The afternoon sun slowly tilted westward, and before long, it was already late afternoon.
On the training grounds…
Wuyou and Chihaya Representative were still running through the day's ankle-strengthening course.
Even though plenty of people already knew why she was doing it, there were still many who watched Chihaya's training with great interest.
At the same time, with Wuyou's permission, quite a few Uma Musume were also training nearby—leaving the instructors responsible for them wearing helpless expressions, yet unable to say much.
After all, Wuyou's ability far surpassed theirs.
"Yuu, how long is this training going to last?" Chihaya asked as she did a set of gentle stretches.
Even if the program was novel and clearly effective, repeating it over and over still bred fatigue.
Only after giving a few simple pointers to the Uma Musume training in the distance did Wuyou answer, voice warm:
"About a week. This isn't just basic training—it's closer to helping you master a 'skill.'"
"A skill?" The unfamiliar term instantly lit up Chihaya's curiosity.
Wuyou rubbed his chin, thinking about how to explain.
"Actually, every Uma Musume has innate skills."
"Huh? Even me?"
"Mm-hm."
Chihaya immediately hopped in front of him and sat cross-legged, leaning in with bright-eyed interest.
"But I don't even know what mine is."
Wuyou smiled.
"When you run mid-to-long distances—near the final phase, if you're positioned in the back—your speed increases noticeably. And the farther you are from the leader, the bigger that speed boost becomes."
Chihaya tilted her head, recalling her past races.
And… it really did match what Wuyou described.
But she'd never understood why she accelerated under those conditions.
"You don't remember it happening consciously, do you?" Wuyou asked, catching her expression immediately.
"…Yeah. So what is it, exactly?"
Since she couldn't reason it out, she simply handed the problem to her external brain and asked directly.
"Instinct."
Wuyou explained, "In simple terms, you can think of it as a blessing from the Three Goddesses—an ability engraved into your DNA the moment you were born. Like breathing."
"I see…" Chihaya nodded slowly. "That's why I don't have to think. My body just does it."
Then she suddenly realized something and snapped her gaze to him.
"Wait—so if I train this properly… I won't need to consciously 'activate' it either?!"
"Exactly." Wuyou nodded. "Once a skill is mastered, it becomes part of your strength. In key moments, it can even trigger automatically."
"So these past few days of repetitive drills might look boring, but they're laying the foundation—building physical memory into your body."
And Wuyou wasn't making things up.
As a fairy, he had a special ability—
He could sense the skills inside an Uma Musume.
Their effects varied wildly: acceleration, stamina recovery, positioning advantages… even disrupting other racers.
Depending on the effect, skills were categorized by different colors and types.
Yellow: buffs like acceleration
Blue: recovery skills that restore stamina
Red: debuffs that interfere with other racers
And when a skill's effect reached a certain strength, it could "evolve" from white into a stronger, more powerful gold.
Most Uma Musume were born with some skills, but the majority were white.
Only truly gifted Uma Musume—like Chihaya—were born already carrying a gold skill.
The final-phase acceleration Wuyou mentioned was exactly that.
Plenty of Uma Musume could produce something similar after training.
But that still wasn't "skill-level."
They were just following advice during training—then thinking consciously during the race before they could execute.
A true skill was different.
A true skill was something your body could do by instinct, without thought.
What Wuyou was doing now was carving muscle memory into Chihaya.
Once she fully mastered ankle-driven acceleration, she'd truly gain a new skill.
Among trainers, the number of people capable of achieving that was extremely small.
By the time Wuyou finished explaining, Chihaya's eyes were glittering.
This "game-like" training method hit her right in the heart—she loved it.
And she understood clearly: trainers who could do this were rare.
And Wuyou, by sheer luck, was one of them.
Wuyou didn't notice her inner excitement yet—he was already mapping out the next stages.
"The next phase will gradually introduce more variation."
"We'll transition from simple ankle stability drills into short-burst explosive movement, simulated cornering and turning… so you can use this 'skill' smoothly under dynamic conditions too."
"Heh… heh heh heh~"
But as he spoke, Chihaya couldn't help laughing. She hugged her knees and rocked back and forth like a roly-poly.
"What is it? Why are you so happy?" Wuyou asked.
"Nothing~ It just feels like having you as my trainer is really the best~"
"Even if you praise me like that," Wuyou teased, "I'm not going easy on you."
While they were focused on their discussion, several nearby Uma Musume kept glancing over.
Watching Wuyou guide Chihaya with such patience—watching how naturally close the two of them were—some whispered in envy.
"That's so nice… Trainer Wuyou is so capable, and he's so careful too."
"Yeah… I don't even know who I'm more jealous of."
A few lively Uma Musume couldn't hold back. During a break, they trotted over with smiles and greeted Wuyou.
"Trainer, could you also guide our form a bit?"
"We didn't fully understand that stretching method just now…"
Wuyou politely turned his head toward them, about to respond—
But Chihaya suddenly stepped forward.
Her arm lifted lightly—seemingly casual—yet she placed herself between Wuyou and the others.
"Yuu is adjusting my training plan right now~" Chihaya said brightly, her smile dazzling—yet her tone carried a faint, stubborn edge.
"As for everyone's questions… why not ask your instructors first? Right, Yuu?"
She turned her head toward Wuyou, eyes holding a hint of urging—and a quiet, possessive insistence.
Wuyou paused for a fraction of a second, then understood. He chuckled softly and gave the others an apologetic nod.
"Sorry. Chihaya's session still needs a bit more time. Let's talk later."
With that, he naturally followed the gentle pull of Chihaya's guiding hand and turned, walking toward the other side of the training ground.
Chihaya looked back and blinked at the group—an expression that clearly said, "He's my trainer." Then she quickly followed after Wuyou.
The Uma Musume left behind stared at each other.
Someone sighed. "Chihaya really doesn't leave anyone even the tiniest chance…"
And as Chihaya walked away, the tips of her ears flushed red.
But she still muttered under her breath:
"Yuu is my trainer… you can't just surround him whenever you want."
....
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