"Let me meet your trainer?"
Hearing the description from Manhattan Cafe on the other end of the line, the young girl repeated the words in confusion.
"Could it be, Cafe, that your trainer has run into some kind of trouble?"
After all, it concerned Cafe's training, so the girl was rather concerned.
She quickly pressed for more details.
"It's not that she's in any trouble. I think... if we meet more often, you might be able to leave a good impression on her."
"Hah..."
The girl let out a vague, noncommittal sound.
Why leave a good impression on her?
Although getting along well with Cafe's trainer wouldn't be a bad thing.
But given her current situation, she really didn't have the energy to invest in other people.
If it was about training matters, rather than discussing them with Cafe's trainer, it would be better to turn and study with Toujou Hana, then pass the conclusions on to Cafe.
As a seasoned trainer, Toujou Hana's abilities were still guaranteed.
Cafe's trainer, while not bad, hadn't yet reached that veteran level. She encountered many problems she couldn't solve on her own and needed to seek advice from others.
"Oh, right, Silence, are you still busy with work over there?" Cafe suddenly asked.
"Not particularly busy. If there's something, don't worry about my situation. I have time."
"I see..."
Cafe's voice grew much more relaxed.
"Silence, actually, I was hoping you could build a good relationship with the trainer, and then... become a trainee here."
Finally, Cafe stated her true purpose.
She wanted to change the girl's assigned supporting role.
Hearing this, the girl was momentarily stunned.
Become a trainee over there...
Meaning become Cafe's trainee?
It sounded good, but this wasn't something she could decide.
Never mind whether the few Uma Musume she was responsible for would let her leave; Toujou Hana certainly wouldn't let her go.
Every training session, she would follow Toujou Hana over and watch from the sidelines, learning.
You could say she was practically being cultivated as an unofficial trainer already.
When Toujou Hana was swamped or had meetings, she'd even let her take over training guidance.
For someone like her, who was practically becoming the team's second-in-command, how could Toujou Hana possibly just let her go?
"That... might be a bit difficult."
The girl spoke hesitantly.
Cafe's ears twitched. Sensing the other party wasn't outright refusing, she quickly added, "I know it's hard, but it's not impossible."
Cafe swiftly recounted what Agnes Tachyon had said.
"Her training times and mine don't overlap, so they could be handled by the same trainee. And my trainer doesn't have a trainee assigned yet, so..."
"You want me to take on her work too?"
"Mhm."
Cafe replied.
If she assisted two trainers, the workload each assigned her would be reduced considerably.
Compared to one person's workload, there would definitely still be an increase overall.
So Cafe was also a bit hesitant about piling all the burden onto 'friend.'
"I don't mind."
The girl said.
If she could really become Cafe's trainee, she didn't care about the extra work.
"But this would require both trainers' consent, right?"
"Correct." Cafe nodded.
"On my trainer's side, there's only so much I can do. And given her personality, she definitely wouldn't do something like taking someone from another trainer."
In that case, the only opening had to be found with the girl herself.
Get her to leave a sufficiently good impression on the trainer, then make the request to become her trainee. Only then would the trainer agree.
But doing it this way meant the girl would have to handle both Toujou Hana and Cafe's trainer.
"Am I being too unreasonable..."
Pushing everything onto her 'friend.'
"No, not at all, Cafe. Let me think about it."
Good impression... huh?
After a few seconds of silence, the girl slowly spoke.
"I understand. Leave it to me."
The girl agreed.
"Silence, if you feel the burden is too heavy, just tell me. Don't force yourself."
"Don't worry, I'm more than willing."
The girl cut off Cafe's almost self-reproachful words.
"What could be happier than becoming Cafe's trainee? If I can achieve it through my own efforts, there's no reason to refuse."
"'Friend'..."
The voice on the phone paused.
Then came the sound of hurried breaths.
As if holding something back.
"Let's meet this Sunday, then." Cafe said.
"I'll wear my prettiest outfit."
"Then I'll look forward to it."
"I absolutely, absolutely won't let you down..."
Amidst Cafe's reluctant tone, the girl hung up the phone.
Leaving a good impression on Cafe's trainer, huh...
To be honest, the girl had no real concept of how.
After all, she'd never actively tried to win anyone's favor before.
Now, suddenly being asked to get someone to accept her.
It really left her at a loss.
"Silence, the bathroom's free now~"
Just as the girl was lost in thought, a voice came from the bathroom.
Belno Light walked out, a towel draped over her shoulders.
"Ahh, a shower after exercise really is the best. It's a bit of a shame, though. There's no bathtub in the dorms. If there were, we could take a bath together, right, Silence?"
"Yeah, what a shame."
"You think so too, right? Only the trainers' dorms have them. It's so unfair for us trainees."
"Maybe Tracen is trying to test our resilience and endurance. My vote goes to Tracen on this one."
"Ehh..."
Belno Light let out a dissatisfied sound.
"Well, I'll go wash up then, Senpai."
"The shampoo is on the shelf."
"Okay."
With that, the girl stood up and entered the bathroom.
After locking the door, she pulled a small bottle of clear solution from her pocket.
Looking at the liquid, now more than half gone, she narrowed her eyes.
Maintenance was part of the disguise, too.
The areas covered by the mask and gloves had to be coated with the solution daily.
Otherwise, over time, the outer layer would start to break down.
And the solution needed to be made by Agnes Tachyon using special materials.
Under such strict surveillance, Agnes Tachyon simply didn't have the time.
If this dragged on any longer, her disguise might really start to fail...
Become Cafe's trainee.
Then bring Agnes Tachyon, who currently had no trainer, under the wing of Cafe's trainer.
Right now, that seemed like the only possible solution.
Time was tight.
Guess I have to try, huh...
--+--
"Three minutes and four seconds."
Shoulder-length hair covering one eye, paired with icy blue eyes.
The woman who looked neat and efficient pressed the stop button on her stopwatch.
A full second longer than yesterday's training time.
Manhattan Cafe's trainer, Kiyokawa Nishi, slightly furrowed her brows.
"Cafe."
She waved, calling Manhattan Cafe over from the track.
"How's your body? Any discomfort?" Trainer Kiyokawa asked.
"No abnormalities..."
"Your training performance has been dropping steeply lately. Is something wrong?"
"I have a few things on my mind."
Cafe answered hesitantly.
If 'friend' was someone she would dedicate her life to, then her trainer was the person she trusted most.
Because she could see strange things, Cafe had once been widely shunned.
Trainers thought she was a weird kid and didn't want to make contracts with her.
It was under these circumstances that Kiyokawa Nishi found her and, based on Cafe's descriptions, helped her pursue 'friend.'
You could say that during the period when 'friend' couldn't be seen by others, it was her trainer who stood by her side, resolutely supporting her.
And Cafe was endlessly grateful for that.
Until the conflict arose between 'friend' and the Central authority.
To avoid implicating her trainer, Cafe chose to keep it from her.
"Can you tell me?"
Trainer Kiyokawa asked.
"If I can help you."
So reliable.
But Cafe still shook her head.
She knew what her trainer would and wouldn't do.
And her request went beyond what her trainer could tolerate.
So Cafe wouldn't tell her.
"It's alright. I just need a little time to adjust."
Cafe dodged the question.
"Am I... causing trouble for you, Trainer?"
"No." Trainer Kiyokawa answered seriously.
"If it's Cafe's decision, then clearly, 'not telling' is the more suitable choice for you. Whenever you're willing to tell me, you can speak up then."
She looked at Cafe with gentle eyes.
"Go rest."
"Yes."
Nodding, Cafe slowly walked towards the rest area.
Next, it would be someone else's turn.
After Cafe left, Trainer Kiyokawa looked at the training record sheet in her hand.
Cafe's condition was worse than imagined. The current training intensity already exceeded what was sustainable.
Even though they'd reduced it once before, it still wasn't working.
Would they have to reduce the training load again?
Thinking this, Trainer Kiyokawa sat on a bench beside the flower bed.
Just as she was pondering how to revise Cafe's training schedule...
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
A soft voice sounded beside her ear.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.