Uma Musume: To The Top!!

[New Fanfic is Up!!]

[Bleach: No System, Just Skill]

The room fell into a brief, deathly silence.

"Pfft—"

"Aaah! Don't laugh!"

Suave Dancer immediately cried out in mortified frustration. Then, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, she plunged her face back into the pillow.

Her muffled protest emerged from beneath it.

"It's not like I meant to make that sound... I just couldn't control it when you surprised me..."

"All right, all right. I understand. Just relax and stop tensing up so much."

The smile on Kuroha's face grew gentler.

He reached out and reassuringly patted her tense leg before composing himself and concentrating on the treatment.

As time passed, the awkward atmosphere in the room gradually dissipated.

Aside from Suave Dancer occasionally twitching or letting out another startled noise when Kuroha pressed a particularly sensitive muscle, everything was progressing smoothly.

A short while later, Kuroha worked his palm upward along the muscles beside the girl's spine.

"Ah—!"

Suave Dancer's slender waist arched as a surprised yelp escaped her.

"All right, we're finished. You can get up now."

Looking at Suave Dancer, who had gone completely limp against the bed, Kuroha helplessly patted her head.

He then stepped away and returned to the equipment. Closing his eyes, he began organizing the data he had gathered about her current physical condition.

The French girl remained sprawled on the bed for quite some time before finally managing to lift her head from the pillow.

Her spirited face was covered in a deep blush.

She stared blankly ahead for several seconds.

Then, remaining facedown, she turned her head slightly and looked toward Kuroha's busy back.

She did not even need to deliberately test her strength. Her injured leg already felt far more relaxed.

It almost seemed as though the injury itself had improved. Her entire body felt indescribably light and refreshed.

"Mmm... If I could receive divine-tier treatment like this every day, I bet my training efficiency would improve by at least another thirty or forty percent..."

After muttering silently to herself, Suave Dancer turned over and found a comfortable position against the headboard.

She quietly watched the focused profile of her longtime rival's trainer.

A gentle warmth lingered within the peaceful room.

"Phew..."

Kuroha finally released a long breath and raised a bottle of medicine filled with a magnificent, concentrated starlight.

I can't believe I still prepared it perfectly in an environment like this. My skills really are getting better and better!

After privately praising himself, Kuroha turned around with the medicine in hand.

Only then did he notice the French girl sitting on the bed, staring at him while quietly muttering something under her breath.

Kuroha paid it no mind. He walked over and held out the fantastically glowing bottle.

"All right. Time to get up and take your medicine."

"Okaaay."

Suave Dancer answered with a drawn-out note, then sat upright with astonishing speed.

It was almost as though her injured leg did not affect her at all.

That was simply how incredible the bodies of Umamusume were.

Injuries such as hairline fractures or minor broken bones generally did not interfere with their everyday lives unless they were particularly severe.

Toni Bianca had fractured a bone in her foot during the final straight of the Japan Cup, yet still managed to finish at a light run and secure an excellent placing.

Super Creek had burned through everything she had to fight Ardan to the bitter end.

Teio had suffered a fracture after the Derby in the original history.

Suave Dancer was the same now.

Even the renowned "Phantom Umamusume" Tachyon would experience something similar in the future.

How could a mere hairline fracture overcome bodies forged through countless hours of grueling training?

Of course...

Although it would not affect her everyday life, competing again before she had completely healed was out of the question.

"Is this the medicine that'll heal me?"

Suave Dancer tilted her head from side to side, staring curiously at the mysterious liquid shimmering like an entire galaxy.

"Yes. Just drink it."

Kuroha nodded in confirmation.

He was no longer as cautious as he had been when his powers were still weak.

Now that he stood on the verge of "divine ascension," the miniature Superman he had become no longer needed to fear any schemes or threats from outsiders simply because a bottle of [Panacea] had been exposed.

Suave Dancer looked up at Kuroha.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, she accepted the bottle, raised it to her lips, and drained it in several enormous gulps.

"Mmm... It actually tastes pretty good."

She wiped a remaining drop of medicine from the corner of her mouth with her index finger, tasted it, and delivered her verdict.

"I'm glad you like it."

Kuroha smiled and took the empty bottle from her.

Suave Dancer then jumped down from the bed.

She twisted her waist, moved her right leg through its range of motion, and looked at Kuroha in confusion.

"That's strange. I don't feel any different. The massage you gave me felt much more effective than this."

Kuroha rolled his eyes.

"What do you think this is, a magic trick? Medicine doesn't take effect one second after you swallow it."

"Wait patiently. It'll take around half an hour for the medicine to spread completely through your body."

"I see..."

Suave Dancer forcibly suppressed the urge to hop around and test her leg.

She obediently retreated to the bed and sat properly on its edge again.

Her eyes then darted around before she leaned forward slightly.

"Train— Uh, Trainer Kuroha!"

"We still have time before the medicine takes effect, so why don't you tell me some stories about McQueen's past?"

"Go ask McQueen yourself if you want gossip."

Kuroha completely ignored the girl's mischievous intentions. Turning away, he began packing up the instruments on the table.

"Ehh? Don't be so stingy!"

The dark-skinned girl pressed her palms together and raised them over her head in a pleading gesture.

"How about this? I'll tell you some stories from my past in exchange. We can call it an intelligence trade. Sound good?"

"..."

Kuroha sighed, stopped what he was doing, and gave her a sidelong look.

"Before we discuss that, put your clothes back on."

Only then did Suave Dancer look down at herself.

She was still dressed solely in the pale athletic top and matching compression shorts she wore beneath her racing outfit, leaving her powerful arms, midriff, and legs uncovered.

Suave Dancer merely adjusted one of her shoulder straps.

"This is fine."

She nodded unconcernedly, her tone remarkably straightforward.

"You already finished the examination, so there's no point getting embarrassed over this now."

Her earlier shyness and flustered behavior had merely come from receiving close-contact treatment from a male trainer for the first time.

It had been nothing more than an instinctive reaction.

Once she grew accustomed to the situation, the girl's naturally fearless personality swiftly reasserted itself.

"If you won't tell me any stories, can I at least ask you a few questions?"

Suave Dancer craned her head forward and blinked innocently at him.

"Go ahead."

Kuroha answered helplessly while carefully storing the remaining used reagents.

"Trainer Kuroha, exactly how old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"You really are that young... Then, I heard that you've already married several Umamusume back in the Far East. Is that rumor true?"

"Yes. Maruzensky, who's standing guard outside the door, is one of my wives."

Answering with information that was already public knowledge, Kuroha finally returned the last instrument to the case.

(End of Chapter)

[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]

[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]

[Thanks for Reading!]

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!