“So fast!” Berno Light exclaimed when she noticed Fujimasa March starting her final sprint.
“Can Oguri catch up?” She clenched her fists, secretly worried for her friend.
“Oguri Cap will be fine.” Yugi saw through Berno Light’s concern and comforted her.
“In terms of explosive power, no Uma Musume at the entire Kasamatsu Tracen Academy has done more training than the two of you.”
“The weekly Slope Road practice at the shrine isn’t for nothing,” he added.
In Kasamatsu, most registered Uma Musume had mediocre aptitudes.
Oguri Cap, as a talented individual, had also put in more effort than her rivals at the academy.
If she couldn’t win even with that, then Yugi would truly be unable to comprehend it…
Oguri Cap was the first to notice Fujimasa March’s sprint and the first to react.
“It’s my turn to sprint,” she reminded herself inwardly.
Although Yugi hadn’t taught Oguri Cap what kind of gait and rhythm to maintain during a sprint, she had her own instincts.
“Tighten my muscles, take bigger strides, use all the strength in my body to swing my legs.
Because the friction on this track is very low, to exert force properly, I need to use my ankles, springing forward after my feet land, and try to use all my energy for sprinting forward.”
Relying on her talent and the explosive power gained from Kasamatsu’s unique Slope Road training, Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March were neck and neck 100 meters before the finish line.
“How can this be?!” Fujimasa March thought she had given her all, but the figure of Oguri Cap in her peripheral vision was becoming clearer and clearer.
“My goal is to dominate the Tokai Derby.
How can I lose to another Uma Musume in my debut race!”
She pushed with all her might, even wanting to squeeze out every last bit of hidden strength from her body to maintain her precarious lead.
In contrast, Oguri Cap felt more and more relaxed as she ran.
“Sure enough, Trainer’s training is very useful.
Whether it’s the Slope Road or the chase with Berno Light… everything I learned in training has been applied in today’s race.” She felt only gratitude towards Yugi at this moment.
“I wonder if Mom is listening to the broadcast of this race.”
She glanced at Fujimasa March, who she was gradually overtaking on her right.
“Mom, please wait a little longer!
I’ll win the race soon!”
The next second, Oguri Cap accelerated again.
“Trainer said!
We’re going to defeat Central together!
We won’t stay stuck in races like this!” Her expression also became fierce, all her strength used to swing her legs and support her ankles in exerting force.
“Overtake her!
Overtake her!” Yugi vigorously waved his fists in the stands.
“Oguri Cap!
Now!
Overtake her!
Claim our first victory!”
“Oguri Cap!
Cross the finish line!” As soon as he finished speaking, the live commentator at Kasamatsu Racecourse also shouted.
“0:49.8.” The display board showed the winning time for this race.
===
“49.8 seconds,” the live commentator at Kasamatsu Racecourse widened his eyes — he simply couldn’t believe the data he saw.
“It’s truly incredible.
On a good track, 800 meters, this is Oguri Cap’s first race, and she delivered such a performance.”
“This data is what many Uma Musume here in Kasamatsu can only achieve on a faster, heavier dirt track… If limited to a good track, no Uma Musume in the history of Kasamatsu Racecourse has ever achieved such a stopwatch time in their debut year.” The commentator continued to explain to the audience present and the radio listeners.
“Not just first-place Oguri Cap, but second-place Fujimasa March also delivered a very excellent stopwatch time.”
“Could it be that our Kasamatsu is about to have our own ‘Haiseiko’?!”
As soon as this sentence was uttered, the atmosphere in the originally quiet stands immediately became lively.
“Our Haiseiko?”
“Forget Haiseiko, it would be good to achieve 50% of a Haiseiko.”
“Yes, forget winning the Satsuki Sho like Haiseiko, as long as they win one Central major race, they will be our Kasamatsu heroes!”
For this racecourse, the lowest level in the Tokai region, the most dazzling achievement of any Uma Musume who fought here was merely winning the Tokai Derby — and even then, they would fall like a shooting star afterward.
So, the spectators who had watched Kasamatsu races for years still dared not hold any expectations for Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March at this time.
Meanwhile, Yugi, standing by the track, was quite calm.
“Hmm, I won the bet this time,” he said to Berno Light beside him.
“If you want to come with me to fleece Kitahara-san in a good mood, you should go prepare for your next debut race now.”
“Eh?
Can I go too?” Berno Light was quite surprised.
“I thought it was just Trainer and Oguri going.”
“We’re a team.
How could I leave you out of something good like this.” Yugi snorted.
“Go prepare quickly.
Perform well, so you’ll be in a better mood when we go for Chinese food tonight.”
“I will!!” Berno Light raised her hand, then turned and trotted off towards the registration desk.
Yugi watched her back slowly disappear from view, then smiled and turned his head, making eye contact with Kitahara-san not far away.
He wore a brilliant smile and waved to his friend.
Kitahara-san rolled his eyes, pouted, and looked away. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Hee-hee~” Yugi swayed his body, deliberately “talking to himself” at a volume Kitahara-san could hear.
“A free celebration dinner tonight, saving money.”
“We’ll win next time!” Kitahara-san retorted, unwilling to show weakness.
“First, Kitahara-san, you’ll have to encounter Oguri Cap again next time.” Yugi spread his hands and walked forward.
“I don’t plan to let Oguri Cap continue racing at Kasamatsu Racecourse.”
“Why?” Kitahara-san was startled, realizing his friend’s implication.
“Are you going to let Oguri Cap directly challenge the Uma Musume in Nagoya?”
“Yes, the race schedule for the debut year is flexible.” Yugi shrugged.
“After winning this debut race, I think, based on previous years, Oguri Cap can already challenge OP-level races in Nagoya.
I still want to challenge longer distance races.”
“Kitahara-san, you also know that here in Kasamatsu, until the end of August, the races available for debut year Uma Musume are all 800-meter dirt races.” Yugi turned to look at the track where pre-race preparations were underway.
“But Oguri Cap’s adaptability to short distances is by no means good, and in the long run, our goal will also be placed on mile and middle-distance races, so adapting early certainly won’t be a problem.”
Kitahara-san waited for Yugi to finish speaking before saying, “I will also let Fujimasa March challenge Nagoya races in the future.”
“Alright, Kitahara-san, I support you.” Yugi patted his friend’s shoulder.
“I’m very much looking forward to Fujimasa March’s future.”
“You won’t be disappointed.” Although she lost this race, Fujimasa March’s finishing time was also excellent, so Kitahara-san was not discouraged.
“Don’t forget you’re treating us to dinner tonight,” Yugi quickly reminded as he saw Kitahara-san preparing to leave to meet Fujimasa March after the race.
Kitahara-san’s mouth twitched.
“I haven’t forgotten.
I’ll come back after I pick up Fujimasa March.”
“Good, I’ll wait for Kitahara-san here.” Yugi narrowed his eyes and waved.
By the time Kitahara-san picked up Fujimasa March and brought her to the stands, Berno Light’s debut race had already ended.
“Two consecutive wins, huh… Yugi-san, you’re really something.” Kitahara-san glanced at the display board, very surprised.
“I remember this one lost badly in the simulated race, didn’t she?”
“Yes, but I trained her specifically to address her weaknesses,” Yugi replied with a confident smile.
“Moreover, in this race, Berno Light ran with the belief that it was her ‘last stand.’ The other competitors might have been stronger than her, but their determination was definitely not as firm as hers.
So, Berno Light’s runaway victory in this race was completely within my expectations.”
“Determination, huh…” Fujimasa March sighed deeply after hearing this.
“Indeed, is my determination not as strong as Oguri Cap’s?”
“You can’t compare things like that.” Kitahara-san stopped her from thinking further.
“Rest for a while, and we’ll win back the Maiden Race in half a month!”
“Mhm!” Fujimasa March nodded vigorously.
“I’ll train myself even harder!”
Yugi also kindly offered his suggestion.
“If possible, Kitahara-san can find a mining tire and have Fujimasa March pull it.”
“What does that mean?” Kitahara-san tilted his head in confusion.
He knew what a mining tire was, but he didn’t know what purpose it served to have the Uma Musume he was in charge of pull a tire.
“To train her guts,” Yugi answered concisely.
“Alright, I’ll figure out a way to get a suitable mining tire.” Kitahara-san readily agreed — he believed his friend’s insight would definitely be useful.
Fujimasa March, who was nearby, also didn’t object.
After all, this young man, who advocated for adding training to her schedule, had personally trained the Uma Musume who defeated her.
“It’s time to watch Oguri Cap’s winner’s stage,” Yugi said casually, turning his attention to the stage in the center of the track.
He was very much looking forward to the Uma Musume he was in charge of putting on an excellent performance — according to Yugi’s common sense on the West Coast, Uma Musume were quite talented at singing and dancing.
He believed Oguri Cap was no exception.
“I wonder what kind of performance she’ll put on,” Fujimasa March was also looking forward to it.
If she had won, Fujimasa March had planned to sing Momoe Yamaguchi’s “Shiroi Yakusoku.”
Oguri Cap walked onto the stage with the speaker she had prepared, put it down, and plugged it in.
“Ha Dance, dance to this Kasamatsu Ondo ~”
“This is…” Yugi was stunned.
“Stamping on the Noubi Plain startling the monkeys’ tails ”
“This is ‘Kasamatsu Ondo,'” Kitahara-san, who was standing nearby, answered, then couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“You’re something else, to actually let the Uma Musume you’re training sing something like this on the winner’s stage.”
“I…” Yugi clutched his head.
“I had no idea something like this would happen!”
===
Yugi’s Alto had a standard capacity of four people, so after all the races were over, when he and Kitahara-san took their respective Uma Musume to Nagoya city center for dinner, Yugi chose to leave his car in the Kasamatsu Racecourse parking lot.
“Parking is free for trainers from the academy anyway,” he said.
“If it were paid, Yugi-san would probably immediately put the car back in the academy, wouldn’t he?” Kitahara-san quipped.
Yugi shook his head repeatedly.
“No.”
“Oh?” Kitahara-san was surprised.
“I thought Yugi-san couldn’t bear the parking fee.”
“If trainers from the academy also had to pay for parking here, then I wouldn’t have driven the car over at all,” Yugi shrugged.
“I don’t have much savings myself, so I’ll definitely save wherever I can.”
He figured his friend, who had just graduated a little over a year ago, probably had a few million yen at most.
“I still have to take the Uma Musume I’m in charge of on an expedition later, so saving money now is essential,” Kitahara-san muttered to himself.
At this point, he slapped his head.
“Yugi-san, you should have received today’s prize money, right?!”
“Isn’t prize money always transferred immediately after all the day’s races are over?” Yugi raised an eyebrow.
“Oguri Cap and the other one both have their own bank accounts, so the prize money must already be in there.”
“Which means Yugi-san earned 320,000 yen today… If this happens nine more times, Yugi-san’s income will equal the average annual income of a Japanese person,” Kitahara-san calculated and said.
“How could it happen nine more times?” Yugi only wanted to quip after hearing his friend’s calculation.
“While it’s easy to rack up wins in Kasamatsu, it’s also very boring.”
“And your goals aren’t in Kasamatsu either,” Kitahara-san knew this, of course.
“Yugi-san has told me several times.”
“What about you?” Listening to the trainers walking ahead chatting, Oguri Cap suddenly spoke to Fujimasa March, who was a few meters away, walking alone with her head down.
Berno Light, walking behind Oguri Cap, also perked up her ears — although she had more wins than the gray Uma Musume in front, Berno Light also knew that if she competed against Fujimasa March, she would definitely not be her opponent.
“My dream?” Fujimasa March, no matter what, wasn’t so aloof as to ignore Oguri Cap’s question.
She pointed to herself, thought for a moment, and then replied, “Before, it was probably to stand on the stage of the Tokai Derby.”
“Before?” Berno Light caught that keyword.
“That’s right,” Fujimasa March turned her head to look at Berno Light, smiled, and then continued to look at Oguri Cap.
“But now my dream has changed.”
“What change?” Oguri Cap couldn’t guess, so she simply continued to press.
Yugi, walking ahead, listened to the Uma Musume’s conversation behind him and gently shook his head.
“Oguri Cap is indeed very slow in matters like this.”
However, this clumsy display suited his taste.
“Uma Musume who are too sensitive to various emotions are more easily interfered with by these things.
Oguri Cap being like this is very good; it saves me a lot of worry.”
And behind, Fujimasa March also stated her new goal.
“My goal is to face you, Oguri Cap, again.
I must win back.”
“Is that so?” Oguri Cap’s expression was unperturbed.
“Then I will wait for you.”
In her opinion, Fujimasa March’s strength was indeed very strong, but with the trainer’s help, Oguri Cap believed her own progress would be faster than hers and would never give Fujimasa March a chance to win back.
Fujimasa March could hear the confidence in Oguri Cap’s tone.
She just bit her lip and didn’t say any more harsh words.
“Words are useless; it’s about actual actions,” Fujimasa March clenched her fists, muttering to herself.
The Chinese restaurant named “Lian” is located next to Nagoya Station.
As a shop that has been open for over ten years, it is quite popular in Nagoya.
Because they had made a reservation in advance, the group was led by a waiter to the six-person private room booked on the 16th floor.
The set meals had all been ordered in advance.
After the waiter confirmed any dietary restrictions and left, Yugi spoke.
“Kitahara-san, I have something to ask of you.”
“What is it?” Kitahara-san was quite surprised.
In his opinion, Yugi knew much more than him and had nothing he needed to ask him for.
“I hope Miss Fujimasa March can teach Oguri Cap how to sing and dance,” Yugi sighed, turning his head to look at Oguri Cap, who was scanning the interior of the private room.
“I really don’t want to see Oguri Cap continue to perform that ‘Kasamatsu Ondo’ on stage.”
“I think it sounds quite good,” Oguri Cap protested after coming back to her senses.
“I feel like Mom would like it very much too.”
“But your audience isn’t just your Mom,” Yugi shrugged.
“Meeting the audience’s expectations is also an Uma Musume’s duty.”
“I’m not suitable to teach this,” Fujimasa March spoke up while Yugi and Oguri Cap were talking.
“Because I’m not very good at it either.
If I rashly teach Oguri Cap, the effect will probably be very poor, and it will waste time.”
“Then who is suitable?” Yugi frowned after hearing Fujimasa March’s reason.
“This matter must be done quickly.”
“I know a suitable candidate,” Berno Light joined the conversation.
“I just don’t know if she’s willing.”
“Hmm?” Everyone in the private room turned their gaze to the chestnut-haired Uma Musume.
“Who?” Yugi pressed.
“Norn Ace,” Berno Light replied, then quickly added, “It’s just that she seems to be very hostile towards Oguri Cap… I don’t think she’d be willing to teach.”
“I can help persuade her,” Fujimasa March raised her hand.
“She’s a fan of mine.”
Yugi didn’t immediately respond to the self-volunteering gray Uma Musume, but instead seized on Berno Light’s words and pressed further.
“What do you mean by hostile?
Has she played any pranks on Oguri Cap?”
Before Berno Light could speak, Oguri Cap spoke up.
“No, it’s just that after school started, she said she had a lot of luggage, so she couldn’t finish organizing her dorm, and asked me to live somewhere else.
I was quite comfortable living there, so I don’t think that counts as bullying.”
Yugi, however, didn’t think so.