Chapter 29: Write a Song, Win Some Fans, Enter the Race

Chapter 29: Write a Song, Win Some Fans, Enter the Race

As Kitasan Black softly hummed the melody, Daiwa Scarlet gave a thoughtful nod.

“So that’s it… Trainer Yasui’s trying to boost Kita-chan’s popularity this way?”

Makoto gave a small nod.

“Her training stats aren’t that impressive, and I’m still a newbie trainer. Even though Kitasan won her debut race, the jump in her fan count wasn’t huge—her total fan count is just a little over 10,000 now.”

“We’ve already signed up for this month’s qualifier, and the requirement is 24,000 fans.”

“There’s still over three weeks until the race, but if we don’t reach the number in time, changing the schedule would be a real pain… and we’d have to pay re-registration fees too.”

“I don’t want to mess up the overall plan, so I figured I’d try a side strategy like this.”

Daiwa Scarlet nodded in understanding.

Before her debut, she had excellent training records, and her trainer was a big name.

Her race record? Even better—12 races, 8 wins, 4 runner-ups.

With a career like that, fan numbers were never a problem. But not everyone had it so easy.

Poor training stats before debut, unknown trainer, critical race losses, focusing too much on one type of race, and a bunch of other reasons could all impact an Umamusume’s fan base.

And in this world, fan count was no joke. A lot of races had minimum fan requirements, especially the big ones.

Races like the Takarazuka Kinen or the Arima Kinen didn’t even have preliminaries. Only the top fan-voted Umamusume could compete.

To get more fans, aside from placing well in races, many Umamusume and their trainers would turn to other methods.

Festival appearances, volunteer work, talk shows, hosting street concerts, forming bands, doing magazine shoots, and brand collabs—

All of this was permitted under URA and the academy’s guidelines.

Looking at Kitasan now, it was clear that her training record wasn’t great, her trainer was still green, and they were feeling the fan-count pressure.

So, Trainer Yasui’s idea was to write an original song.

Daiwa Scarlet recalled that this wasn’t the first time a trainer or Umamusume had tried something like that.

But songwriting isn’t easy—not with all the training and racing eating up your time. Few could manage both.

And even if they could… if the song turned out bad, it could hurt more than help.

That’s why most who went this route would just buy songs from professionals in the industry.

But from what she’d seen so far, Makoto seemed calm, focused, and had a strong sense of direction.

Even if the song wasn’t amazing, it probably wouldn’t be bad enough to embarrass them.

Besides, Kitasan Black was already humming it with a big smile, totally absorbed in the rhythm—now is definitely not the right time to rain on their parade.

With that in mind, Daiwa Scarlet casually spoke.

“So this is what you meant by ‘support methods’ when we first met, huh, Trainer Yasui?”

Makoto didn’t read too much into it and nodded.

“We’re still over ten thousand fans short, but this song should help close the gap.”

“Kitasan’s got a great ear for music, too. I’m sure she’ll do just fine singing it.”

“Of course, like I said before—if she thinks there’s anything off with the song, she can change it however she likes. I don’t mind.”

Kitasan Black, who had been gently humming, blinked in surprise.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary—I mean, I never had formal training like Grandpa and the others, but I can tell it’s a really pretty song!”

“Yeah?” Makoto smiled.

“Then tonight at the karaoke, give it a shot. After that, let me know what your friends think of it too.”

“Mmhmm! I bet they’ll be totally shocked that a trainer could write such a good song!”

Kitasan Black nodded rapidly, excitement bubbling out of her.

Daiwa Scarlet’s curiosity grew—along with a slight doubt about her earlier assumptions.

She knew very well that this kouhai’s family had an extraordinary background in music.

Especially her grandfather. That man was a regular on the Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

The Kōhaku Uta Gassen was like the top G1 race of the Shining Star Series—a stage only the finest of the finest in the industry could hope to be invited to.

And to be a frequent guest on such a prestigious stage? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Kitasan Black’s grandfather represented Japanese music.

With that kind of lineage, even if she didn’t pursue a musical path and instead became an Umamusume, Kitasan Black’s judgment of a “good song” had to be on point.

—So not only was he a talented trainer, but he also had musical talent?

What kind of genius was this guy?

Curious and slightly suspicious, Daiwa Scarlet couldn’t help leaning in beside Kitasan Black to get a closer look at the lyrics on the paper.

At the same time, she asked:

“If you’re praising it that much, Kita-chan… what’s the name of the song?”

“Oh right, I got so focused on the lyrics I forgot to check—let me see…”

Slapping her forehead as she realized, Kitasan Black looked up toward the top of the page.

Then, in perfect sync, she and Daiwa Scarlet softly whispered the title together:

“The song’s called… Uchiage Hanabi?”

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

That Night — A KTV Room in Harajuku

A dark-haired girl stood center-stage, microphone in hand, eyes closed as she sang with heartfelt emotion.

“pa tto hi ka tte sai ta

hanabi wo mi te i ta

kitto mada owaranai natsu ga

aimai na kokorowo 

tokashite tsunaida

kono yoru ga tsuzuite hoshikatta…”

It was the climactic final chorus of Uchiage Hanabi—the song that Trainer had given her.

As the last note faded, she raised the mic high, slid a step to the side, and bent into a playful, dramatic bow.

Across from her, two Umamusume with similar features sat frozen in awe.

“Amazing… Not just your voice, Kita-chan, but your trainer’s songwriting too—both are incredible.”

Satono Diamond clapped, eyes sparkling with admiration.

Her elder sister, Satono Crown, clapped too—though her face still showed disbelief.

“Wait, is your trainer… really just 18? And he actually wrote this?”

“Onee-san…” Satono Diamond gave her a reproachful look.

“A-Ah, sorry…”

Satono Crown bowed slightly toward Kitasan Black, hands together apologetically.

“I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just… I’m really, really surprised.”

“I’m not as musically inclined as you are, but even I know writing a song is no easy task.”

“And your trainer… he’s only 18, yet not only is he a competent trainer, he can also write something this good?”

“I’m sorry—I just couldn’t believe it at first.”

“But really… your trainer’s amazing.”

“Hehe~ it’s totally fine.”

Stepping off the small stage, Kitasan Black quickly returned to her usual dorky self, scratching her head awkwardly.

“Honestly, I was surprised too.”

“When I first saw the song, I just thought the lyrics were really nice, the sheet music was solid, and the rhythm and rhymes were all well done.”

“But then I actually sang it—and it was so good I could barely believe it was something my trainer wrote.”

“So, you thought the same, huh…”

Satono Crown looked relieved, but was still struggling to process it all.

“For something that sounds this good, it must’ve taken so much time to write… and your trainer only made it to help you gain a few more fans?”

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