A Winning Concert. A performance an umamusume gives to the audience after their race, as a way of thanking them for their support.
Even after being reborn into this world, I still didn't understand exactly why that was a thing. I mean, I guess it made some sense here in Japan—the land of idols and stuff. But the whole Winning Concert tradition was something practiced all throughout the world, and I just couldn't see why this was so widely accepted.
Was this just something that came from the Three Goddesses? Maybe the dance was a conduit that connected the umamusume to the gods?
Or maybe that's just my delusions going a little too far.
I sighed tiredly as I set the daily newspaper down. There, as the main article of the day, was a picture taken during my Winning Concert. But instead of a dance, the image showed me sitting down, with a microphone standing in front of me and my fingers strumming a classic guitar.
Since I didn't know how to dance at all, I just sang. I mean it was one half of the usual Winning Concert, so I might as well. None of the songs Belno had practiced for were ones I recognized though, so in the end I just decided to borrow a guitar from one of the teachers and just played one of the few songs I knew by heart; an acoustic rendition of Go This Way, one of the songs in the game's jukebox.
People liked it, I think…? I didn't really remember the reception, since I was freaking out the entire time. Belno said so, and she didn't seem like she'd lie about that.
Alas,
[Mission Failed!]
[Rewards: +12 SP]
It was to be expected. My final evaluation for the Winning Concert was a D-, which wasn't too bad considering I didn't dance at all. And hey, 12 SP as a consolation price was pretty nice.
…anyway.
I sat up as I focused on the floating panel only I could see.
[SP Shop]!
I frowned slightly as a massive list of Skills suddenly expanded before me. Hundreds of Skills, stacked upon one another to form a massive library. Each was powerful in their own ways—some taken directly from the game, and others completely unique Skills I'd never seen before.
Right now, my balance sat at a pitiful 48 SP, not even enough to buy the cheapest Green Skill.
I rubbed my chin in thought. Over the two weeks I spent in intense training I hadn't received a single point of SP. Did that mean Racing and Winning Concerts were the only way of getting SP? If that was the case, that made this a whole lot harder.
…no, that can't be. There had to be another way.
"Star-san…?" I turned and saw Belno Light enter our team's communal room, yawning slightly as she closed the door behind her. It looked like she'd just woken up moments ago.
I smiled as I dismissed the SP Shop. "Good morning, Belno-san."
"Mm! Good morning!" She then blinked as she realized I was laying flat across the sofa, the newspaper I'd been reading thrown haplessly onto the floor. "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Kitahara said I need at least a day of rest before I can start training again." I said, shrugging slightly. I didn't disagree with his choice; using the Great Escape might've netted me my first win, but the strain it placed on my legs was not inconsequential. I definitely needed to find the style that suited me most sooner or later.
Bang!
I blinked in surprise as I saw Belno fall onto her back, hand trembling as she pointed a finger at me. "W-W-Who are you!?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What's with the exaggerated response, huh?" Did resting really seem so weird? It's not like I was some machine that could operate without sleep. Sure, Kitahara had to remind me to stop now and then, but wasn't that normal? He was a trainer, and I was his trainee. This was just how things were.
At least that was how it seemed to me at least. To the distraught Belno, I was practically a demon of exercise, never stopping aside from a few occasional breathers.
"Is Oguri training outside?" I asked instead.
Belno quickly calmed herself as she stood up. "Y-Yeah. Kitahara-san is helping her too."
I nodded. Oguri's next Debut Race was just in a few days, and he probably didn't want a repeat of what happened before. Not that it would; now that Oguri had a new pair of shoes, she'd easily dominate her next Debut Race.
On that note,
"Isn't your Debut also coming up?"
And at that, what enthusiasm Belno had drained away, and she gave me a weak smile. "It…It is, yes."
I glanced at her. "Not confident?"
Belno said nothing at first. She made her way to a vacant chair and sat down, slumping slightly. "How can I be?" She asked in a whisper. "I'm not like you or Oguri-san. I-I just don't have the talent."
…
"You do."
"Eh?"
I secretly clenched my fists. "You do." I repeated, slightly louder. "Oguri said you're like me, and now I understand." I sat up from the couch, staring her right in the eye. "You're not as fast, but you've got stamina. A lot of it. Enough to catch up to Oguri even after she outspeeds you."
"But-" She bit her lip. "Why would that matter if I can't even run fast?"
I smiled.
"In these races, there is only one winner." I said, before a grin grew across my lips. "But the other side of the coin is also true."
I stood up and walked over to her, and with a playful grin I gave her forehead a poke. "If you aren't confident in winning, then you just have to make everyone else lose."
"Make everyone…lose?"
I nodded. "Riddle me this: Your Stamina is great, your Power is good, but your Speed is lacking." I sat down on the chair opposite of hers and leaned back. "What do you do to make the race go your way?"
I let Belno stew on it for a good moment. I could've given the answer, but that was unnecessary. One of Belno's greatest strengths was her intelligence. It was what I'd noticed after two weeks of training with her; she might not have Oguri's immediate understanding when it came to anything racing-related, but she was definitely a lot smarter than I was when it came to this sort of thing.
Then, a spark finally lit in Belno's mind, and her eyes went wide. "A-Are you saying I should…?" I nodded for her to continue, and she took a shaky breath. "M-Me? A Frontrunner…?"
I smiled. "Why not?" I asked in return. "You have enough Power to burst forward at the start and get the lead." My eyes narrowed as I traced a line across the air. "And when you're in front, you set the pace. Make it as grueling as everyone else. And when there's not enough space-" My finger whipped back as I drew a line across my neck. "Secure the kill."
This wasn't my idea. Having played the game myself, I'd suffered under the infamously cruel tactic called "Blocker-Urara". If successful, the race's pace grinds to a halt, and the race effectively changes from a Speed-comparison to one of Power. And it's there when Belno could make her strike.
Of course, that was assuming Belno could get the lead. If she couldn't, then the whole plan falls apart.
But looking at the thoughtful look Belno now sported, I had a feeling she was already conjuring plans as to how she could increase her chances.
I smiled slightly as I silently watched her. If Belno had been added to the game, she would've no doubt been a Wit-type character, and given a kit similar to Nice Nature's.
I stood up, grabbed an empty notebook, and slid it over to Belno. The movement snapped her out of her thoughts, and she blinked as she saw the notebook I handed over. "Star-san?"
I nudged the notebook closer. "Thinking's good and all, but you should try drawing out your plans as well." I smiled. "Who knows? Maybe you can even have Kitahara help you out." I stopped for a moment, before I smirked. "Probably don't ask Oguri though. I don't think she's the type to use tactics like this."
She giggled, but smiled gratefully as she brought the notebook close. "Thank you, Star-san!"
My eyes softened as I watched Belno take to the notebook with excitement, and satisfied, I returned to the couch to nap the rest of the day away.
Time passed quickly after that. A few days came and went, and soon Oguri's second Debut Race arrived.
"Well, here it is." I casually said as I followed behind Oguri, who was already dressed in the standard racing gear. We were walking in the tunnel heading to the paddock; normally I wouldn't be allowed in, but it wasn't as if anyone was actively watching, and it wasn't like I was hurting anybody by sneaking in.
"Ready for the race?" I prodded.
Oguri nodded simply, clenching her fist. "I won't lose again." She whispered, her voice determined.
She blinked when my hand suddenly fell onto her clenched fist, and I smiled as I slowly pulled her fingers apart. "Careful. We don't want your hand to bleed again, yeah?"
She blinked. "Ah, sorry." She smiled. "Thank you."
I shrugged. "We're friends. That's just normal, isn't it?" I gave her a playful pat on the back, and then blinked when I remembered something from the manga. "By the way, how're your new shoes treating you? Any discomfort?"
She shook her head. "It's fine."
I smiled. "That's good. Remember to be careful as you run, yeah?" My eyes darkened slightly. "There's no telling what can happen when you're out on the race track."
Of course, I was talking about the bully that would run together with Oguri in this Debut Race. Norn Ace was her name. She wasn't actually too bad, but if things had progressed like they did in the manga, Mini the Lady had come up with a rather nasty plan to throw Oguri off. It didn't work due to Oguri's sheer strength, but one could never be too careful.
"I will." Oguri said, and then turned towards the tunnel's end when she heard her name being called. "I'm heading out."
I gave her a casual wave as she stepped towards the exit. "Good luck!" I said, and while Oguri didn't respond, I caught the small nod she made.
With that done, I carefully slipped back to the stands, and I sat down next to Belno. She naturally asked where I'd gone, but I only shrugged as we waited for the race to begin. The announcer began to call for the runners, and the crowd began growing excited as the announcer began reading out the last of his pre-race script.
I hummed as I glanced around the stands. "A lot more people today." I muttered, somewhat surprised to see the crowd that'd gathered.
Kitahara chuckled. "And whose fault do you think it is?"
I shrugged.
"All umamusume are in their gates!" The announcer called out. "The race is ready to start!"
A moment of silence followed, before the gates loudly slammed open, quickly followed by thundering hooves as nine runners shot forward at once.
"The race has started! All 8 participants had a nice start. No.8, Norn Ace is cutting from-" I let most of the race pass me by, knowing that a race as simple as this was hardly enough to be considered a challenge to the monster known as Oguri Cap.
And, lo and behold, Oguri easily takes 1st place, with an incredible 7 Lengths between her and the 2nd place. Not even Norn's half-hearted attempt at disrupting Oguri mattered in the face of Oguri's terrifying power.
Just like that, another monster appears on Kasamatsu's seemingly ordinary track. With Fujimasa March as the initial spark, my powerful Great Escape as the kindling, and Oguri's spectacular final surge as the final reaction,
This year would become the year where three monsters would suddenly rock the world.
But that was a story for another time.
.
.
.
Later on, during Oguri Cap's Winning Concert,
"Ah, yoisho!"
"Ha~, the rain is showering!"
"Tomorrow's weather is a shooting star~!"
Far away from the crowd that'd gathered, I desperately pressed my hand onto my face as I struggled not to collapse from laughter. I could barely see Kitahara and Belno's horrified faces from here, alongside the stupefied faces of the crowd.
Man, was I glad I didn't decide to chime in when Oguri confidently said she knew how to dance.
"Let's dance with Kasamatsu Ondou again today~"