Sapphie opened the door to the house, and was greeted with a tracksuit thrown at her face. She instinctively caught it with her arms and was greeted by the trainer.
"Good morning." Shiichi said, with a hint of optimism in his voice.
"You… you changed your mind?" Sapphie said with a slight tremble in her voice.
"Don't make me regret my choice, you hear me." Shiichi said as he zipped up his tracksuit with one hand.
Shiichi felt a strong squeezing of his chest as Sapphie threw both arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Thank you! You won't regret this!" Sapphie said as she buried her head into the former trainers chest.
"Alright Miss Saphire Strider…" Shiichi pushed Sapphie away and grabbed a smart tablet on the table beside the door. "Let's see what you're made of."
The pair walked out to the back of Shiichi's estate to the backyard, to see a large course filled with different stations made for different types of training. Sapphie looked across the field with wonderment, it being her first time stepping foot into a real training course.
"I never thought I would ever see myself using this place again." Shiichi said as he looked across the training grounds he once used in his prime.
"You'll be doing the standard physical aptitude test that all girls take to see if they can qualify for academy. This test is split into 5 sections of which I will explain as we go through them. Aim for the best performance possible. Do you understand Miss Strider?"
"Yes Sir!" Sapphie replied with confidence in her voice.
"Then let's begin." Smith said while looking down at his tablet.
Sapphie failed miserably at every test administered. She had tripped and fallen multiple times during her mile run and nearly passed out at the end of the final lap. She got caught up multiple times in the tires during the footwork test, nearly sending one flying at Shiichi. She knocked over almost every hurdle during the hurdle test, and couldn't even jump off the ground for weighted side-to-side jumps. She almost drowned in the pool during swimming, and had to be thrown a pool ring by Shiichi and dragged back to the ground by him. The test had finished and Shiichi looked down at his tablet.
"How did I do Mr. Smith?" Sapphie asked while the pair sat down on the grass together.
"Out of all the girls I have seen or worked with through my time… you have been the worst performer to ever do this test." Shiichi said bluntly.
"I… I understand…" Sapphie choked out the words trying not to break down in tears. "It was stupid anyway… I just endded up wasting your time. I'll leave now….. Please just forget about me."
Sapphie felt something hit the back of her head as she turned around to see that Shiichi had thrown his water bottle at her. "I didn't say you could leave yet." Shiichi said sternly while staring directly into her eyes in a serious tone. He kept his gaze on her for a few seconds before suddenly bursting out into laughter.
"Aren't we a pair huh? Me, the disgraced trainer who can't even walk straight anymore, and a horse girl who has no talent in this field. It's almost like the world made it so that we met."
Shiichi grunted in pain and ached as he picked up his crutch and struggled to stand up. He hobbled his way over to Sapphie, who had now been crying from the words which she perceived as ridicule coming from her hero. He took a tissue from out of his pocket and began to wipe away the tears from the young girl's eyes.
"Crying really doesn't suit an idol you know?"
Sapphire looked at Smith with tear-stained eyes. "But… I… I failed…" she sobbed.
Shiichi took a cigarette out from his pocket and put it in his mouth. "You did. You failed pretty miserably, and honestly, you're the roughest piece of work I've ever laid hands on." He lit his cigarette as he continued to speak. "But champions aren't born in a day and you have a lot of potential kid." He placed his free hand gently on Sapphie's head and felt her white hair.
"I'll train you to be a star idol and a racing queen, but know that it's going to be an arduous path, and I won't be easy on you. Am I understood?"
Sapphie wiped the rest of the tears from her face and looked up at her trainer. She felt the firm yet gentle touch of his hand on her head and got a feeling of comfort from it.
"Yes sir." she said while staring Shiichi in the eyes.
"Go rest today. Lesson one is tomorrow." Smith replied.
Authors Note: I know that I have not updated this story in a year, and I am very sorry for the long absence. A lot has happened in my life with a lot of changes, and it kind of really affected my drive to write and create. I promise the next time between chapters will not be this long, and I hope you all can understand and be patient with me. It is good to be back.