The general student body has entered summer vacation, and the season of midsummer has arrived.
However, the word "summer vacation" doesn't exist for trainers at Tracen Academy. It's the same for regular school teachers, so it can't be helped. But I think I used to believe that teachers also had summer vacation when I was a kid.
Thinking such meaningless things, I drove the large wagon car I borrowed from Tracen Academy from the morning and headed to the training camp location.
Rice was in the passenger seat, Urara and King were in the back seat, and the seats behind them were packed with their luggage.
I only had a duffel bag and a business bag with my work laptop, but Urara and the others are girls. No matter how hard they try, they'll have more luggage for a long stay. I had anticipated this and chose a large wagon car, but it was still a tight fit.
You shouldn't ask, "Why do you have so much luggage?" In the case of horse girls, they need multiple sets of training wear, and multiple spare shoes and horseshoes. On top of that, with their casual clothes, pajamas, swimsuits, underwear, towels, and various other small items, their luggage inevitably becomes a lot.
Since it's summer and they sweat, you can't tell them to re-wear their clothes. Besides, it's unsanitary. They can't wear their clothes right after they've been washed, so they definitely need spare clothes.
By the way, Urara, Rice, and King have the most luggage in that order. Urara and the others are also horse girls of a certain age, so I haven't checked the contents, but I hope they didn't bring anything extra... No, they're serious about training. That's probably not the case.
And so, we arrived at the training camp location after driving for a while.
"Oh... it's amazing! It's like a school trip!"
Urara exclaimed when she saw the inn we were staying at. I'd be like, "Huh?" if someone said it was like a school trip, but I understand what she means.
The accommodation we chose is one of the facilities often used by Tracen Academy teams for training camps during this season.
The exterior is a two-story pure Japanese-style building. It's a wide-and-low type of inn, with the first floor having the reception, souvenir shops, a cafeteria, a large public bath, and large guest rooms for a large number of people, while the second floor has smaller guest rooms suitable for a small number of people.
We're staying in a guest room on the second floor this time. Since it's affiliated with Tracen Academy, they're flexible to a certain extent, and doing our own laundry and cleaning is something that's only possible because it's a training camp and not a trip.
However, the inn will prepare our meals... No, it's impossible to make three meals plus snacks for the horse girls, who are horse girls, by ourselves. If we did that, we wouldn't be able to train. So we'll be eating in the cafeteria.
So we're staying for a long period, and we'll be doing our own cleaning and laundry. However, since the plan includes meals, it's a surprisingly cheap training camp.
Well, since three horse girls and one adult male are staying, it's not like it's super cheap no matter what. This is what the team's club budget is for. Also, since it's affiliated with Tracen Academy, we get a discount, and Tracen Academy provides a subsidy.
"Wow... Urara-chan is right, it's amazing."
"Hmph... Well, it's a training camp, not a trip, so it's a safe choice, I suppose."
Rice was genuinely impressed, and King was making a lady-like remark. However, her horse ears were twitching, and her tail was wagging back and forth.
"First, let's get the luggage out of the car. Then we'll take a break in our rooms and have lunch. After that, we'll train while checking out the nearby facilities."
Since it's the first day, we're planning to keep the training light. We'll prioritize checking the facilities, and we'll start training in earnest tomorrow. I have information about the facilities beforehand, but I can't train with peace of mind until I've seen them with my own eyes.
I checked in at the reception first and greeted them, saying that we'd be staying for a while. Then I received the room key and immediately headed to the room we were staying in.
The room I'll be living in for the time being is an 8-mat room, but the room Urara and the others will be using is quite spacious, with an 8-mat living room, an 8-mat bedroom, and an attached private bath. It was the result of choosing a large room since three of them would be living together.
Our rooms are next to each other, but of course, Urara and the others' room is separate from mine. If we were the same gender, it would be fine to sleep in the same room, but I'm a man. I'm a human son, not a horse girl. No matter how much we're a trainer and a trainee, we can't live in the same place for a long period. I don't care, but Urara and the others would.
"Oh! It's so big! It's a big room!"
"Wow... this is the first time Rice has stayed in a place like this..."
"The interior isn't bad either. It's good that we won't have any inconveniences."
Urara and the others peeked into the room they would be using and made happy noises. Yeah, I'm happy to see their age-appropriate reactions.
"First, unpack your luggage and organize it so you can live comfortably. I'll be in my room, so call me when you're settled."
I said that and entered my room. Since it's an 8-mat room, I won't have any trouble living in it. It's a typical Japanese-style room with a low table, cushions, a futon, and a wooden floor.
I pulled my laptop out of my business bag and put it on the low table, and then I took out an external hard drive. It contained various race videos I collected for research, and the number of files easily exceeds three digits.
I turned on my laptop and connected to the inn's Wi-Fi, and voilà. My work environment was complete.
(The times have advanced, haven't they... Hmm? Wait a minute...)
At that moment, a revelation flashed through my mind.
I can't hear Urara and the others' voices from the next room. The soundproofing is solid, so unless I put my ear to the wall, I won't be able to hear the sounds from the next room. In other words, they can't hear the sounds from my room either.
And during this training camp, I'll have less work from Tazuna... In other words, this means I can secure a large amount of time for research on races and rival horse girls, doesn't it...?
If I were at home, I'd have to spend time on housework, but here, I won't have to spend as much time on that. And I have nothing else to do.
In other words, except for the time to train Urara and the others and get work done, I have free time for research.
(Yes! I can do as much research as I want!)
—And I want to go wild, but no, that's a bad idea.
Tazuna also told me to get proper rest, so I have to stop at a reasonable time even if I do some research. Besides, it's a training camp in the middle of a hot summer, so I'll probably collapse if I don't rest.
(But just a little bit... No one will know...)
At the very least, I want to re-research the rival horse girls Urara and the others will be competing with in the autumn races. But I also need to rest... Well, I might reach my physical limit just from training and getting work done during the day, so I'll think about it later.
After unpacking, we had lunch at the inn's cafeteria and decided to check out the nearby facilities while doing some light training as planned.
There are various facilities we can use during this training camp.
First, there's the sea. It's a private beach owned by Tracen Academy, and the sand is fine-grained, so we can train by running while submerged in the shallow water. There's also a shark-repellent net in the sea, so swimming is also possible, of course.
It seems that they've also made it possible to do a triathlon to a desert island with long-distance swimming. It seems the desert island isn't fully maintained from end to end, but there's a path for horse girls to run on.
Next, there's the mountain. The mountain, located very close to the inn we're staying at, has properly maintained trails for horse girl training. Unlike the sloped road at Tracen Academy, the natural steep slopes will be perfect for strengthening their legs and hips.
Furthermore, there are also regular training courses nearby. There are both turf and dirt courses, and the staff hired by Tracen Academy maintains them properly. It seems that during periods when there are no training camps other than in the summer, they open them up to the general horse girls living nearby for a fee, and you can see them running as they please.
On top of that, there's also an indoor pool, a training gym, and a covered course nearby, so training is possible even on bad weather days.
The variety might be small, but we can also borrow training equipment, so we can expand the range of our training as much as we want. They also have giant tires like the ones used at Tracen Academy. Running on the beach while pulling a giant tire will surely strengthen their legs and hips.
If that were all, it would seem no different from training at Tracen Academy, but when training on the beach, for example, the sound of the waves and the smell of the tide, which you can't experience in your usual environment, can make you feel different.
After working hard to train, there are various ways to relax, such as soaking in the hot spring, exploring the nearby hot spring town, or strolling along the beach.
I kept the exercise light on the first day of the training camp, checking the facilities, strolling around, and occasionally letting Urara and the others run, but I suddenly spotted a familiar face in the distance.
(Hmm... is that...)
It was the largest and most expensive hotel among the nearby accommodations. It was a six-story hotel with a wide front, and I saw about ten horse girls lined up in the parking lot, receiving a lecture from a woman.
It was the members of Team Rigil, the strongest team at Tracen Academy. It seems they're having a training camp at a hotel, not a ryokan like us. But as expected of Team Rigil. The place they stay at is also top-notch.
(And the members gathered are insane... They're not just first-rate, they're super first-rate.)
Led by Symboli Rudolf, there were Air Groove-san, Hishi Amazon-chan, Fuji Kiseki-chan, Taiki Shuttle, Grass Wonder, and El Condor Pasa. And... there's a horse girl with long, fluffy chestnut hair and a very good figure. Is that... Maruzensky?
Like Symboli Rudolf, she has retired from the front lines, but she's so strong that when she tried to enter a race, other horse girls would avoid running, and they had to race with the minimum number of five people. And the fact that this happened four times is really insane.
And there's a new horse girl with black-brown hair. She has her long hair in a ponytail and a shadow roll on her nose, and she's giving off a very prickly vibe. But her face is beautiful. No, all horse girls are beautiful.
(Is that... Narita Brian, a new student this year?)
She's a horse girl who's been a hot topic since she joined Team Rigil. By the way, the topic of discussion is among the junior trainers. She came up several times when I received some small talk or consultation from them.
My colleagues and I haven't taken on any new horse girls, and we don't consider her a rival for our horse girls at the moment, so I haven't researched her in detail, but I think she's Biwa Hayahide's sister. The fact that she was accepted into Team Rigil means she's a promising horse girl.
"...What an amazing lineup."
While I was watching in admiration, King, who was standing next to me, muttered bitterly.
"Yeah, you're right... If I filmed their training and sold it, I'd probably make a fortune."
Of course, I wouldn't do that, but there are many horse girls who have top-class ability and fame in Japan. As a trainer, I'd like to get a glimpse of their training.
By the way, they're top-class, but in terms of long-distance running, my Rice is the best. I won't give that up. So King, you don't need to be envious, okay? You're being personally... um, trained by the strongest stayer in active duty.
"Ah! El-chan and Grass-chan are here too! Hey Trainer! Can I go?"
"They seem to be having a serious talk, so let's call out to them another time."
If I let Urara charge in, it wouldn't just be a nuisance. I'll be instantly killed if the Great Demon King glares at me.
"Oh... are you having a training camp too?"
I was thinking that, and then I encountered the Great Demon Ki—... Tojo-san. No, she called out to me.
"Nice to see you, Tojo-san. I'm sorry for intruding."
When I bowed to Tojo-san, she gave me a surprisingly gentle smile.
"The talk was just over, so you don't have to worry about it. This is your first training camp, isn't it? Is there anything you don't understand?"
Oh... not only her aura, but Tojo-san is also very gentle today. What's wrong? Did something happen?
"Well, it's my first time doing everything. But I'll train my horse girls as much as I can."
"That's reassuring. Oh, that's right, I saw the video of Rice Shower's Takarazuka Kinen and Haru Urara's Japan Dirt Derby. It was a close call."
However, since Tojo-san went out of her way to call out to me, I can't give her a cold response. So I told Urara and the others to do some stretching, and I exchanged words with Tojo-san.
"I'm happy you said it was a close call, but a loss is a loss... I'm going to use the frustration from that time to put more effort into this training camp."
"Heh heh... If you can say that after seeing Mejiro McQueen and Smart Falcon at that time, I have nothing to worry about. And with the new addition, King Halo... it seems she'll be competing with our Grass from now on."
Tojo-san said that and narrowed her eyes. As expected of the Great Demon King, her gaze is so intense...!
"Grass Wonder... it seems her injury has healed, but is it okay for her to train in earnest?"
I looked away and watched Grass Wonder in the distance. She was doing warm-ups, and from her movements, it seemed her injury had completely healed. However, since it took a long time to treat it from the end of last year until now, it would be difficult for her to return to racing immediately.
From what I could see, Grass Wonder was a little over 150 centimeters tall. She's a horse girl with beautiful chestnut hair that's dazzling. From the side, she looks like a gentle Yamato Nadeshiko... but there's something about her that's scary, or rather, it makes me shiver.
She has the same aura of being serious about racing as Rice... Well, all horse girls are serious about racing.
"How does she look to you? Does she look okay?"
"Huh?"
As I was observing Grass Wonder, she asked me a strange question. When I looked at her in surprise, Tojo-san looked at me with a testing gaze.
"W-well, I can't really say from this distance..."
"I see... Grass! Come here!"
What? Tojo-san called Grass Wonder over... What? What do you want me to do?
"Trainer-san, do you need something?"
While I was confused, Grass Wonder came closer. And she looked at me, who was with Tojo-san, with a puzzled gaze.
"Let me introduce you. This is the trainer of Team Kitalpha."
"Team Kitalpha... Ah, you're Urara-chan's trainer. Nice to meet you. My name is Grass Wonder. I've heard a lot from Urara-chan."
"Nice to meet you. I'm the trainer of Team Kitalpha."
Urara, what on earth did you say? The way Grass Wonder was looking at me was strangely warm, or rather, all her wariness disappeared as soon as she found out I was Urara's trainer.
"Ah! It's Grass-chan!"
Urara also noticed Grass Wonder and waved her hands happily. Grass Wonder noticed that and waved back with a graceful smile.
"So, what's your take? When do you think you'd let her race?"
And then Tojo-san suddenly brought up a crazy topic. Um, what kind of reaction is she looking for? Is she only gentle on the surface and secretly thinks I came to bother her?
But it's a chance to see a horse girl Tojo-san is training up close. I quickly got permission from Grass Wonder and walked around her, observing her.
(Hmm... I think her right leg was injured, right?)
I had Grass Wonder move in place a little. And when I carefully looked at both of her legs, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
(As expected of Tojo-san... Her muscle strength should have been unbalanced because she was favoring her injured leg, but it's perfectly balanced...)
I didn't touch her since I might get kicked, but from a light observation, her muscles are evenly... no, they're built in a way that takes into account the muscle difference between her dominant and non-dominant legs.
Hmm, I might get kicked, but I want to touch her...
"Can I touch to check?"
She'll probably refuse, but there's no harm in asking. No, it's not harmless. There's a risk of me suffering a fatal social injury.
"I don't mind."
"Huh? Are you sure?"
But Grass Wonder readily agreed. I looked at her face in surprise—and oh, this girl is something else. Her eyes are crazy. It's not that her expression is crazy, but she might be even more serious about racing than Rice.
But this amazing leg is tempting me...
"Then, if you'll excuse me... hmm?"
I got permission and touched Grass Wonder's leg. And I immediately frowned.
"The balance is good, but she seems to be lacking a bit of muscle... I can't say for sure since I don't know her original muscle strength, but if it were me, I'd still train her for the time being."
"In that case, when do you think it would be safe to let her race?"
"It's not about being safe, I think she can race right now if she wanted to? But if she were to go all out in a real race, not a mock race, I think she'd have a high chance of getting injured, so I would definitely not let her race. I'd train her well during this summer camp... and then maybe in the autumn?"
As I was answering Tojo-san's question, I noticed that Grass Wonder was looking at me with surprised eyes. When I tilted my head at that, Tojo-san's tone became a little stern.
"That's how it is, Grass. Just by having another trainer check your body, you came to the same conclusion as me. I know you're in a hurry, but first, you must properly rebuild your body."
"...Yes!"
Grass Wonder was silent for a moment, but then she immediately replied energetically. And after bowing to me, she went back to where she was and resumed her warm-ups.
"I'm sorry for doing that so suddenly. That child is in a hurry because her close friends are achieving brilliant results."
I hope this helps her calm down a little, Tojo-san said, putting her hand on her cheek. It seems I showed up at a convenient time for Tojo-san.
"What's wrong, Hana-san? It's not good to bully your juniors."
And while I was wondering how to react, the trainer of Team Spica suddenly appeared for some reason.
He came out of the shabby-looking inn built right next to the hotel where Team Rigil was staying and walked over casually.
"I wasn't bullying him. I just asked for a little cooperation."
"Easy for you to say. Hey, that was a tough break."
The senior from Spica said that while chewing on a lollipop. Tojo-san sighed at him—no, she seemed to be happy about it...? Well, I'm probably just imagining things.
"It wasn't a tough break, it was a stroke of luck. I was able to check the legs of a horse girl Tojo-san is training. I'd even say I want to thank her."
"Oh, really? Yeah, yeah, junior. You've got talent."
The senior patted my shoulder in a friendly way. However, Tojo-san shook her head in exasperation.
"Don't go and touch a stranger's hips to check them and get kicked like that person. You might get arrested."
"No, I wouldn't do that... But I often feel like I want to touch them to check their muscle development."
"Right? I knew you'd understand."
For some reason, the senior looked happy. When you see a promising horse girl, it might be a trainer's occupational disease to be curious about their muscle development.
"...Just don't overdo it."
Ah, Tojo-san's eyes are looking at me like I'm some kind of dangerous creature!? She slowly distanced herself from me.
"But Hana-san, isn't it a bit much to just use your junior and then say goodbye?"
When the senior said that, Tojo-san looked at me.
"...You have a point. If you'd like, how about we have a mock race with our girls during the training camp?"
"What!? Is that okay?"
I leaned forward at the unexpected offer. A mock race with Team Rigil members is something you can't get even if you want it.
"Oh, that's great. Hana-san, let me join too. I'll bring Teio, McQueen, and Spe."
"Do as you please. As for your contact info..."
"I have it, so I'll call you later. Or rather, are you free tonight?"
Oh, the senior looked at Tojo-san with a serious expression. Tojo-san looked taken aback, but she immediately looked away and nodded.
"I don't mind... I'm free after training."
"Alright! Then it's settled! Oh, what about you?"
The senior was inviting me to go drinking... but no, I can't go with them right now...
"I'm sorry, but I have to take care of Urara and the others..."
I said that, and it was decided that the senior would contact me later when the details were finalized.
And so, Team Kitalpha's summer training camp began.
"...Oh. So the 'Hana-san' the senior mentioned before was Tojo-san."
And on my way back that day, a small question was finally answered.
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