The South Kanto Triple Crown consists of the Haneda Cup, the Tokyo Derby, and the Tokyo Crown Prize.
All three are hosted at Oi Racetrack.
Unlike regular local venues, Oi Racetrack stands apart. Located in Tokyo, it's well-funded, has abundant new talent, and boasts excellent training resources and staff.
Its event grade and overall importance completely outclass the Tokai Triple Crown.
If Fujimasa March can claim victory in the South Kanto Triple Crown, she'll be qualified to transfer to the Central District—just in time to shine at the peak of her three-year prime and compete on the central circuit!
"So, Trainer, you want me to run the South Kanto Triple Crown?"
After silently listening to Kuroha's explanation, Fujimasa March smiled confidently. "Then it's the South Kanto Triple Crown!"
"Good. No time to waste!"
The Haneda Cup, the first leg of the South Kanto Triple Crown, is usually held in early May. It was already late February. To qualify for the Haneda Cup, there was only one chance left—next month's trial race, the Keihin Cup.
But Kuroha and Fujimasa March weren't just aiming for the Keihin Cup. They had their sights set on the entire South Kanto Triple Crown, which stretches from May to October. Regular training and participation alone wouldn't cut it.
Training facilities, venues, resources, and the long-distance trips to Tokyo for the races would all take a toll on Fujimasa March's condition.
So if they were truly aiming for the South Kanto Triple Crown, there was one essential move—transfer affiliation!
Transfer to Central Tracen Academy, take advantage of their top-tier staff, and get used to the race venues in advance, so that resource limitations and travel fatigue wouldn't drag her down!
…
"Transfer?!"
In the trainers' office, four large faces leaned in close to Kuroha, who instinctively backed away in distaste.
"This is for March's future. Kasamatsu is just too small!" Kuroha said bluntly.
"Damn it, don't say something so harsh with such a calm face!"
Kitahara, who'd already come to terms with this ever since the Oguri Cap incident, howled at the ceiling.
"So, transferring to Oi… that's for the South Kanto Triple Crown?" Among the four trainers, Shibasaki was the calmest. He pondered for a moment and quickly deduced the truth.
But that truth made all four men suck in a sharp breath.
The current Kasamatsu Tracen Academy couldn't even dream of the Tokai Derby, let alone the South Kanto Triple Crown.
"For March's future, huh?"
They all fell silent. As trainers, they understood better than anyone just how important a racehorse girl's future was.
"I'll go talk to the principal!"
"I know some trainers over at Oi!"
"…"
Kuroha was left dazed, watching the four veteran trainers spring into action. He knew they weren't just helping him—they were helping Fujimasa March too. Still, he bowed his head in gratitude.
"Thanks."
Changing affiliation was a troublesome process. If Kuroha had handled it alone, it would've eaten up a lot of his time.
But with the help of those four seasoned pros, he finished all the procedures in less than three days.
After packing their bags together, he visited March's family to explain the situation, and then boarded the train to Tokyo!
…
The scenery outside the window zipped by.
Kuroha sat silently in his seat. Beside him, March had already dozed off, slumped over the table in exhaustion.
She had indeed been pushing herself too hard this month. Though Kuroha had scheduled proper rest, her nerves had only relaxed after the race ended. Add in the fact that she rarely traveled far from home, and it was no surprise she'd gotten sleepy on the gently rocking train.
[Race Completed – Earned pt: 20]
That was the pt reward from the local race a few days ago. Barely anything—he'd need six or seven more races like that just to afford one basic skill.
"The road ahead is long…"
Kuroha sighed. His path as a trainer still felt incredibly steep.
No money, no pt, few skills, no reputation.
The only thing he could be proud of was training a hardworking, naturally gifted Uma Musume.
Clunk.
Just then, Kuroha felt a sudden weight on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw that March, trying to shift positions from an awkward arm lean, had tried to rest against the chair's edge—only for her head to slide and land right on his shoulder.
He didn't think much of it and instinctively softened his posture a little.
"With the 150 leftover pt, just enough to buy that weird skill…"
Dirt Aptitude!
This was a skill that didn't exist in the original game. It enhanced a Uma Musume's adaptability to dirt tracks. There was no cap to the boost—given enough effort and time, it could theoretically raise a rank from F all the way to S.
Of course, "enough time" was vague at best.
Fujimasa March's current Dirt Aptitude was B. With this skill, bumping it to A wouldn't be a problem.
Slowly patching up her weaknesses.
In the end, March was still just a local runner. Her talent still had a long way to go compared to someone like Oguri Cap.
Oguri Cap was a top-tier dual-aptitude dirt and turf runner, mastered her own running style and breathing rhythm, and probably had a built-in unique skill—Triumphant Pulse.
Even her base stats were in a completely different league.
By comparison, aside from her Front Runner style, March didn't have a single A-rank adaptability in anything.
If she were to stay local, it wouldn't matter much. But if she wanted to challenge the Central stage, these weaknesses had to be addressed.
Thankfully, after the last race—whatever happened there—March awakened her unique skill. That alone resolved one of Kuroha's major worries.
He didn't know how it happened, but Uma Musume were a race full of miracles. There was no need to overthink it—just chalk it up to the blessing of the Three Goddesses.
After buying the Dirt Aptitude skill, his already meager skill points dropped back to zero.
Feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him after getting things done, Kuroha set his alarm and closed his eyes.
…
Time passed quickly in the dark.
No one knew how much time had gone by.
Riiing~!
The blaring alarm jolted Kuroha awake—his muscles had already memorized that sound.
Beside him, Fujimasa March rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, stretching her graceful body with a long yawn.
"Are we there, Trainer?"
She looked around in a daze.
Kuroha adjusted his jacket and replied, "Almost there. Get ready, we'll be getting off soon."
"Mm, okay~"
The two grabbed their luggage. As the train gradually slowed and came to a stop, they finally stepped onto the land known as Tokyo!
"Should we go find Oguri Cap? She should be done with class around now."
Walking out of the station with March, Kuroha asked with a smile.
March thought about it for a moment, then shook her head and muttered, "Let's get settled first. We're in Tokyo now—plenty of time to visit."
She didn't want to see Oguri Cap just yet. At the very least, she needed to achieve something on the Tokyo track first.
Keihin Cup—I'll definitely win it!
"Alright then."
Though it was a little disappointing not to see the familiar Central Tracen Uma Musume, Kuroha understood how March felt.
They were in Tokyo now. There was no rush.
(End of Chapter)
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