Bringing back several sets of weighted equipment from Belno Light's old home to Kasamatsu, it was already getting late. He first stopped for a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, then parked the truck loaded with the weighted gear in the academy's warehouse. Kitahara told Belno Light and Miyamura Kyoko to go back and rest, while he himself headed to the training ground.
Super Creek's inflammation had just about completely healed. According to Miyamura Kyoko's medical advice, there was no longer any concern about normal activity. So Kitahara had her watch Oguri Cap's practice every day.
"Watching practice" has a proper term in training methods: "imagery training."
From a physiological perspective, thanks to special types of brain cells called "mirror neurons," higher animals can encode the actions and behaviors of their own kind. This enables them, by watching or imitating similar movements, to form the corresponding cognitive modules in their own brains.
Simply put, "mirror neurons" are the biological foundation for how humans and Uma Musume can learn.
Of course, the actual training wasn't just looking on casually. One had to imagine, from every angle, facing a "hypothetical opponent," how oneself would act.
This came from some of his own experience.
It wasn't just racing — all competitive athletes used this kind of "imagery training."
Kitahara, in the past, had practiced Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) as a hobby to maintain his health.
His coach and seniors had told him, if no sparring partner was available, then imagine an opponent in front of you — keep imagining "him" attacking and defending, and how you yourself would attack and defend.
From this experience, he personally believed this kind of training not only consumed physical strength but also drained mental energy — in fact, it was often more exhausting than actual matches.
Beyond his own experience, in the second season of the anime, Tokai Teio had used this ability more than once. Generally speaking, the better the athlete, the more adept they were at this skill. Those especially talented in it could even conduct a "real match" in their own minds.
[Like Symboli Rudolf imagining Oguri Cap at the Japanese Derby]
Drawing on this experience and what he'd learned as a trainer, Kitahara instructed Super Creek that when watching Oguri Cap's training, she should simulate in her mind: if they were on the same track, how would she have to perform to win, or why would she lose.
This process had to be written down, and he would check it every day.
According to his schedule, Oguri Cap should currently be running on the track, while Super Creek would be off to the side conducting her "imagery training."
When he reached the training ground, from afar he could already see the tall figures.
Oguri Cap was 167 cm tall, Super Creek was 168 cm — both quite tall among horse girls. Just standing there, they were very eye-catching.
The two of them weren't training — it seemed they had just finished and were huddled together, laughing and chatting about something.
Getting closer, Kitahara realized they were talking about food.
"Oh! Super Creek, you're actually really good at making rice balls — amazing!"
Oguri Cap's eyes lit up — and what made them light up was a huge, basketball-sized rice ball in Super Creek's hands.
The rice ball was big and perfectly round, practically bursting with appeal.
The grains of rice were glossy and plump, the seaweed looked crispy and delicious, and the black sesame seeds sprinkled across the white rice made it even more appetizing.
"Not really, I just casually shaped it,"
Super Creek said with an embarrassed smile, humbly adding, "Didn't I hear from you yesterday that you're always really hungry after running? So before coming today, I went to the cafeteria, borrowed some rice, and made a few big rice balls."
"I figured, with your appetite, Oguri, you could probably finish all of them."
"Here, have this one first — I've got more. Don't hold back."
Handing the rice ball to Oguri Cap, Super Creek pointed to an insulated box slung diagonally across her body.
The box was about the size of a nightstand — only horse girls could carry something that big without feeling burdened. With a box that size, it could probably hold three or four giant rice balls without issue.
"Mm-mm! Thanks, Super Creek!"
Taking the massive rice ball, Oguri Cap's eyes went faintly green (with excitement), and she nodded eagerly.
But she still remembered to say grace before eating: "I'm digging in! Ah-woo!"
"Mm—haahhh-chomp!"
Letting out a happy hum, Oguri Cap's eyes curved like crescent moons — then suddenly widened.
"Mmph? Kitahara, when did you get here?"
"Don't talk while eating, or you'll choke."
Kitahara had already walked over, smiled at the two horse girls, and was about to greet them when Super Creek handed over a notebook.
"Mr. Kitahara, this is my homework for today. Please check it."
The homework was her "imagery training" log. Kitahara always believed that any thought needed to be organized in black and white — at the very least, it deepened memory. So even training concepts or insights had to be written down by the horse girls under his charge.
Oguri Cap, however, wasn't suited to this method. The things she wrote were so abstract that reading them was a headache. Only the assignments taught by the theory-adept Belno Light could offer him some comfort.
Now he had one more source of comfort — Super Creek's homework was also neat and clear.
"Mm, not bad. Your analysis is almost identical to the actual situation. This really reflects your current level."
Oguri Cap was now a battle-hardened veteran. Her level far surpassed that of the not-yet-debuted Super Creek. If the latter raced directly against her now, her chances of winning weren't great — that was Kitahara's estimate, and Super Creek's homework had concluded the same.
While Kitahara was flipping through Super Creek's homework, Oguri Cap became a little puzzled.
After taking a huge bite of the rice ball, she tilted her head.
"Kitahara, Super Creek's imagining how to train, how to race — does that really help in a race?"
"Of course it helps. Theoretically speaking…"
He began automatically with an opening line. Realizing it was Oguri Cap asking, he paused, thought for a moment, then changed his approach.
"Oguri Cap, what do you think you need to win a race, besides luck, speed, strength, stamina, and determination?"
"Luck, speed…"
She softly repeated the first two words, her expression growing serious. "I don't know."
Then she explained, "Those should cover all the elements needed to win a race, right? Is there something I don't know?"
Kitahara smiled slightly, glanced at Super Creek, signaling her to listen carefully too. Then he raised one finger and pressed it to his temple:
"Wisdom."
[That's why Wit in game let's you activate lots of skills and helps move your uma into a good position so that she doesn't get blocked. After All Uma musume is a WIT game]
"Or rather, mental power."
"Our brains use 75% of the liver's blood flow, 20% of the oxygen, and overall consume about 20% of the body's energy. When we concentrate deeply, that percentage increases."
"To put it into numbers, just to stay alive, the brain requires about 0.1 calories per minute. When concentrating deeply, it rises to 1.5 — a full 15 times higher."
He waved his other hand, the one holding the notebook. "And in a race, you're already burning huge amounts of physical energy — the longer the race, the more energy consumed."
"So when it comes to the final stage of the race — if your focus wavers, your vision narrows, your judgment dulls — whether you can stay calm and keep thinking becomes the key to victory."
"That's why you must train both your body and brain in advance to handle higher levels of physical and mental consumption."
Kitahara's tone grew even more serious.
"Since Oguri Cap brought this up, I'll say this now."
"Super Creek still needs to recuperate, so for her, imagery training — that is, mental training — is her main task."
"But you also need to do this kind of training."
"Your upcoming races will be 200 to 400 meters longer than before — later there will be even longer races. You must start training your mental capacity now."
"The weighted equipment has arrived. From here on, you'll not only increase your body's load, but also your mind's."
"As for the specific method… ah, right…"
"Can you recite Pi?"
(End of this chapter)