"Debut race? No problem at all, Nearl. You're a specially recruited student, so your abilities are definitely up to par. Here, let me check the date of the upcoming debut race the academy is planning..."
Upon hearing that Nearl intended to make her debut, Kitahara Jo wasn't the least bit surprised. As both a specially recruited student and a friend personally recommended by Oguri Cap via letter, her skills were undoubtedly trustworthy. Wanting to debut quickly wasn't anything unexpected either.
But unlike what Kitahara assumed, Nearl had no intention of participating in the academy's official debut race as he imagined.
"Trainer Kitahara, I don't wish to join the academy's arranged debut race. I plan to make my official debut in an actual competitive race instead."
Nearl spoke earnestly about her plans to Kitahara.
"Eh? Nearl, are you serious?!" Kitahara was stunned, his mouth hanging open, making his already less-than-sharp face look even more foolish.
He hurriedly tried to dissuade her, hoping she would be more cautious, and began explaining why he thought this decision was too rash.
"I know you're very strong right now, Nearl. The academy's debut race would be a breeze for you, but you mustn't think official races are the same. The situation on the track changes in the blink of an eye. Strategy, judgment of the race's flow, positioning—all of these are extremely challenging."
"Wait a moment, I think I still have my old race analysis notes somewhere..."
As he said this, Kitahara seemed to remember something and turned to rummage through his desk drawer, all while continuing to lecture Nearl.
"You have to be careful with races, you can't underestimate your opponents. If you don't give it your all, both in strength and spirit, you won't go far... Ah, found it!"
Emerging from under the desk with a stack of papers in hand, Kitawa showed her notes full of creases and worn edges, looking quite shabby.
"Don't mind the appearance—these are the notes I used when analyzing races for Oguri Cap. There's a lot of important information in here."
"Take a look, Nearl. After reading this, you'll see that the track and the academy's debut race are two completely different things. Don't be overconfident."
Nearl accepted the papers with a hint of resignation and began flipping through them.
To his credit, Kitahara was still a trainer. The notes did contain detailed and useful knowledge about racing—the pros and cons of inner and outer lanes, key points of various running styles, how to manage pace, and so on.
But unfortunately, Nearl didn't need any of it. She skimmed through the materials quickly, then glanced up at Kitahara's proud expression, feeling conflicted. After weighing her options, she decided to be honest.
"Trainer, these notes would indeed be very helpful for most Uma Musume to understand the basics of racing, but they won't be of much use to me. I'm sorry."
As she said this, Nearl felt a little guilty. It meant that Kitahara's past experience couldn't help her, and his dignity as a trainer would take another blow. She wasn't sure if he could handle it.
"...I see. Could you tell me why, Nearl?"
Contrary to her expectations, Kitahara was clearly disappointed, but he didn't give up. His emotions remained stable, and he even asked for reasons.
"I've already thoroughly analyzed races in the past. After obtaining my trainer qualification, I also had access to many materials, so I've compiled a similar analysis tailored to my own situation."
After hearing Nearl's reply, Kitahara felt mixed emotions—regret that he couldn't be of help, but also admiration for how exceptional she was.
"From what I know, while the trainer exam isn't forbidden for Uma Musume, very few pass. Most who do are retired veterans. There's never been an active racer who passed the exam. You might be the first, Nearl. An Uma Musume who can properly apply trainer knowledge will definitely have an advantage."
"I'm an exception, not the norm." Nearl nodded, acknowledging that her case shouldn't be seen as something universally applicable. Most Uma Musume wouldn't have the energy to balance both training and studying trainer knowledge.
"Ah, I know. This is what they call a genius, right? Agh! Why can't I be a genius?" Kitahara cried out dramatically, playing the fool.
"Heh, genius is random, but not every goal can only be achieved by geniuses. I hope you understand, Trainer—even ordinary people can achieve the dream of becoming a central trainer. All you need to do is put in the effort, if your dream is precious enough to you that you're willing to bet your life on it."
As if amused by Kitahara's antics, Nearl's voice carried a hint of laughter, and her words of encouragement became more direct.
She had sensed from his reaction that his confidence seemed consistently low, as if someone had undermined it before. That was why he could so easily accept that he couldn't help her.
So, for the first time, Nearl openly admitted to someone else that she was a genius. She knew that, in this situation, acknowledging her talent would actually bring her closer to Kitahara, making her words more convincing and more motivating for him.
"Ahhh! Seriously, how did the topic swing back to me? Cut it out, okay?" Feeling embarrassed by Nearl's encouragement once again, Kitahara quickly waved his hands to stop the digression and steer the conversation back to her debut race.
"Since you've already analyzed all this, Nearl, I can only assume you're truly confident in yourself. But I still can't just let you jump into a race. You'll have to agree to one condition."
With a sigh, Kitahara turned serious again, looking directly at Nearl. His attitude had softened, but he hadn't fully relented.
"Go ahead."
"I'll find an active racer to do parallel training with you. If you can keep up, then I'll agree to your plan. How does that sound?"
Kitahara laid out his condition. This was also his way of truly gauging Nearl's abilities. After all, while all signs pointed to her being strong, he hadn't seen just how strong she was yet. This parallel training would be his chance.
Hearing this condition, Nearl agreed without hesitation, though she was a little curious.
"Understood, Trainer. But who do you plan to have me train with? You don't know that many Uma Musume, do you?"
"Oh, her? Actually, I got to know her thanks to Oguri Cap. She's quite a fiery Uma Musume. It'd be good for you to meet her too, since you're both friends of Oguri Cap."
As he said this, Kitahara adjusted his cap slightly, his tone respectful.
"Her name is Fujimasa March—the strongest Uma Musume in Kasamatsu right now."
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.