In that mont, Kitasan Black finally grasped the sheer depth of Yasui Makoto's efforts behind the scenes. He'd quietly studied, analyzed, and planned ticulously—examining the race, her opponents, and even herself, far beyond what she'd imagined.
Compared to that kind of dedication, her earlier anxieties seed trivial, almost silly.
A wave of clarity surged within her, excitent crackling through her veins as she locked eyes eagerly with Yasui.
"Then let's keep preparing, Trainer!"
"You ntioned Gold Actor-senpai and Marialite-senpai just now, so how exactly should I deal with them in the Arima Kinen?"
She leaned forward, nearly bouncing in her seat, eyes blazing with newfound determination.
Seeing the fierce spark reignited within Kitasan, Yasui felt deeply gratified. His thoughts montarily drifted to Super Creek's notebook—specifically, one key insight she'd outlined.
To train an Umamusu effectively, she'd written, the runner must have keen insight, even the potential to eventually beco a trainer herself.
In truth, many Umamusu successfully transitioned to training roles.
Air Groove, for instance, was essentially ntoring Durante now. Similarly, Inari One, aside from handling administrative tasks, also served as an instructor at Oi Tracen Academy.
Moreover, a rare few—those uniquely gifted runners—could even guide their trainers through their own race intuition and razor-sharp instincts.
Symboli Rudolf, the legendary "Emperor," the previous student council president, and the first undefeated Classic Triple Crown winner, was a pri example.
Training logs revealed that Rudolf frequently defied her trainer's original instructions in major races like the Japanese Derby. Yet, ti after ti, her exceptional on-the-spot decisions proved to be correct.
Her trainer had even once noted wistfully: "It was Symboli Rudolf who taught how to race."
Seeing Kitasan now, Yasui recognized she'd clearly reached a deeper understanding of racing itself—a crucial threshold described by Super Creek. This would undoubtedly make strategies like "controlling the race" far easier to implent in the coming Arima Kinen.
Though imnsely pleased by this developnt, Yasui's lips curled into an amused smile.
"Well, soone's fired up. I guess those earlier distractions aren't bothering you anymore?"
A confident grin broke across Kitasan's face as she answered without hesitation.
"Not in the slightest!"
"I feel like I could run the Arima Kinen right this second!"
"So let's not waste any more ti, Trainer!"
Instead of agreeing, Yasui chuckled lightly, took out his phone, and showed her the ti displayed on its screen.
"I know you're eager, but we have plenty of ti left to wrap things up."
"More importantly, if you don't head back to the dorm now, Scarlet's going to lock you out."
"You don't seriously plan on staying here tonight, do you? That'd be a bit—"
Before Yasui could finish his half-joking sentence, Kitasan's eyes flew wide in horror the mont she saw the ti.
"Oh no! It's this late already? I have to hurry or Scarlet-senpai's gonna kill !"
With a startled yelp, she bolted to the door, flung it open, and dashed outside.
"See you tomorrow, Trainer! Let's both give it our all!"
Her voice rapidly faded down the corridor, leaving Yasui standing frozen, mouth agape, until her hurried footsteps finally disappeared completely.
After a brief stunned silence, he chuckled helplessly, shook his head with a wry smile, and tidied the scattered papers on his desk.
Finished, he turned off the lights and lay down on his bed, eyes closing naturally.
Yet monts later, he reopened them, reached for the phone on his bedside table, and tapped open the calendar app. He scrolled slightly, eyes resting briefly on a date circled prominently in red.
The 27th.
Quietly, he placed the phone back down, closed his eyes again, and soon drifted off to sleep.
...
December 27th. Nakayama Racecourse, Kitasan Black's preparation room.
Unlike previous sessions, Yasui Makoto wasn't scribbling strategies across a whiteboard. Instead, he stood beside Kitasan at a table, gazing intently at a ticulously crafted scale model of Nakayama Racecourse.
Barely over a ter long and nearly a ter wide, the detailed miniature perfectly captured every nuance of the venue: spectator stands, turf, running tracks, barriers—even the slopes precisely scaled down.
Yasui knew so trainers preferred this kind of three-dinsional simulation, though he'd always stuck to his trusty whiteboard. The painstaking effort required to build one had always deterred him.
But this particular sand-table setup was Kitasan's idea—and her handiwork, crafted entirely during her limited free ti.
In fact, she hadn't stopped at Nakayama; she'd constructed precise replicas of several other major racecourses as well.
Partially ant for more practical simulations, they also doubled as her "Christmas gift" to Yasui.
Although Yasui didn't fully grasp the sentint behind the gift at first, after so use, he'd grown deeply appreciative. Admittedly, the visual clarity far surpassed the whiteboard's flat sketches.
Beside the sand-table now, Kitasan carefully placed small, beautifully detailed figures representing Umamusu onto the starting gate.
"So, here's Sounds of Earth-senpai… Gold Actor-senpai, Marialite-senpai… and Lia Fail…"
Muttering nas softly, she positioned four of them precisely in their gate slots, before finally adding a distinctive black-thed figure.
"And lastly, myself."
She smiled up at Yasui. "There, Trainer—doesn't it all look much clearer now?"
"It certainly does," Yasui replied warmly, sincere gratitude evident in his tone. "I know I've said it already, but thanks again, Kita-chan. It's a wonderful gift."
His expression quickly turned serious as he turned his attention back to the miniature gate.
"Now, based on what you ntioned, the four most likely Front Runners have drawn gates 7, 9, 16, and 12."
Taking a pointer he'd prepared earlier, he gently nudged each figurine forward, then moved Kitasan's figure next.
"And you're in gate 11."
"So, barring surprises, right after the break, you five will form three distinct clusters battling for position."
"Sounds of Earth and Gold Actor in one group; you and Lia Fail in another; and Marialite on the far outside forming a third."
His voice grew solemn as he outlined the scenario clearly, the pointer gently tapping each figurine in turn.
User Comments
0 comments from readers