For now, it ended with me exchanging contact information with the three of them. No matter how I thought about it, there was no way the Chairman—or even the board—would approve Tachyon and Fine Motion’s contracts. But if I just stood there doing nothing, they looked like they’d keep pressuring Oguri nonstop, so I had no choice but to halfheartedly go along with it.
No matter how I thought about it, the idea of a rookie Trainer taking on three Uma Musume was obvious nonsense that would get rejected from the Tazuna line before it even went anywhere.
I wanted to talk with Oguri a little longer, but Tachyon and Fine Motion said they had something to discuss girl-to-girl, and Oguri kept looking at me like she wanted help. In the end, I had to leave her behind in Tachyon’s lab.
Still, it seemed like I’d somehow handled the most worrying part: finding a 담당 Uma Musume. It was a burden, sure, but at least I wouldn’t have to wander around from place to place or head down to the provinces because I couldn’t find one.
Now that I was sure I’d be staying at Tracen, I also had to move out of the temporary room I’d been using and quickly buy the things I’d kept putting off until after the move.
“Ah, Trainer! I’ve been waiting!”
A girl with twin tails waved at me with a bright smile.
“Scarlet-chan, was it?”
“Yep! Yep! You remembered me now?”
At the sight of the young girl approaching so casually, I answered with a forced smile. Remembered her? I’d only met her once before. If I said that, it felt like she’d burst into tears and run off again, so I had no choice.
“Mm… so it was just me…?”
What was I supposed to talk about with a girl? Especially an elementary schooler. When my little sister had been in elementary school, all I remembered was bickering with her. In the awkward silence, Scarlet spoke first.
“Don’t become a sub-Trainer.”
“Huh?”
“The Trainer is an ama~zingly important person! Don’t go doing favors for other people!”
At Scarlet’s sudden words, I could only blink in confusion.
“I’m not really sure what you mean. Could you explain it a little more?”
“Calling yourself big brother, huh? You’re acting all cheeky!”
“Ahaha, then ‘uncle’ or ‘old man’ wouldn’t be bad either.”
“Haaah? What are you talking about?! It’s Trainer! Trainer!”
Scarlet’s voice was incredibly loud. While thinking she was the hard-to-handle type, I found myself already patting her head.
“Ah, sorry. I’ve been a bit out of it lately...”
“That’s it?”
At Scarlet’s question as she looked up at me, I squeezed my eyes shut. To casually touch the head of a girl I’d only just met—no, a girl I’d only met twice—I had no excuse. My eyes drifted to the anti-theft buzzer attached to her randoseru.
“No, it’s just... why was I...”
“Why are you so tense? Come on! Come on! Let’s talk while we walk! Have you eaten?”
Was I the kind of person who looked so bad at taking care of himself that even a child had to ask if I’d eaten? The thought crossed my mind.
“I had a light lunch. For dinner... I was probably going to eat at a restaurant.”
“Eating at home is better for your health, and it saves money too!”
“Yeah, that’s true. I’ll think about it after I move.”
Without me noticing, Scarlet had naturally glued herself to my side.
“So... why did you bring up that sub-Trainer thing earlier?”
“Because you probably haven’t found a 담당 yet, right? So you’ve started thinking about it, haven’t you?”
At Scarlet’s words, I had no choice but to ask back.
“I already found one. Do I really look that unreliable?”
“You found a 담당? Who? Who?”
“Oguri Cap. She’s a really amazing Uma Musume.”
Scarlet frowned as if she couldn’t make sense of it.
“You contracted with Oguri-senpai? Are you planning to go to Kasamatsu?”
“You know about Oguri? If everyone knows her, she must be pretty famous.”
Seeing that everyone knew where Oguri came from, I realized just how outdated and behind my information really was.
“No, if you don’t know Oguri-senpai... ah, ah, no. I mean, I heard about her! Yeah, there’s supposed to be some incredible monster in the provinces!”
“Oguri never raced at Kasamatsu, though. How did that rumor spread?”
“Never raced there?”
Scarlet had somehow followed me all the way to the cafeteria and asked again.
“Oguri raced in a selection race at Tracen this time.”
“Haaah? What are you talking about?!”
“No, even if I explain it like that... Hello, could I get grilled saury today?”
The old man at the counter gave a brief nod, and I sat down in a chair. Scarlet naturally took the seat beside me.
“Ah, do you want anything? He says most things are possible...”
“It’s fine. If I eat out and go home, my mom worries, so I’m planning to head back right away. But seriously, Oguri-senpai? Oguri Cap? The gray Uma Musume?”
“Yeah.”
Scarlet made a face like she was chewing over something, then suddenly stood up.
“Something changed. Why? What was it because of...? Other than that time, I didn’t do anything...”
“Scarlet-chan?”
“Huh? Traine— Ah?! The time?! Ugh... see you next time! Trainer! If I miss dinner time, my mom gets really mad! Bye-bye~!”
Scarlet glanced at the clock and left with an apologetic smile.
“What a bright child.”
At the old man’s casual remark as he poured beer into a glass to the brim, I gave a small nod.
“Do you know that girl called Scarlet?”
“I think I’ve seen her face twice... strictly speaking, we’re not really close or anything, but she seems interested in Tracen, so I end up keeping her company...”
“You’re a kind person. I don’t have any ingredients for side dishes, so I’ll step out for a moment to grab some from just up front. Make yourself at home.”
The old man left the shop without a second thought, and I carefully started reading through the training materials Tachyon had given me.
The touch of an expert... no, this wasn’t something I could describe that simply. Data analyzed by distance and running style. Acceleration analysis by furlong, stride length, track conditions. The pages were filled with concrete numbers that looked like something straight out of a game, and I found myself reading them over and over, spellbound.
Before I knew it, I felt a presence and looked up. Dia was standing right in front of me, staring at me. When our eyes met, she scratched her cheek bashfully.
“I wasn’t trying to interrupt... sorry.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m on my third read anyway. When did Dia-chan get here? I didn’t even hear the door open.”
Dia, sitting in the chair and swinging her feet, glanced at the clock and gave a short answer. “About ten minutes ago?”
Just as I was thinking I’d been that focused, the sounds from the old man in the kitchen, cleaning the saury, finally started reaching my ears.
“I heard from the owner that you came in with a Uma Musume girl...”
“Huh? Scarlet-chan? Yeah, she came with me, but she said she had to go home for dinner and left.”
Dia muttered Scarlet, Scarlet a few times, then suddenly widened her eyes.
“Do you mean Daiwa Scarlet?”
“Yeah, I think that was her name. I don’t remember exactly. Do you know her?”
Dia nodded, then shook her head from side to side. With an expression that made it impossible to tell what she was thinking, she let out a long sigh. She looked like things weren’t going well, so I set a glass full of water down in front of Dia.
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