Chapter 4:

Ren turned away from the railing, his shoes crunching quietly against the asphalt as he walked back toward the paddock area.

Seiun Sky watched his retreating back, her half-lidded eyes darkening with a familiar, cynical disappointment. Figures, she thought, leaning her weight heavily against the cool iron rail. He’s just like all the rest.

She had seen it a hundred times before. A new trainer arrives with big dreams, spots a high-profile Umamusume with legendary bloodlines, and gets stars in their eyes. But the moment that promising runner stumbles, the moment reality fractures their idealized daydream, they turn their backs and walk away. They didn't care about the runner; they cared about the trophy. Sky let out a small, bitter breath. For a second, she had actually thought this strange, blunt trainer might be different. She had hoped King Halo—and maybe even herself—had found someone genuine.

Down on the track, the vultures were already circling.

A handful of rookie trainers, refusing to let a fourth-place finish deter them, swarmed around King Halo. They showered her with oily, sweet promises.

"Don't worry about this minor setback, King Halo! Join my team, and I promise you'll become the first-rate Umamusume you were born to be!"

"With my guidance, a G1 victory is practically guaranteed! We'll have you standing exactly where your mother stood!"

King Halo’s rigid posture softened slightly at the praise, her defensive ojou-sama smile returning as she offered her standard, hollow laugh to hide her fraying nerves. But as the words "just like your mother" echoed through the group, her expression briefly turned vacant. Not a single one of them asked if she was okay. Not a single one noticed how violently her chest was heaving. To them, she wasn't King Halo; she was a golden ticket wrapped in her mother's shadow.

Exhausted, her throat parched and her legs trembling, King Halo tried to politely excuse herself, but her voice was drowned out by their competitive shouting. She felt trapped, bracing herself for hours of empty, exhausting pitches.

Then, heavy, deliberate footsteps broke through the chatter.

The rookie trainers blinked as a tall figure stepped directly into the center of their circle, cutting off a particularly loud coach mid-sentence. It was Ren. He carried a heavy, professional-grade medical kit in his left hand, and his face was set in a cold, unyielding glare that radiated a terrifyingly serious aura.

"Hey," Ren’s voice cut through the noise like a blade. "Are you all blind, or can you just not see how uncomfortable she is right now?"

The rookies bristled, a few opening their mouths to snap back at the interruption, but the sheer gravity of Ren’s expression forced the words back down their throats.

"You're supposed to be licensed professionals," Ren continued, his voice dropping to a harsh, demanding whisper. "You should know that an Umamusume requires immediate post-race hydration and a mandatory muscle check. Instead, you're crowding her airspace and preventing her from walking it off."

"Hey, come on, don't accuse us of malpractice!" one of the newbies stammered, stepping back defensively. "She didn't even complain!"

Ren let out a long, thoroughly unimpressed sigh. He adjusted his grip on the medicine bag. "Sigh. Do you really not understand the regulations? Or would you prefer I call Miss Tazuna over here right now to explain the academy’s athlete safety protocols to you personally?"

The mention of the legendary secretary acted like a splash of ice water. The rookies looked at each other, their faces turning pale.

"Whatever, man. Forget it," one muttered, backing away completely. "We can just come back and recruit her later when she’s rested." Within thirty seconds, the crowd evaporated, leaving the track suddenly, blissfully quiet.

King Halo let out a long, ragged breath, her shoulders sagging in genuine relief. But the moment she realized she was alone with this new, mysterious savior, she quickly pulled her armor back on. She looked Ren up and down, her red eyes narrowing as she tried to place where she had seen his face before.

"Ahem," Ren said, breaking the silence as he knelt down slightly, tapping the medical kit. "Student. You've completely exhausted your reserves, and your legs are clearly not in good shape. You need to treat them immediately."

"Ohohoho!" King Halo threw her head back, forcing out a theatrical laugh, though it cracked slightly at the end. "I appreciate the unsolicited concern, trainer, but I am perfectly fine! Can you not see?"

She tried to adopt a flawless, first-rate stance, but a sharp tremor ran through her thighs. To an amateur, she looked perfectly composed. But to Ren—who knew exactly how much damage her unmonitored sprint from yesterday had caused—she couldn't fool him for a second. He just stared at her, his expression entirely deadpan and completely unmoved by the performance.

King Halo’s face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. "Wha—what? Do you think I am lying?!"

"Of course I believe you," Ren said smoothly, his face a mask of pure innocence as he added, "I just want to make a tactical confirmation."

"Hmph! Good. Now you may take your leave," King Halo muttered, waving her hand dismissively.

But Ren didn't budge. He just stood there like a statue, holding the medicine bag and watching her.

King Halo stood frozen as well. Truthfully, she desperately wanted to turn around and storm away to escape his piercing gaze, but she could feel the strength draining from her lower body. If she tried to walk right now, her stride would be a limping, agonizing mess—and that would completely expose her lie to this stubborn man.

"Hey! Why do you keep staring at me like that?!" she demanded, her voice rising in a desperate bid to maintain her noble authority.

Before Ren could answer, a lazy, rhythmic dragging of shoes echoed from the grass behind him.

"Oh~ We meet again, unknown trainer," Seiun Sky greeted him, strolling up with her hands tucked behind her back. Her voice was still sluggish, but Ren could immediately sense a sharp shift in her demeanor. The cold, distant gaze she had given him a minute ago was gone, replaced by a genuine, curious friendliness.

"Hello there, cyan-haired student," Ren replied automatically, catching himself just before he accidentally blurted out her real name.

Sky froze mid-stride, her lazy expression turning completely speechless. Cyan-haired student?! She looked at him, utterly baffled. Did this guy just try to tease me? Only I get to mess with people around here! She nodded fiercely to herself, silently declaring war on his strange sense of humor.

"Anyway," Sky said, quickly shaking off her shock as she stepped closer to her classmate, her eyes softening. "King Halo, are you actually okay?"

"Yes, Seiun. I am perfectly fine," King Halo said softly. The sharp, arrogant edge of her voice melted away entirely, replaced by a gentle, tired warmth meant only for her friend.

Sky didn't look at her face; she looked straight down at King Halo’s legs.

Embarrassment flared across King Halo’s cheeks. "What... what are you looking at?!" She tried to quickly shift her leg away to hide the trembling muscle, but the sudden movement sent a violent spike of pain through her calf. "Ah—!" She hissed, her teeth clenching as her face went pale. Yesterday's deep tissue fatigue combined with today's reckless sprint had completely locked her muscles up.

Sky didn't hesitate. She looked at the heavy-duty medical kit in Ren’s hand, then gave him a sharp, commanding nod, signaling him forward.

"Trainer," Sky said, her voice dropping all its usual lazy pretenses. "Can you help treat her?"

"I was planning on it. That’s exactly why I brought this," Ren said. He popped the latches on the medical kit, pulling out a bottle of specialized cooling gel, compression bandages, and a high-grade muscle relaxant spray designed specifically for Umamusume physiology.

Sky nodded, a genuine spark of respect finally reflecting in her eyes. Her opinion of this unknown trainer had just skyrocketed.

King Halo opened her mouth to launch into another fierce protest about her first-rate dignity, but before she could utter a single syllable, Ren had already knelt down, his fingers efficiently and gently applying the soothing, icy gel to her burning calf muscles. The immediate, wave of relief that washed over her legs was so intense that her protest died instantly in her throat, leaving her to simply lean against the railing, her face burning red as the mysterious trainer went to work.