I was out of my mind. Even when I was studying to become a Central Trainer, even during rookie training, my schedule had been packed, but at least then I still felt like I was in control. Now, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had slipped out of my hands and was rolling forward on its own.
I checked the time. It was a little late for dinner, but not so late that it was unreasonable. I headed to the restaurant I’d visited the day before. He’d said most dishes were available, so maybe they could make ramen too.
“Of course. It looks like I’ll need a little time to prepare, so please wait comfortably.”
The old man said that, set down a plate of roasted beans and a bottle of beer to tide me over, and stepped outside for a moment. Just when I started wondering if I’d asked him to do something troublesome, he came back empty-handed and immediately began boiling the noodles.
“This isn’t a specialty shop, so we don’t have broth that’s been simmering for ages. I’ll use some ready-made stock, so if it doesn’t suit your taste, please tell me. I’ll prepare it properly next time.”
The old man was almost uncomfortably kind. I gave a short “thank you,” chewed on the roasted beans, and looked over tomorrow’s selection race schedule. There wasn’t anyone who really caught my eye. Had my standards gotten too high?
There was the famous Agnes Tachyon, Oguri Cap, who had shown terrifying talent and skill, and even the girl named Daiwa Scarlet who had spoken to me as she passed by. After seeing girls like that, it was hard not to lose motivation when looking at the others.
And then there was...
“Hello~.”
That little girl from the day before, the one who had shown that absurd burst of speed right in front of me.
“Oh, hello. Are you here to eat too, Diamond?”
“Yes, I’m starving~! And please call me Dia-chan, not Diamond!”
She was a very cute child. If my little sister had been even half as adorable as Dia, I probably would have become one of those hopeless little-sister obsessives.
“All right, Dia. Nice to meet you.”
“I came because I wanted ramen today~!”
“Oh? What a coincidence. So did I.”
“Waaah~ You and I, Trainer, really seem to get along.”
Dia smiled with complete innocence. The way she naturally sat down right beside me felt perfectly normal. I couldn’t sense any distance from her at all.
“Grandpa, one ramen, please~!”
“Yes, yes, understood, miss.”
Seeing her bright smile, fitting for someone her age, made me burst out laughing for the first time that day as I emptied my glass.
“Ah, Trainer’s glass is empty. I’ll pour for you...”
“Kids shouldn’t touch liquor bottles carelessly.”
I took the bottle from Dia’s hands and filled my own glass. She puffed out her cheeks like she was sulking, and I shook my head sternly.
“No means no.”
“You’re really... strict.”
Was that strict? I patted Dia on the head as she looked up at me, then checked the list of Uma Musume scheduled to run tomorrow once more.
“What are you looking at?”
“Materials about the older girls running in tomorrow’s selection race.”
“I want to see too!”
“I can’t show this to outsiders, so no.”
I expected her to keep pestering me, but Dia didn’t act like a stubborn little kid. She simply said she understood, smiled brightly, and looked at me. She really did seem like a child who had been loved a lot while growing up.
“Are you interested in Tracen?”
“Hmm... I used to be, but not so much anymore?”
“You seem to have incredible talent, Dia, so you’re not interested in the Twinkle Series?”
“I used to like McQueen the most, but...”
“McQueen? I’m inexperienced, so I don’t know who that is. Is she a famous Uma Musume?”
Dia made a small “mm” sound and shook her head.
“She hasn’t even run in a selection race yet. She’s a brilliant stayer!”
“I see. So Dia doesn’t really have any particular thoughts about entering Tracen, then.”
“Huh? I am going to Tracen.”
“Oh? But you said you weren’t interested...”
“Because you’re there.”
At Dia’s answer, I looked at her. Her mouth was smiling, but the eyes looking at me were calm in a way that didn’t suit a child.
“Are you talking about me?”
“Yes~! I’m going to Tracen because you’re there, Trainer! I’m going to learn from you and become an amaaazing Uma Musume!”
Dia spread both arms wide and made an exaggerated gesture, and the strange sense of wrongness I’d felt a moment ago vanished. I must have just imagined it.
“When Dia gets in, I’ll have to work hard to become your assigned Trainer.”
“Hehe, is that a promise~? You’ll be my Trainer?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll work hard to become a Trainer our cute little lady won’t be embarrassed by when she comes to Tracen.”
Dia let out a little laugh, as if she found something incredibly amusing. The distance between our chairs seemed to have narrowed slightly, but I decided that was just my imagination and accepted the ramen the owner brought over.
“Um... T-Trainer...?”
It was strange for a young Uma Musume to call me Trainer, but for some reason it didn’t feel unfamiliar, so I just looked at Dia without saying anything.
“I’m... not very good with chopsticks... C-could you help me a little?”
She really was just a child. That thought crossed my mind. I moved behind Dia and showed her how to use the chopsticks. Seeing those tiny hands gripping them made me remember teaching my little sister the same thing.
“Ah, so this is how you do it. Trainer, you’re amazing~ I think I get it right away.”
“You’re a quick learner, Dia.”
She looked like a rich young lady, so I was a little surprised that she was clumsy with chopsticks, but after adjusting her grip a few times, I was able to return to my seat without thinking much of it. The ramen had gone a little soft. Well, it was still edible. Just as I picked up my chopsticks, the owner suddenly took the bowl away.
“There, there. Soft noodles aren’t very tasty, so both of you should have freshly boiled ones.”
“....Thank you.”
The owner’s excessive kindness was hard to handle, but refusing it would have been awkward too. Dia was making happy little sounds, and I expressed my gratitude by ordering another bottle of beer.
During the meal, Dia didn’t say much. As we were getting about halfway through, a piece of pork cutlet tempura was suddenly placed between us.
“Um, sir, we didn’t order this...”
“We had some ingredients left over today. Please enjoy it.”
He was being so generous that it was almost stressful. Dia, sitting beside me, accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but as an adult, it felt awkward to just keep taking things.
“I’ll... order one more beer.”
“No! You’ve already had two bottles today!”
“Th-that’s true, but...”
Dia suddenly jumped in and stopped me.
“Hahaha, it’s fine, customer. If you come often and eat a lot of different dishes, that’s more than enough for me.”
The old man added that he wanted to support young Trainers, that seeing me struggle reminded him of his younger self, and that he had wanted to become a Trainer too but couldn’t because of the family business, so he always wanted to cheer them on whenever he saw one. With him urging me so insistently, I had no choice but to accept his kindness.
“Then I’ll accept it gratefully. I’ll do my best tomorrow too.”
“Yes, that’s enough.”
The old man laughed heartily and set several dishes on the table. Simmered eggplant, rolled omelet, and other light side dishes that were easy to eat.
“Trainer, Trainer, how was today? Were there any older Uma Musume you contracted with?”
At Dia’s question, I shook my head.
“Hmm~ I see. For no one to attach themselves to someone as capable and cool as you, Trainer, it seems like everyone else has no eye for talent.”
Even if she meant it as comfort, saying it in that sing-song tone made it sound like mockery, but since she was just a child, I could only smile bitterly.
“There are girls who want to make a contract with me...”
“What?! Who?! Really...?”
Dia shot to her feet, looking shocked, so I told her about Oguri and Tachyon. Fine Motion was a separate matter...
“Oguri and Tachyon, you say...? Why...?”
Dia asked back as if it were strange.
“Exactly. Both of them are Uma Musume with incredible talent, so I can only wonder why they’d make such an offer to a rookie like me.”
Dia seemed to agree with me, staring at the contract I showed her with a face full of confusion.
“What changed, exactly...? If it’s Oguri, she should be in Kasamatsu right now... Tachyon is already in the junior season...”
“Hm? Do you know those two?”
“N-no... I-I mean... I heard rumors! Just rumors!”
Dia shook her head over and over as she said that. Unlike what she’d said earlier, she seemed to have a huge interest in Tracen and racing, and I could only smile faintly as I drained my beer.
“Um, I-I have something to do, so I should get going!”
“Mm-hm, take care, Dia.”
I saw Dia off as she hurried out, then stood up from my seat. Come to think of it, had that kid paid already?
“Thank you for the meal today. It looks like Dia forgot to pay, so I’ll cover it.”
The old man refused at first, but I decided to treat it as repayment to the girl who had given me such an enjoyable time today, and paid before leaving.
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