Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live

"Well then, since no one has any other objections, please leave your thumbprint on this agreement."

In the end, almost everyone had fallen into Mejiro Palmer's carefully designed trap. After all, the final prize of this bet was something none of them could resist. Moreover, the bet sounded extremely fair, especially since they were all very confident in their own abilities.

Special Week and Oguri Cap were seniors in the high school division. With their illustrious records and legendary status, they were extremely popular at Tracen Academy. If they were to offer to personally mentor a junior, the line of applicants would probably stretch from the dorms to the academy gates.

As for Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship, they had even fewer worries. Now that the "assistant trainer" matter was a foregone conclusion, the sisters had the same idea: win the bet and then recommend the overseas-racing Stay Gold to take the position.

Festa thought that Big Sis was the fairest and most just presence in the Gold Family, and Kitano also seemed to be more behaved in front of her... Perhaps only she could control the situation.

Of course, Gold Ship also agreed to bring her back, but her thoughts were different from her sister's. But that didn't stop them from having an advantage now. Festa had already debuted, and although Gold Ship hadn't won yet, three months was enough time for her to participate in a race in December.

And compared to Special Week and Oguri, who had to find a horse girl on the spot, they had been receiving formal training from a trainer for much longer. This bet was an absolute advantage for them, with a high chance of winning!

"Alright, I'm in!"

After some thought, Festa didn't find anything wrong and stepped forward. After carefully checking the agreement again to confirm there were no problems, she finally pressed her thumbprint.

With her taking the lead, Oguri, Special Week, and Gold Ship, after exchanging a look, also stepped forward and left their thumbprints. Seeing this, Palmer's perfect smile widened slightly, though no one noticed.

"Since everyone has signed, I hope you will all keep your promise. And I, representing the Mejiro family, am willing to play along."

"All retired horse girls who have signed can only choose one horse girl to represent them. The one whose representative wins the highest-grade race will be the winner."

"Also, it is written in the agreement that if the grade of the races won is the same, then we will comprehensively evaluate other objective factors, such as prize money, to compare which side's results are more outstanding. Is there any problem with that?"

"Does anyone else want to join? This is the last chance."

Of course, although she said this, she knew that Rudolf, standing on the side, would not participate. This was their "deal," which was why she had blocked the option of Tokai Teio from the very beginning—in her opinion, only Teio had the potential to disrupt her plan in this year's group.

And Rudolf, as she expected, just stood there silently, lost in thought. Just as Palmer was about to press her own thumbprint and save the agreement, she suddenly felt a gentle breeze and was stopped.

"Please wait—I'm in too!"

"Suzuka-san?!"

However, no one had expected that Silence Suzuka, who had not joined the fray at all and had been a bystander the whole time, would choose to join at this crucial moment. Palmer was also a little surprised, looking at the lip-biting Suzuka, and then at her hand, which was gripping her wrist with a slightly out-of-control force. It took her a rare moment to return to her usual state.

"What a surprise, Suzuka-san. I didn't expect you to be so interested in Trainer Kitano. I always thought you were the type of horse girl who was only immersed in the joy of running at full speed."

"—I just want to get back the courage I lost from him." The usually non-confrontational Suzuka didn't react to Palmer's comment, which could have been either a compliment or a sarcastic remark. She just silently pressed her thumbprint on the agreement and continued:

"I feel this is the only chance in my life."

"...Whatever. I don't care. It's just one more competitor."

Palmer smiled faintly. She didn't think Suzuka's participation would affect her certain victory at all. Suzuka's threat was even less than the others. Oguri and Special Week were just not good with words, but their respective running styles were still commendable and could be taught to others.

But Suzuka... her "explosive escape" was visually impressive, but few could imitate her running style and tactics. Because the escape tactic, which seemed as simple as just running ahead, actually required the horse girl to control the distance, lead the pace, and consider various personal factors. The winning rate of the escape tactic was significantly lower than other running styles.

And a tactic like Suzuka's, which often created a "huge lead" in the early stages of the race, was even more demanding. The requirements for the horse girl herself were very strict. If you played it well, you were Silence Suzuka. If you didn't, you became Twin Turbo.

Besides, even Suzuka, who was said to have perfected the "explosive escape," only had one G1 victory, not as many as Palmer, who was a filly. And as for her teaching ability... Palmer had her reservations. She didn't think Suzuka would be a threat at all.

"Well then, since everyone has joined, please abide by the terms of the agreement. This matter needs to be kept secret from Trainer Kitano."

"None of you want him to worry, right? This kind of bet is indeed not something to be proud of, so please don't mention it to him—everyone, you may leave."

Finally, after Palmer finished speaking, Suzuka and the others left the student council office one after another. In the long silence, the silent Rudolf finally opened her eyes slowly, looking at the agreement in Palmer's hand, her expression softening a little as she said:

"With this... everything can be solved. As expected of you, Palmer. When it comes to managing the overall situation, I am indeed not as good as you."

"It's not that you are not as good as me, Rudolf. You are just a little too concerned."

However, Palmer did not feel any joy at Rudolf's praise. But she was in a very good mood that the plan could proceed so smoothly. "By bringing in all these horse girls who are connected to him, as long as Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship, who have contracts with him, win a race in these three months, his physical condition should improve a little."

"And with their personalities, driven by this bet, I believe they will do their best to win a higher-grade race," Rudolf nodded. Now that she had recovered her past memories, she had a complete understanding of what was most beneficial to him, which was why she unconditionally supported Palmer's plan this time.

"It's just... Palmer, about the assistant trainer position, why did you participate yourself?"

At this moment, Rudolf finally asked the last question in her mind. She turned her head slightly to look at Palmer, who was pouring herself another cup of tea. Her perfect face showed no ripples, but this made Rudolf feel a deep sense of unease.

She had searched her past memories but could not find any trace of Palmer. In her playthrough with C.B., Palmer should not have been involved at all. Why would such a proud person participate in something that was meaningless to her at this time?

"Don't tell me that you want to win this position for yourself."

"—And what if I do? Rudolf, if that's what I'm thinking, what can you do?"

However, Palmer smiled and asked her back. But just a moment later, she felt a familiar pressure sweeping towards her again and understood Rudolf's meaning.

This girl... she's really fallen for him. It seems what was recorded in the notebook is indeed true.

In this world, there really is reincarnation? It seems the Three Goddesses are even more mischievous than she imagined.

Palmer didn't tell Rudolf that she had actually come to the student council office much earlier than she thought. At that time, she was leisurely eating dessert and drinking morning tea when she received a call from Air Groove, saying that Rudolf had skipped all her student council work and hoped she could come and help.

She was very surprised at the time. Rudolf was not that kind of person. But when she heard from Air Groove that Rudolf had been acting abnormally all day, seeming a little crazy, she realized the seriousness of the matter and rushed over immediately.

It was then that she saw the almost-collapsed Air Groove, who was busy sorting out the scattered documents, and the notebook Rudolf had left on her desk... filled with various fragments of her memories of him. And the most important evidence that made her believe it—were the few clear tear stains Rudolf had left on the notebook.

Palmer knew who Rudolf was. She was a horse girl who would grit her teeth and not make a sound even if she was injured and fractured. Her pride was no less than her own. And for her to shed tears... then there was no doubt that she had already accepted these recorded events as a part of reality.

And Palmer did not doubt Rudolf's judgment. Although she was not sure now if there really were reincarnated people in this world, if that person was the mysterious Kitano Ryuichi... she inexplicably felt that the possibility was quite high.

After all, before meeting him, she would not have believed that there was a being whose life could be extended by winning races. In comparison, the idea that he could be reincarnated seemed less difficult to accept.

"Don't worry, I have no interest in participating in any 'Emperor's consort selection contest.'" Seeing Rudolf's pressure getting stronger and her expression more solemn, Palmer's words finally broke the silence. "I'm just paving the way for a sister I'm worried about. Just like that Silence Suzuka wants to get courage from him, I also hope my sister can learn something from this tenacious trainer."

"...You're that confident? That you'll definitely win?"

Hearing her answer, Rudolf's anxious mood calmed down a little, but she felt a subtle annoyance at her confidence and couldn't help but ask:

"Don't underestimate their abilities. There are G1 races for new horses in the last three months. What if Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa succeed?"

"—Then they'll have to win the bet first." To this, Palmer was exceptionally calm, clearly having considered this point. After putting down her teacup, she couldn't help but show a faint smile. "Besides, even if they win the bet, it's not a bad thing for him... And how do you know that our Mejiro family doesn't have a new horse who can win a G1?"

"A new horse from the Mejiro family?" Rudolf was slightly taken aback. But just a moment later, she suddenly remembered a new horse from the Mejiro family who had debuted not long ago but hadn't made much of a splash.

—Mejiro Dober!

That's right, how could I forget, the youngest sister of the Mejiro family! But her performance doesn't seem to be that outstanding, and I heard she has a rare bloodline, was born weak, and even had a fracture before her debut?

"You're planning to have her challenge a G1 race?" At this moment, Rudolf finally understood her meaning. And Palmer, now unable to hide her confident and slightly smug smile, said, word by word:

"December, a race limited to new horse girls, G1, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. I believe that child will definitely win."

"And, Rudolf, don't forget, it's clearly written in the agreement that if the grade of the races won is the same, we will comprehensively discuss other objective factors. Even if those two Gold Family children win other G1 races limited to new horses, they will only be on par with that child at best."

"But Dober is a filly. Rudolf, the difficulty for a filly to win a G1 race, I think, should be higher than for those two children, right?"

"..."

As Palmer's voice slowly fell, it was only now that Rudolf finally understood why she was so calm. She had calculated everything to the extreme, everyone's actions were within her expectations. She had set up a situation where she was almost certain to win, waiting for others to jump into the trap, and still lose convincingly.

Should I say... it's fortunate that in her playthrough... Palmer was not involved? A hint of relief couldn't help but appear in Rudolf's heart, but it still didn't stop her from looking at the calm and composed Palmer with an incredibly solemn and wary gaze...

...If Palmer had really been involved, I'm afraid no one could have won against her. Rudolf couldn't help but feel a palpitation. She really hoped that the situation she imagined would never be verified one day.

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