A short while later, along the outer grass path surrounding Lake Okutama.
Whether it was due to coordination between the URA Association and Tracen Academy, or simply for landscaping reasons, the path around the lake was smooth concrete, flanked by equally flat grass.
Concrete pavement was obviously faster, but grass was definitely closer to actual track conditions.
Thus, at this moment, two figures dashed swiftly across the grass, one closely tailing the other.
In front, with short black hair and wearing the Tracen Academy tracksuit, was Kitasan Black.
Behind her, a petite Uma Musume with long black hair, wearing the same tracksuit, was Rice Shower.
Watching from their makeshift starting line, it was clear Kitasan was very aware of the senpai trailing her—every few dozen or hundred meters, she'd glance back.
Rice Shower, however, was entirely focused. Her violet eyes locked onto the figure ahead, glued tight, unwavering.
Observing this paired run, Yasui Makoto nodded slightly, making notes on his tablet.
"Rice Shower-san's tracking ability…really is impressive," he muttered quietly while writing.
Standing beside him, also watching the run, Silence Suzuka nodded.
"Yes. Rice's style is characterized by extreme concentration.
"It's... actually quite rare. After all, the track environment is so complicated; it's easy to lose focus for a moment. To concentrate at this level…"
"Rice might be the only one able to do it… Ah, among the Uma Musume I know, at least."
Hearing this, Yasui Makoto fell into contemplation.
Just as Suzuka had said, during an actual race, factors like opponents' movements, the feel of the track, lighting, spectators' cheers…
There were countless things that could distract an Uma Musume. Resistance to these distractions was itself a part of training.
Kitasan Black had also undergone this type of training, though she had talent here and didn't need extensive drills.
Whether in previous races or practice, she was always able to remain completely focused, never really getting distracted.
And yet, the fact that during this long-distance paired run she kept glancing back at Rice Shower actually highlighted how distinctive the latter's running style—or tactics—were.
Yasui jotted down his thoughts on the tablet, then turned toward Silence Suzuka.
"I remember Suzuka-san hasn't raced against Rice-san before, but you've trained together, right? If Suzuka-san were facing a situation like this, what would you do?"
Suzuka's eyes flickered slightly. "Yasui-san thinks…Kita-chan might encounter a situation like this in future races?"
"There's a good chance," Yasui nodded.
"Yes… Considering Kita-chan's current popularity, strength, and that she's a front-runner… the possibility does exist."
Silence Suzuka pondered briefly, then grew apologetic and troubled.
"Though we trained together at the academy… I'm truly sorry."
"Rice-san and I excel at different distances, and my way of leading the race differs from Kita-chan's."
"In my own case, to escape Rice-san's persistent tracking… my only option would probably be increasing the gap even further."
"And even then, only in mid-distance races. I don't have much experience with longer distances."
Hearing that, Yasui Makoto grew thoughtful again.
From past race records, Suzuka and Rice indeed specialized in different race lengths.
Suzuka excelled at mid-distance races around 2,000 meters. At this distance, she'd achieved remarkable results, including victories with massive leads like ten-length margins.
Rice Shower, however, specialized in longer-distance events and excelled in closely tracking her strongest rivals.
In both the 3,000-meter Kikuka Sho and the 3,200-meter Tenno Sho (Spring), Rice had tightly marked Mihono Bourbon—who'd won the Satsuki Sho and Tokyo Yushun undefeated—as well as Mejiro McQueen, a two-time Tenno Sho (Spring) winner.
Even against opponents of such caliber, Rice had still managed to win.
"So…could Kita-chan possibly increase the gap even further?"
After thinking it over, Yasui looked at Suzuka again.
"For example…by over ten lengths?"
Silence Suzuka fell silent.
A ten-length gap, for a front-runner, was undoubtedly achievable only through a big escape.
If such a massive lead could be established before the final straight, unless opponents possessed truly top-tier late kicks, the chances of being caught were slim to none.
This was exactly Suzuka's own specialty; Yasui had even asked her about it when they'd first arrived.
Her initial reaction had been an absolute "no."
Precisely because she was a specialist in big escapes, Suzuka understood intimately both how to achieve victory with this tactic and how dangerous it was.
The faster one ran, the more pressure was placed on the legs, increasing the risk of injury if one wasn't extremely careful.
Suzuka herself had suffered such an injury during her career. Had she not received prompt treatment and a smooth rehabilitation, she would have been forced to retire early.
Thus, whether to Yasui Makoto and Kitasan Black or to any other junior who'd sought her advice, she consistently discouraged casually attempting a big escape.
But after repeated discussions and Yasui's persuasion these past few days, along with observing Kitasan's current training, Suzuka began to reconsider.
Attempting a big escape didn't depend only on oneself, but also on the opponents.
Few Uma Musume would admit their own speed was lacking.
In a real race, rivals confident in their strong finishing kicks and speed—demonstrated clearly during routine training—would generally allow front-runners to set the pace and open a gap.
Running at the front required dealing with higher wind resistance and greater energy consumption; trailing behind was relatively easier.
With such a mindset, competitors often planned to burst ahead only during the final stretch.
From this perspective, Kitasan Black might indeed employ certain big escape tactics.
After all, she'd already run several races; opponents would have thoroughly studied her, concluding her speed wasn't necessarily top-class.
Thus, if starting gates and early race conditions were favorable, opening a wider gap early on wasn't impossible.
If successful, an advantage would naturally form.
Perhaps it would even catch opponents completely off guard, disrupting their original plans.
Even if it didn't go smoothly, she could still use her techniques to manage stamina and pace, reverting comfortably to her usual leading style without compromising her performance.
Of course, changing stride length or pacing would demand more stamina—but for Kitasan Black, that didn't seem like an issue.
If that was the case, perhaps…
Lost in thought, Suzuka suddenly heard the approaching footsteps of the two Uma Musume, snapping her attention back to them.
Kitasan and Rice had finished their paired run, now approaching cheerfully, talking and laughing.
"Rice-senpai…you're incredible! It felt like you were glued right behind me! I couldn't shake you off at all!"
"Kita-chan…you're exaggerating too much… Rice was just chasing normally…"
Your "normal chasing"... probably isn't normal at all to other people, Rice, Suzuka thought with quiet amusement.
Watching Yasui start asking Kitasan about her physical condition, Suzuka fell briefly into thought again, then finally reached a decision.
---
T/N:
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys