Chapter Text
Springtime in Japan was Niwa Himitsu's favorite season. On days much like today, she would often wake up just before daybreak to enjoy a walk along the riverside in the light of the sunrise, the air still cool and the grass still damp with dew. The hustle and bustle of Tokyo was only just starting to ramp up, but was still quiet enough for her to enjoy her walk undisturbed; a few precious moments of peace before diving headfirst into her usually hectic workdays at Tracen Academy. Today in particular was going to be rather exciting- Tryouts were being held later in the afternoon, meaning the budding trainer would have a chance to scout additional racers for her team. Over the past few months she had already acquired quite the robust roster- The speed demon Sakura Bakushin O, the timid yet graceful Mejiro Dober, the Black Assassin Rice Shower, and the ever-optimistic Haru Urara. Between them, they covered Sprint, Medium, Long, and Dirt track races respectively; all Himitsu needed to round them out was a good miler.
Her goal in mind, Himitsu completed her walk and returned to her apartment to change out of her tracksuit and eat breakfast before heading out to the Academy. Her working outfit of choice was a simple and comfortable one; a sturdy white t-shirt, blue denim jeans, comfortable white walking shoes, a lavender colored knitted cardigan, and an ever-present yellow headscarf tying her dark auburn hair back and keeping her head protected from both the lingering post-winter winds and the encroaching summer sunlight. Himitsu attached her Tracen Academy Trainer's badge to her belt, grabbed her shoulder bag containing all of her notes, checked her hair and headscarf one last time in the mirror, and then headed out the door.
Himitsu's apartment was only about a twenty-minute train ride from Tracen Academy, plenty of time to glance over her notes one last time for her team's upcoming races, the next one being Haru Urara at the Fukuyuru Stakes in Nakayama. The poor Umamusume had never actually won a race yet, but Himitsu could tell that her form was slowly starting to improve, and was hopeful that Urara could at least place top 5 in her upcoming bout. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, she thought, placing her notes back in her shoulder bag and buttoning it closed as the train approached her stop. At the very least we can hopefully learn more about Urara's running style and how to refine it. Himitsu waited for the train to come to a full rest before standing up and exiting out to the platform. Around her were many others on their way to work or school, including several Tracen Academy students who lived close enough to the school that they did not need to live in the dorms. Many of them recognized and greeted the trainer in passing as they started running towards the academy. Himitsu merely smiled and waved back, watching them gallop towards the gates. As she did so, a wave of melancholy suddenly washed over her, and she glanced down at her left knee. She used to be an athlete herself as a teenager; unfortunately, an accident had left her permanently injured, forcing her to drop out of her running team at school. Though she did miss her running days, she had decided to refocus her energy by dedicating her life to helping Umamusue achieve their dreams, since she could no longer achieve hers. It took her three years and just as many attempts, but eventually she successfully passed the URA National Trainer exam, and accepted a position as a trainer at Tracen Academy- Japan's premiere school for training Umamusume.
Himitsu snapped herself back to reality and began walking towards the school gates herself. There, greeting every student and trainer that entered was Tazuna Hayakawa, Secretary to the Tracen Academy Director. Tazuna, like always, was dressed in her clover-green pencil skirt and matching hat, the Tracen Academy emblem clipped and displayed proudly to the side. Himitsu waited for the last few students to enter the school grounds before approaching the Secretary herself.
"Good morning, trainer!" Tazuna greeted Himitsu with that familiar warm smile of hers. "I take it you'll be observing the tryout races today?"
"Indeed," Himistu replied, a slight tone of mischief in her voice. "Gotta secure me the best miler out there before someone else does, after all. I even brought extra sweet carrots as a bribe." The two shared a brief chuckle, knowing full well that Himitsu was jesting. "In all seriousness, though," the trainer continued, I'm greatly looking forward to witnessing the raw talent that will be on that track today. I just hope that-"
Himitsu suddenly froze, her sixth sense kicking into overdrive, as if detecting a looming- no, rapidly approaching presence.
"Bakushin, Bakushin, Bakushin!"
Himitsu immediately took a defensive stance, scanning around her for the source of the chanting.
"Bakushin, Bakushin, Bakushin!"
The chanting grew steadily louder, echoing off of too many surfaces around them to determine the exact direction. Tazuna, now sensing the incoming threat, backed up as far against the outer brick wall of the school as she could, leaving Himitsu standing more or less in the open, still trying to derive where the sound was approaching from.
"Bakushin... Bakushin..."
The sprinter, as if out of thin air, suddenly appeared from behind the outer brick wall on the sidewalk behind Himitsu to her right, arms flung back and running at full speed toward the gate... And her trainer.
"Baku-shin-SHIIIIIIIIII-"
With almost lightning-fast reflexes, Himitsu pushed off with her good leg, springing herself sideways and clear of Sakura Bakushin O's path with mere inches to spare, careful not to land too hard on her left foot. Realizing it was her own trainer that she had nearly bulldozed, Sakura Bakushin O applied the brakes and skidded to a stop, bounding back over to where her trainer and a rather annoyed-looking Tazuna stood.
"Ah, good morning trainer! Good morning Miss Tazuna!~" Bakushin greeted them, her infectious positive energy radiating off of her like sunlight. "Apologies for almost running you over, I was simply laser focused on exercising my greatest weapon- SPEED!" Bakushin pumped her fist into the air like a superhero at this declaration, holding the pose as if expecting applause or praise. Receiving nothing but glares from both her trainer and the Secretary instead, Bakushin reverted to an "at ease" stance, her smile and determined expression unwavering. "Say, there's a new round of tryouts today, right trainer? Perhaps you intend to scout us some fresh new talent to help bolster the team??" Annoyed though she was at her trainee's explosive entrance, Himitsu couldn't help back crack a smile at Baksuhin's almost radioactive energy.
"Yes, Bakushin," Himitsu responded, adjusting her headscarf after the sudden rush of wind generated by her pupil nearly pancaking her mere moments earlier. "We need a good mile distance runner, and while I certainly don't doubt your abilities..." She quickly reassured her student, who suddenly looked crestfallen. "...Our team needs someone who can specialize in such a distance. Your stamina has certainly improved to the point that you can be competitive in mile races, yes," she explained, gently placing her hand on Bakushin's shoulder, "but you still have a ways to go. Besides," the trainer continued, encouraging her star sprinter, "perhaps this way you can have someone who specializes in those distances to learn from yourself, so you too can grow stronger."
Bakushin's ears, which had been previously drooping at the insinuation that she was not a good mile runner, suddenly perked up again, her bright smile returning.
"A-HA, so that's your game, trainer! Scout a runner who we ourselves can learn from just as much as they learn from us! A genius move indeed, my sincerest apologies for having ever doubted you!" Bakushin bowed deeply to her trainer in a most earnest apology. It was at that moment the school bell began to ring, signifying the start of classes for the day. "Oh dear, I must run lest I be late! A true Class Representative must always be punctual, no matter the occasion! Farewell, trainer, I shall see you at the tryouts!" Before either Himitsu or Tazuna could utter another word, Bakushin had thrown her arms backwards yet again, and took off sprinting towards the main building, chanting her own name all the way. Tazuna's look of annoyance faded as she sighed deeply, seemingly able to finally breathe again now that Bakushin was no longer in her presence.
"I too should get going," the Secretary mused to Himitsu, her face back to its usual warm and welcoming self. "There is much work to be done, after all. Have fun and good luck at the tryouts today!"
"I certainly will, thank you," Himitsu replied, lightly bowing to the Tracen Academy Secretary before finally crossing the threshold of Tracen Academy's gates herself.
All around her, the bustle of school life could be seen and heard, from new students rushing to classes they were already late for, to teachers here and there discussing various curriculums, and a few senior students engaging in group study sessions on the quad. To an outsider looking in, it would seem like any other private academy, without much excitement... That is, until they reached the racetrack.
Tracen Academy's training course was unlike any other in Japan, able to simulate most of the country's most prestigious G1 races in both distance and elevation, all in one facility. Offering surfaces of turf, dirt, and even wood chips, the various tracks could test a runner's abilities and aptitudes regardless of their strengths, as well as train them for distances and surfaces that they may not yet have mastered. It was these same tracks that Tracen Academy held its quarterly tryouts; an event where young Umamusume hoping to be scouted by a trainer could show off their skills and prowess on the track and earn a spot at the prestigious academy. It was here that Himitsu had scouted her first two trainees, Sakura Bakushin O and Haru Urara in the Spring tryouts the previous year, with Rice Shower and Mejiro Dober being scouted to the team respectively in the following Summer and Autumn tryout events after that. Illness had unfortunately prevented Himitsu from attending the Winter tryouts, but with the fresh Spring air reinvigorating her body and mind, she was ready to scout her fifth runner today.
Knowing that she still had a few hours before tryouts began, Himitsu headed to her team's clubhouse to start devising a strategy for Urara's upcoming race. Normally she would be preparing her team's training regimen for the afternoon after classes had finished, but with tryouts happening today, training would sadly be out of the question as the various racecourses would require extensive maintenance following the abuse they were about to endure. Himitsu walked over to the whiteboard at the back of the clubhouse and picked up a dry-erase marker, drawing a diagram of Nakayama racecourse, marking the starting gate and goalpost locations for Urara's race. Her visual guide prepared, the trainer pulled out all of her notes from Urara's recent races and training sessions from her bag, spreading them out on the table in the center of the clubhouse. Alright, Urara... Himitsu thought to herself, a confident gleam in her eye. Let's earn you a top five finish.