I Just Wanted a Quiet Life... So Why Am I an Uma Musume Trainer?! Chapter 318 - 317 The Frog in the Well Knows Not the Great O

Perspective: Hachiman

Having gone to the Chairwoman's office to accept the photo shoot request, I watched as Hayakawa-san imdiately relayed our acceptance to the other party. My request to schedule it for the second week of December was approved with surprising ease. With that, the photo shoot arrangents were settled. All that was left was to send an email to the team.

"Thank you, Hayakawa-san. And I apologize for making you go to such trouble on our behalf."

"No, please don't let it weigh on you. We are the ones asking the favor, so this much is only natural. Besides," she added with a knowing look, "you are always being inconvenienced by us, Trainer Hachiman..."

"Well, that's hardly your fault, Hayakawa-san. If anything, the root cause is the Chairwoman's abnormal behavior... From my perspective, all I can offer you are my condolences."

"A-Apologies...! I shall be more careful henceforth!" The Chairwoman stamred.

"Well, it's unclear to what extent she actually understands that concept, but let's believe her for now. If she exceeds the tolerance threshold, your cheek-stretching punishnt awaits her, after all."

It really is a shock, though. You open the door and find Hayakawa-san stretching the Chairwoman's cheeks with full force. Strangely enough, whenever I see that sight, my anger completely evaporates... It's also amusing how the Chairwoman flails her limbs around, offering zero effective resistance.

"Now then, since the request is settled, I'll be taking my leave."

"Umu!! Gratitude!! Good work!!"

"I must return to my duties as well, so excuse ."

"I'm counting on you!!"

Clack.

"Phew... I'm just glad it wasn't a sudden demand this ti. If it had been like before, I might have been the one pinching the Chairwoman."

"Ahaha... Indeed. However, Trainer Hachiman, you really pursued an aggressive overseas strategy this year. Four races in total for the team? There aren't many who do that. Few trainers seriously look at challenges abroad."

"True. Keeping things dostic is certainly one valid thod. Even I wasn't thinking about going overseas at the start of the year. But," I paused, considering the path we'd taken, "when I received the offer for the Irish Triple Crown from Pilsudski, I thought it would be a waste to let such talent remain buried dostically. As proof, C.B. and Arrow not only won the Irish Triple Crown and the BC series, but they also proved they are universally competitive. I actually regret how shallow my initial thinking was."

"But since they won, isn't it all well and good?"

"Just 'winning' isn't enough; it doesn't connect to what cos next. I'm looking at Dubai for C.B.'s schedule after the Japan Cup. If she wins in Dubai, C.B. can make it known that she possesses true, world-class ability. And Maurice... she has a rare talent for the mile. I can state with certainty that she is going to transform into sothing incredible. I believe she is exactly the type of racer who should be challenged overseas."

"...…"

"People of the past ca up with a good saying: 'The frog in the well knows not the great ocean.' Soone else later added, 'Yet it knows the blueness of the sky.' If I had refused Pilsudski's offer back then, I would have remained just a frog. I would never have known the world. That's why I'm glad we challenged Ireland. The things we gained were substantial—like bundles of cash raining from the sky."

Honestly speaking, I really hadn't given a single thought to overseas racing before. And look at now. Now I'm choosing foreign soil as our next stage. That just shows how much there was to gain. Even if the results had been dead last, I'm sure I would still think it was worth coming here.

"...Trainer Hachiman, I think you should rate yourself a little higher."

"...…What brought this on all of a sudden?"

"You are a truly wonderful trainer who thinks of the Horse Girls first. It is precisely because a trainer like you is leading the team that they are able to build such an impressive track record."

"You're giving way too much credit. I'm just a trainer; I do nothing more than assist them. The ones who are truly wonderful are the girls."

"Let us leave it at that, then."

"No, it's a fact, though... Well, I'll just work hard so they don't abandon ."

"I don't think that would happen in a million—no, a billion years. Oh, we've arrived."

"Then, Hayakawa-san, excuse ."

"...Trainer Hachiman. We have spent a not-insignificant amount of ti working together, so won't you call by my given na soon? You are actually the only trainer who still refers to by my surna."

Eh, really? Sure, everyone calls her Tazuna-san, but... wait, am I seriously the only one using her last na? Why is everyone else so friendly?

"...Understood. But I'm not used to it, so I think I'll be a bit awkward for a while. Please tell if it sounds off."

"Understood. Then, why don't you try calling by my na right now?"

"...Tazuna-san."

"...…Fufu, that's a little ticklish. ♪"

"Shall I stop?"

"No, leave it as is. From now on, please call by my na, Trainer Hachiman."

It turned into a weird flow of events where I'm now calling her by her first na, but I didn't have any reason to refuse, so I guess it's fine.

(Author's Note)

The world is a wide place, after all~.

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