Chapter 5
Even though they hadn't signed the contract yet, Kitasan Black had already started calling him "Trainer." The tall stack of folders and videotapes she was carrying in her arms were the materials she had mentioned.
They were the documents Yasui Makoto had asked Tokai Teio to help provide that afternoon.
Unlike other academies, the student council president at Tracen Academy held significant authority. She could handle various matters on behalf of the entire academy without needing approval from the board or the principal.
This included access to academy archives, many of which contained information unavailable to outsiders.
As a newcomer, Yasui Makoto currently didn't have the right to access them, but with Tokai Teio's approval, it was no problem.
"Thanks for your hard work, Kitasan."
After opening the door, Yasui Makoto turned straight into the living room and casually pointed at the floor.
"Just put them anywhere. I'll get you some water."
"Oh, okay… No need to trouble yourself, Trainer. The President already bought me quite a few honey drinks, so I'm not thirsty."
"Then make yourself comfortable… Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet…"
Kitasan Black shook her head, then perked up energetically.
"I already told the President that I'll be taking care of you for the next few days. Trainer, if you need anything, just tell me!"
"There's nothing specific. Just relax."
Yasui Makoto took out his phone and asked, "Should I order delivery for you?"
"Do you always eat takeout, Trainer?"
Kitasan Black paused, then unconsciously scanned the room.
The entrance had only a few pairs of shoes. The living room, however, was filled with books and videotapes related to horse girls and trainers, along with stacks of handwritten notes and documents. There was also a laptop on the coffee table.
Although there were many things, everything was neatly organized except for the books spread open on the sofa. There was no mess or clutter that made it hard to walk around.
If anything, the trash bin was quite full — it contained crumpled manuscript paper and several takeout boxes with the words "Gray Cabin" printed on them.
"Cooking for myself is too much trouble, and there's a really good restaurant just down the street from the academy. Their delivery is fast too, so I got used to it."
He placed his phone on the sofa and sat down, casually flipping through the materials Kitasan Black had brought.
"If you don't like takeout, I probably can't keep you for dinner."
"Ah? N-No, it's fine."
Kitasan Black waved her hands quickly, then took out her own phone.
"Then I'll order it. The restaurant you mentioned is 'Gray Cabin,' right?
"That place is really popular among the students at the academy. If we don't eat at the cafeteria, most people go there.
"Oh right! I heard a few senior horse girls actually opened that restaurant. Have you met them before, Trainer…? Huh?"
She had just opened the delivery app on her phone when she noticed Yasui Makoto turning on the laptop on the coffee table and the TV with the video player in the living room. She looked over curiously.
"Trainer, what are you…?"
"I'm reviewing some races from the Tokyo Racecourse and comparing them with your data."
He picked out a videotape, inserted it into the player, then sat back on the sofa and placed a stack of documents next to the laptop. He explained casually:
"There's no training footage of you yet, so I'm using this method to get a basic understanding of your condition first.
"The archives keep multi-angle recordings, which are hard to find online or anywhere else. Each race also has unique participant data.
"Comparing these makes it easier to understand your situation. Of course, once the contract is signed, I'll need to watch you run in person."
While speaking, Yasui Makoto noticed that Kitasan Black's attention was almost entirely focused on the race playing on the screen. He secretly nodded in approval.
Running was both an instinct and a deep longing for horse girls.
However, even with the same instinct and longing, there were clear differences between them.
Many of the horse girls he had met back home weren't particularly passionate about racing. At least, they wouldn't become as focused as Kitasan Black the moment a race started.
From this alone, it was clear that this horse girl already had an excellent foundation in competitive spirit.
The video was currently showing pre-race interviews, which weren't very important. While secretly praising her, Yasui Makoto glanced at the phone in Kitasan Black's hand, then picked up his own phone from the sofa and casually ordered two deliveries.
After that, he began entering calculations on the computer while cross-referencing the race footage and various data.
For racing, the most intuitive data was speed. The three most important types were: start speed, cruising speed, and final 600m speed.
Start speed referred to the time from when the gates opened to when the horse girl reacted. The theoretical limit was 0.1 seconds, while the average was around 0.25 seconds.
This difference was often crucial for securing early position and could influence the overall race strategy.
Cruising speed lasted the longest and generally referred to the speed from the early battle until the final stretch.
In most races, this speed ranged between 15 to 17 meters per second. The exact value depended on race distance, competitor level, track conditions, and other factors.
Final 600m speed (also called maximum speed) was used to decide the race in the last stretch.
This distance could fluctuate by about 200 meters depending on the race, tactics, and situation, causing corresponding changes in speed.
Compared to the speed data shown in the race footage, Kitasan Black's recorded numbers in the archives were not particularly outstanding. Both her peak and average speeds were noticeably lower.
Yasui Makoto wasn't surprised, however. The former were official race data, while the latter were only training data from before her debut.
What he paid most attention to was the variance — how much the data fluctuated.
The smaller the variance, the more stable the speed. The larger the variance, the more unstable it was.
After calculating and double-checking more than ten times, the conclusion was clear: Kitasan Black's current training data had a very high variance. This meant her speed was unstable.
This could partly be explained by her poor control over her strength, but that alone was far from enough.
Speed was only the surface. Force control was just one cause. Other factors included oxygen uptake, body fat percentage, gait characteristics, running posture habits, and more. Each one affected performance in both training and official races.
After trying several different algorithms and data sets, Yasui Makoto quickly formed a guess beyond just strength level.
"Kitasan, have you ever specifically trained the race-exclusive 'assault stride' before?"
"Go! Go! Go— Eh?"
When Yasui Makoto asked, Kitasan Black was enthusiastically watching the race and cheering loudly for the horse girls on screen, as if she were right there at the track.
"Assault stride…? We learned about it in class, but…"
She scratched her head a little embarrassedly. "I didn't have a trainer before, and the seniors at home never taught me…"
Yasui Makoto fell into thought.
He had already had some impression from before, and after checking the documents, he confirmed that Kitasan Black came from a large family with several other horse girls.
However, none of them were particularly outstanding, so it was normal that no one had pointed out the issue.
"Trainer, if I haven't mastered the assault stride, then in my next races…"
Knock knock knock — A series of knocks on the door interrupted Kitasan Black. At the same time, Yasui Makoto's phone rang.