Chapter 186: Its Final Battlefield Is Vast
After going over the race instructions and analysis with Kitasan Black in meticulous detail, and confirming that she was fully prepared on all fronts, Makoto gave a few final reminders. He then left the preparation room and made his way through the underground passage to the stands.
As usual, he stopped at a spot near the very front, almost directly facing the finish line. After settling in, he took out his phone.
Just as he was about to make a call, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Kukuku~ Yasui-kun, you really are punctual as always."
Startled, Makoto turned with a wry smile.
" Dr. Tachyon, could you please stop sneaking up on people like that?"
Standing behind him before he even realized it was Agnes Tachyon. Today, the Umamusume wasn't wearing her usual lab coat. Instead, she had on a white long-sleeved trench coat.
The sleeves were so long they completely covered her hands and then some, giving anyone who saw them the inexplicable urge to grab them and tie a knot.
"That's not my fault."
Agnes Tachyon waved a hand casually and flicked her sleeve toward the side.
"Yasui-kun should blame this one instead."
"When you're around her, things just somehow become completely silent without warning. A truly fascinating phenomenon, kukuku~"
Letting out her trademark eerie chuckle, she extended a hand toward Makoto.
"Did you bring it?"
…Why does this feel like some kind of shady underground deal?
Unable to stop himself from thinking that, Makoto patted the single-shoulder bag he was carrying, pulled out a thick bundle, and handed it over.
"Here. I brought it."
A flash of delight crossed her eyes. Holding the bundle, Agnes Tachyon examined it from different angles, her voice tinged with excitement.
"So this is all of Kitasan Black's training logs since her debut?"
"There's also some material from before her debut," Makoto nodded. "Everything in paper form is in there."
"They're all copies from the academy archives. I specifically asked President Teio, and when she heard it was something you needed, she approved it right away."
"The logs and some of my own training notes are on the USB drive and the external hard drive, so please be careful not to bump them."
"Thank you. I'll handle them with care."
Agnes Tachyon's gratitude this time carried a noticeably more serious tone.
Hearing that, Makoto nodded, his gaze unconsciously shifting to the Umamusume beside her.
After agreeing to give Agnes Tachyon the training logs and some of his insights, he had spent quite a bit of effort organizing everything.
A few days ago, when he felt it was mostly ready, he'd called to ask when would be convenient to deliver it.
The response he got over the phone was, "Kitasan Black has a race coming up in a few days, right? Let's do it that day. I'll find you at the racecourse."
Makoto hadn't minded, but what he hadn't expected was that Agnes Tachyon wouldn't be coming alone. Accompanying her was another Umamusume.
In stark contrast to Agnes Tachyon, this Umamusume had waist-length black hair, with black bangs that covered half her face. She wore a tight black coat, and her overall impression was simply—black.
Even the faint scent drifting from her seemed dark and rich, like strong black coffee.
Aside from all that black, what stood out the most were her brilliantly shining golden eyes.
Makoto didn't bother hiding his gaze, and both Agnes Tachyon and the other Umamusume noticed.
"Since there's a USB drive and a hard drive… I'll look through everything when I get back."
Bending down, Agnes Tachyon carefully placed the bundle of documents Makoto had given her into the backpack she'd brought along. She straightened up and stretched lazily.
"Oh, right."
Patting the black-haired Umamusume on the shoulder, she looked back at Makoto.
"You probably already know her, Yasui-kun, but I'll introduce her anyway."
"Manhattan Cafe—my former classmate and an experimental subject."
"That last one… was completely unnecessary."
Previously showing little reaction to Makoto's gaze, the Umamusume named Manhattan Cafe now cut in with a faintly detached tone, interrupting Agnes Tachyon's introduction as she extended a hand toward him.
"Manhattan Cafe… it's a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to working with you, Yasui-san…"
Makoto paused in surprise as he reached out to shake her hand.
"Manhattan-san… you know me?"
"…I've heard of you."
Withdrawing her hand, she seemed to conjure a drink out of thin air. Now holding the cup, Manhattan Cafe turned her gaze toward the track.
"…I heard about you from her."
Even without a name being mentioned, Makoto knew she meant Agnes Tachyon.
He couldn't help but glance at Agnes Tachyon, then back at Manhattan Cafe.
When Agnes Tachyon said "experimental subject," Makoto took it to mean something like a friend. Judging from their active racing careers, the two did seem to share certain similarities.
As Agnes Tachyon had said, they were from the same generation and had faced each other in the Yayoi Sho.
Just as Agnes Tachyon had suffered an injury after the Satsuki Sho, Manhattan Cafe had also run into digestive issues around the time of the Yayoi Sho. Her weight dropped significantly in both the Yayoi Sho and the subsequent Azalea Sho.
Coupled with her naturally fragile bone and muscle structure in her legs, she had been forced to withdraw and rest, missing the Japanese Derby and the entire spring season.
Fortunately, she eventually recovered her health—and could even be said to have been reborn, her strength taken to another level.
With that newfound power, she first won the Kikuka Sho, then went on, as a Classic-year Umamusume, to win the year-end Arima Kinen.
In that Arima Kinen, she not only achieved two consecutive G1 victories and defeated a field of her peers and older senpai, but also set the record for the closing kick over 2500 meters at Nakayama Racecourse.
Thinking of this, Makoto felt an urge to ask for her advice.
"Manhattan-san, it's been a while since you last came to Nakayama, hasn't it?"
Clearly not expecting that question, Manhattan Cafe blinked in surprise.
Agnes Tachyon also paused briefly, then glanced at her friend and replied casually, "It has been a few years. She hasn't really been coming lately—she's either off filming movies or busy tinkering with her café. She's probably forgotten how to break from the gate by now."
Makoto was aware that Manhattan Cafe was quite active in the film industry—he often saw promotional material for her new movies around the academy.
He'd also heard about her running a café in interviews. Much like Agnes Tachyon's obsession with medicine, it was probably a hobby or personal pursuit.
"…It has been a few years."
She didn't deny Agnes Tachyon's words. Opening the cap of her drink, she narrowed her eyes and inhaled the aroma, a look of bliss spreading across her face. Then she turned to Makoto.
"I heard from Tachyon that one of your trainee is running in this race… are you looking for my thoughts?"
Makoto wasn't surprised that she saw through him so easily. He nodded openly.
"I've been a trainer for less than a year. If I have a chance to seek advice from a senpai like you, Manhattan-san, there's no way I'd pass it up."
"Less than a year, and you're already taking a green racer to a G1…"
It was clear Manhattan Cafe knew more than just the details of this one race. With a slightly melancholic tone, she nodded.
"Even if you call it advice, there isn't actually that much I can say."
"But…"
Her golden eyes swept across the track, lingering for a moment on the home straight before the finish line, then shifting to the screen opposite the stands.
"Nakayama Racecourse… its final battlefield is vast."
"Unnoticed racer, unnoticed positions… there are many chances to overtake there."
"Especially… when there's an opponent on the track drawing all the attention."
"I hope your trainee has built up enough of an advantage before that point."
<+>
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