m middle-distance turf race…"
Daijin had also signed up for this?
This truly surprised him. Strictly speaking, this distance was already one of the most difficult for Uma Musume in the Elementary School Division.
Moreover, Daijin's previous race results had not been particularly outstanding.
As far as Kazuo knew, she hadn't placed in the top five in any of the three simulated races, and in her worst performance, she was second to last.
He wondered what the outcome would be… He wanted to watch this race, but he still had things to do, so he could only jog back into the building.
Although the girl had always been extremely resistant and displayed strong aggression, Kazuo sincerely hoped she could achieve a good result.
The burden Narita Taishin carried, which he had seen those days, was palpable even without words… Unable to help her, he could only silently wish her well in his heart.
PS: Second update for today.
Four updates will be provided at midnight, and bounties will open at 7 AM. Specific requirements can be found in the bounty rules within the chapter.
PS:
Regarding some people saying that the protagonist hasn't taken charge of an Uma Musume by chapter forty, I can only explain here:
This book is slow-paced, aiming to better develop the characters. Moreover, the male lead is not a professional Trainer, nor is he a retired powerhouse hidden in the city. He is just an 18-year-old boy who didn't go to university.
Without even a qualification certificate, he will not have his own Uma Musume, at least not in this volume.
I can explicitly state that team formation will begin in the second volume. All of these current events in the first volume are groundwork, leading to the climax of the core chapters in this volume.
The issue of being slow-burn exists, I know, but my updates are not slow. This book started on the 7th, and it's been only fifteen days with ninety thousand words. I mentioned on the book page before that this is a story of mutual growth. Growth is not like pulling up seedlings to help them grow; it's impossible to become a towering tree in a day. Similarly, this is not a fast-paced, satisfying novel where the protagonist is incredibly powerful from the start.
I hope that everyone will like this book, and even more so, like the characters depicted within it. So, let's continue this journey together.
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