“No problem at all! I’ve been looking forward to this day for ages!”
Kitasan Black thumped her chest confidently, enthusiasm shining in her eyes.
“No matter how hard the training gets, I’ll follow your instructions and stick with it until the very end! That’s the promise I made to you right from the start, Trainer!”
“Good, very spirited.”
Faced with such an energetic Uma Musume, Yasui Makoto felt invigorated as well. He pointed toward the track with a gentle smile.
“Go warm up first. I’ll set up the equipment.”
“Yes! I’ll be off then!”
Snapping to attention and responding loudly, Kitasan gave a cheerful shout as she sprinted onto the track, warming up with energetic cries echoing around the otherwise quiet field.
It was still early, and few Uma Musume had started morning practice yet. Thus, the sports grounds echoed with the lively shouts of the black-haired girl as she completed her warm-up laps.
As she jogged, most of her attention remained focused on running, though occasionally, curiosity drew her gaze back to Yasui.
She hadn’t heard of this “parachute sprint training” before.
When she first heard the name, she couldn’t help but wonder—aren’t parachutes usually used for jumping from high places? How do they relate to running?
It was only after Yasui’s explanation that she understood it involved strapping parachutes to her back to increase wind resistance, thereby improving explosive power over short distances.
Yet, this only brought a new question to mind.
If I’m running with a parachute behind me…won’t it pull me off my feet?
Finishing her required warm-up distance while consumed by curiosity, Kitasan slowed to a jog and approached Yasui, preparing herself for stretching exercises.
Among Yasui’s many instructions, safety was emphasized above all else. He’d told her plenty of cautionary tales about Uma Musume injuring themselves by ignoring safety guidelines.
Carelessness could lead to injury, jeopardizing not only upcoming races but potentially affecting an entire career.
She understood this deeply.
Tokai Teio-senpai’s dazzling performances were among her greatest inspirations. Yet, Teio-senpai had to withdraw from the Kikuka Sho after two undefeated classics, all due to injury. Afterward, she’d suffered emotionally for a long while.
Having witnessed such pain firsthand, Kitasan Black felt heartache for her beloved senpai.
It also served as a constant reminder: she must always follow her trainer’s guidance, never causing worry by recklessly risking injury.
Thus, despite her impatience and curiosity about the parachute training awaiting her, she dutifully completed her stretches and rotations by the fence.
Once done meticulously preparing, excitement surged within her.
“Trainer! Warm-up complete!”
“Good. Put this on.”
Having noticed Kitasan’s readiness, Yasui, who’d already prepared the equipment, gestured for her to approach and handed her a specialized harness resembling a bungee vest.
Kitasan examined it curiously while slipping it on, quickly realizing it felt familiar.
“Eh? This feels a bit like the harness we used during hip-flexion step-down and rhythm training.”
“It’s similar in principle,” Yasui replied, attaching the prepared parachute cords to the harness. “But this is significantly more intense.”
“Don’t worry; it’s perfect for your current condition. You’ve built a solid foundation already. Improving your sprinting now should yield the most noticeable improvements in your next race.”
“And since we’ll have practice races soon, sprint-focused training starting today will give us clear comparative data to adjust our future strategy.”
Lately, Kitasan clearly felt Yasui had begun explaining training rationale in much greater detail.
This shift filled her with pride and excitement, as it meant he increasingly recognized her progress and capabilities. Her trainer now trusted that she could understand things previously too complicated for her.
With renewed motivation, she listened carefully to the final instructions and confidently stepped back onto the track.
Unlike during warm-up, she now felt as if she’d grown an extra “tail.”
Her “new tail” consisted of a cluster of parachutes.
The parachute cords, evenly spaced, stretched from her harness to four separate canopy cloths, each about the size of a tabletop, currently held by Yasui.
Standing four or five meters away and gripping the parachute tops, Yasui pulled the cords taut and raised his voice.
“Ready for your 100-meter parachute sprint training?”
“Yes, Trainer! All set!”
“Alright, on the count of three—three, two…one!”
The instant Yasui released the parachutes on “one,” Kitasan surged forward. The four parachutes instantly snapped open behind her.
Stepping quickly aside to avoid the billowing canopies, Yasui jogged alongside the track, closely monitoring her progress.
It was clear at a glance: though her posture and footwork remained excellent, her speed had dropped significantly, perhaps just a little over half her usual pace.
Typical Uma Musume training speeds hovered around 14 or 15 meters per second. Now, Kitasan was running roughly at 8 or 9 meters per second, a pace even an ordinary human could keep up with briefly.
But Yasui had no intention of matching her pace step-for-step.
Parachutes created considerable and unpredictable resistance, especially for first-timers. Even subtle changes in posture, stride, or wind could alter the parachute’s pull, disrupting the runner’s form.
This exact issue appeared quickly for Kitasan. While she had started off well, her strides soon turned slightly uneven.
Jogging alongside, Yasui’s main purpose was ensuring her safety and evaluating whether adjustments or equipment changes were necessary.
Meanwhile, Kitasan herself quickly realized the vast difference between this training and previous methods.
She’d done strength training before, pulling tires and resistance bands.
Sometimes, she’d even enthusiastically helped push stalled trucks or move heavy cargo around the neighborhood.
Those experiences gave clear, direct sensations of resistance along a straight line.
But this parachute training was entirely different.
Weight-wise, parachutes felt lighter than tires, resistance bands, or trucks—at least, that’s how it initially seemed.
Yet, the resistance generated by these parachutes far surpassed previous methods, distributing force unevenly all over her body. It felt like countless invisible hands tugging her backward relentlessly.
Moreover, even tiny changes in her steps or posture drastically altered the parachute’s pull, completely disrupting her previously stable balance. Now, even maintaining a basic stride proved challenging.
This…this is so hard!
I never imagined…
This special training would be so tough…
Lost in these thoughts, she suddenly heard Yasui’s voice beside her.
“Alright, you can stop now.”
Immediately recognizing his voice, Kitasan instinctively halted and turned toward him.
“T-Trainer…I…”
Feeling unexpectedly disheartened, her ears drooped slightly.
“Was my running just now…really awful?”
Yasui paused thoughtfully, then chose honesty.
“It’s typical for beginners. But to put it bluntly…yes, your form was rather messy.”
—
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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