I stared at the stopwatch, my head tilting instinctively. I'd told her to run however she liked, but according to the timer, she had peaked instantly at the start and then decelerated steadily until the finish. Based on that trend alone, you'd think she was a "Runner" type, but at that speed, any real competitor would have swallowed her up in seconds and left her in the dust.
"Hah… hah… That was fun! Trainer! How was it?!"
She trotted over, beaming. I handed her a sports drink and gave her a weak, non-committal smile.
"Oh, uh, yeah! Good. So… after a break, we'll try the Mile. Can you handle it?"
I couldn't bring myself to ask, "Was that actually you trying?" We'd only known each other a day, but it didn't look like she was slacking. She looked like she'd given it her soul.
"Yup! I'm in tip-top shape today! A Mile? Bring it on!"
Without a single complaint, she finished her break and skipped happily back to the starting line.
"I see… Tip-top shape, huh…" I muttered to myself as I watched her go.
Not a sprinter? No, even if she wasn't, she should have clocked a better time than that. Maybe she's a Stayer? But she was out of breath almost immediately…
It was only day one, but usually, any girl who makes it into Tracen Academy was a local legend—the kind of kid who'd never lost a race in her life. Even if she was meant to grow later, she should have had a baseline level of athletic ability.
Puzzled, I clocked her Mile.
"..."
I let her rest, then clocked her Medium-distance run.
"..."
Finally, I clocked her at the Long distance.
"..."
With every lap, my expression grew more distorted. I didn't know what face I was supposed to be making. Unlike me, Urara remained all smiles from beginning to end.
"Whew… whew… Trainer, how'd I do?"
Even with the breaks, running those distances back-to-back had clearly taken its toll. She was breathing hard, but her eyes were full of a sense of accomplishment.
"Right… yeah… hmm…"
I nodded pointlessly, mumbling empty filler words.
She's slow. She's really slow, isn't she? Like… significantly slower than the averages I studied at the institute. At this rate, if she's tired, a regular human might actually beat her in a hundred-meter dash.
It was natural for her furlong times to drop as the distance increased; even Horse Girls aren't so far removed from the laws of biology that they can sprint a marathon. But Urara's times were beyond "bad." By the end of the Long distance, she was flagging so hard I couldn't tell if she was running or power-walking. I honestly felt like I could have outrun her in that final stretch.
Compared to the other middle-school division girls, her stats were abysmal. I began to fear she might even be below the level of the regional circuit girls.
Did the Academy really admit her with this level of ability? But it doesn't look like she's faking it… she's smiling, but she's drenched in sweat and gasping for air. This… this is her 100%?
Based on today, she was only suited for Sprints—and strictly speaking, that was only because it was the only distance her stamina could actually cover. And even then, she gassed out midway through. It was just the "least bad" option. In a real race, she likely wouldn't even be able to maintain this practice pace.
If her distance is Sprint, then her strategy… maybe Chaser, to save energy? No, with those legs, she'd stay at the back and the race would end before she even moved. If she tries to be a Runner, she'll collapse. Leader? She'd never keep up with the pack. That leaves… Betweener?
It would depend on how she grew, but Betweener seemed like the only safe bet.
First, we had the fundamental problems: I had to fix her form, build her stamina from scratch, increase her top speed, and teach her race tactics. Could I even train her to a level where she could compete at other distances?
Is there anything? Anything at all… what are this girl's strengths?
There were so many weaknesses that things other girls considered "average" felt like "strengths" for Urara.
There has to be something. If there wasn't, why would I remember the name 'Haru Urara' so clearly from my previous life? Maybe she's just a late bloomer? Maybe she starts weak but becomes a legend?
If that were true, it would explain her current lack of speed and stamina. But if that were the case, her entire future rested solely on my shoulders and my ability to mold her.
"…Urara, how did it feel to run all those distances?"
I put my analysis aside to ask for her thoughts. Urara, currently mid-hydration, looked up with a blooming smile.
"It was so much fun! Running really is the best!"
"Fun… I see."
It's true for all of them: Horse Girls are born to run. To be faster than anyone else, to conquer the track—that is their purpose. I'd heard of some who had other interests, but for most, the urge to run was as primal as hunger or sleep.
Yet, here was Urara, enjoying herself with all her heart… while I sat here realizing that, depending on my skill, I might be the one who causes her to fail and lose that smile.
"..."
I felt a chill run down my spine, though I made sure she didn't see me shiver.
I knew intellectually that a Trainer held a girl's future in their hands, but the weight of that reality had finally, cruelly, set in. Now I understood why the girls at the mock races hadn't given me a second glance. It wasn't just that I was a rookie; they must have sensed I wasn't someone they could trust their lives with.
"Trainer? What's wrong? Does something hurt? Are you okay?"
Urara had noticed my lapse. Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of genuine concern as she peered into my face. I forced my expression into a calm mask and shook my head.
"No… I'm fine. Once you're rested, let's try running on the dirt."
"The dirt?"
"Yeah. Not the turf track, but that one over there—see? The one with the sand. Let's see how you do there."
The moment I explained, her smile returned and she went trotting off. Despite how tired she'd looked, her recovery speed was remarkable. I watched her with a wry grin.
After timing her at the Sprint, Mile, Medium, and Long distances on the dirt, I reached a definitive conclusion.
She's deathly slow on turf, but on dirt… she's almost decent. Does she handle poor footing better? How does she get a better time on sand than on grass?
Usually, dirt tracks are harder to run on because the sand saps your momentum. Yet Urara's times were better here. Was this a quirk of her biology, or just a "Urara-only" phenomenon? Even her stamina seemed to hold up better on the dirt.
On turf, she was hopeless even at a Sprint. On dirt, she looked like she could handle a Sprint and maybe even a Mile.
In short: Urara was a specialist for short-distance dirt tracks.
If we worked on her stamina, she might handle Medium distances, but her splits showed a sharp drop-off after the Mile mark. It was best to keep her there for now.
Avoid turf, stick to dirt. I've heard Leaders have the advantage on dirt and Betweeners struggle to make up ground, but… we'll stick with Betweener for now. Chaser might work, but it's better to master one style first.
I began scribbling my observations into my notebook. It was only the first day, and more problems would surely crop up, but I finally had the bones of a training schedule.
"Haaah… Hey, hey! How was it?!"
Urara ran back to me, having caught her breath. I looked up from my notes and gave her a smile—a real one this time.
"You were way faster than you were on the grass! Great job, Urara!"
"Really?! Yay! I did it!"
She hadn't won a race. She'd only been praised by a total amateur. Yet Urara was over the moon. She hopped up and down with her hands in the air—a gesture that suited her petite frame perfectly.
Her turf times were catastrophic, and her dirt times were merely "tolerable." She was still leagues behind the other girls. But in that dirt run, I had found a glimmer of light.
At the same time, I had a sudden vision of the Chairwoman and Ms. Hayakawa smiling knowingly at me, and I felt a secret shiver of dread.
It'll be okay, right? I mean… it's Haru Urara.