Umamusume: My Umamusume Is a Ghost! [12]

“Cough, cough… Ngh… Cough, cough, cough!”

King coughed in the bathroom. After she washed her face, the sound of her blowing her nose came from inside.

About ten minutes later, King Halo emerged, wiping her face with a towel. Water dripped steadily from the ends of her brown hair, and a faint blush colored her beautiful face. She glanced at Rei Sumikawa on the sofa, then shyly looked away.

“A-are you all right, King?” Rei asked awkwardly.

“Mm, I’m fine… Some of it accidentally went up my nose.”

“I-is that so…?” Rei scratched his head, unsure what to do. After a moment, King Halo spoke first.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Something to say…? Um, King, you were amazing. As expected of a first-rate Umamusume. That suction was terrifyingly strong…”

“That’s not what I meant, you idiot!”

Bright red, King Halo flung the towel into Rei’s face. The scent of soap mingled with her own fragrance and washed over him.

“I meant that kind of thing! You know… that kind of…”

“That kind of… King, my wife?”

“That’s moving a little too fast!”

“Then…”

“Forget it.”

King Halo sat down beside him in a huff. Rei looked at her soft pink lips.

“Why are you staring at my mouth? Haven’t you had enough?”

“No, I was just looking. I know what I’m supposed to say now.”

Rei gently wrapped an arm around King Halo’s waist.

“King, my beloved Uma.”

“That’s more like it.”

He had said it exactly as he always did. Rei had often called her his “beloved Uma,” but somehow, hearing it from him now made King Halo’s heart pound uncontrollably.

Feeling the firmness of his shoulder, King Halo reached out, her cheeks flushed, and stroked his thigh.

“How did it… feel, Trainer? Was it all right?”

“Can I admit I’m already getting a little addicted?”

“W-what? Addicted? Don’t tell me you want me to do that every day…”

“No, no. I was just saying. We won’t do it if you don’t want to.”

King Halo puffed out her cheeks, then whispered, “I never said I didn’t want to…”

“Hmm? What did you say, King?”

“Nothing.”

King Halo gave a little snort. Still stroking Rei’s thigh, she shyly looked away. Her gaze happened to land on the clock, and her eyes widened as she jolted in alarm.

“Look at the time! Trainer, hurry! We’re going to be late!”

“It’s fine, King. Don’t panic. If you’re late, you’ll just have to stand as punishment. I’ll have my pay docked.”

“Then hurry up already, you idiot!”

…

Before long, the first class had ended.

Silence sat at her desk in the classroom.

I didn’t understand any of it… I couldn’t understand a single thing the teacher taught!

Silence had been completely lost. Everything the teacher said sounded like an alien language. How were those words even supposed to form sentences?

Although she understood none of it, she had no intention of studying, either. Stepping onto the track yesterday had awakened some strange urge within her. All Silence wanted to do now was run. These classes were nothing but a waste of time to her.

“Silence!”

A cheerful voice suddenly rang out, and Kitasan Black came bounding over.

“How was it, Silence? Are you settling into class all right?”

“It was fine.” Silence nodded.

“That’s good. You can ask me about anything you have trouble with!”

Kitasan Black eagerly offered her help again. Silence studied her for a moment, then asked, “By the way… what do you all think of Trainer?”

“Huh? What? Trainer? Trainer Sumikawa?”

“Mm.”

“What do you mean, what do we think of him…?”

“His ability as a Trainer. How good is he at training Umamusume?”

“He’s amazing! Super amazing!”

Kitasan Black clenched her small fists, speaking with a hint of pride.

“When Trainer was still a rookie, he trained President Teio into a Triple Crown winner. Nothing like that had ever happened at Tracen before! And Trainer wins several G1 races every year. Those are the highest honors an Umamusume can earn, yet Trainer manages to win several of them year after year. I’ve heard some people can go years without winning even one G1!”

“Oh…” Silence raised an eyebrow.

“But I think Trainer’s greatest strength is how well he takes care of Umamusume. Other Umamusume tend to develop physical problems while racing, but Trainer’s trainees never do! It’s almost as if he knows something is wrong before the problem even appears. Of course, there’s nothing he can do about influenza and things like that. I mean the occupational ailments Umamusume develop. Trainer is the only person in all of Tracen who’s this dedicated. No other Trainer takes such thorough care of the Umamusume they train.”

“Takes care of their bodies…” Silence murmured.

No wonder he threw himself into harm’s way to save me.

If Trainer really is the kind of person who’ll give everything he has for an Umamusume… then yes, he’s exactly the person I need.

“So Trainer really is incredibly talented and incredibly amazing!”

As though she were bragging about her own man, Kitasan Black’s face gradually turned red as she spoke.

Silence had her answer.

“Thank you, Kitasan Black-san.”

“Just call me Kita. All my friends do.”

“All right.”

Silence looked out the window.

He was exceptionally skilled at caring for an Umamusume’s body. Something must have been wrong with her body yesterday, causing her to fall. If Trainer was unrivaled in that regard, then he truly was a very good fit for her.

There was one problem, however.

Silence glanced at Kitasan Black, who seemed to hold a special sort of admiration for Rei Sumikawa, then at Cheval Grand, who had spent the entire time hiding her face behind a book and secretly peeking over at them.

Silence did not know either of them very well yet, but their behavior alone was enough to show that both girls had special feelings for Rei.

No, it was not only the two of them.

The image of King Halo hiding beneath the blankets appeared in Silence’s mind.

Many people at Tracen harbored special feelings for Trainer. Some had even acted on them. If Silence wanted to race across the track, she needed a Trainer who would devote himself entirely to caring for her. Yet there were far too many people around Rei Sumikawa now.

At least some of those feelings were mutual: they liked Rei, and Rei liked them in return. Of course, Silence was not sure whether the same was true of Kita and Cheval. She simply knew too little about these people.

She would investigate further later.

After all, if Rei truly was that good a fit for her, then every one of these people… was an obstacle that needed to be eliminated.

T/N: HUH????????

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!