Satono Diamond was quietly reading at her desk. After greeting Kitasan Black, she closed her book and asked curiously,
"You came back pretty late today… Were you training?"
"Training? Hmm… I suppose so. Honestly, I'm not really sure."
Kitasan tilted her head, glancing around the room.
"Dia-chan, you have a dance mat, right? Can I borrow it? I'll buy you a new one tomorrow!"
"Dance mat? It's beside the closet. You can just go ahead and use it."
"Thanks, Dia-chan! You're the best!"
Cheerfully thanking her roommate, Kitasan pulled out the rolled-up mat next to the closet, spread it out, and sat down cross-legged.
Curiosity piqued, Satono Diamond approached with a gentle smile, quickly noticing her roommate's strange sitting posture.
Kitasan's legs weren't crossed downward in a typical meditation pose. Instead, her calves were unusually lifted upward, feet turned nearly upside-down, nestled neatly into her knees.
Even stranger were her hand gestures—not the simple folded hands resting on knees or abdomen like at shrines or dojos—but fingers crossing and intertwining somewhat awkwardly, as if performing shadow puppetry or sign language.
"Kita-chan…what exactly is this?"
"Oh, these? Trainer-san taught me after our walk," Kitasan answered casually, eyes still fixed intently on her hands. "Apparently, they're mudras from Brahmanism or Buddhism or something. Oh, and this sitting pose is from him too."
"Brahman…Brahmanism?"
"Yep! That's it!"
Diamond grew even more intrigued.
"If I remember correctly, that's a South Asian religion, and Buddhism…didn't it also originate there?"
"Dia-chan, you know so much!" Kitasan praised sincerely, still focused on her own gestures. "Trainer-san said the same thing. He mentioned these mudras and poses encompass nearly all possible movements we can perform. Practicing them regularly will help me better control my strength."
"But he only taught me these few gestures and the sitting posture for now. He said there's a lot more, and he'll gradually teach me based on my physical progress."
"…He sounds like an amazing trainer," Diamond marveled softly. "I've never even heard of training like this. And…"
Hesitantly, Diamond examined Kitasan's hands closely. Raising her own hands thoughtfully, she attempted to imitate her roommate's gestures.
But almost immediately, she sensed something was off.
From her perspective, Kitasan's hands looked like she was cupping water. Yet somehow, her index and ring fingers appeared to magically "grow" out from the opposite side.
The next gesture was similarly baffling. At first glance, it seemed like a typical interlocking of fingers, but normal interlocking fingers definitely shouldn't resemble tying a bow.
What neither Diamond nor Kitasan knew was that these hand gestures and poses originated from another world entirely.
Their world's advanced techniques were still somewhat primitive, whereas, in Yasui Makoto's past life, these exercises were foundational training, blending skills from various athletic disciplines and serving as essential physical conditioning.
Once mastered, theoretically, any posture could be executed in any situation. Such control naturally included mastery over one's strength.
For humans, this kind of training was extremely challenging—attempting it without sufficient talent would inevitably lead to injuries or worse.
But Uma Musume had far stronger bodies, and Kitasan's physical condition was outstanding even among her peers. Coupled with Yasui Makoto's deep understanding of training techniques, she was able to grasp some of the fundamentals quickly.
Diamond's failed imitation naturally lacked the necessary techniques.
"Phew—done… Ah! Dia-chan! Don't try to copy me!"
Just as Kitasan finished this peculiar pre-bedtime training per Yasui's instructions, she glanced up and panicked upon seeing Diamond awkwardly attempting the poses.
"Trainer-san warned me! These poses look simple but are really difficult without proper technique. You might break a bone if you force it!"
"B-break a bone…?!"
Startled, Diamond immediately released her hands.
At the same time, she noticed a slight numbness and a prickling sensation in her finger joints just from those brief attempts.
"…Your trainer really is impressive," Diamond murmured again, eyes wide in astonishment.
"Mm-hmm! Trainer-san is really incredible!" Kitasan enthusiastically agreed, nodding repeatedly as she sprang to her feet, diligently rolling up the dance mat and placing it neatly back by the closet.
Excitedly, she pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and proudly presented it to Diamond.
"Oh, and Dia-chan, look! My Twinkle Series account! Trainer-san helped me set it up a few days ago, and I've already got fans!"
Diamond leaned in curiously. Upon hearing Kitasan's cheerful announcement, her eyes widened, filled with both envy and sincere congratulations.
"Congratulations, Kita-chan! Now you're officially an Uma Musume like my sister."
"Hehe, I've been looking forward to this for ages... heave-ho—"
Kitasan flipped onto her bed, legs bent in the air, swinging joyfully as she gripped her phone tightly.
"With an official account, whether it's races or anything else, I can finally watch my fan count go up…"
"Oh! I got another follower!"
"And there's a comment! Yes!"
Diamond, still quietly envious, sat down beside Kitasan, leaning closer to peek at the screen.
Races for Uma Musume were collectively known as the "Twinkle Series." Unlike other competitive sports, the Twinkle Series distinctly emphasized an "idol" aspect in addition to athletic prowess.
Competitively, races followed a "Grade system," from top to bottom being G1, G2, G3, then OP and Pre-OP levels. Participating in higher-grade races required corresponding fan counts.
A Twinkle Series account symbolized an Uma Musume officially stepping into the spotlight, connecting various platforms to aggregate her fans.
Unlike Kitasan and her sister Satono Crown, Diamond, despite qualifying for Central Tracen Academy based on talent and physical abilities, had yet to enter her honkaku-ka, thus temporarily unable to participate in intense training or competitions.
Kita-chan is so lucky, already having an official account just like my sister...
But the family doctor said next year, I'll probably be able to compete too...
When that time comes…
"Dia-chan! Do you think my eyes look cool?"
Lost in quietly encouraging herself, Diamond was suddenly startled by Kitasan's shout. Turning quickly, she found her roommate already sitting upright, gazing at her expectantly.
"Well… yes, they do look cool."
Unsure why the sudden question arose, Diamond studied Kitasan's sparkling eyes carefully, nodded honestly, then tilted her head curiously.
"But…why ask all of a sudden?"
"Oh, it's because of this comment from a fan."
Kitasan proudly held up her phone, smiling confidently as she read aloud:
"'Her eyes are as cool as mine. A girl like her will definitely become an amazing Uma Musume!'"
"I have no idea who this fan is, but I'm really happy they said that!"
"And I also believe—I definitely will become an amazing Uma Musume!"