"A mock race with two Winning Outfits as the wager... Guess that's Maruzensky for you, isn't it? Even after retiring, you can still come up with something like this."
A few days after the mock race was decided, the Student Council finally received the details regarding the race proposed by Maruzensky.
It wasn't a difficult matter; it was just a simple mock race after all. All that was needed of them was to simply approve it, and Symboli Rudolf found no reason to not do so.
Not only that, the rules of this mock race were also quite interesting too.
"... Mounted duel? Senior Maruzensky, which Shounen Jump manga did you get this idea from? It's surprisingly novel."
"That's so mean, Rudolf! I came up with this idea carefully all on my own, you know! I poured all of my passion into it. Doesn't it have a very 'supercar'-like vibe to it~?"
In front of Symboli Rudolf, Maruzensky showed not even a smidgen of the bearing of a senior, pouting and saying unhappily,
"And don't you think it'll make things super interesting?"
"I suppose so... sigh, just describing it already makes my head ache."
Symboli Rudolf also didn't shy away from expressing her annoyance at Maruzensky's rather spontaneous behaviour.
Perhaps it was because she knew she would be able to retire in a few years, but the current Symboli Rudolf had indeed begun to be more lax and show more of her true nature.
"There are two roles, the 'Uma' and the 'Jockey.' The Uma acts as a regular Uma Musume, running in the race, while the Jockey is responsible for guiding the Uma, both having to act as a pair."
"The main point is that the Jockey must 'ride' the Uma, as in, sit on the Uma Musume's shoulders. If the Jockey falls off their Uma at any point in the race, it would automatically count as a loss for the violator."
"Seriously, Senior Maruzensky, how did you even come up with such rules in the first place?"
"Hehe~ that's all thanks to my lovely student. I based it on his unique training method... and I think it's quite effective."
And as soon as this was mentioned, a proud expression involuntarily appeared on Maruzensky's face as she spoke in a haughty tone.
"I want to take this opportunity to try and make this training method popular in Tracen. It can even double as a bonding exercise for Trainers and their Uma Musume~"
"Please spare us. Tracen Academy already has too few Trainers from an excess of bonding. Let's not cause the number of Trainers to dwindle even further."
Symboli Rudolf began to rub the bridge of her nose when she thought about this.
The Uma Musume of Tracen Academy were all children in the sensitive period of adolescence, and the Trainers, though they could be responsible for several of them, had close interactions with them for three whole years.
This wasn't like having a teacher in a classroom of thirty or forty people; it was almost a one-on-one relationship where both parties provided mutual support.
In this type of situation, for a youthful Uma Musume and a person who wholeheartedly supported them to be in close proximity for three years, it was quite normal for some feelings to blossom between them, was it not?
If they were of the same gender, such occurrences would be less frequent, but the problem was that the number of female Trainers was pitifully small.
Among Central-level Trainers, male Trainers accounted for about eighty percent of them.
Moreover, the unfortunate fact for Tracen Academy was that love knows no gender; even if you were a woman, you're still not completely safe from becoming an Uma Musume's target.
And what kind of Uma Musume are in Tracen Academy?
Well, though there are a few students who were just there for general studies, most of them run in races.
Even if a majority of them couldn't make it to the GI stage, most of them could still win GIII and GII races, which is already considered way above those in the local circuits.
As such, these Uma Musume generally had their own pride, and deep down, in even the seemingly most reserved Uma Musume, the Trainers that they have decided to train under would already be considered by them as their 'private property.'
Therefore, every graduation season, it was almost guaranteed that a few Trainers would simultaneously retire with their Uma Musume to return to their hometowns and marry with the prize money they earned.
There have even been several instances where Trainers had to get sent to the hospital during graduation season because several Uma Musume fought over them, leading to absolute carnage.
It was also because of this that Tracen Academy's graduation season has always been jokingly referred to as "Trainer Hunting Season."
Every year, while one batch of Uma Musume graduates, several excellent Trainers would also 'graduate' alongside them, leading to a constant shortage of faculty at Tracen Academy.
If it wasn't for the fact that a decent amount of Uma Musume usually choose to become Trainers after retirement, the Academy would probably have been incapable of sustaining such an insane rate of Trainer consumption long ago.
"Furthermore, it's certain that this training method will attract controversy. If this kind of training method were to be publicized, it could very likely cause unnecessary trouble."
"For example, the Uma Musume Rights Protection Association... Senior, I shouldn't need to remind you, should I?"
The Uma Musume Rights Protection Association (UMRPA) had only a single objective: to ensure that Uma Musume have the same rights as humans.
The UMRPA was quite old, established back in the '80s to prevent the exploitation and discrimination of Uma Musume and to allow them to enjoy the same treatment as humans.
Racism towards Uma Musume back then was truly horrendous; it was to the point that it was considered institutional discrimination, disallowing education, opportunities in sectors other than hard labour, and many, many more disgusting things; they were basically considered slaves.
It was largely thanks to the efforts by the UMRPA that this had changed, giving them incredible power and authority despite not having received any official recognition.
However, in today's day and age, racism against Uma Musume was basically non-existent, leading to the decline of the UMRPA's authority.
And with the change in authority in the organization as the years passed, most of the kind-hearted souls that originally made up the organization had been replaced with money and power hungry individuals that would do anything to make themselves relevant again, making them quite a considerable nuisance.
Symboli Rudolf certainly didn't want Tracen to be at the receiving end of a smear campaign just because of something as silly as humans riding on Uma Musume.
"But what if an Uma Musume rides on an Uma Musume? Then there's no problem, right?"
Maruzensky had clearly already thought her idea thoroughly.
Although this Senior usually seems carefree and childish, she was very reliable in important matters, leaving no hidden dangers.
"I've already found a suitable candidate for the Jockey role. Let that child I told you about join my dear student's team. As for my Jockey, I just need to find a 'hanger-on~'"
"A hanger-on...? It seems you're quite confident, Senior."
Symboli Rudolf was quite helpless but still wrote her signature and chopped the proposal, handing it back to Maruzensky.
"I approve. So good luck on your preparations. I hope you exercise some restraint. That child is about to challenge the Classic Triple Crowns; it won't be good if she got too affected."
"Hehe, that might not necessarily be true, Rudolf."
Maruzensky smiled slightly, but this time, her smile seemed to be tinged with a bit of fighting spirit.
It was the competitiveness that an Uma Musume would inevitably possess, and when Maruzensky showed such a smile, both Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove felt a sense of pressure.
It wasn't until Maruzensky left that Air Groove brought a cup of coffee to Symboli Rudolf's side, slowly asking,
"...President, is it really okay? Orfevre has recently managed to break free from her struggles and touch up on her talent. If we punch her down at this, will it backfire?"
"The Classic Triple Crown is fast approaching. If she suffers a blow too big this time, it will be quite detrimental to her future race schedule."
"—A gem unpolished can't be used for anything. If Orfevre's talent is only what she has shown so far, then having expectations of her becoming the next Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume would be overestimating her."
Symboli Rudolf, however, seemed to be in agreement with Maruzensky's actions.
She picked up a few lists in front of her and showed them to Air Groove.
"Air Groove, look at this. These are the standout Uma Musume who will be entering their Classic Year this year. Among them, are any of them considered inferior to the current Orfevre?"
"Special Week, Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower... they are all Tracen's up-and-coming racers. And in the Senior division, there is Mejiro McQueen, Silence Suzuka, El Condor Pasa, and Grass Wonder."
"Each one of them is fully capable of winning GIs. Tell me, Air Groove, if Orfevre was not facing weaker opponents, but those of similar strength, do you believe she can still display such powerful dominance?"
"...Strictly speaking, she is very much like you, President."
Air Groove, hearing this, did not answer the question directly, instead saying:
"You are both Uma Musume who win by abusing your powerful Aura."
"No, that's not entirely it, Air Groove."
Symboli Rudolf shook her head upon hearing this and said very solemnly:
"If I really didn't misjudge her, it would be a disservice to merely confine her to the limits of Aura. Orfevre still has many untapped talents."
"The Golden Tyrant has yet to fully awaken. To unleash the wild beast within her heart, a truly powerful stimulation would be required."
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Whole ass history lesson in the horse girl fanfic
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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.