“…Eh?”
Kitasan Black froze.
She hadn’t expected such an answer—and frankly, she had no idea what it even meant.
“The fastest, the strongest, the supreme.”
Crushing Raise repeated calmly, her indifferent expression gradually becoming serious.
“To become an Uma Musume like that—that’s the reason I was born into this world.”
“It’s my mission and my destiny.”
“Whether I succeed or fail.”
“To chase the dream passed down through my family—the highest stage called the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe…”
“That alone is my goal.”
Having finished speaking, she lowered her head and quietly resumed eating.
“The…Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe?”
Once again, Kitasan stared blankly, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
“I think Trainer might’ve mentioned that before, but…what exactly is it?”
Crushing Raise’s brown ears twitched slightly as she glanced upward, a look of disbelief crossing her face.
“You…don’t know about the Arc?”
“Ahahaha, well, uh…” Kitasan chuckled awkwardly, scratching her cheek embarrassedly.
“I’m not exactly the best student, you know? Is that race really famous or something?”
Crushing Raise stared at her silently for a long moment, before suddenly knitting her brow and cupping her chin in thought.
“Now that you mention it…if I had to say specifically why it’s so important…I guess I don’t actually know either.”
“Ehh? Even you don’t know, Raise-chan? Then all that stuff about dreams and destiny just now…?” Kitasan stared in confusion.
After a moment of deep contemplation, Crushing Raise’s cool, indifferent expression returned, and she stood up, holding her tray.
“But it doesn’t matter. My parents, Air Groove-neesan, and everyone around me say it’s the ultimate stage for an Uma Musume. That’s enough.”
“Neesan, I’ve finished eating. I’ll head back first.”
The second statement was directed toward Air Groove at the other table.
However, she’d barely taken a step before Air Groove’s irritated voice rang out sharply.
“Stop right there!”
“You call that tiny bit of food enough? Do you have any idea how much training you did today?”
“Sit down and finish your meal properly. You need those carbs and protein!”
“And don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning—I already told you, no sneaking out for extra training without my permission!”
Crushing Raise stopped mid-step, disappointment clearly written across her face.
“Tch… Busted again, huh…”
…Ahahaha, Raise-chan, you weren’t exactly hiding your intentions very well, you know?
Quietly observing, Kitasan couldn’t help but feel that beneath her cool exterior, her new classmate and rival seemed surprisingly airheaded.
Thinking quickly, she stood up and nodded toward Air Groove.
“Air Groove-senpai, how about I just share some of my dinner with Raise-chan? I can always order more, and I’ll make sure she finishes properly.”
As she spoke, Kitasan firmly guided Crushing Raise back to the table and pushed several portions of her food onto the other girl’s tray.
Nearby, Air Groove sighed loudly, turning toward Yasui Makoto with a helpless expression.
“Honestly… She’s such a handful. I envy you a bit, Trainer Yasui—Kitasan-san seems so obedient by comparison.”
“Hahaha, well… I suppose I’m just lucky.”
…
After agreeing to Air Groove’s proposal, Yasui Makoto didn’t alter the training schedule much.
Crushing Raise’s specialized training leading up to the Satsuki Sho primarily focused on strength conditioning. Aside from basic running practice, she mostly spent her time indoors at the gym or swimming pool.
When training alongside her, Kitasan’s routine also centered around strength conditioning, while her sprint drills continued individually.
Thus, for the next several days, a familiar sight on the training grounds was Kitasan Black racing along, pulling parachutes behind her.
In pure numerical terms, Yasui was extremely satisfied with the progress achieved through this specialized training.
Previously, Kitasan’s maximum sprint speed in training had hovered around 17.8 meters per second. Under actual race conditions—considering opponents, environment, and stamina—her effective performance was about 17.4 to 17.6 m/s.
Now, after less than a week of intensive drills, she had steadily approached speeds of nearly 18 meters per second during training.
At first glance, an increase of barely 0.2 m/s might not seem impressive.
However, translated into actual distance, that meant approximately a 3.5-meter advantage. In a close race, that distance could easily decide victory or defeat.
Considering sprinting had always been one of Kitasan’s weaker areas, even incremental improvements like this were genuinely exciting.
Still, Yasui acknowledged this special training was far from complete. Additional adjustments, reinforcement, and consistency training would be essential.
The previously arranged practice race served precisely as an ideal benchmark to gauge progress and optimize future training.
The practice race was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Since holding a race would temporarily occupy the track, Yasui had filed an official application to reserve it, as required by school regulations.
Given Daiwa Scarlet and the others had agreed well in advance, Yasui had submitted the application to the Student Council several days prior. Tokai Teio had promptly approved it without issue.
But when Friday afternoon arrived, Yasui found himself facing something unexpected.
At that moment, the usually bustling training grounds—normally full of Uma Musume and trainers—appeared unusually empty, a broad expanse of vibrant green.
Starting gates had been neatly positioned by the grounds staff.
Aside from the quiet emptiness of the field itself, only a small gathering stood near the entrance: Yasui Makoto, Kitasan Black, Daiwa Scarlet, Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and the others participating in the race.
However, the viewing stands across from them were entirely packed with an excited, cheering crowd of students, trainers, and even teachers—easily numbering over two thousand. It seemed nearly the whole academy had turned out.
From a distance, Yasui could clearly hear enthusiastic cheering and see banners and pom-poms waving energetically.
The banners predominantly featured Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, Special Week, and Gold Ship’s names, while enthusiastic cheers filled the air, all aimed at those renowned Uma Musume.
Observing the lively scene, Yasui muttered incredulously to himself:
“…This is just a practice race. How’d it turn into such a spectacle?”
Tokai Teio, who had been enthusiastically encouraging Kitasan, turned toward Yasui upon hearing him.
“Normally, practice races wouldn’t attract this kind of crowd. But whose fault is it, Trainer Yasui, for inviting so many big-name stars?”
Mejiro McQueen nodded in agreement:
“She’s right, you know. Special Week-san and the others are some of our school’s most celebrated Uma Musume—and Gold Ship-san is arguably among the strongest active racers around.”
“There must be countless students who idolize them. Many probably became Uma Musume in the first place because of them.”
“Now they not only get to see their idols in person, but even watch them race. How could there not be excitement?”
Yasui smiled wryly, not having anticipated such a turnout.
It wasn’t that he didn’t grasp Special Week and the others’ popularity—he simply lacked experience and hadn’t truly realized how much attention their fame would attract.
Still, he quickly adjusted his expectations. After all, outside of racing, these Uma Musume were genuine celebrities, not just in Japan but internationally. Even one alone would cause a stir—let alone several gathered together at once.
After realizing this, Yasui turned his attention back toward Kitasan Black, curious how his Uma Musume was handling this sudden, overwhelming atmosphere.
—
This is a fan translation of 赛马娘：从被撞飞十米开始 by 百升飞上天 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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