The break's over, and now it's time for the mile races—1600m. Mile's the standard distance, the safest bet. But that means speed and power are everything.
"Let's see what kind of Uma Musume show up for the mile…" I mutter.
"Going for the mile runners, huh?" Hana Tojo says.
"Whoa, Tojo-san, hey," I say. "Nah, not specifically. Just wondering who's out there. You got any picks?"
"I've been here a while, so I know most of the girls," she says.
Lucky her. That's experience talking. I've been here two days—can't exactly catch up overnight.
"Mind sharing those picks?" I ask.
"No way," she says. "We're colleagues, but we're still rivals. I'm not handing out freebies. That'd be like giving salt to the enemy."
"Fair enough," I say. "I'll figure it out by watching."
"You're definitely a pen-and-paper guy," Tojo says. "I thought so when I saw your menu before. No tablet or PC?"
"I use them when I have to, but mostly no," I say. "Just for stuff ."
PCs are handy, sure, but I'm used to handwriting. My mentor's mentor was old-school like that, and it rubbed off. Now it's just my thing. No plans to change—I like it.
"Alright, it's about to start," I say.
"Let's see what they've got," Tojo says.
The mile races were just as intense as the short-distance ones. Unlike short races, you can't just sprint and hope—you'll burn out. Unlike middle-distance, you can't go too slow, or you'll lose your kick. Speed matters, but it's all about pacing and reading the race's flow.
Oguri, who I met earlier, took first in the second race. That girl can run. It's not just her springy legs—her raw strength is unreal. Those legs could handle middle distance too. Hell, in a long-distance G1 like the Arima Kinen, she'd put up a fight.
Vodka, first in the first race, looks like a middle-distance contender too. Man, her springiness is something else. She's gotta be insanely trained to pull off that kind of come-from-behind surge, even when boxed in.
Fujikiseki, first in the third race, was flawless—race management, everything. She gets what a mile race demands better than anyone. Bottomless potential, that one.
Now for the second-place finishers and standouts:
Race 1: Daitaku Helios
Race 2: Nishino Flower
Race 3: Bamboo Memory
That's the rundown. If I had to pick, it'd be Oguri, Fujikiseki, and Nishino Flower. Oguri and Fujikiseki have untapped potential—I want to see how far they can go. Nishino Flower leans short-distance, so I'd train her that way.
Oguri's my top pick, though. Besides her strength, there's another reason…
"Trainer, I'm back," Oguri says.
"I'm not your trainer," I say.
"Right, my bad," she says. "Can I ask you something?"
"You got any more candy? I'm starving," she says.
"Are you serious?" I say. "Here, take these. Only three left. First-place congrats."
"Thanks!" she says, eyes sparkling.
"Also, change your shoes," I say. "They're shredded."
"Huh, you're right," she says. "Alright, Trainer, I'll swap them and be back."
"I'm not your—ugh, whatever," I sigh.
Why do I want to train Oguri? Some of you probably caught it. Her leg strength is unreal. One race, and her shoes are trashed. Uma Musume shoes are tougher than human sneakers or running shoes—built for their insane physicality. Yet Oguri's shoes were wrecked after one run. Crazy power. And she acts like it's nothing, like it's just another day. If those shoes had held up until the finish, she might've left the field in the dust.
"Only two races down, and I'm already torn between all these amazing Uma Musume," I mutter. "What if I can't pick?"
Maybe I'll wait for a reverse-scout? Hayahide might bite… nah, no way. Other trainers wouldn't let her slip. Reverse-scouting even a thing? Like, "I want you to train me!" vibe? Nah, no rookie trainer's getting that. Only some weirdo would want a newbie like me.
Never heard of it happening. Joining a team's one thing, but individual scouting? How's that work?