Chapter 91: Positioning, Blocking, and Gradient Acceleration
Makoto paid no attention to the expressions of the Umamusume. His full focus remained on Kitasan Black's recovery.
He hadn't told anyone, but he was genuinely looking forward to seeing his Umamusume's performance in the Satsuki Sho.
Over the past few months, whether it was Kitasan Black's steady growth or her streak of victories, everything pointed to the fact that their efforts and training had been on the right track.
And that upcoming G1 graded race would, without question, be the true test of all their hard work and sweat.
So, after the recovery session ended, instead of joining Kitasan Black and the others at the cafeteria, Makoto headed to the Student Council office to retrieve the recording of the training race.
After the race, the two student council members had insisted on helping compile the drone footage themselves. They also wanted to give some suggestions after reviewing it.
It was obvious this goodwill wasn't just for his sake—it was, without a doubt, mainly for Kitasan Black.
And when he left the Student Council, Makoto received not only the edited recording of the training race but also a collection of post-race analyses of past Satsuki Sho events, including records from their own trainers back in the day.
"Make sure Kita-chan is well-prepared. When the Satsuki Sho comes, we'll definitely be there to cheer her on."
That was Tokai Teio's message when she handed over the hard drive.
For trainers who had guided Umamusume of such caliber, their analysis and reviews were naturally top-notch.
Especially Teio's. As an undefeated dual crown Umamusume, her performance and reflections on the Satsuki Sho carried immeasurable reference value.
What Makoto lacked most was practical guiding experience, and these videos were the perfect way to bridge that gap.
Grateful for their help, he brought the USB drive back to his rental apartment. Instead of resting, he stayed up through the night analyzing races and reviewing the post-race breakdowns.
The next day, with an optimized training plan in hand, Makoto arrived at the academy track.
Unlike before, this time he didn't stand by the rails—he positioned himself outside the fence near the steps.
On both sides of the steps, turf had been planted just like on the racecourse. This section was strikingly similar to a crucial part of the Satsuki Sho course, making it a suitable training ground.
This was to be one of the key training sessions leading up to the big race.
But when Kitasan Black came over, before Makoto could explain the session, she spoke up first in surprise.
"Trainer, you… did you stay up all night?"
"…Is it that obvious?"
Makoto touched the skin beneath his eyes almost reflexively.
"Yes—it's really dark under your eyes."
Her voice was full of worry. Then suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Oh! Trainer, close your eyes for a moment."
…Why close his eyes?
He almost asked, but out of instinct, Makoto obeyed and shut his eyes.
"Grandpa used to say that inspiration often came late at night, so he stayed up often too."
Kitasan Black's voice was close at hand. Rustling sounds followed as her palms rubbed quickly together.
"Warming up your hands and covering your eyes like this feels really soothing—just like this."
A moment later, Makoto felt her warm palms press gently over his eyelids. Her neatly trimmed nails brushed lightly against his eyebrows.
Even before arriving at the Central Tracen Academy, Kitasan Black knew that trainers' jobs were never easy.
Creating all kinds of training plans, scheduling races, dealing with the media—trainers had to handle it all.
And she'd even heard from Teio-senpai that, back then, in order to help her achieve her dream of running in the Kikuka Sho, her trainer had worked tirelessly, day and night, researching rehabilitation plans for bone fractures.
Her senpai eventually came to terms with the regret of not being able to run in the Kikuka Sho, and one of the reasons was precisely this kind of devotion from her trainer.
That kind of effort not only deepened her understanding of trainers but also moved her profoundly.
So now, when she saw the dark circles under her own trainer's eyes, she more or less knew the reason.
It must have been because he was working hard for the upcoming Satsuki Sho—the dream he had once spoken of.
And that dream was hers as well.
Since her trainer was working tirelessly for their shared dream, then not only should she do what little she could to help him, she also had to put in double the effort in her own training.
That was what Kitasan Black thought as her palms gently pressed over Makoto's eyes.
She held them there for a while, then pulled her hands away, rubbing them together again quickly to generate heat before pressing them back once more.
Over and over, she repeated the motion. Finally, she pulled back a little, hiding her hands behind her back as her fingertips unconsciously rubbed against each other. With a hint of expectation in her voice, she asked:
"So? Do your eyes feel a little better now?"
As she stepped half a pace back, Makoto opened his eyes.
The black-haired girl was standing against the light, her silhouette rimmed in gold. The morning breeze lifted the loose strands at her temples, revealing a faint blush on the tips of her ears.
"…Much better," Makoto murmured, unconsciously brushing his eyelids with his fingertips.
At that moment, he felt that last night's late-night work—and everything they'd been doing up until now—was entirely worth it.
"Mm! That's great!"
Clenching her fist, Kitasan Black beamed. "Then let's get started with today's training!"
"…That should've been my line, shouldn't it? You stole my opening, Kitasan."
Makoto's mood was lifted, and he couldn't resist making a small joke.
But after that brief levity, he quickly gathered his thoughts and grew serious again.
"Let's start by reviewing the training race. You should remember what I said—the training race had two main purposes—"
"I know!"
Answering almost before he finished, Kitasan Black raised her hand. "One is to test the results of our previous training, and the other is to find problems and fix them before the Satsuki Sho!"
"Exactly. I gave you a brief rundown yesterday, and your performance actually exceeded my expectations."
Makoto nodded. "But now I want to hear it from you—which part of the training race left the deepest impression on you?"
"The deepest impression…?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully, pressing her lips together. "I think… the first turn and the final turn."
"That's precisely what I was going to say. Take a look at this."
Agreeing, Makoto pulled out his tablet and cued up a race clip.
The footage showed the first turn of the training race.
In the lead was Daiwa Scarlet, already hugging the inside exit of the curve, her chestnut ponytail slicing a sharp arc through the bend.
Right behind her was Kitasan Black, followed by Vodka, and then Special Week and Gold Ship in order.
Then he pulled up another clip—this time of the final corner.
On screen, Special Week, Vodka, and Gold Ship overtook Kitasan Black one after another.
Watching her own running form on the replay, Kitasan's ears flushed red.
"T-This… during training I could control my balance, but in the actual race it felt like some invisible force was pushing me outward—it was really hard to run properly…"
"Exactly—that difficulty is the point."
Makoto nodded. "Throughout the race, your senpai all, without exception, used two tactics: corner positioning and corner blocking."
"These strategies are most evident in the first and last turns—that's why you felt it was so tough."
"And when I said your performance was beyond my expectations, it was because, in the opening stage, you managed to use one of the best countermeasures."
"That is—gradient acceleration."
<+>
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 116: The Two Triple Crown Uma Musume[2]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139312571?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/139312571?collection=1615744
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/139312571?collection=1615744
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed