As Kitasan humd softly, Daiwa Scarlet nodded thoughtfully.
"I see—Trainer Yasui, you intend to use this thod to boost Kitasan's popularity?"
Yasui Makoto nodded in confirmation.
"Kitasan's training data isn't exceptional enough, and my own youth also limits her appeal. Despite winning her debut race, her fan numbers haven't increased much; she's currently at just over 10,000 fans."
"This month's Conditions Race requires at least 24,000 fans to enter."
"Though we still have over three weeks, it'll be troubleso to alter our schedule if we fail to et that requirent. Not to ntion the late-entry fees…"
"I don't want to disrupt our overall plans, so I figured using an extra thod like this was our best bet."
Daiwa Scarlet nodded in quiet understanding.
Her own training data had been stellar from the beginning, and her trainer was already renowned. With a record of 8 wins and 4 runner-up finishes in her 12 career races, she'd never worried about fan numbers.
But not every Uma Musu was that fortunate.
Subpar pre-debut training results, having an unknown trainer, losing critical races, or overly focusing on particular events could all drastically impact fan count.
Many competitions had strict fan requirents—particularly major races. For example, the Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen selected participants through fan votes rather than preliminaries.
To boost popularity, besides performing well in races, Uma Musu and their trainers often participated in festivals, charity events, TV interviews, street concerts, or collaborated with magazines—all within the rules set by the URA and Tracen Academy.
In Kitasan's case, her current fan pressure stemd from unimpressive training records and her trainer's lack of fa. Yasui had opted for writing an original song as his strategy.
As far as Daiwa Scarlet rembered, other trainers and Uma Musu had attempted sothing similar in the past, but few succeeded. Training and racing were already exhausting; composing good music on top of that was exceptionally difficult. Most resorted to buying songs from established composers.
Yet, from their ti together, Scarlet knew Yasui was steady and thoughtful. She believed even if his song wasn't brilliant, it certainly wouldn't be terrible. Kitasan herself seed genuinely enthusiastic about it, so there was no point in spoiling her mood.
With a thoughtful air, Daiwa Scarlet casually remarked:
"Trainer Yasui, you really think carefully about everything. This must have been the extra strategy you hinted at when we first t, right?"
Not sensing Scarlet's deeper thoughts, Yasui just nodded plainly.
"We still need around 10,000 fans. This song should do the trick. Kitasan's musical talent is impressive, so I believe she can sing it well. Of course, if she thinks my composition has any problems, she's free to make changes—I won't mind at all."
Kitasan paused from her quiet humming, startled.
"Oh, I don't think that'll be necessary… Even though Grandpa never gave formal singing lessons, I can tell this song is really nice!"
"Is that so?" Yasui smiled gently. "Then try it out at karaoke tonight, and let know your friends' reactions."
"Yes! They'll definitely be amazed that Trainer can write sothing this good!"
Kitasan nodded excitedly.
Now Daiwa Scarlet was genuinely curious—and slightly doubted her previous assumptions.
She knew well enough about Kitasan's family background, especially her grandfather, who was a regular on the prestigious Kohaku Uta Gassen—the musical equivalent of top-tier G1 races in the Twinkle Series. Regular invitations to that event marked Kitasan's grandfather as among Japan's musical elite.
Growing up in such a family, even though Kitasan beca an Uma Musu instead of pursuing music, Scarlet knew her judgnt on good music would be impeccable.
…So, on top of his incredible training skills, Yasui also possesses outstanding musical talent? Just what kind of genius is he?
Driven by curiosity, Scarlet leaned closer to Kitasan, trying to glance at the paper she held.
At the sa ti, she asked softly, "With Kitasan praising it this much… what's this song's title anyway?"
"Oh right! I was so caught up reading the lyrics, I didn't check yet…"
Realizing this belatedly, Kitasan hastily looked at the top of the sheet. Then, she and Daiwa Scarlet murmured the title simultaneously:
"'Uchiage Hanabi' (Fireworks)?"
…
Later that night, in a karaoke room in Harajuku, a black-haired girl stood holding a microphone, eyes closed in gentle concentration, singing beautifully and passionately:
"Patto hikatte saita hanabi o miteita~"
"Kitto mada owaranai natsu ga~"
"Aimai na kokoro wo tokashite tsunaida~"
"Kono yoru ga tsudzuite hoshikatta~"
She was singing precisely the climax of "Uchiage Hanabi," the song Yasui had written for her.
As the song ended, she lifted the microphone, gracefully bowed toward the opposite side of the room, and flashed a confident smile.
Sitting across from her, two Uma Musu with similar elegant appearances stared back in astonishnt.
"Wow…that was amazing. Both your voice, Kitasan, and the song your trainer wrote—it's incredible."
Satono Diamond applauded enthusiastically, admiration evident in her sparkling eyes.
Beside her, Satono Crown joined in applause, still visibly stunned.
"Your trainer… is he really only 18 years old? And he actually composed this song himself?"
"Onee-sama…" Satono Diamond shot her sister a disapproving look.
"Oh, sorry!" Crown quickly apologized, placing her palms together toward Kitasan.
"I didn't an anything negative—I was just genuinely shocked. I don't know music as well as you do, Kitasan, but surely composing sothing this good can't be easy, right?"
"Only 18, yet he's not only training you expertly but also writing such beautiful music… Sorry, I'm still having trouble believing it."
"In any case, Kitasan, your trainer really is amazing."
"Hehehe, it's fine!"
Stepping down from the stage, Kitasan returned imdiately to her usual cheerful self, scratching her head sheepishly. "To be honest, I was surprised too!"
"When I first saw the song, I thought the lyrics were really nice, and the musical notation seed fine too—everything seed to flow smoothly. But when I actually sang it out loud… it sounded so good that even I could hardly believe my trainer wrote it!"
"So even you felt the sa way, Kitasan…" Satono Crown sighed in relief, before shaking her head again in disbelief."
"To write such a beautiful song, it must have taken a long ti… yet your trainer composed this just to help you gather so extra fans?"
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