Umamusume: My Umamusume Is a Ghost! [7]

“From now on, you’re officially a member of our team, Silence.”

After leaving the Student Council room, Rei Sumikawa spoke to the black-haired girl walking beside him.

“So… I’m an Umamusume now?”

“That’s right.”

Rei looked at Silence.

How should he put it…?

Although he had brought her to school and signed a contract with her, Silence probably had no real understanding of what any of it meant.

She had lost her memories. She didn’t know what an Umamusume was or what races were—she knew nothing at all.

In that case…

“Let’s go take a look at the training grounds, Silence.”

This was the perfect opportunity to show her what made Umamusume so wonderful. At least, Rei certainly thought so. He was a die-hard Umamusume fanatic who couldn’t tear his eyes away whenever he saw one running.

Being a Trainer was practically his dream job.

“The training grounds?”

“Yeah. I want to show you around Tracen. You’re probably still unfamiliar with the place, right?”

“I’m coming too. As team captain, this is part of my responsibility,” King Halo said.

“Sure. Tachyon and Cafe can head back first, then. A whole group of us wandering around together would attract too much attention.”

Manhattan Cafe glanced at her “Friend.”

“Later… when you come back, there’s something I want to talk to you about, ‘Friend.’”

“All right.”

Standing nearby, Rei silently observed the girl.

Although Silence didn’t remember Cafe, her expression would soften whenever Cafe spoke to her.

Could some of Silence’s old habits still remain? Rei wondered.

“Cafe and I will head back first, then. Guinea Pig-kun, come find me in the lab if anything happens.”

After taking one more look at Silence, Agnes Tachyon left with Manhattan Cafe. Rei, meanwhile, headed toward the training grounds with King Halo and Silence.

On the way, he said, “King, explain things to Silence.”

“Very well. Silence, although Trainer is the one in charge of Team Ascella, I’m the one who actually handles all its affairs—not that whats-her-name Tokai Teio! You can come to me anytime if you need anything.”

“Ah… okay. Captain King, what exactly do Umamusume do?”

“Umamusume are racers. We compete in races.”

“Races?”

“The Twinkle Series. In other words, we run. Umamusume from all over the world compete to determine who is the strongest. The races range from G3 all the way to G1, and our goal is to win at the G1 level. Of course, as members of Team Ascella, merely winning a G1 isn’t enough. We aim for the Classic Triple Crown. Only an Umamusume who wins all three can call herself the strongest!”

“The strongest…”

“Ahem. Incidentally, I came just one race short of becoming a Triple Crown winner myself, and I have no fewer than five G1 victories to my name!”

As she spoke, King Halo proudly puffed out her chest.

“Oh…”

“So you need to become a powerful Umamusume too, Silence. Trainer may be unreliable at times, but when it comes to training, he’s exceptional. He can hold his own even against those great veterans. As long as you listen to him and train properly, you’ll definitely win.”

King Halo’s voice was full of pride.

She was growing more impressed with her own judgment by the day. To think she had set her sights on him so soon after he arrived at Tracen—she had truly found a treasure.

The only problem was that this treasure had no idea how precious he was and insisted on shining for everyone.

“Understood.”

Silence followed quietly behind them.

She should understand what an Umamusume is now, Rei thought.

What he didn’t know was that despite King Halo’s passionate speech, Silence hadn’t felt anything at all.

In fact…

She had found it a little boring.

When they reached the training grounds, the clatter of cleats rang out from every direction. Many Umamusume were training at this hour.

As Silence watched the distant figures racing across the field, her eyes slowly widened. The Umamusume drove their legs forward at incredible speed, bounding over the grass stride after stride.

THUMP!

Suddenly, Silence’s heart gave a violent beat.

“These are the training grounds,” Rei said.

“…”

“Silence?”

He looked down and saw her standing frozen, staring blankly at the track.

“…Would you like to try running, Silence?”

“…Huh?”

“Since we’re already here, why not give it a try? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you run before.”

“Am I allowed?”

“Of course. You’ll be training here from now on anyway, so you may as well try it now. King, go to the lounge and bring out Cafe’s spare training shoes. The two of them should wear the same size.”

“Right.”

King Halo ran toward the nearby lounge.

Rei remained where he was. On the opposite side of the training grounds, an Umamusume with hair reaching her knees was stretching. Her brown hair formed a gradient, dark at the crown and gradually lightening toward her waist, and a lightning-shaped white streak on her forehead swayed in the wind.

Apparently warming up, the girl raised both arms overhead.

“Oh? She’s here too.”

“Who?”

“A first-year who just enrolled this year. If you make your debut this year, you’ll be part of the same debut class. That’s Duramente, the most famous new student this year. She placed first in the entrance trials.”

“Is she strong?”

“Definitely. Everyone says she’s the Umamusume most likely to win next year’s Triple Crown.”

“Dura…”

Silence’s eyes flickered.

In the distance, the brown-haired girl finished warming up and stepped onto the track.

“Trainer, I brought them!”

King Halo hurried back with a pair of shoes in her hand.

“Put these on, Silence. They belong to Cafe. Umamusume need shoes like these to run. Ordinary shoes can’t withstand the force of your strides.”

“Okay.”

Silence changed into the training shoes and stepped onto the track.

The instant the sole of her shoe touched the grass—

WHOOSH!

A powerful gust swept past, scattering blades of grass into the air.

Rei raised an arm to shield his face from the wind. Then his eyes widened.

Silence’s pupils had contracted to pinpoints. She stood there drawing one deep breath after another.

THUMP! THUMP!

Her heartbeat was so violent it could be heard from a distance.

“Silence, are you all right…? Silence?”

“Haa…”

As though she hadn’t heard him, the girl continued taking deep, forceful breaths.

Her heart felt as though it had caught fire. Blood surged through her veins, and a trace of crimson gradually appeared within her golden pupils. It soon spread through the depths of her eyes until both had turned a vivid bloodred.

Her heart pounded madly against her chest.

Driven by that unbearable restlessness, Silence slowly lowered her body.

Lower.

And lower still.

It was as though the movement had been carved into her very instincts.

Seeing her posture, Rei couldn’t help warning her, “Silence, that won’t work. You’ll fall if you—”

Before he could finish, a horrifying crack rang out.

It might have come from bone.

Or perhaps from the sole of her foot.

In the next instant, a bolt of black lightning tore the turf ahead in two.

T/N: heh

This is a fan translation of 赛马娘，我的马娘是幽灵 by 风与林 Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!