"Chiya, did you seriously sign Agnes Tachyon!?"
Back at the dorm, Trainer Chiya was startled as Yota suddenly barged into his room.
"Who told you that?"
"Who do you think? A bunch of trainers saw you timing Agnes Tachyon."
Yota walked over and dropped onto the sofa.
"Clean your butt before you sit."
"I wiped before coming."
"…You should probably stand up."
"Relax, I'm joking."
He waved it off casually.
"So? Is it true? You signed her?"
"Not yet. I'm still thinking about it."
"Then don't. Just listen to me this once. Do not sign her."
"Because of her bad reputation?"
"It's not just bad reputation. She's basically on the edge of being expelled."
"Expelled?"
"Skipping classes, skipping training, spreading false info, even drugging students and trainers. The first two are one thing, but the last ones are serious. Tracen has warned her multiple times, but she doesn't change. If this keeps up, she'll be kicked out sooner or later."
Yota crossed his legs.
"If you sign her now and she gets expelled, you're done too. Every problem she caused will fall on you."
That was why he came all the way here to warn his friend.
Chiya frowned.
"But… she's strong."
"Strong? What kind of strong? Running?"
"Yeah."
Yota had never actually seen Tachyon run. In fact, she barely appeared on the training field.
So he shrugged it off.
"Even if she's strong, what does it matter? An Uma Musume like that who doesn't listen, what's the point?"
"That's… a waste."
A genius buried because of personality.
"A waste? What's there to waste?"
There were plenty of Uma Musume out there.
"Yota, what do you think is the most important thing for an Uma Musume?"
"…Ability?"
"Exactly."
Chiya nodded.
"The most important thing is ability. When an Uma Musume stands on the stage of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, do you think the audience will care what kind of personality she used to have?"
"Don't go crazy on me. This isn't the same as others."
Yota sighed.
"How much are you even earning? Don't push yourself to death over this. You keep overworking yourself like this, you might not even live long enough to see the Arc."
Chiya had been putting far more effort into his Uma Musume than most trainers.
Yota had already noticed he looked worse lately.
If he kept pushing himself, one day he might just collapse.
Yota definitely did not want to visit him in a hospital.
Seeing Chiya fall silent, Yota sighed.
"Just think it through properly. You're not a superhero. Trying to deal with all these problem children… your body won't keep up."
After saying that, Yota left.
Chiya leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
His mind was a mess.
Time passed.
Then, there was a knock on the door.
Chiya blinked.
Someone… knocked?
That was rare.
In the men's dorm, people usually just walked in like it was their own home.
"Come in."
He called out.
The door opened.
A green figure stepped inside.
Chiya froze for a moment before jumping to his feet.
"Hayakawa-san! What brings you here? Um… the room's a bit messy…"
Looking at the chaotic room, he instinctively grabbed a broom.
"There's no need for that. I just came to check on you, Trainer Chiya."
"I-I see. Sorry, I don't really have anything to offer… please, have a seat."
Hayakawa walked over and sat down beside him.
…Wait. Shouldn't she sit across from me?
Chiya stiffened, his hands resting awkwardly on his knees.
"What made you come check on me all of a sudden…?"
"You've recently signed several Uma Musume, so I wanted to ask if you're having any difficulties."
"Difficulties… I suppose there are some."
"Would you like to tell me? I might be able to help."
Like an older sister, she smiled gently.
"It's not exactly a problem. More like… a question."
Chiya clasped his hands.
"For Uma Musume who are troublesome, difficult, or even disliked… should I try to guide them, or just let them be?"
"That's… a difficult question."
Her gaze flickered slightly.
"As an educator, you shouldn't give up on any student. But people have selfishness too. They don't want to put in effort without seeing results, so they choose to give up on certain things."
"…Yeah. That makes sense."
"But there are also people who are willing to give everything. Even if they know it might be meaningless, they still choose to do it."
"Why?"
"Perhaps because their passion outweighs everything else."
She smiled softly.
"Even if the effort and reward are not equal, they are still willing."
"…There aren't many people like that, are there?"
"No. Very few."
She nodded.
"But everyone has the choice to become that kind of person. And they also have the right not to choose it. In the end, what matters most is your own decision."
Chiya's expression shifted slightly.
"Trainer Chiya, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a while."
She looked at him seriously.
Chiya turned to meet her emerald eyes.
"Gold Ship, Doto, Rice Shower, Dober, Fukukitaru… these girls were distanced by other trainers for various reasons. They've been left with the instructors for a long time."
"But they all have talent. The fact that you accepted them… that is the greatest form of recognition they could receive."
"…!"
"I used to have a difficult personality as well."
She spoke quietly.
"But there was someone who accepted me. Someone who endured my behavior and guided me seriously."
"I owe everything I've become to that person. I'm truly… grateful that they accepted someone like me."
Hayakawa… difficult? That's impossible…
It sounded like a joke, but somehow, it didn't feel like one.
"Trainer Chiya, your actions may be questioned. They may be denied by others. But please don't doubt yourself."
She gently placed her hand on his head, as if comforting a child.
"If one hundred people deny you, then I will be the one hundred and first to affirm you."
"…!"
"Trainer Chiya, you've worked hard. So go and do what you believe is right. No matter what you choose, I will support you."
Hearing those words, something inside Chiya settled.
A single decision from a trainer could shape an Uma Musume's entire life.
The next day, at the training grounds.
Agnes Tachyon stood in front of him.
"So, what's your answer?"
"I'll become your trainer. But on one condition."
"Oh?"
"As my Uma Musume, you must follow my training plan. I'm not going to be a placeholder trainer."
Tachyon frowned slightly.
"If I follow your plan completely, what about my experiments?"
"You can do them at other times. Meals, rest periods, weekends. I'll make adjustments if needed. But the training plan must be completed. Outside of that, you can use my time however you want."
Tachyon's eyes widened.
"That's quite surprising. What made you decide to go this far?"
"…It's nothing special."
Chiya looked at her calmly.
"I just think it would be a waste if the track never had your name on it."
For a trainer, there were many Uma Musume.
But for an Uma Musume, there was only one chance.
Chiya did not want to be the one who threw that chance away.
Tachyon looked at him, a faint smile forming.
"Alright. I accept your condition. I'll follow your training plan. In return, don't run away when I'm doing my experiments."
"Of course."
On the application form, Agnes Tachyon wrote her name.
Chiya carefully folded the paper and put it into his pocket.
Then he walked onto the training field.
Looking at his growing team of problem children, his expression became complicated.
This team… is heading in a very strange direction.
But as the saying goes, things will work out somehow.
"All of you, start with warm-ups. Then we begin training!"