Two hours later, Tojo Hana clapped her hands and announced, "The rest of you complete your training goals for today. Silence Suzuka, come with me."
"Okay." Silent Suzuka nodded expressionlessly.
Lu Jue was not surprised at all.
During this time, apart from Silent Suzuka, no one else should have any races scheduled.
If Lu Jue was not mistaken, she was probably going to participate in a G2-level race, which would be the last of her six consecutive losses this year.
So, what is a G2-level race?
Simply put, after their debut, Uma Musume are only eligible to participate in open-class races after winning a certain number of conditional races.
Among open-class races, G1 is the highest level, with generous prize money, and Uma Musume achieve their self-improvement in such races.
It is worth mentioning that once Uma Musume enter the open-class level, they can no longer participate in debut races, maiden races, and so on.
It is shameful to farm noobs.
Image
...
The remaining weeks were all like this. After Tojo Hana arranged everyone's training methods, she began targeted training for Silent Suzuka.
Regardless of whether Tojo Hana's training methods were scientific or not, Lu Jue, as an intern Trainer, found it inconvenient to offer suggestions.
So, whenever this happened, Lu Jue would quietly observe from the side, circling and drawing on paper.
Tojo Hana thought he was writing a school internship report, so she did not ask or look.
But if she had looked, she might have been surprised.
Because Lu Jue was not writing a report, but rather drafting Silent Suzuka's comprehensive indicators:
Stamina and Endurance: A
Speed: A+
Coordination and Flexibility: A-
Mental Fortitude: Excellent
...
Lu Jue wrote these basic indicators based on Silent Suzuka's usual training. The full score is one hundred, and it has a high degree of accuracy.
This was one of his talents, a gift from the Three Goddesses in a dreamlike scene when his memories awakened.
However, these indicators are not absolute; sometimes, affected by certain factors, they may fluctuate drastically up and down.
Also, there is the power of belief that can create miracles, which Lu Jue cannot rate. But he believes that at that instant, all indicators would "explode," beyond measure.
In the anime, it's like this: Uma Musume's minds are filled with words like faith and bonds, and then they miraculously win the championship.
In short, Uma Musume, after all, live in this world; they are not a bunch of dead data, but living people.
...
"Silence Suzuka, take a break."
"Trainer, I still want to practice for a while longer." Sweat drenched her long hair, but Silent Suzuka remained on the treadmill, refusing Tojo Hana's suggestion.
"No! Obey the arrangements. Overtraining can also lead to injury." Tojo Hana frowned, speaking somewhat sternly.
But she was also doing it for Silent Suzuka's own good.
"Little Silence Suzuka, take a break." After quietly writing "Mood: Low" on the paper, Lu Jue also came over to persuade her.
After these few days of interaction, he and Silence Suzuka had become much more familiar.
At first, Silent Suzuka was a little shy when she heard this address, but she gradually accepted it.
Silent Suzuka nodded and got off the treadmill. Tojo Hana breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the gym door.
"Have some water." Lu Jue handed her a towel and water.
"Thank you."
"I remember your race is next week, right?" Lu Jue sat beside Silent Suzuka. "Sister Hua is right, it's not good to overtrain. Getting injured before the race would be a huge loss."
"I'm not blaming Trainer, I just..." Silent Suzuka quietly lowered her head.
Her long hair covered her face, and Lu Jue could not see her expression, but he could sense her confusion and disappointment.
After all, she had failed so many times before.
"Silence Suzuka, what are you running for?"
"Running for what?" Silent Suzuka murmured, repeating the question.
She had never seriously considered this question before.
She only knew about the day-in, day-out training, and the various tactical and technical knowledge made her feel a bit boring... plus the repeated failures.
No matter how strong her mental fortitude, the child was feeling a bit emo.
"Cheer up. No one can answer this question but yourself. Take your time to find the answer." Lu Jue said gently, and Silent Suzuka looked up, a little bewildered.
Lu Jue was startled and instinctively reached out his hand, but then pulled it back as if shocked by electricity.
A head pat was still too soon.
"In short, your journey has just begun."
"Regardless of anything else, run with all your heart."
Silent Suzuka nodded, half-understanding. "Thank you, Mr. Lu Jue."
After Lu Jue's guidance, Silent Suzuka's situation... did not improve much.
Of course, Lu Jue did not expect to make the other party understand with just a few words.
...
Two days before the race.
Silent Suzuka canceled high-intensity training, and Tojo Hana began to explain tactics and analyze information on some opponents to her.
Even though she disliked it a bit, she still listened attentively.
After she had finished speaking, Lu Jue finally spoke, "Sister Hua, can I go with you to this race?"
Tojo Hana and Silent Suzuka both turned to him.
"Sure, but you don't actually have to come along."
Lu Jue shook his head. "I'm still an assistant Trainer, so I should go with everyone to cheer for Silence Suzuka."
"Thank you, Mr. Lu Jue." Silent Suzuka was a little moved. Over these past ten-plus days, Lu Jue often encouraged her.
"These are all things I should do."
...
After training ended in the afternoon, Lu Jue followed Silent Suzuka out of the training ground.
"Silence Suzuka, did you understand all of Sister Hua's tactical guidance?"
"Yes, I listened carefully." Silent Suzuka thought Lu Jue was testing her.
"But..." Lu Jue hesitated for a few seconds, then said seriously, "Not all competitors use the same running style in every race."
"Mr. Lu Jue, you are right." Silent Suzuka's ears twitched, and her tail behind her stopped wagging. "If it were you, how would you guide me?"
Silent Suzuka always felt that Lu Jue had something supplementary to tell her about the race.
Lu Jue did not answer immediately, but instead motioned for Silent Suzuka to keep walking forward. "Sister Hua's analysis is actually very correct; very few Uma Musume can adapt to all running styles."
After Lu Jue finished speaking, he changed the subject, "But the situation on the track is complex. The only one who can guide you should be yourself."
...