Seeing Kitasan Black still reeling, Yasui Makoto put more weight into his voice.
"So do you understand now? A reason to run that belongs only to you comes from everything you've lived up to this point."
"The laughter and the tears. The successes and the setbacks. The smooth roads and the hard ones—together, they make the one-and-only you."
"Only by looking back on all that can you discover it: a source of strength that doesn't rely on anyone else—something that can hold you up from the inside, just through what you believe in."
"And when you find it, you'll have a reason that's truly yours—like a light that never goes out, guiding every step you take forward."
Kitasan Black had still been wearing that stunned expression, but at those words her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Looking back… right! Trainer!"
She couldn't hold back the rush in her chest. She leaned in excitedly—so much that more than half her body pressed against Yasui as she rattled off words in a burst.
"The Kikuka Sho!"
"At the end of that race… I think I really did feel it—scenes from the past! Every moment I've spent with you, Trainer, and with everyone!"
"So that means…"
She pressed her lips together. Her tone held a careful, tentative edge—yet a growing certainty, too.
"If that's what I thought of in that moment—everything I've been through with you and everyone—then maybe that's what I need."
"As long as everyone's still supporting me, I know I can keep running on the track."
"And as for a reason that's completely my own…"
The caution and resolve vanished in an instant. She scratched her head and grinned, a little foolishly.
"Hehe. I still can't think of one at all… heheh…"
Yasui Makoto went a bit blank.
Maybe Kitasan Black was just too excited, but right now…
She was way too close.
His gaze landed on her before he could stop it.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed with excitement. Her eyes glittered—like they held a sky full of stars—alive with conviction about running, about what came next.
The corners of her mouth curved in a small smile. Her breathing was quick, and she looked so bright and earnest it almost felt unfair.
And from her came a faint, clean scent—shampoo and body wash from a post-training shower, mixed with the warmth of someone who'd just been moving.
All at once, Yasui felt his throat go dry. His thoughts slowed, turning to static.
He forced himself—barely—to tear his gaze away and look off to the side.
To steady himself, he licked his lips without thinking.
Then he dug the edge of his thumbnail hard into his palm, using the sting to chase away the strange heat in his chest.
Only after a long moment did he manage to speak, his voice a little rough.
"…And then… I mean… anyway."
"What I said just now was probably still too broad—too 'mystical.' In an actual race, real, practical things matter more. And since you've already met Sounds of Earth, we can talk about that opponent."
As he spoke, Yasui took a slow breath. At last, he felt his emotions settle, his mind sliding back into work mode.
"It's really an extension of what we were discussing earlier. While you were talking about this with Oguri Cap, Tamamo and the others and I were talking about something similar."
"Do you remember the zone?"
Yasui's topic switch was abrupt—almost random.
But Kitasan Black was still riding that emotional high, and she didn't notice at all.
The moment she heard "zone"—the thing she'd been so fixated on—her attention snapped over completely.
Since learning it existed, she hadn't not secretly wondered how to grasp it herself.
But she also knew that with her current ability and knowledge, doing that in the short term was simply too hard.
And with Yasui by her side, leaving something so deep and difficult to the trainer she trusted was obviously the safest choice.
So when Yasui sounded like he'd found some new lead, she couldn't help leaning forward, face serious as she pressed him.
"The zone… so did you learn some kind of trick for it from Tamamo-senpai and the others?"
Yasui shook his head immediately.
The zone wasn't something you could "learn." Even if you could, it would require experiencing it yourself.
And he wasn't an athlete anymore—he was a trainer, someone who guided others. That made it even harder for him to "feel" it directly.
What he'd gotten from Tamamo Cross and the others was mainly this: how to optimize the training they already had, so that even without the zone, they could still have a chance against opponents who did have it.
Of course, they'd also talked about what might make the zone easier to trigger.
But when it came to optimizing training methods, the most valuable advice had come from Super Creek.
Back then, Super Creek's expression had been serious as she spoke slowly.
"Trading a drastic drain on stamina for a short burst that surpasses your limits—the zone really can create upset wins in a race. But it has to be said: not every Umamusume is suited to winning that way. Even if they can enter the zone."
"Take me, for example. In the end, the zone is only a temporary special state—and the stamina cost is enormous."
"What I'm best at is long-distance races."
"For me, stamina control and the overall pace are everything. If I enter the zone, it can actually throw off my grip on the race's rhythm."
"Not to mention, Oguri Cap, Tamamo Cross, and Inari One are all powerful enough to enter the zone. They already have terrifying final spurts, and in the zone their explosiveness is practically unstoppable."
"Abandoning what you're good at and betting the outcome on something you're not suited for—the zone—that kind of decision… is absolutely not wise."
"So in that Tenno Sho (Autumn), I made one thing clear from the very start: I would stop chasing the zone, and instead use the strengths I'd forged through endless refinement to defeat Oguri Cap and Inari One head-on."
"And if I'm not mistaken, Kitasan Black-san seems to have strong talent for long-distance races as well."
"If that's true, then Yasui-san, I sincerely ask that you consider my advice."
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