Umamusume's days are numbered

"Well, I should say training, right?" The astronomer stood lazily on the podium, looking sleepy, even wearing flip-flops. Clearly, he'd been out drunk again.

"Never mind, it doesn't really matter anyway."

Whether it was a trick of the eye or not, Platinum saw the astronomer wink at him with a sly look in his eyes.

Episode 266 Miracle

"You said you have a new substitute teacher?" Alice looked at the stopwatch's recording, writing down Platinum's last three waves' times in the notebook hanging around her neck, and tossed a water bottle to Platinum. "The recent data is good, it looks very stable."

"You don't need to make any major breakthroughs right now. As the end of the semester approaches, you just need to maintain a good and healthy state of mind. I'll give you a few days off so you can go out and have some fun."

"You will see rapid growth once the summer training camp begins."

Platinum caught the water bottle that Alice threw to him and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Blazing Steed lay down peacefully on the grass beside him.

She originally came to train Platinum, but Takarazuka also won, and in terms of record, Platinum far surpasses her. It's still uncertain who will train whom.

However, Blazing Horse didn't want to get something for nothing. After all, she hadn't been paid for the month yet, right? But she couldn't outrun Platinum, and she couldn't guide Alice, so she could only come to the site to get full attendance.

The sun in the sky was so warm, and the lush grass was so lovely. Before long, Fiery Steed tilted its head and... fell asleep.

"Don't you find it strange? That girl doesn't look like she's old enough to be a teacher. Besides, there are so many teachers in the school, why would they choose her to be our substitute teacher?" Bai Jin couldn't say that she actually knew this new teacher, that she knew she was a liar who talked a lot of nonsense, and that she was a foreign Japanese tourist.

“Hiring young retired athletes from outside, isn’t that quite common?” Alice replied without looking up, only her ears twitched as if she was bored, and then spun around.

"It's just a temporary contract, a short-term employment. I reckon you'll be dealing with him a lot during the summer training camp."

Alice pursed her lips mischievously. Hmm, the sudden appearance of a young, foreign-hired racehorse girl at this time... how intriguing!

This year's summer training camp might be quite exciting.

"What I mean is... well, never mind." Platinum sighed, tilted his head back and drank the water in the bottle in one gulp, then crawled to lie down next to the sleeping Fiery Steed, gazing at the bright sky in a daze.

"Shyuko, do you think other universes really exist?" Platinum suddenly asked, sounding sullen.

"What kind of idiotic science videos have you been watching on YouTube again, and why are you suddenly asking this kind of question?" Alice rolled her eyes. "I've told you before, if you really want to gain knowledge, there are so many papers and journals piled up in my lab that I can't even keep track of them all. Just pick one and flip through it; that's better than surfing the internet."

"Never mind that, just answer me." Platinum pouted; Alice really didn't understand the atmosphere.

I'm feeling sad right here!

"do not know."

"You don't know?" Platinum turned her head to look at Alice's calf, which was standing in front of her. "Is there something you don't know?"

"...Let me say it again, I am not Einstein. Even Einstein has things he doesn't understand."

"I don't even know if there are aliens in the universe, I don't even know where the boundary of the universe is, I don't even know what will happen to the universe in the end, and you ask me if there are other universes?"

"Sigh, so useless." Platinum sighed again, only to be given a hard thud on the forehead by Alice.

"But if you ask me for my own opinion, I think there is."

Alice sat beside Platinum, hugging her legs and squinting her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun. It was indeed a beautiful day, making one want to drift off to sleep.

"The universe began as a single point... oh, a singularity. In a primordial explosion, the universe was born. The parameters of the universe are infinite, so many that you can never fully express them in a way you can understand."

"To get to where we are today, we have stumbled upon an endless series of coincidences. If the parameters of the singularity before the Big Bang had fluctuated even slightly, the universe would not have developed as it does now. It might not have been three-dimensional, it might not have contained any matter, there are many, many possibilities. The probability of it forming the universe we have is close to zero."

"Even under such circumstances, we were still born. So I think there must be some kind of unseen rule watching all of this, and we are definitely not the only ones."

"If even a possibility that is infinitely close to zero has been created, what else is impossible?"

Platinum put his hands behind his head and said lazily, "You, a researcher, still have to say 'I feel' and 'I think'... It seems that what you've learned is not very useful."

"You're being quite aggressive today," Alice said with a smile, pinching Platinum's forehead. "Did the Takarazuka Memorial victory make you arrogant?"

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, I was wrong—"

A butterfly sensed the vibration in its legs and flapped its wings, taking flight. Shimmering phosphorescent particles drifted through the air as it flew, sparkling in the sunlight.

This beam of light, so commonplace to seven billion lives, had actually been galloping through the solar system for just eight minutes and twenty seconds. Eight minutes and twenty seconds earlier, it had just emerged from that blazing fireball. The newly born light eagerly rushed towards Earth, thus forming a light cone, leaving the sun behind it far behind.

People on Earth can only ever see the sun as it was eight minutes and twenty seconds ago.

Countless other lights, just like this one, crossed Earth and flew towards more distant and empty directions. There, countless asteroids and gas giants with magnificent rings reside.

Beyond the asteroid belt, the universe becomes sparse and empty, quiet and dark, as silent as the cloak of death. This is the norm in this universe.

But a radiance still flickered. It was a dense galaxy, indescribable in its size, with star cores deposited in the sea of ​​ether, like fireflies.

This Milky Way stretches endlessly, and the universe is even more boundless. Yet, this boundless universe, though its perspective is stretched to a level beyond human comprehension, is only as thin and large as a sheet of paper. The universe is a light, floating leaf, attached to a branch. On that branch are countless more leaves, and beyond that branch are countless more branches.

A tiny, barely perceptible glimmer of light flashed across the leaves. It was a tiny insect. The tiny insect leaped from one leaf to another.

It's searching for that one leaf that will satisfy it. If an observer were standing in front of the branch and noticed this little insect, they would surely laugh at it—there are countless leaves here, and the insect will never find its favorite one, even if it grows old and dies of exhaustion. The probability of this is infinitesimally close to zero.

It is infinitely close to zero, but it is not zero.

One day, just one day... this miracle will happen. We sincerely hope so.

Episode 267: Will I have to retake the exam?

Another workday. Parents go to work, students go to school—just another ordinary day.

However, it doesn't seem to be anything special to the students of Treson College.

The entire class was sitting upright today, even the usually latecomers Bai Jin and the truant king arrived at their seats before the morning assembly. But although every student in the classroom was sitting up straight, it seemed like their minds were wandering outside the window.

As usual, the students were punctual while the teachers were late—this seemed to have become the norm ever since the substitute teacher arrived. An astronomer, carrying a heavy Leica Q2 camera around his neck, kicked open the front door of the classroom.

Surprisingly, the astronomer today was completely sober. It's not that astronomers usually come to class drunk, but you could certainly see the look of utter despair in their dark circles. This morning, the astronomer was refreshed and clear-headed, finally welcoming a normal morning.

The astronomer, still with his hands in his pockets, swayed as he stood on the podium, then looked around at all the students in the class.

"Um···"

"It's an honor to be your substitute teacher during this period... even though I didn't teach anything."

It wasn't that the astronomers didn't know how to teach, but rather that when she took over the class it was right before the final exams, and there really wasn't much to teach.

"But I've developed a deep friendship with you all..."

“I remember each of your names clearly, for example, Platinum... uh... Platinum, Platinum, Platinum... wait a minute.”

Then, in full view of everyone, the astronomer took out his phone and opened the student roster: "And after me, Apple Eagle Snake, Leodban, Qili Water Splash... in short, these are the people. Memories of you are all my fondest memories."

In the end, the astronomer, who was a substitute teacher, only remembered Platinum's name during his week-long teaching stint.

"In short, what else was there to say..." The astronomer scratched her head and looked down at the audience. A sea of ​​eager eyes were fixed on her.

"Ugh, this is so troublesome. Never mind, it's holiday time! Go have fun!" The astronomer waved his hand, and the teacher who had just arrived at the podium kicked open the classroom door and left in less than five minutes.

But this time, no students expressed dissatisfaction. Like boiling water bursting from a pot, an unprecedented cacophony erupted in the classroom—summer vacation had arrived!

It's important to understand that while the Trasen Academy ponies have already begun their professional careers, they are still young, with skin brimming with collagen—JKs and JCs. Besides competing, they also have to handle their school's teaching duties.

And now, they can finally enjoy a brief period of liberation—they no longer have to train and attend classes at the same time!

Yes, training must continue.

Don't be ridiculous. Do you really think that just because the racehorses are on vacation, they can go out and have fun? Do you think they can go on summer training camps without any restraint? Do you think they can spend an unforgettable summer vacation on the beach and at the sea?

Impossible. Most female racehorses still have to face one race after another to come.

Of course, July and August are generally considered to be the off-season, with basically no major races—but the problem is that the major races are basically irrelevant to most female racehorses.

Those who can participate in G1 and G2 competitions are the eye-catching star trainees. The rest of the race girls can only run in local G3 and OP level events.

Summer training camp? Summer training camp is something other teams pay for themselves to train their star trainees. What does it have to do with us? They can climb the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, go to Europe, or at the very least, train on a beach for a summer. What about us? Come on, all the prize money we've earned since our debut is only enough to cover their summer training camp expenses.

This is the harsh reality...

If I have to retake the exam, then it'll be an even more miserable summer vacation. After all, there are quite a few dim-witted idiots in Uma Musume Pretty Derby.

However, there is a chasm-like gap between the star trainees.

For most students, winning the championship and receiving a hefty reward is already a great achievement. It doesn't matter if you win G1, G2, or G3; they can easily crush us.

But it's a different story for players who have won the G1 championship.

For example, right now...

The moment the astronomer left, Ibuki Kagura swarmed around Platinum again. She was practically like Platinum's little tail now; wherever Platinum was in the classroom, Ibuki Kagura followed.

"Big sister, where are you going for summer training?"

Although Ibuki Mai Kagura hasn't won the G1 championship yet, she has participated in the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby, so she can afford to go to the summer training camp.

"Me? I don't know, probably with Spica and the others. Wherever they went, I just went with them." Platinum rested her chin on her right hand, looking rather uninterested.

He basically followed Spica and the others, and Spica often followed Rigid. Nishizaki Ryu always tried to emulate Tojo Hana, following her everywhere. However, Rigid was the richest team with abundant funds, able to stay in luxury hotels, hire coaches, and rent stadiums, while Nishizaki Ryu and the others could only live in guesthouses and had to stretch every penny.

Platinum has no hope for summer training, especially since Tokai Teiō and Megumi McQueen both suffered fractures this year and are now in casts. With two players in their prime injured, it's uncertain whether there will even be summer training.

“As for me… I’d probably go to Okinawa.” Leo Deban tilted his head. “My uncle owns a hot spring hotel there, so I can stay there for free.”

"Shacogre, what about you?" Leo called out from afar to Shacogre, who was about to get up and leave. It wasn't that they were very close, but Shacogre was Chiaki's junior and a participant in the Satsuki Prize and the Japanese Derby. This was a topic that could only be discussed with a few people, as they were the only ones from the entire class who would be attending the summer training camp.

She shrank back beside me, crouched down, and quietly slipped out the back door of the classroom. Her position was the most awkward, caught in a quantum superposition of whether or not to go to the summer training camp.

“Melbourne,” Shacogre said sparingly, “My senior said he would take me to run on Australian turf and in miles.”

"—You've gone abroad?! That's great..." Leo Deban clicked his tongue in envy.

"Leoden, why did you steer the conversation off-topic?" Ibuki Kagura nudged Leoden with her shoulder in annoyance. What she really wanted to know was where Platinum was going to spend the summer vacation. Leoden, on the other hand, looked at Ibuki Kagura with innocent, wide eyes.

If you really want to go with others, then just join Spica.

Oh, I forgot to mention, you haven't beaten the East Sea Emperor from that team, so Nishizaki Ryu trainer probably won't want you.

Leodban felt aggrieved, but Leodban didn't say anything. I guess Ibuki Mai Kagura's defense will be broken if she says it. Leo Deban really likes to see Ibuki Mai Kagura break the defense. It is particularly interesting to see the posture that she usually holds up being thrown to pieces. But when Ibuki Mai Kagura lowered her arrogance, she would either give him platinum chocolates or beat Leo Deban, but Leo Deban didn't want to be beaten.

Just as the conversation was about to continue, the back door suddenly opened again. The messy head of the substitute teacher, the astronomer, whom everyone thought they would never see again, popped out from the back door: "Oh right, Platinum, come here for a second."

"The student council is looking for you."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment, including Platinum himself.

The student council wants to talk to me about something? What could it be?

Bai Jin herself suddenly felt uncertain. Although she did go to the student council often, going there voluntarily and being called there were two different things.

Watching Platinum leave with the astronomer, Leo van muttered to himself, "I never think Platinum ever pays attention in class or does his homework. He's a typical problem student. Is he going to have to retake the exam?"

Ibuki Kagura punched Leodban squarely on the head, making her see stars. In the end, she still couldn't get the answer!

It's all your fault!

Episode 268: Will I fail the drug test?

"Surprised? Unexpected?" As soon as the astronomer saw that no one was watching him in the corridor or around him, his carefully maintained stern face immediately crumbled, and he put his arm around Platinum's shoulder. "How about that? You were startled, weren't you!"

"I was originally planning to work as a visiting coach in Tokyo for a few months, and then I saw your class roster! Guess what? Just like that, Rudolf asked me if I wanted to take over, and of course I accepted!" The astronomer beamed. "How does it feel to suddenly have your good buddy become your teacher?"

For astronomers, anyone they've shared a drink with and clinked glasses with can be considered a good buddy. And good buddies are always looking to take advantage of any opportunity they can.

Whether Platinum was happy or not, the astronomer had been Platinum's teacher for a week, and she was very happy.

"What does the president want with me?" Platinum didn't care about any of that. Anyway, she never listened in class and never handed in her homework. She was a complete delinquent. Even when she was late... there were astronomers who arrived at the classroom later than her.

"You'll see when you meet her." The astronomer chuckled, nudging Platinum's shoulder as he opened the student council door. "Hey—Rudolph, I've brought her!"

Rudolf, as always, sat upright at the student council table with a thick stack of documents on it.

"Thank you! This must be the astronomer. I'm so glad you'd be willing to be a coach at Treson College!"

The voice came from across the desk, but not from Rudolf Symbol's mouth. Beside Rudolf Symbol sat a chair, where a girl with long orange hair was holding a folding fan, her arms crossed and legs raised off the ground, swaying it back and forth. She wore an oversized hat that didn't suit her figure, and on top of that hat lay a sleeping cat.

"Chairman Akikawa?"

Bai Jin certainly knew Chairman Qiu Chuan; in fact, she especially hoped that it would be the chairman opening the door for her every time, rather than some cuckolded guy...

"Good morning, Platinum." Just as Platinum was wondering what had brought Chairman Akikawa to the student council today, another voice came from beside her.

That...that voice! That chilling voice! There's no mistake, that voice definitely belongs to that demon!