The office echoed with the sound of an argument—a rare occurrence these days.
Facing the unyielding girl, Toujou Hana, the trainer responsible for Narita Brian, couldn't help but press her fingers tightly against her forehead.
The cause of the dispute was simple: Narita Brian wanted to compete in a race.
But the situation was far from straightforward.
Because the race Narita Brian wanted to enter was the highly demanding Autumn Tenno Sho.
And not just any Tenno Sho—the one held right before the Kikuka Sho.
It was like deciding to run a marathon right before the most important athletic event of your life—one that would determine your future—draining precious energy and stamina right before the ultimate test.
What was the status of the Kikuka Sho?
The final jewel of the Triple Crown!
Throughout history, only a handful of Uma Musume—four, to be exact—had ever achieved the Triple Crown.
Now, Narita Brian had already secured the first two crowns. Only one final race stood between her and eternal glory.
And yet, here she was, suddenly declaring she wanted to run in the Autumn Tenno Sho.
What a joke!
The entire world was watching, waiting for Narita Brian to claim that final crown!
Even if there had been some controversy during the Japanese Derby, the official record still showed Narita Brian as the winner.
So, as her trainer, Toujou Hana was determined to do everything in her power to ensure Narita Brian secured that last crown.
"No, absolutely not! If it were just a regular race, fine—we could treat it as a warm-up. But this is the Tenno Sho! Do you really think you can take on the likes of Maruzensky and Tamamo Cross?"
Narita Brian snorted and turned her head away.
"They're respectable rivals, no doubt. But unfortunately, they're not my target this time."
"That's not the point!" Toujou Hana smacked her own forehead in frustration. "What I'm saying is, racing against them would require you to go all out!"
"Of course. If I don't give it my all, I won't stand a chance against them."
"Why aren't you getting this, you blockheaded girl!"
This stubborn, foolish child!
"If you go all out now, what's going to happen in the Kikuka Sho? Right after the Tenno Sho ends, the Kikuka Sho begins! How is your body supposed to recover in time?"
And that wasn't even considering the risk of injury. Every Uma Musume faced the unavoidable threat of physical harm.
Every race carried the risk of getting hurt—whether from collisions with other competitors, or from pushing so hard that bones might crack.
An Uma Musume's run was essentially a gamble with her own body.
Betting that she wouldn't get injured this time, betting that she'd reach the finish line safely.
So, this wasn't about whether Narita Brian could win or not. It was that Toujou Hana didn't dare take the risk.
If anything happened to her before that final crown, Toujou Hana would go down in history as the one to blame.
She could already imagine the torrent of abuse—people accusing her of being irresponsible, of letting Narita Brian take unnecessary risks, of being unfit to be a trainer.
The mere thought of it was terrifying.
For Narita Brian at this stage, the Kikuka Sho far outweighed the Tenno Sho in importance. Couldn't she just run the Tenno Sho next year? Why did it have to be now?
But no matter how Toujou Hana reasoned, Narita Brian stubbornly shook her head.
"If I miss this chance, who knows how long it'll be before I get another shot at facing her."
Even though Narita Brian had hoped "she" would appear in the Kikuka Sho, since "she" had clearly stated she would be in this race…
Narita Brian simply couldn't pass up this hunt.
Seeing that her words were having no effect, Toujou Hana's expression grew troubled.
In the past, even when they disagreed, Narita Brian would eventually understand if she patiently explained the reasoning.
But this time, the girl seemed dead set on running the Tenno Sho.
Since this conversation was going nowhere, Toujou Hana cautiously changed her approach. "Have you told Rudolf about your plans to enter the race?"
"Symboli Rudolf?" Narita Brian frowned. "Why would I ask her? She's not my trainer."
"So… you haven't told her yet."
Narita Brian didn't reply, neither confirming nor denying.
No surprise there. If Rudolf knew, she would surely object—for much the same reasons as Toujou Hana.
But as student council president, she couldn't outright forbid a student from entering a race.
What Toujou Hana hoped was that Rudolf could talk some sense into her.
After all, sometimes a friend's advice carried more weight than a trainer's orders.
After a moment of silent thought, Toujou Hana finally said, "Look, the Tenno Sho is still some time away. Let me think it over and figure out what to do."
Lately, Narita Brian's training had focused on long-distance endurance over 3000 meters, while the 2000-meter Tenno Sho required a balance of stamina and speed.
With her current training regimen, she wasn't properly prepared for the Tenno Sho.
"Entering a race isn't as simple as just saying yes. We'd have to adjust your training schedule, and there's a mountain of work to be done. Your request is too sudden—I can't give you an answer right away."
"Then I'll come ask again tomorrow."
"Alright." Toujou Hana nodded.
At least she'd bought herself half a day to breathe.
She needed to find Rudolf—and some of the more experienced trainers—to ask if they had any better solutions.
Just as Narita Brian was leaving the room, heading out for some independent training, a soft voice called out to her.
"Brian-chan~"
There was only one person at Tracen Academy who called her that.
"Maruzen… What are you doing here?"
A girl with long, brown curls stood behind her, a gentle smile on her face.
"Just passing by and overheard some noise inside," she said. "Did you have a fight with your trainer?"
"We had a difference of opinion. I wouldn't call it a fight."
Narita Brian shook her head.
"Really? If you don't mind, you can tell me about it. Maybe I can help you think it through."
"Forget it. It's personal. No need to trouble you."
Waving her off, Narita Brian declined the offer and turned to leave.
But Maruzensky turned away slightly and suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.
"By the way, when I was greeting students from other schools earlier, I saw a strange girl."
"She said she was a student here at Tracen, but in all my time living here, I've never seen her before."
"Is that so." Narita Brian listened with one ear and let it go out the other.
"So I got curious and asked for her name." Maruzensky's lips curled into a faint smile.
"She told me her name was Sunday Silence—such a lovely name, don't you think—"
Boom!
It was like a bomb had gone off in Narita Brian's heart.
She spun around, staring at Maruzensky with disbelief in her eyes.
"So? Feel like telling me about it now?"
--+--
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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.