Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live

Oguri Cap, a legendary presence among Japanese horse girls. She lived in a brief era of great prosperity followed by decline. With her commoner bloodline, she injected a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the sluggish Japanese horse girl world, leading to an unprecedented racing boom.

And perhaps due to the butterfly effect he created, the era of Oguri Cap that Kitano was in was even more brutal than the history he remembered. Even the official manga Cinderella Gray, which already deviated from the "pure and beautiful" setting of Uma Musume, didn't seem as intense as his playthrough with Oguri.

Although Kitano, for various reasons, couldn't witness the entirety of Oguri's more spectacular life, his departure in that playthrough was very peaceful and assured. The playthrough with Oguri was one of the few times he had managed to arrange everything before his time was up.

As mentioned before, one of his constant worries was whether the world continued to function or disappeared with his death. If it was the latter, it might be better, but if it was the former... he was very concerned that his death would put immense pressure on his charges, even though the first thing he did when recruiting them was to explain his condition clearly.

He knew their personalities well; they were all girls who dared to think and act. He also knew that no matter how much he controlled it, feelings would develop over time. People get attached to a cat after three years; how much more so for a living person?

Therefore, all he could do was prepare for the worst and handle his affairs as best he could. And on this point with Oguri Cap, he felt he had done a pretty good job.

When he left, although Oguri would be very sad, her good friend Tamamo Cross would definitely help take care of her. He had helped Tamamo a lot when he was alive, with the two biggest reasons being inviting her to the team and asking her to look after Oguri after his death.

Although only the latter of these two requests was fulfilled, he felt it was good enough.

Oh, and there was Osaichi George, the horse girl from New Zealand, the only one in history who could make Oguri stop eating to pay attention. He did his best to keep her in Japan, all so that after his death, he wouldn't have to worry about Oguri being lonely and doing something foolish and irreversible.

But... this new playthrough's Oguri Cap, who should have developed according to history... why did she seem even more indifferent than he remembered?

Kitano blinked, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. As someone who had been her trainer from the local leagues to the central one, he keenly sensed something was wrong with the Oguri of this new world.

"Honestly, Gold Ship, what did you want us for?"

Beside Oguri Cap, another short, ash-haired horse girl named "Tamamo Cross" finally couldn't help but speak up. Her eyes lingered on the wheelchair-bound Kitano for a moment, but for some reason, her brain sent a jolt-like signal, making her instinctively take a step back.

This man... he seems to make me wary? But he looks so harmless and frail, why do I feel a... palpitation? As if I'm very afraid of him?

Tamamo couldn't articulate her first impression of him. Luckily, the cheerful Gold Ship finally stated her purpose:

"Heehee, didn't Kitano-chan say he had no appetite? So I thought if we brought Tracen Academy's biggest glutton, she could definitely get his appetite going!"

"They have lots of them online, right? Like those eating broadcasts? Oguri Cap-san can definitely do better than them, right?"

"...Eating is no problem."

After hearing Gold Ship's words, Oguri Cap, who had maintained an indifferent expression, finally spoke slowly. Her voice was even more devoid of emotion than he remembered, a tone that could no longer be described as merely calm, making him feel even more strongly that this Oguri was different.

What was even stranger now was Tamamo Cross's reaction. This girl, who he remembered as Oguri's best friend and rival, who knew Oguri's bottomless stomach better than anyone, was now looking at the expressionless Oguri with a hint of worry:

"Oguri... if you're going to do it, I'll be watching over you."

"Mm."

Oguri didn't say much, just nodded and sat down at the table. Looking at the feast laid out before her, there was still no excitement in her eyes. She just calmly put her hands together and said softly:

"Well then, time to eat."

With that, she immediately picked up her chopsticks and began to silently clear the food in front of her. Her eating style—fast, silent, but not unpleasant—was her signature.

Watching the focused Oguri, for a moment Kitano thought he was overthinking it. Maybe she was just in a bad mood today? Had a new buffet restaurant on the shopping street blacklisted her?

However, as time went on, he became certain again that his intuition was not wrong. The Oguri Cap of this timeline... was definitely not right.

As Oguri's trainer and "parental figure" for several years, he immediately caught the look in her eyes... there was none of the happiness he remembered her showing after eating delicious food, none of that satisfied look with sparkling eyes and twitching ears.

Her expression now... was just like his own. She was eating purely for sustenance, not feeling that the food before her was particularly important, nor feeling how precious this chance to fill her stomach was for someone from a humble background with a huge appetite that had made her feel a sense of crisis.

All of this was what made him feel surprised and wrong. Oguri Cap... the girl who seemed to have never been full, who could even eat a handful of grass, who had a strong physiological instinct for food, was now completely unenthusiastic about it?

"—Another serving, please."

As Oguri finished the last plate on the table, just when everyone heard her symbolic burp of fullness and thought she was done, she looked up and resolutely chose to continue.

"Okay~" Gold Ship, however, didn't think much of it. Probably because she was so used to Oguri's bottomless stomach that no matter how much she ate, if she said "another serving," no one would doubt she could eat more.

However, just as Gold Ship reached out to take Oguri's empty plate, two different hands suddenly pressed down on both their wrists, stopping them.

"Don't force yourself, Oguri!"

"Golshi, don't give her any more food."

Kitano's and Tamamo's voices overlapped at that moment. In the next instant, the eyes of these two, who were both worried about Oguri, met in mid-air. They both saw the surprise in each other's eyes, surprised that the other would react in the same way.

Because they both considered themselves the ones who understood Oguri best here. They knew her limits all too well.

"Oguri! You already ate an hour ago! Why are you still eating when you're full? What are you thinking?!"

"Are you trying to eat until you get a stomach ulcer? If I wasn't always watching, why are you always trying to torture yourself?!"

"...I'm sorry, Tama."

After being scolded by Tamamo Cross, Oguri finally showed a hint of guilt, honestly bowing her head in apology, her ears drooping sadly as she bit her lip and said:

"But... I still feel so hungry. No matter how much I eat, my stomach feels empty."

"...What on earth is going on?" Hearing this, Kitano felt he could no longer stand by. The change in this world's Oguri was too great, completely beyond his understanding.

Especially since it seemed to be related to her physical and mental health. Worried sick, he instantly threw his resolution not to be soft-hearted this playthrough out the window. He turned his gaze to Tamamo Cross, hoping that this girl, who was always Oguri's best friend, could give him an answer.

"Is Oguri Cap sick?"

"Sick... I'm not really sure myself." Seeing the unconcealed worry on his face, although Tamamo had felt a bit wary of him at first, she subconsciously chose to trust him and replied in a troubled tone:

"Oguri's been like this since I met her. Her appetite is like a bottomless pit. But I know her stomach isn't bottomless. Yet she always eats until she's stuffed and then forces more in."

"Honestly, if I didn't worry about her every time I see her, she probably would have eaten herself to death one day!"

"I've heard about it," Mr. C.B., being a senior, obviously knew more about past events than the others. She explained to Kitano, "Oguri Cap-san seems to have been constantly troubled by intense hunger. Rudolf once thought it was a physical illness and took her to the hospital for a check-up."

"But the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her body. Her stomach does have a stronger digestive ability than normal... but her hunger is likely not from her organs, but a psychological effect."

"Psychological?" Kitano grasped the key point. He had encountered this in his playthrough with Oguri. He knew that because she was born into a common family, her appetite was a huge expense. Although her mother did her best to satisfy her, it was still difficult.

This led to Oguri having a strong crisis response to hunger, almost at a "survival instinct" level. It took him three years of letting her eat her fill at every meal to resolve this psychological crisis.

But... in this playthrough's Oguri, why hadn't this situation been resolved, but had instead gotten worse?

Could it be... her trainer in this playthrough has been controlling her food intake? Not letting her needs be met?

At this thought, the good-tempered Kitano rarely frowned, a nameless anger rising in his chest. But before it could reach his brain, he felt a strong wave of dizziness and immediately started coughing violently.

"Trainer Kitano?!"

His reaction startled C.B. and the others who knew about his condition. Fortunately, Nakayama Festa was quick-handed, immediately grabbing a cup of water and skillfully helping the coughing Kitano drink it. Gold Ship and C.B. also patted his back to help him stabilize his breathing...

His coughing fit drew everyone's attention. However, no one noticed that while Tamamo was too slow to act but was watching him with a worried expression, the usually indifferent Oguri's pupils had constricted, and she had made a small, subconscious movement to step forward...

At that moment, Oguri felt as if her heart had been pricked by a needle. That sense of crisis... it was almost on par with the hunger that had been tormenting her.

But why am I so nervous? Because this person in front of me... his situation seems even worse than mine?

No, it's not just that. This person, on him... there might be something I've been searching for.

"...I don't know why, but I've dreamed of a flavor."

Just as Kitano had stopped coughing and was about to ask Oguri about her life over the years, she broke the silence without warning. The ash-haired horse girl looked at him intently and, word by word, confided her secret to the person she felt she could trust.

"It's strange, and I can't describe it, but... it's a very gentle flavor. Once you've tasted it, you'll never forget it."

"I've been searching for where this flavor comes from, but I still haven't found it. No matter how many delicacies I eat, no matter how full I get, I can't find the flavor I want to eat."

"Every time I think about it... I feel empty, so I just have to keep eating, eating until I'm too full to think about anything else..."

At this point, a guilty apology appeared on Oguri's face. She bowed slightly to Kitano and the others and said softly, "I'm sorry, I've caused trouble for everyone... saying such strange things."

"—Oguri Cap-san, you're saying you've been looking for a flavor, right?"

However, just as Oguri was about to leave, Kitano suddenly spoke up, stopping her. As she turned her head and everyone's gaze focused on him again, he took a deep breath. Seemingly having guessed something, he showed a gentle smile and said:

"Although I'm not completely sure, I think... I might be able to help."

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