Chapter 61: Perfect Form
To Makoto, those two Umamusume were clearly the ones to watch out for the most.
REAL STEEL had an extremely powerful closing kick—her closing 3-furlong split in her debut was a blazing 33.3 seconds.
In her most recent race, the G2 Kyodo News Cup, her opponents included several other finishers with strong late speed, yet she still managed to win.
In contrast, while Danon Platina, the second most popular runner, had a decent closing speed, it wasn't at the elite level expected for this race.
The problem was—this Umamusume had won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year.
That's a G1 race—one of the few top-tier events before the classic series begins, often seen as the battleground for the strongest rookies. Everyone competing there has top-tier training and debut performance, making it an exceptionally high-stakes and high-profile event.
Having been through something like that, Danon Platina—regardless of her other strengths—undoubtedly had the most race experience of anyone on the field.
This kind of competitor was what separated graded stakes races from OP-level or Pre-OP-level competitions.
To even qualify for a race in the Twinkle Series—especially at the Central level—an Umamusume's comprehensive strength had to be among the elite of her generation.
And to race in a graded stakes, it wasn't enough to have just solid fundamentals—each competitor usually had a clear specialty strong enough to decide the outcome of a race.
In races of this level, you had three options:
Outright overpower your opponent's strength, play to your own strengths, exploiting them to neutralize your opponent's, or use careful strategy to stop your rival from using her specialty at all.
Now that he had brought Kitasan Black this far, Makoto naturally had plans covering every angle—but he didn't intend to share everything with her.
It wasn't because he was hiding anything.
The fact was, Kitasan Black had only debuted three months ago. She wasn't clueless about race theory, but she certainly hadn't mastered it either. There were still many things she had yet to learn.
At this stage, it was more effective to help her clearly understand how she needed to run, rather than overwhelming her with overly detailed explanations.
Besides, when it came to running styles and racecraft—even if she didn't fully understand the theory yet—her performance in training and actual races was already quite impressive.
Still, erring on the side of caution, Makoto tapped on the course diagram and labels on the whiteboard after explaining the opponent breakdown and race tactics.
"So, Kitasan—any questions so far? The race doesn't start until tomorrow. We've still got plenty of time, so feel free to ask anything."
"Ah, if I had to ask something…" Kitasan Black hesitated after a moment's thought.
"It's probably about how to handle the final stretch…"
"I've actually been wondering for a while now—during training and race planning, things always seem to get simpler the closer we get to the end of the race."
"I thought maybe today you'd go into more detail, but it's pretty much the same as before."
"So I was thinking…"
She trailed off uncertainly.
Makoto waited a while, then seeing she wasn't continuing, he smiled.
"You feel like the plan for the endgame is too simple, and that it might not be enough to guarantee a win?"
Kitasan Black hesitated again, then gave a small nod.
"I see…"
Makoto let out a thoughtful hum and shook his head with a smile.
"It might sound a little pessimistic, but the truth is—guaranteeing a win... that's just not something I can do."
Kitasan's ears perked up instantly, her eyes widening.
"Trainer… you can't guarantee it?!"
"That's right. Why would I be able to?"
Looking around, he pulled over a chair and sat down next to her.
"You don't actually believe I can predict the outcome of races, do you?"
"Uh… well…" Kitasan chewed her lip and scratched her head. "But in my last race… and even my debut… you did predict so many things correctly."
"And this time too—even though the race hasn't started yet, your breakdown of the early phases and the possible scenarios all make perfect sense to me."
"Oh, and also with Gold Ship-senpai's race—I'm sure you're right about her too. She's definitely going to win tomorrow."
"So with all that in mind… why can't you predict how my race will end, or the ones after that…?"
"That's because…"
Still smiling, Makoto's tone became a little more serious.
"Kitasan, I think there's something you might have overlooked."
"You've only been racing for less than three months—you've run just two races so far."
"During that time, you've worked hard. You've stayed focused. And you've won both races."
"But you're not the only one working hard. The other Umamusume are training just as hard, and their trainers are working just as hard too."
"So just like Scarlet and Vodka said—it's admirable that you're already thinking about how to beat those powerful senpai. You've got guts and ambition, and that's great."
"But think about it from another angle—don't you think they're thinking the same thing? That they're working just as hard?"
It was like a bolt of lightning struck her mind—Kitasan Black's ears and tail suddenly stood upright.
That's right…
She wasn't the only one who wanted to win.
She wasn't the only one chasing victory, trying not to let down the people who believed in her…
Why hadn't she realized this sooner?
While she was training, everyone else was training too.
Every time she passed the schoolyard after class, she saw others practicing as well.
She ran laps in her yard at home—but didn't they do the same?
Their trainers… they must also be under pressure, also doing their best.
Seeing the shift in Kitasan Black's expression, Makoto figured his Umamusume had probably come to the realization he hoped for. So he continued:
"Looks like you get it now. That means I can explain why I set things up the way I did for the second half of the race."
"It's simple—it's the limit of what I can do… and the limit of what you can do."
"If I'm not mistaken, the fight for early positioning and the mid-phase of this race is going to be a lot more complicated than what we've faced before."
"A messy start usually means the rest of the race becomes hard to predict."
"At that point, rather than wasting energy trying to guess what others might do, it's better to focus on yourself and fully maximize your own strengths."
"That's why I've been drilling it into you—find your rhythm, and control the pace of the race."
"As for what comes after that… especially the final stretch…"
He paused for a moment, then shrugged with a chuckle.
"I won't sugarcoat it."
"Compared to some of your opponents, your most obvious weakness right now… is your closing kick."
"And unfortunately, the final stretch is all about the closing kick—so what am I even supposed to plan for that?"
He tried to make light of it with a teasing tone at the end, so she wouldn't feel too down.
But to his surprise, Kitasan Black grew even more serious.
"I see. I get it now!"
Makoto blinked.
"You… get what?"
"As long as I do well in the early and middle parts, my opponents might not even have a chance to use their closing kicks!"
She nodded firmly, her fists clenched with renewed determination.
"And if I mess up the first half, then even if I had Vodka-senpai's kind of closing kick, it'd be useless!"
"Trainer—this is what you were thinking too, right?"
…Whoa.
It wasn't the first time she'd caught him off guard, but still…
Staring at her in stunned silence for a moment, Makoto couldn't help but smile. He reached out and gently patted her on the head.
"Impressive, Kitasan. That's exactly what I was going to say. I was planning to remind you right before you went out, but looks like that won't be necessary."
"Hehehe~ sometimes I can figure things out on my own~"
Visibly pleased, the black-haired girl's ears and tail swayed with a rhythm that unmistakably screamed perfect form.
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