Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Ten Meters

At Yasui Makoto's question, Kitasan Black fell briefly into thought.

A moment later, she looked at him as if something had occurred to her.

"Trainer, the next G1 after the New Year should be the Tenno Sho Spring, right?"

"That's right. With the current calendar, it is..."

He answered with a slight nod, then his eyes shifted.

"You're thinking of targeting both the Tenno Sho Spring and Tenno Sho Autumn?"

Kitasan Black froze for a second before she could answer, but Almond Eye's eyes were already shining.

"Senpai, you're aiming for that kind of challenge? Th-that's... amazing!"

"Ah? Uh... I actually haven't thought as far ahead as the autumn races yet..."

Kitasan Black scratched her head and smiled bashfully, then hesitated before explaining, "I was just thinking... during my Classic year, I already challenged the Classic Triple Crown, and I even won the Arima Kinen."

"So after that, shouldn't I keep pushing forward and become an even better Umamusume?"

"Trainer, isn't there that saying?"

She thought for a moment, then went on, "It's something like... the Umamusume who wins in spring is no fluke."

"The one who wins in spring..."

Almond Eye repeated it under her breath, then looked from Kitasan Black to Yasui Makoto with curiosity. "What does that mean, Trainer?"

"It means the Tenno Sho Spring."

Yasui Makoto knew the saying Kitasan Black meant. He nodded and explained patiently, "Kyoto Racecourse, 3200 meters. It's the longest G1 on the calendar. If you can win a race like that, then your stamina and grit are obviously extraordinary, and your speed and power can't be lacking either."

"So even if it's a somewhat one-sided way of looking at it, a lot of people think that if an active Umamusume can win the Tenno Sho Spring, she has every right to be called the strongest."

"Take Gold Ship. She challenged the Tenno Sho Spring three times before finally getting what she wanted. It's not as though she didn't have thoughts like that herself."

"So that's what it means..." Almond Eye said, understanding at last.

"Trainer's right. That's how I understood it too."

Kitasan Black nodded. "Maybe that saying stuck with me, and maybe I was influenced by Gold Ship-senpai too, and then..."

She hesitated.

"And then there was the Arima Kinen. I won, but at the finish I was almost crossing the line together with Gold Actor-senpai and the others."

"I still need to work even harder if I want to make my dream come true."

"So, Trainer... I want to challenge myself in the Tenno Sho Spring."

The Tenno Sho (Spring), huh... Yasui Makoto sank into thought.

If not for the video call earlier, he had originally planned to wait a little longer before discussing Kitasan Black's race schedule with her.

But in terms of direction, what he had in mind was actually quite close to what she was saying now.

He knew full well that Kitasan Black was already a G1-level Umamusume, and even among runners at that level, both her strength and her potential were top-class.

As she settled further into full form, she would only grow stronger over the next year or even two.

To bring that talent fully into play, both targeted training and races of sufficiently high intensity were indispensable.

Naturally, that meant a focus on G1 races, though significant G2 races like the Sankei Osaka Hai and the Mainichi Okan could not be underestimated either.

Only with that level of competition to complement her training would the effects of training become more pronounced, and only then would her growth truly benefit.

Only by tempering herself through constant challenges could she dig out the deeper layers of her potential.

Every race was an opportunity for transformation.

Every clash with a powerful rival was a chance for her to improve in every respect.

And for him, of course, higher-level races would naturally let his own training experience and reputation grow faster as well.

"The Tenno Sho Spring... I don't see a problem with it."

After thinking it over, Yasui Makoto nodded.

"That race is in early May. My hand will have healed long before then, so it won't interfere with our overseas study trip or your preparation."

"After that, the next G1 is the Takarazuka Kinen in June. If you don't race in February or March, then even taking on two G1s in succession shouldn't put you under too much pressure."

"The Tenno Sho Spring... and then the Takarazuka Kinen. Two G1s?"

Kitasan Black repeated her schedule under her breath. When Yasui Makoto nodded, she drew in a deep breath, straightened proudly, and raised her fist high.

"All right! Then I'll work toward the Tenno Sho Spring, the Takarazuka Kinen... oh, right, and the overseas study trip too! That's the direction I'm going in!"

"I'm going to work hard too! I can't lose to senpai!"

As though afraid of being left behind, Almond Eye copied Kitasan Black, lifting her chin, straightening up, and thrusting her fist into the air.

"I haven't signed an agreement with you yet, Trainer, but one day—definitely—I'll be standing on a stage like that too!"

"Mm-hm! Little Almond definitely can do it!"

Kitasan Black nodded so forcefully it was as if she had even more faith in Almond Eye than in herself. Then she perked up even further.

"Then the next thing to do is make a nutritious lunch for Trainer!"

"Almond Eye, let's go buy ingredients together. We have to help Trainer's injury heal as fast as possible!"

"Mm! I'm ready!" Almond Eye nodded with equal enthusiasm.

...Hey, wait a second. If I remember right...

Looking at the two eager Umamusume, Yasui Makoto felt both gratified and amused.

Hadn't they only just eaten breakfast not that long ago...?

...

Over the next stretch of days, Kitasan Black's attentive care naturally helped Yasui Makoto's recovery a great deal.

She prepared all three meals each day with care, each one balanced between meat and vegetables, full of both nutrition and thoughtfulness.

And yet through all that day-by-day care, what Yasui Makoto felt most clearly was not that his injured hand was healing rapidly, but that his body seemed to be quietly changing in another way.

He thought he might have put on a little weight.

His clothes felt slightly tighter when he wore them, and even his belt had to be loosened by another notch.

That left Yasui Makoto a little troubled.

More than once, he thought about telling Kitasan Black to take it easy, that she didn't need to work so hard or prepare such elaborate meals every single time.

But every time he saw the girl's bright enthusiasm and the anticipation on her face, and then thought back on how comfortably he had been living these past days—with meals brought right to him and everything else taken care of—the words of refusal would reach his lips, only for him to swallow them back down in silence.

During that time of being looked after, Yasui Makoto and Kitasan Black also made a special visit to Kitajima Saburō.

When they met, the elderly man thanked him again and again, while also repeatedly instructing Kitasan Black to take proper care of Yasui Makoto. As for Yasui Makoto himself, he was told to focus on recovering in peace, and that if he needed anything, he could come to him or to Ōno Shōji.

Kitasan Black naturally agreed to all of it at once, and Yasui Makoto, for his part, accepted the old man's kindness without much ceremony.

After that came the URA Association's New Year gala.

More or less as expected, Yasui Makoto won the award for Best New Trainer of the Year.

At the same time, thanks to her outstanding performances during her Classic year, Kitasan Black also took the Best Classic Year Umamusume Representative Award without the slightest suspense.

Yasui Makoto had already been so excited during his own time onstage that he could barely contain himself.

Then, when Kitasan Black stepped up in a solemn formal evening dress, he almost forgot his left hand was still in a cast and nearly started clapping.

Looking at the girl under the spotlight—so utterly different from when he had first met her, now carrying an air of confidence and maturity—he felt from the bottom of his heart that becoming an Umamusume trainer had probably been the best decision he had made so far.

---

bonus chaps

100 stones -> 1 chapter

200 stones -> 2 chapters

300 stones -> 3 chapters

and so on

hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is a bonus chapter...?

patreon.com/wisetl

instagram: hanbaowise

twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_