Chapter 114: Yukishiro Sakuya
Kitasan Black still couldn't figure out why that sudden wave of panic had happened.
But she was the type who could brush off things she didn't understand, never one to dwell on them too long.
So when she met up with Makoto and Almond Eye afterward, she greeted her Trainer with her usual excitement, then, overjoyed, swept Almond Eye up into a big hug.
"It's been so long, Ai-chan! Later we're going to eat till we burst—you're coming too, right?"
Caught completely off guard in her arms, Almond Eye stiffened for a moment, squirmed awkwardly, but quickly settled down.
"Congratulations on your win, Kita-senpai… the Satsuki Sho. I saw it. You were incredible. I'll work hard to compete in races like that someday too."
"Mm-hm! I believe in you, Ai-chan!"
Kitasan nodded emphatically, then straightened up and tried to put on her most serious expression.
"But skipping lessons—that's not okay."
"If I remember right, didn't you definitely say during our video call the other day that you had tutoring today?"
"If you want to win races, you can't neglect your studies!"
During a recent event, Kitasan Black and Almond Eye had exchanged contact info.
She had really taken a liking to this quiet, well-mannered kouhai, and lately, whenever she had free time, she would text or call her to check if she was eating well and keeping up with her studies.
She had even reminded her specifically to focus on her assignments, promising to take her out for fun once the Satsuki Sho was over.
After hearing about the tutoring lessons, Kitasan Black had planned to push back those outings until Almond Eye had time.
After all, the next race was the Japanese Derby, and there was still a month and a half in between—plenty of free time.
But she never expected the girl to skip class. That really did rub her the wrong way.
"U-um…"
Mumbling nervously, eyes shifting guiltily aside, Almond Eye glanced toward Makoto like a silent plea for help.
Catching her gaze, Makoto chuckled helplessly, stepped forward, and said:
"Actually, Kita-chan, Almond Eye already knows it was wrong."
Almond Eye's eyes lit up instantly, but Kitasan gave him a skeptical look.
She'd noticed her kouhai's silent cry for help—and had assumed Makoto would pretend not to.
After all, since she'd met him, her trainer had always been casual in everyday matters.
Whenever she hung out with Satono Crown or the others, she would invite Makoto too, and as long as he was free, he'd tag along.
But when it came to training and studying, he was nothing but strict. Any mistake she made, he would call out without hesitation, even warning her not to slack off in class.
"…Trainer, you're not just trying to cover for Ai-chan, are you?"
Remembering his usual strictness and comparing it with his attitude now, Kitasan puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
"When I got caught daydreaming in class, you gave me a whole lecture…"
"Uh, that's… not really the same thing…"
Makoto looked a little awkward.
Since that last event, he and Almond Eye had spoken many times.
Her desire to break free from her family's arranged path, to challenge longer distances—that wasn't just a rebellious whim.
She'd done a lot of homework, even written out pages of training notes.
From a professional standpoint, those notes were clumsy and naïve. But each stroke of her pen was filled with effort and sincerity.
And today's tutoring session just so happened to be on sprint racing. From Almond Eye's point of view, choosing to watch the Satsuki Sho instead wasn't really wrong.
Besides, with his knowledge of this parallel world's future, Makoto was certain that Almond Eye's talents went far beyond sprint races. He honestly didn't think the girl had made a mistake.
But he also knew that was just his own view. From Kitasan Black's perspective, it did look pretty inconsistent with how he usually acted.
"…I did kind of scold Almond Eye too, you know."
Glancing at Kitasan Black's faintly disapproving eyes, Makoto averted his gaze slightly, pretending as if he were double-checking with Almond Eye.
"When I came into the admin hall earlier, I already reminded her not to do that again in the future."
"She promised she wouldn't repeat the same mistake, and even said she'd properly apologize to her parents and tutor once she got home."
"That's right, isn't it, Almond Eye?"
"Yes, I'll make sure to apologize properly."
Almond Eye immediately nodded, bowing deeply toward Kitasan Black.
"I should apologize to you too, senpai, for troubling you like this."
Kitasan Black looked a little flustered.
She had no reason to doubt Makoto and Almond Eye's words—and slowly it dawned on her that Almond Eye had most likely skipped class to watch the Satsuki Sho because of her.
"An apology… well, that's not really necessary. As long as you don't skip class again, Almond Eye, that's enough."
She patted the younger girl's head reassuringly, then turned a curious look toward Makoto.
"Then… what about Almond Eye later?"
"I was hoping to bring her along to the victory banquet—did her parents give permission for that?"
"You must have spoken with the staff here earlier, right? Didn't they help you contact them?"
Just as Makoto was about to reply, his gaze shifted.
Outside, night had already fallen, and the three of them were standing inside Nakayama Racecourse's admin hall.
The races had long since ended. Unlike the bustling crowds of the daytime, most of the people still inside looked like they were wrapping up work and preparing to go home.
But the group Makoto was looking at seemed different—they moved briskly, not like people off duty, but as though they were rushing to the next assignment.
Noticing his gaze, Kitasan Black followed it—and froze the moment she saw the figure at the head of that group.
Her hair was jet black, with a single silver streak across her bangs like a shooting star cutting through the night.
Her ears and tail were equally dark, while her eyes were an arresting mismatch: the left a golden amber, the right a deep, oceanic blue.
Her expression was cold—icy, even.
She wore a long black coat trimmed with silver at the collar and cuffs.
Surrounding her were a number of people in crisp suits, all exuding the sharp air of business professionals, murmuring questions to her in low tones.
To every inquiry, the horsegirl responded with a cool nod, speaking only a few curt words on occasion.
The sight left Kitasan Black stunned once again, and she let out a startled whisper.
"Th-That's Chairwoman Yukishiro—?! But… wasn't she supposed to be overseas…?"
Her voice wasn't exactly quiet, and both Yukishiro and her entourage turned to look their way.
Yukishiro led the group over, fixing her gaze on Kitasan Black. After a moment, she gave a small nod.
"The early pace was more than twenty percent faster compared to previous races of the same kind."
"Every corner was cut with an unusually sharp angle. You treated the third bend as the deciding point rather than the home stretch itself"
"A reckless, almost unreasonable style of running—I haven't seen anything like it on Japanese soil for a very long time."
"It was an excellent performance, Kitasan Black."
Her voice was cool as she gave that appraisal. Then she turned to Makoto, extending her hand.
"My apologies, Trainer Makoto. I hadn't expected the meeting to run so long."
"You should have seen me earlier when we were in contact, but I'll introduce myself properly now."
"Yukishiro Sakuya, current chairwoman of the Central Tracen Academy. A pleasure to meet you."
After shaking his hand, she closed her eyes briefly, let out a quiet breath, and a faint trace of weariness surfaced in her gaze as she turned to Almond Eye—who at some point had lowered her head.
"Have you seen enough of the races? If you have, I'll take you home later."