In early July, after Urara's debut race, the season was in the midst of the rainy season and summer. It wasn't hot enough to be considered a full-blown summer, but the muggy heat was starting to take its toll.
From now on, I'd have to be even more careful about Urara's physical condition. The heat was so intense that even a little movement would make us sweat, and a long run would leave her drenched.
And I was in the air-conditioned director's office, a place with no connection to that heat. What's more, across the desk from me sat Director Akikawa, with Ms.駿川 (Surugawa) standing next to her.
The director's office was cool and comfortable, but I'd been feeling a cold sweat on my back for a while. Even though I was sitting in the chair provided, I was worried my back would leave a wet spot.
July means summer. But for some working people, it's also a season to get excited.
(I can't honestly be happy about getting a bonus... This situation is unbearable.)
I mused to myself, maintaining a poker face on the surface. I even felt a sharp pain in my stomach.
Trainers who belong to the Central Racing Association are considered to be high-earners, and those at Tracen Academy receive bonuses in the summer and winter. What's more, even though it was my first year, the summer bonus would be a full one, not just a small token.
I was happy about that part. My regular monthly salary was already decent, but a bonus was something special. The word "bonus" sounded wonderful. It made me excited.
The problem was that the bonus amount was calculated based on my performance review.
It's normal for salary and bonuses to be determined by a performance review. However, my job is to be a Uma Musume trainer. A trainer's performance review is decided by their daily work and the results of their 담당 Uma Musume (Uma Musume in charge).
My Uma Musume, of course, is Haru Urara. And her result in her debut was 9th out of 9. I wondered how the top brass of Tracen Academy, Director Akikawa and her secretary Ms. Surugawa, would evaluate that.
(I should've taken some stomach medicine...)
I was on the sports team in junior high, and even at the trainer's school, I'd trained my body because being a trainer is a test of physical strength. I didn't have any chronic illnesses, and my physical exam when I was assigned to Tracen Academy showed excellent results in all categories, but my stomach felt like it was screaming even though I hadn't eaten anything strange.
I had confidently taken on Urara's training, and when it came to her debut, she came in 9th. I'm not so thick-skinned that I wouldn't feel anything about this situation.
Even though Urara's debut ended with her in 9th place, I felt it was just bad luck and that she had a lot of potential. I could say with certainty that she would have come in first if not for that accident.
However, the actual result was 9th. This was an unchangeable fact, and that fact was gnawing at my stomach.
Being praised for trying hard is for students; in the working world, results are everything. For Uma Musume, the race result is everything, and the same goes for the trainers who raise them. I probably wouldn't get fired, but my evaluation would be quite poor.
The reason a rookie trainer like me was in the director's office was that the director was my superior. This was the case for most trainers at Tracen Academy, with the exception of those who worked as sub-trainers on a team.
If I were a sub-trainer, the trainer of the team I belonged to would be my direct superior, but since the director was my superior, I had to have this performance review interview with the director and Ms. Surugawa.
To use a corporate analogy, it was like a new employee's performance review being conducted by the company president. This might show how dedicated the director was, but I felt like I'd rather not.
"You look a little pale, are you alright?"
I felt my sweat-soaked shirt sticking to my back, and Ms. Surugawa asked me as if she saw right through me.
"Haha... maybe the summer heat is getting to me."
"Concern! You must take proper care of your health!"
"Yes, of course..."
I answered, desperately maintaining my poker face. And so, my first performance review interview in this life began.
"First, please check this document. It is your performance review."
I received the envelope Ms. Surugawa handed me and pulled out the document inside. I took a deep breath and checked the contents.
It was broadly divided into three sections: my attitude towards daily work, my evaluation of Urara's training, and Urara's results. Each of these was further broken down into smaller items.
Just like a school report card, there was a score for each item, but when I looked at the contents, I couldn't help but tilt my head.
(It's not as bad as I thought... no, it's actually pretty good?)
It's always better to get a high score than a low one, but the performance review was so good that it made me suspicious. As expected, some of the evaluations were low due to the 9th place finish in her debut, but even that wasn't as bad as I'd thought.
Overall, it was a score of about 70 out of 100. I had thought it might be below 50 or even 40, so this high score made me uneasy.
"Is there something you don't understand?"
"N-no, it's not that I don't understand, it's just that I'm surprised the evaluation is so high..."
I asked, wondering if it was an evaluation for someone else. Ms. Surugawa smiled wryly and shook her head.
"Then I will explain how we evaluated each item."
"That... would be helpful, but are you sure you have the time?"
I wasn't the only trainer at Tracen Academy. There were hundreds of trainers. So I felt bad about taking up too much of their time, and Ms. Surugawa smiled wryly again.
"It's alright. We only take this much time for new trainers; those in their second year and beyond are used to it, so it takes about ten minutes per person."
I understood. I listened intently to Ms. Surugawa's explanation of the evaluation, and she mentioned Urara's training.
"Regarding Haru Urara, she has grown remarkably since before she entered the academy. We were surprised when you said you would only be in charge of her, but we consider the current result to be splendid."
"Th-that's... good to hear, yes. But she came in 9th in her debut... what about that?"
I asked Ms. Surugawa, who was praising me more than I expected, with some trepidation. Urara's results should have been a 1 out of 5, but the evaluation gave her a 3.
"It's true that Haru Urara's result in her debut was not favorable. However, she would have come in first in that race if not for the accident. We took that into consideration when we evaluated her."
"Thank you... wait, you were watching that race?"
My cheeks were about to break into a grin at how well Urara's running was evaluated. But I held it back and asked, and the director opened her fan with a snap.
"Of course! It's the big stage for the students who belong to Tracen Academy! Even if I can't go there in person, I make sure to watch all the races on TV!"
"Haru Urara's race was one that gave us hope for the next one. What you've been teaching her daily was put to good use, and we're looking forward to her future."
Director Akikawa and Ms. Surugawa smiled as they said that. Looking at the two of them, I reconsidered that they might evaluate the process as well as the results.
"Thank you. I'll continue to do my best with Urara."
"Yes. We are also looking forward to it."
"Agree! I have high expectations for you and Haru Urara—but."
Suddenly, the director's expression turned serious. And she said, with a presence that didn't match her cute appearance.
"We may not be the only ones who have evaluated Haru Urara's running. Keep that in mind and continue to work hard!"
"Y-yes!"
In the end, the director returned to her usual self, and I answered with a straight back.
-----------
"Phew... that was nerve-wracking."
I returned to the shared trainer's space and let out a big sigh as I sat in my chair.
The performance review was better than I thought, and I was genuinely happy with the director's and Ms. Surugawa's evaluation. On the other hand, I would probably receive a harsh evaluation depending on Urara's future results, but for now, I could say it was a good evaluation.
As for the bonus, since Urara came in 9th in her debut, there was no prize money, so it would be pretty lonely.
"You look tired. How was the interview?"
As I was taking a breather, Ms. Kiryuin, who was in the next seat, asked me. She stood up from her chair and came right up to me with a smile, but I wondered if it was my imagination that the distance felt strangely close.
I felt like I had gotten to know Ms. Kiryuin much better than before, as she had helped with Urara's training. However, it seemed Ms. Kiryuin still hadn't figured out the appropriate distance with other colleagues, as I didn't remember seeing her talking intimately with any other rookie trainers besides me.
"So-so. How was yours?"
When I asked her that, Ms. Kiryuin looked troubled.
"I think I received a good evaluation... but I don't know what kind of evaluations others received..."
"From colleagues who have already finished their interviews... no, never mind. Would you like to see mine?"
I cut myself off and took out the envelope I had just received from Ms. Surugawa. Then Ms. Kiryuin's eyes lit up, and she reached inside her vest and took out an envelope of the same type as mine.
"I would love to! I've always wanted to do this since I was a student!"
"O-okay..."
I wondered if the exchange, "Hey, how was your test?" "Let's show each other!" was something that only elementary or middle school boys did with their friends. Did girls not do that?
I received Ms. Kiryuin's envelope, with that question in mind. I hadn't expected her to show me her performance review, as it wasn't something people usually showed to others, and I thought she'd laugh and say, "I wouldn't do that."
But with her eyes shining, I couldn't say it was a joke now. So I looked at the contents of the envelope and looked off into the distance.
(What is this... is this what they mean by being from a prestigious school?)
If my performance review was a 70, Ms. Kiryuin's was close to 95. It was almost a perfect score.
The Uma Musume Ms. Kiryuin was in charge of, Happy Meek, ran a mile on turf in her debut. She took the lead and ran away from the other Uma Musume, winning by a margin of nearly 5 lengths over the second-place finisher. I knew she would receive a good evaluation, but it seemed she received an even higher one than I expected.
Her work evaluation, the results of her training, and her Uma Musume's achievements were all at a high level.
Of course, Happy Meek had only won her debut, and there was no guarantee she would continue to get good results. However, winning her debut meant she was already a step above the other 8 trainers' Uma Musume.
"This is... amazing. As expected of Ms. Kiryuin."
I honestly praised her. Then, Ms. Kiryuin, who was looking at my performance review, reacted so much that a Uma Musume's ears would have been twitching wildly.
"Am-amazing...?"
"Yes, it is amazing."
"R-really?"
"Really. It's amazing."
I praised Ms. Kiryuin, thinking that a smartphone would probably have more variations in its praise. I honestly thought it was amazing, but my praise was a bit half-hearted.
(Somehow, I feel like if I praise her too much or get too close, she'll just jump right in...)
Was it my imagination that she seemed like she would go anywhere with me without a second thought, saying it was because we were friends or because it was for Happy Meek?
(No, that's ridiculous... I was rude to think that.)
If I had said that out loud, I couldn't complain if she hit me. I had a ridiculous thought about Ms. Kiryuin, who had helped me, so I took the performance review paper and brought up a different topic.
"Oh yeah, when we get our bonuses, would you like to go for a drink? You've helped me out a lot, Ms. Kiryuin, so let me treat you."
I invited Ms. Kiryuin, half-jokingly and half-seriously. Urara had lost her debut, but I thought she was able to run as well as she did because she had trained with Happy Meek.
I wanted to treat her to dinner or drinks after work to thank her. It might not suit Ms. Kiryuin's atmosphere, but something like a drink after work at an izakaya.
"Eh... I-I think we should get to know each other better before doing something like that!"
"...? Really?"
I thought everyone went for a drink with their colleagues after work. However, it seemed that to Ms. Kiryuin, our relationship was one where she would refuse even a drink after work.
No, wait, I reconsidered. Even if we were colleagues, it was natural to be wary and refuse when invited out for a drink by a person of the opposite sex. To me, with my age on the inside, I didn't see Ms. Kiryuin or Urara as people of the opposite sex, so there wasn't much of a difference, but to Ms. Kiryuin, it was a different story.
"Hmm... oh, it's not like it has to be one-on-one, you know? It depends on the schedule of our Uma Musume, but we could invite the other rookies too."
"That would be even harder!?"
(Huh? Is that so?)
Is that so... maybe it is, I thought.
We weren't close friends, but there was no reason for Ms. Kiryuin to lie. It seemed that going out for a drink with her colleagues was difficult for her.
"By the way, what would 'getting to know each other better' entail? For example?"
I was a little curious and asked. Ms. Kiryuin thought for a moment and then said, timidly.
"That would be... for example, going to karaoke together..."
Which was more difficult: going for a drink or going into a closed space like a karaoke room together? To me, it felt more relaxed to go for a drink, as you could use food and drinks to keep the conversation going.
You could order food and drinks at karaoke, but I thought it was more difficult than an izakaya if it was just two people.
"I see... well, it was a sudden suggestion, and you'll be getting more serious about Happy Meek's training, so you'll be busy. My apologies."
I'll find another way to thank her. I thought that would be better.
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After her debut race in late June, Urara's goal was to win an unlisted race.
Although there were many opportunities for unlisted races, I was faced with a difficult situation.
(Why is there a period of one month without any short-distance dirt races...?)
This was about the timing of the short-distance dirt unlisted races, which was Urara's preferred distance.
After her debut, the earliest unlisted races were in early July. The same was true for short-distance dirt races, but if we missed that one, the next race wouldn't be until late August.
I figured it was due to the schedule of other races, but after late August, short-distance dirt unlisted races were held about once every two weeks.
Should I sign her up for the race as soon as possible, hoping to move up a class? Or should I train Urara even more until late August?
"What do you think, Urara?"
When I asked Urara, who had joined me after school, she tilted her head with her usual smile.
"I'll run anytime if I can!"
"You're not hurt, and you're in good shape... what should I do?"
It was only early July, but since I had to register for the race, I had very little time to think. Even if I did register, there was a chance we'd be chosen by a lottery if there were too many participants.
(From what I saw in her debut, I think Urara can win as long as she doesn't run into a strong Uma Musume like Happy Meek... but there's a chance she'll get rejected by the lottery, so should I just apply?)
If the application was approved, she would run in the unlisted race, and if she wasn't chosen by the lottery, she would run in the unlisted race in late August. Urara was in good enough condition to make that decision.
She had lost her debut, but it hadn't had a negative effect on her mentally. Her body was perfectly healthy, and her eye, which had swollen from being hit by sand, had returned to normal in less than two days.
"Alright... then let's enter the unlisted race next week."
Urara was fine, but other Uma Musume might have been mentally damaged by losing their debut. It was possible that the number of Uma Musume participating would be small, and Urara would be able to fight under favorable conditions.
"Next week? I can run in a race again!?"
"There might be too many applications and we might have to go through a lottery, but I'm going to proceed with that plan. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah! Alright, I'm getting excited! I'll do my best!"
I smiled wryly at Urara's excitement, but at the same time, I felt reassured.
Compared to other Uma Musume, Urara had a weak desire to win, but on the other hand, she was mentally resilient. To be precise, she seemed to prioritize having fun running and racing, but her ability to not get discouraged by losing was a kind of talent.
(That's right... even if she has a weak desire to win, she has the instinct of an Uma Musume to aim for first place. All I have to do is make her strong enough so she can win while having fun.)
If I did that, the results would naturally follow. She might lose due to good or bad luck like she did in her debut, but I was sure Urara would be able to win against any Uma Musume.
(Yeah... she can manage as long as it's short-distance dirt, but... a mile is probably still impossible.)
If Urara could build up more stamina, she could run in mile races as well as short-distance races. But for now, she had to get out of the unlisted races by running short distances, so I instructed Urara to do her warm-up and submitted the application for her unlisted race.
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And the following week.
We didn't get rejected by the lottery, and as I watched the race unfold, I couldn't help but mutter.
"...So that's how it is."
There was Urara, being marked by the other Uma Musume as she ran.
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