The next day. As requested by the email, I visited the Director's Office first thing in the morning.
The Arima Kinen was over, and there were only three days left in the year. It was the time of year when most people, except for those in the service industry, were finishing their work and preparing to take a relaxing New Year's holiday.
At Tracen Academy, today wasn't necessarily the last day of work for the year. While people like me had business to attend to, others had already started their New Year's vacation. Yes, Tracen Academy is a great place to work.
When I arrived at the Director's Office, I knocked and was immediately allowed in. As soon as she saw me, the Director opened her fan with a snap.
"APOLOGY! I am sorry for summoning you despite the end of the year!"
"I apologize, Trainer. However, I thought it was best to address this matter as soon as possible, which is why I called you in."
Both the Director and Ms. Hayakawa apologized. As for me, I didn't have much to do during the New Year's holidays anyway, besides maybe visiting my parents' house. So I told them not to worry and sat down on the guest sofa as they prompted.
On a side note, I had just been to the Director's Office recently—at the beginning of December, to be exact. It was for my winter performance review. It had been less than six months since summer, but the review was timed with the winter bonus payment.
At the time, Urara had just won her maiden race, and Rice's Arima Kinen was coming up, but my evaluation had still gone up from the summer. I got a score of 90 out of 100, and a lot of the positive feedback was about Urara's maiden race win. Of course, I did get a deduction for working too much overtime, but I guess that couldn't be helped.
I had also just finished organizing the information for the Uma Musume running in turf races. After Rice's Arima Kinen win, I was looking forward to my next performance review. Although, Kiryuin-san's score had dropped from 95 to 90, even though she led Happy Meek to four consecutive wins and a G1 victory at the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, so I knew you never know what could get you a deduction.
—That was what I had been thinking until yesterday.
"So... you wanted to discuss forming a team, is that right?"
I asked tentatively. I had no idea why this topic had come up, but if I were to form a team, I couldn't even begin to guess what my next performance review would be like. To be honest, as long as it didn't negatively affect Urara and Rice's training, I wouldn't really care if my score dropped.
"Yes. Since your Uma Musume won a G1, we thought this would be a good opportunity for you to form a team."
"If a G1 win is the reason to form a team, have you made a similar offer to Kiryuin-san?"
It felt a little wrong to pry into someone else's business, but if Kiryuin-san had also been approached, I would feel much more at ease. As a rookie trainer, suddenly forming a team would surely draw unwanted attention from my senior colleagues who hadn't formed one yet, and my peers.
...Well, my peers would probably just give me a playful elbow jab with a laugh, so that might not be so bad.
"Regarding Kiryuin-san, she is only in charge of one Uma Musume... and we have determined that she still lacks sufficient experience as a trainer."
"That makes it sound like I... no, that I have enough experience... But I don't, do I?"
"You don't. However, we have determined that you have reached a level where you can form and manage a team."
What? Why such a high evaluation? I felt more fear than happiness.
(And it's not just my performance review, I feel like Kiryuin-san's evaluation has gone down even more since summer...)
I wondered what she had done, tilting my head inwardly. A rookie trainer leading the first Uma Musume she was in charge of to four straight wins, including a G1 victory, even as a junior, should be a perfect score.
But, just like in the summer review, the Director and Ms. Hayakawa were evaluating us very thoroughly. I felt Kiryuin-san deserved a perfect score, but they must have found something that warranted a deduction.
(Maybe she got points off for being bad at communicating... or maybe there was a problem with Happy Meek's training... But I can't go poking my nose into someone else's business.)
I decided I needed to focus on my own situation.
"But even if you ask me to form a team all of a sudden... I only have two members, Urara and Rice. I thought you needed five to form a team..."
"It's understandable that you wouldn't know, having just been assigned this year, but there was a time when Team Spica had only one member, Gold Ship. But there was never any talk of disbanding the team. Five members is just a guideline."
"That's a reason not to disband, but it's not a reason to form a team, is it?"
They brought up Team Spica, but there's a difference between a team's members decreasing after it's been formed and forming a team with fewer than the required number of members. Hearing what Ms. Hayakawa said, I started to feel suspicious. Was she trying to trick me into something?
"To be honest, we do want teams to have a certain number of members, but this industry is also one where accomplishments speak for themselves... Since you're in charge of Rice Shower, who has won two G1 races, a lack of achievements is not an issue."
"Even if the Uma Musume's accomplishments are not lacking, the trainer's experience is..."
I wasn't trying to put myself down; it was a simple fact. I was a rookie trainer with less than a year of experience.
Of course, my Rice is an incredible Uma Musume. She won the Kikuka Sho and the Arima Kinen, and she's hardworking, cute, and a good girl. But forming a team would make things even more difficult than they already were. Of course, there were benefits, but could I really handle it?
"Listen, Trainer. Any trainer who forms a team for the first time is inexperienced, no matter who they are."
"I know that... but most people get experience as a sub-trainer on another team first, don't they?"
Most of my peers came from families of trainers, so they started as trainers right away instead of sub-trainers. And they were doing well, with their Uma Musume winning maiden and un-won races, even with some minor issues.
There were also some rookies, not from trainer families, who became trainers right away and had a rough time... Yeah, that's me.
"I'm feeling more and more suspicious the more you try to talk me into this..."
I was about to stay silent, but it was so obvious that I couldn't help but be on my guard. Why would they try to trick me? I had nothing to gain from it. And there was no reason to give me special treatment.
"APOLOGY! I apologize for making you suspicious! Let's stop beating around the bush!"
As I was talking with Ms. Hayakawa, the Director said that and looked at her. Ms. Hayakawa let out a sigh.
"The fact that you're cautious and don't jump at a good offer is one thing... The other is that we, the management of Tracen Academy, have a request for you to form a team."
"From management? Why would that be?"
That was an unexpected reason. Management included the Director and Ms. Hayakawa, but were the other higher-ups also saying something?
"SADNESS! The current situation of Tracen Academy is dire!"
"That's not what she means by 'dire.' It would be pointless to consult a rookie trainer about the school's finances."
"Yeah, I guess so."
I was in no position to advise them on the finances of Tracen Academy. But then what did forming a team have to do with it?
"The issue that management is concerned about is the number of trainers at Tracen Academy."
"Ah..."
Ms. Hayakawa's words made me nod in understanding.
Trainers in the Central are well-paid and popular. But the difficulty of getting a Central license is incredibly high, and the work is demanding. As I may have said before, there's a serious shortage of people.
"We are short-staffed... but I still don't understand why I should form a team because of that."
I almost agreed with her, but being short-staffed didn't automatically mean I had to form a team. If they were saying, "We're short-staffed, so form a team and increase the number of Uma Musume you're in charge of," I would understand, but that would definitely exceed my capacity. The Director and Ms. Hayakawa must know that. Besides, if they told me to, I would refuse.
"REVELATION! Since it's come to this, I'll tell you everything!"
"Please don't reveal anything... Wait? Is this something I really shouldn't hear?"
I stopped the Director. When she says "revelation," it makes me really nervous. Can I still run away? No?
"REVELATION! Since it's come to this, I'll tell you everything!"
"You can't just repeat yourself and expect it to be okay."
Well, I didn't think she would actually reveal something I shouldn't know. But the fact that she said it made me nervous.
"Regarding the small number of trainers, we believe it's unavoidable since we can't lower the difficulty of obtaining a license."
"Of course. It's the Uma Musume's lives we're talking about."
I nodded to Ms. Hayakawa's words, even though I had come to Tracen Academy without a deep understanding of what it meant to have an Uma Musume's life in my hands. That was me.
I wanted to give my old self a dropkick, but if I hadn't come to Tracen Academy, I would have never met Urara and Rice. The fact that I was able to learn about the difficulty, fun, and sense of accomplishment of training an Uma Musume was because my past self wanted to become a trainer. Even now, I'm just a rookie who has just taken her first step as a trainer, so I can't really say anything to an expert.
"Then, we need to improve the quality of the trainers we currently have."
"That... I agree it would be better if we could, but I think it would be difficult."
It's not that easy to improve the quality of trainers. If it were, more people would be able to get a Central license. Also, as I may have said before, there are trainers who do the bare minimum and prioritize their family life. I have no right to complain, since I don't have a family, but I thought it would be hard to improve the quality of those types of trainers. After all, they are satisfied with their current situation.
"The quality won't improve overnight... You're right. But don't you think the quality will naturally improve if we can increase their motivation?"
"...I think I'm starting to understand what you mean."
I felt my cheeks twitch as I started to see what the Director and Ms. Hayakawa were getting at.
Forming a team has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages are several. First, you get a dedicated room for the team. This would reduce the time Urara and Rice spend changing clothes in the locker room, giving them an extra five to ten minutes for training. That might seem short in a day, but it would add up to a big difference over dozens or hundreds of days.
Second, the team would be allocated funds for club activities. This would allow us to do things we couldn't do before and buy things we couldn't afford. We could buy things like stopwatches and training equipment to keep in the team room.
Lastly, and this is a huge advantage, we would get priority access to facilities like the indoor pool. This is a very important advantage when training Urara and Rice. Just like Team Rigil, we could train and recover in different environments.
There were also a few disadvantages. My workload would increase, as I would not only be training the Uma Musume but also managing the team—handling the budget, expenses, and reporting. As a rookie forming a team, my Uma Musume's opponents would be more cautious of her. I wanted to believe my peers would be okay, but I might be looked down upon by my senior colleagues who haven't formed a team.
And another thing that would normally be an advantage but would be a disadvantage for me right now is that it would make scouting for Uma Musume easier.
"I'm a rookie trainer, could you hear me out?"
"I'm the trainer for Team XX, could you hear me out?"
When faced with these two options, the Uma Musume would almost certainly choose the latter. The only exceptions would be if they knew the rookie trainer was very talented or if they felt a deep, intuitive connection with the trainer. Regardless of reputation, the chances of two people who are a good match meeting are negligible.
(...And, unfortunately, the disadvantage of being looked down on by senior trainers who haven't formed a team seems like an advantage to Ms. Hayakawa and the management... They'll be motivated to work harder, not because they'll think forming a team puts them above others, but because they won't want to lose to a rookie... I hope...)
No matter how excellent the organization or how wonderful the people, jealousy and envy will always exist. The ambitious ones would get motivated and follow suit, but what about the ones who aren't?
(...Wait a minute? What if those people are just doing the bare minimum for their Uma Musume and just treating it like a job...)
There were trainers who were passionate about training Uma Musume in the past but now just see it as a job. They achieve just enough to not get fired while prioritizing their own lives. Compared to trainers who do it as a job to protect their families, their motivation might be a little lower.
Of course, I would never say that they should sacrifice their personal lives for training, but I think having passion is a huge factor. How would an Uma Musume who wants to be faster and stronger feel if she was scouted by a trainer like that?
"If a rookie trainer gets results, they will be rewarded accordingly... this can also be used to increase motivation, right?"
"Yes... We believe that this will lead to an increase in the number of people who can obtain a Central license."
It was a well-known fact that trainers are highly paid, but if they heard that a rookie could get a high evaluation for their achievements, some people would be interested. Trainers who had tried and failed to get a Central license and were now stuck in the local leagues might try again.
From the management's perspective, they could expect various positive effects by just giving one rookie trainer a team. Of course, it could also go wrong, but that was something the Director and Ms. Hayakawa would have to handle. The number of Central trainers might increase, and the quality of trainers might improve. It was a proposal full of uncertainties, but all they needed to test it was one rookie trainer with a proven track record and the funds for the team's formation and management. So I could understand why they'd want to try it—but...
"But wouldn't this put an excessive burden on the Uma Musume being trained by trainers who want to form a team? I think there's a risk of them being overworked to get results."
To be honest, I was fine with either decision for myself. Actually, if it meant better training for Urara and Rice, I would even be in favor of it. My workload would likely increase, but surely they wouldn't leave all the work to me... right?
However, the possibility of trainers overworking their Uma Musume just to form a team was something I couldn't ignore.
"If the Uma Musume themselves want it, there's nothing we can do to stop them. But if a trainer is clearly forcing a burden on them, we will stop it."
Ms. Hayakawa said with a faint smile. It was a reliable yet terrifying smile.
Thinking back to my summer performance review, they had a detailed grasp of my behavior and my training methods. If I ever tried to push my Uma Musume too hard, they would immediately find out and call me in.
(They didn't install hidden cameras or listening devices... did they?)
I had no idea how they were checking up on us, but I decided to ask what I wanted to know.
"Just hypothetically... if I were to form a team, would you provide me with support and assistance?"
"Of course. In that case, I will provide you with support and guidance."
"Huh? You would, Ms. Hayakawa? Aren't you busy..."
Ms. Hayakawa was the Director's secretary. Her workload and responsibilities must be far greater than mine. If she added my support and guidance to that, it would be a huge burden.
"Please don't worry. I am quite confident in my stamina."
"O-oh, you are... Huh? Stamina? Not physical strength?"
"Ahem... I am confident in my physical strength. Besides, being the Director's secretary doesn't mean I'm busy all the time."
Ms. Hayakawa cleared her throat and corrected herself. Oh, she just misspoke.
"Of course, I have my own work to do, so I can't be with you all the time. But I can comfortably assist you until your team is stable."
"I see... That's very reassuring. What about hiring a sub-trainer... No, that's impossible, isn't it?"
If I had a sub-trainer to help me, I could delegate some tasks. But again, I was a rookie. While it might be possible in the next year, when new rookies join, no one would want to be a sub-trainer for me right now.
I was getting on in years if you included my past life, but not many people would want to be a sub-trainer for a peer or a junior.
"...Could you give me some time to think about it?"
If Ms. Hayakawa supported me, the jealousy from my senior colleagues would probably be significantly lessened. Or maybe it would increase because I was getting support from her.
"Of course. Take your time to think about it during the New Year's holidays."
"EXPECTATION! I look forward to a positive response if possible!"
The Director and Ms. Hayakawa said, and I stood up from the sofa and bowed. As I was about to leave the room, Ms. Hayakawa stopped me.
"I apologize. I was late to bring this up. Please take this."
She handed me an envelope. It was the kind of envelope used for pay stubs or bonus notifications. I took it, tilting my head in confusion.
"Huh? I already got my December pay and bonus statement."
"Oh? This is a notification regarding the prize money for the Arima Kinen."
"...The prize money for the Arima Kinen?"
I repeated her words like a parrot and opened the envelope on the spot, even though it was rude. Prize money for the Arima Kinen? Oh right, Rice won first place. There would be prize money, just like when Urara won her maiden race.
"....?"
I checked the contents and turned the statement upside down, not believing my eyes. I held it up to the light and shook it, but the numbers didn't change.
(That's strange... It says they've transferred a number with eight digits... How much is the prize money for the Arima Kinen again? Oh, 300 million. So a tenth of that...)
I let out a sigh. I carefully folded the statement and put it back in the envelope, bowed to the Director and Ms. Hayakawa, and left the room. After making sure I was far away from the Director's Office and no one was around, I held my head in my hands.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I FORGOT!"
I was such an idiot, thinking about my senior colleagues getting jealous if I formed a team! They were going to be jealous no matter what, as soon as Rice won the Arima Kinen!
I had been so focused on Rice's win, how she was accepted at the victory live, and how she seemed to be uninjured, that the prize money had completely slipped my mind.
Even after taxes, it seemed like almost 20 million yen had been transferred to my account. If I went to the bank, the number of digits in my savings would have increased by one.
(W-what should I do... Should I just transfer the whole amount to Rice's account... No, she'd never accept it, and she might even think I'm denying her win and cry... Should I buy something? A luxury car? That won't help with Urara and Rice's training.)
I felt like I had won the lottery. The difference was that this money wasn't from luck; it was from Rice's hard work and talent.
(Maybe I should buy something Urara and Rice want... But Urara aside, Rice is richer than me! Wait, I don't have to spend it. I can just save it for retirement. Yeah. There might be a time I need to use it...)
I had an idea and took out my phone. I knew my senior colleagues would be jealous, but I thought I could handle my peers.
"Oh, hello, it's me. No, it's not a scam. Are you going home for the New Year? No? Then let's go out for dinner tonight. I'll invite everyone who's staying behind... A New Year's party? Yeah, something like that. I'll pay for everything... Why? Because my Rice won the Arima Kinen. Yeah, I got a huge prize money, so let's go celebrate. All of your Uma Musume will aim for a major race next year, right? You can just treat me when you win first place... Alright, see you later!"
I would never say it was ill-gotten gains. This was prize money that I earned because Rice won the Arima Kinen.
So, I decided to use it to maintain my relationships with my peers. I would take the ones who weren't going home to an expensive restaurant and treat them to expensive drinks. Then, after the New Year, I would invite the ones I couldn't invite this time. If I maintained these connections, I would probably be okay even if a senior trainer said something or did something.
And by bragging that my Rice won, a lot of my peers would get a fire lit under them instead of just getting motivated. Of course, some of them might get jealous, but there was nothing I could do about that. I was willing to accept that.
As for forming a team, to be honest, I didn't want to accept it, regardless of the Director's and Ms. Hayakawa's motives—
(Rice will be fine, but Urara will have a tough time next year if she doesn't get stronger... She's growing faster than I expected, but next year...)
She was likely to face the tough opponents I had researched earlier. If she lost because of a lack of training, I wouldn't be able to face her. But if I formed a team and improved the efficiency of her training, I thought Urara's skills would also improve. Even so, I couldn't say for sure that she could beat Uma Musume like Oguri Cap, who was transferring to the Central, or El Condor Pasa from Team Rigil.
Even though Rice had won the Arima Kinen, the G1 races she would compete in as a Senior Uma Musume would all be fierce. It was my job as a trainer to provide the best possible environment for them to get stronger.
(As for the increase in work... Well, they were the ones who gave me this crazy proposal. I'll just have to rely on Ms. Hayakawa.)
I decided to consider accepting the offer to form a team and headed home.
By the way, I had planned to go home for the New Year's holidays, but my mother called and said that some girls who were my classmates in elementary and middle school were asking her, both directly and indirectly, when I was coming home and if I had a girlfriend. So I spent the holidays alone.
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