Chapter 133: Grass Wonder's Chasing Ability
A short while later, following the directions in Special Week's message, Makoto and Kitasan Black arrived at the Tracen Academy cafeteria.
Before they even started looking, they spotted Special Week from afar, waving enthusiastically.
"Hey—! Kita-chan, Makoto-san, over here, over here!"
Following her voice, Makoto and Kitasan Black waved back. As they approached, Makoto quickly noticed the Umamusume standing beside Special Week.
Her chestnut-brown hair fell like silk down to her waist, a white diamond-shaped mark gleaming in her bangs.
A blue bow with red patterns was pinned to her right ear, matching the gentle blue of her eyes—eyes that shone softly like the shallow sea under sunlight.
As they came closer, the Umamusume inclined her head politely and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Good evening, Mr. Makoto, Miss Kitasan Black. I'm Special Week's friend, Grass Wonder. It's a pleasure to meet you both for the first time."
Before Makoto could respond, Kitasan Black cheerfully stepped forward and reached out a hand.
"Yeah! I've heard so much about you from Special Week-senpai! I've even watched a lot of your old races—you were amazing, senpai!"
"Is that so…? Special Week often talks about you too, Kitasan Black."
Smiling softly, Grass Wonder bowed again, shook Kitasan Black's hand, and then turned toward Makoto.
"She also talks a lot about Makoto-san. She says you're a very capable trainer—and I can see why."
"You flatter me. I still have a lot to learn—"
While exchanging polite words, Makoto naturally reached out and shook her hand—but the moment their palms touched, he froze for a brief second. When he let go, it was a little slower than usual.
"…Is something wrong, Makoto-san?"
Rather than annoyed, Grass Wonder simply looked slightly surprised at his reaction.
"It's nothing… I guess I'm just hungry. Zoned out for a second there."
Makoto shook his head and made up a casual excuse.
"Then shall we go order?"
Special Week quickly chimed in, "Grass and I just got here too! Since you're hungry, Makoto-san, and Kitasan must be starving from training—let's go!
"Grass, it's been a while since you've had the cafeteria food here, right? Feeling nostalgic?"
"For me… not particularly."
Grass Wonder smiled lightly. "But Spe-chan, you must love this place. I remember how happy you were when you found out the ingredients here were all-you-can-eat."
"You still remember that? Hehe~ well of course I was happy! Who wouldn't be when you can eat as much as you want?" Special Week laughed, scratching her head sheepishly.
Amid the cheerful chatter between Special Week and Grass Wonder, the group soon ordered their meals and sat down at a table together.
Throughout the conversation, aside from casually joining in, Makoto occasionally rubbed his thumb against his palm—the same spot where he had shaken Grass Wonder's hand earlier.
Her palm was… peculiar.
The base of her thumb was calloused, as were the edge of her palm below the pinky, the roots of her index and middle fingers, and the hollow of her tiger's mouth.
Makoto had seen this pattern before. Some of his colleagues in extreme stunt work had backgrounds in martial arts.
He knew very well—those calluses only form after years of practicing kendo.
And judging from their texture and thickness, this wasn't the kind of kendo for show. It had the hard, dense feel of real combat training.
'To think that someone who looks so gentle and refined would be a skilled swordswoman…' he mused silently. 'I thought that bit in her URA file was just a hobby note.'
With that thought lingering, Makoto began mentally reworking the training match plan.
Grass Wonder's strength was beyond question—of her nine career victories, six were graded stakes, including four G1 titles.
In the G1 races, Grass Wonder's victories included the Takarazuka Kinen and two Arima Kinen titles.
Beyond her race record, she was also renowned for having one of the most exceptional closing kicks of her generation.
Statistically speaking, an Umamusume's overall performance improves with training level, diet, and track conditions.
For example, during the era of Special Week and Grass Wonder, the top finishing speed—the final three-furlong time—hovered around 35 seconds. Nowadays, it's been shortened to 34 seconds.
Among popular names like Duramente and REAL STEEL, being able to record a 33-second finishing time around debut level is often considered one of the hallmarks of elite potential.
Yet back then, during the Keio Hai Spring Cup, Grass Wonder managed to clock an astonishing 33.3 seconds over the final three furlongs.
And in the subsequent Mainichi Ōkan and Arima Kinen, she consistently maintained around 34.6 seconds.
For Kitasan Black, one of the key areas she needed to improve upon was precisely how to handle that kind of late-race burst.
As Makoto silently ran through potential adjustments in his head, a voice suddenly pulled him back to reality.
"—Trainer? Trainer?"
"…Huh?"
He looked up to see Kitasan Black staring at him with a puzzled expression, while both Special Week and Grass Wonder seemed equally surprised.
"What's wrong…?" Makoto asked, blinking.
"It just feels like you've been zoning out for a while…"
Tilting her head, Kitasan Black reached out, placing a hand on Makoto's forehead before touching her own for comparison.
"No fever…"
"Of course I don't have a fever," he said, leaning back instinctively after realizing what she was doing.
"If you're fine, then that's good."
Nodding, Kitasan Black continued naturally, "We were just asking how you plan to set things up for Grass Wonder-senpai."
Realizing they were talking about the upcoming training match, and seeing the other two Umamusumes nodding in agreement, Makoto thought for a moment before replying.
"I was actually just thinking about that.
"The overall schedule is already set—the match will be on Saturday morning, so it won't interfere with anyone's other plans.
"The location will be the woodchip track—it's easier to run on than turf, allows for higher pacing, and the slope angles are ideal for simulating the Japanese Derby conditions.
"Special Week, I believe you mentioned this to Grass Wonder earlier?"
When Grass Wonder nodded with a polite smile, Makoto continued,
"As for positioning, if I recall correctly, Grass Wonder usually favors a mid-pack stalking strategy.
"We'll fine-tune the exact positioning later, but the range should indeed be somewhere around that.
"And judging from race footage, Grass Wonder's chasing ability is exceptional.
"I was wondering if she could help Kitasan train for that kind of scenario—since it's something she really needs to work on right now."
Grass Wonder, who had been nodding until now, blinked in surprise. Her expression turned slightly awkward as she glanced toward Special Week.
"Chasing…? About that…"
"Uh, Makoto-san, I think there might be a bit of a misunderstanding…"
Raising her hand like a student answering a question, Special Week gave an apologetic smile.
"I remember the Association's promotions saying Grass was really good at chasing, and we've talked about that ourselves too.
"But it's not exactly that kind of chasing you're thinking of…"
She trailed off, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
"It's more like… it only happens with me, I guess you could say that."
With a gentle smile returning to her face, Grass Wonder gave a small, apologetic bow.
"I can't really explain it myself, but whenever I race together with Special Week, I just… somehow feel faster than usual.
"That's probably the 'chasing ability' you were referring to, Makoto-san."
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