Chapter 185: If Worst Comes to Worst, We'll Just Block the Door
Whether Special Week had ever actually said something like "conveying your feelings," Makoto wasn't sure—he wasn't even sure if he himself had ever truly heard those words.
But on one hand, that way of putting it should fit the Umamusume mindset fairly well. At least, after nearly a year at the academy, that was his impression.
On the other hand, Kitasan Black wasn't the kind of person people disliked, nor the type who deliberately stirred up trouble.
Quite the opposite. This cheerful, helpful girl was well-liked wherever she went. He'd never once heard of her having conflicts with anyone.
That meant that even if she lacked experience in handling disputes, she at least had the personality—or perhaps even the ability—to deal with them.
Maybe after calming down today, she would naturally figure out how to handle it herself.
So rather than giving advice just now, Makoto's real intention had been to help Kitasan Black calm down.
"Understand… my feelings?"
Startled, she softly repeated Makoto's words to herself. Her hand hanging at her side slowly clenched.
"I… yeah. What I really want to tell Ribbon is that I truly didn't do it on purpose…"
Her voice trailed off, garbled and hesitant, and she grew uncertain again.
"But… will she listen? She's not talking to me at all now, and if we wait until the St. Lite Kinen… won't that be too late?"
Seeing her become even more hesitant than before, Makoto wasn't anxious at all. Instead, he felt more confident.
Hesitation meant she was thinking about it—unlike at the beginning, when she'd been stuck spiraling into a dead end.
"Whether she listens or not is her choice. Whether you say it or not is yours."
Feeling that his line of reasoning was working, Makoto pressed on.
"It's just like a race. You can't decide how your opponent thinks or how they run—but you can decide how you think and how you run."
"Do what you need to do first, then worry about the rest."
"The St. Lite Kinen is indeed two weeks away, but don't forget—that'll be a chance where you're guaranteed to face Ribbon Victory head-on. You won't be able to avoid her, and she won't be able to avoid you either."
"Of course, if you really think that's too late, you can always do something else."
"Something else…?"
Kitasan Black blinked, then her eyes lit up.
"Trainer, you've got another idea?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it an idea, exactly…"
Smiling, Makoto glanced toward the training field.
Earlier, since he hadn't known about the situation between Kitasan Black and Ribbon Victory, he hadn't paid much attention to the other Umamusume training there. Now that he looked carefully, he realized Ribbon Victory wasn't there.
She was probably avoiding Kitasan Black and training somewhere else.
After thinking it over, he turned his gaze toward the dorms.
"Even if she doesn't want to see you right now, it's not like she's going to skip classes or stop sleeping."
"She has to go back to the dorm at night, right?"
"You're both in the Ritto dormitory anyway—worst comes to worst, just block her door."
"And hey, you're strong enough. If she won't open it, you can just smash it open."
Kitasan Black froze for a moment, then burst out between laughter and exasperation.
"Blocking doors? Smashing them? What are you even saying, Trainer… wouldn't that just make Ribbon even angrier?"
"So, that part was a joke."
Seeing that the worried look on her slightly sulky face had eased, Makoto felt even more at ease.
Smiling, he continued, "The serious approach is this: if you can't wait, go over to her dorm tonight and apologize properly."
"Of course, she might refuse to open the door."
"But don't forget—your dorm supervisor in Ritto is Daiwa Scarlet."
"You're already close with Scarlet. She'll help you with something like this. And mediating conflicts between students is part of a supervisor's—"
Before he could even finish the word 'duties', he saw Kitasan Black's eyes suddenly light up.
The very next second, a black shadow vanished from before his eyes, leaving behind only a rapidly fading cry of excitement.
"I know what to do now! Thank you! Trainer, you're the best!"
It was only when the final note disappeared at the far end of the field that Makoto snapped out of his daze.
Today's training wasn't finished yet… ah well, he'd have her make it up tomorrow depending on how things went.
…
What exactly Kitasan Black had "figured out," and what she did after leaving the field, Makoto never asked.
After all, the one who tied the knot had to be the one to untie it—especially with everyday conflicts like this. He could comfort her, he could give advice, but he couldn't solve everything for Kitasan Black.
Still, judging from her performance from the next day all the way up to race day, it seemed she had handled things pretty well. At the very least, she'd regained her usual energy during training and was no longer spacing out in a daze.
Noticing this, Makoto still didn't ask about what happened afterward.
Part of it was his belief that the person who could truly resolve the issue was Kitasan Black herself. Another part was that, whenever Ribbon Victory came up, Kitasan Black seemed a little… unnatural.
That probably meant she had gone to deal with it that day—but hadn't completely resolved it.
I see.
So in the end, was it really going to be settled through a race? That certainly fit their personalities. Well then… a race it is. That was Makoto's conclusion.
September 21st, Nakayama Racecourse—Kitasan Black's preparation room.
"Then it's settled. Our first choice is Burst Front Running, with pace chasing as the backup."
As usual, Makoto gestured at the whiteboard while explaining.
"Burst Front Running is a running style you've never shown before. Even if your opponents do some pre-race research, they won't seriously expect us to take the risk of using a completely new strategy."
"Most of your opponents usually run at standard distances. A non-standard distance like 2200 meters puts more emphasis on pace control."
"And you've already run two races at non-standard distances before. Your sense of rhythm is one of your strengths."
"That means it'll be much easier to secure the lead early on, and applying the Burst Front Running technique should go more smoothly as well."
Standard and non-standard distances were a way of classifying race lengths: distances that were multiples of 400 meters were considered standard; anything else was non-standard.
Most major races in the Twinkle Series fell into the former category, and everyday training distances were also usually based on multiples of 400 meters.
By comparison, the latter had subtle differences in pacing. Whether an Umamusume could handle them depended not only on daily training, but also on her innate sense of rhythm.
Kitasan Black understood all of this. After jotting down her Trainer instructions in her notebook with a carrot-shaped ballpoint pen, she looked up and pointed to one side of the track diagram.
"So the exact moment to switch running styles… depends on how these opponents move, right?"
As she asked the question, a faintly unusual glint passed through her eyes.
Makoto noticed it. His gaze swept over the names and data beside the track diagram, pausing briefly on the line that read "Ribbon Victory." Without showing anything on his face, he nodded.
"Based on past race performances, aside from you, there should be three other front runners in this race."
"Four front runners out of fifteen starters is a lot. Competition for the lead will definitely be fierce."
"So even though I don't think the chances are very high, if someone does see through your plan to use Burst Front Running, then pace chasing will be our backup option."
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