Except for Oguri Cap, who had come up to me on her own, I brought up training-related matters with the Uma Musume I had my eye on, but every single one of them turned me down.
They say there are too few Trainers compared to the number of Uma Musume, but it must be hard to trust a rookie Trainer with no experience and no results.
Tracen’s general training and counseling programs were already pretty well put together, so it was only natural that they would trust those instead.
For Uma Musume who couldn’t show their talent, and for rookie Trainers, this was a brutally unforgiving place. The selection race period still had plenty of time left. I even had materials prepared on the girls running tomorrow.
If I failed today, there was always tomorrow. My mouth felt bitter, but I forced my clothes straight and stood up tall. Anxiety clung to my ankles, but I shook it off. If I just stood still, I had done nothing at all. While waiting for the bus, I caught sight of a faint light in the far corner of the distance.
As if possessed, I walked toward it. No, there was nothing there. Deeper into the alley. I moved toward the light leaking out from a narrow lane so tight that not even a single vehicle seemed like it could pass through properly, as if drawn by something.
There was a tiny bar there. I looked around. It was a little far from the busy district, but there were a few restaurants nearby where you could grab a quick bite. I turned back again. The alley I had come through was so dark that it was impossible to see it from the bus stop, let alone follow it.
Normally I would have turned around and gone home, but for some reason I felt drawn in. I opened the door and stepped inside cautiously.
There was an old man who looked like the owner. And a quiet space so still not a single sound could be heard. Even though it was my first time here, I felt some inexplicable sense of nostalgia.
“We’re not taking customers right now.”
“Ah, sorry for the intrusion.”
Maybe business hours were over. The old man was carefully cooking something. Had someone made a reservation? My favorite grilled saury was sizzling away. Just as I lightly greeted the old man and turned to leave—
“Are you a Trainer from Tracen?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. I’m a rookie.”
“Do you happen to like grilled saury?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“And you prefer beer over sake.”
“Yes, that’s right, but... all of a sudden?”
The old man just stared at me without saying anything.
“It looks like I have a little time. Please, have a seat.”
The old man’s white eyebrows curved gently.
“Have we perhaps met before?”
“Is this your first time here?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve been running this shop here for forty years. If you’ve never come here, then that means we’ve never met, doesn’t it?”
The old man carefully plated the grilled saury and white rice he had been cooking, then held it out in front of me.
“On the house.”
He handed me a glass. I took it with both hands as he pulled a beer from the fridge and filled the glass to the brim.
“Sorry. I hadn’t eaten anything today, so I’ve caused you trouble.”
“This shop can’t open anyway until the guest we’re waiting for arrives, so don’t worry about it.”
The old man answered while staring blankly out the door.
“Young people should eat properly. Is there anything else you’d like? Most of the ingredients are already prepared.”
“Umm, I feel like I’m imposing too much... are you really sure?”
The old man nodded.
“I’d like one more grilled fish, if possible.”
“Mackerel and flounder... do you have either one?”
“Yes, of course.”
The old man’s cooking was excellent. Good enough to make me empty three bowls of rice. Good enough that I wanted to come back here again and again.
“You really like grilled fish, don’t you, customer? Is there a reason?”
In the gentle atmosphere, with that nostalgic feeling, I casually brought up something from when I was young. Fishing with my father. The bar nearby that made grilled fish so well. It didn’t seem like such an old story, but I felt a strange distance, as if I were talking about something from decades ago.
The old man said nothing for a while after hearing it.
“It seems... our waiting guest has arrived.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
The old man said that, then stepped outside for a moment to take a call. I looked around and, despite this definitely being my first time in the restaurant, felt something welling up inside me and tried to figure out what it was. Comfort, relief, joy. I shook my head. There was no way I’d feel that way in a place I’d just entered for the first time. It was a strange, prickling sensation.
By the time the meal was over and the old man came back in after finishing his call, he took out another beer. He really was a capable man. My salary was decent. If the price wasn’t absurd, I was more than willing to pay happily.
“Was the food to your liking?”
“Yes, it was absolutely delicious. Today was a complete mess, but this really... really comforted me.”
The old man gave a faint smile. He had a kind face that put people at ease.
Clatter!
At that moment, the door was flung open roughly.
“Trainer!”
A young, clear voice rang out loudly. I reflexively looked toward the door. There stood a young Uma Musume with brown hair. She was an adorable girl, with diamond-shaped shooting-star markings standing out on her.
“It really is, it really is the Trainer!”
Before I could even be startled by the sight of the Uma Musume covering her mouth with both hands as if she might burst into tears any second, the restaurant owner hurried over to her.
“Young lady, is this the one you mentioned?”
“Yes, yes. Absolutely. I knew it, I knew he’d come back here. Trainer! Trainer!”
The Uma Musume suddenly lunged at me. Her movement was like the sprint of a top-class Uma Musume, and I didn’t even have time to think about dodging.
“Ghk...!”
Even with such a small, light body, she charged at me with explosive force and knocked me backward, chair and all.
“This scent, this feeling, it really is the Trainer. Trainer...! Trainer...!”
I was too flustered by the young Uma Musume suddenly burying her face in my stomach, sniffing me, and rubbing her cheek against me to do anything at all.
“Uh... hey, kid. I think you’ve got the wrong person...”
“Wrong person?! Me?! No way, that’s impossible. You’re the Trainer!”
Her shout, full of a spirit that didn’t match her tiny frame, left me feeling overwhelmed. There was something about this girl that reminded me of Symboli Rudolf or Ms. Tazuna, whom I had spoken with lightly during my OJT period.
“I am a Trainer, but... do you know me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! How could I not know the Trainer! The one who eats bowl after bowl of rice if there’s fried fish, who can’t even drink but loves beer, who always pats my head and says, ‘You worked hard today, Dia-chan,’ and who always supported me even when I lost... that Trainer! How could I not know you!”
It seemed she had made a very serious mistake.
“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else... You said Dia, right? Yes, Dia. Maybe I just have a common face. Another Uma Musume girl today also spoke to me like she knew me. Even though it was definitely our first time meeting.”
“No way! The Trainer’s scent! The Trainer’s touch! It’s all so, so clear!”
The little girl was being stubborn. If I tried to pull her away by force, she looked like she’d burst into tears any second, so I explained gently.
“I only became a Trainer not long ago. If I’d seen such a cute Uma Musume like you, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember. But this is the first time I’ve seen you today. I’m really sorry, but I think you’ve mixed me up with someone else.”
“Trainer, the Trainer’s name is...!”
The girl who called herself Dia seemed about to say something, then stared at me with her eyes opened very wide.
“I was the only one... I was the only one who came back. Right, if the Trainer had come too, he would’ve definitely tried to signal me... Why did I just stupidly wait?”
Today really did seem like some kind of strange day. I gently patted the head of the Uma Musume girl muttering incomprehensible things.
“Are you feeling a little calmer now?”
“Ah, huh? Ah, s-sorry! I, I mistook you for... no. That’s not it. Ugh... Right, I had a dream. I had a dream, and I met the Trainer. So... that is...!”
It was a clumsy excuse. But if I thought of it as a child’s whim or a little prank, I could understand and let it go. Maybe it was because I’d eaten so well for the first time in a while, or because of this comfortable space. Or maybe it was because of that strange feeling that made me want to understand and forgive this Uma Musume girl I had just met today for anything.
I didn’t know why, but I kept patting her head.
“Mm-hm, mm-hm. I believe you. So you’re Dia, right? It’s late at night—how did you get here?”
“Huh?! Ah, well. Um... I, I just happened to... I was, I was hungry...!”
“It’s dangerous for a girl to be wandering around alone this late. Sir, sorry for causing a commotion.”
I lifted the tiny girl sitting on top of me into my arms and carefully stood up from the floor.
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, are you all right, young lady?”
“Yes, I’m fine. No, I’m better than ever. Yes, that’s right.”
From the way the old man called her young lady, it seemed the reason he wasn’t taking customers tonight was probably because of the girl in front of me.
“Sorry, Trainer. My name is Diamond. I think I made a huge mistake.”
“You’re not hurt, are you? I’m really sorry. I was so hungry that I begged the old man who runs this place to let me have just one meal.”
“Hehe, the Trainer really is kind. You don’t have to tell such a lie. I already told him to serve a meal to any Trainers who come by.”
The tiny girl, much younger than my little sister, covered her mouth and laughed. There was something elegant about the way she did it, as if she carried a beauty that stole your gaze.
“Is that so? Then that’s a relief. Right, Dia-chan. Where are your parents? I’d like to apologize to them myself.”
“My parents didn’t come. I want to show them the Trainer, but it isn’t time yet.”
“I see.”
I couldn’t follow what she was saying, but I nodded anyway. Getting along with children was simple, and I’d been used to it since I was young, so I could only go along with her.
“Ah, I need to head back early because of tomorrow’s selection race. I had fun today, Diamond.”
Since I had a good reason to escape from the girl staring at me with sparkling eyes, I patted the head of the girl who had introduced herself as Diamond and gave a light farewell.
“Thank you very much for the meal today. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Any time.”
The old man was still smiling. The Uma Musume girl named Diamond just stared at me silently. A lot of strange things had happened, but finding such a good restaurant was a huge gain. The bus was cutting it close. As soon as I closed the restaurant door, I ran.
**
“Old man.”
The brown Uma Musume with the diamond-shaped shooting-star markings opened her mouth. The restaurant owner erased the kind smile he had just shown the rookie Trainer and bowed respectfully to the girl, who was far younger than his own daughter.
“Yes, young lady.”
“From tomorrow, you may resume normal business. Keep those two seats empty at all times. And if that person from just now comes in, contact me immediately.”
The Uma Musume girl silently stared blankly at the closed door for a long time. The old man closed his eyes as if he had seen nothing at all, even though the young lady who had never once smiled since childhood was now wearing a smile so eerie it was almost frightening.
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