Chapter 306: Interested in Running a Race Together?
This Umamusume had long, sunlit golden hair that shimmered brilliantly. Her hair flowed in natural waves all the way down to her waist, cascading like a golden waterfall under the sunlight.
Her eyes were like deep blue lakes—clear, bright, and filled with intelligence and liveliness.
Her facial features were refined and well-defined, with slightly deep-set eyes and a high, elegant nose bridge—very much the standard appearance of a Western Umamusume.
At that moment, she was looking at Kitasan Black and Almond Eye with clear interest. After observing them for a moment, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, revealing neat white teeth as she began walking toward them.
Kitasan Black, who had been excitedly watching the training on the track, was the first to notice someone approaching.
She instinctively glanced to the side and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Wow… so beautiful…"
"What do you mean…?"
Almond Eye repeated in confusion, but after following Kitasan Black's gaze, she also gasped:
"Wow! She really is beautiful!"
By then, the blonde, blue-eyed Umamusume had already walked up to them. Hearing their exclamations, she tilted her head slightly, smiled, and spoke in English:
"Hi, I saw you've been watching the training very seriously. Are you here to compete in the Dubai World Cup as well?"
From that sentence, Kitasan Black only understood words like "I," "you," and "Dubai."
After a brief pause, she nervously yet excitedly began gesturing:
"H-hello! Nice to—"
Before she could finish, her mouth was swiftly covered by Almond Eye.
Having known her senpai for so long, Almond Eye was well aware that Kitasan Black was excellent in almost every way.
She had an open, warm, and cheerful personality, naturally helpful like it was second nature—like a little sun that warmed everyone around her.
Her strength was also undeniable. In her classic year alone, she had won seven races, including three G1 victories—one of which was the Arima Kinen.
Such a senpai could be considered nearly perfect.
However, her one flaw was her English—or rather, any foreign language—which could only be described as… painfully awkward.
Almond Eye had heard her speak foreign languages before.
During New Year outings, they often encountered foreign tourists. Whenever they saw someone holding a map or looking lost, Kitasan Black would enthusiastically step forward to help.
And then… she would speak English so awkward it made one's scalp tingle and caused secondhand embarrassment strong enough to make someone want to dig a hole in the ground.
Almond Eye had experienced that feeling many times, so hearing Kitasan Black start speaking now made her feel like her toes could already dig out an entire Tokyo Racecourse from the ground.
"Hello, foreign friend."
Covering Kitasan Black's mouth and pretending not to hear her muffled "mmph mmph" sounds, Almond Eye forced a polite smile and spoke fluent English to the blonde Umamusume:
"We are Umamusume from Japan. I… the one beside me is named Kitasan Black, the most outstanding Umamusume of last year's classic season."
"I am her junior, Almond Eye. Although I haven't debuted yet, I will definitely achieve even better results than my senpai."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. May I ask your name?"
Looking at the two Japanese Umamusume before her, a spark of interest flashed in the blonde's eyes. She smiled and nodded:
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
"My name is California Chrome, from the United States. Nice to meet you—beautiful eyes, and… Northern Black?""
She was clearly trying to interpret "Almond Eye" and "Kitasan Black" in English, which made Almond Eye feel even more awkward.
Why did it feel like this girl's language ability was… about on par with Kita-senpai's?
After a brief awkward moment, Almond Eye released Kitasan Black's mouth and corrected her seriously:
"Ahem—it's Kitasan Black, and Almond Eye."
"OK, OK… Northern… Kitasan Black, Almond Eye."
Struggling a bit to pronounce their names, California Chrome shrugged casually and shifted the topic back to where it began:
"So, I guess we're acquainted now… are you here to compete in the Dubai World Cup?"
Hearing this, Almond Eye thought for a moment, while Kitasan Black turned to her curiously and asked:
"Cup… hey, Almond Eye, is she talking about the Dubai World Cup?"
"Yeah, her name is California Chrome. I just introduced us earlier," Almond Eye nodded, briefly explaining in Japanese before turning back to California Chrome.
"This time, we're here to learn. Our trainer believes we're not quite ready for overseas competition yet, so we came to get used to the environment. For now, our main focus will still be races in Japan."
"I see."
California Chrome nodded in understanding. Then, suddenly smiling, she pointed toward the track:
"Interested in running a race together?"
The sudden shift in topic caught Almond Eye completely off guard. She froze for a moment, instinctively glancing at the training ground, then hesitantly at Kitasan Black.
From the conversation between California Chrome and Almond Eye, Kitasan Black could only pick out a few words and didn't understand the rest at all.
Seeing California Chrome's gesture and Almond Eye's expression, she grew curious and poked Almond Eye:
"Hey, Almond Eye, what… did she say? Is it something about running a race?"
Almond Eye blinked in surprise. "How did you know, senpai…?"
"You can tell just by looking at her gestures!"
Realizing her guess was correct—that this Umamusume named "California something" really did want to race—Kitasan Black immediately became excited:
"Sure! I've been wanting to run ever since we were on the plane!"
She turned to California Chrome and began gesturing enthusiastically.
"There—race, OK, OK!" she said, pointing at the track and nodding repeatedly.
"Here—clothes, no, no." She pointed at her casual shoes and outfit, shaking her head.
Finally, she pointed toward the hotel building, looking eager:
"There—I go change into running shoes and sportswear. Please wait a moment—thank you!"
With that, she dashed off excitedly toward the building, waving to the still-dazed Almond Eye:
"Almond Eye, help me explain! I'll go change and let the trainer know—tell her to wait for me!"
"Ah… okay…"
Responding blankly, Almond Eye slowly turned back toward California Chrome, hesitating.
She hadn't expected to have to explain this to a foreign Umamusume—or rather, she hadn't expected Kitasan Black to not only understand California Chrome's intent, but also agree so decisively and rush off without hesitation.
After all, they had just gotten off the plane and hadn't had proper rest.
And the track wasn't familiar either, which could make running uncomfortable.
Even for a casual run, there were many factors to consider. She wasn't sure whether her senpai's impulsive decision might cause problems.
However, remembering that Kitasan Black had gone to inform their trainer, she figured it would probably be fine. So she nodded and prepared to help translate for her.
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Note:
California Chrome more or less looks like Nearl from the game Arknight.