Chapter 203: Monster
"Optimize?"
Realizing this was indeed about the race, Bamboo Memory's eyes lit up as she pressed on.
"How would you optimize it?"
Then she rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful.
"I mean… I feel like Kita-chan did really well today, didn't she?"
"Oh, right, this is just my impression. I used to run sprints and miles, and only did a bit of middle-distance racing, so you don't need to put too much stock in what I say."
Back when they had first met, Makoto had already felt that this Umamusume was very straightforward by nature.
Hearing such frank words now, he couldn't help but smile, nodding without trying to hide anything.
"I think Kitasan Black performed very well too."
"In my view, the preparations for the Kikuka Sho are basically complete. From here, we can just proceed steadily with focused training over the next week."
"But if there's a chance to make further progress, we definitely shouldn't let it pass."
"For example, her explosive start out of the gate, or her reaction time."
This was something Makoto had been thinking about earlier—ever since the morning, really.
From the side-by-side runs, it was clear that even among athletes at a similar level, there were differences between explosiveness and explosiveness, power and power.
In that regard, Kitasan Black could be said to be outstanding among Umamusume. Setting distance adaptability aside for the moment, there was still a clear, intuitive gap between her and Sakura Bakushin O when it came to the start.
The gap wasn't large—perhaps just a hair's breadth—but in the data, it showed up quite clearly.
During the later paired-run training sessions, they had used various professional instruments, and the measurements confirmed that Kitasan Black was indeed a few percentage points lower than Sakura Bakushin O in some metrics.
Take reaction time, for instance. Kitasan Black's current level already exceeded the average, being 10 to 20 milliseconds faster than most Umamusume.
But Sakura Bakushin O was downright terrifying, she was another roughly 10 milliseconds faster still.
A few percentage points might seem insignificant, but when stacked together in a high-speed race, they became something you could feel, that was the source of that initial sense of shock when watching.
Completely reaching Sakura Bakushin O's level in a short time was obviously impossible.
And for middle-to-long distance races, there was no need to copy everything wholesale anyway.
However, while maintaining the existing tactical framework for the Kikuka Sho, trying to narrow that gap even a little through focused training over the coming week would definitely allow their established strategy to perform even better.
As Makoto explained these thoughts to Bamboo Memory in simple terms, he was actually hoping for some advice from this senior of the track.
But as soon as he finished, he noticed that the Umamusume across from him looked like her eyes were spinning in circles, clearly wearing a "What did you just say? Why don't I understand any of it?" expression.
Amused, he quickly wrapped up the topic.
"—In short, they're just some basic ideas. If I've troubled you, Bamboo-san, I apologize."
"Uh… yeah, I really didn't understand much of that…"
Scratching her head in slight embarrassment, Bamboo Memory soon laughed.
"But you don't need to worry about it. I was never good at this kind of thing to begin with."
"When it came to racing, I usually just ran the way my trainer told me to."
"If you're asking about races I ran completely according to my own judgment…"
Resting her chin on her hand, a trace of nostalgia and regret surfaced in her eyes as she glanced toward the claw machine.
"That would probably only be the Mile Championship, and then the Japan Cup after that."
Hearing this, Makoto felt a momentary tightness in his chest.
He knew exactly what Bamboo Memory was referring to with those two races.
The Mile Championship. The Japan Cup. Both were G1 events.
And because of the association's scheduling at the time, those two races had been held only one week apart.
G1 races put an immense strain on Umamusume. Put simply, even with Kitasan Black's level of physical conditioning, Makoto would never allow her to run two G1 races within a single week.
She might be able to win the first race, but winning the second one under extreme fatigue would be almost impossible, and that wasn't even the biggest issue.
When you're exhausted, your control over your body drops sharply. Add in the intensity of a top-level race, and one small mistake can easily lead to an accident and injury.
In the worst case, it could even mean being forced to leave the track for good.
That was where the suffocating feeling those words had given Bamboo Memory came from.
Back then, this Umamusume had competed in the Mile Championship and then, just seven days later, stood on the starting line of the Japan Cup.
In the Mile Championship, she had taken second place.
And although she didn't finish in the top five in the Japan Cup, she still completed the entire race—astonishingly—and didn't even end up dead last.
"For most races, I listened to my trainer," she said quietly. "But those two…"
With a hint of emotion, Bamboo Memory continued her recollection.
"You could say I was really selfish back then."
"All I could think about was having a proper showdown with Oguri Cap-senpai…"
"I didn't care why running two G1 races in one week was such a big deal…"
"I didn't care what kind of price I would have to pay…"
"Maybe if I hadn't insisted like that—and if Oguri Cap-senpai hadn't agreed—then the winner of that Japan Cup would have been Oguri Cap-senpai, without a doubt."
Hearing this, the suffocating feeling Makoto felt didn't fade—it only grew heavier.
Bamboo Memory wasn't the only monster daring enough to run two G1 races in a single week. The other was the very Oguri Cap she had just mentioned.
What's more, Oguri Cap had taken first place in that Mile Championship.
Then, in the Japan Cup that followed—after yet another grueling stretch of G1 racing—she still managed to finish second.
Not only that: her finishing time was exactly the same as the winner, Folkqueen.
The outcome had been decided by the narrowest of margins.
"…They're all monsters," Makoto muttered under his breath. "Though Oguri Cap is… even more of a monster."
He didn't think calling Umamusume like them "monsters" was inappropriate at all.
After all, anyone who could fight through two G1 races in a single week could only be described that way.
Besides, from then until now, Oguri Cap had always been known as the "Gray Monster"—and apparently, she liked the nickname quite a bit.
"I'm nothing special," Bamboo Memory said with a laugh. "Oguri Cap-senpai is the real monster."
She didn't seem offended at all, smiling as she looked at Makoto.
"Anyway, yeah—I do feel bad for my trainer, and for Oguri Cap-senpai too."
"But if I had to do it all over again… I'd probably make the same choice."
"Because…"
She suddenly clenched her fist, her eyes shimmering.
"Due to distance suitability and talent, I couldn't run in the Classic Triple Crown."
"And Oguri Cap-senpai couldn't either."
"So chances for us to face each other were already rare… oh right, there was also the Arima Kinen."
"But I can't run the Arima Kinen. If I could, I'd have had even more chances to race against her."
Scratching her head in frustration, she abruptly changed the subject.
"So—hey. With Kita-chan's results so far, if she finishes the Kikuka Sho… she should be able to run in the Arima Kinen, right?"
"Yeah, she should," Makoto replied after a moment's thought, nodding. "With her current fan numbers, she's basically there. If she gets a good result at the Kikuka Sho, it'll be even more certain."
"See? I knew it! Kita-chan will be just fine!"
Leaping to her feet, Bamboo Memory grinned and held out her hand to Makoto.
"I'm telling you—she's going to shine at the Kikuka Sho, and then step onto the Arima Kinen stage with everyone cheering for her!"
"Who knows, maybe she'll win the Arima Kinen in her Classic year, just like Oguri Cap-senpai, and become a legend herself!
"So, Yasui-kun—since you invited everyone out to have fun, you should enjoy yourself too!"