Umamusume's days are numbered

"I've discovered another promising talent," Nishizaki Ryu sighed.

Then, the shoe upper came closer and closer.

"You bastard, where are you touching?"

Nishizaki Ryu was struck squarely in the chest by a back kick from Ali Digital and sent flying backward.

Oh... that steady and powerful kick... I misjudged it...

Mid-air, Nishizaki Ryu thought to himself.

This is hardly a promising talent.

This was a complete display of talent, a powerful blow that earned G1 a huge reward for the horse.

"Oh dear... I'm so sorry, you're not dead, are you?" Ali Digital rushed over and slapped Nishizaki Ryu's face. "Please don't be hurt!"

"I think I just heard the trainer scream." It was Yamato Akachi's voice from afar.

“I heard it too.” That was Vodka’s voice.

"Huh? I heard it first, didn't I?"

"Nonsense, it was clearly me!"

As they bickered, their voices grew louder and louder.

Oh no, oh no, oh no… Aili Digital quickly picked up the camera and ran away.

"Sorry, I don't know this trainer!"

"Look, who's running?"

"So fast! They've disappeared!"

Facing the rising sun, Aili Digital began its victorious escape.

Episode 34 is arranged very clearly.

Sitting in the audience, Rudolf symbolically handed a stack of documents to Platinum.

"Anyway, come and take a look. Your passport and entry/exit records are still with me. You can pick them up next time you pass by the student council."

Platinum remained noncommittal. She knew that Rudolph symbolism couldn't be discussed in too much detail in public; bad deeds had to be done secretly.

She flipped through two pages of documents and pushed the stack of papers back in front of Rudolf's symbol: "I don't understand."

Just kidding. I only managed to understand Rudolf's Japanese thanks to my years of watching anime. Even then, I had to guess and make things up. How could I possibly understand it by reading the text?

Let's start by learning the Japanese syllabary (hiragana and katakana).

“I know you can’t understand it…” Rudolf symbolically sat down next to Platinum, rubbing his forehead. “I didn’t expect you to understand it anyway.”

"Let me show you the documents one by one. All you need to do is sign them."

"In fact, because you are still a minor and not even a Japanese citizen, you don't have the capacity to exercise your civic rights. You don't even need to sign anything extra."

Rudolph symbolically pulled a flimsy piece of paper from a stack of documents and pointed to the bottom: "You only need to sign this one."

"Um, may I ask what this document is?"

“It’s basically acknowledging your parents’ identities and proving that they are indeed your parents,” Rudolf said, stroking his chin. “Then it’s agreeing to all the decisions your parents make and agreeing to entrust your parents with the rights you possess, including the right to your image, the right to your name, and a series of other rights, until you reach adulthood. It’s a guarantee like that.”

Platinum looked around, pulled down Rudolf's signature collar, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "Aren't you just selling me out?"

"If you outsource everything and sell me to Southeast Asia, who am I supposed to complain to?"

"Hey, hey, don't be so wary. This is a document that all students have to sign when they enroll," Rudolph reassured Platinum. "Besides, if I really wanted to sell you, why would I need to give you an identity card? I could have just carried you away and sold you already. Why would I have waited until today?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I've never even heard of my parents. How can I trust them?"

"If you'd heard of it, that would be outrageous!"

The two whispered to each other with their heads down. Zhou, who was passing by, gave them a strange look and ran to the training ground.

"Don't worry, this couple are employees of Symbol Home's branch in Poland. They are both elderly and have no children. They are happy to be able to help you."

"they?"

"Do you think the reason they don't have children is because they don't want to?"

Ah this.

As expected of foreign countries, they are indeed advanced.

"Your resume should state that you were adopted by an orphanage, lived in Warsaw from childhood until recently, and only recently came here. Don't give yourself away."

"...Oh." After thinking for a moment, Bai Jin felt that there was really nothing to worry about. He picked up the pen, but stopped abruptly just as he was about to sign.

"Tell me, should I write Platinum or Cintel?"

"It doesn't matter, for Saima Musume, both names can be used as official names."

Without hesitation, Platinum signed his name on it.

Taking the paper, Rudolf looked it over symbolically and praised, "Your Chinese characters are quite well written."

Before Platinum could react, Rudolf symbolically placed the remaining stacks of documents in front of Platinum.

"Since you signed the document above, all the documents below are also valid."

"I've already arranged for them to sign the rest of these documents. I'll show them to you so you know they exist. I'll put these documents in your file and put them together with the other students' files."

"This document mainly concerns the usage rights of equipment within the school, and there is also a confidentiality agreement. After all, Treson Academy is one of the top related institutions in the country. The trainers and lecturers use the most advanced and scientific methods on you. Some of them will specifically instruct you not to disclose them, and some equipment cannot be photographed."

Platinum raised her hand: "Suppose, just suppose, what would happen if the rules were broken?"

Rudolf gave her a symbolic glance: "I suggest you curb your impulse."

"If you violate this rule, you may be expelled from school and have to pay a penalty for breach of contract."

"It's serious... especially for a foreign colt like you, the most serious charge could be espionage."

Platinum quickly shrank his shoulders.

“Alright, you don’t usually come into contact with these things, this is just for insurance purposes.” Rudolph offered a word of comfort to Platinum, then drew the next document. “This is an agreement related to the performance outfit you will be using in the future.”

“We have close cooperation with many tailors in Britain, France and Italy. You must remember that if one day you get your winning outfit, it will be designed and sewn by highly respected old tailors with decades of experience. The light and airy clothes you wear are actually far more valuable than you can imagine.”

"So we have to pay? Will we have to pay student loans in the future?" Platinum raised her hand again.

“There’s no such thing as student loans. You little ponies can’t afford that.” Rudolph patted Platinum’s head. “This relates to the bounty-related issues I’m about to discuss, so since you asked, I’ll get to it.”

"If you are really capable of stepping onto the G1 stage, the academy will cover the cost of your first set of final outfits, meaning you won't have to pay extra."

"Of course, this doesn't mean the final server is free. The academy will take a cut of the bounty from the matches you win, and the tax rate is very high... Don't be discouraged, though, you'll probably only get about 50% of the huge bounty from a G1 match."

Bai Jin's smile immediately vanished: "What a heartless school."

Seeing her like this, Rudolph couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You talk as if you're about to participate in the G1 competition."

"The school doesn't receive much, and it runs a budget deficit every year, relying entirely on government subsidies and aid. Where do you think your daily food, lodging, and other necessities come from? Only a small portion comes from your bonuses; the majority comes from the school board and taxpayers."

"The prize money you win after running a G1 race may seem like a lot, but when divided among each student, it's just a small amount. For the school, it's just a drop in the bucket. Your main income doesn't come from the prize money, but from various other sources."

"This brings us to this document." Rudolph symbolically pulled out another copy. "Collaborations between students and manufacturers/advertisers can be led by the school, or students can find their own partners. If they find their own partners, they must bear all the consequences themselves. If the school leads the collaboration, the school will not get any of the merchandise sold or the advertising fees, but they will charge you a commission, no more and no less."

As she was introduced to each item, Bai Jin gradually became dizzy and disoriented; she had never encountered any of these things in her previous life.

In short, everything was arranged very clearly.

Episode 35 Tailor-made

"Stop, stop, stop." Platinum, feeling dizzy from listening, quickly stopped Rudolf's incessant chatter. "In short, it's all arranged perfectly."

"That's about right. The school's regulations have been discussed and tested many times, and they seem to be the most appropriate at present."

Rudolph looked at Platinum with a half-smile: "What, feeling overwhelmed already?"

"You'll have a lot more to worry about later. Don't forget, you're an international student, and a transfer student at that."

In other words, they not only have to catch up on missed academic courses, but also take courses relevant to international students.

Putting everything else aside, at least learning Japanese should be put on the agenda, right? Otherwise, you won't even be able to understand the textbooks.

Upon hearing Rudolf's symbolic remark, Platinum's face immediately turned green. She realized that her days ahead were probably numbered.

"Isn't this a sports school? As long as you can run fast, is academic stuff really that important?"

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Rudolf shook his finger. “Our school’s academic education is also very diverse. Graduates of Treson College have even been admitted to the University of Tokyo.”

"Although the minimum requirements are lower than those of a typical prestigious school, they should at least be roughly the same. Otherwise, we won't be able to explain to society if we produce a bunch of illiterate girls."

Platinum trembled.

In other words, students at Treson College... get up early to race, attend academic classes in the morning, and then find time in the afternoon to practice singing and dancing. After a long day of training, exhausted, they might still have to memorize English words in a notebook when they get back to their dorms.

Oh, I might be in an even worse situation. Because I still have to catch up on my previous courses and learn the language of this country.

Why the hell.jpg

If this training were truly successful, it wouldn't just produce a bunch of running stars. Those who graduate from Treson Academy would be ironmen!

Lying back, Platinum, half-dead, stuck out his tongue and said, "Let me die."

Just as Rudolf Symbol was about to say something, the shouts of vodka, Yamato Red Horse, and the Golden Ship reached their ears.

"One, two, heave-ho!"

"One, two, heave-ho!"

The three men, one tall and one short, carried the half-dead Nishizaki Ryu on their shoulders to the side of Rudolf's symbol.

The golden ship threw Nishizaki Ryu to the ground, ran to the symbol of Rudolf, and stood at attention to salute.

"Sir! The person has been brought!"

"Trainer Nishizaki Ryu was attacked by an unknown assailant. Judging from the marks left on his chest, the weapon was probably a horse hoof, with a shoe size of around 21.5cm!"

"Based on the shoe size and the height, the murderer probably did a split in the air in front of trainer Nishizaki Ryu and kicked him in the chest."

"Of course, it's also possible that it was actually a group crime, with the taller person holding the shorter person by the neck and throwing the shorter person as a weapon, hitting the trainer right in the chest!"

"I strongly suspect that a spy from another team assassinated the trainer to disrupt our training! I especially suspect that short, blue-haired guy from Team Canopus!"

"Heaven is above, and justice prevails. President, please uphold justice for us!"

"No, no, no, the trainer clearly touched someone's leg and got kicked." Yamato Akaki waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly.

"Seriously, when will you ever mature a bit... At least ask before you touch me..." Vodka shook his head as well.

Rudolph, completely ignoring the nonsense spouted by the Golden Ship, introduced Platinum to her: "This is one of the best trainers in the school, who has trained many excellent racehorse girls."

“I know him.” Platinum’s expression changed the moment she saw Nishizaki Ryu. She did a sit-up and squatted down behind the president. “He likes to touch other people’s legs, is over thirty and still single, and at his age he’s still hanging out with a bunch of girls every day. It’s just…”

The main issue is that she likes to touch his legs. If you were suggesting a sworn brotherhood or arm-in-arms relationship, Bai Jin might reluctantly agree. But to start by touching his legs...

Platinum especially dislikes physical contact. Perhaps it's because it spent too much time in hospitals in its past life, because nothing good ever happens whenever there's physical contact.

The last guy who wanted to see Platinum Face got a beating and ended up lying in the bar.

So Platinum crouched down and hid behind Rudolf's symbol to prevent Nishizaki Ryu from suddenly going berserk and rushing up to touch his legs. In this situation, he would touch the chairman's legs first.

If you touch the boss's, you can't touch mine.jpg

"President, you're not thinking of handing me over to someone like this, are you? You promised to be my trainer!"

"I just asked him to give you some advice, to help you develop an exercise plan, and to run alongside the members of SPica." Rudolf seemed quite guilty.

"Who instilled this kind of thinking in her!" Nishizaki Ryu thrashed about on the ground a few times, then stood up abruptly, patting the footprint on his chest. "I'm a gentleman, touching her leg was just to quickly check her physical condition, okay?"

After speaking, Nishizaki Ryu glanced at Platinum with a burning gaze and nodded.

"I basically understand."

"Indeed, as the president said, he is a promising talent."

Rudolf's words proved true; Nishizaki Ryu was indeed a trainer with considerable professional skills. Perhaps only someone as pure as him could become a mature trainer.

“I just saw the footprints Platinum left on the grass. It was great, really great.”