After Belno Light's impulsive outburst, morning training ended a little earlier than usual.
Naturally, breakfast followed. On the way to the cafeteria, Kitahara carried the exhausted Belno Light on his back.
During the walk, the impulsive racehorse woke up and, embarrassed by her earlier behavior, repeatedly apologized.
"Ah, you didn't even wait for me to finish talking!"
In the cafeteria, the three of them sat in a row. Kitahara sighed at Belno Light:
"Stamina can only improve gradually. You can't run 10 kilometers all at once yet. Pushing yourself too hard will backfire."
"How's it feel? You must be sore all over. Today and maybe the next few days, you'll need to rest, right?"
With her head hanging low and her furry ears drooping, Belno Light looked thoroughly dejected.
Oguri Cap quickly offered comfort:
"Light, you did well running! Come on, eat more, rest, and in a few days we'll run together again."
She scooped a generous portion from her half-eaten fried rice onto a plate and handed it to Belno Light.
"Ah… I can't eat that much," Belno Light said with a wry smile. She clearly wasn't seeing Oguri Cap's appetite for the first time, but it still surprised her. "Oguri Cap can eat that much in the morning? That's amazing."
"Well, because I fast until noon, I have to eat more in the morning so I don't get hungry."
"You can't call that fasting for the short time before lunch…"
"Who calls such a short time fasting?"
After Belno Light and Oguri Cap voiced their complaints in unison, Kitahara rubbed his forehead.
"Alright, now that you've both started school, the next thing is your debut race."
"First, Oguri Cap. Although we haven't done a thorough check yet, Light, you're obviously just finishing your early 'Seishun' period, right?"
"Yes, that's right. It's just before starting school," Belno Light nodded.
The "Seishun period" is the most special phase in a Uma Musume's growth. Kitahara had looked up extensive information about it.
According to URA, racehorses during this period have several distinctive traits:
It generally occurs around the early teens. Exact timing differs slightly between individuals, but it usually lasts 3–5 years.
Early in the period, the body develops at an extremely rapid rate, quickly approaching "peak condition."
During peak condition, the body can handle high-speed running with minimal stress. Racehorses of similar size and build can withstand speeds that humans could never manage.
A small number of Uma Musume may show unique innate talents.
After this period, even the most talented or accomplished Uma Musume rarely run at full capacity, due to the tremendous physical strain and associated risks.
The reason for "Seishun" is debated, but URA's explanation—that it is a blessing from the Three Goddesses—is most widely accepted.
It's essentially a "divinely granted" protection period, allowing Uma Musumes to fully demonstrate their speed potential over a limited but significant time.
Oguri Cap had undoubtedly passed the early Seishun phase. Physically, she was far from peak, but still incredibly strong.
Though a proper assessment hadn't been done, Kitahara suspected that her leg condition healed so completely thanks partly to her mother, and partly due to the "miracle" of Seishun.
Belno Light, however, was clearly in the early Seishun stage, as indicated by her slightly youthful appearance and slower running speed compared to Oguri Cap.
"So then," Kitahara continued, "Light, your task is to slowly build your foundation according to your body's condition before your peak phase. I'll monitor your progress."
"And Oguri Cap, your debut race should be set sometime soon—likely in May—so you need to train comprehensively with that as your goal."
Generally, newly enrolled racehorses need time to learn professional running techniques and race details, so debut races aren't scheduled too early to avoid unnecessary risks.
Statistically, most Uma Musumes debut in the latter half of their first school year.
But geniuses are exceptions. For instance, in the first season of Uma Musume, the protagonist debuted shortly after transferring to Central, earlier than her senior peers, thanks to her extraordinary talent.
Oguri Cap was the same. Her daily schedule, centered solely on running, had been maintained long before enrolling, so debuting now only required minor technical adjustments.
As for race details, with Oguri Cap's scatterbrained learning style, Kitahara decided he'd take the headache upon himself—essentially functioning as a "repeater," reminding her daily if needed.
Hearing about the official race, Oguri Cap paused eating for the first time, nodding seriously at Kitahara:
"Okay."
Then resumed eating.
Kitahara was speechless but understood this was just her natural demeanor—not that she didn't care about the debut race. He continued:
"Your running style needs some adjustment."
Oguri Cap stopped eating again, staring intently at Kitahara, her furry ears standing straight.
Belno Light also curiously asked, "Huh? Oguri Cap is already amazing, why change her running style?"
"Yes, Oguri Cap is amazing," Kitahara affirmed. "But her previous training relied on habits, without targeted practice."
"And her debut race, likely at Kasamatsu, has a track made of river sand, which is frequently used for races. Its surface is loose."
"Running on such ground weakens traction, disperses force, and wastes push-off energy."
"In other words, Oguri Cap's performance on the academy's sand track will be discounted on Kasamatsu's track."
"What should we do?" Belno Light asked anxiously.
Oguri Cap didn't ask, but her eyes gleamed, clearly waiting for the answer.
Kitahara didn't keep her in suspense:
"Shovel—use this kind of push-off technique."
"Imagine your sole as a shovel. Use your ankles to push back against the sand."
He demonstrated with his hand on the table. "Or think of it as swimming—sand is water. Use your ankles to push, and the whole sole moves like swimming in water, giving your whole body more propulsion."
"Shovel… swimming… that feels strange. Can it really work?" Belno Light imitated his hand movements, looking puzzled.
"I got it."
"How do you already get it?!"
Belno Light gaped at Oguri Cap, who gave a confident gaze and two thumbs up.
As expected of Oguri Cap—she seemed scatterbrained normally, but when it came to running, she was self-taught. Perhaps even without me, she could grasp it after a couple of tries.
Admiring her, Kitahara's spirits lifted.
"Good. Starting today, I'll give you a full regimen to strengthen your ankles."
"For now, exercises like step jumps, elastic wrist curls, and ankle weight training should suffice. I'll explain the key points and adjust according to results."
"Also, I'll develop race strategies for Kasamatsu's track, teaching you gradually… oh, and no dozing off while I explain."
Oguri Cap blinked, then blushed and looked down, quietly returning to her meal.
Seeing this, Kitahara and Belno Light exchanged amused smiles. The latter whispered:
"How did Kitahara know Oguri Cap always dozes off in class?"
"Because before school started, she fell asleep during my lessons in front of me," Kitahara said helplessly.
"Ah, Kitahara gave lessons early and is a bit biased," Belno Light teased, a little envious.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you specially too," Kitahara promised with a smile.
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap finished breakfast quickly and dashed to the dish return area.
"I'm done eating. Wait for me—we'll train soon."
Noticing her slightly hurried step, Kitahara carefully observed Oguri Cap, frowning.
"Let's go to the training grounds." She turned to him, serious.
"…No, there's no rush."
Looking at her feet, Kitahara hesitated and asked, "How many years have you been wearing these shoes?"