Chapter 140: What exactly is nursing someone…? Ugh…

Early that morning, I received news that Hoshino Wilm had come down with a fever.

Honestly, I panicked quite a bit.

No—more than “quite a bit.” I nearly stood up from my chair, slipped, and fell in the process. Masa even worried about me for once, which was rare, but I didn’t have the luxury of caring about that right now.

Naturally, as her trainer—and acting guardian—I needed to check on her condition.

I hurriedly bought the things I’d need to bring and headed toward her.

“…Calm down, me.”

My heart was pounding—thump, thump—loud in my chest.

Was it the accumulated overwork from the past month? But I’d been managing her stamina. What if it was some kind of infectious disease? What if she couldn’t continue racing at all?

Baseless assumptions and unpleasant scenarios kept flashing through my mind one after another, but I couldn’t let them control me. Even as I hurried, I forced myself not to panic as I made my way to the Ritto dorm.

The Uma Musume who hadn’t left for school yet stared at me in shock, but since I’d called ahead, there weren’t any major issues. Guided by Fujikiseki, I eventually reached Hoshino Wilm’s room.

Normally, I might’ve felt guilty about stepping into an Uma Musume’s personal space… but at that moment, I was so worked up that, honestly, Wilm was the only thing on my mind.

And so, when I reached her room and flung the door open—

"Wilm!"

"Hah…—oh, huh?"

There she was. Doing pull-ups on the pole installed in her room.

The instant I saw her, a raging torrent of emotions crashed over me.

---

“…Honestly, you. Do you even realize you currently have a fever?”

First, I made her stop exercising, then let out a long, deep sigh.

Wilm smiled awkwardly, a light sheen of sweat on her skin. It looked like she’d been working out for quite a while—despite being sick.

"No, I’m really sorry… Meek-senpai already went to school, and once I was alone, I just got restless…"

"Even so, you should’ve been resting in bed."

"I was bothered that I hadn’t moved my body much since the day before yesterday, so I thought at least some light strength training…"

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long did you do it?"

"…Well, about thirty minutes?"

She laughed as if to say, Is that bad? Hehe. I sighed again.

It was a sigh of exasperation… but more than that, one of relief I couldn’t tell her about.

…Well.

I was definitely shocked, and I was scolding her now, but in a way, I was also glad.

When I first got the call, all I’d heard was that “Hoshino Wilm wasn’t feeling well,” so I had no idea what state she’d be in.

If I’d found her unable to get out of bed, completely exhausted… or sleeping quietly in a way that didn’t resemble her at all… my mental state might’ve taken a serious hit.

But instead, here she was—completely like herself.

Seeing Wilm being Wilm, even at a time like this, helped calm my panicked heart quite a bit.

…That said, I still dragged her back to bed immediately.

"Come on, Wilm. Go lie down. I’ll take care of you today."

"Okaaay…"

She followed my words, pretending reluctance, though a hint of happiness showed through her disappointed expression.

I took her hand and guided her to the bed.

…Yeah. She really is a bit warm.

Her hands were always warm, but this time her body temperature was clearly higher than usual.

"Sorry, I’m going to touch you for a second."

"Hm?"

After saying that, I placed my hand on her forehead and felt the faint sting of heat against my palm.

From the sensation alone, probably somewhere in the mid-37°C range.

"Honestly. I thought maybe your fever had gone down since you seemed energetic, but you’re still running one."

"…Um, isn’t that something you measure relative to your own temperature? You can really tell just by your hand?"

"I used to get sick pretty often, so I can tell a little."

When I was a kid, I’d get sick about once every three months.

Back then I thought, Maybe I just have a weak body in this life, but looking back, pulling three or four all-nighters when my body hadn’t even fully developed yet probably had something to do with it.

Even when I got sick, I’d keep studying and training as long as the symptoms were mild, but when it got severe, I had no choice but to rest. So I ended up paying close attention to my body temperature and condition.

As a result, I eventually got used to gauging temperature with my own hands.

It’s not exactly something to brag about, but you could call it a small personal skill.

Anyway, with another sigh, I decided to forcibly put Wilm into bed.

I scooped her up—one arm behind her back, the other under her knees—and carried her straight to the slightly messy bed, not giving her any chance to protest.

"W-whoa—"

She flushed red, probably embarrassed at being treated like a child, but this time she could consider it punishment for overdoing things.

After laying her down and fixing the blankets over her, I asked for permission and sat on what was probably her chair by the desk.

"Good morning again. How are you feeling, Wilm?"

"Good morning. I feel… hmm, honestly I don’t really feel that bad. A little sluggish, and kind of foggy—like it’s hard to concentrate?"

"Yeah, that’s just being sick."

So she could recognize the symptoms, but the sensation was dull enough that it didn’t bother her much—or she just swallowed it down even if it did.

Considering her past, maybe that was only natural.

No matter how much it hurt, she had to run. No matter how hard things were, she had no one to cry to.

She’d lived in that kind of environment for years.

Blaming her would be misplaced. Maybe that was simply who she was.

Even so… I wanted her to slowly learn how to rely on someone.

…Though I might not be the best person to say that.

"If possible, from now on, tell me right away if something’s wrong. Honestly, when I got the message this morning, it scared me."

"I’m sorry… B-but, um, wouldn’t you get put off if I messaged too much?"

"I wouldn’t get put off by a message from my trainee."

"I’d send like ten messages a minute, and cancel four of them."

"…Okay, I might get put off."

"You liar!"

"Yeah, I’m lying. I won’t get put off, so message me anytime."

We adjusted each other’s expectations with jokes mixed in.

It’s always better to stay in close contact.

Even if that meant ten messages per minute—which was admittedly a lot… well, I didn’t mind.

I probably wouldn’t be able to reply to everything, but if she was fine with that, there was no problem.

---

After chatting a bit more and settling down, I reached for the plastic shopping bag I’d brought.

"Oh, did you buy something for me?"

"Yeah. Cooling gel sheets, oral rehydration solution, some cut fruit, and jelly."

"Thank you… that helps a lot…"

"Also a blanket so you don’t get cold, heat packs, thick socks, cold medicine, fever reducers, headache medicine, a box of tissues, and about six new towels. Oh, and I made a hospital appointment for tomorrow, so if you’re not better by today, we’ll go get you checked."

"That’s… more serious than I expected."

"If a trainer doesn’t take it seriously when their trainee gets sick, they’re unqualified. If you don’t need something, I’ll use it myself, so just say so."

"I need them! Rejecting something from my trainer would make me an unqualified Uma Musume!"

"…I feel like that’s wrong somehow."

I started listing everything I’d brought.

Since I’d crammed the largest plastic bag I could find to the brim, once I spread everything out, it was quite a lot—especially the blanket and tissue box, which took up space.

Still, the Ritto dorm rooms were fairly large for student housing, so as long as things were organized, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Looking around briefly, Wilm’s room was pretty tidy.

…Actually, it was surprisingly girly.

Near her pillow were plush Pakapuchi dolls of herself, Nature, Teio, and McQueen, along with that Wilm-themed cushion that had gone on sale a while back, all packed together. On the side table sat a cute lamp and small containers.

On the wall shelf were several photo frames. Those were… victory photos from the Takarazuka Kinen and the Kikuka Sho, and… wait, was that a photo of me?

As I was thinking that, Wilm suddenly sat up with speed you wouldn’t expect from someone sick, grabbed my neck, and yanked my face toward her.

"Hey! Isn’t it kind of a problem to stare around a girl’s room like that!? Have some tact!!"

"Ah, sorry. I just thought it looked more like a girl her age’s room than I expected."

"That was only true until last year! …Actually, sorry—if I’m being honest, Nature just coordinated it for me."

"Nature, huh."

That made sense. Among her friends, she’d be the strongest in that area.

Teio and Rice probably could do it too, but lately they were completely focused on running. McQueen leaned too much toward luxury tastes that wouldn’t suit Wilm, and Bourbon was… well. No explanation needed.

If you wanted something balanced—matching Wilm’s preferences while still being cute—Nature was definitely the best choice.

"You’ve got a good friend."

"Yes, more than I deserve—wait! Don’t look around my room too much! Especially the photos! That’s called tact!!"

"Sorry…"

It’s true that having someone of the opposite sex stare all around your room might be a bit… awkward.

My own room is crammed wall-to-wall with merchandise of Wilm and Bourbon too, so it’s not exactly in a presentable state either.

…Well, actually, Wilm is probably just embarrassed, while in my case it genuinely isn’t something I could show anyone, so maybe the situations are a little different.

---

When someone has a fever, the most important thing they should do—above all else—is rest.

So today’s plan for Wilm was simple: stay in bed all day.

Even better if she could sleep.

"So, how is it? Think you can fall asleep?"

"Hmm, I’m not really sleepy. I slept really well yesterday, and it’s only been a few hours since I woke up."

"I see… In that case, how about we just talk? Even just lying down should reduce your fatigue quite a bit."

"Yeah! …Hehe."

Inside the bed, Wilm flashed that familiar, slightly mischievous smile. Cute.

…Come to think of it, I hadn’t really had a chance to talk with her slowly like this lately.

Of course, we messaged on LANE almost every day, and we talked during breaks in training, but when was the last time we spent a long stretch talking, just the two of us?

Originally, today had been planned for studying Teio’s running again… but well, taking time like this once in a while wasn’t a bad thing.

There’s even talk that the bond between trainer and Uma Musume can improve their performance.

Ideally, I’d like to push her upward through my own ability alone, but that might not be enough against a monstrous genius like Teio.

If that’s the case, then whether it’s gods, Buddha, or bonds—whatever it takes, I’ll rely on every possible means to support her.

While I was thinking that, Wilm’s voice pulled me back to reality.

"Um… how long will you stay?"

Looking at her, her brows were drawn together, and she wore a slightly anxious expression.

"Hm? Well, I was thinking until around evening. Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all! It’s just… um, is that okay? Like, Bourbon-chan’s training and stuff?"

"Ah, I see. That’s what you were worried about. You’re really considerate."

In truth, my training camp was run almost like a one-person operation centered on me.

Especially when it came to managing my trainees’ fatigue and training schedules—I observed, judged, and made the decisions myself.

I had Masa think about things too, but that was less for running the camp itself and more for developing her judgment for when she eventually stood on her own.

So if I wasn’t there, Bourbon’s training might not go smoothly—that was what Wilm was worried about.

…Even when she’s the one feeling weak, she’s concerned about someone else.

As always, kindness is at her core.

But there was no need to worry about that.

"There was something I wanted to try anyway. In a way, this was perfect timing."

"Something you wanted to try?"

Just as she said that, my phone chimed from my pocket.

After asking Wilm for permission, I checked it.

"Yeah, no problem."

What had arrived—from Masa’s account—was a full-body photo of Bourbon in her uniform… though it ended up looking a bit like a selfie.

"…By the way, can I ask who that message is from and what it’s about? Is that too intrusive of me?"

"Intrusive? Not really. Look—this is a photo of Mihono Bourbon."

"Oh, I see, Bourbon-chan’s selfie. Uh-huh, I see. A selfie. Definitely a selfie. …Bourbon-chan’s selfie!?!?"

"Huh? No, it’s just a photo of Mihono Bourbon."

Wilm suddenly shot upright and grabbed my hand—well, my phone, really.

She pulled with surprising force for someone who was sick and peered at the screen.

"Uh… what? What’s wrong?"

As I blinked in confusion, Wilm let out a relieved sigh.

"…It’s not a sexy selfie."

"Why would it be a sexy selfie?"

Why would Bourbon even send me something like that?

Besides, she just looked that way because she was making peace signs with both hands for some reason—it was just a picture Masa took.

…I’d thought this before, but sometimes this girl gets a little… strange.

Her thought patterns sometimes feel kind of… otaku-like, or something along those lines.

Of course, in Hoshino Wilm’s life, there shouldn’t have been any period where she was immersed in that kind of culture.

So normally, her thinking shouldn’t lean that way at all…

…Hey, I’ve been thinking this for a while now.

Isn’t this girl a reincarnator, just like me?

This kind of thinking that doesn’t match Hoshino Wilm—it makes far more sense if she’s being influenced by time she spent like that in a previous life.

Her unusually mature mindset, her literally otherworldly talent… there are quite a few elements that could point to her being a reincarnator.

Of course, they’re all circumstantial evidence. To say it with certainty, I’d ultimately have to confirm it with Wilm herself…

If it came to that, I’d be risking the collapse of my relationship with Wilm.

Right now, with the Twinkle Series races piling up, I couldn’t afford to take that kind of risk.

So for the moment, I still couldn’t confirm the truth behind this hypothesis.

But… when this much circumstantial evidence lines up, it’s hard not to suspect that maybe it really is the case.

Sure, a large part of it is probably my own desire to have “someone like me,” but it’s getting harder and harder to just ignore it.

…Well, putting that aside for now.

"By the way, what would you even use a uniform selfie for? That’s not what it’s for, right? Like an ID photo or something?"

"It’s not a selfie, and I’m not sure what you mean by ‘that,’ but it’s related to the thing I said I wanted to try."

"Oh, right. That thing you wanted to try—what was it?"

"Before that, can I send a quick message?"

"Ah, yes, go ahead."

I tapped rapidly on my phone, typing a reply to Bourbon.

Her current stamina condition, the optimal training derived from it, several precautions she should take, and a message for Masa herself, who would be overseeing the training.

Alright. That should do it.

Send.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket and faced Wilm again.

"Now then, about what I wanted to try.

Put simply, this will be a test of whether I can function as a trainer remotely."

“Umm… judging from the words and the situation, you mean providing training without directly seeing your trainee in person?”

“Exactly. You’re quick on the uptake—that helps.”

When I ruffled her hair, Wilm let out a soft, melting “Ehehe.”

“Once the Takarazuka Kinen is over, I’ll be accompanying you overseas to challenge the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. During that time, I won’t be able to monitor Mihono Bourbon’s training in Japan.

So I figured I’d check in advance whether this would be feasible.”

“Oh… right, that makes sense. While I’m in France, Bourbon-chan will still be in Japan…”

“During that time, Masa will support things on-site.”

It seemed the idea hadn’t even occurred to Wilm before. She nodded in realization, then lowered her gaze with a slightly apologetic expression.

“…I feel kind of bad. Because I’m going to the Arc, Bourbon-chan—who’s aiming for the Kikuka Sho—ends up losing her trainer.”

“Don’t worry about it… though I suppose that’s not something you can just stop worrying about.

But honestly, you don’t need to. In our era, we’ve got convenient tools like smartphones and LANE.”

I held up my phone again, showing her Mihono Bourbon’s “selfie.”

“As you know, when I look at an Uma Musume, I can tell her remaining stamina and how she’s developed.”

“When you think about it again, that’s an insanely amazing ability. You could even predict race results just by watching the paddock…

Wait—don’t tell me that selfie…”

“Yeah, exactly. I can observe their condition even through video or images.”

My mysterious “app reincarnation” ability was actually quite versatile.

As long as I could see an Uma Musume—even through footage or a photo—I could read her status.

The only real condition was that she had to be an active racing Uma Musume.

So even a tiny photo attached to a news article would let me check her stats, as long as she was active…

And conversely, even if I met her in person, I couldn’t see anything if she was a retired Uma Musume.

Thanks to this, I could still fulfill my duties as a trainer even from afar.

“So if Mihono Bourbon just sends me regular selfies, I can reply with training plans and precautions accordingly, manage her stamina and condition… that’s what I was thinking.”

“I see—that’s the truth behind Bourbon-chan’s selfie and your ‘experiment,’ Ayumi-san.

…So, realistically, do you think it’ll work?”

To reassure the faint anxiety in Wilm’s expression, I nodded.

“It should be possible. There are a few minor issues, though.”

“What kind of issues?”

“The time difference.”

“…Ah. Right. Of course.”

There’s roughly an eight-hour time difference between Japan and France.

Japan is about eight hours ahead of France.

In other words, 1:00 in France is 9:00 in Japan.

And the messages and selfies from Bourbon would… well, say three times a day: 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m.

Those would correspond to 10 p.m., 4 a.m., and 10 a.m. in France.

Ten at night and ten in the morning were fine, but responding at four in the morning meant figuring out how to secure enough sleep would be a bit tricky.

Still, that was just something I’d have to handle myself.

It wouldn’t affect either of my trainees, so it wasn’t a major issue.

At most, conveying subtle nuances in instructions and the slight time lag might cause some problems… but nothing fatal.

Providing trainer supervision remotely for Mihono Bourbon—

It wasn’t impossible.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

“Don’t apologize. This is a path I chose myself.

If you’re running, I want to be beside you—and I’ve worked to gain the ability to do that.

Masa and Bourbon both said they’d accept and support that choice.

I… we just have to go win now. Right?”

“…Right. Let’s win!”

Wilm clenched her fist tightly and flashed a fearless grin.

Yeah—after all, that kind of daring smile suited her best.

Well, the one that suited her most was the slightly clingy, naturally overflowing smile she’d shown earlier… but still.

---

A little while later, as I continued the repetitive task of bringing cut fruit to Wilm’s mouth—

As if something had just occurred to her, she spoke.

“…By the way, I couldn’t say this at the victory party, but there’s something I wanted to ask you about, Ayumi-san.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

“Well, I know it’s vague and there’s probably no single right answer, but… how can I get stronger?”

“…Hmm.”

It was rare for her to say something like that… no, this was probably the first time.

Hoshino Wilm had always secured unquestionable victories through her talent and natural gifts alone.

Perhaps—just like my own “app reincarnation”—it was some kind of reincarnation bonus: her otherworldly starting stats, aptitude, and condition.

And on top of that, the tremendous growth she’d achieved from constantly running—both before and under my guidance.

In those two respects, Hoshino Wilm allowed absolutely no one to rival her.

Simply comparing raw stats, there was practically no Uma Musume in this world who could defeat her.

…And yet, this world also contained monsters capable of overturning everything with nothing but “talent.”

“Teio in the Tenno Sho was incredibly strong… I don’t doubt you, Ayumi-san, but I started thinking that maybe the same training as before won’t be enough.

That’s why I want to get stronger. So next time, I can properly outrun Teio to the finish.”

…I see.

I’d thought Wilm prioritized enjoying the act of running above all else, but—

“I don’t want to lose anymore. I can’t accept our perfect run—yours and mine—losing.”

…Oh.

So she really did take pride in our running together.

“…Alright. I understand. Then I’ll think about it with everything I’ve got.

We’ll keep improving our running—again and again—until it becomes the strongest run no one can ever stop.”

“Yes!”

After that, we completely lost track of time, continuing to talk until the sun began to set.

We started by organizing Wilm’s strengths and weaknesses—what she could and couldn’t do—then moved on to which races suited her or didn’t, how opponents would respond if she ran a certain way, and reminiscing about past races.

Before we knew it, the conversation drifted beyond Wilm’s running, and we even forgot the whole premise of illness and nursing care, ending up talking about shared hobbies instead.

As a trainer, I wondered whether it was really appropriate to keep this up with someone who was supposed to be resting…

But looking back, it was an incredibly enjoyable time.

…Well, that is, until Wilm got a little too hyper.

“It’s so hot! Hot, hot! I’m sweating like crazy!

Man, look at all this sweat! If I leave it like this, my cold might get worse! I’d be sooo happy if someone wiped it off for me!!”

Even though she wasn’t sweating much at all, she said it with her face bright red, which left me at a loss.

…Did I actually wipe her off, you ask?

…………Well, that’s part of a guardian’s responsibilities too.

Let’s just say I averted my eyes as much as possible and only wiped her back.

In the end, she hadn’t been sweating at all, so I had to scold her: “Stop teasing like that!”

By the time school ended, her friends and underclassmen started coming to visit, and her room began filling up with Uma Musume and get-well gifts, so I decided to make my retreat.

When we checked her temperature one last time, the fever had gone down quite a bit.

By tomorrow, she’d surely recover—and show that beautiful running of hers again.