"How is it, Gentildonna? Do you have any thoughts on how to win the Shuka Sho?"
At dusk, that question rang out along a narrow path near Mejiro Manor.
Gotham Song turned to the silent Gentildonna beside her and waited for an answer.
She had always liked talking things over while walking with someone, especially when it came to something important—important enough to be called a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
The more serious the matter, the more important it was to face it with a calm mind. That did not mean failing to take it seriously. It meant holding on, as much as possible, to the composure that let you handle it without losing your footing.
Maybe that habit had rubbed off on the others. In any case, Mejiro Manor had more or less picked up the same custom by now.
But that was not the point. What Gotham Song cared about right now was what kind of choice the Umamusume beside her was going to make.
"The Shuka Sho course is the kind where, if I can't seize an advantage in the first half, then I have no chance of winning. Isn't that right?"
It sounded like a question, but it was really a statement.
Gentildonna understood that perfectly well. In a sense, she and Equinox were geniuses in two different directions.
Equinox was better at adapting on the track. In fact, she was so gifted at it that when something unexpected happened, she barely needed to think at all; she could find an answer almost on instinct alone.
Gentildonna, comparatively speaking, was a little weaker when it came to improvising on the spot.
But!
When it came to devising tactics—and carrying them out—Gentildonna was far more talented than Equinox.
In other words, one of them was more gifted in the race itself, while the other was more gifted outside it.
And Gentildonna's ability in that area was so pronounced that after Gotham Song had only given her a rough description of Kyoto Racecourse and the layout of the course, she had already reached that conclusion on her own.
"Of course. For you, Gentildonna, this is practically a race with no closing phase."
"No closing phase... Yes, that really is quite a bad situation."
Gentildonna's weakness was the same as ever. It was not as though she had any major disadvantage in explosiveness, but—
In terms of overall speed, she still did not have the raw pace to overwhelm Verxina and Almond Eye. If she wanted to win, then she could not stick to the usual approach and hope to take it with a finishing kick in the final stretch.
"The key to this race is the opening. More precisely..."
"The very first turn."
Gentildonna murmured the words herself. She grasped with perfect ease where the true crux of the race lay.
Only that first sharp turn—that turn where too much speed became a disadvantage—was her one chance to build an advantage...!
Only if she established a big enough lead there, then refused to relax for even a moment afterward and ran all the way to the finish, could she possibly win this Shuka Sho.
"The turn is what matters most, Trainer-sama. But when it comes to cornering—or rather, cornering under those conditions—I don't have much confidence."
Her face plainly said the rest.
Please help me.
Gotham Song had expected that from the start.
This really was the only way.
If it was Gentildonna—or rather, because it was Gentildonna—she would absolutely have realized it. After all, when it came to this sort of thing, she was the strongest Umamusume on Gotham Song's team.
So what exactly needed to be done?
First of all, besides the turn itself, were there any other problems?
Of course there were. For example, over the remaining thousand-plus meters after that, did Gentildonna have the stamina to keep charging all the way to the end and take the win?
Gotham Song thought she did. Gentildonna's speed was not especially high, but the tradeoff was monstrous stamina. If it was only a full-speed effort over a little more than a thousand meters, then yes, maybe it would get somewhat tight near the end.
But it still ought to be nowhere near Gentildonna's actual limit. When it came to stamina, there should be no obstacle Gentildonna could not overcome.
Which meant that the only hurdle left was the corner itself.
"Then go ahead and rely on me. You're absolutely allowed to do that, Gentildonna. I'll train you myself, right up until you can clear that Shuka Sho turn perfectly."
"I understand, Trainer-sama."
Their steps did not stop for long. After another ten or fifteen minutes of discussion, the two of them returned to Mejiro Manor.
And there, Gotham Song found an unexpected Umamusume waiting for her.
For the first time, Almond Eye had come here herself, and by the look of it, she had already been waiting for a while.
Then, in full view of the many other watching Umamusume, Gotham Song got "borrowed" away.
More precisely, borrowed for a private word.
She was one of the Umamusume Gotham Song was coaching, after all. Sudden as it was, it was not entirely outside the realm of expectation. Amused and helpless, Gotham Song told Gentildonna to head back first, then took Almond Eye back down the same path she had just walked.
Did this count as extra training...?
It probably did. There was not really any other explanation.
Almond Eye, walking beside her, was clearly different from Gentildonna.
This girl was obviously hesitating. Or rather, she was thinking very hard about how to bring up what she wanted to ask.
"Song-san... I actually went to take a look at Kyoto Racecourse for myself..."
"It was yesterday. And because of that, there's one question I absolutely need you to confirm for me."
Gotham Song did look a little surprised, though only for a moment.
A long time ago, not long after the Oaks, when Verxina had just pulled herself out of her slump and gotten back on her feet, Gotham Song had asked the three of them what they all thought.
"We want to race on our own strength. So at most, Song-san—Trainer-sama—please just comment on our ideas. There's no need for you to actively make plans for us."
All three of them were too proud for anything else. This was a race where they meant to tear apart the girls in front of them with their own hands.
So in truth, Gotham Song's trip to Kyoto Racecourse counted as something she had done for herself, not as part of their formal race preparation.
Which was why, faced with Almond Eye telling her she had gone to see Kyoto Racecourse for herself and inspect what the Shuka Sho course was really like, Gotham Song was not particularly surprised.
She simply looked at the Umamusume beside her and gave a small nod.
"What is it, Almond Eye? Go ahead and say it."
"For Gentildonna-san, her only chance to win the Shuka Sho is that turn—the very first turn. That's the only place, right...?!"
Gotham Song fell silent.
Honestly, it was clear enough that if you thought about it for a bit, the answer practically gave itself.
She truly had not expected things to turn out like this—especially not after having just talked through that exact subject with Gentildonna, only for Almond Eye to come asking her the same thing in such a firm, certain voice.
So what was she supposed to say?
"No—or rather, Gentildonna-san should also realize that the others will try to interfere with her only chance to win, shouldn't they?!"
Almond Eye had already started continuing on by herself, but Gotham Song could only smile helplessly.
Because if Gentildonna had been here, she would not have hesitated in the slightest. She would simply have admitted it and gone straight into a head-on clash.
But Gentildonna was not here.
And saying aloud the exact same conclusion she had just reached with Gentildonna did not seem quite right.
In that case, she would just speak from her own point of view.
"That's true. For Gentildonna, that turn really is her best chance. So, Almond Eye—what do you want to do?"
"Much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I have any way to stop Gentildonna-san from widening the gap there... So how am I supposed to chase after her?"
I don't want to lose.
Her face said it plainly enough that Gotham Song could understand it at a glance.
Almond Eye was carrying an enormous amount of pressure too.
She had always been the more dazzling natural genius of the two, so of course she would feel the weight of constantly failing to overturn that reality, even if she still had the drive to keep moving forward.
The logic was simple. If someone did not feel resentment after losing, then it meant victory would bring them no joy either.
So what was the true key to Almond Eye's winning chances—what part of this race could she not afford to let go?
Judging by Almond Eye's strengths... yes, the safest approach was probably still this.
"The most suitable method is still to use your speed to chase her down and break through—then cut her down in the final phase of the race and leave Gentildonna behind you."
That really was the most appropriate answer. Compared to Gentildonna, Almond Eye's greatest advantage was that absurd, incomparable speed of hers.
Rather than trying to chase her through the turn itself, the better approach would be to come out of the turn cleanly at a more stable angle, then begin her counterattack from there.
That said, Gotham Song was actually forming a better plan in the back of her mind.
She simply had no intention of saying it first.
This was a war between Gentildonna and Almond Eye. If she herself offered up another solution unprompted, that would not be appropriate.
So then... would Almond Eye realize it on her own?
Would she realize that there was another plan—one that might even prevent Gentildonna from building up much of an advantage in the turn at all?
"My speed is my greatest advantage..."
Almond Eye looked thoughtful. She seemed to have caught hold of something, yet also not grasped anything at all. Gotham Song stayed silent.
"Even though I feel like I'm missing something somewhere... could I ask you to do me a favor, Song-san?"
"What is it? Leave it to me."
Gotham Song was naturally more than happy to agree. To her, Almond Eye was also an incredibly adorable junior she had kept close by for a long time.
So what was it she needed help with?
"Could you please go back and tell Gentildonna-san that I've already figured out her plan, and..."
"This time, I'm going to grind you under my heel, Gentildonna. So you'd better prepare yourself properly for what defeat tastes like...!"
Almond Eye's gaze was utterly steady, shining with brilliant light. This was the first time Gotham Song had ever seen her show this degree of determination, as though she would burn away her very life to do it—make her opponent lose for the first time, make her taste what defeat meant.
That was some astonishing resolve.
Gotham Song sighed inwardly, then gave a small nod.
Naturally, she did not mind feelings like that in the slightest. If anything, by agreeing to Almond Eye's request, she would be able to tell Gentildonna openly what this latest conversation had been about tonight.
No more getting caught in the middle and forced to dance around it!
Really, just think about what had happened today. Anyone would find it hard to process.
Only moments ago she had been discussing with one Umamusume how to beat another Umamusume, and then in the very next instant, the Umamusume they had been talking about came to her door to discuss how to beat the one she had just been discussing with.
The whole thing was absurd to the point of nonsense.
Even in one of Frankel's novels, there probably wouldn't be a plotline this ridiculous, would there?
...Then again, given that guy's standards, maybe there actually would be. Best to go back and see with her own eyes.
That was what Gotham Song was thinking as she once again set off on the walk back.
Only...
She had a strong feeling things were not over yet.
Because on her way back just now, she had not expected Almond Eye to come looking for her at all...!
There were three Umamusume in the Shuka Sho she knew well.
Both Almond Eye and Gentildonna had already had private talks with her—so surely, surely it wasn't going to happen again, tonight of all nights, the moment she got back...?!
With that thought, even though she had already reached the last corner before the gate, Gotham Song still grew cautious and started moving lightly, step by step.
Through the swaying leaves, a small silver head poked out from the bright green foliage to spy on the entrance to Mejiro Manor, and behind it, another head emerged as well—that of a long flaxen-haired Umamusume who looked completely lost about what was going on.
After carefully observing the situation, however, Gotham Song let out a long breath of relief.
Thank goodness. The situation she had feared had not appeared after all.
Everything at Mejiro Manor's gate was perfectly normal. Other than Neo Universe, who was waiting there for her, there was nothing unusual at all.
It seemed that the deep-blue figure she had been on guard for—watching to see whether she would appear—had given her a surprise she had not expected.
It was... a rather complicated feeling.
So you really didn't come after all, Verxina...
Ugh. What is this feeling where I'm happy and unhappy at the same time?!
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T/N: heres ur bonus chapssss i forgetty teehee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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