Chapter 56: I'm Going to Make You the Youngest G1 Trainer!
Makoto was speaking in Japanese, which instantly surprised Kitasan Black.
"Eh? Trainer, you're speaking Japanese…"
"So you really are Trainer Yasui! I don't think there's anyone else in the Central—no, the entire industry—who's as young a trainer as you!"
The foreign woman named "Chris" had spoken… in Japanese.
And not just any Japanese—it was fluent and natural, even with a slight Kanto accent.
"W-Wait— You can speak Japanese?" Kitasan Black was dumbfounded.
"Sorry, Miss Kitasan Black."
Chris shrugged her shoulders and smiled coolly.
"I've been wanting to talk, but I just couldn't find the right moment."
"Of course, I'm not blaming your enthusiasm—let's just call it a charming little misunderstanding."
"Besides, my English isn't actually that great. My first language is French, you see.
'Au revoirmu a'
With that parting phrase in French, she pressed her fingers to her lips and blew Kitasan a kiss, gave Makoto a quick smile, and then turned and walked away.
"Seems like people from France are hopeless romantics no matter what world you're in…" Makoto muttered.
"French…? Huh? Trainer, what did you just say?"
Kitasan stared blankly at Chris's retreating figure, missing Makoto's comment and looking at him in confusion.
"Nothing," Makoto shook his head. "Come on, let's get going… Actually, it's not far. Let's just walk to the academy."
He glanced at the traffic light ahead, which had just turned green.
"Oh, okay…" Kitasan nodded, still in a daze as she followed him across the street.
A few steps later, she let out a deep sigh.
"Ha~ I totally didn't expect that lady to be a trainer. I even gave her directions… She probably already knew where the URA Association was…"
"She was going to the URA Association?" Makoto paused mid-step, caught off guard.
"Yeah, I saw her holding what looked like a URA pamphlet or something," Kitasan explained, gesturing with her hands. "So I figured she was just a tourist heading over there.
"Oh, right—Trainer, do you know her?"
"I wouldn't say I know her, but I've heard of her." Makoto shook his head slightly.
"I see… Then she must be a pretty famous trainer, huh? But I don't really know much about that stuff…" Kitasan trailed off, looking thoughtful.
"That's pretty normal. You girls usually focus more on other Umamusume than trainers. It's no surprise you're not that familiar with them."
"As for Chris…"
Makoto thought for a moment.
"She won a G1 race with her Umamusume when she was just twenty, though that was in France at the Chantilly Racecourse. She spent a long time in Europe, so it's not unusual that people in Japan don't know her well."
"Twenty?!" Kitasan's eyes widened.
"And in Europe too… That's amazing!"
Makoto gave a subtle nod in response.
The fact was, at this point in time, Japan still lagged behind Europe in both racing and training standards.
For example, many Japanese Umamusume had gone overseas to compete in European races, but honestly, their results hadn't been great.
In contrast, many European Umamusume had come to Japan and performed exceptionally well. It was the same with competitors from other regions.
Take the Japan Cup, for instance—a global G1 event. In its early years, the top spots were dominated entirely by overseas Umamusume.
It wasn't until the emergence of legends like Katsuragi Ace and Symboli Rudolf that Japan finally began to break through.
And after that came another wave of overseas dominance, until names like Tokai Teio and Special Week turned the tide once again.
"But still, if that trainer managed to win a G1 in Europe…"
Kitasan paused in admiration, before tilting her head curiously.
"…Why did she come to Japan?"
Makoto took a moment to consider.
"I remember reading somewhere that her father was against her becoming a trainer."
"Basically, it was something like—'The pressure of the Twinkle Series is way too intense. She's too gentle and introverted. There's no way she can handle it.'"
"Maybe she came here to prove something to her father? Or maybe there were other reasons? Either way, she's been in Japan for quite a few years now."
After explaining, Makoto glanced in the direction the foreign woman had left.
"But since the Association here didn't have long-term licensing rules before, she's only ever had a short-term trainer's license."
"That changed last year when they finally opened up long-term licenses."
"With her skill, getting that license was basically a done deal. And if I remember right, the examination period is about now."
"So if she's headed to the Association, she's probably going to collect her license."
"I see…" Kitasan Black nodded in realization.
Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Oh right! Trainer, you're 18, right?"
"Eh? Yeah, I just turned 18 a few months ago," Makoto replied, slightly puzzled.
"What's up?"
"Perfect!"
With a determined fist pump, Kitasan Black nodded vigorously.
"Then I'm going to win the Spring Stakes and the Satsuki Sho right after that—every last one of them!"
"I'll make you an even more amazing trainer than her!"
"If we win a G1 when you're 18—"
Her eyes sparkled with burning determination.
"Wouldn't that make you the youngest G1 trainer ever?!"
Makoto was completely taken aback.
He never imagined that Kitasan Black had been thinking about something like that.
For a moment, he said nothing—just smiled, then slowly reached out and ruffled the girl's black hair.
"Yeah. So let's work hard together toward that goal."
. . . . . . .
When they arrived at the academy, the day proceeded as usual—with training.
It was Monday. The Spring Stakes was on Sunday, less than a week away.
While time was short, Makoto wasn't in a rush.
Thanks to Kitasan Black's earnest personality, she never slacked off in training. Her fundamentals were solid, and she was steadily improving across the board.
Of course, like any athlete, she had both strengths and weaknesses—and they were quite distinct.
One of her key strengths was her strong foundation.
Unlike most new trainers who had just debuted, Makoto had a unique background. He knew very well that in many races, the deciding factor wasn't talent—it was the basics.
The better your fundamentals, the fewer mistakes you made.
And in more cases than not, not making mistakes was enough to win.
Another strength was her sense of rhythm.
After two months of continuous special training, she no longer needed visual cues or markers. Kitasan could now instinctively tell how long or how far she had been running, and how much energy she had left.
Among her peers, this made her especially sharp at seizing opportunities and following instructions to the letter.
There was also her endurance and raw strength.
Even when training with seasoned, gifted seniors like Daiwa Scarlet or Vodka, it was often they who showed signs of fatigue first.
Kitasan Black, on the other hand, rarely looked tired. In fact, she often still had a good deal of energy left in the tank.
Her explosive power was similarly impressive.
The shorter the distance, the more dominating she became. In sprints under 50 meters, she could even outperform her seniors on occasion.
But ironically, this strength was also her biggest weakness.
You see, Umamusume can't just instantly go from zero to top speed or stop on a dime. Accelerating and decelerating takes time—several seconds, which translates to dozens or even hundreds of meters.
Kitasan Black struggled with managing her bursts.
If she exploded with too much force too early, she'd end up burning more stamina than necessary.
That, in turn, meant she'd have to adjust her pace for the rest of the race. But whether speeding up, holding pace, or slowing down—any wasted stamina was stamina she couldn't get back. And that often made the difference between victory and loss.
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