Vodka was montarily taken aback.
She hadn't considered the direction Kitasan Black's thoughts had taken.
She had only thought Yasui Makoto probably didn't want to burden Kitasan, but she hadn't considered whether Kitasan herself might worry.
Now, thinking more carefully about this warm-hearted kouhai before her, Vodka realized that once Kitasan understood the harsh reality her trainer faced, she certainly would worry deeply.
As for Yasui Makoto, he seed calm, mature, and ticulous. He might very well have foreseen exactly that.
"Hmm, I suppose you're right—I an, Kita-chan, you probably guessed correctly about Yasui-kun's intentions," Vodka nodded thoughtfully, sighing gently.
"For him to have understood the mindset of his opponent so clearly, it makes sense he'd anticipate your concerns too."
"I originally thought that now you've reached this point, you shouldn't be left in the dark about these things anymore. After all, you're so kind-hearted to everyone, but so things can't be solved by kindness alone."
"Like the issue we just discussed—that's probably sothing only soone like Opera-senpai could truly help resolve."
"Still…" she smiled lightly, "Ines Fujin-senpai was right, Kita-chan. You're really lucky. Your trainer might be young, but he's genuinely outstanding."
"If you stick close to him, I have a feeling he won't let you down."
In the past, whenever she heard encouragent like this, Kitasan Black would nod without hesitation.
But this ti, she pressed her lips together tightly, fists unconsciously clenching at her sides. After a long silence, she finally gave a determined nod.
"Alright! I've made up my mind!"
At this sudden declaration, not just Vodka, but Daiwa Scarlet and Ines Fujin all blinked in confusion.
"You've…decided?"
"Kita-chan, what exactly did you decide?" The three senpais asked simultaneously.
"I have to find a way to help Trainer!"
Clenching both fists in front of her chest, the black-haired girl declared resolutely:
"I didn't realize Trainer was under so much pressure—I only knew he was busy."
"But after hearing what you senpais just said, I can't just stand by!"
"I have to do sothing to help Trainer sohow!"
"As for exactly what to do…" she paused again, biting her lip before her eyes suddenly brightened.
"Oh! Right!"
"Trainer already told who my opponents will be for the next race."
"They're all classmates from the academy, so I'll find a way to secretly investigate them!"
...
The next day, Yasui Makoto arrived at the training grounds carrying not only his usual shoulder bag but also a large, square backpack.
Inside the shoulder bag were his usual training essentials: tablet, stopwatch, binoculars, and a recording clipboard. The large backpack contained the drone he had just acquired yesterday.
In this day and age, drones weren't particularly common, and most models on the market had limited functionality.
But the one he'd ordered was far from ordinary. He'd already tested it briefly last night and confird it suited his needs perfectly.
However, since no one had ever used this kind of tool for training before—and relevant regulations weren't yet clearly established—he'd have to file a report with the student council.
After all, this device was still quite novel. If an uninford student spotted sothing strange flying around, it might cause unnecessary commotion.
Moreover, since the students at the academy were all girls, using a drone to record video footage could easily lead to misunderstandings. The last thing he needed was to be mistaken for a voyeur.
As a result, during the morning training session, Yasui Makoto only used the drone as a high-speed cara without activating its flying function.
After the session, he reminded Kitasan Black to pay attention in class and headed straight to the student council office.
He'd arranged to et Tokai Teio last night, and sure enough, he found her waiting as soon as he entered.
Besides her, there was another Uma Musu with elegant, pale lavender hair in the office.
Imdiately recognizing the girl as jiro McQueen—vice president of the student council and, like Tokai Teio, a Hall-of-Fa-level Uma Musu—he greeted them politely:
"Good morning, President Teio, President McQueen."
"Morning, Yasui-san!"
"Good morning, Yasui-san."
After exchanging greetings, Tokai Teio curiously eyed Yasui's large backpack.
"So, Yasui-san, is that the…drone? It's that small?"
In Tokai Teio's mind, a drone was essentially a plane without a pilot.
But even a small aircraft would usually asure at least ten ters long. So yesterday, upon hearing Yasui's request, she had hesitated slightly.
However, once she learned it was a compact drone that could fit into a backpack, her curiosity quickly overca any hesitation.
In her experience, Yasui Makoto was far more steady and mature than many older trainers. He never exaggerated or boasted. If he said it was small, she trusted it was indeed small.
And if it truly could assist training, as student council president, she naturally had an obligation to take a look.
As Tokai Teio voiced her curiosity, jiro McQueen also studied Yasui's backpack thoughtfully, musing aloud:
"Judging by its size, it must be one of those drones with four propellers?"
As Yasui removed the backpack from his shoulder, he paused in surprise at McQueen's accurate guess, nodding appreciatively.
"You're very knowledgeable, President McQueen. It's indeed a quadcopter drone."
Tokai Teio's curiosity intensified.
"Eh? McQueen, you know about these?"
"I've seen them overseas a few tis," jiro McQueen nodded, demonstrating the drone's approximate size with her arms.
"About this length and width. The main body is either round or square, with helicopter-like arms extending from each corner—though much smaller, of course."
"Each arm has a propeller, similar to helicopter blades, but again, much smaller. Beyond that, I don't know much—I only saw them at exhibitions."
While McQueen explained, Yasui finished removing the drone from the backpack, quickly assembling the body, arms, and propellers.
Both student council presidents leaned in, intrigued, carefully observing the device.
"It's smaller than I imagined…" Tokai Teio nodded thoughtfully, stroking her chin.
"So, Yasui-san, your plan is to use this flying device to film Kitasan's training sessions?"
"Yes. I had this drone custom-built with low noise, high video quality, and the ability to record at high speeds," Yasui explained, holding the drone in one hand while pointing out its features with the other.
"It also has a wireless transmitter, allowing real-ti viewing of footage. If we need fra-by-fra analysis, the built-in mory card can be removed and connected directly to a computer."
"As for demonstrating its capabilities…" He glanced toward the large floor-to-ceiling window.
"I wonder if I could demonstrate it right here? I brought the remote."
Both presidents turned toward the window, exchanged glances, and then nodded simultaneously.
"It's certainly an intriguing idea," Tokai Teio smiled. "In that case, please show us, Yasui-san. We'd both love to see this tool in action."
With permission granted, Yasui Makoto didn't hesitate further. He placed the drone on the floor, switched it on, picked up the remote controller, data cable, and tablet, and moved to the window, opening it wide.
After connecting the data cable to the remote and tablet, he activated the drone.
Whirrrr——
Under the surprised and fascinated gazes of Tokai Teio and jiro McQueen, the four propellers spun swiftly, lifting the drone smoothly out of the office window and into the open air.
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