In that moment, Kitasan Black finally grasped the sheer depth of Yasui Makoto's efforts behind the scenes. He'd quietly studied, analyzed, and planned meticulously—examining the race, her opponents, and even herself, far beyond what she'd imagined.
Compared to that kind of dedication, her earlier anxieties seemed trivial, almost silly.
A wave of clarity surged within her, excitement crackling through her veins as she locked eyes eagerly with Yasui.
"Then let's keep preparing, Trainer!"
"You mentioned Gold Actor-senpai and Marialite-senpai just now, so how exactly should I deal with them in the Arima Kinen?"
She leaned forward, nearly bouncing in her seat, eyes blazing with newfound determination.
Seeing the fierce spark reignited within Kitasan, Yasui felt deeply gratified. His thoughts momentarily drifted to Super Creek's notebook—specifically, one key insight she'd outlined.
To train an Umamusume effectively, she'd written, the runner must have keen insight, even the potential to eventually become a trainer herself.
In truth, many Umamusume successfully transitioned to training roles.
Air Groove, for instance, was essentially mentoring Duramente now. Similarly, Inari One, aside from handling administrative tasks, also served as an instructor at Oi Tracen Academy.
Moreover, a rare few—those uniquely gifted runners—could even guide their trainers through their own race intuition and razor-sharp instincts.
Symboli Rudolf, the legendary "Emperor," the previous student council president, and the first undefeated Classic Triple Crown winner, was a prime example.
Training logs revealed that Rudolf frequently defied her trainer's original instructions in major races like the Japanese Derby. Yet, time after time, her exceptional on-the-spot decisions proved to be correct.
Her trainer had even once noted wistfully: "It was Symboli Rudolf who taught me how to race."
Seeing Kitasan now, Yasui recognized she'd clearly reached a deeper understanding of racing itself—a crucial threshold described by Super Creek. This would undoubtedly make strategies like "controlling the race" far easier to implement in the coming Arima Kinen.
Though immensely pleased by this development, Yasui's lips curled into an amused smile.
"Well, someone's fired up. I guess those earlier distractions aren't bothering you anymore?"
A confident grin broke across Kitasan's face as she answered without hesitation.
"Not in the slightest!"
"I feel like I could run the Arima Kinen right this second!"
"So let's not waste any more time, Trainer!"
Instead of agreeing, Yasui chuckled lightly, took out his phone, and showed her the time displayed on its screen.
"I know you're eager, but we have plenty of time left to wrap things up."
"More importantly, if you don't head back to the dorm now, Scarlet's going to lock you out."
"You don't seriously plan on staying here tonight, do you? That'd be a bit—"
Before Yasui could finish his half-joking sentence, Kitasan's eyes flew wide in horror the moment she saw the time.
"Oh no! It's this late already? I have to hurry or Scarlet-senpai's gonna kill me!"
With a startled yelp, she bolted to the door, flung it open, and dashed outside.
"See you tomorrow, Trainer! Let's both give it our all!"
Her voice rapidly faded down the corridor, leaving Yasui standing frozen, mouth agape, until her hurried footsteps finally disappeared completely.
After a brief stunned silence, he chuckled helplessly, shook his head with a wry smile, and tidied the scattered papers on his desk.
Finished, he turned off the lights and lay down on his bed, eyes closing naturally.
Yet moments later, he reopened them, reached for the phone on his bedside table, and tapped open the calendar app. He scrolled slightly, eyes resting briefly on a date circled prominently in red.
The 27th.
Quietly, he placed the phone back down, closed his eyes again, and soon drifted off to sleep.
...
December 27th. Nakayama Racecourse, Kitasan Black's preparation room.
Unlike previous sessions, Yasui Makoto wasn't scribbling strategies across a whiteboard. Instead, he stood beside Kitasan at a table, gazing intently at a meticulously crafted scale model of Nakayama Racecourse.
Barely over a meter long and nearly a meter wide, the detailed miniature perfectly captured every nuance of the venue: spectator stands, turf, running tracks, barriers—even the slopes precisely scaled down.
Yasui knew some trainers preferred this kind of three-dimensional simulation, though he'd always stuck to his trusty whiteboard. The painstaking effort required to build one had always deterred him.
But this particular sand-table setup was Kitasan's idea—and her handiwork, crafted entirely during her limited free time.
In fact, she hadn't stopped at Nakayama; she'd constructed precise replicas of several other major racecourses as well.
Partially meant for more practical simulations, they also doubled as her "Christmas gift" to Yasui.
Although Yasui didn't fully grasp the sentiment behind the gift at first, after some use, he'd grown deeply appreciative. Admittedly, the visual clarity far surpassed the whiteboard's flat sketches.
Beside the sand-table now, Kitasan carefully placed small, beautifully detailed figures representing Umamusume onto the starting gate.
"So, here's Sounds of Earth-senpai… Gold Actor-senpai, Marialite-senpai… and Lia Fail…"
Muttering names softly, she positioned four of them precisely in their gate slots, before finally adding a distinctive black-themed figure.
"And lastly, myself."
She smiled up at Yasui. "There, Trainer—doesn't it all look much clearer now?"
"It certainly does," Yasui replied warmly, sincere gratitude evident in his tone. "I know I've said it already, but thanks again, Kita-chan. It's a wonderful gift."
His expression quickly turned serious as he turned his attention back to the miniature gate.
"Now, based on what you mentioned, the four most likely Front Runners have drawn gates 7, 9, 16, and 12."
Taking a pointer he'd prepared earlier, he gently nudged each figurine forward, then moved Kitasan's figure next.
"And you're in gate 11."
"So, barring surprises, right after the break, you five will form three distinct clusters battling for position."
"Sounds of Earth and Gold Actor in one group; you and Lia Fail in another; and Marialite on the far outside forming a third."
His voice grew solemn as he outlined the scenario clearly, the pointer gently tapping each figurine in turn.