Chapter 15
For a long time afterward, Kitasan Black carried two heavy objects in her pockets — one in each — whether she was going to class, training, or resting.
They were naturally the two halves of the cobblestone that Yasui Makoto had split with his bare hand.
At the time, after staring in shock for a long while, she had incredulously asked for the two pieces and was stunned once again.
The break surface was incredibly clean and flat — almost unnaturally so, as if it had been cut by something extremely sharp or neatly sawed and polished.
In that moment, she had no doubt about her trainer's words. If she fully mastered those strange postures, she too would one day be able to split stones with her bare hands…
No — she would be able to completely control her own terrifying power and run at a speed that would shock everyone.
With that thought in mind, she even felt a little impatient, eager to learn what the next postures would be.
However, as if he had anticipated her impatience, before she could even ask, her trainer spoke with serious emphasis:
"I know you're anxious, but don't rush.
"Rushing won't help. Your talent is excellent — in fact, it's almost too good. Truly mastering and utilizing it will actually take longer than for most people.
"The things I teach you will indeed help you achieve this faster, but you must follow my plan step by step. Otherwise, you could suffer serious injuries.
"Now go do your regular training. Start running."
To be honest, she still wanted to know what the later training would involve.
But she had always been good at listening to elders and seniors, even if she wasn't good at many other things.
Although her trainer wasn't much older than her, he always felt as mature as many of the adults in her family.
He was always confident, knew a lot of things, and had even scored first place in the trainer exam.
So it was probably best to just listen to him.
Still… I wonder when I'll reach Trainer's level…
Unconsciously thinking about this again, Kitasan Black couldn't help but take out the two halves of the cobblestone from her pocket and examine them carefully.
"…So, for this question, Kitasan Black, please give us the answer."
On reflex, Kitasan Black stood up and answered loudly.
"Yes! The answer is Tokai Teio!"
The classroom fell silent for a moment, followed by scattered quiet laughter.
At the front of the class, the teacher, standing with his back to the blackboard, sighed.
"Kitasan Black, I know President Teio is your idol, but…
"You can't answer every question with her name, can you?
"Also, could you please explain what you're holding in your hands?"
"Ah…?"
Kitasan Black froze, then realized she was still holding the two halves of the cobblestone.
She instinctively hid them behind her back, but a moment later, her face turned red. She lowered her head and obediently held them out.
"They're… two stones…"
"Stones…"
The teacher seemed to choke for a second, then shook his head helplessly.
"Don't space out in class, and don't do things unrelated to the lesson.
"Sit down for now. Come see me in the office after class.
"Alright, everyone, please stop laughing. Now, for the answer to this question… Satono Crown, could you answer it?"
"Yes."
In the front-left of the classroom, the black-haired horse girl stood up after being called and answered:
"The first undefeated Triple Crown winner in the Sparkle Star Series was the former student council president and current university division chair, Symboli Rudolf."
"Correct. Symboli Rudolf. You may sit down, Satono Crown."
Only then did Kitasan Black, who had hurriedly stuffed the stones back into her pocket, realize what the teacher had been asking. She muttered in slight dissatisfaction:
"Emperor-senpai only missed the Kikuka Sho by one race…"
"Then the next point… Hm? Kitasan Black, did you just say something!"
"Yes! N-Nothing! Teacher, I didn't say anything!"
"Sit down and pay attention. Remember to come to my office after class."
...
That evening, in the dance studio after training.
"I heard you got called to the office today for spacing out during class?"
While calculating something on his tablet, Yasui Makoto asked casually.
"Ah? Trainer… you already know…"
Kitasan Black, who was doing cool-down stretches, looked embarrassed.
"Well… hehe, I just spaced out a little and got caught…"
"So if you hadn't been caught, you were planning to keep spacing out?"
Yasui Makoto glanced up with mild annoyance and shook his head.
"Academic classes are also important. You'll need a lot of that knowledge during races and training.
"In the long term, no matter what you do after you retire and graduate, poor grades won't do you any good.
"In the short term, if you end up having to retake exams because of failing subjects, I won't go beg your homeroom teacher for you."
The academy separated academic classes from specialized training. Teachers and trainers generally didn't interfere with each other's teaching plans.
"It's fine! I usually ask Diamond-chan to help me with review!"
Kitasan Black confidently patted her chest, then her face fell.
"But Japanese and history are okay… Math is really hard though… Physics and biology too…
"Oh right! Trainer, you're really good at math and biology. Why don't you tutor me?"
"Then I suggest you just pay attention in class."
Yasui Makoto shook his head.
"Just because I know the material doesn't mean I can teach it well. The trainer exam doesn't require teaching skills anyway."
"I see… Then I'll listen carefully in class from now on."
Kitasan Black nodded obediently.
"Besides, even though math is hard, my grades… should be okay. They're not as good as Diamond-chan or Crown-chan's, but I won't fail at least."
Yasui Makoto nodded at that.
Academic performance didn't directly affect racing results, but mastering more knowledge would definitely make training much more efficient.
Retaking exams after failing was troublesome — it required the trainer to step in and the student council to mediate.
He had only just become Kitasan Black's assigned trainer. It would be quite embarrassing if she failed subjects before even running her debut race.
"That puts my mind at ease. I'll also keep an eye on your academic performance."
After adding that, Yasui Makoto began packing up to leave.
As usual, Kitasan Black cheerfully called out "Trainer, let me carry your things!" and enthusiastically took his shoulder bag.
After that, they went to the cafeteria for dinner as always. Once they finished eating, Yasui Makoto took out his tablet.
"Previously, I asked you about your plans for the future. Have you found an answer yet?"
Deciding a horse girl's racing route was technically the trainer's responsibility.
Only the trainer could apply to the academy and the URA Association to schedule races for their assigned horse girl.
However, it was customary for trainers — unless the horse girl had no clear preference — to respect her own wishes. If opinions differed, they would communicate patiently and decide the future direction together.
Yasui Makoto considered himself quite decisive.
In his previous life, he hadn't needed companions; he bore all consequences alone.
In the early years of this world, he also never discussed important matters with his parents — he always decided everything himself.
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Bonus chapters
200 Stones - 1 chapter
400 Stones - 2 chapter
600 Stones - 3 chapters
And so on