While Mei spoke with the racecourse staff, Chiya stamped his foot hard against the track.
Just like the ground at Paris Tracen, the turf here was thick and heavy. Every step sank in with a dull weight.
"Can I test the track a little?" Chiya asked Mei to check with the staff.
The other party nodded.
Chiya took a deep breath, then started running under the staff member's stunned gaze, their eyes looking as if they might pop right out from behind their glasses.
The outermost lap of Longchamp's NP course could reach four thousand metres. As Chiya ran, he realized that while the track looked flat from a distance, there was actually a slight incline. It was probably less than two percent, but it continued for more than four hundred metres. Calculated that way, the total climb at the end reached an astonishing eight metres.
It was not obvious while running, but at the point where the tracks split, the height difference became clear.
Once he understood that, Chiya grew excited.
An idea had already formed in his mind.
As one of France's most historic racecourses, Longchamp's track layout was extremely complex. Setting aside the routes they would not use during this European trip, if he calculated based on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, there were at least three points where the tracks intersected or branched.
As Chiya looked over the course, he began calculating.
Not far away, Mei called out to him.
"Chiya, I've finished talking with them. On weekdays, you can bring your uma musume here to train. You just need to submit an application in advance. I'll handle that part."
"Really!?"
If that was the case, Chiya could let them adapt to the course early.
When uma musume came to an unfamiliar racetrack, they often misjudged distance. That would affect their timing when deciding when to accelerate. Being able to adapt to the course in advance would greatly reduce the chance of mistakes.
Today really was full of good news.
"Also, the staff member just now wanted to ask whether you'd be interested in joining Longchamp's next exhibition event."
"What kind of exhibition event?"
"Every year before the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the operating group here holds an uma musume event. Spectators can interact with the uma musume up close, watch them train, and take photos with them. Of course, there are races too. They don't count toward official wins, but they do help build popularity."
"And what am I supposed to do there? Don't tell me I'm racing too."
"That's right. They think a male uma musume is very novel and would definitely attract attention."
"Hah? I'm not going to risk my life racing uma musume just to give people something fresh to look at. What do they think I am? Am I the kind of person who casually joins races for no reason?"
"He said they'll pay one hundred euros per race."
"…"
"There are several races. As long as you're willing to run, it's one hundred euros each time, win or lose."
Chiya swallowed.
He fell silent for a while.
"Well, honestly, money isn't the important part. What matters is that I want to challenge myself and see what level I'm at compared with uma musume. And since we came all the way to Paris, it'd be a waste not to join some local activity, right? I also want to make friends with everyone. Tell them it's settled. How many races are there that day? I'll run every one of them."
"Okay, I'll tell them that."
"Hurry up and tell them."
Chiya calculated in his head. One race would take three minutes at most. One hundred euros was roughly seventeen thousand yen, far higher than an hourly wage in Japan.
He never expected his unusual body to become useful in Paris like this.
Opportunities like this did not fall from the sky often. He was definitely going to fleece Longchamp Racecourse for all it was worth, then buy plenty of souvenirs to bring home.
And so, Chiya decided that as long as he did not die running, he would run as much as he could. His own body was not competing in an official race anyway, so even if he exhausted himself, it would not matter.
"Do you want to look around anywhere else?" Mei asked.
"Do you know if there's a women's underwear store nearby?"
"I do, but… is it for you?"
Mei looked him up and down in surprise.
"Why is that where your mind went? I just want to tell my uma musume."
"I see." Satake Mei laughed awkwardly. "That said, Chiya, you really are close with your uma musume. If this were here, talking to an uma musume about underwear would already be enough to get sued."
"It's that serious?"
"I saw quite a few trainers get sued by uma musume when I was a student. They claimed the trainer approached them with improper intentions. So here, uma musume and trainers usually keep strict boundaries. If a trainer touches an uma musume without permission, they lose points. In serious cases, they can even be suspended."
Chiya swallowed.
Thinking back on everything he had done with his uma musume at Tracen, it was probably enough to get him fired ten thousand times over.
"Of course, if the uma musume gives permission, then the situation is completely different," Mei continued. "Uma musume are very sensitive. Building a good relationship with them and earning their trust isn't easy. So here, being close with uma musume is considered a sign of a trainer's ability. I think you've done very well in that area."
Why did she suddenly start praising me?
Doesn't she know I get carried away the moment someone praises me?
"After all, my dream is to get along well with uma musume."
Chiya wiped his nose, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably.
"In that case, Chiya, do you think you can recruit a few students who might be willing to study abroad in Japan?"
Chiya froze.
"…What?"
"Promote our Tracen a little and encourage uma musume to study there. To be honest, participating in the Arc is only one part of the project. Another part is using this chance to advertise Tracen and bring in fresh international talent. Paris Tracen has uma musume from many different countries, but over in Japan, foreign uma musume are still extremely rare."
The more internationally influential an academy was, the more students it attracted from different countries.
"I hope that through your efforts, more students will come to know our academy. What you did yesterday was very good. Your running caught the attention of several uma musume researchers, and they asked me about you. That can increase the chances of academic exchange between the two academies, which would help Tracen greatly. I'm sure Yayoi would be happy if she knew."
"That responsibility is way too heavy. I can't carry something like that."
He was just a small-time trainer. How could he possibly become a bridge of communication between two academies?
"You can do it. I believe in you."
"That trust of yours is way too cheap…"
"It doesn't need to be complicated. Just do the same things here that you did with your uma musume back at Tracen. Once you attract enough attention, I'll handle the negotiations."
"What exactly did I do with my uma musume…"
He just ran with them, patted their heads, massaged their feet, kissed them a little, and occasionally slept with them.
Was there anything special about that?
Satake Mei looked at him with an extremely complicated expression.
"In short, just stay the way you are. Leave the rest to me."