Uma Musume Pretty Derby: From Getting Knocked Ten Meters Away [93]

In the week following the training race, Gradient Acceleration and sharp uphill turns became the core of Kitasan Black’s special training routine.

With the additional practice, not only did her basic attributes like speed and sprinting noticeably improve, but she also grew more adept at the tactical aspects of racing.

Initially planning to take a routine break during the weekend, Yasui Makoto received an invitation from the Student Council on Friday, asking if he and Kitasan Black would join a special event.

The event was named the “Mini Satsuki Sho,” co-organized by the URA Association, Tracen Academy, and several local Uma Musume elementary schools.

With the Satsuki Sho just a week away, this event aimed to have Uma Musume participating in the upcoming race visit elementary schools as “Junior Trainers,” instructing younger girls and organizing a small-scale competition to spark their interest. It served as an official warm-up for the first Classic race of the year.

Participants would also have live interviews, and both the event and interviews would be broadcast to attract more fans to the official race.

After a brief consideration, Yasui accepted the invitation.

On weekends, he usually had nothing special planned; he’d either stay home playing games or browse through game and anime stores. However, with preparations for the Satsuki Sho in full swing, he’d set aside entertainment and spent nearly all his recent time analyzing past races and training strategies. Taking Kitasan Black out for this event seemed like a good opportunity to change their environment and freshen their moods.

As expected, Kitasan Black, naturally enthusiastic, didn’t hesitate at all upon hearing the news and immediately agreed to participate.

…

Early Saturday morning, Yasui finished getting ready and arrived at the designated Uma Musume elementary school. Before he even approached the entrance, he spotted Kitasan Black amid the bustling crowd.

Normally, he only saw her in the academy uniform or the training and racing outfits required by the school. It was rare to see her in casual clothes, and today she’d obviously dressed up with special care.

She wore a black knitted sweater accented by a violet crystal brooch pinned at her collar, paired neatly with a crimson plaid skirt whose pleats glistened faintly with morning dew.

Satono Diamond was helping her straighten a slightly crooked butterfly-shaped hair clip, while Satono Crown and Crushing Raise enthusiastically snapped pictures on their phones like eager photographers.

Spotting Yasui in the distance, Kitasan’s face instantly brightened with a joyful smile.

“Hey—Trainer-san! Over here, over here!”

Smiling unconsciously, Yasui approached and nodded gently.

“You’re here early, Kita-chan.”

Then, turning to the others, he added warmly, “Good morning, everyone.”

After greeting the other Uma Musume, he turned back to Kitasan and looked her over carefully from head to toe.

“New outfit? It suits you well.”

“Hehe, thank you, Trainer-san… Crown-chan and the others reminded me to dress up today. They picked out the clothes and this necklace for me the last time we went shopping.”

She scratched her head shyly, then quickly perked up again.

“Trainer-san, you can wait at the spectator area or stroll around the school first. We’re about to meet the children soon.”

“So soon?” Yasui glanced inside the schoolyard, surprised. Although it was only around eight on a weekend morning, the school was already bustling as if it were a regular weekday, filled with students, parents, and trainers. With just a quick look, he’d already recognized several fellow trainers.

“It’s actually not that early,” Kitasan explained patiently. “The official event race will start in the afternoon, but we only have the morning to coach the younger Uma Musume. If we don’t start now, we won’t finish everything we want to teach them.”

She tapped the small leather bag slung over her shoulder and continued, full of excitement, “I even brought all the notes Trainer-san has given me, plus all the tips I’ve personally written down. Once we pair up with the kids, I want to teach them seriously and thoroughly.”

Only then did Yasui notice the small, tightly packed brown bag on her shoulder, no doubt filled with those very notes she mentioned. Glancing around again, he saw the Satono sisters similarly equipped, while Crushing Raise appeared empty-handed, carefree as ever.

“Oh, I see… Then you should go ahead. I’ll just wander around a bit.”

Yasui nodded, unable to resist adding another gentle reminder:

“Since I won’t be directly involved today, it’s entirely up to you. But remember, when teaching the younger ones, don’t just recite directly from the notes—think carefully about how we train in practice.”

That was also a key purpose of today’s event.

Kitasan and her peers had learned all their skills from trainers and classroom lessons. Passing on what they’d learned to others was itself a form of training and study.

“Yes! That’s exactly what I planned!” Kitasan nodded vigorously, her enthusiasm clear. “I’ve always carefully followed Trainer-san’s teachings. I’ll definitely do a good job coaching them!”

Yasui smiled warmly. “Alright. Then I’ll be looking forward to seeing how Kita-chan…no, Trainer Kita-chan, performs today.”

“I’ll do my best! Well then, we’re off to meet the children!”

With a confident wave and radiant smile, Kitasan turned, following the Satono sisters into the school building, heading towards their assigned classroom.

Inside, many other Uma Musume were already gathered, and rows of seats were filled with younger Uma Musume, their curious faces eagerly awaiting their new coaches.

Soon after, guided by a teacher, the participants stepped onto the podium one by one. Introducing themselves was part of the planned schedule, giving the children a chance to learn about the older Uma Musume who would coach them before the afternoon’s mini race.

As she waited for her turn, Kitasan nervously fingered the strap of her bag, feeling the heavy weight of the notebooks inside pressing against her shoulder. Although she had reviewed each training note countless times—every lesson Yasui had carefully taught—today she suddenly felt an unfamiliar sense of unease.

She hadn’t told Yasui the whole truth earlier, she was actually quite nervous about this event.

While chatting earlier with the Satono sisters and Crushing Raise, Kitasan had realized they had already pre-selected younger Uma Musume from their respective families to mentor—talented juniors from renowned bloodlines.

Moreover, the actual Satsuki Sho was now just a week away. Though she’d trained so hard, she still couldn’t help worrying about how well prepared she really was or what the outcome might be. Now, she had to guide younger Uma Musume through a “Mini Satsuki Sho”—without Yasui-san’s presence to reassure her—making her fear giving incorrect advice.

Yet despite her anxiety, Kitasan wasn’t discouraged.

Before her debut, many had said she’d never succeed in any race beyond short distances. Yet not only had she proved them wrong, she had achieved three consecutive wins.

These successes were the fruit of Yasui-san’s earnest efforts combined with her own determination. She believed if she wholeheartedly taught the kids everything she had learned, surely the outcome would be one both Yasui-san and she could feel proud of.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she heard the teacher call out her name, gave her cheeks a quick, gentle slap, and confidently walked onto the podium.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Kitasan Black! My dream is to run races that excite the audience as much as a grand festival. I—”

Mid-sentence, Kitasan suddenly paused, her eyes involuntarily drawn toward a particular corner of the classroom.

Is it just my imagination? Somehow…that child’s eyes look incredibly bright…

—

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!