"Excellent Quality! Excellent Quality!!"
The cheers for Excellent Quality still echoed on the Racecourse. Her brilliant performance had impressed everyone on the field. Not only the audience, but also her opponents sincerely expressed their admiration to her.
"Thank you for your support!! Thank you very much!"
The Tracen selection race didn't have a subsequent winner's stage segment, so what Excellent Quality had to do now was to withdraw from the field, rest for a while, and then prepare to welcome a large wave of Trainers.
"Congratulations on winning the selection race, Soshi Onee-chan (older sister)!"
"Ah!"
Just after retreating into the departure passage, Excellent Quality saw Kagura, who had been waiting here for a long time. Kagura also fulfilled her pre-race promise and changed her address to Excellent Quality.
'Bliss...'
Listening to Kagura call her 'Onee-chan' in that soft, Glutinous voice, Excellent Quality couldn't help but exclaim in her heart. She felt filled with strength again, as if she could go up and run another 2000 meters.
Excellent Quality's selection race was finally over, and Kagura's heart finally settled. Excellent Quality had taken this victory magnificently. Her performance could be said to be very perfect. This 9-length difference was enough to prove how strong she was.
"Kagura, can you... can you say it again?"
"Hehe~ Of course, no problem, Soshi Onee-chan."
"That's great——"
Listening to that lovely voice, Excellent Quality felt her heart melt. If she wasn't all wet right now, Excellent Quality estimated that she wouldn't be able to resist hugging her.
"Alright, alright, you still have to meet the Trainers. Think carefully about what kind of Trainer you want to choose. Miss Tojo said to recommend a Trainer named Namba. It's best if you observe him yourself."
"Yeah! How about you come with me, Kagura? I'm afraid I can't handle so many Trainers by myself."
"I was originally planning to go with you. I don't trust you, silly child. I have to personally see who you've chosen. I don't want you to be delayed by an irresponsible guy."
Kagura took out her little notebook and gently tapped Excellent Quality's head. Besides checking the person on the spot, she also planned to give this little notebook to Excellent Quality's Trainer. Although she couldn't guarantee that this thing would be completely useful, it should still be useful as a reference.
"Okay~!"
Excellent Quality happily took Kagura out of the waiting area. Before she could take two steps, a large wave of Trainers had already surrounded her, and the surroundings suddenly became lively.
Listening carefully, Kagura heard that they were all asking Excellent Quality if she had any intention of finding a Trainer. This was the first time Excellent Quality had encountered such a scene. She subconsciously wanted to ask Kagura for help, but she raised her hand and then put it down. She hadn't forgotten that she was an "Onee-chan," and this was something she would have to face alone sooner or later. She couldn't always rely on Kagura to help her.
—So many Trainers are running over to recruit that child. Your purpose has been perfectly achieved. Congratulations, are you finally able to rest?
'I haven't found one yet. I can only rest when I find one.'
Kagura saw Excellent Quality trying to maintain a calm expression on her face, communicating with the Trainers who were squeezing up one by one. Although Kagura didn't directly speak to help Excellent Quality respond, she kept gesturing from the side to remind the Trainers to be careful not to rush forward all at once, first to prevent stampedes, and second to reduce the number of Trainers that Excellent Quality had to deal with at the same time.
'How do I remember that Tracen is quite short of Trainers? Today, this person is about to burst through the door. Is it really short?'
Looking to the back, Kagura also saw her old acquaintances Nishizaki Ryu and Tojo Hana. Nishizaki Ryu was still poking his head around the outer perimeter, while Tojo Hana was standing aside with a helpless expression, shaking her head. Looking at the crowd density, Nishizaki Ryu probably had no chance to squeeze in. She also didn't know if the Trainer that Tojo Hana recommended, named Namba, had come to watch Excellent Quality's race.
Listening in, Kagura roughly summarized what the Trainers were saying. In fact, the content was quite uniform and easy to understand, nothing more than promising Excellent Quality to win the championship or saying what training conditions they could provide. Although she knew that most Trainers could only say this much at the first meeting, Kagura felt that the Trainers she had seen so far didn't seem very reliable.
Those who promised championships right away, and those who patted their chests and said how high their coaching level was, all revealed a sense of urgency, and didn't seem like the people she thought were suitable for Excellent Quality. Kagura had seen so many different kinds of people in her work, and she had a certain ability to discern a person's character.
Therefore, Excellent Quality had not agreed until now, partly because she had not been waiting for Kagura's signal from behind—if Kagura felt it was appropriate, Kagura would poke her twice from behind—and on the other hand, Excellent Quality herself had not found someone she thought was suitable. She also felt that these Trainers were not suitable for her and did not have good compatibility with her.
What made Excellent Quality a little dumbfounded was that, in addition to the Trainers who came to recruit her, some Trainers even wanted to pull Kagura behind her, as if Kagura had already gained some fame among the Support Musume. Some Trainers in the team who had Support Musume or knew Support Musume wanted to find a reliable Support Musume for the Musume in the team, so they also tried to invite Kagura, but Kagura naturally didn't agree.
More and more Trainers gathered around, but the Trainers who came later were obviously not as anxious as the ones in front. After Excellent Quality politely declined those unreliable Trainers, without the loud voices of those impatient people, Kagura gradually heard the voices from the back row.
—Such a strong child, if she doesn't win the championship, it feels like the Trainer's incompetence... This kind of comment was more common among the Trainers who came later, which made Kagura feel a little unsure how to evaluate it. She was a little familiar with this situation, because she heard that Rudolph Symbol was like this during the selection race. Rudolph Symbol also left her opponents far behind like Excellent Quality, and as a result, the surrounding Trainers were afraid to come over easily.
After a few more cautious Trainers went down, Kagura saw a handsome young man walking up. From Kagura's aesthetic point of view, this was indeed a well-deserved gigolo, with a face that girls liked very much, and she thought this person looked kind, and spoke politely and slowly, without the urgency of the previous few monkeys, nor the timidity of the latter few.
'Huo, this person seems to have something... The personality is also good, it feels like he should be a steady big brother.'
Moreover, to Kagura's surprise, this Trainer had done some prior research on Excellent Quality.
He not only explained the future he promised Excellent Quality but also provided concrete evidence, as he had been observing their training.
Kagura was somewhat astonished that she hadn't noticed someone standing there observing her training.
"...Precisely because I understand, I dare not, like other Trainers, promise Miss Excellent Quality a grand future like the Triple Crown.
Everything on the Racecourse is uncertain, and making empty promises is not my style."
"But I can guarantee that Miss Excellent Quality can happily complete your future career, run freely on the Racecourse, and then calmly return to daily life."
The handsome young Trainer finished his promise to Excellent Quality, not rushing to speak, but smiling as he looked at Excellent Quality and Kagura.
Or rather, his gaze often lingered on Kagura.
'This person seems to have realized that I'm actually the one making the decisions?
That makes sense, after all, he's seen me train Soshi...
It's normal for him to think Soshi listens to me.'
Feeling Excellent Quality discreetly poking her, Kagura knew that Excellent Quality also highly approved of this Trainer.
She also thought he was good, so for the first time, she stepped out from behind Excellent Quality.
"Trainer, you are indeed different from those who just came.
You are probably the only one so far who would use his eyes to consult me, an 'unrelated person.'"
"Kagura is too modest.
You are the most crucial person.
Miss Excellent Quality's victory today is inseparable from your excellent guidance.
It's a pity that Kagura already has a Trainer, otherwise, I would very much hope that Kagura could join my team, after all, 'Tracen's Best Support Musume'... I'm quite envious."
"Ha... How interesting, I didn't even know there was such a title."
Kagura nodded, then raised her hand and gently poked Excellent Quality's back.
"One last question, Trainer.
My superior once asked another Trainer this question, and now, I hope you don't mind if I use that question to conclude."
"Please speak, Kagura."
"If Soshi mastered a very dangerous running style that would make her invincible against any opponent, but at the cost of easily harming her body, would you choose to let Soshi continue running, or would you stop her and find her a new, safe running style?"
This question was once asked by Speed Symbol to Tojo Hana, and Tojo Hana gave an answer that satisfied both Speed Symbol and Kagura.
Now, Kagura felt this question was also very suitable to ask the young Trainer in front of her.
"Protecting students is a Trainer's undeniable responsibility.
Although I'd prefer to have both, if I absolutely had to choose between a championship and my student's personal safety, I would still choose my student."
"Mm-hmm... Good, this really is the last question, Trainer, what is your name?"
As she spoke, Kagura raised her hand and poked Excellent Quality's back again, who had been silent since Kagura started speaking.
At this point, her signal was complete.
Excellent Quality understood that Kagura approved of this Trainer.
"My name is Baba Hideki, my colleagues call me Namba, and both of you can call me that too.
Ah... do both of you also find that nickname strangely unrelated?"
Saying this, Nanban Trainer smiled apologetically and scratched his hair.
'Ah? So Nanban Trainer is actually that handsome? And his personality is quite good too... No wonder Trainer Tojo recommended him.'
Hearing that it was someone she knew, Kagura felt even more relieved.
Apparently realizing that Kagura had approved of him, the Trainer suddenly seemed to relax, as if a weight had been lifted.
Kagura felt that his demeanor suddenly became even gentler than before, like a docile lamb.
"Oh, right, Soshi, here's this for you."
Kagura took out the training log she always carried and handed it to Excellent Quality.
On it, she had recorded Excellent Quality's detailed physical condition, suitable tracks, distances, running styles, and how to balance her diet.
This was also Kagura's reference for training Excellent Quality during this period.
Excellent Quality opened the small notebook and looked.
The content of this notebook was detailed and comprehensive, and the handwriting on the pages was elegant and beautiful, showing that the person who wrote it was very diligent.
"These are some of my suggestions for you, which should be helpful for your daily training.
If you, Soshi, think this might help Nanban Trainer's work, and if you trust him, you can also give this to him to look at, although it might not be that useful to a Trainer."
"Wow... Thank you, Kagura!"
Excellent Quality naturally realized how important what Kagura gave her was, and happily took Kagura's hand to thank her.
With things wrapped up inside, Kagura also stood on her tiptoes and waved towards the door.
Immediately, as if receiving a signal, while Nanban Trainer was still wondering who Kagura was waving to, a tremor and footsteps, like a herd of beasts, came from outside.
Other Trainers immediately moved aside from the doorway when they heard the commotion.
"Alright, the rest of the time is for Soshi and your entourage.
They've been waiting outside for a long time.
Trainer, and Soshi, get ready to make some introductions ~"
"Ka... Kagura, are you sure those coming in from outside are a normal entourage??"
Nanban Trainer, already feeling an invisible pressure, felt cold sweat trickling down.
The commotion outside, if you didn't know, you'd think some yakuza organization was attacking.
"It's fine, it's just that there are a few more people and they're a little more enthusiastic ~ I believe Nanban Trainer and Soshi, you two can definitely handle it."
"W-why don't you stay, Kagura, and help share the 'firepower'?"
Excellent Quality also sensed that something was wrong.
Thinking about it carefully, she had just won the selection race and then found her Trainer.
These two events combined were enough for two groups from the Shopping Street to cause a ruckus.
"I'm just a passing Support Musume.
The protagonists this time are the two of you.
What good would it do for me to stay here?"
"Don't go, Kagura!!"
"Kagura, don't run away!!
At least if you're here, they'll have one more person to talk to!"
It seemed her plan for a rest would have to be postponed a bit.
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