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Today is a rest day for Urara. Of course I know better than to think that would keep her off of the track, though. I'm standing on the sidelines, watching from afar as she sits on top of one of the giant tires used for training, which is getting dragged along by another Uma. A kind of strength training I'm wary about letting Urara do herself, but helping out like that is fine. Motivating others is just about her greatest skill.
I notice the sound of approaching footsteps, looking to my side to see another trainer stopping beside me. He looks like a younger fellow, probably one of the new hires. We get those plenty here, after all many trainees means a need for many trainers.
“Excuse me, is it alright if I stand here?” He asks, as though he needs my permission.
“By all means, I won't stop you.” I respond, returning my attention to the track. “The girl pulling the tire, is that your trainee?”
“Oh, not at all. I don't have a trainee yet, honestly.” Not too surprising. It can take a while before you find the right one, especially when you're new.
“By the way, you are Dorian Tanaka, aren't you?” Ah, my reputation precedes me again. “It's an honor to meet you. My name is Ren Akaba.”
I simply raise a hand while glancing at him. “No need for any honor. I'm simply another trainer just like you. It's nice to meet you, Ren.”
“Well, I'd say there's no reason to be humble either. I mean, you trained multiple racers whose names are known across the country as some of the greatest racers of all time. That deserves some respect.”
I nod in response, putting my hand on my beard as I cross the other arm over my chest. “I did, yes. But those are their accomplishments in the end. It's my job to elevate them and make their dreams come true. Not to leech off of the fame they earned.”
I can tell that response got him a bit flustered as he tries to think of what to say. “Well, still, I think your work deserves praise. I want to become like you someday, a proper top level trainer.”
Hmm… He has the right attitude, but he may be looking at it the wrong way. Well, I suppose training my fellow trainers is also fair game. And it should be simple enough to rectify his mindset right now.
I point to the giant tire being dragged across the track. “Do you see the girl there? Not the one pulling the tire, but the one sitting on top of it. That is my current trainee, Haru Urara.”
“Haru Urara? That name seems familiar…”
“She has been getting a bit of a reputation lately, yes. She recently ran her 29th race, actually. And she isn't anywhere close to being done.”
“Is that so? Wow, no wonder I've heard of her before then. She must have quite the record!”
“Not at all.” I turn my attention to him. “She hasn't won a single one.”
He turns his head over to me as well now, clearly both surprised and confused. I can get why for both of those emotions.
“She's a real go-getter, that girl. There's not a thing that can keep her off the track, not even bad weather or rest days. I think I've trained in the rain more with her than I have with any of my other trainees, and she's still got a long career ahead of her.”
“A long career? But…” Here come the expected questions. “She hasn't won in so many races. Why does she keep running? Actually, why are you training her?”
I can't help but sigh and shake my head. It's an unfortunately widespread idea that only the winners are worth training. But that's not the point of being a trainer.
“I train her because she wants to run. That's all I need. As a trainer, it is our job to take the dreams of those girls and help them become reality. And Urara? She just wants to run as much as she can. Win, lose, it doesn't matter to her. As long as she gets to be on the track.”
I move my gaze to her. She is standing on the massive wheel now, probably shouting words of encouragement to keep the girl ahead of her going. A little worrisome, but I trust her.
“I've trained plenty of ‘winners’ already. But now I'm getting old, starting to reach the age where technically speaking I should retire. I wanted a bit of a break from the intensity and emotion of those higher goals. And I knew I could do well for Urara.”
I end up smiling to myself talking about it. She really is the perfect trainee for me.
“And that's the important thing. What you should look for is not ‘a trainee who will win’. What you should look for is ‘a trainee you can make happy’. One who you can help realize their dreams. Whatever those may be. So when you next look for a trainee to take under your wing, ask them why they are running. If their reason resonates with you, then you'll know you found the right one.”
Turning back to him I can see he's deep in thought, a finger pressed against his forehead. He nods a few times to himself, processing what I told him.
“Right… Right! I'll make sure to do that. Thank you for the advice, Mister Tanaka.”
“No need to thank me, I'm simply passing on the wisdom I learned in my years working this job.” My eyes go to Urara again as I see she is now walking circles around the top of the tire, mimicking the heavy steps of the other girl as if her steps will empower those of her own ‘trainee’.
“Now, I'd best get going. It seems Urara is getting a little too enthusiastic, so I'd best go over there.”
“Oh, of course! Go right ahead, Mister Tanaka. Don't let me hold you.”
“Please, no need to be so formal. Tell me when you've managed to find a trainee, won't you? I'm eager to see who you'll end up choosing.” I give him a small wave before I jog along the outer edge of the track to get to Urara. I'd rather she doesn't end up slipping and falling, even if she will most likely end up being fine.
—
I decided to have Urara spend the rest of the day off of the track, or at least a few hours off of it. She may not have been actively training herself, but being on the track still puts you into that mindset, and the intent of a rest day is to not do that.
Of course, when your work also happens to be your greatest pleasure, I can see why she doesn't see it the same way. It almost makes me jealous, much as I love being a trainer I do still need a break from it now and then.
“I can see so far! I'm so high up!”
“Haha! You sure are!”
What started as a question of what it's like to be as tall as I am ended with Urara sitting on my shoulders as I walk through the city streets. I'm keeping my hands on her lower legs to keep her steady, something very necessary as she excitedly looks around, arms flailing as she waves at passerbys and points at anything that catches her interest.
But we already have a goal in mind. To be specific, we're heading to the arcade. I take her there on occasion, but this time there should be something special waiting for us, something a coworker of mine told me about.
“Alright, we should be almost there. Ready to go down?” I ask, stopping on the side of the path so I don't get in anyone's way.
“Aw… Okay! I want to see if I can get a new plushie at the crane games!” Her disappointment fades almost as quickly as it came. It really is impossible to keep her mood down.
I get down to a knee, carefully letting go of Urara's legs so I can move my hands up and get a grip around her sides, lifting her up and over my head to set her down on the ground. Almost immediately after I let go, she darts off toward the arcade, leaving me to hurriedly stand up and jog after her.
When I get to the arcade entrance, I see her staring at one of the crane game cabinets, practically squeezed up against the glass. She then turns to me, pointing toward it.
“Grandpa, look, look! They have mini Urara!”
Sure enough, walking up to the machine there's a bunch of Urara dolls lined up. My girl finally got popular enough to get her own merch, despite it all. Direct evidence that winning isn't everything. I feel oddly vindicated, just seeing them sitting there with smiles almost as cute as the original.
Looking around a bit further with her, there's actually more too. In the prize corner there's a few small badges and such that have depictions of her on them, complete with encouraging words like ‘Never give up!’. The staff member behind the stall is kind enough to give us one for free, seeing Urara herself in the flesh. I'm looking down at the little pin in my hand, when Urara tugs on my sleeve.
“I want to get some Urara dolls!”
“Some?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah! One for you, one for Rice, one for King, one for… one for all Urara's friends! She spreads her arms wide to emphasize, bouncing in place. I just can't resist.
“Alright. Let's get some of those dolls then. I'm pretty sure both of those machines have them, so we can both try.”
We walk over to the crane games, the excited little Uma bobbing up and down while swinging her fists with the same motion as I take out my wallet and insert a few coins for her. I then do the same for the machine beside her, so I can give it a try.
I'd like to say I'm skilled with them, but honestly I barely have any experience with them, besides one other former trainee of mine refusing to let us leave the arcade until I managed to get a doll of her myself. Something that took quite a while. Similarly, me and Urara both seem to be rather unlucky today.
Unfortunately for the machines, and fortunately for the arcade's owner, Urara's fighting spirit and my wallet are both practically limitless.
By the end, we both have an armful of small Uraras, though not all the ones we managed to pull out as the larger Urara had given away some to people who had come to try the crane game themselves and recognized her. ‘If they like Urara, that means they're friends! And I wanted to get dolls for all my friends!’.
It's impossible not to feel my heart warm up around her.
But now it's about time we head back to the academy, so I look down to her. “Are you ready to head back, Urara?”
“Not yet! We still need one more thing!”
She rushes off with those words, checking each of the cabinets as she searches wildly for something.
“Who are you looking for next, Urara? Do you need some help?”
“I'm looking for your plushie, grandpa!”
Ah. Right, she wouldn't know.
“I'm sorry to tell you this, but us trainers do not get merchandise like the runners do.”
She stops her search, looking over to me now. “Huh? Why not?”
How best to explain…
“You see, the racers are the ones everyone comes to see. They're the ones out on the field, the ones everyone cheers for and supports. We trainers are simply the people that help you be out there. We don't quite get the same sort of fame. At least, not in the way of getting merchandise like the dolls.”
She's staring at me still, before her gaze shifts down, ears limply flopping forward.
“But I wanted a plushie of grandpa…”
I walk to her, getting a better grip on the dolls I'm holding with one arm before patting her on the head with my free hand.
“I'm sorry, Urara. I'm not sure if we can get you one. How about we bring these plushies over to your friends, hm? In the meantime, I'll try and think of some sort of solution.”
She nods, but her mood doesn't seem to improve. “Okay…” she says quietly, before walking toward the exit of the arcade.
I didn't think this would have her downcast quite this much. I can't help but feel bad for the poor girl. I never minded not having merchandise of myself, but clearly she wants it quite badly.
What sort of grandpa would I be if I didn't at least try?
—
Sometimes I am surprised by the kinds of skills I end up needing to learn for this job of mine.
For several days now I have been using all my free time for a single goal. Getting Urara what she wanted.
I have watched quite a number of sewing tutorials on the internet, along with purchasing a book on the subject and a proper sewing kit. I have Urara's own doll as a reference, along with a few pictures of myself, but I can't quite manage to get it looking right. So, I enlisted the help of a girl I saw at the academy. I'd seen her a few times before, often with a doll of herself in her hands, so I had a feeling she may know about their creation. She seemed quite happy at the fact I'd remembered her, and gladly gave me some valuable pointers and advice.
Today, I intend to show the fruits of my labor. And after a short bit of searching, I see Urara in one of the hallways, talking with King Halo.
“Hello there Urara, King. I'm not interrupting, am I?”
The two turn to me, King shaking her head as she puts a hand on her hip.
“Not at all, Mister Tanaka. By all means, if you have something to say, go ahead.”
Urara nods in agreement. “Yeah! We're just talking about-”
King immediately turns to Urara, hushing her. “Sshh! You just promised not to tell anyone! That includes him!”
I can't help but laugh at the display. But I do have something of my own to show. I'm holding an arm behind my back, and at least Urara is none the wiser.
“Well then, Urara. I have something for you I think you will like.” And so I present my masterpiece when she turns her attention back to me. I made it with about the same proportions as the other dolls, though I did end up making it a bit larger as smaller dolls were harder to get the details right on. It's a good thing that big versions of those dolls do also exist, so it should fit in fine.
Urara immediately jumps toward me, taking the doll out of my hand to look at it closer. “Woa! It's a plushie of you, grandpa! Look King, look! It's him!”
She excitedly shows off the doll to her as well, and I can see a smile creep onto her face as she does. “Indeed it is. It's actually rather well made…”
“Thank you, it took quite a bit of learning and effort.” Urara's eyes snapped back to me, practically sparkling.
“You made it?! Just for Urara? Wow! That's so cool! I have to go show Rice too!”
She sprints off without any more warning, before halting and turning on her heel to run back.
“Thank you, grandpa! Thanks a lot! I really like it!”
And off she goes again, leaving me behind to watch her run as King walks beside me.
“You know, when she came back from the arcade a few weeks ago she seemed a little down despite her happiness at having her own merch now.”
I nod, sighing. “I know. I saw the same thing. And, well… I suppose you could say I have a weakness to it. Because I immediately resolved myself to make that doll for her.”
“To go that far for her… She truly is lucky to have you as a trainer.”
“Haha, it's nothing, really. I'm just an old man with too much time on his hands outside of work.”
“Perhaps. But I would still say doing that makes you a proper first-rate trainer, Mister Tanaka. After all, not many would go so far to do so.”
She's right. Not many would. I've seen plenty of trainers barely do anything beyond the training itself. But I don't want to just make her dreams of running come true, I want her to be able to continue smiling.
So I'll gladly take time to learn how to make these dolls for her, and whatever else she may end up wanting. Because that's what it means to be a proper trainer.
It means protecting her smile.
—
…
Urara is crying.
She always does wear her emotions on her sleeve. It's not a new sight by any means, I think I've seen just about every emotion from her.
But this is the first time she is crying after a race.
Her loss was expected, inevitable even. Not because of her record, but simply due to the circumstances. The length isn't one she is used to, the ground isn't the type she usually runs on, and the competition was the fiercest she has ever had.
The Arima Kinen, given its nature as a race entered by public vote, attracts the biggest names of Japanese racing after all. Triple crown and tiara winners, racers who have won G1 after G1, or simply those who got a mass following due to their talent and capability.
Urara meanwhile got her popularity in spite of it. She became as popular as she is due to her indomitable will, her continued determination despite her number of losses and her amazing attitude of always smiling in the face of those losses.
But right now, despite all that, she is crying from one of those losses. Because she wanted to win for me.
Seeing her like this hurts more than any loss I have experienced in my long career.
I get down onto a knee and wrap my arms around her, holding her close to me. It strangely feels like she would shatter if I don't hold her together.
“Urara… I am so proud of you.”
I hear her hiccup as she puts her own hands on my back, trying to hold back her sobs.
“But I… But I didn't win…”
“No. But you ran. Even with all of the other racers ahead of you, you ran with a smile. Even when it was clear that you couldn't win anymore.”
I gently pat her back, doing my best to comfort her.
“Did you hear it? The entire stadium was cheering for you by the end. Even when you were the last person still running, your name was the one the people were calling out. And I was cheering for you too.”
I can tell her breathing is starting to calm down. She's no longer actively crying, at least.
“Whether you won or not is not important. What matters is that you had fun. So, tell me, Urara.”
I back away, keeping my hands under her arms as she lets go of me herself.
“Did you have fun out there?”
She looks at me for a moment, her lip trembling a bit. She then turns her head down, rubbing her eyes with her arm and slapping her cheeks before looking at me again.
And there's that smile I love seeing back on her face.
“Mhm! I had a lot of fun!”
“That's my girl.”
I stand up, smiling back at her before I put a hand on my beard.
“Now, you do have a Winning Live to get to, don't you? You'd best go ahead and get changed for that.”
She leans forward, pumping her fists in front of herself. It's like she was never sad to begin with, back to the ball of excitement she usually is.
“Right! You'll be cheering for me again, right?”
“I will! Right at the front row. Oh, and what say we get ice cream once it's all over?”
She practically starts jumping up and down at the mention of ice cream. I may be spoiling her a bit, but it's fine after today.
“Oh! Oh! Can I get three scoops?”
“Hahaha! Of course, you can have as many as you like!”
“Yay! Thanks, grandpa! I'll go get ready for the concert then! Be sure to cheer for Urara!”
She rushes off to her changing room to get herself prepared. Before I head off myself to make my way to the concert grounds, I see someone else approaching her room too. Isn't that the girl who won the race? I'd been focusing so much on Urara, I'm honestly not sure. Well, regardless, I doubt there will be any issue there. So, I turn and start walking.
—
I can already feel the excitement in the air. I'll admit the concerts aren't exactly my favorite part of the business, but I still understand the appeal. Seeing the people you were cheering for on the track give one more performance on stage. Not to mention the fact the racers themselves love it. Some even race just to get a chance to stand on stage, from what I know.
As I promised to Urara, I am standing near the front of the crowd, giving me a perfect view of the stage itself. Spotting Urara won't be an issue at all.
The lights dim, and soon after the music begins as the lights go back on again to reveal everyone on stage. And there she is, easy to spot with that bright pink hair.
I'll admit, Next Frontier is a good song. With a career as long as mine, I've personally gotten to witness it several times now. Which also lets me see when something goes differently from usual.
The center performer, the winner of the Arima Kinen, is indeed the girl I'd spotted before at Urara's changing room. And they must have made some sort of agreement, because the choreography changes to something I haven't seen before.
Haru Urara takes center stage. And her smile is the brightest it has ever been.
I hope she isn't watching me as well. Because now I'm the one who can't seem to stop these tears.
—
Later that day, I am carefully walking behind Urara with my hands held at either side of her, just to be sure she stays steady, as a towering pillar of ice cream extends far above her.
My wallet may be the one crying now, but I'd say it's well worth it.