Chapter 93: "The Little Satsuki Sho"
In the week following the practice race, Kitasan Black's main focus in training was gradient acceleration and sharp uphill turns.
With more and more practice, not only did her basic abilities in speed and sprinting improve, but she also became increasingly proficient in techniques.
Originally, Makoto had planned to let her rest over the weekend. But near Friday, he received an invitation from the Student Council, asking him and Kitasan Black to attend an event together.
The event was called the "Little Satsuki Sho", jointly hosted by the URA Association, Tracen Academy, and several elementary schools for Umamusume.
With the real Satsuki Sho only a week away, the purpose of the event was to invite the registered participants to act as "little trainers" for the children—guiding them and organizing a mock race to spark their interest in the sport.
It also served as the official prelude to the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown.
The participating Umamusume would also have interviews, with both the event and the interviews broadcast live to attract more fans to watch the big race.
After a moment's thought, Makoto agreed to the invitation.
He had nothing much planned for the weekend anyway—in the past, he would usually just stay cooped up in his rented room playing games, or wander through game shops and anime stores.
But now, with the Satsuki Sho drawing near, he had given up on leisure activities, spending extra hours reviewing training sessions, analyzing past races, and studying strategies for the upcoming event. He hadn't been out in quite some time.
Taking Kitasan Black to join this activity seemed like a good way to change the atmosphere and refresh her spirits.
As expected from her warmhearted personality, Kitasan Black accepted the invitation immediately without the slightest hesitation.
. . .
On Saturday morning, after washing up, Makoto headed to the designated elementary school for the event.
Even before reaching the gates, he spotted Kitasan Black in the crowd from afar.
At Tracen Academy, she was required to wear the school uniform.
At the training grounds or on the racetrack, she would be in her athletic gear or regulation racing outfit.
Makoto had rarely seen her in any other attire—but today, it was clear she had dressed up specially.
The girl wore a black knitted sweater with an amethyst brooch at the collar, paired with a crimson plaid skirt whose pleats still glistened with morning dew.
Satono Diamond was helping her straighten a slightly crooked ribbon hair clip, while Satono Crown and Duramente were acting like photographers, holding up their phones to take pictures.
When Kitasan Black noticed him, her face immediately bloomed into a bright smile.
"Hey—Trainer! Over here, over here!"
Makoto couldn't help but smile as he walked over.
"You arrived early, Kitasan Black."
Then he turned to the others. "Good morning, everyone."
After greeting the Umamusume, he glanced back at Kitasan Black, giving her a brief up-and-down look.
"New clothes? They look great."
"Hehe Thanks Trainer Crow-chan and the others reminded me to dress nicely today. This outfit and the necklace were picked out when we went shopping together before."
She scratched her head shyly, then quickly brightened up again.
"Trainer, you should wait in the stands or maybe stroll around the campus a bit. We're about to meet the children."
"This early?" Makoto was a little surprised, glancing toward the school gates.
Though it was the weekend, the campus at eight in the morning was bustling as if it were a regular school day—full of students, and even quite a few parents and trainers.
With just a quick scan, he already recognized several of his fellow trainers.
"It's not early at all," Kitasan Black explained.
"The race event is in the afternoon, but we only have one morning to guide the kids. If we don't start early, there won't be enough time to say everything."
"I even brought lots of notes with me—things you've taught me during training, plus my own reflections."
"Once I'm paired up with a child, I want to properly teach her everything I've learned."
It was then Makoto noticed that Kitasan Black had a small brown leather satchel slung over her back.
The satchel wasn't large, but it bulged slightly—clearly stuffed full with the notes and reflections she had just mentioned.
Glancing around, Makoto noticed that the Satono sisters also carried small bags, though Duramente seemed to have come with nothing in particular prepared.
"I see… well then, you girls go on ahead. I'll just wander around a bit."
Makoto nodded, but couldn't help adding a reminder:
"I won't be able to take part in this activity, so it's all up to you. Just remember—when you're teaching the children, don't recite things word for word. Think about how we usually do training, and use that."
That, after all, was one of the purposes of this event.
The training and abilities of Kitasan Black and the others all came from classes and trainers. Naturally, when guiding children, they would rely on this foundation too.
But passing on what one had learned to someone else—that in itself was a kind of training and growth.
"Mm! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Kitasan Black nodded firmly, her eyes bright with excitement. "I've always followed everything Trainer taught me properly, so I'll definitely be able to teach the little ones well!"
Makoto chuckled. "Good. Then I'll be looking forward to your performance—or should I say, Trainer Kitasan's performance."
"I'll do my best! Alright then, we're heading over to the kids now."
With a confident smile, she waved to him before turning to follow the Satono sisters into the school building, eventually arriving at a classroom.
Inside, quite a few Umamusume were already waiting, while the seats were filled with little girls—each face brimming with curiosity.
Soon, under the arrangement of a teacher, the older Umamusume went up to the podium one by one.
This was part of the schedule.
All the children present would be taking part in the day's activity, so each mentor Umamusume had to introduce herself first. Only then, after the kids made their choices, could the afternoon's race take place.
As she waited for her turn, Kitasan Black's fingers unconsciously rubbed at the strap of her satchel, the notebook inside weighing heavily on her shoulder.
It contained every technique Makoto had taught her—pages she had read over hundreds of times. And yet, at this very moment, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
She hadn't told Makoto the full truth.
In reality, she was rather nervous about this event.
While waiting at the gate earlier and chatting with the Satono sisters and Duramente, she'd realized something—her friends had all already chosen the children they would mentor. They were outstanding kouhai from their own prestigious families.
On top of that, the Satsuki Sho was only a week away.
Despite all her effort, she still didn't know how she would fare on the big day. She didn't even know if she was truly prepared.
And now she was expected to guide younger kids in a "Little Satsuki Sho"? What if she taught them the wrong thing—especially with her Trainer not present to help?
Still, though her heart was uneasy, she didn't give in to discouragement.
Before her debut, many people had told her she could never handle middle-distance races.
But she had not only run them—she had won them, three in a row.
That had been thanks to both her trainer's guidance and her own hard work.
So, if she gave her all to teach the children everything she had learned, surely the result would be something that both she and her trainer could be proud of.
With that thought in mind, when she heard the teacher call her name, Kitasan Black slapped her cheeks lightly, then stepped onto the podium.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Kitasan Black! My dream is to run races that get the crowd fired up like a festival, and I—"
Cheerfully, she spoke halfway through her introduction—then suddenly froze.
Unconsciously, her eyes drifted toward a corner of the classroom.
Was it just her imagination? Why did it feel like that child's eyes… were shining so brightly?
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