Chapter 136 is the author talking about how they are taking the day off due to them being sick.
Chapter 137: She Won't Let Kitasan Off That Easily
In Kitasan Black's field of vision, just four or five meters to her right and slightly behind, was none other than Deep Impact—the same senpai she had thought was still at the very back just a second ago.
The forward-leaning figure was reflected in her eyes, the distance between them no more than a few meters.
The track thundered beneath Deep Impact's swift, light steps. The muscles in her legs trembled like tightly coiled hydraulic pumps, and with every push against the woodchip surface, she left behind a small crater of scattered debris.
The dark-brown woodchips, light and dry, sprayed out in every direction—some even flying close enough for Kitasan Black to feel them brushing past her face.
Instinctively, she turned her head away, but almost immediately snapped it back—and her pupils shrank sharply.
In the blink of an eye, her senpai had drawn level with her.
Chestnut hair and a long ponytail were stretched taut by the headwind, her bangs blown aside to reveal a smooth forehead and eyes that burned like molten gold.
Her pupils were contracted, locked dead ahead; her nose and lips were tense, her entire face set with focus—so much so that it didn't feel like she was running a practice race, but a full-scale G1 like the Japanese Derby itself.
And yet, even with that fierce concentration, her breathing rhythm, stride length, and cadence were frighteningly stable.
Kitasan Black felt a chill of awe—this impossible early burst of speed felt almost casual, like a post-lunch stroll. For Deep Impact-senpai, it was simply… natural.
So what kind of running style is this? What sort of strategy…?
From the day she debuted—even counting all her training before that—this was the first time Kitasan Black truly felt confused.
Accelerating hard in the opening stage wasn't impossible.
After all, a racer's stamina was at its fullest right out of the gate, and if you could seize a favorable position early, you'd gain an advantage for the rest of the race.
However, the opening phase barely made up a quarter of the total distance.
Even if taking position or forcing others' pace was part of the plan, burning too much stamina early would only hurt later, with the risk of running out of strength before the finish.
Under normal circumstances, the best strategy was to let her control the race tempo for now—then later seize position, or make her move on the final curve or home stretch. That was how she had always raced.
But Deep Impact's acceleration right now was completely outside her expectations.
It was as if her senpai didn't even care that there were still more than 2,000 meters to go—running with a pace usually reserved for the final straight.
From Kitasan Black's perspective, she had already shaken off Special Week-senpai and the others, firmly establishing her lead. There was no reason for Deep Impact-senpai to push this hard.
'So why…? What is she thinking?'
Biting her lip, Kitasan Black tried to reason it out, but no answer came. Just as she began to search her memory for lessons and practice drills, her eyes widened.
Deep Impact-senpai had already passed her.
Even though the exact gap was hard to judge across several meters, the fact was undeniable—her senpai had taken the lead.
And more importantly, the entrance to the first curve was right ahead.
As the opening-phase scramble for position ended and the track began to curve, the racing pack would inevitably contract laterally and stretch out longitudinally.
That meant—unless she was in front—there would be someone blocking her path.
No time left to think. Kitasan Black's throat tightened, her abdominal muscles convulsed, and the breathing rhythm she'd just begun to steady tensed up again.
Her strides shortened, but her step frequency surged in response.
It was the posture of acceleration.
She had to retake the lead before the first curve.
She didn't know exactly how strong Deep Impact-senpai's front running ability was—but she did know that if she handed the lead over to her, with Deep Impact-senpai strength and experience, she'd never get the chance to take it back.
Meanwhile, outside the track—
Silence Suzuka's gaze was fixed on the black-haired girl closing in on the bend. She pressed her lips together, her hand tightening around her arm.
"Damn it… Kita-chan's rhythm—she's losing it."
"This… well, I guess it couldn't really be helped, right?"
Gold Ship, who had just been laughing at Orfevre's poor start, now wore a frown. Her expression had shifted from amusement to genuine concern for her kouhai.
"Didn't expect Deep Impact-senpai to start pushing that hard this early—"
"No—actually, it makes sense."
Daiwa Scarlet suddenly cut in, her tone sharp.
"I didn't notice it at first, but after thinking about it now… Kita-chan was way too careless with her opening pace."
"Careless? No way."
Gold Ship blinked in disbelief. "I mean, I've never run as a front runner myself, but her distance looked fine to me, didn't it?"
"It's different, Gold Ship. I think I get what Scarlet means."
Silence Suzuka furrowed her brow.
"I heard from Special Week that you girls often train with Kita-chan, so you should know her running habits inside and out."
"When Kita-chan picked up speed just now, Special Week and Vodka must've realized what she was trying to do. They knew there was no point in forcing it any further—so they backed off."
"Grass Wonder probably caught on from Special Week's reaction and decided to observe instead."
"But the problem is…"
Her gaze flicked between the figures at the front and back of the race pack, her lips pressing together again.
"Deep Impact and Orfevre… don't think that way."
"With their strength—and their temperaments—they're not the kind to let Kita-chan off that easily."
"That's what Scarlet meant by 'careless.'"
While the three Umamusumes whispered among themselves, Makoto stood silent, eyes fixed on the race unfolding before him.
To help Kitasan Black achieve her training goals, he had discussed race plans with each participant—but those talks never went down to specific, step-by-step instructions.
They weren't like Kitasan; he didn't know their habits deeply enough for that.
Rather than over-direct them and risk disrupting their rhythm, it was better to trust in their skill and experience.
So, just like Gold Ship, he hadn't anticipated Deep Impact unleashing that kind of speed right from the start.
But thinking about it more carefully—it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it was exactly what practice races like this were meant to uncover.
As Daiwa Scarlet and Silence Suzuka had said, after months of training together, Special Week and the others had become very familiar with Kitasan Black's habits.
That familiarity made joint practices and these practice races run smoothly—helping Kitasan get more precise coordination and ideal training results.
But real races would never be that predictable.
Sometimes a front runner would withdraw last-minute and a backup would be substituted in.
Sometimes a racer would take an unexpected risk and use a completely new tactic.
In true competitions, anything could happen—just like Duramente's explosive finish in the Satsuki Sho, or Grass Wonder's surprise surges in the Takarazuka Kinen and Arima Kinen.
No matter how much preparation you did, no one could guarantee that pre-race training would make everything foolproof.
And the upcoming Japanese Derby would be no exception.
Even if the lineup stayed the same, there would always be those wild, unconventional tactics—and sudden bursts of strength you could never see coming.
Deep Impact's spontaneous display of power right now was, in fact, a perfect reinforcement of that lesson.
And just as Daiwa Scarlet and Silence Suzuka had said—this racer had no intention whatsoever of letting Kitasan Black off easy.
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