On the evening of the Tenno Sho (Spring), a grand concert naturally took place at Kyoto Racecourse.
When Gold Ship finally appeared at the center of the stage, the eagerly awaiting audience spontaneously waved their glow sticks, passionately singing along to "Next Frontier."
Just like "Winning the Soul," this particular song was exclusive to the Tenno Sho (Spring), Tenno Sho (Autumn), and Arima Kinen races.
Singing the song loudly alongside the senpai on stage, Kitasan Black's eyes sparkled with longing, and unable to hold back amid the roaring crowd, she suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs:
"The Tenno Sho (Spring)... Alright! On this very day next year, I'll be here singing this song too!"
Hearing this, the surrounding Uma Musume first looked startled, then burst into laughter.
"You're already thinking about next year's Tenno Sho, huh...?"
Sitting directly behind Kitasan Black, Vodka smiled and playfully rubbed the top of her junior's head.
"Great ambition. But don't forget—you've got the Japanese Derby coming up first."
Sensing the earnest warning within her senpai's words, Kitasan Black hurriedly nodded:
"Of course! As soon as we get back to the academy, I'll train really seriously."
"But Vodka-senpai, you said earlier that I should aim high like Almond-chan, so I got carried away."
"And besides…"
She suddenly scratched her cheek bashfully.
"Teio-senpai... never actually won the Tenno Sho."
"So, if I managed to win it... that could mean I've slightly surpassed senpai, right?"
"If I think like that… Teio-senpai wouldn't find me too arrogant, would she?"
"Teio would love hearing you say that."
Before Vodka could respond, Daiwa Scarlet—also sitting just behind Kitasan Black—spoke up with a grin:
"This really ought to come directly from her, but she mentioned a few times before that she was looking for the right moment to say something similar."
"'I hope Kita-chan can become an Uma Musume who surpasses me and even surpasses every senpai that came before.'"
"I distinctly remember her saying something like that during casual conversations."
"She also said if it was Kita-chan, that kind of future could really happen."
"Me… capable of something like that? Teio-senpai really said that…"
Mumbling unconsciously to herself, Kitasan Black reached out instinctively and grasped at the person beside her.
It was no secret that her idol was Tokai Teio. Anyone who knew her knew this well—she'd openly told countless people many times before.
It was also no secret that her beloved senpai greatly valued her. Even before entering Tracen Academy, she had received advice from her idol, and even now regularly received her support.
But surpassing someone so dazzling—that was something she might've heard others mention, but she herself had never felt sure whether Teio-senpai had truly said such words.
The bold proclamation she'd just made, about singing the exclusive Tenno Sho song and slightly surpassing her senpai—on reflection, she'd probably been influenced by the energetic atmosphere of the concert.
Now, calming down a bit and thinking carefully, it felt like something was slightly strange.
As Vodka-senpai had just pointed out, she hadn't even run the Japanese Derby yet; it would make more sense to fully concentrate on the immediate race first.
So, as for surpassing her senpai…
Suddenly feeling a bit troubled, Kitasan shook her head lightly.
She wasn't good at pondering complicated things. If she couldn't figure something out, she simply stopped thinking about it, refusing to cause herself unnecessary distress—that was always her method.
So, whenever she encountered situations like this, she had enough self-awareness to simply put it aside.
But just as she shook her head, preparing to refocus her attention on the stage, she felt a small hand gently gripping hers.
"…Almond-chan?" Turning instinctively, she looked over, surprised.
"Senpai... must be feeling nervous, right?"
Blinking earnestly, Almond Eye nodded, tightly grasping Kitasan's hand:
"I think I understand a little bit…"
"Understand…?"
Kitasan Black was stunned briefly, only then realizing that Almond Eye was probably referring to the conversation she'd had with their senpai moments earlier.
At the same time, she noticed something else—without realizing it, she'd unconsciously grabbed hold of Almond Eye's sleeve.
Such a subconscious action probably led her little kouhai to misunderstand.
Not bothering to clarify, Kitasan instead gently tightened her own grip around Almond Eye's small hand and smiled warmly:
"Then tell me, Almond-chan, what do you understand?"
"Because… my family always said from a long time ago they hoped I'd become an outstanding Uma Musume."
Almond Eye's grip unconsciously tightened around Kitasan's hand, her lips pressed together tightly.
"They even said... they wanted me to surpass all the previous senpai."
"My own thoughts might be different from theirs on a lot of things, but becoming a strong Uma Musume—that's something I really want too."
"So even though I haven't debuted yet, I still think about what the future might be like."
"What will happen if I win races… or what happens if I lose."
"Senpai... you were just thinking about the same things, weren't you?"
Kitasan suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
She'd known that Almond-chan thought deeply about many things.
Usually, when talking on the phone or exchanging messages, Kitasan—who normally dominated conversations with friends—spent most of her time quietly listening to Almond-chan or reading her long, thoughtful messages.
In that sense, this little kouhai seemed quite expressive, though she rarely showed it in front of unfamiliar people.
She also had an intense competitive spirit and strong ambition—in that respect, even Kitasan herself, the supposed senpai, couldn't help but admire her.
But facing this kind of comfort at this moment, "Actually, I wasn't really thinking about anything complicated," wasn't exactly something she could just say aloud.
Then, at a moment like this, what exactly was she supposed to say…?
As she hesitated awkwardly, she suddenly noticed Yasui Makoto standing up on her other side.
And not only Yasui—the figure behind them, Orfevre, also stood. After briefly meeting each other's eyes, the two quietly headed toward the exit of the audience seats.
After a brief moment of confusion, Kitasan quickly realized they were probably leaving to discuss the upcoming training race.
But what she hadn't expected was that Cheval Grand, seated in the same row, also stood up.
This friend, with whom she'd recently grown closer, pressed down on the brim of her hat and quietly started moving toward the exit, her posture slightly hunched.
The moment their eyes met, embarrassment flickered across Cheval Grand's face. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and as if suddenly wanting to flee, she hastened her steps.
"W-Wait a sec… Almond-chan, you wait here a bit, I'll talk with you later!"
Surprised, Kitasan whispered hurriedly to Almond Eye, then stood quickly and—murmuring "Sorry" and "Excuse me" along the way—hurriedly chased after Cheval Grand outside the stands.
The surroundings gradually grew quieter. Initially, she thought Cheval Grand just needed to use the restroom. Soon, however, it became clear her friend intended to leave the concert entirely.
Unable to hold back any longer, Kitasan called out to her and quickened her pace to catch up.
"C-Cheval-chan, you…where are you going?"
At Kitasan's voice, Cheval Grand froze stiffly on the spot, then gripped her hat brim again, her lips twitching in embarrassment.
"Ugh... couldn't you have just pretended not to see me…?"
"…Huh? Cheval-chan, did you say something?" Having been entirely focused on running over, Kitasan didn't clearly catch what Cheval Grand had muttered.
"N-no, nothing, I—I mean…"
Awkwardly adjusting her hat, Cheval Grand looked away, nervously grinding the tips of her shoes against the ground. Behind her, her tail anxiously swished back and forth.
"I had fun…these past two days, but I have to leave now."
"Well…my sisters just happened to be nearby too, I mean…I'm going to meet up with them now."