What was Imanami's impression of Yutaka Take? Being successful at a young age, considered as a genius Jockey—these didn't particularly matter to Imanami.
After all, how many Jockeys who can enter the JRA are truly mediocre? Mediocre and genius are merely fancy titles; for Jockeys in the JRA, none of them were truly weak.
But what left the deepest impression on Imanami about Yutaka Take to this day was an incident that happened in 1998.
It was November 1, 1998. During this time, the future so-called "Golden Generation" had yet to fully establish their dominance. On that day, a Racehorse Yutaka Take rode called Silence Suzuka tragically fell.
Imanami, as a Stableman, wasn't as old then as he is now, and Silence Suzuka wasn't a Racehorse he cared for. But when he heard the news, he still felt downcasted for a long time, showing considerable sadness.
The fall of this Racehorse, famous for his Runaway running style, was undoubtedly a huge blow to the then-young Yutaka Take. He was still full of youthful vigor and had never experienced a Racehorse falling like that under his ride.
He even drank through the entire night that day to drown his sorrows and grieved. Later, this emotional knot was largely untied when he rode Special Week to win the Tenno Sho (Autumn), but Imanami never forgot this incident.
The sudden fall of a horse under one's care is something difficult for any Stableman to accept. Even an old Stableman like Imanami couldn't imagine what kind of intense reaction he would have if one of the little ones under his care were to sleep forever on the track.
Especially after coming to this world, Imanami realized even more clearly that these children called Uma Musume are each endowed with an innate instinct "to run." Each of them gallops on the racetrack for this mission, this calling.
Therefore, he found it even painful to imagine these children falling on the track, or never being able to walk again, condemned to a life tormented by stillness.
Now, facing the person who was presumably this world's "Yutaka Take," who has only taken in Super Creek at this point in time, he felt that it was necessary to set her on the right path before she becomes a member of their team.
"Glory... is the goal that an Uma Musume pursues. As Trainers, we should strive to help Uma Musume achieve their goals and realize their ideals."
Trainer Nase Fumino answered almost instinctively, but for some reason, she felt a strange sense of guilt in her heart, which made Fumino a little afraid to look Imanami directly in the eyes. Even her voice lacked confidence, though she didn't know why.
"That's right, but that's just one of the responsibilities we as Trainers have." Imanami nodded upon hearing this.
Yet, the current atmosphere now felt peculiar, as if their grandparents were speaking, imparting their life experience.
Although Imanami looked younger now, his patient habits and rich experience gave him the air of an elder. Whether it was Wada and Gold Ship, who were already respectful of Imanami, or Super Creek and Fumino Nase, who just met him for the first time, they all fell silent as they listened to Imanami's words.
"A Trainer, though it may seem to represent a single occupation, in actuality, it's actually three."
'Three?' As soon as Imanami said this, everyone around instinctively thought to themselves, while only Wada nodded with deep understanding.
"Yes, three jobs," Imanami said, nodding. "One of them is what you said: helping an Uma Musume achieve their goals and realize their ideals. That's the first."
"Another is the prerequisite for the first one, which is to train your Uma Musume, training their judgment, training their bodies, and thereby teaching them how to win races. That's another one."
"And the last and most important one is to care for your Uma Musume, not only with your brains, but also your heart. What is she feeling today? What kind of hobbies do they have? What kind of foods do they like to eat? Is she overexerting herself?"
"These are merely some examples of what a Trainer needs to pay attention to."
"These three jobs combined ultimately become the profession everyone knows as a 'Trainer.' Thus, the duties and responsibilities represented by this profession are more significant than any other in this world."
"Uma Musume are not animals; they have emotions, wishes, and worries. Though they might express their pain and fatigue during their training—most of them won't speak up about these kinds of things."
"I believe that even Super Creek must sometimes feel tired, right?" As Imanami spoke, he suddenly turned his gaze to Super Creek, who was listening intently nearby, and asked with a smile:
"So, Super Creek, when you feel tired, have you ever told your Trainer about it?"
"Well, that... I..."
However, Super Creek, suddenly asked this question by Imanami, suddenly had a somewhat wavering gaze. Fumino Nase, on the other hand, was slightly taken aback and slowly asked,
"Super Creek, you... do you really find my training schedule too taxing? But you never mentioned it to me? Why? If you had told me, I could have adjusted your training schedule right then..."
"...Because I didn't want to trouble you, Trainer."
Super Creek, hearing this, knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She immediately looked at her Trainer with a gentle smile and said softly,
"I trust you, Trainer, and of course I trust your judgment. Therefore, I take all the training you propose seriously. If I'm tired, a day of rest tomorrow will make it better. There's one day off every week, so it's fine as long as I rest properly."
"Exactly," Imanami said, nodding gently at the sight. He then turned his gaze to Nase Fumino and continued to ask:
"So now, Trainer Nase, why do you think Super Creek didn't tell you her fatigue?"
"...Her trust in me?"
"That's right."
Upon hearing Fumino's answer, Imanami nodded with considerable satisfaction, feeling that this girl can understand others very well, or at the very least, understood the lessons he taught more quickly than those two cement blocks in his team.
"The relationship between an Uma Musume and her Trainer, at its most primal level, requires mutual trust, but this trust often drives both the Uma Musume and the Trainer to push themselves to do things beyond their capabilities."
"If a Trainer overexerts himself, at most they'll get seriously ill. But if an Uma Musume overexerts herself and ends her career right there, then is that not a dereliction of duty on the Trainer's part?"
"That's..."
Fumino looked into Imanami's eyes, speechless for a long time. She subconsciously glanced at Super Creek, who was smiling gently beside her, and for some reason, a sudden feeling of trepidation arose in her heart.
Especially now that Super Creek had admitted that she had indeed pushed herself during training, Fumino felt even more afraid. She couldn't imagine how she could continue on if Super Creek had collapsed in front of her back then.
Her bond with Super Creek was irreplaceable; a situation like that happening to her was simply unthinkable for Fumino Nase.
Recalling it now, she felt waves of lingering fear. Imanami also noticed the change in Fumino's expression and finally spoke:
"So, simply establishing a relationship of trust with Uma Musume is not enough. This is also why I value Wada and Ikezoe so much, because like me, we all care for our in-charge Uma Musume as if they were our own family."
"Only when we treat each other like family can we truly trust each other and not hide our difficulties and fatigue. Wada, this rascal, may be a little lacking in knowledge, but the bond he has with his Uma Musume, I believe, is the most essential thing for a Trainer to have—that is, absolute trust."
"So, before joining our family, Trainer Nase Fumino, I ask you, do you intend to treat these Uma Musume, all of them, as family?"
Imanami said this, and his words made Nase Fumino pause slightly. After a long while, the Trainer, hailed as a prodigy, was seen bowing respectfully to Imanami and said with heartfelt conviction:
"I have learned a lot, Imanami-senpai. I now understand where the gap between me and everyone in this Team lies."
"I will accept Trainer Wada's request to be his assistant, simply so that I can also learn more of what I lack within this Team."
"...That's good then."
Imanami nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this. At this moment, behind Fumino Nase, Meisho Doto, who was beside Wada, finally spoke after watching the whole scene unfold:
"Um... isn't our Trainer the one that was supposed to be assessed? Why—Wuwuwuwuwuwu!"
"Meisho Doto, I barely escaped a calamity; don't push me under the bus just after I escaped it!"
Wada quickly used the cat plushie that Meisho Doto loved a lot to cover Meisho Doto's face, stopping her words, lest Fumino Nase hears it and remembers what she was originally supposed to be doing today.
But it must be said, Imanami is indeed a senior. He actually gave Fumino Nase a lesson in reverse, indirectly helping Wada avoid this difficult situation. Not only did he gain an assistant, but one could also say he brought an assistant to the entire team.
Compared to the past clashes with Yutaka Take, Wada now hoped he could work with Fumino Nase as they were now. This, he believed, would be the most effective way for their team to improve.
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Ran out of things to say here.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.