In the week after the Training Race, Kitasan Black's special training centered on gradient acceleration and steep uphill climbs.
The extra sessions not only boosted her core abilities like speed and sprinting, but also helped her master her techniques more fully.
Yasui Makoto had planned a regular rest day for the weekend. But as Friday drew near, the Student Council sent him an invitation asking him and Kitasan Black to take part in a special event.
The event was called "Little Satsuki Sho." It was jointly organized by the URA, Tracen Academy, and several Uma Musume elementary schools.
With the real Satsuki Sho only a week away, the goal was to let registered Uma Musume visit the schools, act as "Little Trainers," guide the children, run a race with them, and spark their passion for racing.
It also served as a perfect warm-up for the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown.
The participating Uma Musume would receive exclusive interviews as well, and both the event and the interviews would be broadcast live to draw even more fans to the upcoming race.
After thinking it over, Yasui Makoto accepted the invitation.
He didn't have anything special planned for the weekend anyway. Normally he would have stayed in his rented apartment playing games or browsing game and anime shops. But with the Satsuki Sho so close, he had skipped all entertainment. He had been working overtime on training, race reviews, and detailed Satsuki Sho research, so he hadn't been out in ages.
Bringing Kitasan Black to the event would be a nice change of scenery and a good mood lifter.
True to form, the ever-enthusiastic Kitasan Black agreed without a moment's hesitation.
…
Early Saturday morning, after washing up, Yasui Makoto arrived at the entrance of the Uma Musume elementary school chosen for the event.
Even from a distance he spotted Kitasan Black in the crowd before he got close.
At Tracen Academy she usually wore her school uniform. On the training grounds and racetrack she wore sportswear or regulation racing silks. Yasui Makoto rarely saw her in anything else. Today, however, the young girl had clearly changed into a special outfit and taken extra care with her appearance.
An amethyst brooch decorated the collar of her black knit sweater, and tiny drops of dew still clung to the pleats of her crimson plaid skirt.
Satono Diamond was carefully straightening her slightly crooked bow hairpin, while Satono Crown and Duramente held up their phones like eager photographers, snapping pictures nonstop.
The moment she saw him, a bright smile bloomed across her face.
"Hey… Trainer! Over here, over here!"
Yasui Makoto smiled without thinking and walked over. He nodded and said,
"You're early, Kita-chan."
Then he turned to the others. "Good morning, everyone."
After greeting the Uma Musume, he looked back at Kitasan Black and gave her a quick once-over from head to toe.
"New clothes? They look great."
"Hehe, thank you, Trainer… Crown-chan and the others told me I should dress up nicely today. They even helped me choose this outfit and the necklace when we went shopping before."
Kitasan Black scratched her head shyly, then brightened again.
"So, Trainer, why don't you wait in the audience area or take a walk around campus? We're about to meet the children now."
"So soon?" Yasui Makoto was a little surprised. He glanced through the school gate.
It was Saturday, just past eight in the morning, yet the school was as lively as any weekday. Students, parents, and trainers filled the grounds.
With one quick look he had already spotted several familiar colleagues.
"It's not early at all," Kitasan Black explained. "The event race is in the afternoon, so we only have the morning for instruction. If we don't hurry, we won't have time to say everything we want to.
"I brought so many notes this time. They're full of the things you usually teach me plus my own thoughts. Now that I've agreed to guide a child, I want to teach her everything I've learned, and I want to do it seriously."
Only then did Yasui Makoto notice the small brown leather bag she was carrying. It wasn't large, but it looked stuffed full, clearly holding all the notes she had just mentioned.
He glanced sideways. The Satono sisters had similar small bags, but Duramente seemed unprepared.
"I see… All right, you all go ahead. I'll just wander around."
After nodding, Yasui Makoto couldn't help adding a piece of advice.
"I can't take part in the event, so everything is up to you. Just remember, when you teach the children, don't simply read from your notes. Think about how we normally run our training sessions."
That was one of the true purposes of the event.
Everything Kitasan Black and the others had learned came from classes and trainers, so they would naturally pass that knowledge on to the children.
Sharing what they had learned was itself a form of training and growth.
"Yes! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Kitasan Black nodded vigorously, eyes shining with excitement. "I've followed everything you taught me really well, so I'll definitely teach the children just as well!"
Yasui Makoto smiled. "Good. Then I'm looking forward to Trainer Kita-chan's performance."
"I'll do my best! We're heading over to the children now."
With a confident smile she waved to him, then turned and followed the Satono sisters toward the school building. They entered a classroom where many other Uma Musume were already waiting. The seats were filled with young Uma Musume whose faces glowed with curiosity.
Soon, following the teacher's instructions, the Uma Musume stepped up to the podium one by one.
This was part of the event's schedule. The classroom was packed with children taking part, and the senior Uma Musume who would guide them in the race would introduce themselves first so the kids could get to know them before the afternoon race.
While she waited her turn, Kitasan Black unconsciously rubbed the strap of her leather bag. The notebook inside pressed heavily against her shoulder.
It contained every technique Yasui Makoto had taught her. She had reviewed the pages countless times, yet right now the words felt strangely unfamiliar.
She hadn't told Yasui Makoto the truth.
She was actually quite nervous about this event.
While waiting for him at the entrance earlier, she had chatted with the Satono sisters and Duramente. It turned out her friends had already chosen the children they would guide—outstanding juniors connected to their own families.
And the real Satsuki Sho was only a week away.
Even though she had trained so hard for so long, she still didn't know how the race would turn out or whether she was truly ready.
Now she had to guide a junior through the "Little Satsuki Sho," and she worried she might teach the child the wrong things—especially with Yasui Makoto not there beside her.
Yet even with that quiet worry in her heart, she refused to lose heart.
Before her debut, many people had said she could never run anything longer than a sprint.
But she had not only run those races… she had won them, and even taken three victories in a row.
Those results had come from her trainer's dedication and her own hard work.
So if she poured her whole heart into teaching the children everything she knew, the outcome would surely make both her trainer and herself proud.
With that thought steadying her, Kitasan Black heard the teacher call her name. She patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the podium.
"Hello, children! I'm Kitasan Black! My dream is to run races that make the whole audience cheer like it's a festival! I…"
Full of energy, she suddenly paused mid-sentence. Without thinking, her gaze drifted toward a corner of the classroom.
Was it just her imagination? That child… her eyes looked so incredibly bright…