Yasui Makoto spoke in Japanese, causing Kitasan Black to jump in surprise.
"Huh? Trainer, you're speaking Japanese…"
In the next instant, her tail shot straight up in astonishment.
"So you're Trainer Yasui after all. I doubt there's another trainer as young as you, not just in Central Tracen—but in the entire industry."
Surprisingly, the foreign woman named Kris was also speaking fluent Japanese.
Quite fluent, in fact, even with a hint of a Kantō accent.
"Y-you… you actually speak Japanese?" Kitasan Black stared dumbfoundedly.
"My apologies, Kitasan-san."
With a shrug and an easy smile, Kris spread her hands gracefully.
"I wanted to say something earlier, but I never got the chance."
"Of course, I wasn't criticizing your kindness. Consider it a lovely little misunderstanding."
"Besides, my English isn't actually that good—my native language is French, you see."
"Au revoir, muah~"
After bidding them farewell in French, she pressed her fingers gently to her lips, blew a kiss toward Kitasan, smiled briefly at Yasui, then turned and walked away.
"Seems like the French are hopeless romantics no matter which world they're from…"
"French…? Wait, Trainer, did you say something?"
Still staring blankly after Kris, Kitasan Black hadn't quite caught Yasui's muttered remark, turning toward him with puzzled eyes.
"It's nothing. Let's… Actually, it's not far anyway. Let's just walk to the academy together."
Seeing the pedestrian signal turn green just then, Yasui suggested casually.
"Oh, okay…"
As Kitasan followed Yasui across the street, she suddenly heaved a sigh.
"Agh, I had no idea that lady was a trainer. She obviously knew where the URA Association was; and there I was giving her directions…"
"Wait, she's headed for the URA Association?"
Yasui Makoto paused, slightly taken aback.
"Yes. I saw she was carrying some pamphlet from the association or something, so I assumed she was just another tourist visiting the place."
She gestured animatedly before suddenly asking, "By the way… Trainer, you know her?"
"Well, I've heard of her, at least," Yasui replied with a shake of his head.
"Oh, I see… So she's probably a famous trainer then? Sorry, I really don't know much about these things…" Kitasan Black mused.
"That's natural. Usually, you Uma Musume focus on other Uma Musume. It's understandable that you wouldn't know trainers well. But Kris…" Yasui searched his memory briefly.
"She trained an Uma Musume to a G1 victory at just twenty years old. That was at Chantilly in France. She's mostly been active in Europe afterward, so it's normal for her to be less known here."
"Twenty?!" Kitasan Black exclaimed, eyes wide. "And in Europe, too… that's incredible!"
Yasui nodded, unsurprised by her reaction.
Indeed, at this point, Japan's racing and training standards couldn't quite match Europe's yet.
Historically, many Japanese Uma Musume had raced overseas but rarely achieved impressive results. Conversely, numerous European Uma Musume had performed excellently when racing in Japan, a pattern observed repeatedly in international competitions like the Japan Cup.
This dominance by foreign competitors was only disrupted briefly by Katsuragi Ace and Symboli Rudolf, and later by Tokai Teio and Special Week.
"But still, if she can win G1 races in Europe…" Kitasan Black pondered aloud, tilting her head curiously. "Then why did she come to Japan?"
Yasui thought for a moment before answering.
"According to some reports, her father opposed her becoming a trainer. Supposedly, he thought the pressures of the Twinkle Series were too much for someone as gentle and introverted as her to bear."
"Maybe she came here to prove something to him, or perhaps there's some other reason. Either way, she's been in Japan for several years now."
After his explanation, Yasui glanced briefly toward the direction Kris had gone.
"However, before, the association here didn't offer long-term trainer licenses, so she always used short-term licenses."
"But last year, the rules changed. Now they're issuing long-term licenses. Someone of her caliber would pass the qualification tests easily, and judging by the timing, it seems the evaluations have concluded recently."
"So she probably went to the association today to pick up her license."
"Ah, so that's how it is…"
Kitasan nodded in understanding, eyes suddenly brightening as a realization struck her.
"Oh! Trainer, you're eighteen years old, aren't you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah—I just turned eighteen a few months ago," Yasui answered, slightly puzzled. "Why?"
"Great!"
She clenched her fists tightly, determination blazing in her eyes.
"Then I'll make sure to win both the Spring Stakes and the Satsuki Sho!"
"I'll make you an even greater trainer than her!"
"If you win a G1 at eighteen… Trainer, you'll become the youngest G1 trainer ever, won't you?!"
Stunned, Yasui stared at Kitasan Black, genuinely touched by her words.
After a moment, he couldn't help but smile gently, reaching out to softly ruffle the girl's black hair.
"Yeah. So let's work together to achieve that."
...
After arriving at the academy, the routine training began immediately.
Today was Monday; the Spring Stakes were on Sunday, less than a week away.
Though time was short, Yasui wasn't anxious at all.
Thanks to Kitasan Black's diligent and grounded nature, her training had always been solid and consistent, allowing her basic skills and overall abilities to steadily improve.
Of course, she had clear strengths and weaknesses.
Among her strengths, one was her rock-solid foundation.
Unlike most rookie trainers, Yasui Makoto had unusual experiences. He knew from experience that races rarely came down to raw talent alone—more often, success relied heavily on fundamentals.
The better one's basic skills, the fewer mistakes they made.
In many cases, simply not making mistakes was enough to ensure victory.
Her second advantage was her impeccable sense of rhythm.
After two months of focused training, Kitasan Black no longer needed timers or markers; she could instinctively judge how far she'd run, how long she'd trained, and how much remained.
Because of this, she was excellent at seizing opportunities and executing instructions precisely compared to other Uma Musume of similar skill levels.
Her stamina and strength were another noticeable advantage.
Even experienced upperclassmen like Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka tired sooner during joint training sessions, whereas the black-haired girl showed little fatigue, with energy left to spare.
Her explosive power was exceptional, too.
Over shorter distances, Kitasan Black excelled even more dramatically—occasionally outperforming seniors within fifty meters.
Yet, this very strength also revealed her weakness.
For an Uma Musume, acceleration and deceleration were gradual processes, spanning dozens, even hundreds of meters.
And Kitasan Black struggled to control her bursts of speed appropriately.
When she exploded forward too aggressively, she'd expend excessive stamina. This forced her to recalibrate speed mid-race, and by then, whether accelerating, maintaining speed, or slowing down, she couldn't regain the wasted energy.
Such misjudgments often cost her victories.