Chapter 48
Vodka blinked in surprise.
She hadn't been thinking along the same lines as Kitasan Black.
She had only considered that Yasui Makoto definitely didn't want to put pressure on Kitasan Black — she hadn't thought about whether Kitasan Black herself would worry.
But now that she thought about it carefully, with this junior's kind-hearted personality, once she learned about the harsh realities trainers faced, she would definitely worry a lot.
And Yasui Makoto had always given her the impression of being calm, mature, and extremely thorough in his thinking. He might have already anticipated this exact situation.
"Hmm, I think you're right. What you guessed about Yasui-kun is probably exactly what he was thinking."
Vodka nodded and said with feeling:
"Since he can read his opponents' minds to that extent, it's only natural he'd also predict what you might worry about.
"I originally thought that since you've reached this stage, you shouldn't be kept in the dark about everything like before.
"After all, you're so warm and helpful to everyone, but some things can't be solved with kindness alone.
"Like what we were talking about earlier… something like that probably needs a senpai like T.M. Opera O to help her through it.
"But when you really think about it…"
She smiled.
"Ines Fujin-senpai was right. Kita-chan, you really are lucky.
"Your trainer may be very young, but he's genuinely outstanding.
"Keep following him closely. I have a feeling he won't let you down."
In the past, whenever she heard words like these, Kitasan Black would nod without hesitation.
This time, however, she pressed her lips together, unconsciously clenched her fists, and stayed silent for a long moment before finally nodding hard.
"Alright! I've decided!"
Hearing this, not only Vodka, but Daiwa Scarlet and Ines Fujin all froze.
"Decided…? Kita-chan, what did you decide?"
The three horse girls asked in unison.
"I'm going to find a way to help Trainer!"
Clenching her small fists in front of her chest, the black-haired girl declared with determination:
"Before, I didn't know Trainer was under so much pressure. I only knew he was really busy.
"Now that I've heard what you senpais said, I can't just sit back and do nothing!
"I have to do something to help Trainer!
"As for what exactly…"
She pressed her lips together again, then her eyes suddenly lit up.
"That's it!
"Trainer already told me the list of opponents for the next race.
"They're all classmates here at the academy, so I'll just quietly investigate them!"
...
The next day, when he arrived at the training ground, Yasui Makoto was carrying not only his usual one-strap bag but also a large, square backpack.
The one-strap bag still held his usual training essentials — tablet, stopwatch, binoculars, and record board — while the big backpack contained the drone he had received yesterday.
Drones weren't very common in this era, and the models available on the market were fairly average in performance.
But the one he had ordered was no ordinary model. After testing it last night, he confirmed it was more than enough for his needs.
However, since no one had ever used this kind of tool for training before, and the relevant laws weren't fully developed, he first needed to report it to the student council.
After all, this thing was still brand new. If students who didn't know what it was saw a strange object flying in the sky, it could cause a commotion.
What's more, all the academy students were girls, and he was planning to use the drone to film video. If he wasn't careful, he might be mistaken for a peeping tom, and that would be an even bigger problem.
So during the regular training session, Yasui Makoto only used the drone as a high-speed camera and didn't activate its flight function.
Once training ended and he reminded Kitasan Black to pay attention in class, he headed straight for the student council office.
He had already arranged to meet Tokai Teio the night before, so the moment he walked in he saw the president.
Besides her, there was also a horse girl with elegant, light-purple hair — the student council vice-president, the legendary Mejiro McQueen.
Recognizing her immediately, Yasui Makoto greeted them both:
"Good morning, President Teio, President McQueen."
"Good morning, Trainer Yasui."
"Good morning, Trainer Yasui."
After returning the greeting with Mejiro McQueen, Tokai Teio looked curiously at the large backpack on Yasui Makoto's back.
"Is that the… drone you mentioned, Trainer Yasui? It's so small?"
In Tokai Teio's mind, a drone was basically a plane without a pilot.
Even the smallest plane was over ten meters long, so when she first heard his request yesterday she had actually hesitated.
But when he explained it was a small drone that could fit in a backpack, she thought it over and, driven by curiosity, quickly agreed.
In her eyes, although Yasui Makoto was very young, he was steadier than many of his seniors. He never acted impulsively like others his age, and he never exaggerated or lied.
Since he said the size wasn't big, then it probably really wasn't.
And if it could truly help with training, as student council president she had every reason to see it for herself.
While Tokai Teio asked, Mejiro McQueen also examined the backpack with interest and said thoughtfully:
"With that size… it must be one of those quadcopter drones, right?"
Just as he was about to take off the backpack, Yasui Makoto paused in surprise, then nodded.
"Vice-President McQueen is very knowledgeable. Yes, this is indeed a quadrotor drone."
Tokai Teio grew even more curious.
"Eh? McQueen, you know about these things?"
"I've seen them a few times overseas."
Mejiro McQueen nodded and gestured with her hands.
"About this long and this wide.
"The center is a round or square body, and at each corner there are supports like helicopter tails, but much smaller.
"Each support has a propeller rotor, similar to a helicopter blade but of course much smaller.
"I don't know much more than that — I only saw them at some exhibitions."
While Mejiro McQueen explained, Yasui Makoto took off the backpack, opened it, and began assembling the body, arms, and rotors.
Seeing this, both presidents leaned in curiously and watched closely.
"It's not as big as I imagined…"
Tokai Teio nodded, pinching her chin.
"So, Trainer Yasui wants to use this flying tool to film Kita-chan's training sessions?"
"That's correct. I specially ordered a model with low noise, high shooting precision, and the ability to capture high-speed footage."
Holding the drone in one hand, Yasui Makoto pointed at various parts of the body with the other as he explained:
"There's also a wireless transmitter here, so you can check the footage in real time.
"For frame-by-frame analysis, you use the camera's built-in storage. Just remove the card and connect it to a computer.
"As for the actual shooting quality…"
He thought for a moment and pointed toward the large floor-to-ceiling window in the office.
"I'm not sure if I can demonstrate it right now. I brought the remote controller."
Both presidents looked out the window, exchanged glances, and nodded at the same time.
"This is a very interesting idea. We'd love to see it, Trainer Yasui. Please go ahead."
With their permission, Yasui Makoto didn't hesitate. He placed the drone on the floor.
After turning on the power, he picked up the remote controller, the data cable, and his tablet, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pushed it open.
He then plugged the cable into the remote and the tablet and started the drone.
Bzzzzzz——
Under the surprised and curious gazes of Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, the four rotors spun rapidly, lifting the drone out of the office.