Having done many parallel running sessions with numerous seniors, Kitasan Black was already quite familiar with the drill.
Yet during this training camp she found herself surprised by just how exhausting Rice Shower's running style could be.
That gaze felt sticky. It clung to her back from the very first stride to the last, leaving her with the constant sensation of a lump in her throat.
Both the feeling during the runs themselves and the video analysis afterward showed the same thing: the senpai stepped into her exact footprints with almost every stride.
Her posture mirrored Kitasan's even more closely.
Despite the clear differences in height and build, Rice Shower seemed to copy every detail—stride length, arm swing, the rise and fall of her chest… even the slight movements of her head.
To put it a little dramatically, Kitasan felt as though she had been split in two during these past days of training.
One of her was still the real Kitasan Black, running ahead in every session.
The other had become Rice Shower, stuck firmly and tightly behind her, reproducing every single movement.
Of course, parallel runs were not always arranged one behind the other.
The goal of any given session was usually quite specific. Running one after another was used to practice pulling away or adapting to pursuit.
When they ran side by side, the focus shifted to positioning, blocking, cornering, and the like.
At those times the senpai's eyes were no longer fixed on her, and her footwork and rhythm changed as well.
Even then, the feeling of being watched never completely disappeared.
It was no longer coming from behind, but rather an illusion created by a faint glance from the side.
Among all those unique sensations, one other feeling stood out just as clearly.
Stamina consumption.
Because she kept worrying about the gaze from behind or from the side, she found herself glancing back and thinking about how to shake it off more times than she could count.
As a result she never found a solution, and her stamina drained far faster than usual simply from the distraction.
This won't do. If I run into something like this in an actual race… what am I supposed to do?
With that thought, Kitasan Black went to ask Yasui. The answer she received was that her Trainer was thinking about it too.
She was not discouraged. Instead, for once, she began turning the complicated problem over in her own mind.
Perhaps it was because they were living so close during the training camp. Seeing Yasui every day in his room, flipping through materials, replaying races, and calculating data, she unconsciously wanted to do something useful as well.
She wanted to use her brain more and help share some of Yasui's worries.
In the end she did not come up with anything.
That was neither surprising nor discouraging. She had always known she was not good at this sort of thing, so she could simply keep thinking about it slowly.
And the Trainer would definitely find a solution… Kitasan told herself that as she reported her insights from the parallel run with Rice Shower to Yasui.
"Still can't shake that concern, can you…? All right. I understand."
After making a note on his tablet, Yasui waved a hand toward the side.
"Thank you, Rice Shower. There are drinks and energy bars over here. Please take a break.
"Kita-chan, you take a short break as well and get ready for the next round of parallel running with Suzuka."
He had started planning the training camp arrangements a month or two earlier. The worst-case scenario had been bringing only Kitasan Black to Mount Mitou.
Perhaps it was Tracen Academy's recommendation, or simply the nature of Uma Musume, but most training camps chose the seaside. Very few came to the mountains.
Even when they did choose mountains or woodlands, they usually picked distant places like Kyoto, Osaka, or even Hokkaido rather than somewhere near Tokyo.
After all, Tracen Academy itself was in Tokyo, and most Uma Musume wanted to take advantage of the relatively free training camp period to see somewhere new.
Before he had even finished writing the plan, the Uma Musume who had enthusiastically helped Kitasan with her training before volunteered on their own. Even Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, who were busy preparing for the Dream Cup, had put forward candidates.
In the end Yasui decided to invite Rice Shower and Silence Suzuka, taking both endurance special training and running styles into account.
Having won both the Kikuka Sho and the Tenno Sho (Spring), and possessing her unique close-marking tactics, Rice Shower's help clearly offered something special.
In terms of running style, Kitasan Black had previously trained more often with Daiwa Scarlet.
Those two Uma Musume both possessed excellent strength, and their leading strategies, techniques, and abilities were very similar.
Silence Suzuka, by contrast, was a clear high-speed Great Escape specialist.
Training with different parallel-running partners—especially another Great Escape runner—would broaden and deepen Kitasan's mastery of the style.
It would also help her understand the habits of that type of Uma Musume, making them easier to handle in future races.
That had been the arrangement for the past half-month of training, with Rice Shower and Silence Suzuka usually rotating.
Even when there were short breaks in between, Kitasan was effectively training the entire time.
By the time the camp approached its end, she would be able to make use of her accumulated fatigue for regular high-intensity sessions.
"Mm! I'm still in good shape!"
Hearing Yasui's instructions, Kitasan Black answered at once with full energy.
"Just a short break will do! Thank you, Suzuka!"
"Kita-chan's vitality… really is something else…"
Walking over to the table that held drinks, energy bars, and a first-aid kit, Rice Shower smiled gently, let out a soft sigh, and picked up a towel.
"Let's wipe off the sweat first, Kita-chan…"
"Thank you, Rice Shower!"
"For the training later…"
Silence Suzuka, who had been quietly thinking, finally spoke.
"I think we can try some Great Escape techniques. Yasui, is that all right?"
Everyone looked startled. Kitasan Black was the first to recover.
"Senpai… are you going to teach me your Great Escape style?"
"Not exactly."
Silence Suzuka shook her head.
"Right now… I feel that Kita-chan is still not suited for a pure Great Escape.
"However, given your physical condition, you can certainly apply some of the techniques to raise your speed in the early stages and even into the middle stages.
"Look."
She walked out onto the grass. Her upper body slowly tilted forward, her right leg stretched far back, and her arms extended one in front and one behind as she settled into a starting posture.
Then she lowered her upper body even further.
"If my impression is correct, this is the posture you only use on the final straight."
Sensing that the senpai was about to teach her something, Kitasan nodded repeatedly.
"Mm! That's right! This way I can sprint even faster!"
On the other side, Rice Shower held an energy drink while Yasui held his tablet. Both of them leaned in, watching Silence Suzuka with curious, thoughtful expressions.
"And the center of gravity."
As she spoke, Silence Suzuka sank her waist a little lower.
"This should be how you look when going uphill.
"And then the back leg…"
Her right leg stretched a bit farther back, toes lightly touching the grass.
"Finally…"
Before she finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind rose. Instantly broken grass stems shot up more than a meter into the air and flew toward the wide-eyed Kitasan Black, Rice Shower, and Yasui.
The three of them instinctively squinted and closed their eyes, then quickly opened them again.
"Phew— that's pretty much it."
Twenty meters away, Silence Suzuka panted lightly for a moment, looked at Kitasan Black, and gave a small nod.
"A lower posture. A lower center of gravity. Stronger push off the ground…
"And you have to achieve all of it in the very first step.
"So, if we're talking pure theory… Great Escape isn't actually that difficult."