Chapter 45: Are Those Two... a Perfect Match?!

Chapter 45: Are Those Two... a Perfect Match?!

Half an hour later, in the Tracen Academy cafeteria.

“…I see, so that’s how it is. Good thing I didn’t say anything careless in front of him then, or that would’ve been pretty rude.”

Sitting at the table, Ines Fujin let out a sigh of realization.

“I had no idea that he’s a trainer—he looks so young, yet he’s a trainer that has led Kita-chan to win two consecutive races. That’s impressive.”

“Yeah, yeah! I was really lucky!”

Kitasan Black nodded excitedly, her voice full of gratitude.

“I only entered the academy this year, so I haven’t taken many classes yet and there’s still so much I don’t know. My training results weren’t great either.”

“But Trainer never gave up on me. He’s always patient, whether it’s for training or competitions.”

“I’m so glad I got to meet a trainer like him!”

Across the table, Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka both chuckled warmly.

“Well, it’s not just luck,” Scarlet said, reaching out to gently ruffle Kitasan Black’s hair.

“It’s also because you’re kind and full of heart.”

“Kind… and full of heart?”

Kitasan Black blinked. “Why do you say that, Daiwa-senpai?”

“I think so too,” Vodka chimed in, picking up the thread with a grin.

“Scarlet told me the story the other day, about your fateful meeting, about how you and Yasui-kun first meeting is basically you running into him.”

Immediately, Kitasan Black’s face turned bright red.

“S-Senpai! Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden—?”

“Relax, we’re not teasing you,” Vodka said, waving her hand with a laugh.

“Scarlet confirmed it too. You two bumped into each other because you were both trying to help a child, right?”

“Still, I’m amazed by Yasui-kun’s physical condition. To be able to be fine even after getting hit by a running Umamusume is pretty impressive.”

“But that just shows how kindhearted and proactive you are, Kita-chan.”

“Think about it. If you hadn’t been rushing to save that kid, you would never have bumped into Yasui-kun.”

“If you hadn’t insisted on taking him to the hospital after, you wouldn’t have learned he was a trainer. And there wouldn’t have been a contract signed later on either.”

“Honestly, I think it’s your energy and kindness that moved him to become your trainer.”

Kitasan Black nodded slowly, seeming to reflect on it.

“Yeah… When Teio-senpai said she’d found a trainer to guide me, I thought he’d refuse, just like the others. But he said yes right away. I didn’t expect that at all.”

Vodka smiled and gave a nod of conclusion.

“So you see, luck, kindness, a warm heart—and a lot of little things all lined up to bring the two of you together.”

Then her expression shifted slightly, as if a new thought had come to mind.

“But speaking of luck…”

She turned her gaze back to Kitasan Black, eyes gleaming with a trace of seriousness.

“Kita-chan meeting Yasui-kun… means that she’s really lucky. And when I think about that, I can’t help but wonder…”

“Maybe—just maybe—you’ve got a real shot at the Japanese Derby.”

The topic shift came suddenly, but none of the four Umamusumes at the table looked surprised.

It was a saying well known among trainers and Umamusumes alike:

The fastest Umamusume wins the Satsuki Sho.

The luckiest wins the Japanese Derby.

And the strongest wins the Kikuka Sho.

The logic behind this folk wisdom was sound.

The Satsuki Sho was a 2000-meter race—the shortest of the Triple Crown—and placed heavy emphasis on speed, both in pacing and final sprints.

The Japanese Derby, on the other hand, had carried the weighty reputation of determining the strongest of the generation since its inception.

In truth, its significance often surpassed the other two.

Every Umamusume with a shot at it would do everything in their power to compete.

That meant the pre-qualifying process for the Derby was brutally competitive—only the very best of the classic-year generation could even reach the starting line.

But "classic year" also meant these girls lacked extensive experience. And the Derby’s distance was 2400 meters—400 meters longer than the Satsuki Sho.

Without at least some luck, even the most talented runners could easily fall short of claiming the championship.

The Kikuka Sho was much more straightforward by comparison.

The 3000-meter distance wasn’t something just anyone could handle—let alone competing against a field of strong rivals. The difficulty was self-evident.

“The Japanese Derby, huh…”

Hearing the name of that race, Kitasan Black’s eyes lit up with excitement and longing. But soon, she took a deep breath and shook her head.

“I mean, yeah, I’m really looking forward to that race…”

“But Trainer always tells me that instead of focusing on the future, I should focus on completing each training session, and running my best in every race.”

“And as for luck… I don’t think he really cares much about that kind of thing. He’s more focused on things that are visible, tangible.”

“If it’s Trainer we’re talking about, he’d rather spend time researching different training methods than rely on luck.”

“Like that… that machine thing… uh, what was it called again?”

“Drone! It’s called a drone,” Vodka couldn’t help but laugh as she chimed in.

Beside her, Scarlet and Ines both looked amused as well. Then Scarlet spoke thoughtfully:

“That does sound like Yasui-kun—he gives off a really practical and grounded vibe. Now that you mention it, Kita-chan’s always been pretty down-to-earth too. Honestly, you two are a great match.”

“Mhm! I think so too—”

Kitasan Black had just started nodding excitedly when Vodka suddenly jumped to her feet.

“Wait, wait, wait—did you say they’re a great match?!”

“Scarlet?! What are you saying right now?!

“That kind of thing is still way too early for Kita-chan!”

Before anyone could react, the usually straightforward and cheerful Vodka turned bright red and suddenly clutched her nose.

A moment later, a trickle of crimson began to seep through her fingers—clearly a nosebleed.

“No, no, this topic is way too much for me—Scarlet, what on earth are you thinking…”

“S-Senpai?! Are you okay?!” Kitasan Black panicked at the sight of Vodka’s nosebleed.

Meanwhile, Ines and Scarlet both looked exasperated as they groaned in unison.

“Vodka, you still haven’t fixed this problem?”

“You’re the one with the weird ideas, aren’t you?”

One of them pulled out a tissue and handed it to Vodka while the other began explaining to Kitasan.

“Your senpai here has always been like this. She just can’t handle anything related to romance—whenever it comes up, she gets overly excited and gets nosebleeds.”

“We even took her to the hospital a few times during our school days because of this. Looks like nothing’s changed…”

After the explanation, Scarlet gave a helpless sigh and moved closer to check on Vodka.

“Hey, Vodka, feeling any better now?”

But Kitasan Black had gone stiff.

Romance? But no one was talking about romance just now… right?

Wait—could it have been when they said—

“A good match?”

Th-That kind of phrase doesn’t have to mean romance, does it?!

They were just talking about how Trainer and her have similar personalities…

Vodka-senpai really jumps to conclusions sometimes… Huh?

Just as she was chuckling at her senior’s wild imagination, Kitasan Black suddenly froze.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She snuck a glance at the others—no one was looking at her. Quietly, she lowered her head and looked down at her own feet. Her toes instinctively curled with tension.

Now that she thought about it—on the day of her debut race, with so many people around, Trainer didn’t even hesitate to kneel down and change her shoes for her…

He… really didn’t seem to care about stuff like that. So…

He probably wouldn’t think about things like romance either… right?

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