"That old man is actually planning to enter this year's Triple Tiara!?"
Inside the trainers' office, Nishizaki Ryuu watched the replay of the Uma Musume interview and immediately stood up. Without another word, he rushed to Fujiwara Chiya's office, knocked twice, and, without waiting for a reply, strode inside in three quick steps.
"Chiya, this is bad!"
"My Rudolf swimsuit photobook got discovered?"
"It's worse than that!"
Nishizaki Ryuu turned on the television. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a green Uma Musume lying on the sofa, apparently sleeping. After a brief moment of confusion, he turned his attention back to the program. Nase Hideto's figure appeared in the center of the screen.
Standing beside him was a pink-haired Uma Musume. She wore a grey fedora, and her eyes, which were close in color to her hair, blinked brightly.
"My Uma Musume, Kyoei March, will be challenging this year's Triple Tiara."
"I see. So that is what you meant by challenging a new route. It is true that Mr. Nase rarely participates in the Triple Tiara."
"Actually, I participate in it fairly often."
"…Then, Mr. Nase, what did you mean by a new route?"
"Ohohoho!"
A standard queenly three-part laugh came from the television. Immediately afterward, another Uma Musume appeared. She had brown hair and red eyes, and wore an excessively confident smile.
"You are… King Halo!?"
"That's right. I am Trainer Nase's Uma Musume, King Halo, a true top-class Uma Musume! Sing my praises! Ohohoho~!"
"Mr. Nase Hideto, what exactly is this?"
"All routes, all schedules. I plan to participate in as many races as possible during the months I'm back in Japan. Short-distance, mile races, long-distance races, the Classic Triple Crown, and the Triple Tiara. All of them."
"What? That is far too… unexpected. Can that truly be done?"
"Of course. With these two Uma Musume, it can."
"I-I see. Let us go to a short commercial break first."
Nishizaki Ryuu muted the television.
"Well, Chiya? You saw that, right?"
That old man was not only entering the Triple Tiara, he was actually aiming to dominate every route. Even if he was a once-in-a-generation genius trainer, that statement was far too arrogant.
Fujiwara Chiya stroked his chin.
Participating in both the Triple Crown and Triple Tiara during the months he was back in Japan meant Fujiwara Chiya would have to compete against him. Kyoei March and King Halo. These were Nase Hideto's Uma Musume. Yesterday, Nase Hideto had said that a genius trainer paired with a genius Uma Musume was a dangerous combination, and that a trainer's eye for talent was also part of their ability.
Since these were Uma Musume chosen by him, their ability was definitely extraordinary.
"So it's Halo, huh…"
A lazy voice came from the sofa. At some point, Seiun Sky had woken up and was looking at the television.
"Isn't this child Kiryuin's Uma Musume? Why is she here?"
"She said this place is comfortable to sleep in, so she came over." Fujiwara Chiya spread his arms helplessly.
That reason was truly bizarre.
"In any case, I've told you what you need to watch out for. That old man is not easy to deal with."
"Ryuu-aniki, did you race against him before?"
"More than just raced against him." Nishizaki Ryuu looked as if he was recalling a painful past.
"That goes back to ten years ago, around the time I first came to Tracen. I had just signed contracts with two Uma Musume, and Nase Hideto was also preparing to spend his final two years at Tracen. We were rivals from the same generation. I raced against him three times in total."
"How many did you win?"
"Don't even ask. Do you know who the Uma Musume under Nase Hideto was back then?"
Fujiwara Chiya shook his head.
"Shinzan."
The air in the office sank.
The second Triple Crown winner in Japanese racing history, Shinzan. Her Central record was nineteen starts, fifteen wins, and four runner-up finishes. She was a true top-class Uma Musume.
When Nishizaki Ryuu was still a rookie, and Nase Hideto was at his absolute peak, the two became opponents. The result was obvious. Nishizaki Ryuu had almost been run into depression by him. His Uma Musume had not won even once.
In truth, Nishizaki Ryuu's situation at the beginning had been quite similar to Fujiwara Chiya's. He had suffered defeat after defeat. The difference was that his Uma Musume kept encouraging him, and also encouraged herself, saying that they would definitely win it back next time.
Although that Uma Musume never managed to beat Shinzan even once before retiring, she still expressed her gratitude to Nishizaki Ryuu. She thanked him for all the years of training and effort he had given her.
It was those words that pulled Nishizaki Ryuu back up from rock bottom.
He resolved to become a trainer who would not betray the expectations of his Uma Musume.
Because of that experience, when Nishizaki Ryuu saw the depressed Fujiwara Chiya, he vaguely saw his past self in him. He took the initiative to speak to him and gave this junior some help. It was also at that time that he became Fujiwara Chiya's "Ryuu-aniki."
Nishizaki Ryuu would never forget that period. Even now, whenever he saw that man's Uma Musume, he would unconsciously become nervous. After learning that Chiya was going to become that person's opponent, he hurried over to warn him.
"I understand. I'll be careful."
"You need to be very careful. Whether it's on Central's racecourse or during the European expedition, you absolutely can't lose to that middle-aged old man!"
Nishizaki Ryuu patted him on the shoulder with heartfelt seriousness, then left the office.
The room returned to silence.
"Looks like your mission is pretty tough, Trainer."
Seiun Sky swayed her tail on the sofa.
"It is… Wait, why are you here again!? Go back. Go to Kiryuin's office, the infirmary, the flowerbed, anywhere is fine. Just don't sleep here."
Even Nishizaki Ryuu had asked about her just now. This girl was only going to ruin the atmosphere of his office.
"Because this place is the most comfortable to sleep in, Trainer."
"Don't call me Trainer. I'm not your trainer."
"Then Chiya."
"…Just call me Trainer."
Seeing her smiling expression gave him the feeling of throwing anger into cotton.
Seiun Sky turned over.
"I didn't come here just to cause trouble. Trainer sacrificed so much and told me such an important secret. Seii-chan doesn't have anything to repay you with, so I figured I might as well give myself to Trainer. Just treat me as a pillow placed here."
"A pillow isn't a decoration."
"Seii-chan never said she was a decoration."
Fujiwara Chiya paused for a moment.
He looked at the green big cat behind him and reached out to stroke her head. Seiun Sky did not move at all, as if she were really letting him do whatever he wanted.
However, Fujiwara Chiya would not fall for her trick. Dealing with Seiun Sky required one hundred more tricks than dealing with an ordinary person. When he saw her small feet curled up together, Fujiwara Chiya suddenly thought of something and reached out to poke one.
Her soft little foot was wrapped by his palm like cotton, warm and delicate, with a faint scent of soap.
"Umyah!"
Seiun Sky let out a strange sound.
"So this much is enough to get a reaction from you. You still have a long way to go, Sky."
Fujiwara Chiya laughed, while Seiun Sky's face turned bright red.
"You really are mean… Trainer."