Chapter 258: Kitasan Black Was Stunned
At the break of dawn, Kitasan Black crawled out of her sleeping bag.
Rubbing her eyes, she recalled the decision she made last night and quietly tiptoed to the bedroom door.
Pressing her ear against it, she listened carefully. When she heard steady breathing from inside, she silently let out a sigh of relief.
She then tiptoed over to her Trainer desk, found a note, and wrote:
"Trainer, I'm going to prepare breakfast for you. You can sleep a little longer~"
She stuck the note on the bedroom door.
After that, she returned to the living room, got dressed, and left the apartment.
Throughout the entire process, she moved with extreme care, afraid of making even the slightest noise that might wake her Trainer.
Although it was a rest day, Kitasan Black still maintained her usual training habits and decided to run to the market.
Stepping outside, the morning breeze brushed against her cheeks. She stretched her limbs, then set off toward the market.
It was still early, and the streets were mostly empty. Only the occasional passing vehicle broke the quiet of the morning.
Her steps were light, her arms swinging rhythmically as she enjoyed the calm atmosphere.
She ran along a familiar route, the trees by the roadside gently swaying in the breeze, as if cheering her on.
Gradually, she approached the market, where a few delivery trucks began to appear one after another.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked toward the roadside.
A truck was parked alone by the side, and the driver stood beside it, looking worried and anxious, pacing around it with a furrowed brow.
Without hesitation, she ran straight over and asked with concern:
"Ojisan, did your truck break down?"
Startled, the driver looked at her and gave a bitter smile.
"Sigh, yeah… I don't know what happened, it just suddenly broke down… and this whole load needs to be delivered urgently—"
Before he could finish speaking, he watched in astonishment as Kitasan Black, moving with practiced ease, smiled confidently and walked to the back of the truck.
She reached inside, pulled out a thick rope, then quickly went to the front of the truck. She tied one end to the bumper and firmly wrapped the other end around herself.
"All set! Ojisan, just get in the truck!"
She tugged on the rope and gave the stunned driver a thumbs-up, saying energetically:
"I'll help you deliver the goods!"
"Ah? Th-this… how could that be okay…"
Instinctively trying to refuse, the driver then saw Kitasan Black plant her feet apart.
With a clear "Hey!" she pushed off the ground with her seemingly slender yet powerful legs and began stepping forward steadily.
At first, the truck didn't budge, as if it were too heavy.
But Kitasan Black didn't give up. With another "Hey!", her clothes visibly tightened over her muscles—and the fully loaded truck began to move forward as if it had been fixed.
"Hurry and get in, Ojisan, or I'll leave you behind!"
Hearing her joking remark, the driver finally snapped out of it. He quickly responded and climbed into the truck, steering it to cooperate with her.
Soon, the vehicle was "speeding" along—not fast, but at a normal moving pace.
Along the way, the driver, now fully recovered from his shock, kept exclaiming in amazement. His heart was full of gratitude, and as he watched Kitasan Black running with all her strength, he seemed to realize something.
After a short while…
"Alright, alright, we're here! Th-thank you so much…"
Leaning out of the window, the driver shouted excitedly. Flustered, he suddenly slapped his forehead, hurriedly took out his wallet, and jumped out of the truck.
"Thank you so much, young lady! If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would've done… Hey, hey, don't run off—"
But just as he pulled out a stack of cash, he watched in astonishment as the girl who had just helped him dashed away in an instant, leaving behind only her cheerful voice:
"No need to thank me, Uncle! I'm just happy I could help!"
"…What in the world was that…?"
Standing there in a daze, the driver muttered to himself. Suddenly, a voice full of emotion came from beside him.
"What's wrong? Got startled by our 'Helping Ace'?"
Turning his head instinctively, he saw that the one speaking was the owner of the delivery destination. The driver responded subconsciously:
"Ah—ah… wh-what 'Helping Ace'?"
Looking in the direction where Kitasan Black had left, the owner's face showed a hint of pride:
"The kid who just helped you. You might not know the nickname 'Helping Ace,' but you've definitely heard the name Kitasan Black, right?"
"K-Kitasan Black?!"
The driver's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Sh-she's Kitasan Black?! The Umamusume who just won the Arima Kinen?!"
"Who else could it be?"
As if it were his own daughter who had won, the owner folded his arms and lifted his chin.
"You've just started delivering around here, so it's normal you don't know."
"Kita-chan studies at Tracen Academy nearby and often runs past here during her morning training."
"Whenever she sees someone in trouble, she immediately goes over to help without hesitation. That's why we call her the 'Helping Ace.'"
"I just didn't expect it… no, actually, it's only natural. A kid that good deserves to shine in the Twinkle Series."
After saying that with emotion, the owner glanced at the wallet and cash still in the driver's hand and chuckled:
"You don't need to think about repaying her. That kid genuinely feels happy just helping others."
"If you really insist…"
The owner smiled and held up two fingers jokingly:
"She just won the Arima Kinen—her prize money alone is 250 million. She really doesn't care about money."
"If you try to thank her with something that ordinary, she might even get annoyed. Next time your truck breaks down, she might just ignore you."
Kitasan Black, of course, knew nothing about this conversation.
She was weaving through the market stalls, carefully selecting fresh ingredients.
Unlike the simple dishes from yesterday, she wanted to prepare a grand meal for Makoto.
She had learned these cooking methods from Oguri Cap. Over the past two days, she had even called to ask for advice, learning how to prepare food that would help with recovery from injuries like fractures.
After carefully comparing quality and prices, she selected tender meat, fresh vegetables, and various ingredients for soup, then happily paid for everything.
Carrying a bundle full of ingredients in her arms, she began running back.
Along the way, her mind was full of plans—what to prepare first, and in what order to cook, so that her Trainer could enjoy a delicious and nutritious breakfast the moment he woke up.
However, just as she reached the entrance of the apartment, she froze, and the ingredients in her arms fell to the ground with a thud.
At the doorway stood another Umamusume, dressed in a blue-and-white dress, throwing herself into her Trainer arms like a swallow returning to its nest.
Her chestnut-colored long hair shimmered under the sunlight, her face glowing with a bright and concerned smile, her arms tightly wrapped around her Trainer neck.
Makoto looked stunned, his face full of confusion. He instinctively raised his uninjured right hand, as if to push her away—yet he seemed flustered and unsure of what to do.