Chapter 103: The Eve of the Satsuki Sho
That night, all Kitasan Black could think about was what her signature racewear would look like.
During dinner, she sent a message to Makoto, asking that if the meeting showed any photos of it, he must send them to her right away.
When she finally got the photos, she also learned another piece of delightful news—something that made her overjoyed.
The association and the academy had already received her measurements from Trainer long ago, and her signature racewear was already finished.
Just from looking at the photos, she instantly fell in love with the new outfit.
The design was her favorite festival style: a tight-fitting inner dress, sleeveless long coat layered over it, long detached sleeves, thigh-high socks, low-heeled lace-up boots, and a festival rope knot tied at the back.
The inner dress was gold as the base, decorated with festive crimson accents.
The coat, sleeves, and thigh-high socks were pitch black—the color matching her name, and also her favorite—on which bright red and gold cloud patterns and flower ornaments bloomed in festive brilliance.
The rope knot was in the standard festival style, its red, white, and gold perfectly complementing the outfit.
For a moment, she almost wanted to dash straight to her Trainer apartment to try it on immediately.
It took her some effort to calm down, but even then she made her Trainer promise again and again to bring the outfit to the academy the next day.
After tossing and turning all night, she arrived at the training grounds early the next morning. The moment she saw her Trainer, she couldn't hold back and pressed him eagerly:
"Trainer, trainer! Where's my signature racewear? You didn't forget it, did you?"
No sooner had she asked than she saw her Trainer reach behind him, take out a black garment bag, and hand it over.
Guessing at once what was inside, Kitasan Black grabbed it impatiently, hugging the bag tightly as if afraid someone might snatch it away.
She stared at him with sparkling eyes, legs bouncing restlessly, already half turned as though she might sprint off.
"Thank you, trainer! Um— can I go back and try it on real quick? Just for a bit, I swear it won't delay training!"
Even though they had already been together for three or four months, Makoto had never seen her this desperate before.
He couldn't help but laugh, but at the same time, he understood her feelings.
A girl who dreamed of becoming an idol-like Umamusume… Her start hadn't been the smoothest, but after all those days of hard training, she had strung together a series of victories, and now she stood on the brink of the most glorious race of all.
All of that had built up to this moment—it's no wonder that she brimmed with confidence and fighting spirit, showing a side of herself that was so unlike usual.
"You'll train in your signature racewear today."
Seeing her stunned, joyous, and faintly puzzled expression, Makoto smiled and continued seriously:
"Let me be clear—this isn't a reward, nor is it to let you relax. It's part of your training. It was emphasized at yesterday's meeting, too."
"Because the outfit is a little special, I need to make some final adjustments before the race, so you—"
"I understand! Then wait for me here a second!"
Kitasan Black didn't even let him finish. She was already set in a runner's stance, the overjoyed Umamusume spun around and dashed toward the dorms.
Makoto froze for a moment, then chuckled again, shaking his head as he turned to prepare the training equipment for the day.
Before long, a set of familiar footsteps came rapidly closer. When he looked up, he couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Well? Trainer, don't you think this looks amazing? I really feel it suits me!"
Bathed in the morning light, the black-haired girl stepped toward him with a radiant smile, twirling once on her low-heeled boots.
The hem of her long black coat rippled like a tide of night, its golden-red cloud patterns flowing as though they carried molten brilliance.
The thigh-high socks hugged her toned calves, the festival knot on her back streaming proudly like an eternal flame of crimson and gold.
She suddenly skidded to a halt, her long detached sleeves sweeping outward, scattering glimmers of gold like sparks.
The crimson patterns on her outfit seemed to make her eyes shine even brighter, and as she lifted her legs high, her ponytail brushed against her fair, rounded shoulder.
"I feel… completely overflowing with power!"
For a fleeting instant, Makoto thought he saw an illusory glow shimmer behind Kitasan Black—a haze of red lantern-light and golden candle flames, forming a starlit path leading straight toward the Satsuki Sho.
He shook his head unconsciously, and the vision vanished like a mirage. In front of him stood only the girl in her brand-new outfit, running her fingers over the black-and-gold ornaments, her dainty face glowing with joy and anticipation, her crimson eyes sparkling.
"…It looks very good on you."
After staring in a daze for a moment, he finally nodded, gave his assessment, and then pointed toward the track.
"Since you're this fired up, let's get started. Same distance as before—two thousand meters. I've already set everything up."
"Okay—just watch me!"
Clenching her fists and shouting with all her might, Kitasan Black charged onto the track, her momentum even more overflowing than usual.
. . . . .
Up until the very eve of the Satsuki Sho, under Makoto's guidance, Kitasan Black trained in her signature racewear every day.
The same was true for the other Umamusumes listed to run in the race—each one trained in their own signature racewears.
With the blessing of the Three Goddesses, the effects of the outfits weren't mere superstition.
They didn't grant some sudden surge of power, but they did allow the Umamusumes to display their usual training results with greater consistency and stability.
That meant there was a period of adjustment and adaptation before the race, forming the final step in pre-race preparations.
It also served a promotional purpose.
Besides the interviews arranged by the academy, Makoto had taken plenty of photos of Kitasan Black running in her new outfit, pairing them with short comments and posting them on her UmaNote account. The same was true for the other Umamusumes as well.
Kitasan Black herself didn't think too hard about it.
She simply went through her daily training as usual, then cheerfully scrolled through the updates on her account afterward, giving likes and comments to friends—friends who also happened to be the rivals she would soon face on the same stage.
. . . . .
The afternoon before the Satsuki Sho.
Inside Kitasan Black's dorm room.
Lying belly-down on her bed, her calves crossed and bare feet swinging in the air, Kitasan Black scrolled through her phone, sighing in admiration again and again.
"As expected, no matter how you look at it, Crow-chan's and Duramente-chan's outfits are just so cool!"
"STEEL's is really stylish too—and the colors are so similar to mine! Black, gold, and red all together."
"Come to think of it, a lot of the signature racewears this time have really similar color schemes, huh."
At the desk, Satono Diamond chuckled as she glanced over after tapping at her own phone for a while.
"Kita-chan, you… seriously don't feel even a shred of nervousness, do you? Shouldn't you double-check your luggage? My sister said it's almost time to leave for Nakayama Racecourse."
"Don't worry! I already got everything ready for tomorrow last night!"
Kitasan Black answered with total confidence—but still, as if she couldn't quite relax, she rolled off the bed, jogged to the suitcase by the door, and popped it open.
"Let's see…"
"My race notes are packed, the cleats and spares are packed, the outfit's fine, the entry pass and medical results are all good…"
"Looks like everything's in order!"
After confirming, she shut the suitcase with a grin, looking back at Diamond. She was about to speak when the message tone chimed from her phone.
Quickly unlocking the screen, she read the message carefully, then drew in a deep breath. Grabbing her suitcase with one hand, she stretched out the other toward her friend.
"Trainer just texted—he's urging me to head out. Let's go to the Satsuki Sho together, Dia-chan!"
<+>
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 135: False Start[2]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/uma-musume-it-i-141501318[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/uma-musume-it-i-141501318
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/uma-musume-it-i-141501318
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed