Chapter 105: Opening
For some reason, even though Makoto's words didn't sound any different from usual, Kitasan Black felt her heart settle at once.
And with that calm came a firmer confidence in the race to come.
Carrying that resolve, she said her goodnights with gratitude and joy, then drifted into a deep sleep.
. . .
As the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown and the crown jewel among graded stakes, the Satsuki Sho was, of course, scheduled as the headline—Race 11 in the afternoon.
Before that, from morning to midday, came the final preparations and the paddock parade.
Unlike other races, this G1's parade was preceded by a press conference in a dedicated hall.
The stage was lined with the Satsuki Sho entrants, the floor filled with eager reporters—the atmosphere bustling like a major press event.
After the interviews ended, while walking down the corridor leading to the paddock, Kitasan Black glanced at the packed spectator stands through the window. Excitement welled up in her chest—she clenched one fist while tugging on Satono Crown with the other.
"Uaa~! This is just like what I used to see on TV! So this… this is what a G1 feels like!"
"Alright, alright, calm down a little, Kita-chan…"
Crown chuckled at her, then looked toward the crowd herself, eyes flashing with wonder.
"Though, you're not wrong… I think even at breakfast this morning, there were already people coming in."
"Well yeah—this is a G1!"
Kitasan Black replied matter-of-factly:
"The people you saw this morning must've been the ones who camped out all night outside the track!"
Crown went speechless.
"…You make it sound like it wasn't you and Diamond who did that. Honestly, you two were bold enough to actually camp out on the ground outside the racecourse…"
Kitasan Black scratched her head sheepishly and gave a silly laugh.
Back in elementary school, she had already started idolizing Tokai Teio, while Satono Diamond similarly admired Mejiro McQueen.
From then on, neither of them ever missed a single race of their idols.
The day before, they'd bring sleeping mats, hot drinks, and rice balls, camping out in line overnight at the track gates.
Satono Crown, of course, knew about all this—and had more than once spoken up for her stubborn little sister's star-chasing antics at home.
So after a little teasing, she turned back toward the noise and excitement outside.
"I've been to races in person too, but it still feels like it was only yesterday… and now, it's already my turn to be running in a G1."
"Yeah… it almost feels like a dream, doesn't it?"
Kitasan Black sighed in agreement, then glanced to the other side.
"Hey, Duramente-chan, have you ever felt like this befo—Duramente-chan?"
Ever since training together at the start of the month, Kitasan Black felt she had gotten close to Duramente. She already knew her new friend's dream, her favorite foods, even her little quirks during practice.
Including what she was seeing now.
Arms bent like she was ready to sprint, those long legs lifted high one after the other, knees rising, shins snapping out—a peculiar drill.
High knees with kicks.
Duramente's expression was taut, her eyes fixed forward.
Kitasan Black realized immediately: Duramente was nervous.
Whenever her friend grew anxious—especially about training or racing—she would slip into this odd high-knee routine.
When asked about it once, Duramente had only glanced back with her usual cold stare.
"…Were you just talking to me?"
"Ah—hahaha, n-no, nothing important! I was just… oh right, Duramente-chan, did you get enough breakfast?"
Afraid of making her embarrassed if she got called out, Kitasan Black laughed awkwardly and hurriedly changed the subject.
"1,000 grams of oatmeal, four slices of whole-grain bread with dark chocolate spread, two bananas, two boiled eggs, two carrots, and two corn on the cob."
The calm, orderly reply came from Duramente as she fixed her gaze on Kitasan Black, her footsteps unconsciously easing back into a normal pace.
"This was arranged by Groove-nee, and I think it's an ideal breakfast—fast energy supply, easy to digest, minimal gastrointestinal burden."
"R-right… Duramente-chan, you're just as meticulous as always. My breakfast was… uh, pretty much the same."
Kitasan Black laughed it off again. Seeing her friend—and soon-to-be rival—relax a little, she herself felt the tension lift.
She was just about to keep the topic on breakfast when she suddenly noticed, on the wall-mounted screen opposite the window in the hallway, a deep, stirring voice began to play:
"Satsuki Sho, 52nd running;
The Incline Invicta—
Mihono Bourbon.
Common sense itself is the enemy…"
Involuntarily, Kitasan Black's eyes shifted to the screen.
There, the footage showed an Umamusume sprinting to the finish.
Her G1-winning form gleamed in silver, ears, collar, arms, waist, and legs all adorned with tech-heavy mechanical devices.
Like a character straight out of a cyberpunk novel, the Umamusume charged with astounding speed across the finish line labeled Satsuki Sho.
"It's… Bourbon-senpai…"
Kitasan Black had just murmured this when the screen changed again, both voice and image.
"Satsuki Sho, 72nd running;
The Unpredictable—
Gold Ship.
The unsinkable vessel weighs anchor and sets sail…"
On screen appeared a silver-gray–haired Umamusume.
Just as the narration described, on a mud-choked track where every other runner kept to the outside lanes, she alone charged down the inner rail, surging from last to first in the blink of an eye.
"Satsuki Sho, 61st running;
The Superluminal Princess—
Agnes Tachyon.
The legend that exceeds the speed of light, dazzling the world and driving rivals to despair."
With that narration, the screen lit up with the image of a white-clad Umamusume breaking the tape.
Her face wore a manic grin that caught every eye—madness laced with the joy of victory.
This was a highlight reel produced by the URA Association for the Twinkle Series. Kitasan Black had seen it half a month ago.
But this time, after the scenes of past champions seizing their Satsuki Sho crowns, something new appeared.
Moments from the recent Little Satsuki Sho event, clips of her running down the school hallways in uniform, training hard on the athletic field in sportswear…
And most striking of all—her current training for the decisive race.
Every shot, without exception, featured her.
And not only her—Satono Crown, Duramente, REAL STEEL, all appeared one after another.
If not for her late-night call with her Trainer, seeing her own figure on screen as the one poised to take the stage might have made Kitasan Black nervous.
But now, instead of nerves, her heart surged with anticipation for the race about to begin—and for the shining stage that symbolized victory.
With that eager confidence, she noticed her friends and rivals by her side had also stopped in their tracks, gazes fixed on the screen—faces either lit with excitement or taut with tension, watching the images of their senpai… and themselves.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1].
Latest Post In Patreon: Chapter 135: False Start[2]
Link to the chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/uma-musume-it-i-141501318[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/uma-musume-it-i-141501318
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/uma-musume-it-i-141501318
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1615744?view=condensed