Chapter 70: This Is the Stage of Champions!
Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, Special Week's voice could be heard as well.
"Yay! Kita-chan is amazing! First place! She won! That's three in a row! She's incredible!"
Bouncing up and down, she shouted incoherently in pure excitement. Not even caring whether the black-haired girl raising her arms in victory on the track could see her, she waved her hands frantically.
"Heeey—Kita-chan—! I saw it all—! That was an amazing race—!"
As she continued shouting, her voice began to falter. She rubbed her throat and let out a dry cough before glancing to the side a bit sheepishly.
"Ahem— Sorry, Makoto-san, I got a little carried away. I didn't scare you, did I?"
After she asked, she blinked in surprise.
Makoto wasn't looking at her, nor was he shouting excitedly like the others.
The trainer was gripping the railing in front of him tightly, breathing heavily, and staring intently at Kitasan Black on the track—his expression impossible to describe.
Seeing this, Special Week not only felt puzzled, but also a little concerned.
"Umm… Makoto-san, are you okay…?"
She asked a few more times before Makoto finally seemed to snap out of it and looked over at her.
"Huh? Oh… yeah, I'm fine."
He smiled faintly, waved his hand, and began packing up his binoculars and other gear before pointing toward the aisle behind the spectator seats.
"I need to go check on Kitasan's post-race condition. Do you want to come with me, or would you rather stay and watch the rest of the races?"
Special Week hesitated for a moment.
Something about Makoto's mood felt… off.
She had been overjoyed when she first heard from Scarlet and Vodka that Kitasan Black had debuted.
Especially after learning that she had already won her first two races and was now heading into her first graded stakes race, she immediately decided to travel from Hokkaido to Tokyo.
During that time, she had also looked into the man named Makoto Yasui.
She didn't know much about what it took to be a trainer, but she figured passing the licensing exam at such a young age had to mean he was pretty talented—especially since he was now coaching Kitasan Black to two straight victories.
When they finally met in person, though she couldn't fully judge his abilities, she could clearly feel that Makoto had sharp observational skills and, just as her friends had said, a bold approach to race planning.
Back during her own racing days, she had visited Nakayama Racecourse plenty of times, cheering on senpais and friends alike.
That grassy spot by the exit of the underground passage was a place she and her friends had discovered together.
Whenever they came to cheer for their kouhai, they would always hide there—never once getting caught—so they could surprise their kouhai every time.
Even though she came alone this time, she still wanted to use the same method. She never expected Makoto would spot her so quickly.
As for his race strategy—though it had been a while since she last raced, and she didn't watch as many races anymore due to helping her mother with the ranch—she could still tell that "position pressure" wasn't something a rookie usually pulled off.
It was a high-level tactic that required precise control of distance, an exact sense of stamina, and an unshakable feel for the race flow—not to mention experience.
It wasn't a tactic unfamiliar to her.
Back during the Japanese Derby, it was that very tactic that allowed her to push Seiun Sky harder than she'd been pushed in the Satsuki Sho, especially around the giant zelkova tree.
And thanks to that strategy, she'd conserved enough strength to unleash a closing kick and win by five lengths.
The thing was—she had only just begun to grasp the tactic during the Satsuki Sho, and didn't feel confident using it fluidly until just before the Japanese Derby.
Yet here was Kitasan Black, using the exact same tactic in the second half of the race.
It wasn't perfectly refined—but there was no mistaking it.
It was the same strategy.
And it worked.
Kita-chan… Is she really that much of a genius? Or is it thanks to Makoto strategy? It's probably both… right?
As Special Week thought about it, she felt even more certain that Makoto-san really was as skilled as she had initially guessed.
So then… what was with that weird expression of his just now?
There's no way he's unhappy that Kita-chan won… right?
Still puzzled, she followed Makoto for a few steps before she couldn't hold back and asked again.
"Makoto-san… are you really okay?"
"…Huh? What…?"
He turned his head in confusion. Upon seeing Special Week's concerned expression, he paused for a moment—then smiled and shook his head.
"I'm fine. Just had something on my mind… Let's go check how Kitasan Black's post-race exam is going."
Special Week was still a little worried at first, but seeing Makoto smile, her concerns were eased.
He's probably just thinking ahead about Kita-chan's upcoming races or analyzing today's results… What a dedicated trainer, she thought to herself.
After the race, the usual post-race health check was conducted. Special Week accompanied Makoto to the infirmary to check on Kitasan Black's condition.
Just like the past two times, her results came back clean.
However, when Makoto compared the data to her previous post-race stats, he noticed something—Kitasan Black had clearly used up significantly more stamina this time.
That was well within expectations.
Graded stakes races weren't just different from Pre-OP and OP events in terms of prize money or fan requirements—the intensity of the competition was on an entirely different level.
The targeting she faced early on, the pincer maneuver near the end of the mid-phase, the fierce chase after the final corner—none of those situations had occurred, or at least not to this extent, in her previous two races.
These kinds of confrontations didn't just drain physical stamina—they taxed mental stamina as well. And mental endurance, in the end, was still a form of physical endurance.
From what he could tell, Kitasan Black's stamina usage in this graded race was still well within manageable limits. That reassured Makoto, while also prompting him to begin planning her future training and racing schedule.
But he didn't rush to bring any of that up with her yet. After offering some encouraging words and reminding her to get proper rest, he left with Special Week to have dinner at the track's administration building before returning to the spectator stands.
This area wasn't just for watching races—it was also the perfect spot to view the Winner's Stage.
Every racecourse was designed this way.
The track ran around the outer edge of the stadium, while the large field in the middle—normally open to the public—was closed off the day before race day and transformed with stage equipment.
As the daytime races ended and the racehorses rested and prepared, stage elevators, screens, sound systems, fireworks, and more were all put in place.
Then, when night fell, the screens lit up, neon lights sparkled, and the stands came alive with colorful glow sticks waving in the air.
Just hours ago, this was a battlefield of fierce competition—now it had transformed into a dazzling concert venue.
And once the Winner's Stage began, the stadium—or rather, the concert hall—erupted with cheers as loud as anything heard during the races.
One after another, performances as dazzling as the day's races took to the stage.
And finally, the racehorses from the main event of the day—Kitasan Black and her fellow competitors—appeared, sending the crowd's energy to its absolute peak.
The announcer's voice guided the atmosphere with perfect timing.
"Come share in the joy of victory with these racehorses who fought with all their hearts—this is the Winner's Stage! "
"Everyone in the crowd, give them your warmest cheers!"
"For this next number, taking the center of the stage— Kitasan Black!"
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1].
Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 98: Even If It's Only This One Time, 2000 Meters[2]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138848017?collection=1615744
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed