Just as the two little lolis were talking to each other—
"Excuse me…"
A gentle voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Which team are you with? And where is your trainer?"
"Eek!"
Both of them jolted.
The little Uma with the blue rose in her hair and black curly bangs let out a tiny squeak and instinctively shrank behind her friend.
Only a pair of purple eyes, full of timidity and tension, peeked out to secretly size up the suddenly appearing adult.
The blonde girl called "Bourbon," however, reacted completely differently.
Even though she was still breathing heavily, sweat beading on her forehead, she immediately straightened up, turned around, and faced Kuroha.
She was silent for a moment. Then she suddenly spoke.
"…Based on the emblem you're wearing, preliminary judgment: Trainer belonging to Central Tracen Academy."
"From appearance and age, further confirming identity as the head trainer of Chasing Light."
"Nice to meet you for the first time. Hello, Trainer Kuroha. My name is Mihono Bourbon. She is my classmate, Rice Shower."
The machine-like string of statements left Kuroha blinking for a few seconds before his brain caught up.
Mihono Bourbon?
Rice Shower?
Two more names he couldn't possibly be more familiar with.
Glints of light rose in Kuroha's eyes as he quietly studied the two little lolis standing in front of him.
Unlike Teio and McQueen…
Judging purely from what his Body and Breath Perception showed him, the data on Bourbon and Rice was far below what Teio had back in those days.
They were probably, in terms of Elementary PE scores, nothing like the true monsters of their generation.
"Back to the question I asked just now."
Kuroha's expression hardened slightly. "Where is your trainer?"
Rice's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
But when she saw Kuroha's stern face, her heart trembled. Whatever she'd been about to say stuck in her throat and refused to come out.
In the end, it was Bourbon who answered calmly.
"We don't have a trainer. We are currently doing endurance training for medium-distance races."
"…Medium distance?"
"Specific target distance: 2400 meters. However, the speed in this session is far below the planned pace. Training efficiency is extremely poor."
Bourbon lowered her head slightly.
Kuroha did not interrupt her. He waited quietly until she finished speaking, then asked in a low voice, "So 2400 meters is the standard distance you've set for yourselves?"
At his words, the blonde "cyber" loli snapped her head up.
"Yes, Trainer Kuroha."
Kuroha's brows furrowed.
His gaze swept over Bourbon's legs, which were trembling subtly from overuse.
"Under normal circumstances, the Academy will never let Uma whose bodies haven't gone through True Blooming and completed their growth do training at this distance. Is there some special situation?"
"…"
Bourbon fell silent for a moment, saying nothing.
Behind her, Rice's face had gone pale. She tugged anxiously at Bourbon's sleeve.
"B-Bourbon… l-let's just go back, okay?"
Bourbon gave Rice a brief glance, but didn't move. Instead, she met Kuroha's eyes, her tone still level.
"To prevent the load from exceeding what a body at this age and developmental stage can safely withstand…"
"You're aware of that and you're still secretly training like this?"
"At present, symptoms can be diagnosed as temporary fatigue caused by intense endurance expenditure. Recovery is proceeding smoothly."
The little "cyber" Uma's lips moved slightly.
"In other words, the situation is within acceptable parameters."
"…You little ones really are something else…"
Kuroha let out a helpless sigh, then finally brought out his long-absent authority as both trainer and instructor.
"Rest properly for now, then go home. Don't secretly do this kind of high-intensity training again."
"…I refuse."
Unexpectedly, Bourbon refused in a soft but direct voice.
Kuroha's frown deepened.
The little Uma seemed to know she was in the wrong. Though she kept looking at Kuroha, her voice dropped a notch.
"I have a goal that I must achieve."
"A goal?"
Bourbon nodded, a faint light flickering in her eyes.
"I want to win the Classic Triple Crown."
"According to the Elementary teachers' assessments over the years, my default distance aptitude is Short. Therefore, if I do not raise my stamina ahead of time, I will not have the strength required to challenge the Classic Triple Crown."
She paused, then added,
"Please don't worry. Since early childhood, under the guidance of my former-trainer father, I have already gone through various forms of high-intensity training. My body is accustomed to it."
"Early childhood?"
High-intensity training?
Accustomed?
Kuroha felt like he'd just heard a string of rather alarming words.
Under his Body and Breath Perception, Rice's condition was still acceptable.
But Bourbon's entire frame… was riddled with problems.
Micro-damage in her joints and muscles, minor strains from overuse… they were practically everywhere.
Suddenly, Kuroha remembered this Mihono Bourbon's fate in the original timeline.
Unlike the natural monster that was Teio…
Bourbon had been a "manufactured" monster.
She'd crossed over her natural aptitudes and forced out every last drop of her potential.
Using talent meant for Short to go challenge Mid-to-Long.
After Teio's fracture and recuperation, Bourbon had burst onto the scene the very next year, becoming the next undefeated Double Crown after Teio.
And in the end, in the Kikuka Sho, she was forced to hit a sudden, violent top gear…
Her battered body could no longer bear it.
The injuries she'd been carrying exploded all at once after that race, and she was forced into retirement.
Her career had shone as brilliantly as a meteor… and ended just as quickly.
She never even got to set foot into her Senior Year.
Her life as a racehorse had been cut off right at the Classic Year.
Looking at the present from the vantage point of that future…
Her short, blazing career had probably been tied to this kind of irregular training from childhood.
At that thought, Kuroha sighed.
"So what you call training… is just this kind of distance running that squeezes every last drop of your body's potential?"
"…Yes."
Bourbon froze for a second at the question. Then, after a moment's processing, she still answered honestly.
"Stop this kind of training. If you keep going like this, you will never reach your goal."
"…Understood, Trainer Kuroha."
The little Uma accepted his order with surprising straightforwardness.
Seeing the faintly surprised look on his face, she explained,
"Based on the complete race data from Central last year, it is possible to conclude that you, as the head trainer of the strongest team Chasing Light…"
"…are on the cutting edge and at the top level when it comes to training methods and program design."
"Therefore, if I do not comply with your professional judgment, the probability of achieving a Classic Triple Crown victory will decrease."
"…"
Kuroha was at a bit of a loss for words.
Such a cute little loli, and yet she talked like a textbook robot.
He gave Bourbon a quiet look, then turned his gaze to Rice.
"Is your goal the Classic Triple Crown too?"
"Eh? I-I…"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, the black-haired loli flustered, stammered for a while, then her expression dimmed.
"…I don't know."
"I see."
Kuroha nodded, then looked back at the cyber-loli.
"If you aren't going to continue these kinds of sessions, what are you planning to do instead?"
His question sent Bourbon into a brief silence.
A rare ripple passed through her icy-blue eyes, as if she was trying to think of something.
But in the end, for a filly who hadn't even undergone True Blooming yet, her little brain was simply too small.
At this moment, her "super computation" was neither super nor particularly computational.
"Within my current knowledge base, there is no correct alternative training plan."
Her expression didn't change, but her cute little ears drooped visibly.
Looking at that obviously crestfallen little face, a thought suddenly stirred in Kuroha's heart.
Come to think of it…
Teio had undergone True Blooming just a few days ago.
Which meant… every Uma on his team was now an active racehorse.
And from what he'd seen with McQueen and Teio, the basic athletic development done before True Blooming was critically important.
Even if the differences in raw stats weren't always huge…
Things like responsiveness, technique, and race-sense saw a dramatic improvement.
He simply hadn't thought about it before.
But now Kuroha realized that, after Teio's True Blooming, there were no more little fillies in his team being raised from the ground up…
After a few moments of thought, Kuroha suddenly said,
"You two, run one lap for me."
Both lolis froze.
Bourbon understood in an instant. Her eyes widened slightly and gleamed with a faint light.
"Yes, Trainer Kuroha."
Rice, on the other hand, was completely bewildered.
"M-me? Why do I have to run too? Eh?"
She pointed at herself, then at Bourbon, then tilted her head in utter confusion.
[New Uma registered: Mihono Bourbon (temporary)]
[New Uma registered: Rice Shower (temporary)]
(End of Chapter)
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