Chapter 162: The Golden Generation
When the voice abruptly stopped, Kitasan Black fell silent.
She hadn't thought too much when she asked the question just now.
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize that in that Autumn Tenno Sho race with Stay Gold-senpai, Suzuka-senpai had suffered a serious accident after passing the fourth corner.
Her leg had fractured.
Although she eventually recovered after a long period of treatment, for every racer, a fracture is something impossible to forget and something they desperately want to avoid.
For a moment, she regretted speaking without thinking.
But just as regret rose in her heart, she felt a warm, soft hand placed gently on her head.
Startled, she looked up and met Silence Suzuka's eyes—eyes filled with a comforting smile.
She froze.
"Suzuka-senpai…"
"Don't worry too much about it, Kita-chan."
Smiling softly, Silence Suzuka said:
"It's all in the past. I don't mind it anymore."
"If anything, it's precisely because I experienced something like that that I chose to become a rehabilitation specialist."
"No one wants to go through a fracture."
"We all just want to run freely, to keep running forever."
"I can't foresee the future, so the only thing I can do is give my all to prevent accidents and prevent things that would make others even sadder afterward. At least… that's what I believe."
Kitasan Black was even more astonished.
She hadn't expected her senpai to speak so calmly about the past.
At the same time, Rice Shower looked over with a similarly comforting gaze.
"Rice… feels pretty much the same as Suzuka."
"At the Takarazuka Kinen, Rice also went through the same thing Suzuka did…"
"Rice isn't as amazing as Suzuka, but Rice also wants to do something for everyone. That's why after retiring, Rice decided to become a nutritionist."
"If everyone eats well and stays healthier, maybe there won't be any more accidents."
"That's what Rice thinks."
Silence Suzuka smiled.
"A nutritionist… Rice Shower has cooked a lot of delicious meals lately."
"R-Really?" Rice Shower blushed, "I just wanted Kita-chan to eat better…"
By now, Kitasan Black had realized that both of her senpai were trying to comfort her, to shift the topic.
Her spirits lifted a little, and she no longer dwelled on her careless comment.
"Yeah! I also think Rice Shower-senpai's food is super delicious!"
She nodded enthusiastically.
"The first few times, I even thought it was prepared by the inn! When I found out that Rice Shower-senpai actually went into the kitchen herself, I was so surprised!"
"R-Really…" Rice Shower grew even redder and smiled shyly,
"As long as Kita-chan likes it…"
Seeing that Kitasan Black was no longer weighed down by guilt or worry over their past injuries, Silence Suzuka nodded in relief.
She also held a promotional pamphlet in her hand.
Lowering her gaze, she flipped through it, her eyes filled with memories.
"Stay Gold… I remember running with her in the Autumn Tenno Sho."
"And later, when I was in the hospital room, I watched the race replay and thought she might actually win that race. But on the final stretch, she angled too much and wasted some distance."
"As for the one who won the race…"
"It should've been Offside Trap, if I remember correctly."
After the comforting atmosphere earlier, Kitasan Black was no longer surprised that Silence Suzuka would bring up the Autumn Tenno Sho where the accident happened.
She thought for a moment, flipped through the pamphlet, and asked curiously:
"To run a race like that… Stay Gold-senpai must've been really strong. But just looking at her wins, it seems like she…"
She trailed off.
"Didn't do as well as you'd expect, right?"
Completing Kitasan Black's sentence for her, Silence Suzuka's tone grew reflective.
"Stay Gold was indeed strong. Before that Autumn Tenno Sho, she already had three G1 runner-up finishes."
"Normally, getting second in a G1 once can be called luck. But three times? That's already enough to prove her strength… Of course, you could also say it means she was unlucky."
"But that's how the Twinkle Series is."
"Stay Gold… just happened to run into an exceptionally strong generation."
"But she didn't give up."
Suddenly shifting tone, Silence Suzuka's eyes shone with admiration.
"In the end, before she retired, she finally won the HK Vase, a G1. And… Kita-chan, try calculating how long it took her."
"How long…?"
She quickly checked the pamphlet, counting with her fingers.
A moment later, she looked back at Silence Suzuka in shock.
"A full five years?!"
Silence Suzuka nodded.
"Before that G1, if I remember correctly, she only had two or three wins."
"The most impressive ones… I remember her Akanko Special as a new debutant."
"Her only graded stakes win might've been the Meguro Kinen."
"For the rest of her races, she very regrettably ended up either second or third."
"If it were anyone else, they might have given up."
"But she didn't."
"Five years."
"Nobody knows what she felt during those five years, or what she went through."
"But in the end, she still welcomed a G1 that belonged to her."
Kitasan Black wasn't unfamiliar with some anecdotes about Stay Gold.
She had also read a lot from the promotional pamphlet earlier.
But before Suzuka mentioned the G1 that was earned after five whole years, she hadn't truly grasped the weight of it.
Now, with her senpai's words, she suddenly realized that all those short lines written in pamphlets, publicity material, and anecdotes—behind each one might be an entire lifetime of a racer.
Five years…
If it were me, could I endure for that long, only to finally reach a G1 victory at the very end?
No… it should be six years.
Stay Gold-senpai kept running even after winning the HK Vase…
Six years…
I don't think I've ever heard of a Umamusume who could run that long and still win a G1…
If it were me…
Kitasan Black fell silent, deep in thought.
Seeing this, Silence Suzuka, Rice Shower, and Makoto—who had been quietly listening—did not interrupt her.
After a while—
"I… think I understand something now."
With a newly awakened expression, Kitasan Black lifted her head and smiled.
She didn't say what exactly she had understood. Instead, she flipped open the pamphlet again, thinking aloud.
"According to Suzuka-senpai, Stay Gold-senpai is really strong, but she was unlucky to be born into such a powerful generation.
"So that means… it will be very difficult for her to win this Dream Trophy. Because…"
She pointed at the pamphlet. On the page was a promotional illustration, almost like a group photo.
"The veterans in this race… they're almost all from the same generation, right?"
Looking at the illustration, Silence Suzuka's eyes filled with remembrance.
"That's right. Most of them are her contemporaries. Let's see…"
"Mm… Offside Trap is here, Fukurai is here too."
"And the pair of sisters from the Mejiro family… I remember Stay Gold ran the Spring Tenno Sho with Bright."
"And then… Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, Air Jihad, Butterfly Orchid… They debuted a bit later than Stay Gold, but they're still part of the same generation."
"And after that…"
She couldn't help but smile—a gentle smile, yet her eyes held a solemn glimmer.
"Your familiar seniors, Tokai Teio-senpai, Grass Wonder-senpai, and…"
"Halo, Sky, and El Condor Pasa."
"It's very tough. I mean, if you're asking whether Stay Gold could win against all these opponents… I can only say…"
She shrugged helplessly.
"It's very difficult."
<+>
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