Uma Musume: Rising From the Countryside to Legend!!

Time flew by.

Before they knew it, thirteen days had passed since Maruzensky had brought Sakura Chiyono O here to recuperate.

Though Sakura Chiyono O had shaken her head furiously and waved her hands to protest at the time, she had still been forced to surrender under Maruzensky's "absolute authority." That same night, she reluctantly moved her luggage into Kuroha's dorm.

Of course—

The new Central Uma Musume wasn't welcomed with open arms at first.

Fujimasa March was particularly unhappy, saying she hadn't even lived with the trainer yet, so why was this newcomer allowed to move in first?

Inari One simply glared resentfully at Kuroha without saying a word, sulking in silence.

But after a few days of training and interaction, the three of them gradually warmed up to each other, and that strange sense of distance vanished—something that left Kuroha quite pleased.

As for Sakura Chiyono O's trainer, she had visited several times and taken her for full-body checkups.

After confirming that Sakura Chiyono O's condition was steadily improving, she had sincerely thanked Kuroha and asked him to take good care of her.

"She really is quite a competent trainer," Kuroha murmured.

Thump, thump, thump—!

On the training field in front of him, one of the three was making steady progress.

Today, the whole field felt unusually spacious—there were only the four of them.

This was the private training ground Kuroha had recently rented.

Money sitting idle in the pocket was meaningless; only when spent wisely could it show its value.

So Kuroha hadn't hesitated to spend a large sum renting this place—not just to give Sakura Chiyono O a better recovery environment, but also because both Fujimasa March and Inari One now possessed exceptional physical abilities. They needed a more independent, specialized training space.

Since taking over Sakura Chiyono O's care, Kuroha had honored his agreement with Maruzensky—preparing her special nutrition meals, creating a tailored recovery training plan, and giving her a daily session of Massage.

Now, things were going quite well.

Her steps were no longer stiff; that smooth running form was gradually returning, and even her breathing had become steady and strong.

Not far away, Inari One was running 1000-meter interval drills, while Fujimasa March was sprinting while dragging a massive tire.

Kuroha's sharp gaze tracked both of them, always watching their condition.

"March's technique is already very well-rounded, but her strength still needs work.

"In the Haneda Hai, although the Front Runner tactic consumed a lot of stamina, her rival Seiran Nichirin still retained some energy by the final stretch.

"If she doesn't activate her Domain, her closing speed is still slightly inferior to Seiran Nichirin."

That was her current shortcoming.

Previously, Kuroha's training plan for Fujimasa March had mostly been light on strength training, since her running style wasn't built for huge end-closing bursts.

From her attribute spread—Front Runner B, Pace Chaser A, Late Surger D—it was obvious her forte was staying ahead rather than coming from behind.

But the arrival of her Domain had changed his thinking.

When she used it, her abilities were fully unlocked and enhanced.

On top of that, Domain injected an unknown, almost mystical force into the Uma Musume, restoring stamina as they ran.

In the Haneda Hai, it was precisely this stamina from her Domain, combined with her saved-up reserves, that had let her hold off Seiran Nichirin from the front all the way to the wire.

Kuroha knew Domain wasn't unique—more and more Uma Musume would wield it in the future.

If he wanted Fujimasa March to remain competitive in such battles, he had to bolster her strength without sacrificing her speed or endurance.

Thus, her current plan focused on finding the optimal balance between power, speed, and stamina output.

Inari One, on the other hand, was a different case.

Her physical stats were outstanding—strength, speed, endurance—she had it all.

But Kuroha had noticed her flaw: she relied too much on raw talent, neglecting technical refinement.

In earlier races, her natural edge was enough.

But in the Central circuit, where she'd face rivals with similar physical prowess, her lack of technical advantage would show.

Before the Tenno Sho, he had taught her several skills and walked her through race-situation analysis, but there had simply been too little time.

"Through high-intensity interval and pace-change runs, I need her to get used to the constant overtaking and tracking changes of real races," he noted, jotting things down.

"That will also train her cardiovascular system and muscle response, so she won't be thrown off by pace shifts."

In truth, both Fujimasa March and Inari One were already mature, excellent Uma Musume.

Their past flaws had been largely fixed.

Now, they just needed to steadily polish their specialties to become the very best.

But… one girl was different.

Sakura Chiyono O.

Tap, tap, tap…

In the distance, the pink-haired girl jogged slowly along the track.

She wasn't slacking—she was following Kuroha's strict orders.

"Slow down… slow down. Cut your pace and stride rate to half of normal…"

She breathed lightly, suppressing her urge to speed up.

In this seemingly simple training, her mind kept recalling Kuroha's stern, authoritative expression from a few days ago.

"Chiyono O, this is your new training plan."

"It's designed to use low-load stimulus to promote metabolic recovery and restore bodily balance."

"It will also keep you from adding further strain to your joints, muscles, and nerves."

"So absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no extra running beyond this!"

"Otherwise—"

"No Derby in a month!"

The memory of his strict tone made her shiver.

Her pink lips pouted faintly.

Not being able to run freely felt suffocating.

But she knew every word and action from him was for her sake.

Grumbling softly in her heart, she still carried out every detail of the plan to the letter.

"As the saying goes: 'Grate the carrot to mash!'"

"If I stick with it, I'll succeed!"

"Come on, Chiyono O!"

It was as if a little version of herself appeared in her mind, cheering her on.

Kuroha quietly watched her figure.

After a moment, his eyes lit up.

"Such fast recovery… The plan had been for nearly a month, but after only thirteen days, she's already at 80–90%?"

"I underestimated just how effective this skill is alongside Body and Breath Perception…"

His gaze shifted to his system's skill panel.

The words Massage glowed faintly.

"At this pace, in less than five days, she'll be completely back to normal!"

He nodded slightly, glancing at his phone.

...

May 8th.

Twenty-one days until the Japanese Derby.

Plenty of time.

With the side effects of over-accelerated True Blooming gone, she could now chase her Derby dream without fear of bone injuries afterward.

He recalled the boast he'd made to Maruzensky over ten days ago—

I am the greatest luck in this world.

"Now, time to prove it."

"…Though…"

As he fulfilled his promise to Maruzensky, a thought crossed his mind.

With so much time left, maybe… after her full recovery, he could add targeted Tokyo-adaptation training, turning her pent-up running urge into devastating race-day bursts.

But after a moment, he shook his head.

"If I do that, her trainer will blow a fuse…"

Recovery training was one thing—but if he monopolized even her regular prep, then…

"I'd basically be her trainer."

Kuroha chuckled and put his phone away—only for it to buzz.

He glanced at the screen.

A news headline jumped out:

[After a Month Away, Kasamatsu's Oguri Cap Wins the G3 Mainichi Broadcast Kyoto Kinen—Three Straight Stakes Victories!]

Kuroha's fingers swiped over the glowing title, almost feeling the roar of the racetrack through the words.

His eyes narrowed.

"Oguri Cap… still unstoppable."

"Three straight stakes wins—she's clearly back in peak form."

The photo showed the grey monster from Kasamatsu crossing the line, eyes blazing with pure racing will that could be felt even through the screen.

"It's just a shame… the Japanese Derby still…"

He sighed and tucked his phone away, looking back to the training ground with deeper thought in his gaze.

Fujimasa March was finishing her last tire-pull sprint, sweat soaking her clothes, clinging to the curves of her waist.

Each stride landed with a heavy thud, her power surging into the track.

Inari One had just finished an intense interval run, chest heaving, hands on her knees as she caught her breath—but her sharp gaze swept the track, replaying her pace control.

Far off, Sakura Chiyono O kept her deliberately slow stride, pink hair swaying gently with each jog.

Her recovery was far ahead of schedule, and the pent-up hunger to run was almost spilling from every light step she took.

(End of Chapter)

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