Chapter 100: Reincarnated Cheat Uma Musume (Double Expression)

"A bit of a tangent there, but let’s get back on track. There are two mistakes in Masa’s analysis of the rival Uma Musume. Put simply, you’re overestimating the contest rival and underestimating Rice Shower."

I folded my arms in my chair and pointed out the flaws in her analysis, staring straight at Masa. She looked faintly frustrated.

"I checked in on them yesterday. Ever since the Kyodo News Hai, the contest rival has continued to lose form. It’s safe to say she’s fallen into a downward spiral. I don’t think she’ll be able to recover within a month—and even if she does, it’ll be right on the edge. If her pre-race training doesn’t really stick, there’s no way she’ll keep up with Mihono Bourbon’s growth."

To be honest, mistakes like these are partly unavoidable.

Judging an Uma Musume’s condition sounds simple, but it’s surprisingly difficult. And when it comes to someone from another camp—someone you don’t speak with directly and only see racing on occasion—it’s even harder.

Thanks to my “app reincarnation,” I can distinguish five stages of condition, ranging from terrible to perfect. But even that isn’t absolute. Back when this was just an app game in my previous life, it might have been different. In reality, an Uma Musume’s condition has a wide range even within a single category. Sometimes they’re barely “perfect” and functionally closer to “good.” Other times, they’re completely awakened, firing on all cylinders.

Once you get down to that level of nuance, even I can only make vague judgments like, “Nature’s dangerous today,” or “She’s supposedly in perfect shape, but she’s way too keyed up.” I’ve studied to be a trainer my whole life, but that doesn’t mean I have much real-world experience. In fields that demand intuition and lived experience rather than pure analysis and prediction, I’m nothing more than a lousy small-time trainer.

Even I’m like this in my third year as a contracted trainer. So for Masa—who has even less experience, still only in her first year—it’s only natural that she couldn’t judge it accurately.

…But.

That’s not something I should say to her.

Masa has a strong sense of pride, and in a good way. She might take an objective explanation like that as consolation, feel her pride wounded, and end up pushing herself too far. That’s why, in situations like this, it’s better not to offer half-hearted comfort. Instead, I need to speak plainly and directly.

Honestly, I’m well aware that I’m clueless about the psychology of women—excluding racing Uma Musume—but this is probably something I’ve picked up from years of living together as family. I can more or less tell.

What Masa wants right now isn’t emotional reassurance. She wants a trigger—something that will let her move forward, even just a little, and grow. If that’s the case, then all I can do is give her the best advice I possibly can.

…Though as her big brother, I can’t help worrying sometimes about that dangerously intense level of stoicism.

Now then, back to the main topic.

Let’s talk about the other Uma Musume as well.

"As for Rice Shower, like I said earlier, she’s extremely strong. In terms of raw specs, she doesn’t quite rival Mihono Bourbon… but she’s unquestionably the second-strongest contender. That said, just as you mentioned, the short distance will have a major impact. If I had to rate Rice Shower’s suitability for a mile, I’d give it a C. On top of that, her lack of explosive acceleration means her legs can’t fully show their true value over 1800 meters. Overall, from my perspective, she’s the only one in this race who actually has a chance of beating Mihono Bourbon."

In Uma Musume racing, victory isn’t decided by stats alone. Distance, track condition, compatibility with running style. Condition and skills. The day’s weather, the state of the track, the course layout—and finally, how the race itself unfolds. Because all of these factors intertwine in complex ways, races can sometimes swing in completely unexpected directions.

However…

They aren’t variables beyond calculation.

With thorough advance research and careful analysis, predicting how a race will unfold isn’t impossible. The weather and track conditions on race day are uncertain, but by studying historical data—or even visiting the venue yourself—you can derive probabilities. As for Uma Musume abilities… well, that’s nothing to brag about. I can see them as numbers thanks to a cheat.

You could call it a lightweight version of Laplace’s Demon.

That’s how I’ve always predicted race outcomes—pure logic. Of course, I failed constantly at first. But by digging into Horino’s history and watching footage of every major graded race I could get my hands on, I eventually reached a point where my predictions were reasonably accurate.

And with all that in mind, when it comes to the result of this year’s Spring Stakes—

"If Rice Shower were to win this time… it would be because she awakened her Domain. Historically speaking, there aren’t many Uma Musume who awaken a Domain by the time of the Satsuki Sho."

"Domain…"

At my words, Bourbon murmured softly and lowered her gaze.

Domain.

When discussing G1 races at the Classic level or higher, it’s something you simply can’t ignore—the ultimate secret of racing Uma Musume.

I mean, “ultimate secret”? What is this, a hot-blooded sports manga? I can’t help thinking that sometimes… but honestly, that sense of absurdity has been fading little by little. I don’t know whether this world was created from an app game, or whether the app game was created based on this world. Either way, the world we live in is full-on sports drama. Awakenings, secret techniques—those kinds of things just happen. You’d never survive if you were shocked every time. By now, it all just feels normal.

…Somehow, without realizing it, I’ve really gotten used to this world.

Anyway, back to the topic.

Only Uma Musume can perceive a Domain. More precisely, Uma Musume running in the same race can glimpse what lies within that Domain. Even those who aren’t racing but are within about a hundred meters—and are particularly talented—can apparently sense it vaguely, like, “Oh, someone’s using a Domain.”

But that’s the limit.

From a human perspective, it’s more like, “Domain? What’s that?” No matter how hard we focus our eyes or heighten our sensitivity, humans simply can’t detect an Uma Musume’s Domain. No matter how brilliantly its essence is displayed, the most a sharp observer might notice is, “Oh, she got faster.”

And since humans vastly outnumber Uma Musume in this world, the concept of Domains hasn’t spread widely through society.

At best, public recognition amounts to, “Oh yeah, some Uma Musume say stuff like that, right? Is it some kind of occult thing?” It isn’t strongly denied, but it isn’t fully believed either—more like a dubious folk theory. Given that only Uma Musume can perceive it, and even then only a rare few with the right aptitude, it’s only natural that its credibility remains low.

For those reasons, the existence of Domains isn’t widely publicized. In fact, just like Wilm last year, even Uma Musume racing in the Central circuit—sometimes even Junior-class champions—might not know about it at all.

…Actually, to keep Uma Musume from panicking unnecessarily, trainers are often encouraged to keep this information hidden. Only those with the aptitude to awaken a Domain, or those likely to face such an opponent, really need to know. There have even been cases of Uma Musume without the talent trying to force an awakening and pushing themselves too far.

So under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange at all for Bourbon—who’s only just entered the Classic class—not to know about Domains.

But in reality, she already does.

Because she participates in strategy meetings with Wilm, there are situations where she wouldn’t be able to keep up without that knowledge. And Mihono Bourbon is undeniably a top-tier, named Uma Musume. The odds that she’ll eventually acquire a Domain are quite high. Based on that judgment, I explained Domains to her shortly after we signed our contract. Given Bourbon’s almost mechanical memory, she’s probably retained it perfectly—even word for word—to this day.

…However, perhaps because she knows about it, Bourbon seemed impatient.

Her expression was as blank as ever, showing almost no emotion on the surface. She wasn’t making any obvious movements that would give her away. And yet… it felt like she was giving off that kind of atmosphere.

I’ve been working with Bourbon for over half a year now. Maybe I’ve finally started to understand her, at least a little.

"To achieve the mission of the Triple Crown, it is assumed that the task ‘Awakening the Domain’ is essential. How can one open a Domain?"

Hearing the anguish in Bourbon’s voice, I felt more than a little guilty.

This is the second time I’ve caused my trainee Uma Musume to worry over Domains. …Though with the first one, I’m not even sure she was worried—she almost seemed to enjoy the struggle.

But unlike Wilm, Bourbon’s goal is clear: victory in the Classic races. The fact that I made her feel anxious about that is nothing but a failure in my own guidance.

…That said, a Domain is the deepest secret of racing Uma Musume. On average, only about one in a hundred who enter Central Tracen Academy ever awaken one. And even then, it usually happens after April of their Classic year, when racing truly heats up.

So whether Bourbon’s inability to open a Domain right now directly reflects a lack of my ability as a trainer… yeah, that part’s hard to say.

In any case, I can’t let her stew in anxiety.

I’ll lay out everything I can and help her grasp the situation, even if only a little.

"How do you open a Domain? Or rather, what are the conditions for opening one? …Wilm, do you know?"

When I turned my gaze, Wilm lowered her eyes apologetically.

"I’m sorry…"

"Yeah, I figured. Sorry for putting you on the spot."

For an awakened Uma Musume, opening a Domain is apparently as natural as breathing.

Even humans, after all, can rarely explain which muscles they move or what exact principles allow them to breathe. And even when they can, it’s usually just knowledge passed down by predecessors. An Uma Musume’s Domain is much the same—once you can do it, you can “just sort of do it.”

On top of that, what a Domain actually is, or how one opens it, still hasn’t been fully explained or proven.

That’s why asking an awakened Uma Musume, “How do you open a Domain?” often leads nowhere.

It’s like asking a child who’s never studied anatomy, “How do you breathe?” You just get a vague, sensory answer, and that’s the end of it.

Honestly, I had half-hoped that Wilm—with how unconventional she is, and how surprisingly theoretical she can be—might have something useful to say…

But if I, whose job it is to analyze her running ability in logical terms, don’t know the answer, expecting it from her would be misplaced.

In that case… yeah. Unfortunately, that means all I can offer is information that’s still uncertain.

I faced Bourbon head-on as she looked straight at me and opened my mouth.

"Mihono Bourbon. To be frank, Domains are something like superpowers—phenomena with no clearly understood mechanism."

"Super… powers…?"

Oh no. Bourbon’s gone full space-Uma.

Yeah, that was a poor choice of words. …Though honestly, calling it a superpower isn’t entirely wrong either.

"No, not psychic powers. I mean ‘supernatural’ as in beyond the normal laws we understand.

As of now, humanity has completely failed to observe an Uma Musume’s Domain. From microscopic observation to genetic manipulation, to every form of controlled reproduction of conditions we could think of—everything has been attempted. And every single attempt has failed.

In short, a Domain is an unknown and unexplored power that modern science cannot explain."

Honestly, it’s terrifying when you think about it.

Human intellectual curiosity doesn’t stop easily. This world has many good people, but that doesn’t mean malicious ones don’t exist. There are, quite frankly, past events you’d rather not look at too closely. The history of the Horino family is a textbook example—but that’s a story for another time.

Even so, when it comes to Domains, not a single one of those darker attempts has borne fruit.

Which leaves us with only two possible conclusions.

One: at our current level of civilization, humanity simply cannot observe or analyze an Uma Musume’s Domain.

Or two: Domains are something that cannot be explained by science in the first place.

As someone who prefers theory, I’d like the former to be true…

But when you consider reincarnation, cheats, Uma Souls, Domains—so many outright fantasy elements already exist—it’s hard to completely deny the latter.

"That’s why, at present, we can make guesses about Domains, but not true predictions.

Everything I’m about to say should be taken in that light."

---

The conditions for opening a Domain.

As of last year, I couldn’t narrow it down to anything more specific than “the Uma Musume being at her absolute peak, both physically and mentally.”

That negligence ended up forcing Wilm into a tough fight, and I deeply regretted it.

So I dug through materials in the Tracen library, then turned the archives upside down once I got home, comparing and examining the circumstances of every Uma Musume known to have opened a Domain.

As a result, I managed to narrow it down to four likely conditions.

First: the Uma Musume must be fully fulfilled and complete, both in body and mind.

This is a refinement of my previous assumption, corrected against historical records.

She must go through her final pre-race push and bring every last fragment of her body and spirit to the race. It sounds obvious, but for middle-school-aged Uma Musume, reaching that level of focus is extremely difficult.

In reality, even in an eighteen-runner race, only four or five are in truly perfect condition on race day. And if we narrow it further to those at the very top of that range—what you’d call an awakened state—the opportunities to meet this condition become exceedingly rare.

Second: the Uma Musume must be running in a way that truly suits her.

If you think about the activation conditions of unique skills in the old app, it becomes easier to understand.

To open a Domain, an Uma Musume must realize her own personal style of running.

For example, Silence Suzuka needs to be in first place on the final stretch, with a certain gap from the runner behind her.

For Hoshino Wilm, it’s likely that, during the final phase, another Uma Musume must be running at least one length behind her.

Only when those conditions are met can they use their Domain. In other words, awakening a Domain may require first establishing the running style best suited to that individual Uma Musume.

In Mihono Bourbon’s case, her unique skill activates when she avoids both a “bad start” and “overexcitement,” while remaining near the front during the final stretch.

Given her near-perfect internal clock and her ability to maintain pace when running solo, her ideal running style is probably one where she completes steady, unbroken laps without disrupting her rhythm.

…Seen from that angle, her tendency to overexert herself becomes a problem yet again.

Bourbon has an excellent constitution and outstanding talent, but that habit remains a massive disadvantage.

Third: the Uma Musume must enjoy running.

This condition is largely inferred from Wilm’s state last year, and it isn’t especially solid. Of the four conditions, it’s the most dubious—and yet, if true, it also explains a great deal.

After all, Domains are phenomena triggered by the souls of horses from the previous world—what we call Uma Souls.

So then, what exactly is an Uma Soul?

A horse’s soul inherited from a previous life… from a world where horse racing existed?

No. That alone fails to explain far too many things. Way too many.

To think about it properly, let’s take a brief detour and talk about reincarnators.

The idea of reincarnation into another world was already a popular genre back in my previous life. And in those stories, reincarnators are usually terrifyingly influential beings.

What makes them truly frightening can be boiled down to two things: “memory” and “cheats.”

In games, it’s the same. Your first playthrough—when you know nothing—is far rougher than your second, when you understand the systems and balance. You end up winning battles you shouldn’t, or succeeding at management that was meant to be difficult.

Simply knowing things is a powerful weapon.

Reincarnators—people on their “second run” of life with memories of their past—are no different. They bring advanced technology into medieval worlds, get labeled prodigies from childhood, and generally do whatever they want.

That is the true terror of “memory.”

And then there’s the other threat: “cheats.”

Reincarnators often enter the world carrying cheats with them. Source: me.

In some ways, that’s even more terrifying than memory.

After all, a cheat is, by definition, an ability that lets you break the rules of the world and advance things in your own favor.

In most cases, nothing that exists within that world can properly oppose it. The only ones capable of taking down a cheat player are either top-tier, pro-level elites… or the protagonist themselves.

So, after laying all that out, what am I actually getting at?

The question is this: which aspect of an Uma Soul that reincarnates from another world is more dangerous?

Memory? …Sure, that’s part of it.

A scenario like “glimpsing memories of a past life and overcoming despair” feels entirely plausible.

But fundamentally, Uma Musume don’t remember their past lives as horses. That’s true both in the app from my previous life and in this world.

Which means the real danger of the Uma Soul lies in the other half—its cheat-like nature.

By possessing one, Uma Musume gain mysterious physical abilities that far surpass ordinary humans. On top of that, they can effortlessly exceed their own limits through a strange technique known as the Domain.

No matter how you look at it, that’s power that transcends the physical laws of this world. A cheat granted precisely because of reincarnation.

To put it bluntly—

The Uma Soul—the source of an Uma Musume’s power—is something very similar to my own “app reincarnation.”

You could probably call it a reincarnation cheat.

And if that’s the case, then seriously pondering questions like “why does it work this way?” when it comes to Uma Souls is pointless.

Reincarnation cheats are just “one of those things.” There’s no way to measure power that exists outside the laws of the world using those same laws.

Anyway, back to the main topic.

That’s exactly why I don’t find it all that strange that one of the conditions for awakening is something like “enjoying running.”

To be more precise, it is strange—but not the kind of strange you can afford to dwell on.

Can you love your own running? Can you enjoy competing with others? Can you feel genuinely moved by racing itself?

In a sense, this ties back to the first condition—“being fulfilled both mentally and physically.” There may be some kind of psychological trigger at play.

…That got a little heated and longer than I intended, but that wraps up the third condition.

Now for the fourth—and final—one.

And this might be the most unexpected condition of all.

That is—

---

"It’s the race outfit."

"…The race outfit?"

"Yes. The one you wore at the Asahi Hai. That race outfit. I believe wearing it is also one of the conditions for mastering the Domain."

Race outfits.

The outfits worn by racing Uma Musume when competing in G1 races or certain special events.

These outfits, produced by the URA itself, possess yet another mysterious, cheat-like power: no matter how flashy they are, they never hinder an Uma Musume’s movement. In fact, they actively fine-tune and optimize her running.

Sometimes I really do wonder what kind of absurd technology the URA Race Outfit Production Department is working with—but that’s beside the point.

Uma Musume who achieve a certain level of results, or are recognized as having made significant contributions to the Twinkle Series, are gifted one outfit by the URA.

Additionally, by participating in specific events, achieving exceptional results, or being selected for a URA Award, it’s possible to receive a second outfit and beyond.

Both of my trainees received their first outfits in December of their junior year, prior to racing in a G1.

And as for Wilm—she even received a second outfit thanks to her recent URA Award win.

Because race outfits are such familiar, everyday things, we probably never thought to associate them with Domain awakening.

Bourbon tilted her head slightly, while Wilm voiced her confusion outright.

"Um… I understand the first three, but what does a race outfit have to do with the Domain?"

"Yeah, seems like it does."

"‘Seems like’…?"

"As I said earlier, this is still just speculation. I can’t offer a theory solid enough to call definitive, which honestly bothers me too. But for now, let’s focus on the relationship between race outfits and Domains."

What first made me suspect a connection between Domains and race outfits was the app from my previous life.

Over there, both Domains and skills would change depending on the outfit—what you’d call costume variants.

So I started looking into whether something similar existed in this world…

And in the end, I probably hit the jackpot.

Throughout recorded history, there hasn’t been a single Uma Musume who awakened a Domain without first receiving a race outfit—at least, not within the scope of what I was able to investigate.

Of course, it would be easy to dismiss this with, “An Uma Musume who can’t even earn a race outfit could never reach the level required to master a Domain.”

But after examining it from multiple angles, there were simply too many points that made more sense if the two were connected.

"It’s a common theory that Domains are phenomena caused by the special ‘souls’ Uma Musume possess.

In other words, the scenery you see within a Domain is said to be the original experience—the primal landscape—etched into that soul.

…But there’s one thing about this theory that doesn’t add up."

Honestly, the entire idea is so speculative that it’s questionable from top to bottom.

Even so, this particular inconsistency can’t be ignored.

"Elite Uma Musume who can open Domains.

And among them, an even smaller number of truly exceptional Uma Musume… possess multiple Domains."

At my words, Wilm sucked in a sharp breath, and Bourbon blinked several times in surprise.

I made a point of showing no reaction and continued as if this were nothing unusual.

"To give a nearby example—Symboli Rudolf and Oguri Cap from the Dream Trophy League.

At the very least, those two each possess two Domains and switch between them depending on the race… apparently."

"Apparently…?"

"We can’t observe it directly, but after asking around among Uma Musume who raced alongside them in the past, that’s the conclusion I reached.

The Domain they used would change depending on the race, and the scenery within each Domain was completely different."

"That’s… unbelievable…"

Wilm herself is an Uma Musume who possesses a Domain. She can probably grasp just how absurd that idea is on an instinctive level.

Originally, a Domain is the deepest of secrets among Uma Musume—a supreme realm reached only by a tiny handful of exceptionally gifted champions.

But even that has no true ceiling.

Even within the supreme, there exists something beyond it, and there are those who manage to step into an entirely second realm.

…Personally, I suspect that from Wilm’s generation, someone will reach that level as well.

After all, we have the strongest runaway Uma Musume, Hoshino Wilm, and the racing prodigy, Tokai Teio.

If one—or even both—of them were to step into that territory, I wouldn’t find it strange at all.

"There’s no need to feel anxious. From what I heard when I spoke with Symboli Rudolf recently, acquiring a second Domain is apparently easier than the first. Of course, it still requires the appropriate effort and fulfillment of mind and body."

How trustworthy Symboli Rudolf’s idea of “relatively easy” really is, I can’t say…

But Wilm has factors like “Sharp Mind ◎” and “Wholehearted Effort” on her side. When it comes to efficiency, I can’t imagine her losing to other Uma Musume. She might even acquire it surprisingly smoothly.

…No, that’s probably getting ahead of myself.

She truly is a once-in-a-century genius—but as her trainer, it’s my responsibility to support and guide her properly.

Once again, I resolve not to let my guard down and to continue supporting her carefully.

"Now then, let’s bring the conversation back. There’s one strange point about this second Domain business. Can you tell what it is?"

"Umm…"

"I’ll answer. It’s that the internal scenery doesn’t match between the first and second Domains."

"Yes. Exactly."

Wilm seemed swept up by the impact of the idea of a second Domain, but Bourbon had been listening calmly the entire time.

Perhaps it was composure born from not possessing a Domain herself—and therefore not fully grasping its abnormality.

Or perhaps it was simply her personality.

Either way, her calmness was convenient for now, so I continued.

"If Domains truly reflect an Uma Musume’s primal experience—their original inner landscape—then different Domains should display the same scenery.

Of course, some might possess multiple formative experiences or landscapes. Even so, the number of cases where entirely different scenes have been observed is far too high.

In short, there’s still room for doubt in directly equating Domain scenery with the soul’s original landscape."

"I see. And judging from the flow of your argument, every Uma Musume who acquired a second Domain also obtained a second race outfit—or more."

"Oh… impressive, Mihono Bourbon.

That’s exactly right. Oguri Cap and Symboli Rudolf both awakened their second Domains after receiving their second race outfits.

Taking that into account, I concluded that there must be some kind of connection between Domains and race outfits."

I nodded once and laid out my personal theory.

"To be honest, why race outfits serve as the key to Domain awakening is still speculation… but this is how I think about it.

If a Domain is a single painting, then the race outfit provides its form."

"Form…"

"The Uma Musume’s soul is color—color without shape, incapable of affecting reality on its own.

But when a race outfit is introduced—when the image of how fans and the URA envision that Uma Musume running, the shape of their dream, is given—it finally manifests as a phenomenon.

Change the race outfit, and the form imposed on that color changes as well. The essence remains the same, but the resulting scenery appears completely different.

To put it in terms that might be easier for you, Mihono Bourbon… if the Domain were a computer, the race outfit would be the programming language, and the soul would be the instructions being executed."

I’m not sure that was actually an easy analogy to grasp—but honestly, this is about the limit of my expressive ability.

Maybe I should’ve studied Japanese a bit more seriously…

After finishing the rather long explanation, everyone let out a breath.

Wilm was likely trying to come to terms with the idea of multiple Domains, while Bourbon seemed to be organizing and committing the information to memory, both lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Masa was… jotting something down. Notes, maybe?

Ah—right. I forgot to share information about the conditions for Domain manifestation. Yeah, I can already tell how this ends: “You should’ve told me beforehand!”

No use fighting it. There’s no escaping Masa’s reprimands. Best to listen quietly and get it over with quickly.

…Setting that aside.

Time isn’t infinite.

It’s about time to move on to the next topic.

"Alright, let’s move on."

"Uh, next… oh right, the strategy meeting for the next race."

"We went off on quite a few tangents. We’re done with Bourbon’s part, so next is yours.

Now then, about your next race—the Osaka Hai on April 5th…"

As I tried to continue, Wilm raised a hand to stop me.

"Before that, may I ask something, Ayumu?"

"What is it?"

"Honestly, I’m still trying to catch up, but basically… to get a second Domain, I need to wear a second race outfit, right?"

"Probably. That understanding is… mostly correct. I’d say the likelihood is quite high."

"Wow, that’s the least confident I’ve ever heard you sound."

"Leave me alone. This kind of thing was never my strong suit to begin with…"

What I am relatively good at is inference and calculation based on accumulated data and theory.

Fantasy, fairy-tale, supernatural nonsense like this is about as far outside my jurisdiction as it gets.

As I felt a bit worn down by Masa’s teasing…

Wilm clenched her fist tightly and leaned toward me.

"I’m really interested in this second Domain! Let’s master it together, Ayumu—just the two of us!

And for that, let’s run the Osaka Hai in a new race outfit. It’ll be the debut of the one I got with the URA Award!"