Chapter 10
Hearing this, Yasui Makoto thought for a moment.
Horse girls have a very special growth period called "Proper Maturation".
During this phase, they grow extremely rapidly, gaining the physique and ability to handle high-intensity training and races in a short time.
It's no exaggeration to say that a horse girl who looked like an elementary school student last week could appear as a graceful young lady this week. This kind of sudden growth is quite common among horse girls.
The timing and duration of "Proper Maturation" vary from horse girl to horse girl.
From his simple analysis over the past few days, Kitasan Black had just entered this stage.
Satono Crown, on the other hand, had clearly entered the early stage of maturation last year and was now developing steadily and rapidly.
"Satono Crown… If I remember correctly, her last race was the Tokyo Sports Cup."
After thinking for a moment, Yasui Makoto looked at the excited and admiring Kitasan Black.
"Her debut race was also an 1800-meter grass new horse race on the Tokyo track — the same distance you practiced this afternoon.
"According to interviews, she hasn't raced in the past two months, but in March, she will participate in the Yayoi Sho."
Kitasan Black's head snapped toward him, her ears perking up sharply.
"The Yayoi Sho… isn't that…?"
"Yes, it's the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown and a major prep race for the Satsuki Sho."
After nodding, Yasui Makoto continued meaningfully:
"After the Yayoi Sho, she will almost certainly run in the Satsuki Sho. It looks like she's clearly aiming for the Classic route.
"I haven't applied for your race schedule after your debut yet, but if you also want to challenge the Classic Triple Crown, then this young lady from the Satono family will likely become your opponent in the future…
"Or more precisely — two months from now."
Kitasan Black held her breath.
A moment later.
"Me?"
She pointed at herself blankly.
"Against Crown-chan?"
Then she pointed at Satono Crown in the distance.
"I'm going to become rivals with Crown-chan?!"
She cried out in surprise.
In an instant, the teachers and students on the other side of the studio were drawn by the loud voice and looked over with clear displeasure.
Feeling the many disapproving gazes from across the dance studio, Yasui Makoto made a silent decision.
…Next time she gets startled or excited, I should just cover her mouth in advance.
He wasn't unused to being stared at, but this was the first time he had received such annoyed attention. After making his decision, he let out a soft sigh.
"…Focus on training later. Don't make noise."
"S-Sorry… I'll be careful, Trainer…" Kitasan Black quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
"…I hope you remember that."
Yasui Makoto nodded, adjusted his mindset, apologized to the teachers, and told them they would train quietly in another corner.
This kind of thing was common in the academy. The teachers were briefly surprised by how young Yasui Makoto looked, but they didn't make things difficult. After reminding him to maintain training order, they gave their approval.
Returning to Kitasan Black, Yasui Makoto reached into his shoulder bag and took out a pair of Bluetooth sports earphones, gently placing them into her fluffy black ears.
"Do you remember what I told you about sense of time and sense of distance?"
Seeing Kitasan Black nod repeatedly, he continued:
"A clear, rhythmic stride helps you master both time and distance.
"Because the assault stride has a fixed beat, once you get used to it, the time per stride will also become relatively consistent.
"That way, even without looking at the stopwatch or distance markers, you'll have a basic understanding of how long each cycle takes and how far you can run.
"After that, you'll be much clearer about when to conserve energy, when to sprint at full speed, and how to handle corners, breakthroughs, and other situations.
"This is one of the special trainings you will focus on next.
"The other one we'll talk about later. For now…"
He walked over to the storage area of the dance studio, set down his bag, took out a few items, then brought over a ladder, a three-step training platform, and a set of resistance bands.
"Have you ever done hip-flexion step-downs before?"
"Hip-flexion step-downs…?"
Kitasan Black repeated the term and shook her head.
"I've never even heard of that name…"
"It hasn't been covered in class yet… I see."
Yasui Makoto nodded, then picked up a watch-like band from his bag.
"Stand straight, raise your arms, and do as I say."
Once Kitasan Black obediently raised her arms, he wrapped the band around her wrists.
Then he placed the step platform in front of her, handed her the waist and shoulder harnesses he had taken out, and helped her put them on properly.
After that, he attached the resistance bands to the back of her waist and both sides of the harness, then secured the other ends to the floor, the ceiling support beam, and a pillar respectively.
From behind, it looked like Kitasan Black was fixed in front of the training step by a "cross" made of ropes.
"I'll play music now."
He raised the tablet in his hand and pointed at her ears.
"The music has clear beat cues. Just follow the rhythm and keep stepping up and down on the platform. Also pay attention to swinging your arms in coordination.
"Understood?"
With a curious expression, Kitasan Black looked at the step in front of her and tugged at the resistance bands around her waist. The moment she nodded, she heard the steady "da, da, da" rhythm coming through the Bluetooth earphones.
Without any hesitation, she instinctively stepped up with her left foot, then quickly stepped down and switched to her right foot.
"Trainer, I think I…"
She wanted to say she couldn't keep up with the rhythm.
"Don't worry about mistakes."
Yasui Makoto interrupted her before she could finish.
"You've never done hip-flexion step-downs before, so making mistakes at the start is completely normal.
"Don't focus on the early mistakes. Just concentrate on following the rhythm of the music and stepping up and down.
"Also, a heads-up — the rhythm will gradually get faster, eventually approaching your usual training speed."
"O-Okay!"
Kitasan Black answered quickly. While continuing to step up and down, she took a deep breath and focused completely.
Seeing this, Yasui Makoto nodded to himself and watched the training attentively, occasionally adjusting settings on the tablet.
In this kind of training, Kitasan Black only needed to keep stepping. As the trainer, he had a lot more to consider.
First, he had to ensure her posture was correct at all times. Any error had to be corrected immediately to prevent injury or hidden damage.
Additionally, the "black wristband" was actually a wrist-worn heart rate monitor that could track her heart rate, breathing, and other data in real time. It could also indirectly calculate maximum heart rate retention and estimate oxygen uptake.
The monitor was connected to the tablet, allowing him to accurately judge Kitasan Black's condition and precisely control the training intensity.
Besides hip-flexion step-downs, there were other related exercises such as marching knee lifts, glute bridges, and step-down hip extensions.
Like the hip-flexion step-down, all these exercises were done in sets with rest intervals, and each was paired with appropriate music rhythms.
These training sessions had one common feature: they helped the trainee clearly feel the force and explosion of individual joints and muscles.
Combined with the music, they were perfect for fixing Kitasan Black's current main problem.