That afternoon, Tracen Academy—training grounds…
The usual clamor seemed to hush on its own. Without anyone coordinating it, eyes gathered toward the same place.
"Hey—Isn't that Chiemi?"
"It is! And behind her… Oguri Cap and Tamamo, right?"
"Yeah, but… who's that handsome guy they're following?"
"I've never seen him. And he's holding a white cane—does that mean he can't see?"
Chiemi Representative and Oguri Cap needed no introduction; both were headline names at Tracen.
As for Tamamo Cross—she hadn't set the track on fire yet, but she was well-liked and one of the few students with an assigned trainer, so her visibility was anything but low.
At noon, after Tamamo's "exchange" with Chiemi, she'd decided to observe Chiemi's afternoon training.
She wanted to know whether Chiemi's talent really justified signing with Wu You ahead of Oguri.
Chiemi accepted readily.
Now she stood at Wu You's side in a red-and-white tracksuit, her steps light with anticipation.
"We're finally starting. I'm looking forward to your training methods, Trainer!" Chiemi said, lips curled.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly enough.
A beat of silence—
Then the entire training ground erupted.
"Whaaaaa—?!"
"Tra—Trainer?! Chiemi called that guy 'Trainer'?! I didn't mishear that, did I?!"
"You're telling me Chiemi actually signed?!"
Most of the Umamusume reacted in disbelief.
The handful of trainers present, however, wore a different expression entirely.
Jealousy—raw, undisguised jealousy.
Which one of them hadn't fantasized about pairing with Chiemi Representative and carving out a record worthy of the Emperor herself?
But when they'd actually approached Chiemi, every last one of them had been turned down.
Until now, they could soothe themselves with the same lie:
Chiemi is an ice lotus. If I can't pick it, nobody can.
Everyone loses—so at least it's fair.
That flimsy comfort shattered in an instant. All that suppressed frustration and bitterness surged toward the one who'd plucked the flower.
Why him?
Wu You felt it all, of course.
He simply didn't care.
Two years ago, when he'd been partnered with Rudolf Symbol, the hostility aimed at him had been far worse than this.
Though the crowd burned with curiosity about the new pairing, no one dared press too close under Chiemi's aura. An empty, wide ring naturally formed around them on the track.
Chiemi loosened up with warm-ups, then turned her head.
"So, Trainer—what's today's plan?"
Wu You sat on the bench by the lane and answered evenly.
"Run one lap first. I want to see your form properly."
He'd already watched her in selection races, but confirming once more wouldn't hurt.
"Okay!"
Chiemi licked her lips lightly, light flaring in her eyes, and stepped onto the track.
"Ready… go."
Bang—
At Wu You's cue, Chiemi Representative launched like lightning. Her first step hit so hard it kicked up a spray of dirt.
Her stride was smooth, explosive. Wind tore past as she accelerated, and in the blink of an eye she'd already taken half the oval.
The spectators fell abruptly silent.
Even Umamusume who'd been on the track instinctively moved aside.
They'd seen Chiemi train before—but this speed was beyond what they'd known.
This wasn't a gradual build.
This was near race-pace sprinting almost immediately after takeoff.
A few upperclass students mentally compared their best training data, then stared, stunned.
Even Tamamo Cross, who'd been observing with her arms folded and her chin lifted, unconsciously stepped forward half a pace—pupils tightening.
No braking into the curve. The body lean, the balance, the control—almost flawless…
So she really is terrifyingly gifted…
"But… something's off," an upperclass Umamusume murmured.
"Huh? What do you mean, senpai?" asked a first-year at her side.
"Her running looks… cleaner. More refined."
Similar whispers surfaced in several pockets of the crowd.
"More refined?"
A pink-haired Umamusume glanced at her assigned trainer.
He was an unremarkable-looking young man—until his brow knitted with genuine tension.
"I've watched Chiemi's selection races more than once. She's obsessed with a backmarker style, but she always leaks a front-runner's impulse—she tends to lose rhythm and surge."
"But now… that front-runner urge is clearly reduced…"
His gaze slid to Wu You.
Jealousy aside, a new thought gnawed at him.
What did this guy do… to make her correct that problem this fast?
The crowd's minds ran in different directions, but their eyes stayed locked on the figure tearing across the track—
Until Chiemi blasted through the finish.
Even then, the silence didn't break.
A moment later—
"That speed… she really is a prodigy." One trainer nearly dropped his clipboard.
Beside him, his Umamusume lowered her head, something bitter rising in her throat.
Even if she spent her whole life chasing it, she might never catch up to Chiemi's back…
And she wasn't alone in that feeling.
Today, more than ever, they understood Tracen's motto:
One horse charges ahead—ten thousand fade into shadow.
Chiemi jogged straight back to Wu You, the excitement still bright on her face.
"Trainer! Your method really works!"
If Tamamo Cross hadn't planted herself between them, Chiemi might have practically pressed up against him.
Of course, she meant yesterday's "endurance" training.
Just now, mid-run, she'd almost accelerated on instinct.
Normally, she would have forced herself to suppress it once she noticed—yet that always cost focus.
On the track, even a heartbeat of distraction could throw away an advantage.
But yesterday's drill had etched endurance into her body.
So before her mind could even react, her body stabilized the rhythm first.
To everyone else, it might have looked like a minor adjustment.
To Chiemi herself, it felt like a genuine leap.
"As expected—Trainer, you're amazing!" Chiemi said with a grin.
Oguri Cap and Tamamo didn't know what Chiemi was referring to, but hearing Wu You praised made them happy as if they'd been praised themselves.
"Heh—of course! Yuu-ni is a genius!" Tamamo declared, chin high.
"Mm-hm. Tama's right," Oguri nodded solemnly.
After a single lap, Chiemi didn't look tired at all—if anything, she looked restless, hungry for more.
Improving your strength was like training at the gym: once you felt the gains, it became addictive.
She wiped sweat quickly and asked without hesitation,
"Trainer! What do we do next?"
Right now, Chiemi had only one thought:
Whatever Wu You asked of her, she would do it—without question.
Wu You lifted one finger and chuckled softly.
"Then get ready. Today's training item is…"
-------
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