"Uh…"
Chiemi Representative's face twisted into a look that was… hard to describe.
"Er…"
Tamamo Cross's mouth twitched as well, equally baffled.
"Hmph."
Oguri Cap, meanwhile, was humming contentedly while holding Wu You in her arms, looking like none of this had anything to do with her.
What a blissful life, this Oguri.
Most people on the training grounds had the same reaction as Tamamo:
What on earth is that trainer doing?!
If you treated an Umamusume's physical abilities like game stats, they could be roughly divided into five categories:
Speed, Stamina, Power, Guts, and Wisdom.
Each had its role, and they worked together.
All kinds of training methods existed for one reason: to raise those five values.
Normally, outdoor training meant running—building speed and stamina.
But what Chiemi was doing now…
…was weird.
She wasn't on the track at all.
Instead, right beside Wu You, she was doing a slightly ridiculous one-legged hop in place.
"Hey! What a waste of a brilliant gem! What is that guy even making Chiemi Representative do?!" several trainers fumed openly.
In their minds, Chiemi Representative was obviously best suited for a frontrunner style. She only insisted on closing from behind because she was stubborn.
And this trainer not only failed to correct her—he indulged her stubbornness.
Now he was even assigning some training that looked completely nonsensical?!
A pearl left in the dust. A talent squandered.
"Why would Chiemi Representative pick him as her trainer?! Just because he's good-looking?! I'm not bad-looking either!" one trainer shouted in frustration.
"You have a sense of humor," someone replied dryly.
"What do you mean?"
"Comparing a gorilla to a handsome guy—bold. Interesting."
"…"
…
"Idiot…"
Tamamo Cross shot a glance at the trainer who had somehow managed to mentally collapse on the spot.
Still, jokes aside, even she couldn't figure out what Wu You was thinking.
Her own trainer, Komiyama Katsumi, sometimes used unconventional methods too—but Tamamo could always see the purpose.
This, though?
Chiemi's "training" left her completely at sea.
"Hey, Yuu-ni… is this really going to help—"
Tamamo hadn't even finished speaking when Wu You cut in.
"Chiemi, hold on."
He slipped down from Oguri Cap's lap, tapped his white cane forward, and walked to Chiemi's side.
"Your technique is wrong. Your center of gravity is off. I'll show you."
He set the cane aside—and started hopping on one leg too.
But compared to Chiemi's awkward, almost comedic motion, Wu You's posture was far more precise.
And paired with that face of his—the kind that appealed to everyone—it even looked… strangely graceful.
"Remember: keep your center of gravity in the ankle. Support yourself with the ball of your foot, not the whole sole."
Chiemi still didn't understand why this mattered, but since Wu You was demonstrating personally, she copied him.
"Like this?"
"You don't need to force it. Less power, more repetitions."
"Like… this?"
"Mm. Good."
Around them, more than a few people felt a chill crawl up their spines.
How is he "seeing" whether her movement is correct?
Is he even human?
…
"You're not human! You're a devil!"
Tokai Teio shouted at her phone.
"I just finished lunch and haven't even rested, and you're making me go run errands!"
Air Groove's voice came from the other end. "I told you to go to the chairwoman's office and pick up the documents. You forgot."
"Ugh—!"
It was true. Air Groove had told her to go to the chairwoman's office before lunch and fetch the recent trainer–Umamusume contract applications, so Rudolf Symbol could review them when she returned in the afternoon.
But Teio's head had been full of her "sick" president—and yesterday's run-in with Wu You—so she'd tossed the task straight out of her brain.
"Less whining, more moving. Go now. It won't take long."
"Okay… okay… I got it…"
Air Groove pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated.
Still, she knew Teio: she liked to complain, but she wouldn't botch what needed to be done.
Thinking of her agreement with the chairwoman, Air Groove added, "Also—when you get the applications, check—"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The call ended.
Click.
Air Groove's fingers tightened, and her phone gave a tiny, pained creak.
Why does everyone hang up before I finish my sentence?!
She drew a breath and forced herself calm.
I should call back and spell it out, or she'll bring Wu You's form along with everything else…
"Air Groove-senpai!"
Before she could dial, the student council room door swung open.
Heavy footsteps approached. Air Groove looked up—then immediately found herself swallowed by shadow.
What filled her vision was—
Huge. Absolutely huge. Dizzily huge.
Not just the "fresh, juicy meat buns," but the sheer size of the Umamusume herself.
It was Hishi Akebono, a middle-schooler.
A cute, doll-like face—paired with the tallest, broadest build in all of Tracen Academy.
Even the two-meter-tall president and Air Groove had to tilt their heads up to look at her properly.
"Akebono, what is it?"
"It's Noble Lady-senpai and Gold Ship-senpai! They're at it again!"
Air Groove began to suspect she was ill.
Because the moment she heard the words "Gold Ship," a headache bloomed in her skull like clockwork.
"Hold on. I just need to make a quick call, then I'll go with you—"
"There's no time, Air Groove-senpai! I heard they already went to the gym! If we're late, a bunch of equipment is going to become collateral damage!"
"…Wait, wait!"
It really did sound urgent. Akebono simply scooped Air Groove up in a princess carry and prepared to sprint for the scene.
"Hold tight, Air Groove-senpai! Launching! BonoB-ono!"
Thud-thud-thud—
The heavy footsteps thundered away as Akebono carried Air Groove out.
Air Groove could only cover her face with both hands, trying to hide herself beneath Akebono's overwhelming "buns."
This feeling—like she'd been abducted as a bandit's bride…
All she could do now was pray the chairwoman had already hidden Wu You's application properly.
…
"Chairwoman! I'm coming in!"
Tokai Teio pushed open the door to the chairwoman's office.
The room was empty.
"Huh? She's not here? Guess I'll just grab the stuff myself."
She didn't mind. She walked straight to the desk and began flipping through the documents.
Akikawa Yayoi was easygoing; even if she stepped out, students were allowed to locate files on their own.
Teio wasn't doing this for the first time. You could practically call her a repeat offender.
"Oh! Found it! This, this!"
She quickly located the target documents, sorted them neatly, and tucked them into her arms.
But as she turned to leave, she noticed something else pressed under another file stack on the side.
Just a corner was visible—but Teio recognized it as another application form.
"Honestly How does the chairwoman make a mistake like this If it weren't for Emperor Teio's keen eyes, this page would've been lost!"
Puffing her cheeks, she carefully pulled the form free and added it to her bundle.
Mission complete. Back to the student council room~
"Victory goddess today only kisses me"
Humming a bright little tune, Teio left the chairwoman's office.
She didn't notice in the slightest that on the application form she'd just picked up, the trainer signature line contained two characters:
Wu You.
-------
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