Yasui Makoto could not hide his surprise as Almond Eye made her appearance on the track. At the same time, the young horse girl walked steadily from the paddock toward the starting gate. Without even realizing it, her gaze drifted up toward the packed stands, searching for the Trainer's figure.
She had paid close attention to Kitasan Black to get her bearings, and in doing so she had naturally picked up bits of information about Yasui Makoto along the way. The discovery left her stunned. This was the genius her family had spoken of so highly.
Deep down, she felt he truly deserved every word of that praise.
After all, she had met countless trainers since childhood and had heard endless stories about the racing world. Yet she had rarely heard of anyone becoming a full trainer before the age of twenty, let alone guiding a Uma Musume to victory right after her debut, and even claiming a G2 stakes race.
Even though they had never met face to face, Almond Eye already sensed that his reputation was well earned.
While following Kitasan Black's guidance earlier, she had taken a careful look at her senpai's notes. Much of the content felt familiar, echoing the teachings she had grown up hearing from her own family. But there were also fresh insights she had never encountered before, ideas that clearly came from Yasui Makoto.
The trainers her family had invited were all highly respected professionals. If he could reach this level in theory alone, his practical training ability had to be exceptional.
The realization only made Almond Eye more eager to meet Yasui Makoto in person and discover exactly what kind of trainer he truly was.
Unfortunately, thousands of spectators had filled the elementary school stands today, and the venue was not particularly large. Finding one specific person among the dense crowd proved almost impossible.
After her eyes wandered across the stands for a while, she focused on the front rows.
"Hey, Almond Eye! Over here! Over here!"
Kitasan Black gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her eyes locked onto her junior as she waved with boundless enthusiasm.
"Go for it! I'll be right here watching your race the whole time!"
"…Okay. I'll do my best."
Having grown used to her senpai's bright and energetic personality, Almond Eye answered softly, whether Kitasan Black could hear her or not, then turned her attention back to the starting line.
Just like a real race, dedicated starting gates had been set up. The only difference was that these gates were much shorter and narrower, perfectly sized for elementary school-aged children.
Some of the participants had already taken their positions. They were her everyday classmates.
Seeing those familiar faces, Almond Eye felt the corners of her lips curve upward without thinking. Her breathing quickened with anticipation.
She had taken part in similar events before, but her family had always restricted her to short-distance courses. A full two-thousand-meter race was completely new territory for her.
More importantly, she had not told her family anything about signing up for this event.
The unfamiliar challenge of an unprecedented distance, combined with the anxiety of making the decision completely on her own… At that moment, she felt a thrilling mix of excitement and nervousness unlike anything she had ever experienced.
'So… you must be quite surprised to see me here, running in a race like this…'
She stole one more quick glance at the stands, took several deep breaths to steady herself, wiped the smile from her face, and slowly stepped into her gate.
Just as she settled into her starting stance and began recalling the instructions Kitasan Black had given her that morning, a quiet gasp of surprise came from the gate beside her.
"…Almond Eye? You're really participating in this race…?"
Glancing sideways, Almond Eye could not stop an excited, nervous smile from returning to her lips. Even so, she kept her voice calm and composed.
"What? Is there a problem with that?"
She looked forward again. "Besides… since I'm already standing here, you wouldn't try to talk me into withdrawing now, would you, Satono White?"
In the adjacent gate, also in proper starting position, stood a petite Uma Musume with long black hair. A distinctive white streak ran through her bangs, and her delicate features bore a clear resemblance to the Satono sisters.
"…You misunderstood. I didn't mean it like that."
Satono White let out another small gasp, then pushed her fingers against the bridge of her nose as she stared straight ahead.
"I was just thinking logically. You've never trained for two thousand meters before, and your family doesn't seem to approve of…"
Before Satono White could finish, Almond Eye interrupted in a low but firm voice.
"It has nothing to do with any of that.
"I want to run two thousand meters, so I came. It's really that simple.
"Also, you'd better focus on the race ahead. I wouldn't want you to blame me later for making you late out of the gate because we were talking."
Satono White pushed the bridge of her nose again, feeling a bit helpless.
As Almond Eye's classmate, she had a general understanding of her situation. She had also overheard some things from the older members of her own family about the strict expectations placed on her friend. She knew Almond Eye had her own strong will and ideas.
That was why she had been so surprised when the teacher announced that Almond Eye was participating. First, because it was so unlike her usual short-distance races, and second, because she wondered if her friend was not worried about getting scolded by her family.
But now that Almond Eye was already in the gate and the race was about to start, there was nothing more she could say.
She could only push down her surprise and curiosity, recalling the guidance Satono Crown had given her that morning, and focused intently on the gate in front of her.
'Hmm… Senpai said a good start is crucial. If you're even a little slow leaving the gate, you'll lose the initiative right away…'
'From my position, I could try to take the inside lane… but running on the outside should be fine too, as long as I pay attention to my positioning on the turns…'
'If everything goes smoothly, I should still have enough stamina left for a strong finish…'
As these thoughts ran through her mind, the commentator's distinctly excited voice rang out across the track. Satono White quickly pulled her focus back to the present.
"Excellent! All our future stars are lined up in their gates, ready to burst forward!
"So, this special 'Little Satsuki Sho' over two thousand meters on turf will now…"
"Start… Eh?! Eh eh… ?!"
Satono White had sharpened her attention the moment the race announcement began so she would not get distracted. Because of that, she clearly heard the commentator's sudden exclamation.
But she stopped listening to whatever came after.
Through the corner of her eye, she saw the gate beside her fly open. A figure with beautiful chestnut-colored hair exploded forward with astonishing speed, shooting ahead in the blink of an eye.
The commentator's voice continued to boom with excitement.
"Th-this… it's Almond Eye!
"No! It's student Almond Eye… it's Athlete Almond Eye!
"The instant the gate opened, Athlete Almond Eye launched forward with incredible speed, seizing the lead position right away!
"This… Is she running it like a short-distance sprint? Athlete Almond Eye truly comes from a family famous for producing powerful short-distance runners…"
Since the school teachers were handling the commentary, it was not quite as polished or professional as an official race broadcast. But nobody cared about that in the slightest.
Every eye in the stands was glued to Almond Eye. They watched in awe as her small frame unleashed shocking speed.
It was as if she were tearing the very air apart.
In just a few seconds, she had already left the starting gates dozens of meters behind… and left all her opponents visibly trailing in her wake.
The stands erupted instantly with cheers.
Most people had shown up expecting nothing more than a fun children's event.
None of them had imagined that this so-called "game" would deliver the heart-pounding thrill of a genuine race right from the very first stride.