Chapter 193: Satono Crown Isn't Entering the Kikuka Sho Anymore?
Duramente fell silent.
REAL STEEL smiled faintly, sat down on a chair, and began loosening up her upper body before standing again to stretch. As she stretched, she looked at Duramente.
"I usually just say what's on my mind. With a personality like yours…"
"Oh right—about that conflict Kitasan Black had with Ribbon recently. Do you know about it?"
The sudden change of topic caught Duramente off guard. She nodded.
"…More or less."
She pointed outside. "I was still in the hospital a while ago. When Kita and Crown came to visit me, I heard them talking about it."
"Then I won't go into details."
REAL STEEL lifted her right leg, balancing on her left, raising it above her head.
"Anyway, I think it was just a misunderstanding. Kitasan Black is usually really good with people—she probably hasn't run into that kind of conflict before."
"As for Ribbon… well, this is just hearsay, but if I were in her shoes, I'd feel super awkward too."
"The opponent you've been thinking about all this time ends up not even remembering your name…"
"Ugh, just imagining it makes my toes curl."
As if her foot felt uncomfortable, REAL STEEL grimaced, lowered her right leg, then switched—raising her left leg and standing on one foot.
"What I really want to say is, that kind of conflict…At first, I thought only someone like you, Duramente, would forget people's names. I didn't expect Kitasan Black to end up doing something like that."
Duramente froze again.
After a moment, like an elementary school student answering a question in class, she put down the dumbbells, raised her hand slightly, and spoke in a small voice.
"Um…"
"At first, I… didn't remember REAL STEEL's name either. And…"
"And if Kita hadn't told me about that conflict, I… wouldn't have realized that I actually forget a lot of people."
"I only made a point of memorizing your name these past few days, and…"
She turned her gaze slightly away, cheeks tinged red, scratching the side of her nose with a finger.
"It seems I only remember the ones I'm going to race against—those racing Kita, and the ones racing Crown…"
As she said this, a strong sense of embarrassment welled up inside her, like a swarm of ants crawling restlessly through her chest.
Avoiding REAL STEEL's gaze, she felt her face heat up, the warmth spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
She also felt regret—regret that since entering Tracen Academy, she had cared about nothing but training and racing.
The classmates she brushed past, even the teachers—she had never paid them any attention, let alone remembered their names.
If it hadn't been for the past half year, gradually getting to know Kitasan Black, Satono Crown, and the others, and beginning to sense other people's feelings, then just as REAL STEEL said, a conflict like Kitasan Black's earlier one might very well have happened to her too.
Yet during her hospital stay—when boredom, loneliness, and frustration weighed on her—it was precisely the visits from these friends that gave her warmth and comfort.
More and more, she felt that even if they would still meet again on the racecourse in the future, this warmth and comfort might help her draw closer to her dream.
REAL STEEL saw Duramente's embarrassment clearly, but she only smiled slightly and said nothing.
This meeting in the gym had been purely coincidental, and what she'd said just now was mostly offhand talk anyway.
Besides, compared to the classmate and rival before her, what she cared about more at this moment was the screen—or rather, Kitasan Black at Nakayama Racecourse.
So after glancing once more at the conflicted-looking Duramente, the corners of her lips lifted into a gentle, understanding smile, and she spoke softly:
"I'm about ready to start training on my end. Duramente, make sure you don't push yourself too hard—your body comes first. Don't rush things and wear yourself out."
As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the barbell she'd just brought over.
Snapped out of her thoughts, Duramente instinctively looked at REAL STEEL.
In that instant, a surge of impulse rose in her chest. Without thinking it through, she blurted out:
"Um… REAL STEEL, after training… would you like to have dinner together?"
The barbell, which had barely been lifted to shin height, crashed to the floor with a dull thud. Several Umamusume in the gym looked over in surprise.
Staring at Duramente—whose face was twisted with nervousness, eyes earnest and urgent—REAL STEEL looked at her for a long moment, as if seeing her for the first time.
"…Hey, hey, hey! Don't spring something like that so suddenly, okay?"
She shook her head with a wry smile, then turned to the others who had looked over and apologized one by one. Turning back, she let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Honestly, what am I supposed to do with you… Fine, fine, dinner it is."
"But you're probably about done with your training for today, right? I usually train pretty late—do you mind that?"
"It's fine."
Duramente shook her head quickly. "I can watch you train. I think I could learn a lot."
"Learn a lot?"
Just as she was about to pick up the barbell, REAL STEEL's expression turned a bit strange. Half-joking, half-serious, she said:
"I lost to you in both the Satsuki Sho and the Derby, you know. What are you planning to learn from me—how to lose to yourself?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she saw Duramente freeze in confusion. REAL STEEL immediately realized that this classmate, who had just reached out so earnestly, probably wasn't used to that kind of joke, and hurriedly waved her hands.
"I'm kidding, kidding! Duramente, you know… when it comes to getting along with people, I might actually have something to teach you."
"…Yes. I'm not good at interacting with people."
With an embarrassed look, Duramente nodded. Then her eyes suddenly lit up and she spoke eagerly:
"Oh, right! REAL STEEL—at least I can learn from your win in the Kyodo News Hai."
"The Kyodo News Hai… well, fair enough. But we don't need to flatter each other like this."
With a smile, REAL STEEL finally picked up the barbell and began her training.
"Oh, by the way," she added casually while doing some basic movements, "my next race is the Kobe Shimbun Hai. If it were you, how would you run that race?"
At the mention of a race, the embarrassment on Duramente's face gradually faded, replaced by a serious expression.
Seeing this, REAL STEEL couldn't help but feel a bit expectant.
She knew very well how strong Duramente was. Even with her trainer arranging her training and race tactics, hearing advice from someone of this caliber could only help.
"…Sorry. I didn't prepare anything specifically for the Kobe Shimbun Hai."
REAL STEEL felt a flicker of disappointment as Duramente shook her head—but what came next made her eyes light up.
"However, before deciding to run the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Groove-nee and the others did some preliminary simulations."
"I don't need them anymore, and a lot of the analysis is a bit dated."
"Would… would you like to hear it, REAL STEEL?"
"Of course I do!"
REAL STEEL nodded without hesitation, a confident smile spreading across her face.
"Even if I couldn't take the Satsuki Sho or the Derby, the Kikuka Sho hasn't started yet—so anything is still possible. I'll definitely do everything I can to prepare!"
"Especially with Kita-chan and Crown, their situations— Oh, wait, is that something I shouldn't be asking about?"
She suddenly stopped, scratching her head awkwardly.
"Uh, I mean… since they're future opponents, maybe you should just pretend I didn't ask."
"It's actually fine. Kita and the others said they don't mind—we talk about these things all the time."
Duramente shook her head, then her expression turned a little strange.
"However… Crown has withdrawn from the Kikuka Sho. REAL STEEL, didn't you know?"
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