Chapter 57
On the other hand, not having enough burst speed caused the same problem.
Race conditions were extremely complicated, and the right moment to accelerate was very limited.
If the timing was off, the acceleration would take more time and effort, which was also a waste of stamina.
If the initial burst wasn't strong enough, she would have to make up for it later, and just like bursting too hard, that often meant missing the win by a hair.
Even so, Yasui Makoto wasn't worried about this issue.
It wasn't something that could be fixed overnight. It could only be improved through long-term, consistent special training.
And just like with her sense of rhythm, Kitasan Black had never once stopped working on it.
She herself still didn't realize that the poses and hand signals she practiced every morning, noon, and night were precisely to make up for her weaknesses, and that they were already showing results without her noticing.
Making accurate judgments during a race and giving instructions that brought out her strengths while covering her weaknesses was the trainer's job.
Yasui Makoto already had enough confidence in this area, and he had already incorporated it into the training plan.
Of course, the black-haired girl currently doing paired runs with the seniors on the track had no idea about these arrangements yet.
"Finish line! Alright, that set is done. Take a quick break, and we'll start the next set in five minutes!"
After crossing the temporary finish line Yasui Makoto had set up, Kitasan Black slowed down, caught her breath, and turned to nod firmly.
"Yes! Got it, Trainer Yasui!"
Then she bowed to Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka up ahead.
"Thank you both for your hard work, senpais!"
"Oh my, Kita-chan, we've told you so many times, you don't have to be so formal."
Daiwa Scarlet smiled and waved her hand. She walked over to the railing, picked up the towel she had left there, and wiped the sweat from her face before tossing one to Vodka and another to Kitasan Black.
"Here you go!"
"Thanks, Daiwa."
"Thank you, Daiwa-senpai!"
Kitasan Black gratefully took the towel and wiped her cheeks. She looked at the two seniors who had already started chatting casually, bit her lip, and took a step forward.
"Um… Daiwa-senpai, Vodka-senpai… can I ask something? What exactly am I still missing…?"
As she asked, she unconsciously glanced toward Yasui Makoto, who was busy organizing data off to the side.
"What are you missing?"
Vodka looked over in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
Daiwa Scarlet, however, seemed to understand right away.
"Kita-chan, are you asking how you can win a training race against me and Vodka?"
"Ah, um… well…"
Kitasan Black hesitated, then scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"I was just thinking… these past few days I've only been doing training races with you two, and I… at least I should be able to beat you once, right?"
As she spoke, her voice grew a little discouraged.
A week earlier, because Daiwa Scarlet had just started her new job as dorm manager and had a lot to handle, only Vodka had been helping with Kitasan Black's paired training.
The training was done in stages: from the start gate to cornering, from mid-race cruising to the final sprint, plus positioning, overtaking, and more. Each session was split into several groups with different focuses.
Once Daiwa Scarlet got used to her new duties, she gradually found time to join in. After that, the training was combined and slowly shifted to full training races.
The distance was 1,800 meters — exactly the same as this weekend's Spring Stakes.
During those earlier stage trainings, Kitasan Black felt she had worked really hard and done quite well. There were even times when she performed better than the seniors.
Whenever that happened she would get really excited, and both Yasui Makoto and Vodka would praise and encourage her.
But during the recent full training races, no matter how hard she tried, she could never cross the finish line before the two seniors.
Even though she still felt she was giving it her all and received encouragement and praise after every session, she couldn't help wondering what her actual performance looked like. She sometimes wondered if the trainer and the seniors were only saying those nice things to comfort her.
In her mind, the only way to truly know how her training was going was to beat the seniors at least once.
What she didn't expect was that Daiwa Scarlet would see right through her little worry.
Not only Daiwa Scarlet but also Vodka paused for a moment, then couldn't hold back a small amused smile. She had clearly figured out what Kitasan Black was thinking too.
Ugh… what do I do? Did I just upset both senpais by asking something like that…?
Before she could spiral any further, both seniors suddenly raised their thumbs at her.
"Eh…?"
Kitasan Black blinked in confusion.
At the same time, Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka gave her a thumbs-up, then pulled their hands back and grinned at each other before dramatically wiping their noses.
"Not bad, Kita-chan. After only two races you already want to completely surpass us. I guess we should say the new generation is impressive, right, Vodka?"
"Exactly. I've done paired runs with plenty of juniors before, but you're the first one to say something like that. As expected of the horse girl we've been training!"
After teasing her half-jokingly and half-seriously, Daiwa Scarlet stepped forward and gently ruffled Kitasan Black's hair.
Then she closed one eye, raised her index finger, and wagged it.
"But you know, while your courage is admirable, aren't you underestimating me and Vodka a little too much?"
Kitasan Black panicked.
"Ah! N-no, that's not what I meant…"
As she spoke, she suddenly realized the seniors had a point.
It was true she had won two races, but she had only been at the academy for less than half a year and had been training under Yasui Makoto for just three months.
Besides, those two races were Central-level but weren't even OP class.
Meanwhile, the two seniors in front of her had both gone through countless graded races and won multiple top-tier G1 events.
Compared to them, a complete newcomer like herself really was showing quite a bit of youthful courage and ambition.
Before she could figure out how to explain herself, Daiwa Scarlet folded her arms and spoke seriously.
"Don't worry, Kita-chan. We both understand what you mean.
When we said those things earlier, we weren't laughing at you. You really are different from the other rookies we've trained with.
A lot of them at your stage wouldn't even think about trying to surpass us, let alone actually say it out loud.
From that alone, you already have a very valuable mindset.
No matter who the opponent is or how strong they are, you always think about how to win instead of shrinking back in fear."
Kitasan Black was stunned.
She had never expected Daiwa Scarlet to understand her so well.
But when she thought about it, she realized she really hadn't considered whether she could beat the seniors.
She had simply been seriously thinking about when she could beat them and how to do it.
"What that kind of mindset will mean for your future career is something you might not fully understand yet."
Daiwa Scarlet continued.
"But trust me as long as you keep that spirit of yours, your future will never disappoint anyone.
As for how you can actually beat the two of us… heh…"
She grinned and wiped her nose again, then looked toward the side of the track.
"That's something for this guy to handle.
But if you really want to ask, wait until you've finished all the training runs with us first!"