Umamusume's days are numbered

"This is terrible. Platinum is much dumber than I thought."

The two chatted as they walked towards the living room. Before they knew it, Haidu Zhixing was already sitting on the sofa, and upon seeing the astronomer, she greeted her softly, "Hello, sister."

"I was planning to take her to do a route planning this afternoon, to conduct the first route survey of the racecourse. Speaking of which, it seems that this youth training base has really invested heavily. The training ground is a one-to-one replica of the Longchamp Racecourse's road conditions, and even the grass quality is almost the same. I wonder how much money the Americans have invested in this. I guess it's a bottomless pit."

Hai Du listened quietly to the astronomer, then sat back down in his original spot, stroking the book on the table with his fingers. The astronomer sat down on the sofa next to Hai Du Zhi Xing, and gently pressed Hai Du Zhi Xing's head down with his palm—and Hai Du Zhi Xing, like a spring, lowered his head as the astronomer's palm pressed down, only to bounce back up again after the palm was removed.

"Back to Platinum. I originally thought that scouting the route, even though it was her first time, should be an easy task. But that girl..." The astronomer shook his head helplessly, "It was a complete mess. Are all Japanese racehorses like her? Didn't they also train racehorses like Great Shock and Golden Master? How could her foundation be so bad?"

Rally drivers and their navigators can decide their fate based on the road book because the navigator acts as the driver's other pair of eyes, providing guidance and support. More importantly, all the data is readily available to the driver. The car's current speed and its likely destination at that speed are predictable.

Why do Uma Musume (racehorse girls) rarely prepare route plans? Because on the track, racehorses have neither navigators nor visual instruments. Why do racehorses sometimes lose speed? Partly because they are physically exhausted, and partly because racehorses often struggle to perceive their own speed on the track, leading to misjudgments by the riders.

But why do astronomers use this system so effectively? It's because, although it doesn't have a navigator, it has visualized data.

The fundamental reason why data is not readily available is that there are no reference standards for racehorses on the track, making it impossible to measure their speed; only rough estimates are possible. In such cases, the stability of stride length and cadence becomes the only reliable benchmark.

The best rally drivers, relying solely on muscle reflexes, can floor the accelerator and steadily display the desired speedometer readings. Similarly, the most elite racehorse girls can maintain an almost constant stride length and cadence. Stride length and cadence determine a racehorse girl's speed; maintaining stable stride length and cadence ensures stable speed.

Once the speed is maintained at a stable level, the coordinate system of the racetrack can be established. In this case, the route book will give the racehorse girl a huge advantage, transforming the muscle memory gained from repeated practice into visualized data.

Astronomers initially thought this would be a simple matter for Platinum—after all, she had won the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby, crushed the Takarazuka Kinen, and even defeated the Hong Kong Horse King, making her the strongest new generation of Japanese racehorse girl! This was undoubtedly world-class.

"What was the result?" Hai Dudu asked with a smile, even though he already knew the answer in his heart.

"A complete mess." The astronomer felt a chill run down his spine as he recalled the disastrous afternoon.

"Platinum's roadmap simply couldn't be constructed. At first, I thought she wasn't used to thinking while running, but after many trials, I realized that she had a problem at a more fundamental level."

"So I took her to have her stride length and cadence tested. Well, that girl had absolutely no control over her pace."

Episode 314 Give Me the Platinum

"Maintain a speed of 60 kilometers per hour! Hold on, this speed is quite leisurely for a current racehorse girl!" The astronomer gripped the handrail of the treadmill, turning sideways to look at the data displayed on the treadmill. "Maintain it, hold on! Don't go faster, and don't go slower!"

The astronomers originally intended to reason with Platinum in a friendly manner, but when they saw the data on the treadmill, they felt a sense of oppression that made them feel dizzy.

The treadmills here can be used for exercise, but there's fresh grass outside, so running on a treadmill would be putting the cart before the horse. Therefore, the more important function of these treadmills is speed measurement.

The system constantly monitors the racehorse girl's running pace and then displays all the data, such as speed and stride length, on a small screen in front of her, so that the racehorse girl and trainer can analyze her own strengths and weaknesses.

Astronomers saw no advantage whatsoever, only the disadvantages.

Putting aside the inexplicably high stride length and cadence, the data made astronomers almost mistakenly believe that Platinum was a beginner who had only been on the track for less than two years—damn it, these athletes have been running on the track since birth, and should have already passed this stage long ago. These things should have been corrected before Platinum went to Treson Academy.

Just look at Platinum's current speed.

Astronomers demanded that Platinum maintain a stable speed of 60 kilometers per hour. This speed may seem unbelievable at first glance, but it actually represents a significant compromise and concession from the astronomers. For a race spanning two kilometers, even maintaining a speed of 60 kilometers per hour for the first kilometer is already considered quite slow.

That's it, that's the speed! Even Platinum can't do that!

It's not that she can't run that speed, but...

Platinum was somewhat comically trying to maintain her speed on the treadmill. Although she was already giving it her all, the speed displayed on the treadmill kept fluctuating. One moment it would drop to around 40, then Platinum would quickly run a few steps, and the data would immediately soar to over 80. Then she would quickly jog a few more steps, and the data would drop back to around 40 or 50.

In any case, it is far from meeting the requirements of astronomers.

"Platinum, are you even capable? How do you train normally?!" The astronomer was genuinely anxious upon seeing this scene. It was like an astronomer tutoring a student, initially assuming the student was the top student in the school and wouldn't have much trouble teaching them, only to discover that the student actually knew nothing and got first place simply because they received the exam paper in advance.

How do I teach this? Should I start with addition and subtraction within ten?

"Don't rush me, don't rush me!" Platinum shouted, panting heavily. "I'm trying, give me some time to adjust!"

"How long have you been adapting?" The astronomer was truly desperate. If Platinum could maintain a speed of around 50 or 60 kilometers per hour, the astronomers would acknowledge Platinum's efforts. But with such a large gap, the astronomers couldn't honestly say that Platinum had tried its best.

“Too slow, I’ll go faster…” Platinum herself kept her eyes glued to the gauges on the treadmill. She hadn’t normally cared about these things; her primary goal in coming to Hawaii was to relax. But seeing that the data on the gauges consistently fell short of the astronomers’ requirements, Platinum’s stubbornness kicked in.

Sixty kilometers per hour! Almost there, now's the time to slow down...

"Ah!" Platinum exclaimed in surprise. The forced change of speed resulted in chaotic footsteps, and Platinum completely lost control of his body, falling forward and landing face-first on the treadmill, then being carried by the rotating conveyor belt to the ground.

The astronomer was pressing his temples and painfully pinching the bridge of his nose.

“That’s it.” The astronomer sitting on the sofa sighed, then patted the shoulder of the Sea Star next to him. “If you ask me, the Sea Star is obviously much stronger. The Platinum’s conditions don’t even reach the international level. If they want to win the championship at the Arc de Triomphe, it can only be said to be wishful thinking on the part of the Japanese.”

The Japanese are obsessed; they see everything as a potential contender for the Arc de Triomphe, so they send anything decent they can to it. Only the Golden Ship understands that going to the Arc de Triomphe is purely a tourist trip—a quick look and then it's over.

The Star of the Sea City blinked, offering no response to the astronomer's words.

Hai Dushi, as if he had expected this, listened while taking out three disposable paper cups, pouring in hot water, and handing the cups to the astronomer: "Have some to warm yourself up."

"The conditions here are too harsh; we even have to use disposable paper cups." The astronomer complained as she took the cup, then stared blankly at the brown liquid inside. "Sis, what's this? Instant coffee?"

"There isn't even a Walmart here, so we're lucky to have instant coffee." Hai Dudu smiled slightly and took a sip himself.

"Back to Platinum," Hai Dudu continued after swallowing his coffee, "Do you remember how I taught you?"

"Now that things have developed to this point, we shouldn't dwell on how they happened, but rather on how to resolve them."

“Platinum is in this situation now, and that's a fait accompli that can't be changed. As the teacher in charge of the Tokyo Treson Academy team and also Platinum's coach, it's your responsibility to get everything back on track.”

"Believe me, Platinum is definitely no worse than Starfish." Hai Dudu muttered under his breath, quickly adding, "Of course, Starfish is still the best," and then continued, "Don't let everything remain on paper, Galileo. If we judge victory solely by data, there's no point in actually competing. Remember how Strange Light beat you?"

The astronomer clicked her tongue. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her eyes widened: "That's right, ma'am. You ran races with Platinum back in Hong Kong—you knew about Platinum's flaws back then!"

“It’s not just me, and it’s not just you.” Hai Dudu took another sip of the instant coffee in his disposable paper cup. “Any trainer or racehorse girl who has seen a Platinum race should be able to sense that something is off about her running. But if a flaw can be quickly remedied, then it’s not a flaw anymore.”

“This is an opportunity.” Hai Du put down his now scalding hot cup and leaned back lazily in his chair. “The summer training camp is a transformative opportunity. Do you know why Rudolf Symbol chose you, and why Alice chose you?”

At the same time, Hai Du City opened its slightly narrowed eyes a crack and stared straight at the astronomer: "Or, if you don't want to, you can hand over Platinum to me. Hai Du Star and Platinum get along very well, and I think Hai Du Star will definitely not refuse the opportunity to train with Platinum."

(Three more chapters to be read)

Episode 315 I need an explanation

"I think the starfish would definitely not refuse the opportunity to train with Platinum."

"No, I just..." The astronomer muttered to himself, scratching his hair. He looked up and saw Hai Dushi's gaze, and his voice immediately lowered.

Although the astronomer and Hai Du hadn't seen each other for almost a year, they were like sisters, having lived together for over a decade. To those unfamiliar with Hai Du, she always maintained a polite yet aloof smile, making it difficult to discern which of her words were jokes and which were sincere.

Astronomers can distinguish them. She knew Hai Du was serious when she said that; she understood just by looking at her expression.

Haidu City really wants to take over the Platinum from the astronomers!

"Unlike you. You think Platinum has such poor fundamentals that he almost has to start all over again and has no hope of winning the Arc de Triomphe. But I think that with Platinum's level, even with such poor fundamentals, he can still achieve what he has today—"

"What kind of brilliance would she radiate if she could make up for her shortcomings?"

"Big sister..." the astronomer began to feel uneasy. Complaining about platinum is one thing, but if it really came down to letting go... he'd be quite willing.

Given Platinum's current progress, it's essentially starting from scratch, which is both laborious and thankless, and there's no guarantee of any results in the end. Astronomers are quite inclined to just give up.

But on the other hand, if I just give up like this, wouldn't I be giving up the opportunity to get in touch with Platinum? Although the astronomer has never actively pursued a girl, he knows that opportunities are reserved for those who can seize them.

From a coach's perspective, Platinum's flaws are incredibly frustrating. But from a suitor's perspective... I wonder if it's a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and perhaps his clumsiness is a kind of endearing quality?

perhaps.

In any case, the astronomers haven't given up on pursuing platinum. This means she can't give up her role as coach.

“Rudolph’s decision to let Platinum come to Hawaii shows that he realized how important summer training is for Platinum.” Haidu City stood up, walked straight past the astronomer, and sat down on the other side of Haidu Star on the sofa. “Summer training is the time when players can improve the most, except for the rapid development period. A two-month off-season can bring about earth-shattering changes to a player.”

"This is Platinum's last chance. If you find it troublesome, I'll do it."

This time, Hai Du not only reiterated her wish, but also stated it in a very authoritative manner. She gently stroked Hai Du Zhi Xing's hair and asked her, "Hai Du Zhi Xing, would you like Platinum to accompany you during your training?"

Based on astronomers' understanding of the starfish and the piece of wood, she would most likely answer "I don't know" or "Listen to your sister." But the Starfish spoke without hesitation: "I'm willing, I'm very willing."

"Platinum is my friend. I like her, and I like having my friend by my side."

Straightforward and without hesitation. This stands in stark contrast to the astronomers who have always been deliberate and hesitant.

“Did you hear that, Galileo?” Haidu City ruffled Haidu Star’s hair. “Your sister answered much more decisively than you. You haven’t set a good example for your sister.”

The astronomer chuckled, "Sister, stop teasing me... I was just venting. The starfish is still a child, what would she know..."

"After all, Rudolph hired me for this coaching position with real money, so I can't just give up halfway through."

The astronomer had expected that the atmosphere would ease as he softened his stance, but that didn't happen. Hai Du City maintained that ambiguous smile, his gentle eyes fixed on him. It was precisely this expression that made the astronomer feel uneasy.

"Sea Star, go back to your room and close the door." Sea City looked at the astronomer, but spoke to Sea Star, patting her on the back. "Big Sister wants to talk to Galileo about some adult topics."

Haidu Star neither questioned nor refuted, and rose to go up the stairs. As Haidu Star's footsteps receded into the distance, only the astronomer and Haidu City remained in the living room.

Hai Dudu smiled as he looked at the astronomer, then at the cup of coffee on the table: "Galileo, could you bring me this coffee?"

"Here, you can have mine." The astronomer shrugged, too lazy to get up. "I haven't drunk it yet. Doesn't instant coffee taste cheap?"

Hai Dushi took the coffee from the astronomer, shook it in his hand, and the brown liquid in the cup almost overflowed.

"Galileo, I'm relieved to see you're still as lazy as ever." This time, Hai Dudu truly smiled. It was a smile that reflected both certainty and a touch of helplessness.

"You're not even willing to get up and get a cup of coffee. How can someone as lazy and irresponsible as you not shirk your responsibilities when faced with Platinum's challenges?"

"Based on my previous stereotypes about you, when I offered to help you train for Platinum, you, who had suffered setbacks, should have readily agreed. You're the kind of friend who can have fun together, but not suffer together."

Why did you reject my offer?

Hai Dushi raised a disposable cup to the astronomer as a gesture, then drank the coffee in the cup in one gulp.

"Or let me put it another way, how exactly did you get to Tokyo, how did you get involved with Treson Academy, and how did you get involved with Platinum?"

"Sister, I've been traveling all over the world, so it's not surprising where I go, right?" The astronomer licked her lips, noticing they were a bit chapped and dehydrated. "I should have known better than to hand this cup of coffee to Hai Du City..." the astronomer thought.

"When did you first meet Bai Jin? Let me guess..." Hai Du City completely ignored the astronomer's feeble excuses. "Was it when I sent you that photo? The timing does match..."

"Love at first sight, is that right?"

“Galileo, you really, really are not a good older sister. I thought that taking things from your younger sister was just a childish thing that you would do when you were in kindergarten.”

"I need an explanation."

Episode 316 Sister, you can't be biased!

This time, Haidu City took a very direct approach, launching a trial against the astronomers without any room for maneuver. This was quite unusual for Haidu City.

Although she was always strict with astronomers, she never blamed or punished them without reason. If she really made a mistake, she would apologize to the astronomers.

Such a serious and harsh reprimand is rare even for astronomers.

To the astronomers' dismay, Haidu City was not wrong about her. She did indeed have infatuations with platinum.

The astronomer couldn't refute it. She could only stand up in frustration and pace anxiously back and forth in the living room.

"Sister, I'm an adult now, and I'll take responsibility for my actions."

"You should also be responsible for your sister."

“I know, I know…” the astronomer said, rubbing his forehead. “You’ve always been so thoughtful. You’ve arranged everything for us so meticulously. Which sister has a talent for running, she can become a racehorse girl; which sister has a talent for studying, she can definitely become a technical talent… Sister, you’re taking on too much responsibility, it’s almost suffocating.”

Hai Dushi sat on the sofa, quietly watching the astronomer pace back and forth: "I have never acted arbitrarily. As the older sister, I have always avoided this situation. Including you, every decision I make for you is based on your consent before I exercise your authority."

"In fact, Galileo, if you had done what you promised me at the beginning and focused on your studies, I'm sure you would have achieved far more than you have now."

"Sis! Please!" The astronomer gritted her teeth and spread her hands towards Haidu City, "What's the difference between asking a child what they want to be when they grow up and you deciding for us directly?"

"Hai Xingxing embarked on the path of horse racing. Yes, she is an excellent horse racing girl. Before deciding to embark on this path, you asked Hai Xingxing in front of everyone if she wanted to become a horse racing girl in the future."

"Big sister!" the astronomer pleaded, "You know perfectly well that no matter what you say, the Star of the Sea will only nod!"

“I don’t want to say much about this; there’s no such thing as a perfect solution in the world. The starfish seems quite happy right now. But, big sister, you can’t just decide on our future partners on your own.”

"You saw it too." Hai Dushi glanced at the stairs leading upstairs. "Hai Xingxing really likes Platinum."

"Of course she likes platinum, just like she likes running!"

"You know she won't refuse you!"

"Big sister..." the astronomer took a deep breath, "I want to know whether it is [the Star of the Sea City who likes platinum], or [the City of the Sea City that makes the Star of the Sea City like platinum]."

The astronomer really went all out to say that. They'd never had such a heated argument before.

Haidu City fell silent. While many of the astronomers' words were spoken in anger, and some were unreasonable, some... were indeed things Haidu City had never considered.

Hai Dushi slowly stood up, supporting himself on the sofa armrest, and walked towards the astronomer step by step with an inscrutable expression. The astronomer stood stiffly in the middle of the living room, his expression gritted teeth and even somewhat ferocious, especially with the tattoos on his hands, making him look as if he was about to explode and hurt someone at any moment.