Chapter 113: Guys like this kind of thing, right?

『This year’s G1 season begins』

A commercial plays on the mounted monitor.

Reading the narration over sweeping aerial footage of the racecourse is Symboli Rudolf—one of only two undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume in history, alongside Hoshino Wilm.

As an active Dream Trophy League competitor and a Triple Crown Uma Musume who has already completed her full maturation, she’s often chosen for voice acting or on-screen roles like this, but…

As expected of her—listening again, the authority carried in her voice is incredible.

She should still be underage, yet the words she speaks resonate with far more confidence and prestige than those of many grown adults.

Truly befitting the Eternal Emperor—her commanding presence shows no sign of fading.

…Right now, she’s still in her prime, so she doesn’t take on many outside jobs. But Wilm—also an undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume like Rudolf—will probably end up on the narration side someday as well.

Honestly, since I see her day-to-day self far more often than her racing persona, I can’t help feeling a little uneasy about whether she could really project the same level of authority as Rudolf…

But no—when it comes to Wilm, that kind of worry is probably unnecessary.

She hardly does it around me these days, but she’s naturally good at wearing masks.

If she wanted to, she could absolutely put on the mask of an “authoritative Uma Musume.”

She’s sharp, adaptable, and—thanks to experiences from her childhood, for better or worse—has developed a half-unconscious habit of reading other people’s expressions.

…And besides, it’s not like I’ve ever formally studied acting. If anything, I learn far more just by observing her everyday words and behavior.

When it comes to acting, there probably isn’t much I can really teach Wilm. Kind of sad, honestly.

While I was idly thinking all that, the commercial moved on to the next scene.

『The first turf G1 race of the year, the Osaka Hai. The clash between the Ashen Dragon, the Crownless Emperor, and many elite runners』

The footage highlights the final stretch of last year’s Derby, edited in a slightly sepia tone.

A desperate late-stage duel between Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio.

Commercials like this, naturally, feature Uma Musume with both popularity and ability…

And in terms of public popularity, the current Twinkle Series is essentially the Hoshino Wilm show.

Her Cinderella story—rising through sheer ability from an ignored, impoverished background—her unconventional yet nostalgically evocative running style, and her tireless fan engagement through her own social media have all cemented her fame beyond doubt.

…Well, some corners of the internet apparently call her things like “the spectacular flameout comedian” or “the Triple Crown Uma Musume with trash-tier gacha luck,” but setting that aside.

So if you’re showcasing this year’s Osaka Hai, she’s obviously the main attraction.

The tricky part is second place—the runner-up in attention.

This year’s Osaka Hai boasts a seriously stacked lineup.

Alongside the self-explanatory Hoshino Wilm and her openly acknowledged rival Tokai Teio, there’s no shortage of strong contenders.

Heart Blow Up—a G1 Uma Musume from Wilm’s generation who fought her in the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho.

Innocent Grimoire—last year’s Osaka Hai champion, from the generation above, often mentioned alongside McQueen and Ryan as part of the so-called “Big Three.”

Daisangen—who delivered an impressive performance with a fifth-place finish just behind McQueen in that Arima Kinen.

And among the named entrants, while her results haven’t been especially flashy, Ikuno Dictus is also competing.

Choosing who would take the second-most popular spot among this lineup must have been a tough call…

But judging by the footage, it seems Tokai Teio got the nod.

Probably due to the dramatic narrative—pushing Wilm to a nose-margin finish in last year’s Japan Derby, with both of them ending up injured after the fierce battle.

…That said, even from a pure ability standpoint, this ranking feels appropriate.

Tokai Teio is strong.

No—Tokai Teio right now is truly strong.

Her stats, her skills, her motivation, her physical condition—every single aspect is top-tier.

On top of that, she’s a racing genius. You never know what kind of hidden card she’ll pull out mid-race.

Without exaggeration, she’s a threat on the same level as Nature in last year’s Kikuka Sho or McQueen in the Tenno Sho (Autumn).

Which is why, in this Osaka Hai, it’s almost guaranteed that Wilm and Teio will be fighting tooth and nail for first place.

…And to make matters worse, this Osaka Hai includes a variable that simply can’t be fully measured.

I’ll do everything I can, and I believe Wilm will be fine—but I just can’t ignore that lingering headache.

Man, I really don’t mesh well with domains. Even last year, they gave me so much trouble…

Well, I guess it’s only natural. This is the kind of thing that doesn’t show up in “app reincarnation” data—where real trainer experience matters directly—so of course it puts someone barely past rookie status like me at a disadvantage.

Now then, after the Senior-class G1 Osaka Hai comes the Classic-class G1.

『Proof of “speed,” the Satsuki Sho. A battle between a cyborg-like front-runner and still-young eggs of greatness』

The spotlight here is on Mihono Bourbon—the only Junior-class year-end G1 champion who has committed to running the Satsuki Sho. The footage is from the recent Spring Stakes.

Still undefeated, already a G1 titleholder, and fresh off a dominant G2 victory by four lengths—an entirely fair evaluation.

As for the other Satsuki Sho entrants, Rice Shower and Matikane Tannhauser are also in the field…

But the impression is that their relative standing was already decided to some extent in the Spring Stakes.

Same venue, same course, and the distance extension is only 200 meters. There isn’t a huge gap between races, either, so it’s expected that the results won’t differ dramatically between the Spring Stakes and the Satsuki Sho.

Of course, in this world, that extra 200 meters can mean everything—but overturning a four-length gap? Yeah.

…Still, both of my trainees ended up being featured. That’s something.

They’re both unmistakable once-in-several-years prodigies, so it’s not unreasonable—but man, my luck with encounters really is something.

Well, Bourbon was the one who approached me first, though.

『Another path to the Triple Crown, the Oka Sho. A contest between a small genius and a brilliantly early-blooming star』

For the Oka Sho, the selected runner is Nishino Flower—also a Junior-class year-end G1 champion.

In the recent Tulip Sho, unfavorable race development stacked against her, and she narrowly finished second…

But aside from that, she’s crossed the line first in every race so far, boasting an overall place rate of 100% and a win rate of 80%. The numbers alone are absurd.

At least from sprint to mile distances, her ability might even rival Bourbon’s.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—she’s on the Tiara route, so she and Bourbon, who’s on the Triple Crown path, won’t clash for at least half a year.

…Come to think of it, Bourbon mentioned the other day that she and Flower are roommates.

Having those two assigned to the same room really makes you feel the hand of fate.

Between that and Wilm sharing a room with Happy Meek, it almost feels like powerful Uma Musume—“named” ones, at least—are destined to be drawn together.

The so-called threads woven by the Three Goddess statues.

Maybe that’s why Wilm ended up in the same generation as Teio and Nature, too.

『On this battlefield of clashing blades, who will seize glory this year—a new hero, or…』

As Rudolf finishes those words, the screen fades to black.

White text appears—“Osaka Hai, April 5th, 15:40”—and the commercial ends.

Wow… they really made that cool.

Honestly, it’s completely my taste, and seeing my trainees shine so stylishly genuinely stirs the heart. I’d love it if they kept making commercials like this.

…Though I know that’s probably asking too much.

Cool, serious visuals like this don’t actually bring in that many new fans.

If the goal were to expand the audience, it’d be better to go for obvious appeal, comedic beats, or easy-to-comment-on moments.

The reason they leaned so hard into the “cool” direction this time is probably because the Twinkle Series is already so hot that there’s no need to recruit new fans through commercials.

I heard this recently when I spoke with someone from URA’s planning department—the number of active Twinkle Series fans has finally surpassed even the Oguri Cap era and the peak of the Golden Generation.

Statistically speaking, it’s the biggest boom since the series was founded.

Well, that makes sense.

Senior-class second year has McQueen, Senior-class first year has the three stars led by Wilm, the Classic class has Bourbon and Rice, and while still undiscovered, the Junior class has BNW waiting in the wings. We won’t be running short on legendary matchups anytime soon.

So URA’s current policy seems to be less about attracting new fans and more about firmly anchoring the ones they’ve gained during this period.

That’s why they could afford to air a more core-fan-oriented commercial like this.

On a purely personal note—it really feels like I was born in a good era.

---

…And so.

As mentioned, the Twinkle Series is absolutely booming right now.

From URA’s perspective, it’s full steam ahead—they want to lock in this popularity and keep it going.

Naturally, they wouldn’t just leave Hoshino Wilm—the catalyst for this explosive popularity—untouched.

April 2nd, the day after the Grand Thanksgiving Festival, just before the Osaka Hai.

With great popularity comes great responsibility, and as a result, she ended up participating in a URA project.

Even now, I can’t help wondering if this was really the right call. Considering the Osaka Hai, hard training would’ve been ideal…

As I rubbed my chin, lost in thought—

Suddenly, something tugged at my sleeve. Tug, tug.

"Hey, Ayumu, that was really cool, wasn’t it?"

Asking for my agreement in the most adorable way possible was Hoshino Wilm, standing beside me and watching the monitor.

She wore a familiar smile and looked up at me, but…

There was one thing about her right now that wasn’t familiar.

Her outfit.

She wasn’t wearing her usual uniform or tracksuit, nor the cool-toned casual clothes she wears on trips or days off, nor even that revealing race outfit she dons for G1 races.

Right now, she was wearing—

An unfamiliar second race outfit.

A white shirt, a light-gray, slightly longer skirt, white tights.

Over that, an oversized long coat in deep ultramarine, with the same gray star brooch at her chest as her first outfit.

Along with her usual symmetrical earrings, a crown-shaped hair ornament adorned the area near her right ear.

And to top it all off, she even wore pristine white gloves.

Taken as a whole, her appearance was…

"Yeah. Seriously cool."

"Right?!"

Wilm smiles brightly—graceful and adorable beyond measure—yet her race outfit is the polar opposite: unmistakably mannish and unbelievably cool.

She herself is on the small side, short in stature, but perhaps it’s the confidence in her posture—never hunched, never shrinking—that makes it work. Instead of clashing, it creates a striking contrast. How should I put it… a faintly enigmatic “strong character” aura? Something like that.

Yeah. Cool. Too cool. Honestly, it’s irresistible.

Some people might call a long coat chuunibyou-ish, but long hems are pure romance. With the oversized fit, the hem hangs so low it almost feels like a cape—completely mismatched with her petite frame, and that’s exactly why it’s perfect.

And here’s the kicker: the coat covers so much that it gives off major dark-hero vibes, but once she takes it off, underneath is a pure white shirt and light-gray skirt—utterly clean and upright. This is absolutely the kind of person who looks shady but is actually a good soul. The type who picks up stray kittens in the rain.

Then there are the white gloves. Seriously, only butlers and flamboyant tricksters wear white gloves like that. But that’s exactly the point—keeping her skin covered is what makes it cool. I get it. I really do.

And on top of all that, the crown-shaped hair ornament. Okay, this part is probably just me overthinking—pure imagination—but she totally looks like a mysterious phantom thief whose true identity is a prince of a fallen kingdom. Except then you realize the prince is oddly small… and actually a cross-dressing beauty who’s really a princess. Though, considering Wilm’s humble origins, “princess” might not quite fit. Maybe it’s more like a rags-to-riches fairytale heroine—a Snow White after-story kind of deal.

The coat being too big gives off an air of immaturity, but that almost feels intentional, like it’s meant to be shed midway through the story to signal growth and a turn toward the light…

"Ayumu? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I’m fine."

I’d gotten so lost in secondhand, fanfic-level delusions about Wilm’s new outfit that the real Wilm tilted her head in front of me, puzzled.

Crap, crap—calm down.

Just because an incredibly cool, perfectly-to-my-taste version of Wilm is standing right in front of me doesn’t mean I—

…No, but seriously. She’s so cool.

"Wilm, do the thing where you tug the edge of the glove—like, snap."

"Eeh, again? You really are hopeless, Ayumu."

Despite the annoyed line, Wilm grins mischievously, then smoothly wipes the expression from her face.

With her left hand, she grips the edge of the white glove on her right, gives it a sharp tug—snap—and sharpens her gaze.

Ohhh…!

"Yeah. Still cool."

"Geez, how many times are you going to make me do that?"

"But come on, with that look, snapping your glove like that? That’s pure romance."

"I get what you mean, at least."

"And you’re a great actress, too. This is exactly what I wanted to see."

"Well, I’m happy you appreciate my abilities. I really am. But you know? You’re allowed to praise me more, you know??"

"Heheh," Wilm hums as she spins in place.

She swings the hem of her coat proudly, showing it off to me.

Honestly, it turned out even cooler than I expected.

Back when I asked—before the URA Award ceremony—“Do you have any requests for your next race outfit?”, and she replied, “The current one looks cold, so I’d like the next one to look warmer,” I’d buried my head in my hands, wondering how this would turn out…

But after countless discussions with the URA race outfit production department, it finally came together like this.

Well, “discussions” might be overstating my contribution.

What we decided on were just three things: limit the main colors to black, blue, and white (light gray); go for a mannish vibe; and keep skin exposure to an absolute minimum. Everything else was entirely up to them.

Pulling off something this cool is nothing short of the race outfit team’s sheer skill.

Good. Great. Perfect.

As expected of URA—they really understand what “cool” means.

"So—anyway, we weren’t talking about the outfits, were we? We were talking about the commercial."

"I know, I know. …By the way, Wilm, I also kind of want to see you flip the coat hem dramatically."

"That’s not the point! Were you even watching cool-me in the commercial?!"

"I mean, I’ve seen your cool side closer than anyone, hundreds of times over. I’m seeing it right now. Watching a video at this point just makes me think, ‘Yep, that’s Wilm—amazing run,’ and that’s about it."

"Ugh—gh! You really do say stuff like that whenever you get the chance! Hey! Stop it!"

"Sorry, sorry."

She starts smacking around my waist—thwap, thwap.

…Yeah. Uma Musume “playful hitting” isn’t exactly a joke. It’s like getting hit by a power-90, same-type-attack-bonus move.

Honestly, if I weren’t in shape, I might actually yelp.

As her contracted trainer—and as myself—I’m happy that my distance with Wilm… with Hoshino Wilm, is close enough that she feels comfortable using casual body language.

If I overreacted here, she might rethink that distance afterward. Or worse, feel unnecessary guilt.

In that sense, I’m really glad I’ve kept myself trained.

…Though trained or not, it still hurts. Uma Musume strength is no joke.

---

As Wilm and I were fooling around like that, a voice came from the side.

"Hey, it’s about time. You’re up soon, you know?"

The one who said it was Tokai Teio—Wilm’s rival in the upcoming Osaka Hai.

She, too, was wearing a different race outfit from the formal one she’d worn before.

Where Wilm’s second outfit drastically reduced skin exposure, Teio’s went in the opposite direction. Her first outfit had been relatively modest, but her second was far lighter—boyish, colored in red, yellow, and black.

What stood out most was the mantle draped over her right shoulder. The red fabric faded into yellow toward the tip, and paired with the feather ornament at her waist, it gave the impression of phoenix wings.

…There’s no concrete proof—this is just a hypothesis.

But I think the race outfits given to Uma Musume are meant to embody the image—the ideal—demanded by their horse souls.

Symboli Rudolf’s carries the splendor and dignity of a ruler.

Mejiro McQueen’s reflects calm elegance and the pride of the Mejiro name.

Mihono Bourbon’s conveys mechanical precision and flowing beauty.

Each race outfit feels infused with the spirit of its Uma Soul—in other words, the hopes and images projected onto the horse from their past life.

…Well, in practice, that’s almost certainly the case.

The previous-life app Uma Musume: Pretty Derby anthropomorphized legendary racehorses from real history, and their race outfits were designed with those famous horses in mind.

Given how closely related this world is, it stands to reason that the race outfits here, too, are heavily influenced by the image of the original horse—that is, the Uma Soul itself.

And in that sense, Tokai Teio’s race outfit… its motif is probably the phoenix.

The red and yellow colors evoke blazing flames, and the belt around her waist is adorned with feather ornaments.

What that brings to mind is, of course, the phoenix—symbol of immortality, reborn from ashes even after being consumed by fire.

In real history, the horse Tokai Teio suffered multiple fractures and still continued to race.

I don’t remember the exact timing anymore, but… I’m pretty sure it was four fractures in total before retirement.

Even after enduring all of that, Tokai Teio stood back up and kept running.

She truly deserves to be called a phoenix.

---

Now then, that very Teio is casting a somewhat exasperated look at us from beside her trainer.

"Hey, you know we’re about to go on, right? Shouldn’t you be a little more nervous or something?"

"Oh? Do you really think I’d get nervous over something like a TV show?"

"Well, no, probably not. But maybe focus a bit? Review the flow?"

"It’s all perfectly memorized. I won’t cause any trouble."

"Yeah, but still, it’s just that—"

"If anything, I won’t be able to perform at full spec unless I properly replenish my Ayumu-nium."

"Ayu—huh? What?"

Ayumu… nium? What is that? I have no idea either.

From the context, it sounds like she means she can’t perform properly without interacting with her trainer, but still…

After saying something utterly incomprehensible, Wilm tilts her body slightly and offers her head toward me.

At the familiar gesture, I can’t help but give a wry smile.

I place my hand on her head and gently stroke it.

…Yeah. Her hair is silky and pleasant to the touch today as well.

Chestnut-colored, semi-long hair, with a single streak of dark bay mixed in.

It’s a sensation I’m well used to, but no matter how many times I do this, I never feel like I’ll get tired of it.

And more than anything…

Seeing her relax her cheeks in genuine happiness beneath my hand makes me happy, too.

Almost as if she cares about me…

Well, if the discussions I’ve had with my brother and Masatomo are correct, then the possibility that she does feel that way about me can’t exactly be ruled out.

But if that’s the case, maybe I shouldn’t be touching her like this so casually.

There’s the mere exposure effect, after all, and perhaps I should be more restrained with physical contact toward my trainee…

Then again, Wilm herself is the one who wants this, and denying her outright would…

When weighing her present desires against her future prospects…

…No. Focusing only on the future while neglecting the present feels wrong, just as prioritizing the present too much and discarding the future does.

As long as I don’t let her cross a decisive line and end up hurting her heart, it should be fine.

I want to value both the present and the future, properly balanced.

That’s my idea of what’s right… as a contracted trainer.

…Probably.

"Ayumu?"

"Hm… no, it’s nothing. If it helps get you in the right condition, I’ll do anything."

"Hm? You just said ‘anything,’ didn’t you?"

"I did, but—"

"Then, um… while you’re at it, could you maybe pet my face too? I mean, you know, my growth stopped when I was fairly young, so my cheeks are kind of squishy? They’re probably soft and nice to touch? You might get hooked?"

As she says that, Wilm flusters around, shaking the hand resting on her head for some reason.

Wanting her face petted—what kind of desire is that?

And even if you like someone, why would that make you want your face stroked?

Her emotional subtleties are really difficult. Is this what they call a maiden’s heart? Maybe I should read up on that kind of book sometime, or ask my brother or Masatomo for advice.

But setting that aside.

If that’s what she wants, there’s no reason not to do it.

"…Like this?"

I gently lift Wilm’s face, cradling it from below.

Wow. It really is soft and squishy.

And the warmth of her body coming through my hands… it’s oddly calming.

…Yeah. I could definitely get addicted to this.

If they ever released a figure that perfectly recreated this texture, it would go viral instantly. Maybe I should pitch the idea to the URA planning department sometime.

"Whaf… Ayufhu-san, ao—"

"Ah—sorry."

Uh-oh. Wilm’s face is red. No—bright red.

I didn’t think I was squeezing that hard, but maybe she couldn’t breathe properly.

Or maybe… no, surely she wouldn’t get embarrassed just from having her face touched?

I don’t know much about romantic feelings or maidenly hearts, but at what point does embarrassment kick in?

I can imagine kissing or confessing would be embarrassing, but—

…Come to think of it, I’ve never really felt embarrassed about much in my life. Not in this life, and not in my previous one either, as far as I can remember.

Maybe I lost my sense of shame somewhere along the way.

…Could something have happened back in my long-forgotten elementary school days in my previous life?

---

"Horino Trainer, it’s about time."

While I was thinking all that and patting Wilm’s reddened head, Tokai Teio’s trainer called out to me.

Looking over, it seemed the signal had finally come for us as well.

"You ready, Wilm?"

"O-of course! I’m going to show off this race outfit properly."

"Heheh, I’ll steal the spotlight anyway!"

"Oh? Then shall we make it a contest, Teio? Let’s see who gets more reactions on social media after the show."

"That’s totally unfair! You’ve got way more popularity! No handicap or anything?"

"Winning with a handicap wouldn’t be satisfying, would it? For either of us."

"…True."

Chatting with Teio, my trainee heads out from backstage.

At the same time, Teio’s trainer steps closer to my side.

"From here on, all we can do is watch."

"There shouldn’t be any issues. Wilm and Tokai Teio are both smart girls."

"Yeah. …Mm, looks like you’ve built a really good relationship."

"She’s my trainee, after all. I trust Wilm—more than anyone else in the world."

We speak quietly as we look up at the monitor.

Where commercials had been playing just moments ago, a TV program was now on screen.

Even in this modern age, where video-sharing sites and livestreams have taken over and television has generally declined, plenty of people are surely watching this program today.

Because this show is—

『Now then, we’ve just finished looking back at last year’s major races.

From here on, we’ll finally be talking about this year’s spring G1 races.

And what’s more—this time, we have something special! For the very first time in the world, we’ve invited some of the strongest active Uma Musume to appear in brand-new race outfits!!

Please welcome them with a round of applause—Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio of the “Star Generation”!!』