Chapter 155: A Race That Makes Everyone Happy
"McQueen-senpai?"
Kitasan Black's ears twitched as she caught that name.
Then they twitched again—this time in surprise.
"Rice Shower-senpai…? You—you're here too—? No, wait! Welcome, senpai! Welcome!"
Remembering how Silence Suzuka had "misunderstood" her earlier, she hurriedly corrected herself.
"My name is Kitasan Black! It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, please take care of me, Rice Shower-senpai!"
Startled by her enthusiasm, the small-framed Umamusume shrank back toward the corner, her fingers nervously twisting together as a shy, awkward expression crossed her face.
"U-um… you don't have to be so formal, Kitasan Black-san…"
Just as Kitasan Black was about to reply, Makoto spoke up:
"These rooms are prepared for the two of you and for Kitasan. Looks like they've been cleaned up pretty well—are you both satisfied?"
"Yes. Though I've never stayed here before, it's much more comfortable than the training lodges I've been to," said Silence Suzuka with a gentle smile and a polite bow before turning to Rice Shower.
"What do you think, Rice Shower?"
"Ri—Rice is fine with anything…"
Her long ears—much longer than most Umamusumes'—twitched as she quickly added, "It really troubles you, Makoto-san… and you too, Suzuka…"
"That's good to hear," Makoto said with a smile. "I still have some luggage to go over with Kitasan, so we'll excuse ourselves for now. If you two need anything, you can tell the staff or contact me directly."
Seeing both girls nod, he gave a polite bow and gestured toward the door, catching the blank look on Kitasan Black's face.
Kitasan Black blinked in surprise, then quickly bowed to the two seniors.
"Senpais, I'll go help Trainer now!"
One smiling warmly, the other shyly, Silence Suzuka and Rice Shower waved and watched as Kitasan Black left the room.
"She's just as I heard—an enthusiastic girl, isn't she?"
Smiling softly, Silence Suzuka turned to Rice Shower. "She didn't make you uncomfortable, did she?"
"N-no… it's Rice's own problem…"
With a small, embarrassed laugh, Rice Shower glanced toward the door, nodding faintly before murmuring with a gentle smile:
"So lively and full of energy… she reminds me a lot of Teio from back then."
Silence Suzuka covered her mouth with a laugh. "She's much more obedient and well-behaved than Teio ever was when she was active."
"Do you remember that one training camp? For some reason, Teio decided to sneak out without telling anyone."
"Then, while everyone was panicking, she came back all proud of herself, cheerful as ever."
"I heard even the President found out later and actually got angry for once."
"President Rudolf…?"
Rice Shower blinked in surprise, then smiled in amusement. "I've heard about that… yes, that's exactly the kind of thing Teio would do."
Smiling softly, Silence Suzuka fell quiet for a moment in thought.
"But now that I think about it, I really didn't expect you to accept McQueen's request. It's not that I thought you'd refuse her, exactly—just that McQueen would even think of asking you… that part caught me off guard."
Rice Shower went silent for a while. Then, with a faint, timid smile, she spoke in a quiet voice.
"What McQueen was thinking… Rice doesn't really know either."
"But if it means helping our kouhai—helping them run the kind of race they dream of, the kind of race that makes everyone happy—then Rice will do everything she can to help."
. . .
Meanwhile, down the hallway of the hot spring inn—
Walking toward the baths, Makoto shot a sideways glance at Kitasan Black, who was carrying some of his things.
"So tell me," he said, "that training camp plan I gave you—you didn't read it, did you?"
"Training plan? What training plan…?"
Kitasan Black blinked, confused. Seeing her Trainer roll his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose, she hurriedly tried to recall and then gave an awkward laugh.
"Hehehe~ actually, actually, I did read it! I really did! And I even brought it with me, Trainer!"
Makoto rolled his eyes again, clearly showing he didn't believe a word of it.
"I'm serious! I really am! It's just that…"
Realizing what his expression meant, Kitasan Black quickly added, her two index fingers poking together in front of her as her voice got smaller and smaller.
"It's just that… I read a few pages, but maybe I was too tired from training, and before I knew it… I fell asleep."
"And then the next day I had to make up a class, and I went out shopping with Crow-chan and Dia-chan, so I kind of forgot to read the rest…"
"But I did bring it with me! It's, um… at the very bottom of my backpack…"
Scratching her head, she lowered her voice further.
"Anyway… since you're here, Trainer, even if I didn't finish reading it… it's probably fine… right?""
This time, Makoto didn't roll his eyes. He took a deep breath, half exasperated, half amused, before looking at her squarely.
"Alright, fine. A lot of the theory and scheduling in there is complicated anyway. It's okay if you didn't read it—I'll go over it with you during training."
Seeing Kitasan Black's eyes light up as she opened her mouth to speak, he quickly waved a hand to stop her.
"But there is one thing you did wrong."
"The training camp definitely has a different impact when more people are involved," Makoto said, his tone calm but firm. "But this isn't a group vacation."
"This is part of your training. Every camp—whether it's from your class, the previous ones, or those after—must be recorded and reported to the academy."
"These reports are important reference materials."
"That's why the camp's location, training plans, and participants all need to be submitted, reviewed, and approved beforehand."
"If you had properly read through the entire training plan, you would have known that Silence Suzuka and Rice Shower would be coming."
"And you would've understood that they're here to help you with some very important parts of your training."
"In other words, you wouldn't have been caught off guard just now—or made things awkward for everyone."
"You might have noticed or heard before—Rice Shower is a very shy person."
Kitasan Black froze. In her mind appeared Rice Shower's small, timid figure and the faintly flustered look she'd had when Kitasan had greeted her so enthusiastically.
"...I'm sorry, Trainer. I was wrong…"
Her ears drooped. Biting her lip, she suddenly turned around. "I'll go apologize to senpai right now."
Before she could run off, Makoto swiftly reached out and caught her by the arm.
"Don't be so hasty."
He chuckled softly. "Like I said, that senpai of yours is very reserved."
"When I spoke with Suzuka and Vice President McQueen earlier, they mentioned it took quite a bit of effort for them to get to know Rice Shower back then."
"If you go rushing in to apologize right now, you'll just make her even more flustered."
Kitasan Black stiffened, turning to look up at him with a conflicted expression.
Makoto hesitated a moment, then went on.
"Besides… if we're talking about apologies, I have my own share of fault too."
"Knowing how important this camp is, I should've told you earlier and made sure you finished reading the plan."
"But saying that now won't change anything. Let's take it easy for a bit, have a good meal, get some rest, and start training properly tomorrow."
"That way, we won't let down the goodwill of those two senpai who came all this way to help you."
<+>
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