After hearing Yasui Makoto out, the Umamusume on the screen all fell into thought for a while. Then, just as she had at the start of the video call, Tokai Teio spoke first.
“Looking at it that way, Yasui, you really do have a very clear plan.“
“And going by your line of thinking… it’ll probably be quite a while yet before you seriously consider an overseas campaign?”
“That’s right. What I’m preparing now is actually for an overseas campaign too.”
Yasui Makoto did not hide it. He answered frankly, “And more than that, once the time really comes, there’ll only be more things to do.“
“If we want to win races outside Japan, then besides adapting to the local tracks, we’ll also need to make targeted adjustments for jet lag, eating habits, and the styles of our opponents.“
“All of that requires systematic training.“
“And right now, my experience is still limited, and so are the resources I have at my disposal. I really don’t have the spare capacity to handle more on top of everything else.“
“Besides, I’ll probably be signing an agreement with Almond Eye before long. Once that happens, it won’t just be Kita-chan I’m guiding.”
The polite refusal in those words was already quite clear, and Tokai Teio and the others understood the difficulty involved.
An overseas campaign sounded simple, but the issues it entailed were anything but.
Tracks in different countries and regions differed in surface composition, curve radius, straight length, and more. An Umamusume would need time to adapt in advance.
Adjusting to jet lag was no easy matter either. One mistake could throw off an Umamusume’s body clock and affect her condition on race day.
Eating habits were another major problem.
Every place had its own food culture. Getting an Umamusume to adapt quickly to new food, ensuring proper nutrition while not upsetting her digestive system, all of that required an enormous amount of care.
As for opponent styles, taking European and American Umamusume as an example, the fiercer level of competition there meant their training placed greater emphasis on explosiveness and strength, their training intensity was higher, and their race programs were more varied as well.
By comparison, Japanese Umamusume might not be much worse in terms of speed or technique, but in direct physical competitiveness, they were clearly at a disadvantage.
Which meant that to win overseas, one had to thoroughly study opponents’ styles and find ways to deal with them.
“So it really is exactly what we thought before.”
Tokai Teio narrowed her eyes slightly, admiration flickering in them as she said with certainty, “Yasui, you’ve already thought very deeply about overseas campaigns and all the related issues, and you’ve prepared for them thoroughly.“
“By the way, the Almond Eye you mentioned… that’s Lord Kanaloa’s junior, right?”
When Yasui Makoto nodded, Tokai Teio nodded too. A thoughtful look crossed her face as she said slowly, “Chairwoman Yukishiro actually brought this up before. She even specifically asked us what we thought of you.”
That made Yasui Makoto blink, surprise flashing through his eyes.
He really had not expected the academy chairwoman—normally such an imposing figure at the academy, and someone who oversaw so many affairs—to pay this much attention to a trainer as green as he was.
Still, he quickly recovered and thought it over. Most likely, this was because of Almond Eye.
After all, the last time he had seen that black-haired chairwoman with her capable bearing and brisk, decisive style in person, it had been when she personally came to pick Almond Eye up.
He had even looked into it afterward and found that there really was some blood relation between the chairwoman and Almond Eye.
If so, then as an elder, it was only natural for her to care about Almond Eye and attach importance to her.
Tokai Teio seemed to sense what Yasui Makoto was thinking. She smiled lightly, then continued, “The few of us here think very highly of you, Yasui.”
“So when the chairwoman asked for our opinion back then, we suggested that you might be a good choice to serve as Almond Eye’s trainer.”
“And judging from how things stand now, the chairwoman has probably already had in-depth discussions with Almond Eye’s family, and her family has agreed to it as well.”
“In that case, you, Kita-chan, and Almond Eye should find some time to sit down and talk things over properly.”
“See whether you can clear out a block of time in your training plans and race schedule after the New Year.”
Hearing that, Yasui Makoto was full of surprise, but his mind was also racing as he considered the intent behind those words.
Leaning forward slightly, he tested the waters. “Clear out time? Teio-kaichou, do you mean…?”
After exchanging a few looks with Mejiro McQueen and the others, communicating silently with their eyes, Tokai Teio refocused on Yasui Makoto and said in an even, consultative tone, “Well, you’ve probably already guessed some of it.”
“With the results you and Kita-chan have achieved by now, the Association and the board are obviously hoping that Kita-chan can take part in overseas races. That would greatly raise the international profile of our Twinkle Series.”
“And not just Kita-chan. We’ll also be speaking with her peers one by one about this afterward.”
“It’s just that compared to other trainers, your training style is very distinctive.”
“And like you said just now, you’re still lacking a certain amount of experience at the moment, and the resources at your disposal are still somewhat limited.”
“So we came up with a solution.”
“That is, rather than thinking about directly entering races right away, you and Kita-chan should first go abroad and spend some time adapting to the environment there and getting a feel for the racing atmosphere, while also observing her condition.”
“At the same time, you can use the opportunity to build up some firsthand experience with overseas training and racing.”
“Of course, once you’ve signed an agreement with Almond Eye, then it’ll be the three of you going together.””
Go overseas together for a while…
Yasui Makoto was even more taken aback now, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.
“Isn’t this… study abroad on the Association’s dime? Oh, right—expenses for going overseas would be covered by the Association and the academy, wouldn’t they?”
Tokai Teio and the others had been waiting for Yasui Makoto’s reaction to the plan, but they had never expected his attention to land on the cost of it. One after another, surprised looks appeared on their faces, their eyes full of disbelief.
At that moment, Orfevre finally rolled her eyes and cut in,
“Oh, come on, Yasui!”
“Kitasan’s already won five graded races by now. Three of them were G1s, and that includes the Arima Kinen.”
“From prize-money shares alone, you’re already one of the richest nineteen-year-olds in all Japan, aren’t you?”
“So why are you still hung up on whether it’s on the Association’s dime or not?”
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to use ‘adapting to the environment’ as an excuse for a taxpayer-funded vacation, like that idiot Golshi?”
Yasui Makoto choked on that and could not help firing back, “Oh, come on, Orfevre. You two are family, aren’t you? Is it really okay for you to talk about Gold Ship like that?”
“I’m just saying. Hey—you’d better not rat me out!”
She shot Yasui Makoto a glare, then nodded and said, “Anyway, that’s the plan.
“Later on, you, Kita-chan, and… Almond Eye, right?
“You three talk it over, then give us your answer. We’ll be waiting.”
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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