Days of training for Urara and King's race at the end of June passed slowly but surely.
Some of my classmates had formed teams, and a younger student challenged Narita Brian at the Japan Derby, losing by two lengths. It seemed like the same daily routine, but some changes were always happening.
My job of training Urara and the others was the same every day, but I was constantly re-evaluating the training menus to match their daily growth. The jobs assigned to me by the Tracen Academy also changed daily, so if I paid attention, I noticed various changes.
I spent my days like this, but recently, there was something that was bothering me.
(King has a lot of rivals, and what's more, with all the injuries and comebacks, it's hard to predict the race participants... But with Urara, it's a different story...)
The senior-grade Umamusume who are rivals to King often suffer injuries and make comebacks.
There were rumors that the injured Grass Wonder was coming back for the Takarazuka Kinen, and that the symptoms of Oguri Cap's suspensory ligament inflammation were getting better because she was eating a lot in the cafeteria every day. And then there were news about Narita Taishin, who seemed to have recovered, fracturing her right leg and developing bowed tendon. Information about who came back and who got injured was always flying around.
It's a trainer's job to gather this kind of information and plan strategies for upcoming races. In my case, I get and give information to my classmates and juniors, so I hear a lot of things. And among those, there was one piece of information that bothered me.
(Smart Falcon... What in the world is she thinking?)
I've been hearing messages on a messaging app that Smart Falcon has been seen frequently at the station and in a park near Tracen Academy.
If it were just sightings, this kind of information wouldn't be going around. What's concerning is that she's doing things that make the people who see her—my classmates and juniors—question her actions, like holding street performances and autograph sessions.
Smart Falcon, who aims to be an "Umadol," has a unique motivation compared to other Umamusume. Well, an Umamusume doing a street performance is pretty unique in itself.
She's been actively promoting herself at Tracen Academy too, with announcements of street performances, giving out self-made bromides, and even distributing "wake-up voice" recordings. Apparently, you can download the voice recordings from a site by scanning the QR code on the back of the bromide.
So, Smart Falcon was working to become a popular Umadol, but things seemed to be taking a strange turn.
As for me, I believe that as long as they train properly, it's up to each person... or rather, each Umamusume, what they do with their free time. If you look hard enough, you might even find an Umamusume who gets motivated by thinking up puns in her spare time.
Golshi-chan is so going her own way even during training. The other day, she sent me a picture message of her catching an Ise lobster with a mountain in the background, clearly during training time.
So, I don't mind Smart Falcon's Umadol activities, but the frequency seems to be increasing.
If she held a street performance once a month, most people probably wouldn't have cared. Even if it was once every two weeks, people would have just thought she was doing something to relax.
However, the frequency has been gradually increasing: once a week, once every five days, once every three days. The frequency has apparently increased since the Saudi Cup in February, and she's been spotted all over the place.
When I tried searching for "Smart Falcon street performance" on the internet, it was a hot topic on Umatwitter and websites created by Umamusume race fans.
The opinions were mixed. There were positive comments like, "I can meet Smart Falcon outside of races," "I can see her up close," and "I can watch her sing and dance." But there were also negative opinions like, "What is an Umamusume doing?" "What about her training?" and "Maybe she's not going to race anymore?"
For those of us living at Tracen Academy, it's clear that Smart Falcon hasn't abandoned her training, but the Umamusume fans don't know that. Some even speculated that she was slacking off on her training because she had no rivals.
Most opinions dismissed this, saying that Urara was her rival, but apparently, in middle-distance races like the Teio Sho, Urara wouldn't be a rival. So, they thought she could win even if she slacked off on her training a bit.
There was also the opinion that she lost her passion for racing after winning a huge amount of prize money by finishing second in the Saudi Cup.
However, Rice has earned several hundred million yen from racing and a huge bonus from merchandise sales, but her passion for racing and training hasn't cooled down at all. So, it's unlikely that Smart Falcon lost her passion just because she won a lot of money.
She might lose her passion if she gets injured and can't run, or if she gives up after failing to win, or if she finds something she's more passionate about than racing... Wait? For Smart Falcon, who aims to be an Umadol, the reason that she's more passionate about something else seems plausible, and that's a problem.
Well, if you ask me what's the problem, I'm at a loss too. I want to pay back the favor from Urara's loss and throw it back at them with a gift wrapping, but if by any chance Smart Falcon retires, what would Urara, who is burning for revenge in the Teio Sho, think?
--And so, after work, I went to Smart Falcon's street performance.
The park I went to was near Tracen Academy. It was the same park that Urara and Rice had used to rest when they were playing on their day off. It's also where I was questioned by a police officer.
According to Smart Falcon's announcement, she was holding a street performance there today.
I read on Umatwitter that she had properly applied for a road use permit from the police station to hold the street performance. It seems the word about Smart Falcon's street performance had spread, as in addition to the mobile crepe stand I'd seen before, there were also taiyaki and juice stands.
"Everyone! Thanks for coming to the live today! ☆ I'm your always cute Umadol! Falco, aka Smart Falcon! ☆ Call me Falco!"
As I walked into the park, I heard what seemed to be Smart Falcon's voice. I followed the voice and saw a crowd of people in the park.
(The audience... There are quite a few. About 40... or 50 people?)
For a street performance, that's a decent number... wait, is it? She's not an amateur musician with no name or face; she's a three-time G1 winner and the runner-up in the Saudi Cup, Smart Falcon. She should be more famous than some celebrities...
From a distance, I could see Smart Falcon in her racing uniform, smiling and greeting people with a microphone in her hand. Hmm? Is that a different outfit that just looks like her racing uniform? Did she think it was a bad idea to wear it outside of G1 races?
Also, most of the audience was wearing pink happi coats, headbands, and holding Smart Falcon merchandise. They're probably fans, not just people who happened to be passing by.
Businessmen on their way home, housewives passing by, and students on their way from school passed by the park, but very few stopped. In fact, they seemed to be giving a suspicious or annoyed look, as if asking, "Why are they doing this here?" as they walked past.
(Her guardian, or Smart Falcon's trainer... I don't see them.)
I looked around, but I couldn't find Smart Falcon's trainer. Maybe they're not involved because it's after work hours?
As I was looking around, Smart Falcon started singing into the microphone. She also started dancing, but... that's not the dance she performs at Winning Lives. The song wasn't a song I knew, at least not one she would use at a Winning Live.
(Hmm... From the looks of her dancing, it doesn't seem like she's slacking off on her training.)
For now, I just observed Smart Falcon.
Her thighs and calves were exposed because of her miniskirt, but even from a distance, I could see that they were well-trained. Yep, she still has a nice butt.
Smart Falcon's movements were sharp, but because she had trained so hard, her core was steady, and her sense of balance seemed to be well-developed.
Also, the strength of her singing voice suggested that she had properly trained not only her leg muscles but also her upper body muscles. Just like in Winning Lives, singing and dancing at the same time is very tiring.
An untrained amateur would get out of breath just from singing and dancing to one song. But Smart Falcon didn't get out of breath at all and kept singing and dancing with a smile on her face.
(She's so energetic even after training... No, her training policy must be different from ours, so maybe she doesn't push herself to the limit...)
In Team Kitarafa, it would be impossible to hold a street performance with that much energy after training.
That means Smart Falcon's trainer isn't the type to push her to the limit. Or maybe they are, but Smart Falcon has so much stamina that she can hold a street performance even after training.
I have no intention of meddling in other people's training affairs. I'd have something to say if it was hardcore training that would burn out the Umamusume, but to be honest, our training is so hardcore that I can't say anything about others... In fact, others might have something to say about us...
Also, in the world of Umamusume and trainers, results are everything. It's impossible to complain about Smart Falcon, who has won three G1 races on dirt. As long as she's winning, there's nothing to complain about.
If Smart Falcon were clearly slacking off on her training, I would have my own opinions. But seeing her sing and dance, it didn't look like she was slacking off on her training at all.
That means Smart Falcon is not only training properly as usual but also holding street performances...
(Hmm... Not only does she have stamina, but her guts are also well-trained. She's still a tough opponent...)
I have to conclude that she surpasses Urara in stamina. Urara's stamina seems to have hit a plateau, but what about Smart Falcon? If she still has room to improve her stamina, it will be an even tougher race.
The longest G1 race on dirt in the Twinkle Series is 2000 meters. Urara can run that far, but if Smart Falcon trains and trains her stamina and starts running at full speed from start to finish like Twin Turbo, she'll be unstoppable.
Twin Turbo's engine often breaks down and backfires, but I can't imagine Smart Falcon backfiring. There's a scary possibility that she'll keep running to the finish line with guts even if her stamina runs out.
Well, that Smart Falcon is now smiling and charming her fans.
"Everyone who always comes knows, right? ☆ It's the call-and-response time! Your response should be 'Falco'! Please!"
Just when I thought the singing and dancing were over, something new started. What is "call-and-response time"? ... Cordless? No, chorus time? Like a time for singing a chorus with the fans.
I was thinking and continued to observe with a tilted head at Smart Falcon's words. Then, with a deep smile, Smart Falcon started the call-and-response time with her fans.
"Faru-Faru-Faru-Faru-..." Clap!
"Falco!"
"Hehe! Thanks! I'll do it one more time! Faru-Faru-Faru-Faru-..."
"Fa! Ru! Co!"
"Yay! ☆ Thanks!"
"..."
I watched the interaction between Smart Falcon and her fans in silence. There was a vending machine nearby, so I bought a hot canned coffee and opened the tab... I made a mistake. My tongue is so used to the coffee I drink in the clubroom that canned coffee isn't enough anymore.
(Well, it's good for killing time...)
I've grown to like the coffee beans King gave me on Valentine's Day and now always keep them in the clubroom. So, I reconsidered, thinking that canned coffee wasn't that bad for sipping slowly.
"Let's Pretty?"
"Fa! Ru! Co!"
"Sparkly Umadol?"
"Fa! Ru! Co!"
It's a world I don't quite understand, but it looks like a lot of fun. It's a different kind of interaction from the Winning Live, where you can feel the closeness between the Umamusume and the fans.
(The problem is what Smart Falcon is thinking when she holds street performances so often...)
Looking at the smile Smart Falcon shows her fans, I thought maybe I didn't need to worry about it.
When I saw Smart Falcon interacting with her fans with a smile that looked like she was about to cry, I thought it would be rude to intrude.
I hadn't seen her run in person, but I could tell from her dance moves that she hadn't skipped her training. And for me, that was enough.
(Will she be in the Teio Sho...? That's a bit up in the air, huh?)
However, just because she hasn't skipped her training doesn't guarantee she'll be in the race. The Umamusume on the dirt track are also getting stronger, so I can't let my guard down... but still, Smart Falcon is my biggest rival.
"...Hmm?"
Suddenly, I noticed the sound of an Umamusume running. "It's pretty close," I thought, turning around and seeing an Umamusume running on the special lane for Umamusume.
She was wearing a jersey, so she must be a student at Tracen Academy. And I've seen her in a dirt race before... I should have seen her. It was Slaain, who beat Urara and lost to Smart Falcon in last year's Champions Cup.
She has long, straight, black-brown hair and a distinctive chestnut forelock mixed in with her bangs, like Symboli Rudolf.
Slaain was running on the Umamusume lane, probably in self-training... but she stopped when she noticed Smart Falcon's street performance.
"That atmosphere... You're a trainer, aren't you?"
And for some reason, as soon as she saw my face, she said that. I was wearing a generic jersey and nothing that would identify me as a trainer. So, it was a bit surprising to be guessed as a trainer just by my atmosphere.
Slaain, perhaps sensing my reaction, asked me in a stern, confident voice.
"Are you going to just leave Smart Falcon like that? Do you think you can beat me and Urara-chan like that?"
"...? I'm sorry, you seem to be mistaken, but I'm Urara's trainer..."
She probably mistook me for Smart Falcon's trainer. I introduced myself, and Slaain narrowed her eyes and looked closely at my face.
"Oh... Urara-chan's trainer... I mean, Team Kitarafa's trainer..."
And she awkwardly looked away.
"I-I'm so sorry! I thought I'd seen you somewhere before, and since you were watching Smart Falcon here, I thought you were Smart Falcon's trainer!"
Slaain apologized and bowed her head in a hurry. I don't mind her mistake, but her sharp tone bothered me. When I brought it up, Slaain scratched her cheek with her finger in embarrassment.
"I've been seeing Smart Falcon during my self-training for a while... I'm doing self-training to beat Smart Falcon, and Urara-chan is working so hard on her training, which is rumored to be so crazy it makes you throw up, so I just can't help but be bothered by Smart Falcon doing street performances..."
"Don't talk about a girl throwing up. I didn't know there was a rumor like that."
"...It has a reputation for being tough, you know?"
There's no point in trying to talk her out of it now. Besides, it's true that the training is tough enough to make them throw up, so I can't deny it.
"Well, I came here because I was also curious about Smart Falcon. And I'm not defending her, but she seems to be holding street performances after she's trained properly, so don't blame her. It seems like it's a way for her to keep her motivation up."
While saying that, I looked at Slaain's legs. She was wearing a short jersey, so I could clearly see her legs...
"Anyway, Slaain. You should also take it easy with your self-training."
"...Are you complaining about another Umamusume's training?"
"Normally, I wouldn't. But I always stop a girl who looks like she's going to get injured."
While talking, I crouched down.
"You're tired, aren't you? I can tell just by looking at you, without even touching you. Your muscles and joints are inflamed and hot, and when you stop, your legs are shaking... You should go home and rest today."
As I observed Slaain's legs, I was trying to remember who Slaain's trainer was.
I think... it's a senior trainer who I don't get along with, or rather, who is hostile towards me. I don't have their contact information, and I don't know if my classmates or juniors do either. I could ask a senior from Team Spica... but my senior from Team Spica has a strong love-hate relationship with people around her... No, that's not going to work.
"...Haa... You're right. I'll go home now."
Just as I was wondering how to contact them, Slaain easily gave in. I was the one who was taken aback by how easily she agreed.
"That's a good idea... but thank you for listening to me."
"There's less than a month left until the Teio Sho. It would be meaningless to get injured now, and I want to win this time and beat Urara-chan properly... Besides, I could feel that you were genuinely worried about me."
Slaain smiled as she said that. Seeing her smile, I tilted my head and stroked my face with my hand.
"...Did my face look like that?"
"Not your face, but your atmosphere did."
"Oh... earlier you said I had the atmosphere of a trainer, too. Is something coming out of me...?"
I don't know, but if Slaain agreed, that's good enough.
"You're going back to the Tracen Academy dorm, aren't you? Can you get back by yourself? I can take you if it's too tough..."
I told her I would even carry her back to the dorm, and Slaain gave a bitter smile.
"I can walk just fine... Well, I'll be going now. Please say hi to Urara-chan for me."
Slaain bowed respectfully and left. The sharp atmosphere she had when she first talked to me was gone, but...
(It seems she doesn't think well of Smart Falcon's street performances...)
I guess a girl who lost to Smart Falcon would feel that way. I've accepted it rationally, but I'm still a little annoyed... As I was thinking that, I heard footsteps behind me.
"--Good evening."
A bright, cheerful voice greeted me. I knew who it was, and with an inner sigh, I turned around.
"Good evening, Smart Falcon."
"Good evening, Urara-chan's trainer."
Smart Falcon was standing there. The street performance must have ended a while ago, as the fans were also starting to leave.
"Did Urara-chan's trainer also come to see Falco's street performance? Falco is so happy! ☆"
"Yeah, I came to see it. Well, it's pretty impressive. I can see why Smart Falcon calls herself an Umadol."
When I said that, Smart Falcon's eyebrows twitched for a moment. Then she tilted her head with a smile and looked at me with thin eyes.
"Hey, Urara-chan's trainer."
"What is it, Smart Falcon?"
"Why won't you call me Falco?"
Smart Falcon was smiling. She tilted her head and asked with a smile.
"That's easy. To me, you're Urara's rival Umamusume, not an Umadol."
Not just with Urara, but I generally don't call the rivals of the Umamusume I'm in charge of by their nicknames. It's fine for Urara and the others to call each other by nicknames, but to me, they are formidable opponents and Urara's rivals. I just feel like it's not right for me to call them by their nicknames.
The only exception is Meek. We've been training together since the summer training camp, and she's been running with us since I started training Urara, so we've known each other for a long time. She's a rival, but I've also taken care of her a bit...
So, for me, Smart Falcon is just Smart Falcon. I have no intention of stopping her from being an Umadol, but before anything else, I consider her Urara's rival.
However, if Smart Falcon were to prioritize being an Umadol over being an Umamusume, then I think I would call her Falco. If she's no longer Urara's rival, I wouldn't care about that.
I stared at Smart Falcon. But then I looked away and turned my back to her.
"Your singing and dancing were amazing. But you should properly do some cool-down exercises after moving your body that much. And... Urara and I are looking forward to the next race."
I didn't specifically say we'll fight in the Teio Sho. But at this time of year, that's the only place where Urara and Smart Falcon would clash.
I started walking away without waiting for Smart Falcon's answer.
Smart Falcon's response from behind me-- never came.
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