When she said she was going to run the Tenno Sho (Autumn), Satono Crown deliberately raised an eyebrow like it was nothing—yet her pitch had clearly trembled, just a little.
Right now, Kitasan Black was looking at Kyoto Racecourse, and that forced, smiling face felt like it was floating right in front of her again.
She felt powerless.
Yeah. Tenno Sho (Autumn) was absolutely a major G1 on par with Kikuka Sho.
When the URA Association and the international association rated all the Uma Musume each year, Tenno Sho (Autumn) even carried a bit more weight than Kikuka Sho.
That race really did gather a crowd of terrifyingly strong senpai. Being able to stand on the same stage and compete with them—of course it made your blood boil. It really was the arena every horse girl with a dream longed for.
But for every horse girl, Kikuka Sho meant something far too special—something no "rating" could ever measure.
You only get one chance in your life. That kind of preciousness was like the brightest lone star in the night sky.
Win or lose aside—just being able to step onto that track was an outrageous luxury for so many Uma Musume.
She had looked forward to Kikuka Sho more than anything, poured endless sweat and effort into it, and every race before this she'd given it everything she had.
Satono Crown was the same. Kitasan Black had seen what her friend put into training, how hard she pushed in races, how badly she wanted victory.
It was no less than Kitasan Black herself.
But maybe fate really was cruel and unpredictable. Her family's decision was like a mountain planted straight in front of Satono Crown, forcing her to brush past Kikuka Sho without ever reaching it.
If I were the one stuck in Crown-chan's situation… what would I do?
All of a sudden, Kitasan Black thought that.
In the next instant, regret and bitterness surged up in her chest. And then she realized—that was exactly what she'd felt coming off Satono Crown. It made her want even more to find some perfectly placed words, something that could give her friend even a sliver of comfort.
But from the day she hadn't even known how to say goodbye, all the way until now—she'd wracked her brain and still couldn't find that one sentence.
"…Kita-chan? Kita-chan!"
Two calls in a row—or maybe it had been a lot more—made Kitasan Black snap back to reality.
She turned her head and met Yasui Makoto's concerned eyes. Realizing she'd spaced out, she panicked.
"S-sorry, Trainer, I…"
She blurted it out, then suddenly didn't know how to explain.
After waiting a moment and seeing Kitasan Black lower her head, Yasui Makoto smiled lightly and said in a soft voice:
"It's okay. Today's explanation… let's stop here."
"I've told you about Kyoto Racecourse more than once. And you've written down everything I just said."
"There's still more than two weeks until the race. Take your time and digest it—you've got plenty of time."
"Don't put any mental pressure on yourself over this."
It wasn't like he hadn't noticed her drifting off.
After all, they'd been together day in and day out for over half a year. A lot of the time, he felt like with just one look from the girl, he could more or less guess what was on her mind.
When he first noticed her zoning out, he thought she was thinking about Kikuka Sho—or maybe St. Lite Kinen as a dress rehearsal.
Manhattan Cafe wasn't wrong. He really was bold.
Even though Kitasan Black had enough fans before a race to easily step onto Kikuka Sho, St. Lite Kinen was still a G2. Her opponents weren't some nobody Uma Musume.
Or rather—when you're talking about the several hundred Uma Musume in any given year who can even run a stakes race, there are no true weaklings in the strictest sense.
Not counting something as vague and intangible as luck, when athletes like that are racing together, a lot of the time victory and defeat come down to a hair's breadth.
To treat a G2 like a rehearsal, and on the real track test the tactics and strategy meant for the next race… you could absolutely call that bold.
But it wasn't like he'd never done this sort of thing.
In Kitasan Black's debut race, with her strength as a horse girl—and with the advantage of knowing early that she excelled at taking the lead—if she ran normally as a Front-Runner, it would've been hard for her to lose.
But he still believed holding back and enduring was something she needed to experience, and he'd insisted she run from the back in that race.
Looking at it now, a lot of that judgment had been correct. In Kitasan Black's current races, she really didn't have the chance anymore to spend a long time enduring in the rear.
If there was a first time, then of course there could be a second.
What's more, the next race was a higher-spec, higher-meaning G1. If they could win it, then the risk wasn't really risk at all.
Especially after analyzing St. Lite Kinen—he truly did have confidence in their approach for Kikuka Sho.
Originally, he'd planned to bring up that confidence after breaking down the track's characteristics.
But looking at her now… it seemed like dealing with the girl's worries mattered more.
After all, she'd grown up. She wasn't like the beginning anymore—clueless and goofy, knowing only training and races…
With that thought, Yasui Makoto couldn't help but glance Kitasan Black over.
When he'd first met her, the girl had been like a pristine blank sheet of paper, her whole presence giving off that uncarved, unpolished innocence.
Fresh out of the gate, she'd been curiously green about everything. In training, she'd also had that clear, earnest, slightly dopey energy that Uma Musume at that stage often carried.
In races, she changed a bit—still pure, but filled with the thrill of clashing head-on, and the hunger for victory.
Simply put: back then, training and racing were Kitasan Black's entire world—simple and pure.
Now, that simplicity and purity still existed.
But just like the heavy thoughts showing on her face right now, the girl had already transformed, inside and out.
More poised. Taller in bearing. The lines of her body from head to toe looked stronger, more athletic. Even her smallest movements carried more confidence and calm.
The babyishness in her face had faded. Her already delicate features had become even brighter and more captivating.
In those vivid, red eyes, her enjoyment of racing and her desire to win burned even hotter—and on top of that, there was a kind of settled depth now, like she'd started collecting stories of her own.
October… in two more months, it'll be a year since we met. Time… really does go by fast.
Without meaning to, Yasui Makoto found himself thinking of time passing because of the difference between the girl in front of him and the one in his memory.
And after that brief wave of emotion, he didn't forget to pause and think before continuing:
"You've got something on your mind, don't you? If you don't mind… tell me about it? Maybe I can help."
Still beating herself up for spacing out, Kitasan Black heard those words from above her and couldn't help lifting her eyes.
She met Yasui Makoto's gaze and saw the sincerity and concern inside it. Warmth suddenly spread through her chest. The tension in her nerves, the knot in her heart—they loosened all at once.
She bit her lower lip lightly, and a lot of things flashed through her mind.
That accidental first meeting. The patient guidance again and again on the training grounds. The unwavering support during races…
Walking this road all the way to now, she realized she'd already come to rely on the person in front of her.
Whenever she didn't know what to do in training or in races—if she just left it to him, it would be fine. He would definitely have a way.
And now… it seemed like it wasn't just training and races anymore. It seemed like even things beyond that…
Could be left to him too.
Right—about Musee-chan… I only made that decision after asking Trainer.
I even told Rasen to talk to her Trainer, and somehow I forgot to do it myself…
Her eyes flickered with sudden realization. In only a moment, she made up her mind.
"Trainer, I…"
She spoke slowly, her voice carrying expectation and trust. "I want to talk to you about Crown-chan…"
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