Chapter 64: I'm Not as Gentle as Suzuka
After his moment of admiration, Makoto turned his eyes to the giant screen across from him.
At the center of the screen was a lively black-haired girl waving energetically at the camera—his Umamusume, full of energy.
At the same time, the race announcer began introducing Kitasan Black.
"She has overcome the doubts and critiques that shadowed her debut. A resounding two-win streak proves her talent beyond just sprinting. With strong momentum and boundless spirit—Entry No.1, Kitasan Black!"
"OOOOHHHHHH!!" A wave of cheers erupted across the racecourse.
Kitasan Black raised her hand high and waved boldly, then whipped off her jacket in one fluid motion and flung it behind her with flair as she entered the paddock.
"Not bad... Very impressive," Makoto muttered in praise as he watched her on the screen—then suddenly chuckled awkwardly.
Right on cue, laughter rippled through the spectators and even through the broadcast speakers.
"Kitasan Black is clearly in top spirits today—she just launched her jacket straight into the stands!"
"Hopefully that energy will carry through in today's race. Let's all look forward to her performance!"
Just as the broadcast described, her dramatic jacket toss had a bold, dashing flair to it.
But she clearly overdid it a little, throwing it a good ten meters into the spectator seats.
Caught off guard, she quickly hopped off the platform to retrieve it from the stands, bowing repeatedly in apology before dashing back behind the paddock, her face red with embarrassment.
"Ahh, she really finds a way to surprise me every time…"
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Makoto muttered, "Her debut, the last race... and now this one, too."
Special Week, who had been giggling at Kitasan Black's antics, tilted her head curiously.
"Debut and the last race? What do you mean, Makoto-san?"
"Well…" Makoto cleared his throat and gave a brief rundown of Kitasan's previous mishaps, ending with a helpless shake of the head.
"She's not usually the careless type, really. But somehow, at times like this, she always slips up a bit…"
"Slips up…? I think that's not so bad."
With a nostalgic smile, Special Week chimed in, "When I made my debut, I not only stepped out of rhythm—I actually tripped and fell."
"And that whole winner's stage thing was a mess. I couldn't sing or dance at all. It took tons of practice with Rudolf-senpai to finally get the hang of it."
"So yeah, those kinds of slip-ups… every newcomer goes through them, I think."
She laughed warmly for a moment—then suddenly seemed to fall into thought.
"But…"
Makoto, who had been amused by her stories, blinked in confusion.
"But what…?"
"Ah, it's nothing…"
Scratching her head with a sheepish smile, Special Week brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it, Makoto-san. Really."
Makoto paused, not quite sure what she meant, but figured it wasn't something to pry into. With Kitasan Black's part of the entrance over and no issues at hand, he turned his attention to the rest of the lineup entering the paddock.
After checking and confirming they all matched his previous analysis, he gave a small nod and looked toward the underground tunnel where the racers would soon emerge.
And then, a familiar black-haired figure appeared in his view.
He raised his hand and called out instinctively:
"Kita—"
Only to be completely drowned out by the enthusiastic shout from beside him.
"HEY—KITA—! I'M HERE TO CHEER YOU ON—!!"
Cupping her hands around her mouth, Special Week yelled with all her might, then began bouncing on her toes as she waved at Kitasan Black with uncontainable excitement.
Across the paddock, Kitasan Black visibly froze for a second—then her eyes lit up in surprise. She broke into a wide smile and waved back enthusiastically, running over toward the edge of the fence just opposite the cheering section.
"Special Week-senpai! Y-You— What are you doing here?!"
Kitasan Black's voice was filled with both shock and joy.
But then her expression shifted with realization.
"I get it now! So when Scarlet-senpai and Vodka-senpai mentioned someone— they were talking about you, Special Week-senpai!"
"Hehe~ up we go!"
With a silly giggle, and to the stunned stares of Makoto and the surrounding crowd, Special Week suddenly vaulted over the spectator barrier and rushed up to Kitasan Black. She reached over the fence and gave her a big hug.
"Surprised? Hehehe~ I haven't really been a very responsible senpai, huh."
After the hug, she gently clasped Kitasan Black's hands in her own, offering an apologetic smile.
"I didn't even know you'd debuted already. If Scarlet and the others hadn't told me, who knows when I would've found out— But congratulations, Kita-chan! Two wins straight from your debut—that's amazing!"
"Hehehe~ Thank you, Special Week-senpai~"
Giggling like Special Week, Kitasan Black then smiled brightly and shook her head firmly.
"Please don't say that, senpai! I remember you've been back in Hokkaido these last few years, helping your mom with the ranch, right? You must be super busy all the time."
"Just knowing you watched the race already made me so happy—I never imagined you'd actually come here in person to cheer me on!"
"Mm-hmm! I believe in you!"
Special Week nodded with enthusiasm, then gave Kitasan Black a quick glance-over, her grin widening.
"But hey, cheering you on shouldn't just be about words—here, Kita-chan, let me fix your number bib a little."
"My bib?"
Kitasan Black blinked and looked down at her chest.
"Yup yup! I was so nervous during my debut race I actually forgot to wear mine."
Special Week chuckled, reaching out to unfasten Kitasan's number bib. Her expression turned fond as she reminisced.
"I later found out my trainer didn't remind me on purpose… Okay, Kita-chan, lift your arm up a bit."
Intrigued by the story, Kitasan Black obediently raised her arm and asked curiously:
"Did they not remind you… to make sure you'd never forget that experience?"
"Not quite."
As she adjusted the bib, Special Week explained with a nostalgic smile:
"I was super nervous before my debut. Couldn't calm down at all. My trainer noticed and came up with a little plan—not reminding me, and having Suzuka-chan bring the bib to me instead."
"You know how gentle and caring Suzuka-senpai is, right? The night before the race, she kept encouraging me and calming me down."
"And then, when she brought me the bib and helped me put it on… I don't even know why, but I suddenly wasn't nervous anymore."
After smoothing out the edges of Kitasan's number, Special Week stepped back and looked her in the eye with a warm smile.
"That's how it was."
"I'm not as gentle or as thoughtful as Suzuka. I'm clumsy and forgetful most of the time."
"But even someone like me… can still do something to support you in my own way."
"Like passing on the encouragement and strength that Suzuka-chan gave me—along with my own, and everyone else's too."
"Go on, Kita-chan."
"Me, everyone… all the people supporting you—we'll always be with you no matter what."
"No—we'll run alongside you."
Kitasan Black stood stunned, staring back into Special Week's eyes. After a long moment, she finally snapped out of it and gave a vigorous nod.
"Yes! I won't let anyone down—I promise!"
"That's the spirit!"
Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Special Week watched with a smile as Kitasan Black ran toward the starting gate, fired up with determination.
Then Special Week's eyes glinted with amusement.
"…Still a bit nervous, huh? She put her bib on backwards."
"Good thing it's a '1', would've been obvious otherwise…"