Chapter 58: The Golden Family
Kitasan Black didn't quite understand what was so "precious" about the mindset Daiwa Scarlet had mentioned, but she never doubted the words of her senpais or her trainer.
If her trainer and senpais said so, there must be a good reason behind it. It's just that she hasn't studied enough, trained enough, or raced enough, so she doesn't understand it yet.
So, even though she didn't get a clear answer from either of her senpais and didn't ask Makoto about it, she still felt a sense of excitement during the following training sessions.
But that excitement was soon replaced by a familiar sense of doubt and unease.
It was another 1800-meter training race.
Once again, there were no issues with the start, the opening phase, the turns, the cruising, or the final sprint—or at least, as far as she could tell, everything went just as it had during her daily training. There shouldn't have been a problem.
And yet, the result didn't change. She still crossed the finish line behind Scarlet and Vodka.
This time, however, even after the training was over, she didn't go to ask questions.
Instead, she quietly listened to Makoto's post-run analysis and began to think on her own.
—So that's how it is. Scarlet-senpai did say before that your eyes can sometimes deceive you. That's when you need to rely on your hearing.
So that's why her positioning during the opening phase was so much sharper than mine.
Because of that, my pace kept getting disrupted, and I couldn't run the way I was most comfortable with.
Vodka-senpai was the same.
Her instincts during a race are just as sharp as Scarlet-senpai's, which is why her timing for the chase was always perfect—so perfect I could never anticipate it, and it always left me struggling.
And the two of them probably weren't even going all out. Otherwise, they might have widened the gap even more.
But…
Their execution at the finish line didn't seem like anything special…
Could it be that I'm just not good enough to notice what they're doing?
...Yeah. That must be it.
So then, why isn't Trainer explaining this part to me…?
it was true—Makoto's focus during the post-training breakdown had been on everything up until the final stretch. He barely mentioned the end of the race.
Noticing this, Kitasan Black thought for a moment and decided to ask him about it later.
Because she's able to run alongside two top-tier senpais, she was discovering just how much there was left to learn.
Even just the things she had already noticed or heard about filled her mind with countless key points—and it would take a lot of time to master them.
So rather than asking more questions right away, it made more sense to focus on solidifying what she already knew.
Besides, if she had noticed something herself, then surely her trainer had too.
He was probably just waiting for the right moment to bring it up—maybe the night before the next race or even on race day itself, like before.
These thoughts lingered in her mind even as they headed to the cafeteria for dinner.
And during dinner, a casual conversation suddenly pulled her attention away.
"Eh—? You two are going to Osaka this Sunday?"
Kitasan Black's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Scarlet and Vodka.
The two senpai put their hands together in unison and bowed apologetically.
"We're really sorry, Kita-chan. We won't be able to come cheer you on this time."
After apologizing in unison, the two Umamusume exchanged a mischievous smile.
"But we're going to cheer on an old friend of ours. Once you hear who it is, you'll definitely forgive us."
"Hehehe~ that's right, that's right. Once you hear her name, you won't be mad at all. It's just a shame—if you weren't racing that day, you could've come with us. Her reaction would've been priceless."
Hearing that, Kitasan Black's curiosity was instantly piqued.
"Huh? Wait, you mean I know this old friend you're talking about?"
As she asked, her gaze drifted toward Makoto, seeking answers.
Makoto, however, was also confused.
To be honest, he had only met Kitasan a few months ago, while Scarlet and Vodka had known each other—and likely others—for a much longer time.
So if they were talking about someone they used to know from back then, there was no guarantee he'd know who it was either.
Still, seeing the way the two Umamusume were clearly enjoying keeping it a secret, grinning and refusing to name names, he couldn't help but grow curious himself.
Thinking for a moment, he pulled out his phone and opened the trainer-only app.
"A race on the 22nd... in Osaka... That would be Hanshin Racecourse, right?"
"That's right! Oh—right!"
After confirming it, Vodka grinned mischievously as she rubbed her chin and leaned in.
"I've always thought you're pretty young for a trainer, but you sure know a lot of stuff. So why don't you take a guess—who do you think Scarlet and I are going to cheer for?"
Scarlet's eyes lit up as she joined in the fun.
"Yeah yeah! Now that you know it's at Hanshin Racecourse, and there are only about a dozen races that day, how about taking a guess at who we're talking about?"
Makoto couldn't help but laugh.
"There are over a hundred entrants across all those races. And all I've got to go on is that it's at Hanshin? How am I supposed to guess that?"
"Hmm… you've got a point…"
Nodding in agreement, Scarlet exchanged a glance with Vodka, then rubbed her own chin thoughtfully.
"In that case… what kind of hint should we give? If we make it too obvious, Kita-chan will guess it right away, and that'd be no fun... Oh, right! Kita-chan, haven't you figured it out already?"
"Well, I…"
Her eyes flickered with thought, and then that thoughtful look slowly turned into one of delight. A smile began spreading across her face.
"I think I already know who it is—mmph mmph mmph!"
Before she could finish, both Scarlet and Vodka covered her mouth at the same time, grinning like kids keeping a secret.
"Looks like Kita-chan already figured it out."
Still holding Kitasan's mouth shut, Vodka turned her devilish grin toward Makoto.
"So now you're the only one who doesn't know, Makoto."
"Well? Want a hint?"
"If you really want one, I guess we could give you something. But we'll have to be careful—this girl is kinda too famous, after all—"
"I think I already know."
Before Vodka could finish, Makoto's fingers stopped scrolling on his phone. His expression twisted into something strange—half amusement, half exasperation—as his gaze shifted from one girl to another.
"You three… you're talking about Gold Ship, aren't you?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
A stunned silence followed, and then all three girls cried out in unison:
"Trainer/Makoto, how did you guess that right away?!"
His expression grew even more strained as he looked back down at his phone, where a tall Umamusume with long silver hair and a fiery red racing uniform dominated the screen.
Gold Ship.
Voyage. Dreams. Celebration. Greatness. Legend.
This was the Gold Family—brimming with courage, hope, friendship, wildness, and glory.
It was said that this family was famous across the land, known by all and forgotten by none.
It was said that anyone who'd ever seen a member of the Gold Family race would never forget them.
It was said that any trainer who'd ever worked with one would carry unforgettable memories.
It was said that any Umamusume who had ever raced against one of them—even just once—would be left with a memory burned into their soul.
And the girl Kitasan and the others had just mentioned—the one now displayed on Makoto's phone—was the most renowned of the Gold Family still active today.
The new-generation silver-haired legend.
The indomitable warship that never sank.
Charging forward like a grand vessel cleaving through the seas on the Grand Line...
Gold Ship.
So Kitasan already knew this Umamusume…?
He could only hope they hadn't met too early, or that their interactions hadn't been too deep.
If there were running issues, he could deal with those.
But if it was something else... then honestly, he had no idea how to fix it.
While staring at the image of Gold Ship on the screen, Makoto let out a long, weary sigh.
<+>
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