After noticing Kitasan Black’s unusual behavior, the three people in the office exchanged puzzled looks, each clearly unsure about what was going on.
But soon, Yasui Makoto narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
“President McQueen, could you please raise the drone’s altitude a bit higher…? Yes, right about there.”
The view on the screen expanded considerably, and now all three could see clearly that the black-haired girl hiding in the bushes had her eyes fixed firmly on the sports field.
Out on the field, aside from students casually strolling around, there were some Uma Musume using their break time to train.
“I see…” Yasui muttered quietly, smiling faintly. “Looks like she’s really thinking about her next race…”
He felt sure his guess wasn’t wrong.
Judging by his Uma Musume’s behavior, it appeared she was secretly observing someone.
And indeed, among the Uma Musume currently training on the field was one of her upcoming rivals in the Spring Stakes.
Yasui had already looked into these opponents himself, though he hadn’t planned to share the analysis with Kitasan just yet.
He hadn’t anticipated the black-haired girl would suddenly get curious enough to sneakily investigate on her own.
Just as he considered whether to gently remind his Uma Musume not to be too conspicuous, his eyes landed sharply on one particular figure on the field.
“Kita-chan’s next race… Spring Stakes, right? So that’s what it is.”
Tokai Teio also realized what was going on and gave a bemused smile.
“Well, her enthusiasm is certainly praisable. But the sneaky approach…”
Suddenly Mejiro McQueen laughed softly. “Isn’t she exactly like you back then, Teio? Right before that one Arima Kinen—”
“Stop! Hold on, stop right there!”
With lightning reflexes worthy of an Arima Kinen runner, Tokai Teio crossed her arms and rushed to block McQueen’s words, flustered and irritated.
“Didn’t we agree never to bring that up again? Keep going and I’ll tell everyone your recent weight gain—Mmph!?”
“Ahahaha, today’s weather is just so lovely…! By the way, Yasui-san, you didn’t hear anything just now, did you…?”
Mejiro McQueen hastily changed the subject, sheepishly glancing toward Yasui, who seemed oblivious to their banter.
“What’s wrong, Yasui-san?”
Yasui Makoto had indeed paid no attention to the playful exchange between the two Uma Musume.
Instead, his gaze remained fixed on one specific girl visible on the drone’s screen.
When he heard McQueen’s question, he shook his head slightly, pointing at the display without hiding his thoughts.
“It’s nothing. I was just noticing this particular Uma Musume.”
Hearing that, both McQueen and Teio’s curiosity was immediately piqued. They leaned closer, gazing intently at the tablet. Soon they spoke up almost simultaneously:
“Crushing Raise?”
Then Tokai Teio tilted her head slightly, curious.
“Yasui-san, do you know her personally? If I recall correctly, you haven’t interacted with her since arriving at the academy, right?”
“No, I haven’t,” Yasui shook his head, smiling briefly.
“She’s an Uma Musume from a wealthy and prominent family. Girls like her don’t need to seek trainers—plenty line up eagerly every day, begging for her attention.”
“Someone like me, with no fame or experience, wouldn’t be taken seriously even if I tried. Besides, when I first came to Tokyo, I asked around and heard she had already signed with a trainer long ago. Approaching her after that would be inappropriate.”
“The reason she caught my attention is simply because she’s incredibly strong. Especially her late kick—it’s probably the strongest among her generation.”
Tokai Teio nodded knowingly.
“That’s true—I’ve noticed her late-kick abilities myself. 33.7, 33.7, 34.1, and again 33.7.”
“If memory serves, those were her last-three-furlong times from her first four races after debut. Late kicks at this level place her among the top of her generation. Even more impressively, she’s extremely consistent.”
“If she can keep performing like this, she’ll undoubtedly become a famous Uma Musume in the future.”
“But…” She paused thoughtfully. “Kita-chan’s next race is the Spring Stakes, right? Crushing Raise doesn’t have any races scheduled for March. Yasui-san, you probably don’t have to worry about her just yet.”
Yasui nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips.
“I don’t know if it counts as worry exactly. But Crushing Raise has signed up for the Classic Triple Crown. That means she’ll be facing Kita-chan in April’s Satsuki Sho.”
“Unfortunately for Kita-chan, one of the tougher opponent types for her is precisely a strong late kicker. Naturally, I need to keep an eye on her. Of course, it’s not just Crushing Raise—I’ve thoroughly looked into every possible rival Kita-chan might face.”
Both Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen immediately understood his meaning, and they simultaneously showed expressions of admiration and reassurance.
“You really are extraordinary, Yasui-san. Most trainers rarely think this far ahead. Kita-chan must be lucky to have you guiding her.”
After exchanging a quick glance, Tokai Teio cautiously ventured further:
“Since you’ve already pinpointed Kita-chan’s weaknesses, I assume you’ve prepared countermeasures?”
Unconsciously, Yasui’s gaze drifted toward the black-haired girl on-screen as he answered carefully:
“I wouldn’t say it’s a hundred percent guaranteed, but yes—I’ve considered this quite early on.
Both of you have known Kita-chan for a long time. As Uma Musume with exceptional talent and plenty of experience yourselves, you probably realized she’s the type who reaches maturity a bit later than others, right?”
Tokai Teio nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I asked several doctors about her before. They confirmed Kita-chan’s muscle density and overall physique are far superior to average. With her larger frame, her physical condition and strength will eventually surpass many of her peers.”
“However, she also needs more time to fully mature before she can fully control her power and effectively use various running techniques in races.”
“Also…” Teio hesitated briefly. “Several trainers noticed this long ago but struggled to find a suitable solution.”
“Theoretically, the only possibly effective approach would be Shimizu-san’s infamous ‘Three-Hill Repeat’ training regimen. I’d thought about consulting Trainer Shimizu and briefly spoke to him. But I’ve always felt his training might be too harsh for Kita-chan. After finding you, Yasui-san, I reconsidered.”
Outwardly, Yasui remained composed, but internally, he felt somewhat critical.
He knew about the “Three-Hill Repeat” training that Teio mentioned and agreed wholeheartedly—it was excessively harsh.
No, “harsh” wouldn’t quite cover it—it was essentially hellish.
The training involved three consecutive 1,000-meter runs, each with a vertical climb of 32 meters—comparable to ascending about ten stories per repetition. Completing a full 3,000 meters on such steep slopes was agonizingly difficult.
More crucially, this wasn’t a one-time regimen—every training session had to repeat this punishing routine, without exception.
Frankly speaking, anyone without an iron-clad physique would break down.
Even though Yasui had analyzed Kitasan Black’s physical capabilities and confirmed she could theoretically withstand such extreme training, he’d never seriously considered implementing it.
Not to mention, he had better, far more advanced methods at his disposal.
“I started addressing Kita-chan’s power issues from the very first day I began training her. But results aren’t visible overnight.”
Avoiding openly criticizing another trainer’s methods, Yasui calmly continued:
“In parallel, Kita-chan has already begun practicing basic front-running techniques under Daiwa Scarlet-san’s guidance.”
“With Vodka-san’s help, I believe the current training is sufficient to tackle rivals with strong late kicks for now.”
“After all, speaking purely of late kicks—Vodka-san’s performance in the final three furlongs of the Tokyo Yushun Derby was truly explosive, a blistering 33 seconds flat.”
—
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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