Chapter 36: Led by the Nose

Chapter 36: Led by the Nose

Kitasan Black left the appearance stage red-faced, her smile frozen stiff, one hand awkwardly waving while the other tightly gripped the zipper that refused to budge.

Once behind the scenes and entering the underground tunnel leading to the racecourse, she glanced around—the nearest other Umamusume was more than a hundred meters away.

“Aaaaaahh this is so humiliating! Why did the zipper have to get stuck?! Trainer must’ve seen it for sure! Ugh, this is the worst!”

She pressed her forehead to the wall, flailing her limbs like she had no idea what to do with them, gritting her teeth as she hissed out her frustration.

After a bit of quiet writhing, she stood upright, lifted her chin, clenched her fists, and exhaled deeply.

“Okay, okay, silver lining—it wasn’t as bad as the time I put my shoes on backwards—Still, this is so embarrassing!”

She curled up against the wall again for a few more moments.

Then came the announcement over the tunnel intercom:

“All participants, please proceed to the starting gates. I repeat, all participants, please proceed to the starting gates.”

She froze at the voice, then quickly slapped her cheeks to reset her focus, took a few deep breaths, and broke into a jog toward the tunnel exit.

Her previously introduced competitors were already making their way toward the gates. With no time left to dwell on it, she sped up.

Suddenly, as she passed one of the other Umamusume, a voice called out to her—strained, like the speaker was holding back a laugh.

“Kita-chan…”

“Huh? Oh—Rasen-san!”

Seeing it was Satono Rasen, Kitasan halted and gave her a bright, eager wave.

“Can I help you with something?”

Rasen tilted her head and pointed at Kitasan Black’s upper body, still speaking in that odd, held-back voice.

“Um… did you forget to take off your warm-up jacket?”

Kitasan Black froze.

“…”

“…”

“….”

She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

She couldn’t see her face, but the burning heat in her cheeks told her exactly what color it must be: bright crimson.

Sensing Kitasan Black’s growing distress, Rasen kindly offered,

“The staff’s still nearby, and there’s time before the gates close—if you hurry, you can take off the jacket and give it to them…”

She trailed off.

Kitasan Black was tugging at the zipper again. Her face was turning an even deeper shade of red.

Clearly, it still wouldn’t budge.

Rasen took a step closer, concerned.

“Do you want me to—”

RRRRIP!!

The sudden tearing sound ripped through the tunnel like thunder.

Rasen stood frozen as she watched Kitasan Black, eyes wide in disbelief.

The black-haired girl had straight-up torn the jacket in half with brute force.

Still red-faced, Kitasan gave her a sheepish smile, clutching what was left of the jacket to cover her face as she bolted toward the nearby staff.

Rasen stood stunned for a moment longer, then couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head.

But her expression quickly turned serious.

“Still so clumsy… but that strength… Just like what trainer said—I’ll need to keep a close eye on that.”

Kitasan Black’s impromptu “costume explosion” had not gone unnoticed—plenty of spectators caught it, and the wave of laughter it triggered was only natural.

Makoto saw it too.

So did Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Vodka furrowed her brow in thought.

“Kitan-chan’s still got that monster strength… Must be hard to control it during races, huh?”

Scarlet nodded with a frown.

“That’s how it felt when I raced alongside her.” 

“She can hold a steady pace if needed—her sense of rhythm is great for that.”

“But when she needs to accelerate or decelerate, it takes her too long.”

“It’s manageable during training, but in a real race…”

She shook her head slightly.

“Her opponents won’t give her that kind of room.”

As she finished, she glanced pointedly at Makoto.

Vodka did too.

It was clear they wanted to know:

So, Trainer—what’s your plan to deal with that?

Makoto did have one.

But he said nothing.

Because the race was about to begin, explaining it now would take more time than they had.

Compared to explaining it now, perhaps it would be easier for the two Umamusume to witness it with their own eyes.

With their level of talent and experience, they were bound to understand what he was thinking.

"And now, everything is ready. The racers are lining up at the gate!"

“Tokyo Racecourse, turf, 2000 meters—conditions race…”

“Start!”

With the announcer’s cry, fourteen silhouettes burst out from the gates in a blur of motion.

Just like before, the entire pack of Umamusume instinctively angled toward the inner rail.

Suddenly, the commentary shifted in tone.

"One of the racers stumbled at the start—she's half a beat late!"

“It’s the third most popular—Minnesota!”

“But she quickly recovers, living up to her reputation and past performances. She’s already settled into the rear of the main group!”

“Now leading the race—surprisingly—is Toki, ranked tenth in popularity!”

“She burst out of the gate like a rocket and snatched the front!”

“From the outside—here she comes! Charging forward—it’s Satono Rasen!”

“She’s closing in on Toki—does she intend to take the lead?!”

“No—it looks like Satono Rasen only accelerated briefly. She’s settled into third place.”

“Running second now is Saint Martin.”

“Hot on the heels of the front pack is Kitasan Black! She’s taken a much more forward position this time!”

From the spectator stands, Vodka nodded sharply.

“As expected. Scarlet, you noticed it too, right?”

“Yeah,” Scarlet nodded in agreement. “Toki is taking the lead again.”

“But she’s no front-runner by nature. Her stride, her positioning habits, her pacing—all of it’s unsuited for front runner racing style.”

“All her previous races were short distance sprints. She’s used to blazing fast tempos. It’s no surprise she slipped into her usual rhythm at the start.”

“...Unless her trainer told her to take the lead on purpose. If that’s the case and the others don’t react fast enough, they’ll end up dancing to her tune.”

“Especially…”

She trailed off, exchanging a brief glance with her friend. Then her eyes flicked toward Makoto.

Strange. He should be well aware that Kitasan isn’t good at precise speed control. Races that start with a hard break and demand immediate pace adjustments are rough for her. And last she checked, he hadn’t started training her in that area yet…

So why does he look so calm?

Scarlet furrowed her brows.

As one of the finest Front Runners in recent generations—perhaps even in the entire industry—she was confident in her assessment.

It wasn’t that she doubted the trainer’s talent. She had seen more than enough to acknowledge his ability.

Still, no matter how skilled or promising he was, Kitasan Black was only in her second race. That was an unshakable fact.

She lacked the finesse needed to handle tight pacing. And now she was in a race that practically required it.

So this calmness from her trainer—this confidence—where was it coming from?

Her frown deepened as her eyes followed the pack racing ahead.

She had no intention of asking Makoto directly.

Whatever others could do, she could do better—and come out on top. That had always been her creed.

She believed she’d figure it out herself.

But the longer the race went on, the tighter her brows knit.

She still couldn’t figure out what Makoto was planning.

So… was there no plan at all?

No. That can’t be it. I’m not imagining things—he has shown skill.

But it’s already nearing the third corner, and Kitasan still hasn’t made a move. Could it be that she’s just going to follow behind the others all the way?

Wait a second.

Follow behind…?

Scarlet’s eyes widened in sudden realization, a sharp gasp slipping from her lips.

“Satono Rasen?!”

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