Chapter 285: What Kind of Runner Is Lucky Lilac?
Time passed without anyone noticing, and the sky gradually grew darker.
After a full day of intense training and meticulous review, the sun had already set, casting a warm orange-red glow over the entire training ground.
With a bright smile and eyes full of enthusiasm, Imanami Takatoshi warmly invited Makoto and Kitasan Black to stay for dinner and spend the night. Unable to refuse such sincere hospitality, Makoto and Kitasan Black agreed without much hesitation.
Before long, in the mansion's dining hall, a long table had been arranged in a warm and elegant manner, filled with a dazzling variety of dishes. The rich aroma lingered in the air, making everyone's mouth water.
Seated together, the group shared laughter and lively conversation, quickly washing away the fatigue of the day. Imanami Takatoshi, full of energy, vividly recounted amusing stories about the Gold Family's runner, drawing bursts of laughter from everyone.
During a pause in his storytelling, Lucky Lilac—sitting right next to Kitasan Black—curiously began asking about Tracen Academy.
She fired off question after question, covering everything from the campus architecture to daily training routines and the wide range of school activities, leaving no detail untouched. Kitasan Black, wearing a gentle smile, answered each one patiently.
As she listened, the excitement on Lucky Lilac's face grew stronger—but so did a hint of confusion.
"Kita-senpai, why does the Tracen Academy you're describing…" After hesitating for a moment, Lucky Lilac finally asked, "…sound different from what the other senpai said?"
"Especially Gold Ship-senpai—her version of the academy is like… a completely different world."
As she spoke, she frowned slightly, her eyes filled with puzzlement. In her mind, she couldn't help but recall Gold Ship's animated, over-the-top descriptions, her exaggerated expressions still vivid.
Hearing this, Kitasan Black froze briefly. Then, remembering Gold Ship's quirky and wildly imaginative personality, the corners of her mouth twitched.
With an awkward but polite smile, she gave a light cough and tried to explain:
"Uh… Lilac-chan, Gold Ship-senpai has a rather unique personality, and her ideas can be quite… creative."
As she spoke, she searched for the right words:
"When she describes things, she might… add a few extra details."
"Tracen Academy really is a place full of energy and opportunity. We have structured training programs and plenty of activities."
"Gold Ship-senpai probably describes things from her own unique perspective, so there might be some differences from reality, haha…"
Lucky Lilac tilted her head, thoughtfully processing Kitasan Black's explanation.
She recalled how Gold Ship had talked about mysterious "midnight carnivals" and sudden "bizarre costume races," things completely different from the structured and fulfilling school life Kitasan Black described.
"Then… senpai, are there really no… special events like the ones Gold Ship-senpai mentioned?" Lucky Lilac asked again, her eyes still shining with anticipation for those unusual scenes.
Kitasan Black smiled and gently ruffled Lucky Lilac's hair.
"Most of the activities at the academy are actually focused on improving our abilities."
"Sometimes there might be some creative or unique events, but definitely not as exaggerated as Gold Ship-senpai makes them sound."
"Still, the academy is huge, so who knows? There might be hidden corners with unexpected surprises that nobody's discovered yet."
Lucky Lilac nodded as if she half understood. The curiosity in her eyes hadn't completely faded, but she no longer dwelled on the question.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly into a somewhat shy smile. Looking at Kitasan Black, she softly responded with an "Mm."
"Thank you, Kita-senpai. I think I more or less understand now."
"Good, good… um…"
Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly. Glancing at the delicious spread on the table, she smoothly changed the topic and sincerely praised:
"By the way, Grandpa Imanami really prepared an amazing dinner!"
Hearing this, everyone chimed in with agreement. Imanami Takatoshi simply smiled and then urged everyone to keep eating.
As time passed, the food on the table was gradually swept clean as if by a storm, and everyone ate to their hearts' content.
When the final dessert was finished, dinner officially came to an end.
The Umamusume all stood up to help clean up the tableware, while as the host, Imanami Takatoshi accompanied Makoto on a stroll around the mansion.
Night had fully fallen, and stars dotted the sky. After walking around for a while, Makoto returned to the guest room prepared for him, planning to organize today's gains before getting some proper rest.
Sitting at the desk in the guest room, the warm yellow desk lamp cast a soft glow over the open notebook before him.
Holding a pen, Makoto focused on writing down his training reflections from the day. Line by line, he recorded Kitasan Black's performance in the mock race, the issues that had surfaced, and directions for improvement in future training.
At that moment, his phone rang.
Makoto set down his pen, picked up the phone, and saw "Almond Eye" on the screen. He raised an eyebrow slightly and answered casually.
"Hello, Almond Eye. It's pretty late—"
"—Good evening, Trainer!"
Before Makoto could finish, Almond Eye's lively voice came through the phone.
"I'm not disturbing your rest, am I? Did you and Kita-senpai gain anything from visiting the Gold Family today?"
Makoto smiled unconsciously, leaned back in his chair, and looked out at the night as he began recounting the day's events in detail.
From Kitasan Black's impressive performance in the mock race, to the review session with Imanami Takatoshi, and even his interaction with Lucky Lilac.
On the other end of the call, Almond Eye listened with great interest, occasionally letting out sounds of surprise and laughter.
After listening for a while, Almond Eye suddenly changed the subject, her tone carrying a hint of confusion:
"Oh, right, Trainer—when I called Kita-senpai just now, why didn't she pick up? What's she busy with?"
Makoto couldn't help but chuckle.
"Kita? She's probably having a blast playing with the Gold Family's Umamusume right now."
"They're all sleeping in one big room tonight. I bet they're in the middle of something like a pillow fight, making a lot of noise. It's normal she didn't hear your call."
As he said this, he couldn't help recalling Gold Ship's loud voice echoing in the hallway earlier: "With this many people, let's have a pillow fight tonight!"
"Wow, that sounds like so much fun!"
Almond Eye said excitedly, her voice full of envy.
"I kind of want to join… Oh, right."
She suddenly shifted topics again.
"I heard from you and senpai that you met Lucky Lilac today. She…"
"What kind of runner is she?"