What Kitasan Black brought up wasn't something Yasui Makoto didn't know.
Satono Crown's race schedule wasn't some secret—one search on any race-related platform and it was right there.
To be honest, from a Trainer's perspective, withdrawing from Kikuka Sho and switching to Tenno Sho (Autumn) wasn't a problematic decision.
Especially from the standpoint of a conglomerate like the Satono family.
Besides Satono Crown and Satono Rasen—who had both raced on the same stage as Kitasan Black—there were plenty of other Uma Musume from the Satono family among active Twinkle Series runners.
For example, Satono Noblesse. She was a senpai to Kitasan Black and the others, debuted one class later than Gold Ship, and was still active on the circuit.
It's just that compared to Kitasan Black, Satono Crown, and Gold Ship, Satono Noblesse's results weren't outstanding.
Second place in Kikuka Sho was her best result so far.
This year, she'd finished 11th in the Shinshun Hai and 10th in the Sankei Sho—her few starts had all been disappointing.
And beyond that, there were a lot of "Satono" girls who didn't even qualify for graded stakes at all, running OP, Pre-OP, or other races instead.
When you support that many Uma Musume, even with deep pockets, the Satono family couldn't possibly split resources evenly between every single one. There would definitely be priorities.
Satono Crown and Satono Rasen were clearly getting more attention.
At the same time, that attention also had its own focus—or rather, a strategy that benefited the family's long-term development.
You can't put all your eggs in one basket. Japan had a proverb like that.
Since both had the strength to challenge G1, let one go run Tenno Sho (Autumn), and let the other go run Kikuka Sho.
That way there's no internal competition, and you increase the odds of taking a G1.
That was probably the Satono family's calculation.
If this had been back when he'd just started coaching Kitasan Black, Yasui Makoto probably wouldn't have said any of this out loud.
He felt like he could accept things like this.
In his previous life, he'd been through plenty of similar stuff—so much that it had basically become normal. He knew this was just reality.
And he also felt that, for Uma Musume with simple, straightforward hearts, this kind of thing might be too complicated. Just because he understood it didn't mean Kitasan Black would.
Besides, it didn't really mean anything for training or racing. It'd be better to change the subject and talk about something else.
But lately—especially just now—he'd suddenly realized: Uma Musume might be pure, sure, but that didn't mean they couldn't understand how complicated reality was.
Like Kitasan Black—her career wasn't just training and racing. There were contradictions, conflicts, and relationships with other Uma Musume who were both rivals and friends.
Satono Crown and the others were probably the same. They were all growing, their inner worlds changing.
Maybe he should've noticed that earlier.
Uma Musume like Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen—when they first stepped onto the track, they were probably just as simple-minded as Kitasan Black used to be, focused on nothing but training and racing.
It was only later, through collisions outside training and races—success and failure, injuries, and so many other things—that they slowly grew into who they were now, becoming leaders for other Uma Musume.
If that was the case, then maybe there was no need to avoid anything. He could just tell Kitasan Black what he knew.
Having decided, Yasui Makoto faced her and said thoughtfully:
"Actually… I know a bit about Satono Crown's situation."
After explaining what he understood about the Satono family, he continued:
"…So that's the reality of it. From our perspective, we can't really say whether the decision is right or wrong—after all, there are only two of us."
"So the reason I'm telling you this is… maybe if I tell you what I know, you'll be able to figure out how to respond to Satono Crown."
"That's what you wanted when you asked me, right?"
As she listened, Kitasan Black started out looking serious. Then her mouth slowly fell open, and her expression turned into a complicated kind of contemplation.
Now, hearing his question, she stayed silent for a long time. Then she bit her lip, nodded, and let out a long breath.
"So… Crown-chan doesn't really have a choice?" Her voice was so light it felt like a dandelion seed about to get carried off by the wind, yet the tips of her ears had flushed red from emotion.
Her ponytail swayed slightly with her unsteady posture. The back that was usually ramrod-straight now curved into something like a question mark. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her tracksuit until her knuckles went white.
Yasui Makoto noticed the ends of her hair shining in the sunlight—the kind of sheen that only bloomed when she won—yet right now it was covered over by shadow.
"A choice… when it comes to this kind of portfolio thinking, probably not."
He weighed his words carefully. "It's like how you adjust your step frequency before every race. The family is adjusting the allocation of their schedules, too.
"If she wants to have a choice, then actually—" His words were abruptly cut off by Kitasan Black's movement.
Kitasan Black suddenly lifted her head. Her red pupils narrowed into thin lines in the sunlight, then slowly widened again, like she was trying to focus on some invisible web of complicated connections.
"If…"
She suddenly turned around, her hair brushing Yasui Makoto's arm. "If I'd been born into the Satono family… would I be arranged like that too?"
Her lashes cast scattered shadows beneath her eyes, but the corner of her mouth lifted stubbornly. Before Yasui Makoto could answer, she suddenly took a deep breath and said:
"If it really was like that… I'd definitely sneak out and enter Kikuka Sho."
"Even if I got found out. Even if they tried to stop me…"
"I'd still find a way to run it to the end!"
Looking at the way her eyes suddenly lit up, Yasui Makoto realized he'd underestimated the girl—or maybe Uma Musume in general.
They really were pure, and sometimes they gave off this fragile feeling. And yet, like reeds in a typhoon, they could still find balance in the storm.
"Maybe Crown-chan doesn't necessarily have an idea like mine," Kitasan Black spoke again. This time, her voice was no longer full of worry—it had returned to its usual brightness.
"And even if she does have it, she might not be able to do it."
"But I want to tell her what I think."
"Because even if she doesn't think like me, Crown-chan will still keep running."
"What I can do is tell her that no matter what race she goes to run, we'll still keep running together."
She bounced back two steps, her sneakers tapping out crisp sounds against the ground, her smile lifting into an energetic curve.
"If I've said we're going to keep running together, then I can't let Crown-chan—and everyone—shake me off."
"Kikuka Sho is only two weeks away. I can't waste time."
Then she grinned and ran back over, grabbing Yasui Makoto's hand.
"Then let's keep going, Trainer!"
Pulled to the edge of the track before he could react, Yasui Makoto looked at Kitasan Black—who had stepped out of her worries and returned to her usual self—and couldn't help smiling, quietly satisfied.
This lively, blazing-bright girl in front of him—this was the Kitasan Black he knew best.
After everything she'd been through, she really had grown up a lot. Under the tempering of training after training, race after race, her mindset had changed in countless ways.
But no matter what she faced, her cheerfulness, her positivity, and her effort—straight from the heart—had never changed.
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