The car hummed as it drove along. Fujiwara Chiya looked out the window, feeling Nase Hideto's gaze fixed firmly on him from beside him.
"It has been more than ten years since we last met, hasn't it? I wonder whether you still remember me."
"I do. Of course I do…" Fujiwara Chiya's mouth twitched twice, his smile stiff.
"Back then, you were always shouting about becoming a trainer. I didn't expect you to actually become one. And on top of that, you received a nomination from Central. There are very few people who can achieve such a record at your age."
"I'm nowhere near you, Trainer Nase."
Before Nase Fumino had become a trainer, the title of Japan's genius trainer had always belonged to Nase Hideto. Being praised by a senior trainer like him felt somewhat like being elevated only to be crushed. Of course, that alone would still have been fine. The problem was those absurdly sharp eyes of his. To Fujiwara Chiya, this car felt less like it was heading toward Central and more like it was heading straight for heaven.
"Recently, quite a few Uma Musume in your team seem to have won graded races. Congratulations."
"Thank you…"
"Luck and ability. For a trainer, both are indispensable. A good Uma Musume also needs a good trainer, which means one's eye for talent is the most important thing. In that regard, you have done fairly well. You found some good Uma Musume."
"…You watched those races?"
"I watched a few. There are several promising seeds. Agnes Tachyon, Gold Ship, Rice Shower, and… Snow Dancer."
Fujiwara Chiya's heart skipped a beat.
"That white little Uma Musume may not possess the very highest level of talent, but her control over the racecourse has reached an astonishing degree. She knows exactly what she needs to do. She doesn't look like a newcomer who has just debuted at all, but more like an experienced warrior who has fought through more than a dozen races. If she truly grew to that point in only a few short months, that child's future will undoubtedly be very bright."
Nase Hideto pinched his chin, speaking as he thought. "However, if she wants to challenge European racecourses with that level of ability, it will be difficult."
"Why?"
"I spent more than ten years as a trainer in Japan. After that, I went to America, Britain, and France to study their techniques. Later, I discovered that the issue was not limited to training. In terms of Uma Musume ability, there is also a very large gap between Japan and them."
Fujiwara Chiya narrowed his eyes. Nase Hideto continued.
"For Uma Musume, the racecourse is like primitive society. The strong devour the weak. But if that is the case, another issue arises. The inequality of talent and fate. Some are born with extraordinary gifts and dominate the racecourse. Others work hard their entire lives and remain unknown."
"And that finger of fate points again and again toward European soil. Secretariat, Ribot, Nijinsky… I was fortunate enough to meet those Uma Musume once."
They were all existences standing at the peak of the world. What had Nase Hideto, who had still been young back then, felt when he met them?
"Those people are natural predators. In this world where the strong prey upon the weak, some are born hunters, and some are born prey. No matter how brave a lamb may be, it cannot defeat a lion. From the moment those people were born, they were already destined to be different from ordinary mortals."
"Doesn't what you're saying apply to Japan too? Isn't Japan also a world where the strong prey on the weak?" Fujiwara Chiya asked in return.
"That is exactly what I mean by a gap. Japanese Uma Musume have always existed in a relatively gentle environment. The level everyone stands at is mostly similar. The only difference is whether they improve quickly or slowly. But there will always be some people who possess unreasonable strength that defies all logic. You have not encountered one yet, have you, Chiya? An Uma Musume with a gap so vast it feels almost hopeless."
Actually, he had encountered one before.
Someone he could not catch up to no matter what.
Hayakawa Tazuna.
Could Nase Hideto be saying that Europe was filled with Uma Musume on Hayakawa Tazuna's level? Or even stronger than Hayakawa Tazuna, stronger than Symboli Rudolf? Was that what he meant?
As the car slowed, the two arrived at the Central building.
"We have arrived, sir," the driver said.
"You go ahead, Chiya. I have other matters to attend to."
"You're not coming?"
"We just happened to be going the same way. I heard Central had business with you, so I came to give you a ride."
"Then thank you for the trouble." Fujiwara Chiya nodded and opened the car door.
Just before he left, Nase Hideto asked, as if casually, "Chiya, nothing has happened between you and Fumino, has it?"
"Nothing… Ah…"
As he spoke, Fujiwara Chiya suddenly remembered that he and Fumino had kissed. His words paused for a moment, and in that instant, Nase Hideto's eyes suddenly sharpened.
"Run him over, Tanaka."
"Sir, you mustn't!"
After a brief scene of chaos, Nase Hideto's car drove away. Fujiwara Chiya stood where he was, watching the car disappear around the corner at the end of the street.
A white figure appeared beside Chiya.
From the beginning, Shirayuki had been following behind the car. Fortunately, in the end, Nase Hideto had not done anything to him. He had only spoken a little about European racing.
They could think of the opponents over there as Uma Musume stronger than Rudolf.
Rudolf, Japan's only undefeated Triple Crown winner, the current peak of Japan, an unsurpassable legend, would only be considered a top-class Uma Musume in Europe. She could not be regarded as the peak.
The finger of fate pointed again and again toward that soil. But perhaps that was only natural. After all, the legendary world's greatest Uma Musume, Eclipse, came from Europe. It was the birthplace of Uma Musume racing, and the "racing" in "racing Uma Musume" had also begun there.
As expected, that land with its deep history would not be easy to conquer.
Turning his head, Fujiwara Chiya looked at Shirayuki beside him. On her fair face, those beautiful sky-blue eyes were looking back at him.
Even so, Chiya had already decided.
He would charge toward that place.
After patting Shirayuki's head, Fujiwara Chiya walked into the Central building to receive his trainer uniform. Later, they could go to a buffet and eat something. After running so far, Shirayuki felt a little hungry.
That afternoon, on the same day Fujiwara Chiya went to Central, an Uma Musume news program was being broadcast on television. A middle-aged man of around fifty, wearing a formal uniform, sat in the center of the screen as reporters asked him questions.
"Trainer Nase, do you plan to participate in races during your return to Japan?"
"I do have such thoughts."
"Could you reveal a little about your specific race schedule?"
"I am preparing to participate in races I have rarely entered before."
"I-I see. As far as we know, after returning to Japan, you do not seem to have found your own Uma Musume yet?"
"No. In fact, I have already found her."
"Eh? Really? Which Uma Musume is she?"
"I had her come here ahead of time."
As he said that, Nase Hideto looked toward the door. From outside, a pink-haired Uma Musume walked in.
"Her name is Kyoei March."