Chapter Text
Hajime brushed his thumb over his new trainer’s badge for what must have been the twentieth time since he put it on barely even two minutes ago. It was such a simple thing, a circular badge with a cleat pointed downward that he had pinned to the collar of his white shirt. Yet at this moment, right now, it was the most alluring thing in the world. So alluring that Hajime felt compelled to brush his thumb over it a twenty-first and then a twenty-second time.
“If you keep rubbing it,” a voice pulled Hajime’s eyes down to the squat old man standing next to him. “The cleat will fade away. All that oil on your fingers will leave you with a pin that says nothing.” The old man adjusted his jacket, where a similar badge was proudly displayed on the left lapel of his navy jacket. Short but wide, the older man stood with confidence and authority, in contrast to Hajime’s own nervous stance that asked the question: Am I really allowed to train here? Really? Really really?
“I know, I know, Ojiisan,” Hajime pulled his hand away, brushing his fingers against his dark blue jeans. “It is just… it is there! I’m wearing it! Me! Somehow, someway, I got it!”
“It is Takashi when we’re working,” The old man corrected him. “And I understand. Somehow, someway, your continued failures at the exam eventually led to a passing mark. Somehow. Someway.”
“Only two failures!” Hajime pushed back, looking back down at Takashi. “Besides, means it only took me about three years! How long did it take you again?”
“There is a difference,” Takashi started to walk into Tracen Academy, with Hajime at his heels to follow. “I waited a long time because I had a family to raise, but passed on my first try. You studied since middle school, and still failed.”
Hajime groaned into his hands, rubbing his face. He knew that any attempted counter against Takashi would just mean his grandfather would attack with something else. The old man always knew just where to hit. Takashi knew exactly how to bring Hajime back down to reality when his head was too far in the clouds or when his ego was getting too large. At the very least, Takashi knew how to keep Hajime from having an ego. Though this attack was only part one of how Takashi worked.
“Then again,” Takashi spoke up again as the two approached the statue of the Three Goddesses, with several horse girls jogging or sprinting past them to get to their classes. “I was a regional trainer. I’m sure that experience helped.”
And there was part two. From “I did better than you” to “But I had this advantage compared to you.” The old man couldn’t just be good nor could he just be bad, there was always a reason for his claims. Which is something Hajime could at least appreciate, in a way. Others with an ego were good just because they were good. Takashi was good because he had a head start, he had experience, he had time.
“And who knows? Maybe you got some natural talent just waiting to come out.” Takashi continued, slapping a hand on Hajime’s shoulder. “Books and lessons and tests can teach you some things, sure. But nothing replaces actual experience on the job. And those with experience will always outclass those who studied.”
“And those with experience can sometimes be too set in their ways when newer, better methods are introduced in a book or a seminar.” Another voice called out, a man older than Hajime but younger than Takashi circled around the Three Goddesses. His dark hair was kept short, and despite the heat he wore a full suit like the weather didn’t bother him at all. There was also a clipboard, which he kept rested on his left forearm, which was hugged close to his body for balancing the stack of papers on it. Like Takashi and Hajime, he also kept a trainer’s pin on himself, but his was on the breast pocket of his jacket.
Hajime bowed to the man, whereas Takashi just huffed in annoyance.
“What you learn from a book or from a seminar, I’ll pick up in time. For free.” Takashi countered the claim.
“By the time you pick it up, everyone else will have done the same. Any advantage you could have drawn from the knowledge evaporates because you hesitated. Or in your case, were too stubborn to unlearn and relearn.” The man cross-countered, tapping fingers against the papers on his clipboard. He closed his eyes, taking a breath. As he breathed out, his eyes opened and the cold expression he was wearing a moment ago melted away to a warm smile.
“Welcome to Tracen, both of you. I admit, I worried that neither of you would manage to get here and join me.” He said, directing his attention to Hajime. “Especially you. You worried your mom sick.”
“I knew this time would be it. I had a feeling,” Hajime answered, rubbing his own pin after glancing down at the man’s pin. “Especially after my dear old man lit a fire under my ass when he said he would give me the boot for failing again.”
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to. Your mother would kill me.” The man answered again, and then raised a finger to clarify. “And just to be clear: Use my name while we’re working. Outside of work, whatever you want. Work? Call me Akito. I don’t want any of the girls to try and be casual with me.”
Hajime answered with a salute, eyes instead looking to a woman in green approaching from behind. Her footsteps were soft, but a quick cough for attention made both Takashi and Akito turn around to her.
“Three generations of the Sasaki family together. How amazing.” The woman in green spoke up, hands folded in front of her. She bowed, then stood tall. “Welcome to the Japan Umamusume Training Center Academy. Or Tracen. I am the secretary to the Chairman. My name is Hayakawa Tazuna.”
Tazuna smiled, looking first at Takashi, then to Hajime, before settling on Akito. “Normally I’d offer a tour, but it seems you two are in good hands already.”
“Even still, would you mind giving the tour? And would you allow me to follow?” Akito asked, adjusting the clipboard on his arm. “I might skip over important details they may need to know.”
“Certainly!” Tazuna beamed, beckoning the three along and starting a tour of the academy as a grandfather, father, and son followed right behind her.
Seiun Sky knew exactly who was approaching her right now. Nishino Flower’s steps were soft, quiet. Fitting for her size. Special Week’s were determined, but also wild in a way that said she was running all over the place looking for her. No, the footsteps were hard, determined, and made by someone that knew all of Seiun’s nap spots by now.
“Honestly!” King Halo called out in complete exasperation. Seiun Sky simply wiggled in her spot, a small little smile on her face as she adjusted herself against the large tree she was using as shade and support for her nap. “Every day we invite you to run with us, and every day I have to come find you! Why say you’ll run with us when you don’t want to?!”
“King-chan is so loud, too loud,” Sky answered, waving a hand lazily in the air. “I just didn’t see the point. Seeing El, Grass, Spe, and King run… not much of a chance for me, is there? Especially against Spe and King.”
“That’s not the point!” King said loudly, and Sky felt her ears twitching. Still too loud. “We invited you to run with us. Are you going to run, or are you going to sleep? Am I just wasting my time when I invite you?!”
With a sigh, Seiun Sky pushed herself up, brushing off her track suit. Finally, she opened her eyes, looking at King’s expression that seemed torn between frustration at Seiun’s antics and upset at Seiun’s apparent wish to avoid her and the others.
“I forgot the time.” Sky answered, hand on her hip as she looked down. King answered at first with just a huff.
“Honestly, you should be thankful this King extended the invite at all! After your last few performances!” King folded her arms across her chest, looking away. “But I am gracious to my subjects. And therefore you are still invited to run with us!”
“Ooooh.” Sky answered, closing her eyes. She made a sure of bowing twice with her hands out. “Ever gracious, King. Hey, how about this? I’ll race ya there.”
With that, Seiun Sky broke into a run that surprised King Halo, considering how different it was compared to the last few practice runs between most of the girls in the “Golden Generation.” King Halo groaned in frustration and broke into a sprint after Seiun Sky, but she was far ahead by the time King Halo regained her senses. Another trick from the Trickster herself.
So Seiun Sky reached the track several seconds ahead of King Halo, waving to El, Grass, and Spe-chan. “Sorry, sorry. Are we still waiting for King?” Sky answered, putting on an act.
“Eh?” Special Week asked, tilting her head to think about it. “But King Halo said she was going to look for you…”
“Oh…” Seiun Sky again pretended like she didn’t know better, giving it a bit of thought before answering first with a shrug. “Maybe she got lost? Or maybe she decided she had to go to the bathroom and take a big-”
“Do not!” King Halo shouted, catching up with sweat falling from her forehead. She bent over, panting for breath with her hands on her knees. As soon as she regained her composure, she pointed an accusing finger straight at Seiun Sky’s face. “Do not finish that sentence! Do not finish that thought! Do not degrade this King with that line of thought!”
“Ah-ha!” Seiun Sky answered, a hand on her cheek as she waved a hand in front of King Halo to ‘generously’ push wind in her direction. “Guess it wasn’t so big after all.”
King Halo launched into various words and combinations of words to express what was surely just a slight displeasure in the accusations Seiun Sky was making, while Seiun Sky stood there, arms behind her head as she laughed off every pointed finger.
“Bathroom…? Take a big…?” Special Week repeated, taking a moment to catch onto the detail. As soon as she did, she gasped, tail shooting up. “King! Are you okay?!”
“Remove that thought from your head immediately, Spe!” King was pulled from her accusations at Sky to deal with Special Week, only earning more laughs from Seiun Sky.
“My, my…” Grass Wonder looked over at the three, with El Condor Pasa getting in some last second stretches behind her. “You three are as lively as ever.”
Special Week and Seiun Sky seemed to be full of energy once Grass Wonder called out to them. King Halo, however, only seemed exhausted after the first conversation with Sky, the run, and then this second conversation with Sky and practically begging Special Week to stop thinking so much. She was, for a lack of a better word, struggling.
Which, of course, was exactly what Seiun Sky wanted before the skirmish. A tired King Halo, a distracted Special Week, and then she only had to contend with Grass and El during the skirmish.
So of course, with the work she put in, Sky finished well ahead of King and Spe, and finished a bit behind Grass and well behind El. On the positive side, she knew of King and Spe’s intentions to go for the Triple Crown. Those two were her main competition. Yet losing at all was still frustrating.
“Yes!” El Condor Pasa struck a pose, which was followed by several more poses in succession. “Let this be the beginning! The story of the strongest! El… Condor Pasa!” She punched a fist into the air, falling into her final pose.
Somewhere in El’s mind, fireworks were surely launching at her declaration. But those fireworks only lived in her mind. Instead, El’s victory pose was only joined by the sound of a nearby bird that did not sound local to the area at all.
King Halo was clearly frustrated with the results, having finished last. She seemed caught between wanting to complain, wanting to justify, and wanting to just catch her breath. Seiun Sky patted her on the back.
“There, there,” Sky said, with that same hint of amusement that seemed to be carried in all of her conversations. “Next time, ya gotta not rush to get here when you’re running late. Gotta save your energy.”
“And just WHY did I have to rush back here?!” King Halo snapped back, having regained energy just to make it clear she was upset at Sky, while Sky herself was just amused at how King was always so easily baited.
“Eh?” Special Week’s confused pulled everyone’s attention from each other and off to the other side of the track. There, three men seemed to be watching the five, though only one was familiar to the group. “Sasaki-san and… two other trainers?” Special Week asked, while El gave the three an energetic wave.
“Those five there are being declared the Golden Generation.” Akito waved back to El, then peeled off three pieces of paper from his clipboard. The first set of three were given to Hajime, while the next set of three were given to Takashi. “El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, and Special Week. Also Seiun Sky and King Halo.”
Takashi did a slow read of the first paper, which was focused on El Condor Pasa. Hajime flipped through the pages, confusion plain on his face.
“Recruit any of them as your first trainee,” Akito continued, “And you’ll do the Sasaki name proud. They’ll all go on to do amazing things, I can just tell.”
“Any of them?” Hajime asked, now turning the papers over to see if he was missing anything. “Because it doesn’t look like King Halo nor Seiun Sky are on my papers. Anything for you, Ojii- for you, Takashi?”
Takashi glanced aside at Hajime, and then did a quick look through the papers, a finger planted firmly on the first page so he knew exactly where he stopped reading. “Nothing.” He answered.
“That’s intentional.” Akito responded, turning his eyes to Sky and King as another argument (or rather, another complaint from King) started. “King Halo comes from a good line, a strong line, but she has no real ability of her own. She’s an honest nepo baby, no hint of talent.”
Nepo baby. The phrase turned Hajime’s stomach, and his grip on his papers tightened. “Looks can be deceiving-” Hajime started, but was stopped as Akito raised his hand for silence.
“They can be, but not in this case. Anyone with a good sense can tell with just a glance that she isn’t worth it. You weren’t born with it, Hajime, but I expect you’ll develop that sense in time. King Halo is not a champion in the waiting. If anything, she’ll likely go to regional races after her Classic year. That or fade away. That’s why I’m glad we got here in time to watch her race: Seeing is believing.”
“And Seiun Sky?” Takashi asked, shooting a glance at Hajime to silently tell him to calm down before he says something he’ll regret.
“She has one trick.” Akito answered. “Take away that trick, she’s a mid-ranking racer. I doubt she’ll perform well for the Triple Crown. Special Week? I think we could see a Triple Crown from her, especially if El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder aren’t competing.”
Akito glanced aside at Hajime, and spoke up before his son could say anything else. “Any of those three I gave you papers for, and you’ll make history as a trainer. You’ll do our family name proud. Just follow what I gave you.”
“Follow what you gave us…” Hajime smacked the papers against one of his hands, staring across the field as Seiun Sky and King Halo got ready for their own 1 vs 1 race. “Don’t trust us to pick our own trainee?”
“Dad- Takashi, I can trust. I looked over his records from his regional days.” Akito turned fully to Hajime, staring down at him with a cold look to his eye. “But he’s also old, might as well make his potential only trainee a good one. As for you, Hajime? You got no natural talent. No good sense. It is why you failed the exam several times. If I let you be, you’d probably come to me with a King Halo or a Faster Than Ray boasting of your future undefeated career, only to be defeated again and again until you quit, as you’ve usually done.” Akito closed his eyes, though the man’s words were still cold enough. “I’m not going to let you ruin the reputation I’ve built with your lack of ability. Our family name is counting on all three of us picking a trainee, or a team of them, that will give us all glory.”
Akito then turned away, looking over the field. Hajime tightened his grip on the papers, crumbling them in his grasp. That was the difference between granddad and dad: dad didn’t pull punches. He didn’t try to justify. He didn’t try to explain. Hajime was bad just because he was bad. King Halo was bad because she simply had no talent. No if, no or, no but about it.
“I’m no invalid.” Takashi said, folding the papers to put them in his inner jacket pocket. “But, you are right. Whomever I train might be my last trainee. I should pick the best one, shouldn’t I?”
Akito sighed in relief, keeping his eyes to the field. “Exactly. Thank you for understanding.”
“That said,” Takashi continued. “Both Hajime and I should do our own research as well. Might be we find a sprinter or stayer that better suits our respective talents. My regional trainees back in the days were more suited to miles anyway.”
“If… that is what you want,” Akito answered. “I could get you information on those who might be better suited for sprints and mile races?”
“No, you’ve done enough for both of us, I think. And we should meet the girls ourselves instead of just hiding away and letting you handle the work.” Takashi moved around Akito, grabbing Hajime by the shoulder and giving him a shake. When he caught his grandson’s eye, he shared a glance that simply said: Don’t worry about it. Don’t think about it. “For now, I think I’d like to look around Tracen some more. I’m worried I’ll get lost if I don’t memorize everything now.”
Takashi marched ahead, with Akito falling in line behind him.
Hajime stayed in place, looking across the track field as King Halo lost another race to Seiun Sky, but this time only by half of a length.
“Nepo baby…” Hajime repeated the word, hissing like the word was poison on his tongue. At the whistling of Akito, Hajime then turned and caught up with his father and grandfather.
What a fine first day at Tracen.