Of course, no, Kitahara Jo wasn't asking Oguri and I to become his henchman and actually take over the world. Rather, he was asking us if he could become our trainer, so that we could reach the illustrious heights of the SP1 races like the Tokai Derby.
A tremendous goal for most umamusume, and maybe right now, it still was. But considering the monstrous talent Oguri had, alongside her extreme excitement when it came to racing.
To someone like her who was able to achieve victory in the Arima Kinen, the Tokai Derby was practically a playground.
That aside,
I smirked. "That confident, huh." I said jokingly, though I was also secretly happy to know that he believed in me. "Sounds like fun. There's no reason to aim low, after all." I turned to Oguri. "How about you? What do you think, Oguri? Are you up to run in races like that?"
Oguri just tilted her head. "Racing is fun." She said as if that explained everything.
And perhaps it did for someone like her.
I chuckled. "Yeah, no surprises." I turned back to Kitahara and smiled. "Anyway, I'd be honored to join your team, Kitahara-san."
Oguri nodded. "If Star is joining, then I'll join too."
Kitahara breathed out shakily, gently cupping his hat as he calmed himself. As he looked at his two new trainees, he truly believed that we could become stars that would dominate the racing scene. That old, childish dream he'd left behind so long ago finally seemed possible!
While Kitahara was occupied with his thoughts, I subtly glanced around to find where Belno Light had gone, and soon found her leaning on the track's railing. It seemed she'd only just finished running the 800m dirt track moments ago, and was doing her best to catch her breath.
I went quiet for a moment, before I decided to approach her.
"Excuse me."
Belno blinked, and then nearly tripped as she saw me approach. "S-Star-san!?"
I nodded, and then smiled. "Belno Light was your name, right?" She nodded jerkily, and I hummed. "Are you alright? You look like you're about to collapse."
She chuckled weakly. "I probably would've if not for this railing." She joked, and then yelped when her arms finally lost strength, causing her to fall onto the track. My lips twitched, but I did my best to subdue my laugh as I helped her stand. "T-Thank you, Star-san."
I silently pursed my lips. In the original story, Belno had also joined Kitahara's team. But without that initial friendship with Oguri, something like that seemed impossible. After all, Belno hadn't done particularly well in the test race, and it wasn't as if I could just walk right up to Kitahara and have Belno join the team as well.
…right?
Hmm.
"So, got any trainers yet?" I asked casually, subtly glancing around to see where the other trainers were. Aside from Fujimasa March's new trainer—a sharply dressed man—I couldn't find the other trainers who were watching the race. Had they all gone away already? "We don't really start until we get a trainer, you know?"
Belno laughed self-depracatingly. "It's fine." She whispered tiredly. "I doubt any trainer would ever scout me."
Yeah, that should be good enough, right?
I turned back and stared at Kitahara. The man blinked at my sudden stare, then saw Belno. It took him a moment to realize what I was asking, but when he did, there was no hesitation as he stepped closer and asked Belno if she too wanted to join his new team.
I stepped back while the two were talking, a satisfied smile on my lips.
Kitahara Jo. He might not be the best trainer out there, but I could see why Oguri held him in such high regard. His technical skills weren't all that great, but his heart was truly large. His love for umamusume was clear to see, and in this blessed world, that kindness would bring him far.
Oguri walked up to me, and seeing Belno burst into tears when Kitahara offered her to join his team, she hummed. "She's like you."
I blinked. "What?"
Oguri nodded. "Her speed was consistent." She said simply.
I frowned slightly. Was she saying that Belno's Stamina was her strongest point? I would ask further, but Oguri looked like she was three seconds from spacing out. Besides, Oguri was the expert when it came to racing, so she likely saw something I couldn't quite see yet.
Still, Belno as a stayer, huh? The manga didn't really go through the few races Belno participated in, so I could only test it later.
Things went fairly quickly after that. We were all given a rest period after that test race, but since neither Oguri or I were all that tired, we decided to just continue training on our own while Kitahara was finalizing our new team. Belno light also stayed on the race track with us, though she mostly sat at the stands to rest.
Oguri being Oguri, she immediately launched into a sprint around the 800m dirt track. It seemed she was excited at finally having a dedicated track she could continually run across without disturbing the locals.
I decided to do the same, considering my speed was my weakest point at the moment, but something appeared before I could do that.
[Mission: First Debut!
The Hero's first appearance is a success! Unfortunately, their appearance was only seen by a handful of people. It's time to step onto the stage for the first time!
Task: Achieve 1st place in the User's Debut Race.
Reward: Unlock SP Shop, 36 SP]
So the System had an SP Shop as well? I was wondering if I'd have to learn Skills on my own, but it seems my System was there to help me out. And the 36 SP makes sense as well, since that was just about how much SP you'd get from a Debut Race.
Still, this System was surprisingly faithful to the original game. Maybe there was even a hidden Mood system that gave me training bonuses?
Something to test later. For now, it was time to train.
Once Oguri approached the finish line, I finally began running alongside her, using the boost from {Competitive Spirit ○} to quickly reach my top speed. Just like before, my top speed was nowhere close to Oguri's, and she hadn't even used her famously powerful second burst. It didn't take long before the distance between us began growing.
But as we entered the third continuous lap, Oguri began to slightly slow down, while my speed remained consistent. My higher Stamina finally came into play, and I finally managed to close the gap between us, though I still lost to Oguri by a nose as we reached the finish line.
Not to say that I wasn't tired—because I absolutely was. But compared to Oguri who was sweating buckets, I was much more composed. "Need a minute?" I asked between my breaths. Oguri nodded silently, and I nodded back as I resumed running.
Oguri took a few mouthfuls of air and prepared to chase after me, but she stopped when she heard someone whistle. She blinked, and turned to see Kitahara approaching, his eyes wide with amazement as he watched me run. "Kitahara?"
He grinned. "Did you just finish running?" He asked.
She nodded. "Can I go again?"
He smiled wryly. "Rest for just a little longer. Going again so quickly isn't healthy." His smile faded as his eyes turned to where I was. "How long has Star been running?"
"This is her fourth lap, I think." Belno answered, sounding shocked herself.
He hissed. Oguri Cap's stamina was already incredible, but my stamina seemed even more monstrous. "Definitely a stayer." He concluded as he watched me run across the last corner before the finish line.
Silently, he wondered how I'd do on those longer races. Like the Spring Tenno Sho for example—the perfect place to test an umamusume's stamina.
He then shook his head. What was he thinking? He'd only begun preparing for the Tokai Derby, and suddenly he was thinking of the Spring Tenno Sho? His uncle would beat him over the head for something so stupid.
As I passed the finish line, I quickly slowed to a stop and took a deep breath. My legs burned after running for so long, but it wasn't all that unpleasant. The burn meant that my muscles had truly been used.
"Star!"
I blinked and then realized that Kitahara had returned. "Ah, Kitahara-san." I waved. "I guess the team's official now?"
He grinned as he brought out a slip of paper, showing that 'Team Kitahara' was now official. "It sure is."
I smiled.
So it begins.
Since all three of us had been scouted, that meant most of our school time would now be dedicated to training in preparation for our debut. Of course, we'd come back to the classroom then and there, but since we were umamusume, training became our No.1 priority.
Our first Debut Races were quickly planned. Oguri's would be a week from now, while Belno and mine would be in a couple weeks. The schedule was mostly because the earliest longer Debut Races would only be held in a couple weeks, while Oguri's first debut would be in a short 800m dash.
And it was here that Kitahara showed why he was a trainer.
Perhaps he couldn't really be compared to the trainers in Central, but his uncle was still the famous Musaka Ginjirou—the so-called "Fairy Godfather". His knowledge of running and races was enough to keep his trainer's license despite his usual lazy attitude.
Oguri's training was fairly standard; running across many different dirt tracks to better familiarize her with different conditions. Though there was one moment when Kitahara taught Oguri to 'swim instead of running', whatever that meant. Still, it seemed Oguri grasped the idea immediately, so it was probably something only she could see.
Belno's training was overly simple in comparison—continuous running and exercise. Her strength and stamina were overall lower, and she needed to catch up soon. She seemed to be having a hard time, especially whenever she tried to keep up with Oguri. But she hadn't quit, and considering her personality, I doubted she would any time soon.
As for me,
"My speed." I suddenly said. Kitahara blinked at my interruption, but nodded as he gestured for me to continue. "I have the Stamina to keep running, and the Power to rush forward, but my Speed just isn't good enough to make use of any of that." I finished, frowning slightly as I turned the floating panel only I could see.
"Exactly." He idly spun his pen as he reread his notes. "But I guess it's more apt to say that you're not used to racing."
My lips twitched. I understood what he was saying; I had no experience when it came to racing. Sure, I can run, but I had none of the instinct nor the experience to best make use of my umamusume physique. It was mostly my fault—I wasn't like Oguri, who immediately took to running the moment her legs healed enough that she could start running.
His words weren't wrong, but I couldn't resist throwing in a joke in response. "So you're saying I'm an idiot who doesn't know how to run."
Kitahara chuckled weakly, not quite able to refute. "A-Anyway," he coughed to clear his throat. "That's what we're going to focus on."
I nodded, and then turned to look at the distant Oguri. "Then I'll bother you a little more, Kitahara-san."
He waved my words off. "It's fine, it's fine."
He then taught me various different ways to run and asked me to test each of them out, just to see if there was anything that would better suit me. I nodded once I absorbed his words, and I quickly took off across the dirt track, doing my utmost best to observe which 'style' would suit me best.
Meanwhile, back at the stands, Kitahara smiled wryly. I kept saying that I wasn't fast, but he knew that wasn't really true. Even before I became his trainee, I completed my test race with a time that almost rivalled Fujimasa March.
The fact was clear: Blossom Star was by no means slow. She just seemed slow when compared to the monstrous Oguri Cap.
A smile tugged at his lips. "If it's those two then…" He whispered, excitement brimming.
And so our days were filled with training. It was the first time I truly experienced something like this, and it became starkly clear why every umamusume didn't immediately turn to racing. This continuous training wasn't a life anyone could easily endure, and it would only become harsher once competitive racing came into play.
Really, the only reason I was even motivated enough to keep going was because I had my System with me. If I didn't receive my daily dopamine surge from watching my Attributes rise, I would've quit a while ago.
Immersed in that training haze, a week quickly passed, and so came Oguri's debut race.
The result:
2nd place. Just a Head behind Fujimasa March.
I silently stood next to Kitahara as he declared war on March's trainer, but I hardly noticed. My attention was solely focused on Oguri, and Belno who quickly came down onto the track. Even from afar I could see the subtle frustration that laced Oguri's eyes, before I turned my gaze down to her shoes.
I held back a sigh. 2nd place in her Debut Race, all because her shoes broke mid-run.
I know I could've warned her—hell, I could've even lent her mine before the race. But after some thinking, I decided not to. Just like in the manga, it was better for Oguri to taste the frustration of defeat this early on. If her first blow came from a more prestigious race, there was no telling what effect it could bring. It's also give Belno and Oguri some nice bonding as they went out to buy new shoes.
That, and I was eager to see the horrified look Kitahara would have once he saw how much money this would drain from his wallet.
A complicated look came onto my face as that thought passed.
Geez, what was wrong with me? When did I turn into someone like this!?
No, no. This wasn't my fault. It was Kitahara and Belno's fault for being so easy to tease. Their fault, not mine.
Somewhat mollified, I began making my way down to the race track.
When I approached them, I asked how Oguri felt after having her first place so cruelly snatched away. But Oguri was Oguri, and so she just shook her head with excitement, ready to delve back into training in preparation for her next Debut Race. My smile twitched slightly, but I could only shrug. This was still a young Oguri, one brimming with youth and passion.
I closed my eyes.
I can only hope that I could do something to divert her away from the tumultuous future that would follow.
Another week quickly passed, filled with training and exercise and even more training. The regiment I'd imposed onto myself looked spartan to most people, and Kitahara had tried urging me to stop when he first saw it. But when I showed that I could maintain this amount of pressure, he finally decided to relent.
Then, my Debut Race came.
"Bracket 4, Blossom Star! She's…!"
I did my stretches on the paddock, letting the rest of the announcer's words wash past me like the wind as I focused on the invisible floating panel.
[Name: Blossom Star
Speed: 142 (F; Beginner)
Stamina: 154 (F+; Beginner)
Power: 121 (F; Beginner)
Guts: 114 (F; Beginner)
Wits: 110 (F; Beginner)
Skills: {Competitive Spirit ○}
Domain: -]
I silently sighed. Over the previous two weeks I'd focused on increasing my Speed, but even that wasn't enough to get my Speed to F+, while my Stamina had reached that without much trouble.
Did I just have a 0% Speed bonus? Maybe my stat-spread was like Rice Shower's or something.
Ha, no matter. If that was the case, that just meant she had to double down on her efforts. She had to give all she had if she wanted to catch up to Oguri Cap.
"All umamusume are to head for the Gates!"
I nodded, and soon I entered the gate I'd been assigned to. No.4, just one gate away from being right in the middle. Not the best place for the tactic I would employ, but certainly not the worst. At least I was lucky enough to not be put at the very last gate.
As the announcer went through the last of his pre-race announcements, I glanced at the 8 other competitors I would be facing today. I didn't have the talent to gauge how powerful they all were, but that didn't matter. No matter what, I had to win my debut, and all these other runners were just obstacles for me to-
I closed my eyes. No, that's wrong. They weren't obstacles, but peers—fellow racers that ran the same track I did. To put them down so callously, even in my mind, was not something a Hero should do.
"-1600m dirt course, all 9 runners have settled into their gates!"
I copied Oguri's warrior shake and cleared my head from any thoughts. I took a breath, opened my eyes, and bent my knees forward as I waited for that distinctive horn.
One. Two.
Three!
Bang!
"The gates are open! They've all-!"
The announcer suddenly choked on his words when a blur sped across the dirt track.