Yasui Makoto completely missed the subtle expressions on the Uma Musume's faces, entirely absorbed in helping Kitasan Black recover properly.
He hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet, but he was truly looking forward to seeing how his Uma Musume would perform in the Satsuki Sho.
Over the past few months, both Kitasan Black's steady growth and her consecutive victories had proven they were on the right track. The upcoming G1 race would undoubtedly be the real test of all their sweat and effort.
After the recovery session ended, Yasui didn't accompany Kitasan and the others to the cafeteria. Instead, he visited the Student Council office to collect the training race footage.
After the race, the two Student Council presidents had offered to process the drone footage themselves, wanting to provide feedback after reviewing it. This thoughtful gesture was clearly not just out of respect for Yasui himself—but mostly due to their goodwill toward Kitasan Black.
When Yasui left the Student Council office, he had not only the edited training footage but also extensive records from previous Satsuki Sho races—including detailed trainer analyses provided by the presidents themselves.
"Make sure Kita-chan prepares well," Tokai Teio had told him earnestly as she handed over the footage. "On the day of the Satsuki Sho, we'll absolutely be there to cheer for her."
The trainers who guided Uma Musume like Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen naturally had exceptionally insightful analyses. Particularly valuable were Teio's experiences, being undefeated through two legs of the Triple Crown, making her insights into the Satsuki Sho indispensable.
Yasui knew his biggest shortcoming was practical experience, so this footage was exactly what he needed. Gratefully, he thanked the two presidents and returned home, immediately diving into analysis, spending the entire night reviewing the videos and trainers' notes.
...
The next morning, Yasui arrived at the academy's training grounds with an optimized training plan.
Unlike his recent habit of waiting alongside the track, this time he stood by the grass-covered steps just outside the railing. The layout there closely resembled key sections of the Satsuki Sho course, making it ideal for targeted training.
This was exactly where one of their crucial training sessions would begin.
But before Yasui could explain today's training routine, Kitasan Black interrupted him, concern evident on her face:
"Trainer-san, did...did you stay up all night?"
"…Is it that obvious?"
Surprised, Yasui unconsciously touched his eyes.
"Yes, your dark circles are really noticeable…" she replied worriedly, before suddenly brightening up. "Ah! Trainer-san, close your eyes for a moment!"
…Why do I need to close my eyes?
Yasui was about to ask, but he instinctively shut them instead.
"Grandpa says inspiration often comes late at night, so he stays up a lot too."
Kitasan's voice was very close, accompanied by the rustle of her rubbing her palms together briskly.
"It feels good when you rub your palms warm and press them onto your eyes. Like this—"
Soon, Yasui felt a gentle warmth press softly onto his eyelids, along with the faint sensation of her neatly trimmed nails brushing against his brows.
Even before arriving at Central Tracen Academy, Kitasan had known that trainers didn't have an easy job.
Planning various training routines, managing race schedules, negotiating with media—all these tasks fell to them.
She'd also heard from Teio-senpai about how her trainer had spent countless sleepless nights researching rehabilitation strategies, desperately trying to help Teio achieve her dream of competing in the Kikuka Sho. Hearing this made Kitasan admire trainers even more deeply.
Seeing her own trainer's tired eyes now, she immediately understood what had happened.
Trainer-san stayed up for the Satsuki Sho—for our shared dream.
Since he was working so hard for their dream, she resolved to do everything possible to support him and work even harder herself.
She thought this quietly to herself as she pressed her warm hands onto his eyes, pulling them back briefly to rub them together before pressing them on again. After repeating this several times, she stepped back slightly, hiding her hands behind her back, fingertips nervously rubbing against each other, and asked hopefully:
"How was that? Did it make your eyes feel a bit better?"
When Kitasan stepped away, Yasui opened his eyes.
Standing with the morning sun behind her, the black-haired girl's silhouette glowed with a soft golden outline. The gentle morning breeze stirred strands of her hair, revealing the faint blush at the tips of her ears.
"…Much better," Yasui replied softly, unconsciously touching his eyelids.
Suddenly, he felt that all the sleepless nights and struggles he'd gone through had truly been worth it.
"Great!" Kitasan clenched her fists, smiling brightly. "Then let's get started with today's training!"
"That's supposed to be my line, Kita-chan. You stole my opening," Yasui teased lightly, unable to hide his good mood.
After joking briefly, he quickly refocused, his tone turning serious.
"First, let's start by reviewing yesterday's training race. You remember we had two main objectives for it…"
"I remember!" Kitasan eagerly raised her hand, answering immediately. "One was to evaluate our training progress, and the other was to identify problems and solve them before the Satsuki Sho!"
"Exactly," Yasui nodded approvingly. "Yesterday, I briefly mentioned that your performance exceeded my expectations. But now, I want to hear from you: what left the deepest impression on you during that race?"
"The deepest impression, huh…?" Kitasan murmured thoughtfully, biting her lip slightly. "It was probably…the first and last turns?"
"That's precisely what I wanted to discuss. Look at this first."
Nodding, Yasui pulled out his tablet and opened footage from the training race's first turn.
Leading the group was Daiwa Scarlet, already positioned perfectly for the exit, her chestnut ponytail tracing a fierce curve through the corner. Behind her was Kitasan Black, followed closely by Vodka, with Special Week and Gold Ship trailing afterward.
He then switched to footage from the final turn, clearly showing Special Week, Vodka, and Gold Ship successively overtaking Kitasan.
Watching her own movements, Kitasan's ears reddened slightly.
"It's strange… I could control my center of gravity during special training, but in an actual race, it felt like some force kept pushing me outward, making it really difficult…"
"It should feel difficult," Yasui explained calmly. "Throughout the race, your senpai all consistently employed two specific cornering strategies: positioning and blocking."
"These tactics were particularly obvious during the first and last corners, which is why you felt so constrained. When I said you exceeded my expectations, it was precisely because you successfully employed one of the best possible counters early in the race."
"That's what we call 'gradual acceleration'."