Chapter 119: Ninja
After hearing Makoto talk about "extreme stunts," Kitasan Black was first astonished by the initial demonstration—but soon, her astonishment turned into deep fascination.
Especially when her trainer went on to show several other moves.
Just the sight of him climbing walls with his bare hands or spinning midair made her feel an uncontrollable sense of novelty and coolness.
Then came the air spin kick, the flying cross hold, and something called a "capoeira" or whatever it was—each one of them made her heart race even more.
Compared to those moves, she even felt that breaking pebbles with her hands earlier didn't seem impressive anymore.
However, when they returned to the academy to resume training, she was disappointed to find that their routine was still the same as before.
They probably had to finish all of this before starting the new stunt training, she thought.
But even after completing everything, her disappointment only grew stronger.
"...Trainer, didn't we agree to practice extreme stunts?"
Pouting in dissatisfaction, Kitasan Black waved her clenched fists as she looked at Makoto with bright, eager eyes.
"When are we starting? Oh right—you said extreme stunts require a lot of special tools, didn't you? Why don't I see any?"
It suddenly struck her, and she began glancing around the room.
Lifting his eyes from the tablet, Makoto was a little surprised—and pleased—by her enthusiasm.
After deciding to become a trainer, most of his time had gone into study. During physical training, he'd mix in various techniques and drills from memory, occasionally checking the reports on this world's version of extreme stunts.
Reading those reports often brought back memories of sparring and sharing insights with his old colleagues.
He still dreamed, now and then, of performing on cliff edges, over glaciers, or in the skies thousands of meters above the ground.
That surge of adrenaline, that shiver of fear and excitement—it was all so vivid, even in dreams.
Extreme stunts had not only been his profession but also his passion.
Or rather, it was because he loved it so much that he had made it his profession.
And the more he challenged the limits, the stronger that passion had grown.
Feeling Kitasan's excitement now, he couldn't help but regret focusing too much on theory and logic before, never bringing up this burning love deep in his heart.
If he'd spoken up sooner, perhaps he and Kitasan could have become partners—not just as trainer and trainee, but as fellow stunt enthusiasts.
Still, thinking about it again, he decided that it wasn't too late.
Makoto knew better than anyone alive how dangerous extreme stunts could be.
So, rather than indulging his own passion, safety had to come first.
"I know you're eager, but don't rush, Kitasan."
The moment he started talking about extreme stunts, Makoto's voice unconsciously grew warmer and more relaxed.
"This kind of special training isn't easy—it's quite dangerous, and we'll need proper equipment for it.
"You probably heard my conversation with Kitajima-san yesterday, right?
"The equipment should arrive in a while. Until then, you'll be learning to stay calm, patient, and to wait."
"Calm... patient... and wait..."
Repeating the three words while clenching her fists, Kitasan Black took a deep breath—and then suddenly smiled.
"Trainer... you're acting kind of weird all of a sudden."
"Weird?"
Makoto blinked. "How so...?"
"It's just... you're usually so stiff and serious."
Tapping her chin in thought, Kitasan said, "Even when we played games together before, you were always talking about strategies and calculations. Dia-chan even whispered to me once, saying that you play games like a teacher giving a lecture."
"But the moment you start talking about extreme stunts, it's like you become a completely different person—you sound so excited!"
Makoto thought back for a moment and realized she was right. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Can't I have a personal hobby? What's wrong with getting a little excited about something I love?"
He countered lightly, but when he saw the faint hint of disappointment on Kitasan Black's face, he paused to think.
"All right, then. The special equipment for stunt training isn't ready yet, but if you really want to give it a try... we can start with something simple—or rather, just have a little fun for now."
Her ears perked up, and her tail began swishing furiously behind her as her eyes lit up.
"Really?! That's amazing! Trainer, you're the best!"
Smiling, Makoto looked around and pointed toward the spectator stands by the practice field.
"Come on, let's head over there."
What he planned to let Kitasan try was one of the entry-level yet classic moves in the world of extreme stunts—wall running.
Compared to free climbing, which was part of the real training he intended to start later, wall running could be considered the beginner's version.
Parkour was one of the sports where extreme stunts were most commonly applied, and its basic moves—precision jumps, cat leaps, quick vaults over obstacles—all had their foundation in wall running.
In actual performances, the terrain was rarely flat. Being able to move along vertical surfaces made the rest of the movements much easier.
Climbing, single-foot wall steps, rebound wall jumps—all those vertical techniques heavily relied on mastering the basics of horizontal wall running.
The next race on their schedule was the Japanese Derby, a course with numerous combinations of ascents and descents—its ups and downs were especially pronounced.
Most notably, 460 meters before the finish line lay a 140-meter continuous uphill stretch, followed by a 300-meter final straightaway.
To handle this section well, the key was the initial climb.
Sustained slopes drained stamina rapidly, and because of gravity and safety considerations, one had to reduce speed.
But the following straight section—being the last stretch before the finish—required top-level sprinting power.
That meant vertical displacement ability had to be excellent—to traverse the slopes quickly, smoothly, and with minimal strain, setting up perfectly for the final sprint.
And wall running and free climbing happened to train precisely that—vertical movement control.
A short while later...
"Ah! I remember now!"
Following Makoto's instructions, Kitasan tried a few kicks and steps against the outer wall of the stands, bouncing lightly on her toes.
"I just remembered what extreme stunts reminded me of!"
"I've seen it in movies, in the Noh plays Grandpa took me to, and even in the games I played with Dia-chan!"
"It's ninjas!"
Clapping her hands together, she extended her index and middle fingers in a ninjutsu pose and exclaimed,
"Trainer! Does that mean one day I'll be able to run on walls and rooftops like a ninja—shwish shwish shwish!?"
Carried away by her own excitement, she didn't even notice the grin forming on Makoto's face. He rapped his knuckles lightly against the wall and said,
"Ninja, huh... Let's talk about that after you can manage three or four meters along the wall."
"You were running too slowly on your approach, but that's normal for beginners."
"Your starting angle's also off—the angle with the wall's too wide. That's why your first few steps worked, but you lost momentum right after."
"Your first foot placement's too low—I told you, it should be around waist height. And you should make contact with your forefoot or the outer edge of your toes."
"Your stride's too short when you run up, but too long when you step on the wall."
"And also... ah, never mind."
Just like when he'd climbed the stone pillar before, Makoto unbuttoned his collar and sleeves, the corner of his mouth curling higher.
"Let me show you how it is first."
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