On a Pale Horse (Umamusume/Youjo Senki)

[Slith10]

Or something like that... Kinda hoping Shiro will accidentally say something along the lines of "pursuing a more proper career," anything that lets slip she doesn't believe racing to be a "legitimate career prospect," if only for herself.

I just hope she'd phrase it in a way that implies she thinks dismissively of racing in general. Be funny to see her piss her classmates off with that kind of talk.

Though that could also easily stumble down a path that'd annoy readers, so it probably wouldn't be for the best.

A man can dream, though.

Anyway, that's all from me, folks.

Hoping we'll get more from our favorite Uma of Prey in the future! Seriously, I think there'll be plenty of jokes or rumors about her name and "predatory" status. The White-Silver Eagle is a truly dangerous raptor, and she'll hunt you down without mercenary.

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Don't forget she doesn't believe herself to be any good at racing either, so her casual dismissal of herself regarding racing would definitely torque a lot of umas off.
There is no hope, only staving off an inevitable demise.

 

[ScarredPunLover]

Don't forget she doesn't believe herself to be any good at racing either, so her casual dismissal of herself regarding racing would definitely torque a lot of umas off.
There is no hope, only staving off an inevitable demise.

Click to shrink...

kek.

"In spite of my trainer's interest, I'm really not all that great at racing."

"Not all that great?! Where's that leave the rest of us?! Are we just utter garbage in your eyes?!"

"Er, uhm..."

"Wha- Fuck you!"

Obviously, wouldn't go quite like that, but it's always my favorite extension of "I'm bad at x" being said by a person whom you believe to be better than yourself.

It's less that they dismiss themselves (though that can still be irritating to hear), but more that they end up dismissing you by implication, if you personally don't think you're anywhere near as good as them.

But, yes, it's always fun to see people peer into the mind of any MC like Tanya and struggle to line up their own opinions of the MC with how the MC views themselves.

I think there's also opportunity for one of her fellow racers who lag far behind her to tear into her dismissive attitude. They pour their heart and souls into the sport, racing for themselves because it's all they've ever wanted to do, and come up short.

Shirogane isn't racing for herself, and I'm not entirely certain she's giving it her "all." Yet she goes so much further than most others. It's more hard work and a head-start on how best to apply that effort than talent, but would most recognize that?

Some dissatisfied racer who didn't make the cut lecturing her and taking their frustrations out on her (verbally) is something I could see happening.

Admittedly, not sure how much I'd enjoy reading it. Such lectures tend to get a dismissive eye-roll from me, and a hope for said MC to reply with a much more eloquent "cool story, bro." An asshole perspective, and probably odd considering I'm bringing the idea up in the first place, but that's where I'm at in my train of thought.

That all said, I still think Shirogane having a more open conversation will be plenty of fun.

... also hoping we'll get part 2 for that bad end omake soon, ha

 

[Herofox]

Admittedly, not sure how much I'd enjoy reading it. Such lectures tend to get a dismissive eye-roll from me, and a hope for said MC to reply with a much more eloquent "cool story, bro." An asshole perspective, and probably odd considering I'm bringing the idea up in the first place, but that's where I'm at in my train of thought.

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Wait so do you want someone to tear into the MC or not lol

I personally do want to see it because MC is clearly remarkable in a way that separates her from her peers in-universe.

Even better if said dissatisfied racer was someone who is known for being good at the sport, so it's not just from some random uma, but someone who knows from experience what they're talking about.

 

[ScarredPunLover]

Wait so do you want someone to tear into the MC or not lol

I personally do want to see it because MC is clearly remarkable in a way that separates her from her peers in-universe.

Even better if said dissatisfied racer was someone who is known for being good at the sport, so it's not just from some random uma, but someone who knows from experience what they're talking about.

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Depends on how it's handled. As I said, I tend to roll my eyes at a lot of them, dismissing them entirely, but it's not like it's the worst trope ever, and it can be done well. I'm just very fickle in my tastes.

I mostly mentioned as a thing of "following this theoretical of Shiro's dismissive attitude becoming known to those around her, this possible interaction is easily set up to occur and enable an exploration of how Shiro's perspective clashes with others," or something to that effect.

I can propose an idea without personally liking it.

 

[Herofox]

Depends on how it's handled. As I said, I tend to roll my eyes at a lot of them, dismissing them entirely, but it's not like it's the worst trope ever, and it can be done well. I'm just very fickle in my tastes.

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Fair enough, a lot of the times it's either not done well or it gets waved off imo.

I do really like when it's done well though.

 

[Balewood]

Just found this, very happy with it. Wasn't sure what to expect when I started it but it was great, Thanks for Writing!

 

[WrandmWaffles]

Well, it has been a rather busy month and a half, but I finally had some more time to work on more of this.

Next chapter isn't ready yet, but Shirogane continues being an oblivious menace.

Here's a snippet:

Spoiler: Spoiler

"Oi! You taking a nap in there?" A voice snapped at her from the racer in the adjacent stall. "Don't underestimate us you Tracen brat!"

Shirogane opened her eyes and flicked her gaze towards the source of the noise, spotting the sandy haired racer, who flinched slightly, before trying to cover for it with more bravado.

"Why are you by yourself, Tracen brat? Not good enough to hack it against your classmates?"

"Among other things." Though in the current conditions she figured she would be able to beat several of her classmates on this track. But usually it seemed that with the limited number of Tracen students, most did not end up debuting while competing against each other.

"Hah! So much for 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere'!" Sandy haired spat. "You're just a scaredy cat!"

Shirogane turned to give her neighbor a flat look, and the sandy haired uma's ears stood up in fright.

"There's nothing to fear other than the shame of failure."

 

[FluffyVoid]

Well, it has been a rather busy month and a half, but I finally had some more time to work on more of this.

Next chapter isn't ready yet, but Shirogane continues being an oblivious menace.

Here's a snippet:

Click to shrink...

You can not tempt me with spoilers. I will wait for the actual chapter to come out.

 

[ScarredPunLover]

You can not tempt me with spoilers. I will wait for the actual chapter to come out.

Click to shrink...

Give in~! Give in to temptation!

Look!

You know you want to...

just a little peak, that's all...

Next chapter isn't ready yet, but Shirogane continues being an oblivious menace.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Out of respect for those who wish not to be tempted

Wonder if she's going to stun all the other racers in the cage? Or if it'll just be a bad start for a few... Yes, the menacing White-Silver Eagle will bring about plenty of memes as her ability to unnerve becomes known.

 

[FluffyVoid]

Give in~! Give in to temptation!

Look!

You know you want to...

just a little peak, that's all...

Click to shrink...

My will is as strong as Zangief's training, you will not succeed.

 

[Neo3932156]

My will is as strong as Zangief's training, you will not succeed.

Click to shrink...

Unfortunately, I am weak.

And just like that, time to obsessively reading this from the start again.

 

[Hextroyer413]

"True, as far as I remember, I've suffered no major injuries in this life."

Click to shrink...

I wonder if anyone will pay attention to the specific terminology used by Shiro here.

 

[WrandmWaffles]

And You Will See How Well She Can Push ​

---

The morning that heralded Shirogane's debut race started drearily, with a light rain that had come down incessantly during the night. Since Nakayama was actually slightly closer to Fujisawa compared to Tokyo, and her race was on a weekend, she had actually gone home for the night, allowing her to spend some time with her Polish grandparents, who, in the trend of the adults around her this life, were very insistent that she wasn't eating enough.

She had only barely begged off being given thirds by saying she couldn't overload before her debut race.

The ground was looking to be rather muddy, so Shirogane opted to wear her boots, something Toujou-san had found strange, but they were fairly comfortable to run in, despite their appearance, and Shirogane had previously checked with the administration to confirm that they did not give her any undue advantage.

Unlike the Tracen tryouts, there weren't any other runners she was familiar with competing, as most of them were from the local academy, with her being the only representative of her school. Theoretically, this would be in her favor since the students at Tracen tended to be more talented, but it also meant she didn't have much footage available to scout her opponents.

No matter. She would run as best she could manage, which was apparently often sufficient to at least place.

The lack of familiar faces did mean she prepared in silence, having already said the necessary pleasantries to her family and friends, largely ignoring the gaggle of local runners who were having a conversation similar to what the other runners had at Tracen.

"Hey, is that the Tracen uma?" came an overly loud whisper from around the corner, filling Shirogane with a mild sense of deja vu.

Was this going to be a common reoccurrence?

"I think so? I've never seen her before though. Or heard of her name."

"Really? You'd think someone who got into Tracen would have a bigger profile?"

They'd be surprised. Social media wasn't too ubiquitous as of yet, and Shirogane has yet to debut, so there hadn't been too much point trying to raise her profile. Not to mention it'd be rather embarrassing if she was announced online and then flubbed her first official race too.

She briefly considered attempting to talk with one of the other runners, either to get a feel for them or to potentially make some connections, but after how her competitors in her tryout race seemed to be afraid of her afterwards, it didn't seem to be that feasible time for networking.

Probably best to wait for a time where their emotions weren't running that high, assuming they'd meet again.

A few of the gazes were hostile, though not with serious enmity, but Shirogane made a note of them–a sandy haired uma and a dark haired one–neither of whom she'd ever met before, so it was unlikely the animosity was personal. Perhaps they had some beef with Tracen.

Regardless, it was almost time to enter the gate, so Shirogane exited the locker room and made her way down the entrance tunnel and onto the turf.

The ground was damp, the rain having only let up recently, enough to make it slick, but not enough that it would greatly hinder her performance aside from making the slopes more troublesome.

Shirogane was not quite the first runner to reach the gate, some having decided to wait nearby before the call to post sounded, but she was among the first to settle into her stall.

There was a frenetic energy in the air, the other racers all exhibiting some sort of agitation, with twitching ears and tails flicking back and forth, not unexpected from debuting racers. Even Shirogane wasn't entirely immune. She closed her eyes, letting herself go still for a moment, mentally blocking out the noise. There were many people hoping for her success, her family, friends, and trainer.

She did not want to let them down.

"Oi! You taking a nap in there?" A voice snapped at her from the racer in the adjacent stall. "Don't underestimate us you Tracen brat!"

Shirogane opened her eyes and flicked her gaze towards the source of the noise, spotting the sandy haired racer, who flinched slightly, before trying to cover for it with more bravado.

"Why are you by yourself, Tracen brat? Not good enough to hack it against your classmates?"

"Among other things." Though in the current conditions she figured she would be able to beat several of her classmates on this track. But they were not here, as with the limited number of Tracen students, most did not end up competing against each other for their debut race.

"Hah! So much for 'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere'!" Sandy haired spat. "You're just a scaredy cat!"

Shirogane turned to give her neighbor a flat look, and the sandy haired uma's ears stood up in fright.

"There's nothing to fear other than the shame of failure."

These runners weren't going to try to kill her, so she would not try to kill them. Besides, excluding rank incompetence or freak accidents, there wasn't much to be afraid of outside of disappointing those rooting for her.

Any reply was cut off as the last runner had settled into the gate, and the race was about to begin.

Taking a deep breath, Shirogane leaned forwards, ears listening closely for the gate mechanisms.

Bang!

The gate opened, and she shot forwards, managing to exit the gate before most of her competitors, who looked like they were unused to running in these conditions. Not all were so affected, among those more determined was sandy hair, chasing after her tail.

'And the gate has opened! Looks like a lot of the runners aren't so used to wet conditions, let's hope they can figure it out quickly.'

Having an empty stretch of track in front of her and the thundering steps of her competitors behind her wasn't Shirogane's preferred situation, but Toujou-san's logic had merit, so she accelerated to her top speed.

'Number four Shirogane Orezeru is pulling ahead, with number eight Down Katsumi chasing right after her!'

The track sloped upwards from the start, but she had trained for it, and she did not let it slow her pace, still keeping the lead position even as sandy hair tried to overtake her going up a hill, a rather poor decision in this weather, all things considered.

She crested the hill as she passed the first corner, cutting close to the rail, making use of her shorter strides to turn faster than her taller tailer, who slid outwards as she lost some traction on the wet turf.

The track sloped downhill and curved into the second corner, and Shirogane did not slow down.

---

Hana Toujou found herself frowning as Shirogane practically dove down the slope of Nakayama's second corner, looking a hair's breadth from crashing, much to the excitement of the announcer, but to her eyes, her trainee's descent looked well in her control.

Even so, and despite knowing her trainee's physicals had shown her to be unusually sturdy, it still was a reckless move.

As if to demonstrate the appropriateness of Hana's concern, Shirogane's pursuer stumbled, almost losing her footing as she chased the pale haired leader, falling further behind as Shirogane herself made her way onto the gentle slope of the backstretch, having built up a noticeable lead, looking entirely unfazed by her rapid descent.

'Shirogane Orezeru flies down the slope like her namesake and has opened up a lead of five lengths! Can the others catch up?'

Nearby Shirogane's friends and family cheered excitedly, happy to see her performing well, and Hana was quite impressed by that maneuver herself, but she knew that the race was far from over–

'It's a mad dash in the middle of the pack down the hill and–oh! Oh no! Aquafall has fallen!'

Hana winced as the following pack went down in a heap as several runners slipped trying to go down the slope faster than they could handle, causing a disastrous tumble down the hill.

'Aquafall, Doko Doko and Alley Cat have crashed! Are they going to be ok?!'

The crowd let out a cry of dismay, but fortunately it looked like the runners avoided serious injury. A very lucky thing that the following runners had decided to slow down upon seeing the incident, otherwise things would have been much worse.

Her trainee had luckily avoided the pile up by being in front, and Hana felt momentarily vindicated in her push to have Shirogane run in the front, before catching herself.

The race was not over yet, and this kind of incident would not happen every time.

---

After her initial iterations of downhill training, the slope on the Nakayama course almost felt disappointing, a sentiment Shirogane was fairly certain was residual from the Soldier who once could fly.

Whatever the case the mildly slick descent did not hinder her game plan very much, but it did mean she hadn't had as much opportunity to build momentum as she'd like.

She looked ahead down the backstretch, absently tracking the sandy haired racer to rear.

Now came the most difficult part of the race for her, respective to her competition. While faster runners could use the flat straight to catch their breath, Shirogane had no such luxury.

Still, she kicked up mud and pushed forwards. There wasn't much else she could do at this point.

---

'Shirogane Orzel is still in the lead going down the backstretch, but Down Katsumi is gaining on her!'

Suzuki Kiyoko had always known her husband Shoki was a fan of umamusume racing, he had already been so when they met. That was frankly not too unusual, since uma girls had quite a few advantages in being attractive to boys. But she has managed to make him come around in time.

"Come on! Come on!"

Having an uma granddaughter had not been something she had ever expected, let alone one who could compete on the national level.

Normally she would be a bit annoyed at running the shop by herself, but with how popular little Shirogane was with the locals, closing down so all of the family could attend her debut race would have been a missed opportunity.

'Going into the third corner it's really only a competition between the two leaders!'

"You've got this, Shirogane-chan!"

It was a bit funny to watch a bunch of adults, including teachers, nurses, and the odd taxi driver cheering excitedly like children as they listened to the radio, but at her age, Kiyoko supposed most people seemed like children. Perhaps it was even a good thing from time to time. It also made it easier for her, since they mostly ordered beer or sake, so she wasn't too overwhelmed with the number of customers present currently compared to how much cooking it would have normally requred.

"Nakayama has a sharp slope on the homestretch," one of the nurses muttered, chewing her lip worriedly. "Is Shirogane-chan going to have enough energy after running out front like this?"

"She's going to kill the other girl on the slope." Heads turned to the police officer–Kato-san, if Kiyoko remembered correctly–but he was unfazed. "Suzuki-san can go faster than this if she wants to."

"Probably," one of the taxi drivers grunted. "That girl ain't scared of hills, that's for sure."

"This is stressing me out," the nurse muttered. "Kiyoko-san! Another beer please!"

"I'll be right there!"

Her granddaughter really worked far too hard. She was in a different city entirely and still helping out with the restaurant.

---

As Shirogane expected, the relatively straight flat allowed her pursuer to close the distance, though she was apparently still maintaining some stamina for the final stretch, as sandy hair didn't push that hard, not like how Grass Wonder or El Condor Pasa would.

Frankly, Shirogane was a bit surprised no other racers were anywhere close to them, doubly so that a number of runners appeared to have crashed on the downslope. Was the gap between Tracen and the more regional academies really that large?

It was irrelevant to her current situation, so the errant thought was tossed away like a spent casing as she tucked into the third corner (she still wasn't sure why they called a u-turn two corners).

Her pursuer ceased closing the gap between them as they both entered the curve, the sandy-haired runner having to bleed off some momentum to make the turn.

By this point Shirogane had lost all the additional momentum from the downslope, but she was still maintaining her lead by turning sharply, her feet digging into the mud as she ran. A phantom familiar sensation.

When was her opponent going to start their final spurt? There wasn't that much track left.

As she rounded the last corner, Shirogane focused forwards towards the finish line. The slope was quite steep, and looked to be slick as well.

She grit her teeth and breathed in deeply.

Any misstep from here on would be fatal.

Metaphorically.

---

Down Katsumi had trained for what felt like her whole life for this moment.

Ever since her parents had taken her to a race as a little filly, she had wanted to be a racer, dreaming of the thrill that victory would bring.

She'd tasted it, on the small scale, but the bitter tang of defeat still clouded over her from failing the Tracen entrance exam.

What did it matter that her grades weren't impressive? She was training to be a runner and an idol, not a clerk!

Her lungs burned as she pounded her feet into the crappy slick turf, trying with all her might to catch up to the damned blank-faced pony who had somehow gotten into Tracen.

She had thought the runt was scared stiff, and that she'd be able to stomp the Tracen brat flat, getting a little bit of revenge.

It wasn't going to be that easy.

Pain flared all through her body as she fought to maintain the rapid pace, her teeth grinding together as she clenched her jaw through the strain. She could go faster. A lot faster, but not for this long.

This was her home racecourse, she had trained on it often. She should have been able to beat some no-name out-of-towner easily, but as she closed in on the Tracen brat out of the last corner, it was not looking good.

With the wet ground and the fast pace, she didn't have much left in the tank for a final sprint, but she had to try!

Her vision narrowed as what felt like every muscle in her body strained, pushing her forwards, closer to her opponent.

Closer…

Closer!

Yes! She pulled level with the Tracen brat–

Down Katsumi made it three steps up Nakayama's final slope before her legs gave out under her.

---

"Yatta!"

Shigeru jumped to his feet with a victorious cry as Shirogane surged up the hill on the final stretch, leaving her exhausted opponent stumbling behind, passing the finish line alone and winning her debut race in decisive fashion.

"Hurra! That's my little girl!"

Kataryzna did the same a moment later, bouncing up and down like an excited schoolgirl, pulling him into a fierce hug, before doing the same with her parents, who seemed to be crying tears of joy at the sight.

His own father was elated as well, though his age meant he did not gesture as wildly. "Good work, Shirogane!" Even still, he cheered as loud as he could.

Next to them, Toujou-san let out a long breath, before nodding with satisfaction. "Good work indeed."

"You really got her trained up in a flash!" Father chuckled, bowing slightly to the trainer.

"I cannot claim all the credit," Toujou-san accepted demurely, adjusting her glasses as she returned her attention to the track, where Shirogane was making her way towards the winner's area. "She has worked very hard, and is very mature for her age."

It was good to see Shirogane having a mentor who could really help her achieve her dreams. Shigeru had always known that she was very talented, but he had never been really sure of the best way to be a father to such a child. While he wouldn't call himself unintelligent, he was certainly not a genius, and Shirogane always seemed content with what they could provide. He had always known she understood much more than most children did, but it galled him a bit to have his daughter set aside her dreams because of his limitations.

But that was in the past, and from the way Shirogane looked down in the winner's lane, posture straightened in satisfaction, it looked like she was finally able to pursue what she wanted, and that made Shigeru happy.

---

"Hibike fan-fare, todoke gooru made…"

Shirogane kept her voice steady as she sang out the prescribed debut race winning lyrics, glad that she wasn't too fatigued from the race.

"Kagayaku mirai o, kimi to mitai kara…"

She went through the choreographed motions as best as she was able, slightly awkward with the absence of the third place runner, who injured herself on the final stretch. The other runners also looked seriously fatigued, though at least they had been given enough time to get a breather, hydrate, and change out of the mudstained clothes.

"Kakedashitara, kitto, hajimaru story…"

Choosing Nakayama for its favorable track design had worked quite well.

"Itsudemo…"

Though she had not expected it to be quite so effective.

"Chikaku ni arukara…"

It was doubtful that it would serve as effectively to mitigate her weaknesses against higher level opponents…

"te o nobaseba…"

…but she would take the win.

"Motto, tsukameru glory…"

It would allow her access to higher levels of competition.

"Ichiban mezashite…"

Solidifying her usefulness as a team member.

"...let's challenge kasoku shite yukou."

And more importantly, winning a substantial amount of money, the thought of which would have brought a smile to her face if not for her dance teacher's instructions not to.

"Shouri no megami mo muchuu…ni saseru yo…"

While the prize pool was officially five million yen–quite a hefty sum at her current stage–taxes and a variety of other things would reduce it to far less than that when it got to her hands. Still, it would serve well enough as a first step to paying back her family for their support.

"Supesharu na ashita e tsunagaru. Make debut!"

Shirogane was fairly certain she wasn't going to be claiming the first place prize pool in many other races, but with larger prize pools, achieving a podium finish would be profitable enough.

It was an important first step regardless.

---

"Hahaha!" Steady Distance couldn't help but laugh as she watched Shirogane perform her debut winning live on the TV screen, the pale pony's ears never so much as twitching while her tail only shifted to help with her balance. Her kohai wasn't even smiling, instead looking like a smaller and more intense gray Mihono Bourbon; like a terminator instead of a cyborg.

Actually…that fit pretty well.

"Mou…why is Shiro-nee unhappy?" little Azuki wondered, her tail swishing anxiously. "Didn't she just win?"

The ice cream sisters and Steady had sort of thrown together an impromptu watch party when Shirogane had sprung the news on them (she totally would have gone if she'd had a bit more notice!), and Steady had the best TV, so it ended up being at her home.

"I don't think she's unhappy Dai Chibi," Steady snorted, her ears wiggling with amusement. "Just super focused." It was quite funny watching how uncanny her inexpressive junior looked on stage, even more so when the camera panned to parts of the audience, where a number of in person watchers looked genuinely unnerved.

"She looks pretty happy," Taro observed, tilting her head slightly. "Well, maybe more satisfied? I guess even Shirogane's going to be riding kind of high after winning her debut race."

"Wanna bet it's because of the money?" And there was Matcha, a sly grin on her face as she eyed her sisters gleefully.

"Ain't taking that bet, chibi."

"Aww…"

"How much did she win, sis?"

"Debut or maiden races usually give five or six million yen for first place," Steady answered absently, mostly focusing on the screen as Shirogane received her accolades. "Though I gotta say, didn't expect her to go front runner…but now that I think about it it makes a ton of sense."

"What do you mean? She always ran ahead of us?"

"That's 'cause you big lumps are slow, Taro!"

"You mean we aren't wimps who have no stamina like you lot?"

"Shh! I'm trying to listen!" Azuki hushed, ears tilted towards the television as Shirogane gave a short spiel about thanking her friends and family for their support. "Shiro-nee is so cool!"

"Yeah…always told her she'd be no slouch on the track." Steady laughed, shaking her head as she remembered how skeptical her junior was of her chances. "And now look at her! …Though knowing Shiro she'd probably still wave it off since it isn't a big name race." It wasn't as if the vast majority of runners never even participated in graded races, let alone win. Some never won any official races at all!

"I mean…" Taro trailed off, ear twitching, before continuing on again. "She'd kind of have a point? You're faster than her, and you mostly don't compete on the national level…"

"Yeah, sure, but Shiro-chan's got guts like I've never seen elsewhere." Steady leaned back in her chair, tail swishing thoughtfully through the tail cutout as she laced her fingers together behind her head. "I can't say you're wrong, but I'd bet she can pull off a win at a G1 if she really put her heart into it." Especially if it was against a bunch of noobs who weren't expecting her intensity.

"Shiro-nee could definitely win!" Azuki cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "Especially if we go cheer her on!"

"We could have done that today, if she hadn't just dropped the news this morning when I asked if she was in town." Steady Distance let out a huff. It had been so inconsiderate!

The buzzing of her phone in her pocket pulled away her attention, and she retrieved it, eyes lighting up as she saw who was calling.

"Trainer-kun!"

This weekend was looking better and better!

---

"Waa…" Special Week clenched her hands excitedly as the TV broadcast of Shirogane-chan's debut race ended. "That was so cool! She ran like the ground wasn't even wet!" Her ears flicked with determination as she resolved herself to train even more, so she would be as ready when her debut race came.

"Hmm…" next to her on the couch, Silence Suzaka made a thoughtful sound, one hand curled up under her chin. "So Trainer-san told her to run in the front like that…I guess it makes sense. She has a lot of stamina."

"Do you think she trained by running in the rain?" Special Week wondered, turning to her roommate curiously. "You're Shirogane-san's running partner, right, Suzuka-san? Do you know if she did wet training?"

"Ano…I don't know?" Her senpai looked sheepish, ears folding down slightly. "We usually don't actually talk very much when running."

"Hm? Are you two watching a race?"

Special Week turned to see Tsurumaru-san trudging into the lounge area of their dormitory, her shoes and tracksuit covered in mud while her breath came heavily, her posture slumped over in fatigue.

"Tsuyoshi-san?"

"Eh?! You went running on the track when it was that muddy?!"

"Yeah, the gym was too crowded," Tsurumaru-san grumbled, shaking her head and tail, sending some water droplets flying through the air. "But I need to train harder if I want to get a trainer in the next tryouts."

That was coming up soon, and Special Week felt a shiver of both dread and anticipation at the reminder.

"But anyways, what was the race you were watching–eh?!" the soggy uma's eyes widened in shock, and Special Week spun around to see Shirogane-san's picture on the TV as some commentators talked about her performance. "S-She debuted already?!"

"Hmm…you didn't know?" Suzuka-san wondered, looking surprised. "Don't you have the same homeroom?"

"Yeah…but…"

"Um…I didn't know either," Special Week pointed out. "I only learned about it when you mentioned you wanted to watch it."

"Damn! I am way behind," Tsurumaru-san hissed, clenching her fists in frustration. "I don't even have a trainer yet, so I've got to train harder!" Her eyes blazed with a sudden burst of passion which straightened her spine, and she turned around, ready to head back outside.

"Woah there, pony-chan!"

She was intercepted by a slightly wet looking Fuji Kiseki, the dorm leader having just made her own way back into the building.

"Kiseki-san?!" Tsurumaru-san balked, almost tripping over her own feet.

"You look like you've been working hard, pony-chan," the older uma noted, looking her kohai up and down. "From the looks of it you need a shower and a change of clothes, then you gotta hydrate before you go looking for more training. Don't want you catching a cold now, yeah? Probably should get some food too."

Tsurumaru-san paused, thinking it over for a moment, before deflating with a sigh. "You're probably right, senpai."

"Hey, it's my job," Kiseki-san chuckled, patting her on the shoulder. "You got to take care of yourself too."

The brown haired uma nodded, though her ears drooped in disappointment as she headed to her room.

Kiseki-san sighed, running a hand through her short hair, before she glanced over and smiled at Special Week and Silence Suzuka. "Sorry about that, you two. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Eh? It was not a problem," Suzuka-san replied, turning from the TV, blinking as if she hadn't been paying attention.

"Thank you for looking out for us," Special Week added quickly, nodding apologetically.

"It's what I'm here for," their senpai returned with a grin. "What were you two watching?"

"Shirogane-san's debut race! She won!"

"She did, huh?" Kiseki-san's ear flicked as she looked at the screen, which was now listing the times for the race. "Not a bad time for Nakayama, especially on wet turf."

"Hmm!" Special Week nodded enthusiastically. "Shirogane-san had the lead the whole time too!"

"Ah, so she went with Toujou-san's advice then?" Kiseki-san's grin widened slightly. "Gotta say, I envy that pony's legs a bit."

"Huh?" What did that mean? Was there something special about Shirogane-san's legs? Special Week didn't really pay attention to other people's legs very much.

"Ah, don't mind me." Their dorm leader shrugged, brushing off her confusion. "Good to see the new class getting their feet wet, so to speak." She grinned at Special Week. "Just remember to try your best when it's your turn to debut, 'kay?"

"Yes!" She didn't have a trainer yet, but Special Week wouldn't let that stop her!

---

AN. Apologies it took this long to get this out. It was a very busy couple of months, and I got a bit sick one week too. Shirogane has won her debut race, and is now officially making money! She doesn't really realize it, but she's technically the first in her year to debut, which might end up creating a bit of friction she wasn't expecting, because as much as she doesn't see herself as a top tier racer, her classmates do see her as quite significant competition.

 

[Lyrista]

Shirogane inflaming competitive spirit from her peers by getting to go first is going to cause some awkward chaos indeed. Still good for her for winning her debut, but now the true grind begins.

 

[GarfRed]

So Front Runner A and Pase Chaser A. With already maybe a green skill in wet conditions. Stamina or Guts with Wit as bonuses.

Would like to see Shirogane do a G1 with Suzuka and them just purely running with the Runaway tactic.

 

[Lyrista]

She's definitely A rank in Pace Chaser, but she might be more of a B in Front runner. She's got the stamina for it, but her velocity and top speed doesn't seem to be the needed level to dominate as a Front Runner.

Sure she can manage it against lower tier gate fillers that you'd see in a debut race, but against her Tracen Peers, it likely wouldn't go so well.

I could see her having Wet Conditions O at least.

 

[Worldsoul]

Huh. Surprised she won, but at the same time, it makes sense. She's pretty good in rough conditions and specifically trained for slopes.

 

[SiegfriedisPower]

Tanya probably the first uma to generate the uncanny valley effect for a lot of people.

 

[Greymatter02]

Another fantastic chapter!
And yeah, makes sense that the audience would be unnerved by Shirogane's performance.

 

[Cadmus von Eizenbern]

Robo-Shirogane is going to be a hit, lol. With how passionate most other performances are, her's will be different and interesting... and probably a source of a bunch of memes XD

The race was really nice. I didn't expect her to struggle because of her specialty, training and racetrack choice but OP still made it interesting. Poor umas, tried so hard, amd got so far, and in the end it didn't even matter...

 

[HoxShorelight]

Yay she is back
Wait Shirogane is wearing her track suit in this race right not her official racing outfit
Let hope those accident doesn't happen every time Shirogane race

 

[Ivs]

Curious for an omake of players views/reactions if Shirogane being added to the game. X3

 

[Cataquack Warrior]

What did it matter that her grades weren't impressive? She was training to be a runner and an idol, not a clerk!

Click to shrink...

Ah, the bittersweet irony; if only she knew what Shiro's dream job would be.

Actually, this gives me an idea for an omake. Suppose that for a school assignment, the trainees need to interview a retired racer and present a report. Most of the time, students focus on famous racers from the prior generation, but Shiro centers on someone else entirely: someone who has been successful in a field she actually values.

Technically a retired racer, she had a couple decent successes early on, but couldn't keep up with her competitors and quickly burned out, and had to give up racing entirely. She now works in an entirely different industry (science, fashion, communications, business, food, etc.), and has actually been quite successful, but I imagine she feels embarrassed at only being good at things outside the racetrack, and is pretty bitter about her racing days. But Shiro, who views racing as just a temporary thing and doesn't care about it that much, genuinely admires the "washout" uma's business success, and believes that interviewing her will be a more valuable learning experience.

The contrast in views - an older, bitter retiree who considers her achievements as not worth what she lost in failing to race, and a young prodigy who underestimates her own racing potential and cares more for things outside racing - would be a really volatile and fascinating dynamic to explore. Any thoughts on the concept? Please feel free to run with it if you want.

 

[Herofox]

Shirogane's fundamentals really showing here, with a rough track to boot.

I can see her peers seeing Shirogane as the pace they need to follow if they want to beat her, which would be a huge hurdle to follow.

 

[MadCat]

And more importantly, winning a substantial amount of money, the thought of which would have brought a smile to her face if not for her dance teacher's instructions not to.

Click to shrink...

She's gonna slip up and SMILE after winning a G1 with a fat prize pool, traumatizing the entire nation at once. Heh~

 

[Miriallia]

Huzzah! The curse of The Pale Horse strikes again! And yeah, for those at the lice, it was probably the most uncanny thing ever, I can imagine Toujou's brows twitching in how she'll struggle to attract fans (They're important as an entry requirement for some higher tier races I think?)

 

[Lyrista]

Infamy can be it's own draw if traditional fan gathering isn't Shirogane's style. Fans love to see a "Villain" in competitive sports and either want to see the Villain continue to dominate or be defeated in a climatic battle against a "Hero". Either way it'll draw fans.

 

[HereForWhy]

Excellent, I always look forward to this story updating. Also, all the leg foreshadowing for Spe, going with Spica are we?

 

[Herofox]

Excellent, I always look forward to this story updating. Also, all the leg foreshadowing for Spe, going with Spica are we?

Click to shrink...

Honestly, Spe training with Shirogane could teach her a lot.

Spe menacing her peers after training with Shirogane would be very funny.

 

[Honoa51]

New chapter! And victory for Shirogane!

She trained hard and simply raced. Seems everyone else just got caught lacking.

Corona Muralis honours for her. Hardly even stressed sprinting the whole way up and down mud, turns, and crushing poor Katsumi.

The intimidation aura is intense too, but I'm glad to see Shirogane's not being misunderstood by her friends and family like in her previous lives. It warms my heart